When you pray, do you end your prayer with a sense of trust in God? Dr. Stanley continues his exploration of Noah’s life to instruct us that favor with God is about listening to Him and having unwavering trust in His guidance. Trusting God is absolutely essential to live the Christian life.
Sermon Outline
Last week, we learned that walking in God’s favor begins with listening to Him. But that’s only the first step. Noah didn’t just hear God’s voice—he also acted on it. This week, Dr. Stanley explores both what it means to trust and why faith is essential to obedience.
Key Passages: Genesis 6:8; Proverbs 3:5-6
Supporting Passage: Genesis 6:5-9, Genesis 6:14
Noah found favor with God not just because he listened, but because he also trusted. His life shows us the simple, profound formula for walking in God’s favor.
►“When God gives you the first step, you must take it—even if you don’t understand everything.”
How do we walk in the favor of God? We must …
Learn to listen when He speaks.
Trust Him, even when it doesn’t make sense.
Watch expectantly to see Him act for our good and His glory.
What made Noah’s character unique (Gen. 6:5-9)? He was …
Righteous—He lived according to God’s ways.
Blameless—He was not sinless, but his life was characterized by obedience rather than rebellion.
Faithful—He walked with the Lord in genuine fellowship and communion.
►“God assumes the responsibility for making a way and providing the means for you to do His will.”
Lessons from Noah:
We must develop godly character—Noah lived his faith outwardly, and those around him noticed the difference.
We will encounter challenges of faith—God may call us, as He did Noah, to do things we either don’t understand or feel incapable of doing.
Faith in God causes collisions with society—Noah faced public ridicule for obeying the Lord. There might be times when God tells us to do something nobody else agrees with.
Courage is required to face difficult circumstances—Noah had courage because he trusted God to fulfill His promises.
What is the Lord’s three-fold command? Listen. Trust. Obey.
This is how we live a godly life in the world.
By his example thousands of years ago, Noah showed us the key to living life at its very best.
Much of Scripture is an illustration of what happens when people are willing (or unwilling) to listen to the Lord, trust Him, and obey His instructions.
After Watching
Noah trusted God with something that made no sense. Where is God inviting you to trust Him, even when the path isn’t clear?
What’s one thing you’d love to see God do in your life? Spend some time this week talking to Him about it—and notice what happens when you bring expectation into your prayers.
