Cómo andar en el favor de Dios, Pt. 3

The Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me. Therefore, go around the world teaching and preaching the gospel to every creature, to the last of the earth. En Contacto, the biblical teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley. Today on En Contacto, how to walk in God's favor, part 3. Maybe someone asks, well, why would God destroy the world after taking the trouble to make it so beautiful? In the book of Genesis, God gives a wonderful description of His creation. But, think about it, after ten generations, Noah arrives. So, ten generations have passed since the creation, since Adam and Eve. What happened in those ten generations? I reflect, for example, and I think I have lived a little more than two generations, and I have seen what has happened in this country, in two generations. If a generation is 40 years old, as we consider, see what has happened in this country. It is inconceivable, no one would have imagined that we would be where we are today, from where we were 80 years ago. Of course, even much longer ago. Let's think about the year 1620. That is compared to the time of Noah in reference to creation. Since the year 1600, think about all the changes that have occurred, all the advances that we have made, but also all that has happened that has not been good. Let's say, then, that ten generations have passed. I can remember and see what difference there is today in this country from when I was a child. I remember that on Sundays nothing was done, no ball was played, no swimming. Then, one revered the Lord's Day. People were attentive to others. They did not have everything we have today.

And there was more respect for each other. People were more considerate of others. Many things were different. Look at that, and then look at today. And we say, why would God destroy such a beautiful earth? And this is the reason. The evil of men will be done much on earth. And that all the design of the thoughts of their hearts was continuous, only evil. Well, look at television, listen to the radio, and listen to people talk. Does it sound like this? All the design of the thoughts of their hearts was continuous, only evil. And Jehovah repented of having made men on earth, and it hurt his heart. In other words, God was heartless. And Jehovah said, I will inherit over the face of the earth the men that I have created, from man to beast, to reptile, and the birds of heaven, for I repent of having made them. Which is very deplorable, very discouraging. God said, I have created all this, now I repent. I ask you, have you ever felt when you were praying for something, have you felt when you prayed that God said to you, I'm sorry. I'm sorry you did that. Because God does not like to humiliate anyone. So in spite of all the evil, the following verse says, But Noah found grace before the eyes of Jehovah. These are the generations of Noah. Noah, a just man, was perfect in his generations. He walked with God, Noah. Just, perfect, and he walked with God. Someone will say, does perfect mean he never sinned? No.

There are two Hebrew words that mean sin. One of them indicates that someone sins from time to time. The other indicates that it is a sinner who leads that kind of life. So the Bible says, And the earth was corrupted before God, and the earth was full of violence. And God looked at the earth, and there was here that it was corrupted, because all flesh had corrupted its way over the earth. He said, Well, Noah, I have decided the end of all to be. So a family, a man, all over the earth, think of Noah. Imagine that your family was the only one in Atlanta, and that God told you, I will destroy everyone in this city, in the surrounding counties, everyone. And you and your family would be the only survivors. What would you think? First, you would think of your friends and family. You would say, why would God do something like that? Well, the reason why God did it was because the Bible says, the wickedness of men was great on earth, and that every sign of the thoughts of their hearts was continuous. Only evil, so serious, was. Let's think about this for a moment. Imagine that your country and the whole world, let's follow the course we are going, far from God, with the sign of our heart, in search of pleasure at all costs, mistreating us, killing us, and all kinds of atrocities that occur. Imagine that we continue like this for a couple of generations. Where will we be? We can't even imagine it. But that's what happens on the days when the Bible tells us that Noah found grace before the eyes of Jehovah. In other words, when God saw Noah,

he looked at a completely different man. And God reached him, spoke to his heart, and gave him a mandate that he, of course, obeyed. So I ask you, if God were to look for just people today, would you fall into that category? Could you say that you lead a consecrated, holy, just life? Or would you be entangled with the gentile with whom Noah had to quarrel, being an untouchable man? The time he lived was full of sin and evil, to the point that God said, I regret having done them. Therefore, I will do this as a result of it. So, I think of Noah, and how long he lived, and then God said, I can't stand it anymore. But he found a man. That man had three characteristics that we should all have in life. And that is, let's do what? Let's listen to God. What else? Let's trust in Him and obey Him. Let's think about this. If I listen to God, I will know what to do. If I trust in Him, it means that I will know that it will go well. And if I obey Him, I will be blessed. If I don't listen to Him, I won't trust in Him, and I won't obey Him. So, what does that tell us about the people around us? They don't listen to God.

They listen to all kinds of things, but not to God. Now, there are those who say, well, I don't believe in the Bible. Well, if you look around you and read the Bible, you will begin to believe it. Because God has already illustrated to us what evil is, the evil of sin, and the effect it has. So, God said, there is a family that I will save, and it is Noah and his family. And I want us to think about this for a moment. The Bible says that Noah walked with God and listened to Him. Therefore, he preserved civilization through a family, and it was Noah's family. And not because he was perfect, but because he listened to God, trusted in God, and obeyed Him. So, I think about what Noah faced. When he lived in a civilization, at a time when everything around him was evil, disobedient, and senseless, and God said to him, Noah, I will destroy the earth, but I will save you and your family. Don't you think Noah would have said, and why me? I would answer, because I found in you what I was looking for, and I will save you from all this. So, allow me to ask you, would you say, and I could tell you, that according to your lifestyle, whether your family members or co-workers,

or whoever you play with, they would think of you and say, something I know about him or her, is that he listens to God. So, think about it for a moment. To whom he knows that he would say of you, he listens to God, she listens to God. Who among your friends or acquaintances would say of you, he listens to God. to God, because he speaks of prayer and I believe he listens to God. Who would tell you to listen, trust, and obey? That those three simple qualities are what people think when they know you. You have family members who know you well. You have coworkers who know you. You have friends who know you very well. When they think of you, do they consider your qualities to be pious or like the rest of the world? You dress well, you drive well, you live very well, you do this and that, or do they think of you as someone who listens to God, trusts God, and obeys Him? Could they say that about you? Or do they want people to say, how well you dress, how well you look, how much wealth you have, where you live, the car you drive, how much elegance, and how much class? I prefer to be a holy person than a person with class, because class has no spiritual meaning. It fits with the characteristics of the world. But could they say about you, I know that person listens to God, trusts God, because I have seen how they react in certain situations and circumstances, and I know that they obey God? Isn't it interesting that sometimes the people who are supposed to be our closest friends, when they live in sin, they don't like our company?

And they don't know why. I'll tell you why. When those three qualities are yours, look, those who live in sin and disobedience to God will not be happy around you, or working with you, or being your friend. Why? Because they walk on two levels. One walks in darkness, the other in light. The problem that Mr. Obe had was that he walked in light, he obeyed the living God, and suddenly God tells him, I want you to do this. So that's what we think for a moment about what was going on in Noah's heart, in his mind and his life, when God told him what he wanted him to do. We have talked about the matter of building the ark and everything that it entailed, and I think of what Noah had to face personally, knowing what God had told him, I will destroy everything you see, and I will save you and your family because you have listened to me, you have trusted in me, you have obeyed me, but everyone else disappeared. I wonder what they would have thought of this man completely different from everyone else in the spiritual and moral. Let's think for a moment about what Noah would have thought. Think about the mental conflict he would have. However, God told him, this is what I will do, and Noah knew it was true. How do you live in a society of that kind for that period of time? It took him a long time to build the ark, 137 meters long, 23 meters wide, three floors, etc. I don't know how long it took him, but I want you to see this. He had to live with this in his heart, in his mind, in his feelings, and all will be destroyed and the only ones left will be my family and I. Look, there was no doubt in his mind because he learned to listen to God, to trust in God, and to obey God. So it was not about, it may happen, maybe God will change, it was a resolved matter. This is what God will do.

We live in an era in which we see that evil is increasing. And we believe, yes, but we are in our country, that's right. And although we trust in our sense of security, pay close attention, the only security we have is our personal relationship with God. That is the only thing we have. And then I think, for example, that to put all those animals, I don't know how God did it, someone will say, well, how could that have happened? I have no idea, I will not give you an answer without knowing it, but God, somehow, in a moment of time, put all the animals in there, they finally finished the ark, it will start to rain, and it will not rain for 40 days and 40 nights. Now, when we have bad weather for three days, it gives us an attack. And the Bible says that not only did it go down, it also went up. He was not safe, by the grace of God, because of a lot of attention. Did you hear that, God? Because he trusted God, because he obeyed God, pay attention, those three things can save us from pain, problems, trials, and difficulties in life. To listen to God, to trust Him, and to obey Him. And he said that it was not enough not to listen to God. Or to trust Him, but to obey Him. Often, many people say, well, I live a Christian life, I do what God wants me to do. Really? Well, the point is not to know, the question is to obey what God has told you to do. Look, obedience has defined edges, very sharp. Either I do it, or I don't. I do what God says, or I don't. You cannot obey God and discard this edge. You cannot obey God and make concessions in this aspect. Lord, I did almost everything you said. No. Obedience is obedience. People don't even like to think about that. But obedience must be part of our daily life and must be a priority in our life. You never know when God will close His door, when He will call you to His presence, when He will have to turn His back on everyone.

So, there I was. Can you imagine what they would have felt when they heard the screams and cries of their friends? And it was raining, and it kept raining. Then suddenly, that big ship moved. A little bit. Because there was enough water to move it. Forty days and forty nights. It was not a drizzle, but a torrential rain from above that came out of the earth. Until finally, nothing could be heard. The only sound was inside that ship. Days passed, weeks passed, months passed. And finally, after God had fulfilled what He had proposed, the ark sank. God told him to send a dove to see what was happening. This dove returned. Finally, the dove came back with a leaf. God said, now you can go out. And one of the first things Noah did was raise an altar. And what an altar! It was a great altar. To thank God for what had happened. The Bible says, and Noah raised an altar, and he took of every clean animal. And the Bible says that God said to him, I will no longer destroy every living being as I have done. As long as the earth remains, the cemetery and the blind will not cease, the cold and the heat, the summer and the winter, the day and the night. It will never happen again in that way. But he did not say that he would not do it through fire. When we get to the New Testament, we see that this is the point of view of God.

So, when we think about that, and when we consider that God said, I will establish my covenant with you, and I will no longer exterminate all flesh with floodwaters. He did not discard fire. Nor will there be more floodwaters to destroy the earth. And God said, this is the sign of the covenant that I establish between me and you and all living beings that is with you for perpetual centuries. Then he did this as a reminder forever. He showed a rainbow. And when I think about the rainbow, I do not know what you think about it, or consider it in two aspects how beautiful it is, but I think about what God said. By this sign you will know that I will never do this again. Let me ask you. Do you listen to God? Do you trust Him? Do you obey Him? Life is not as it was then. But on the other hand, it does not change. Do I obey God or do I not obey Him? Whatever we do, whoever we are, wherever we are, God requires that we obey Him. That means that we must trust Him. And God has offered salvation to every person because everyone who invokes the name of the Lord will be saved. That if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Lord, you will be saved. If you are willing to confess your sins and repent, you will be saved. And maybe you say, well, I have plenty of time.

It is not like that. Do you know how much time he has? He doesn't have as much time as he thinks. God put the rainbow in the sky to remind him, not only Noah and his family, but all of us, look, whatever God promises, He will do. Since then, has there been any delusion? No. Why? Because God said it wouldn't happen. I want you to think about this. You have professed to be a son of God by following the Lord Jesus Christ. Having professed that, all your acquaintances, co-workers with whom you live, everyone around you, have a legitimate right to expect you to be different. Not perfect, but different. Not only different, but spiritual, because you have professed to be a believer, a follower of Christ. So the world has a right to expect us to be different. Pay attention. By not being so, we are still a disappointment to the people who do not even think about God. Because they know what we say is our norm, to obey God. If the people of God got used to listening, trusting, and obeying, I will tell you what would happen. Churches would be full of people because they would see the difference, that there is something different within us. So they would want to have whom we have or what we have. God gave Noah

a great promise and put it in heaven to say, you can count on that. He has given us something better than a rainbow. And according to this, I can trust God in life and death. According to this, I can trust God every day. According to this, I never have to be disappointed with God. Perhaps disappointed with me, but not with God. I read this and I know that my name is written in the Book of the Life of the Lamb. And that means that whatever happens, I will go to heaven when I die. And nothing can change that. Nothing, nothing, nothing in this world can change our relationship with God. I think about how many people have one. This is the Bible. How many people have it and never open it? They have one and never open it to find out what God thinks, what He wants to say. I don't know how many times in my life when I have opened His Word and God has not said anything to me. Perhaps it was something I didn't want to hear, or something I did want to hear, or something I was excited to hear. But pay close attention. God wants to speak to you because God loves you and to prove that, go to the cross. That is, God showed His love to us not only with a rainbow thousands of years ago, but on the cross

about 2,000 years ago to say, what? I love you, I will save you, I will bring you to my presence to spend eternity with me. Could I give God an excuse not to start the day, whoever it is and wherever it is? An acceptable excuse not to listen to God, to trust Him and to obey Him? The same thing that He teaches His children and God? Has He learned to trust God? Has He learned to obey Him? Not until He learns first to take time to listen to Him. Is that too much to ask? I ask you if that is your lifestyle. And if it is not, ask yourself, why? Amen? Father, we ask that the Holy Spirit speak to each person here who is not saved. They have been very busy speaking to you and listening to you. There is sin in their lives that they do not want to leave. Speak to each person, Father, to remind them that as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be for all of us, all of our days, because one day we will die

and we will be before you. And I ask that the person here who has not yet accepted Christ as his Savior. He thought of Him and believed in Him, but he never accepted Him as his Savior, who today makes the decision to ask you for forgiveness and to give you His life. Lord, above all, we want to be able to respond to this affirmatively. I am listening, yes. I am trusting, yes. I am obeying, yes. Father, it is engraved in our hearts that there is no other correct answer. No, maybe not sometimes, but yes. I ask you to engrave this simple message in all our hearts every day. We need to listen to it daily because you speak to us daily. We bless you, we praise you. We thank you for your word that guides our life. In the name of Jesus, amen.