The Requirements of Faith – Dr. Charles Stanley

in trusting God with today the 365-day

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Charles Stanley we are encouraged to

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in touch the Teaching Ministry of Dr

Charles Stanley reaching the world with

the Gospel of Jesus Christ next on in

touch the requirements of

faith when you trusted the Lord Jesus

Christ as your personal savior you

immediately entered into a life of faith

that is you enter into a sense of

confident assurance

that the god of the Bible is God and

that not only is he who he says he is

but he will do everything he promised to

do now the only problem is that most of

us did not and probably no one really

understood all of that when they first

trusted Jesus Christ as their savior so

what really happens is God puts us in

the school of Faith he places us there

to learn the most basic principles of

scripture and to learn how to live for

him and to learn how to to live in a

world that is in opposition to

him when we talk about faith we’re

talking about just that and that is a

confident assurance that the god of the

Bible is God and that he will do exactly

what he promises to do how do we live

that kind of life and the world in which

we have to live well we have to learn

how to do it no one is saved knowing how

to live a life of faith and all of us

will agree that many times in our life

no long no matter how long we’ve been a

Christian we still still falter we still

fail we still have our doubts we still

have our frustrations and sometimes it’s

just pure unbelief God makes it very

clear and we say well I hope so when

he’s made it very clear how do we learn

to walk the walk of Faith how do we

learn to live the life of Faith well

what I want to do in this message is I

want to talk about this whole idea of

Faith again I want to talk about the

requirements for learning to walk by

faith because it isn’t something you

automatically know it’s something you

learn by trial and error by study and

stumbling and by faltering and falling

and getting up and moving on again but I

think there are some principles that you

and I can learn that’ll help us and so I

want you to turn if you will to Genesis

CH 12 one of the things that’s so true

in the life of Abraham is God’s listen

God’s unsearchable and Indescribable

love even amidst his faults and his

failures God loved him even amidst his

faults and failures and often times his

unbelief God continued to work in his

life and accomplish his purpose in his

life and I think one of the things we

have to understand is we will fall we

will fter we will have our weak moments

we will often times have faith failures

that’s what I call them Faith failures

but you know what God does not intend

for us to stay there but to learn to

move on so I want us to look at this

12th chapter and just read a few verses

to give us an introduction though

chapters 12 through 25 discussed this

man’s life certainly a man of Faith but

also a man who had his weakness

chapter 12 now the Lord said Abram go

forth from your country and from your

relatives and from your father’s house

to the land which I will show you and I

will make you a great nation and I will

bless you and make your name great and

so you shall be a blessing and I will

bless those who bless you and the one

who curses you I will curse and in you

all the families of the Earth shall be

blessed so Abraham went forth as the

Lord had spoken to him and lot went with

him Abraham was 75 years old when he

departed from Heron and Abraham took

Sarah his wife and lot his nephew and

all their possessions which they had

accumulated and the persons which they

had acquired in Heron and they set out

for the land of Canaan and thus they

came to the land of Canaan now with that

in mind and we will continue a part of

his life here what I’d like to give you

is I like to give you five requirements

for learning to walk by faith and you

called that Paul said that we are

justified by faith and again he said we

walk by faith we are to walk by faith

the truth is we don’t even know what the

next minute’s going to hold the next day

the next month the next year the next

decade The Next Century so the truth is

to some degree we are forced to walk by

faith and yet most people walk by the

flesh that is they walk by their own

desires and their own uh abilities and

talents in life and so they just going

to make things work out and often times

they cannot the truth is the believer is

to walk by faith that is to walk by a

confident listen to walk by a confident

assurance that the God is of the Bible

is who he says he is and will do exactly

what he promises to do well what is the

first lesson in the school of faith I

must learn if I’m going to learn to walk

and to live by faith the first lesson is

this I must learn to listen to God that

is absolutely basic in all of our walk

with God if I don’t know if I can’t hear

him if if I can’t identify his voice if

I can’t hear him if I can’t know that

God is speaking to me how will I know

where to go how will I know what to do

how will I know how long when how what

you see the truth is that God intends to

give us direction for our life does he

not say trust in the Lord with all your

heart lean not to your own understanding

in all thy ways acknowledge Him He Shall

direct thy path but even if he directs

my path if I’m not listening I’m going

to miss what he has to say so basic to

learning to live by faith and to walk

the walk of Faith to live the Christian

Life as God would have us to basic to

that is learning to listen to

God step number two is learning to obey

God if I am going to walk the walk of

Faith then I must learn to be obedient

to God because the truth is the life of

faith is a life of obedience and the

truth is also that if I really and truly

trust him I’m going to obey him and if I

obey listen I will only obey the person

I trust if I really trust them I’m going

to be obedient to him and my obedience

is evidence of my trust this is why

often times God will send us through

great difficulty in hardship in life and

and what happens we just move on through

that and end that and on past that why

because we trusted God we knew this is

what he said do we chose to be obedient

to him and he brought us through it and

what that does is it just builds your

faith Every Act of obedience if you will

observe carefully what God was doing

will simply build your faith now listen

to what happens to Abraham here because

he certainly obeyed God back to this

12th chapter listen to what he says now

the Lord said to Abram go forth from

your country and tells him what to do

verse four says so he got up and went so

Abraham left and so if you move on over

each time what you’ll follow all through

these chapters When God says here’s what

I want you to do here’s what here’s what

he does even to the point of sacrificing

his son but does he always do that no he

does not he doesn’t always do what God

tells him to do because he did not

listen because he did not obey the Lord

God because in his desire to do it his

way and to arrange his circumstances

which he thought was best what does he

do the Bible says that he heads down he

heads down into Egypt now here’s what I

want you to notice I want you to notice

what happens to him here because as a

result of not listening he got something

in

Egypt that he not he never got over

he got something in Egypt that caused

him problems all the rest of his life he

got something in Egypt that not only

caused him problems but has caused the

world’s problems ever

since because what he got down there was

Hagar an Egyptian lady Egyptian

woman and you recall what happens we

come into that later what

happens he got more than he bargained

for it listen whenever you and I do not

listen to God to God and we head toward

Egypt Egypt may look good it may look

like the solution to our problems it may

look like here’s what here’s how we’re

going to get our needs met and you know

what happens when you get in Egypt

having not listen to God and disobey god

listen you may it may look real good for

a

season but ultimately it won’t be that

way so what we have to do is remember

two things here first of all if I’m

going to walk the walk of faith I must

learn to listen to God I must learn to

listen to God and I must learn to do

what I must learn to obey God the third

thing I must learn is I must learn to

depend upon God is that not what the

life of faith is all about it’s learning

to trust him if I trust him I will

depend upon him I will rely upon him I

will look to him to meet my needs I I

will look to him to do for me and to be

to me what I need if I’m not trusting

him and not listening to him I’m not

going to do that and so what happens we

find here that um Abraham certainly

learned how to depend upon the Lord if

you’ll recall he certainly depended upon

the Lord for instructions and he said to

him in this 12th chapter he says I want

you to go to a land that I will show you

he didn’t know where he was going

necessarily I mean he had some idea I’m

sure but he says what when he says I

will show you he I’m going to show you

the way there I’m going to show you how

to get there I’m going to show you the

land of promise where I want you to live

he says I will show you so so what did

he do he listened to him he obeyed him

and he depended upon God to get him

there now when he got to when he got to

the neave and there was famine he didn’t

depend upon God to meet his need now God

surely who could bring him all the way

from ear Cales to this land could

certainly provide for him after he got

there and when he headed toward Egypt

instead of trusting God to protect him

he want to put puts his wife in a in a

terrible position uh and wants to

sacrifice her if necessary in order for

for him to be protected can he depend

upon God to protect him what I want you

to see is that Abraham man of great

faith man whom we can look at and

observe and learn many many lessons out

of these chapters that he had his

moments of weakness listen where he did

not listen he did not obey God he did

not depend upon God and every single

time it was costly the Christian life is

just that simple you said it doesn’t

sound very simple well it’s simple in a

way and that is I obey him and not obey

him if I trust him I will obey him if I

don’t don’t trust him I’m not going to

obey him and I’m not going to depend

upon him I’m going to do it my way and

my way is ultimately going to end up

into a great disappointment in my life

step number one and learn to walk the

walk of faith is what let’s have it what

is Step number one learning to learning

to listen to God step number two

learning toy learning to obey God step

number

three learning to depend upon God and

step number four learning to wait upon

God oh my goodness learning to wait upon

God

one of life’s most difficult lessons and

you know what the more capable uh often

times the more gifted a person is the

less they want to wait I can handle it

every time I get ahead of God I make a

mess of it and the truth is I don’t even

have to know you every time you get

ahead of God you make a mess of it too

and every time Abraham got ahead of God

he made a mess of it now look at this

time he made a big mess of it look at

this you’ll recall that God said he was

going out of him would come all the

nations of the Earth in the 15th chapter

look at this for example he’s given God

has given him this promise do not fear I

I am a shield to you I’m going to

protect you your reward shall be very

great listen that awesome promise he

said no wait a minute I don’t even I

don’t even have a son verse four then

behold the word of the Lord came to him

saying this man will not be your Heir

that is one of his servants but one who

shall come forth from your own body he

shall be your Heir took him outside

showed him the Stars he says can you

count those no he that’s that’s the way

that’s the way your inheritance is going

to be that’s the way your family is

going to be won’t even be able to count

them all and so of course you couldn’t

count all the Hebrews down through these

centuries that have been

born and so he said now Lord how do I

know I shall I shall possess this land

then he gives him a an account of what

happens here and so then listen to what

happens in the next chapter chapter 16

verse

one now Sarah AB Abraham’s wife had

borne him no children and she had an

Egyptian maid whose na listen whose name

was Hagar so Sarah said to Abram behold

the Lord has prevented me from bearing

children please go un my maid perhaps I

shall obtain children through her and

Abraham listen to the voice of Sarah man

he should have built the biggest altar

he ever built right there he should have

listened to God not Sarah he listened to

the voice of Sarah and so and after

Abraham had lived 10 years in the land

of Canaan Abraham’s wife Sarah took

Hagar the Egyptian her maid gave her to

her husband Abraham and his wife and he

went into Hagar and she conceived and

she saw that she had conceived her

mistress was despised in her sight now

watch this first of all he’s an Egyptian

handmaid been a servant when she

conceives all of a sudden Sarah whose

idea it was began to hate and despise

this woman finally listen finally

if you notice what

happens son is

born finally they they threw out of the

house and God is the one who said to her

return to your mistress and submit

yourself to her

Authority so what happened his Hagar who

was a gift down in Egypt and now the

Strife in this

family not only that he stepped ahead of

God had a

son who would be trouble all the years

of his life and trouble down through the

centuries even un this very day he got

ahead of God now when you and I choose

to disobey God no matter how good it

looks you can’t make it

right you can’t make you can’t make it

right if it’s not of God you can’t make

it turn out not right if it’s not of God

that’s why it’s so very important that

you and I learn to listen to God learn

to obey God learn to depend upon God and

learn to wait for his timing

remember that if God says wait God In

His Infinite Wisdom knows listen it’s

not only best for God it’s best for us

if God says wait it’s best for us that

is listen if he says

wait if I don’t wait I’ll get what I can

do if I wait I get what God can do and

listen he said to he said Abraham he

says he says you’re going to have a

great

reward but you got to listen to me obey

me depend upon me and wait for my

timing

now so if I’m going to learn to walk the

walk of faith I must learn to

acknowledge my faith failures to

God and learn from them listen to what

happened go to the 22nd chapter of

Genesis 2 the second chapter look at

this now it came about after these

things Isaac’s been born and Son of his

fav this is a son of promise to whom the

Messiah is coming he says after these

things that God tested Abraham and said

to him Abraham he said here I am you

know what would you just love you just

love to hear God say Jane Charles Jim

Jack whatever here I

am listening to God I mean this man had

learned to listen now this fiddling

around yes here I

am boy if he didn’t just know what he is

listening to look at this take now your

son your only son whom you love Isaac go

to the land of Mariah and offer him

there as a burnt offering on one of the

mountains of which I tell

you I’m sure when he woke up that

morning he never expected expected that

in his Wildest

Dreams had he learned to listen to God

yes here I am had he learned to obey God

look at the next verse so Abraham Rose

early in the

morning settle his Dunkin look at verse

two again and he said take now your son

not one of these days now did he learn

to listen yes learn to obey yes learn to

depend upon God yes learn to wait upon

him yes now that means now next morning

early gets up took two his young men

with him Isaac his son split the wood

for the burnt offering arose and went to

the place of which God had told him on

the third day Abraham raised his eyes

and saw the place from a distance and

Abraham said to his young men stay here

now watch this carefully stay here with

the donkey and I and the lad will go

Yonder and we will worship and return to

you now I know that Abraham

is about to graduate in school of

Faith because this is the acid test of

his love and Devotion to

God this son whom he’d looked for all

these years hundred years old when he

was born the son of promise and now he

says to him I want you to take him to

mount Mariah and I want you to sacrifice

him to

me so they

left Abraham took the wood of the burnt

offering laid it on Isaac his son took

it in his hand man the fire and the

knife so the two of them walked along

together now can you imagine this

conversation look at

this Isaac spoke to Abraham his father

and said my father

yes well we’ve got wood and we’ve got

fire where’s the lamb for the burnt

offering I love this answer look at this

verse eight and Abraham said God will

provide for himself the

lamb he graduated

man for the burnt offering my son so the

two of them walked on together came to

the place of which God had told him

Abraham built the altar there arranged

the wood bound his son Isaac and laid

him on the altar in the top of the wood

here’s what I want you to

remember if we’re not listening to

God we’ll spend a lifetime regretting

it Abraham Abraham

here I

am and God said to

him don’t stretch your hand against your

son your lad do nothing to him for now I

know that you fear God since you’ve not

withheld your son your only son from

me then Abraham raised his eyes and

looked and behold behind him a ram

caught in the thicket by by by his

Thorns Abraham went and took the RAM and

offered him up for a burnt offering in

the place of his son and Abraham called

the name of that place the Lord will

provide as it is said to this day in the

Mount of the Lord it will be

provided he said now by myself I’ve

sworn declares the Lord because you’ve

done this thing and have not withheld

your son your only son indeed I will

greatly multiply you bless you your seed

is the stars of the heavens and as the

sand which is on the seashore and your

seed shall possess the Gate of their

enemies and in your seat all the nations

of the Earth shall be blessed because

you have obeyed made my

voice suppose he had not listened at

that

moment and what that says to me is how

very important it is that in the Walk of

Faith you and I stay out of

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Egypt and that we are very very

sensitive to the voice of God that when

he speaks we’re just as listen we

learned just as well as Abraham to say

Here I Am

Lord listening willing to be obedient

willing to depend willing to wait

willing to confess my failures my faults

and my faith failures and my faults and

my times of

Disobedience willing to repent of those

in order to

learn how to walk this walk of

faith