R409 Putting Your Faith To Work

We all could use some encouragement, and we'll find it together today in the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton about putting your faith to work. As we open the Word of God together, know that we're open to talk with you and pray with you at this number, jot it down, 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673. We would love to connect with you.

Now today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. I want you to just share what is upon your heart with the Lord. Talk to him about it. Tell the Lord. You say, Pastor, I'm sitting so far back here, you don't even know that I'm here. But you know, God does. He knows all about our hearts and about the things that go on. He knows about our torn ligaments. He knows about our impending surgeries. He knows about what we're going through tomorrow. He knows about our marriages. He knows about all these things. He knows about them, and he loves you, and he loves me. This is God's church.

I want to speak about a very special subject this morning. All of these subjects from God's Word are special, but this one has particular significance, I think, for us today. Putting your faith to work, that's the subject. How can I put my faith to work? If we were to do a survey here this morning, and I should imagine all over Spartanburg County, we would discover that there are literally hundreds and thousands of people in Spartanburg today who would have no problem saying that they have exercised their faith in God. When you trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you exercised your faith, for by grace through faith are you saved, and not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. It is our faith that comes into place.

Why? Because we don't understand why or how God would want to save us, but we believe him and we take him at his word. We exercise our faith. We trust in God. We believe implicitly that God is going to do what God says he's going to do.

But our biggest problem is, is that from Monday through to Friday and Saturday, we struggle to put our faith to work, to translate that faith into action. You know, it's one thing to say that God wants me to do something. It's another thing to say, okay, God, I'm going to do it because you said I must do it. And faith means that I don't necessarily know where or why or what.

I just do it because God said it. Well, I want you to turn with me today to the letter to the Hebrews in chapter 11. We're going to read just one verse.

Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 7. We're going to look at the life of Noah today, a man of extraordinary faith. And you can keep your finger in Genesis chapter 6, 7 and 8 because I think that God understood us best of all, don't you? I think God realized that we would have a problem in one church service of preaching about Noah putting his faith to work and having to read all three chapters, chapters 6, 7 and 8.

We would be here for the rest of the hour. So what God did was he put it into the hall of faith in Hebrews chapter 11. And there is one verse in Hebrews chapter 11 that summarizes everything that Noah was all about. Please follow with me in your Bibles. And I'm going to stop once or twice.

Hebrews chapter 11 verse 7. By faith, Noah, when warned about the things not yet seen. Now I'm going to stop right there. It's hard for me to get past that one phrase. Did you notice that? Now here's Noah, who by faith began to put his faith to work based upon what God says, not based upon anything that he had yet seen happen.

That's faith. You know, we are people who like to line up all our ducks in a row, don't we? We want it all, we want it all lined up. We want everything, we want to say to God, now listen, Lord, I know that you've put in my heart to begin this new business venture. And I know that you've impressed upon my heart to invest in these stocks. And I know that you want me to go to this place or to do that.

But before I do any of that, even though I believe you've told me to do it, I want to know what's going to happen two years from now and then I'll do it. That's not faith. It's like setting church budgets. God's not going to bless our church until we exercise real biblical spiritual faith. Now that doesn't mean to say that God doesn't give to men and women a good mind to think and to work and to calculate and to analyze and to open their eyes and to see and to make good judgments and wise decisions. But God expects us to exercise our faith. He expects us to put our faith to work.

He wants us during the week to demonstrate the practical reality of the exercise of our faith in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Look what happened here to Noah. The Bible says by faith, Noah when warned about things not yet seen in holy fear.

I love that, don't you? I preached a message in the book of Revelation some time ago entitled Holy Cow. I think Noah for 120 years preached a message entitled Holy Fear, don't you think? Holy Fear. What is Holy Fear? It's fear because you're a man, because you're a woman, because you want to know what's going on down there. It's fear because you cannot trust yourself. It's fear because you know the stock market could collapse all of a sudden, but it's bound in the holy righteousness of an almighty God who has the very future of the world and ourselves in the palm of His hand. What shall we fear? What shall we fear? Some of you facing surgery tomorrow.

Rae Jean, love you very much. I know you're going to have surgery tomorrow. We're praying for you.

Not just because you're precious, but because you're a child of God. There are people all over our congregation who are facing surgery and who are praying for people. We're praying for Greg Mason in Greenville, and we're praying for one another. And the Bible says that we must exercise our faith. We must put our faith to work. What a word of assurance. Isn't that wonderful? Isn't it an incredible thing to know that we can cast our care upon the Lord?

We can trust Him implicitly. So look what happens here in verse seven. Noah, when warned about the things not seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir.

Heir, what an incredible word there. He became the inheritor. He became the recipient. Here is a man who put his faith to work. He put it to work.

He said, listen, I've got all these things around here that make me comfortable. And God, you're telling me to build an ark? There's no water here.

There's hardly any rain here. People don't believe me. They're going to mock me. But God said, do it.

I'm going to do it. And he put his faith to work. And what is the result? The result is that Noah became the recipient, the heir apparent of what? Of the righteousness of God that comes by faith. Unbelievable. What a reward. There are three things about Noah that I think are rather similar to you and me today.

Let me share them with you quickly. Number one, Noah lived in a day of grace. Did you know that? He lived in a day of grace. Here's what the Bible says in 1 Peter 3 and verse 20. God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. That's grace.

That is grace. The patience of God is the grace of God. That's what God has done to me all my life. That's what God is doing to you all your life.

That's what God is doing to us and for us as a church. God is waiting patiently. Now, in this particular instance, it was for 120 years. That's a long time, folks.

That is a long time. Can you imagine Noah building an ark for 120 years and the Bible says God waited patiently. Noah lived in a day of grace. Note in the second place, Noah lived in a day of great rejection of God. Very similar to ourselves.

I guess that I could spend the rest of this. Go back and look at Genesis chapter 6 verses 1 through 7 and you're reading about Spartanburg 1997. You're reading about the United States.

You're reading about New York and Washington. You're reading about the world. Noah not only lived in a day of grace but he lived in a day where men, women, boys, and girls were rejecting the sovereign preciousness of our holy God.

They were opting out. But there's a third common denominator here. Noah lived at the end of an age. He lived at an end of an age. And in Revelation chapter 15 and verse 1, God draws a line and he says, I'm going to pour out the cup, the bowls of my anger upon you.

The same cup that Jesus had to drink from when in the Garden of Gethsemane he said, take this cup from me. Nevertheless, not thy will, but thine be done. Jesus was willing to submit himself in obedience to the Father and I'm going to submit to you, beloved friend, that Noah found himself in circumstances somewhat akin to what the Bible teaches in the book of Revelation and somewhat akin to what we're living today. Noah lived at the end of an age. God said, I want you to build an ark. The people are so wicked. They have strayed from me.

They have said no to me. They're rejecting the Word of God. They're giving themselves to social gospel.

They are using alternative things to present alternative means to a God who has established himself as the no alternative as far as he is concerned. He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man can come unto the Father but by me.

Noah lived in a day of grace and he lived in a day when people rejected God and he lived at the end of an age, but Noah was a man who put his faith to work. He'd say to me today, Pastor, what do I need to do to put my faith to work? Let me give you six things.

Write these down. Number one, you must hear above the noise. You're going to put your faith to work, my friend, today. You must put.

You must hear above the noise. Number two, you must obey contrary to human reason. That's number two, putting your faith to work. You must obey contrary to human reason. Number three, you must do despite the lack of company.

You must do whatever God tells you to do despite the lack of company. Number four, you must go despite opposition and discouragement. Number five, you must accept God's judgment without questioning his justice. You must accept God's judgment without questioning his justice. Number six, you must look ahead to the promises of God.

Ask yourself the question, how can I put my faith to work? Number one, you must hear above the noise. Number two, you must obey contrary to human reason. Number three, you must do despite the lack of company. Number four, you must go on despite opposition and discouragement. Number five, you must accept God's judgment without questioning his justice. And number six, you must look ahead to the promises of God.

Let's look at them very briefly. Number one, you must hear above the noise. Can you imagine the noise that surrounded the building of the ark? There was not only the clatter and the drumbeat of hammers and all the other things that would go into building an ark of this magnitude, but there was the noise of the discontentment of the people. There was the opposition. There were people out there who were screaming at Noah. The Bible says that the people were not just satisfied to see him make and take a stand and act and put his faith to work, but they went into practical action to try and prevent him from doing so. I believe what the Bible teaches us, friend, is that if we're ever going to put our faith to work, we must hear above the noise. We are surrounded by many voices in the world today, the voice of reason, the voice of suggestion, the voice of intimidation, the voice of temptation, the voice of idealism, the voice of moderation, the voice of nationalism, the voice of liberalism, the voice of accommodation, the voice of plagiarism, the voice of socialism, the voice of politicism. There are voices that are crying out everywhere from the very pit of the Garden of Eden when the serpent came up to his servant and said, Surely, surely, surely, surely, young lady, God didn't really mean what God said, did he? Surely not. If we want to put our faith to work, we've got to hear above the noise.

Number two, you must obey contrary to human reason. Can you imagine an ark? Excuse me, you're building an ark here? There's not even any water. There's no rain. We're a barren land. We don't have an ark.

You must be joking. You've lost a flood? We're gonna have a flood, are we? Can you imagine that? Judgment? What judgment? How could God ever harm any of us?

What are you talking about? Grace? Who needs grace? Who's cared? You mean God's waiting patiently for us?

Well, that doesn't matter to us. That's very nice of him. We accept his generous offer. Can you imagine all the rhetoric that began to flow out of the hearts of the people who stood around the ark? You see, friends, human faith accepts and acts upon the revelation of God.

In Genesis chapter six, verse 22, Noah did everything just as God commanded him. Back in the 1700s, William Carey felt God called him to India. The voices around him and the human reason presented to him said, don't go. You're going to die. You're going to get a disease. There are too many foreign things in India.

You're not going to be able to stand the food. And William Carey said, I'll go. And he went. It took him seven years working in Sarampore, India, before he led one person to Christ.

But today you can go to India and you're going to find born-again believers all over India because God used one man to put into work his faith, to translate his faith into action and to obey God implicitly. Please forgive the interruption. We'll be back with the rest of today's message, Putting Your Faith to Work with Dr. Don Wilton in just a moment. Dr. Don wants me to remind you, we're here for you. We're connecting all the time, both on the phone that's answered 24 hours a day at 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673. As Dr. Don would say, we'd be happy to be your 2 a.m. friend and introduce you to resources like The Fortified Message and the book called Strategy of Satan, both available right now on our website as well at www.tewonline.org because we believe we are in a battle.

Spiritual warfare is very real and you and I need to be prepared. Again, discover more on our website at www.tewonline.org or give us a call about how you can obtain your copy of these wonderful resources. 866-899-WORD is the phone number.

That's 866-899-9673. Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. You must hear above the noise. You must obey contrary to human reason. Number three, you must do despite the lack of company.

Now I tell you folks, this is a big weakness of mine, but I'm going to tell you that if you put your faith to work, you may be the only one doing it. You know, if you're anything like me, I'd do anything. I say, well, who's going with me? You know, I'm one of these unusual people. That's why none of you ever see me in a restaurant by myself.

I don't enjoy sitting in a restaurant by myself. And when I see one of you in a restaurant and some of you know that and you by yourself, I'm there like a shot. Come and join us. Come and join us. Not only because you're a special person, but because I just, you know, I'm one of those people, I just love to have others around me and there's something good.

There's nothing wrong with it. But let me tell you something, folks. If you're going to translate your faith into action, if you're going to do the will of God, you may be the only one. Happened to Elijah. Listen to 1 Kings 19, 13 and 14. What are you doing here, Elijah?

He replied, I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant. They've broken down your altars. They put your prophets to death with the sword.

I'm the only one left and now they are trying to kill me. Jesus said, forgive me if I don't look surprised. And in Matthew's gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ himself said in Matthew chapter seven, he said, listen, I want to tell you something. If you're going to put your faith to work, you must enter in at the narrow gate because it's the narrow gate that leads to life.

It's the broad way that leads to destruction. Many people find the broad way, but few people find the narrow way. If we're going to put our faith to work, number one, you must hear above the noise. Number two, you must obey contrary to human reason. Number three, you must do despite the lack of company. Number four, you must go on despite opposition and discouragement.

Friends, we can get discouraged at every turn. I will guarantee you it is possible to catch a football and a tear of ligament. I will guarantee you it is possible to have an investment and to watch the stock market crash. I will guarantee you it is possible to marry someone and then to have an argument with them.

I'll guarantee you it is possible to be healthy one day and not be well the other day. I will guarantee you that you can bring up your children in the knowledge and admonition of the Lord Jesus Christ and it is possible for your son or for your daughter to let you down spiritually. You must go on despite opposition and discouragement.

Paul wrote to 2 Corinthians 4 verses 8, 9, and 10. We are hard pressed on every side, but we're not crushed. We're perplexed, but we're not in despair. We're persecuted, but we're not abandoned. We're struck down, but we are not destroyed. Listen to this. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

Wow! That's putting my faith to work. Jesus said if I'm going to put my faith to work, I've got to carry the scars of his body in mine. That's what it means to put your faith to work. That's the meaning of true Christian discipleship. Number five, you must accept God's judgment without questioning his justice.

We get these two issues so mixed up so many of the times. Remember how Abraham pleaded with God to spare Sodom? He said, oh God, you cannot destroy Sodom. If there are a hundred people who believe in you, please spare Sodom. And God said, okay, I'll spare Sodom if there are a hundred people.

He said, okay God, I get the message. If there are fifty, would you spare Sodom? God said, I'll spare Sodom if there are fifty. He said, if there are ten, would you spare Sodom?

He said, I'll spare Sodom if there are ten. You see friends, the point that God was making is that we must accept his judgment without questioning his justice. God is a just God and because he is just, he is a judging God. And God's judgment is based upon his justice.

And his ultimate act of justice is Jesus Christ and him crucified. Number six, you must look ahead to the promises of God. If you're going to put your faith to work, dear friend, you must look ahead to the promises of God. That's what faith is really all about.

You see friend, faith at work results in reward. What was Noah all about anyway? Noah, my friends, was all about this. Salvation for all who enter the ark. Judgment for those who don't.

What is Jesus Christ all about? Salvation for all those who accept him. Judgment for those who refuse to do so. You see, we've got to look ahead to the reward when we put our faith into action.

We've got to look ahead. We've got to understand and know the mind of Christ. We've got to accept implicitly and completely and distinctively everything that God has said to us.

We've got to be willing to take God at his word. Note what happened to Noah's loved ones. What happened to Noah's loved ones?

They were all saved, all of them. What does the Bible teach in 2 Chronicles 15 and verse 7? But as for you, be strong, do not give up, for your work will be rewarded. God, you dare give up. Oh, I pray you've heard loud and clear the voice not just of Dr. Don Wilton, but of the Lord using this broadcast to let you know he loves you. He has a plan for your life. He's ready to help you put your faith to work.

And it starts with the first decision to say yes to Jesus Christ. Would you open your heart? You've heard Dr. Don preach, but now as he shares from his heart, would you open your heart to his? Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ?

I'm so happy to hear that. Why don't you pray this prayer with me today? Dear God, I know that you love me very, very much, and I know that the Lord Jesus Christ came and died on a cross so that I might be forgiven of my sin. Today, I repent of my sin. I confess my sin to you, and I invite you to come into my heart and into my life by faith. In Jesus' name I pray. If you've prayed that prayer, let me be the first one to welcome you to the family of God.

This is wonderful. I hope that you know how much I'm going to be praying for you and how very important this is for me. Call us so that we can talk to you and connect you in the right place so you can begin this wonderful journey.

Welcome to the family of God. I'm confident that some of you have given your life to Jesus while Dr. Don was praying moments ago, and you and God have done business, and it's time for a brand new beginning. We have resources for you. If you'll call 866-899-WORD, let us send them to you right away. That's 866-899-9673, and some of you have rededicated your life. We have great free resources for you as well. Why don't you call 866-899-9673?

We're here for you. And on our website, www.tewonline.org, there are a number of great resources that are available now more than ever. The encouraging word is having a summer book sale. Book prices will start at $6.

That's right, only $6. Visit us online at www.tewonline.org and click the store tab located at the top of the page. We appreciate your support. The encouraging word is a viewer and listener supported ministry. Thank you for listening today. It's been a great day of teaching, and tomorrow we begin a two-part series on the rapture. Such a powerful message. Can't wait to join with you as we get together on the next edition of The Encouraging Word.