Dr Charles Stanley - He Keeps His Word - Part 2

0:00Toyota's easy choice sales event is on. Whether you're looking for the performance of a camera, the versatility of Arab 4, the efficiency of a Corolla, or all electric driving in the BZ. There's a Toyota that's just right for you. And with great deals across the lineup, now's the time to find yours. But hurry, these deals won't last long. Toyota's easy choice sales event ends soon. We make it easy. Toyota, let's go places. When you take God seriously, here's what you're going to believe. You're going to believe that He'll do what He says He'll do. Because when God says I will, with no exception, no conditions that is exactly what's going to happen. When God says I will, God will. He will do what He says He will do, which is what most people do not believe, that they are an exception to the will and purpose and plan of God. There are no exceptions.

1:00Popular opinion can flip-flop and change on a dime. Double standards abound, and humans continue to prove how inconsistent we are. The list of things we can be sure of grows shorter every day. Well, today's message on In Touch, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley, reassures our anxious thoughts by reminding us that our Heavenly Father is trustworthy, reliable, and always keeps His word. When the Bible speaks in terms of the ways of God, I want you to turn if you will to Psalm 103, and I want us to look at a few verses in this 103rd song, and let's think about something for a moment. And in this 103rd song, listen to what he says, beginning in verse 1, bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits, who partens all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit,

2:01and who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion, who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle. The Lord performs righteous deeds and judgments for all who are oppressed, and then listen to this verse. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel. It's important to distinguish between the two. What's the difference between the ways of God and the acts of God? The acts of God, for example, are those things that God does in your life and my life. The ways of God are the motivations for which He does it. It's His purpose, His plans, His thoughts, the way He operates in our life. It's one thing to watch acts of God. It's something else to know why He does it. What is He thinking? How is He reasoning? Why does He allow this? What's involved in this? What is He trying to say through this? What is the message He wants us to get? Many people do not walk in the ways of God for the simple reason. They're ignorant of God's ways.

3:02And it's my purpose in this message is to help us to begin understanding the ways of God. Why does He think the way He thinks? Why does He reason the way He reasons? Why does He do the things that He does in our life that sometimes seem to have no real true meaning, all purpose or plan. So I want to say this thing which is between two things here. Because God makes statements, that is He makes declarations. And there are two kinds of declarations He makes. Number one are those declarations that are absolute declarations, statements that He makes of what He will do. If it's absolute, here's what it means. It means that God is going to do something absolutely and totally removed from any act on my part. If it's absolute and He says, are will, that means He will. That is God will do exactly what He says He will do. It's absolute. It doesn't make any difference with the circumstances or He will get it done.

4:03Then there are those conditional statements that He makes. When He says, for example, I will do this and so, if you do this and so, there's some things I'm going to do no matter what. I will. There are other things that He says. Toyota's easy choice sales event is on. Whether you're looking for the performance of a camera, the versatility of a RAV4, the efficiency of a Corolla, or all electric driving in the BZ. There's a Toyota that's just right for you. And with great deals across the lineup, now's the time to find yours. But hurry, these deals won't last long. Toyota's easy choice sales event and soon. We make it easy. Toyota, let's go places.

5:12I will bless you if. And I will listen. And I will bring judgment upon you if you disobey me. The problem today is that we don't take God seriously. My friend, listen carefully. When God makes a statement, you better take it seriously. God doesn't play games. He doesn't fool around. He doesn't say I suggest that you do so. No, will He ever say, well, I'm going to overlook that. I'm going to forget that. God is the God of awesome love and blessing and joy and peace and contentment and everything at heart desires. But when He says thou shalt not, what does He mean? When He says, I will, what does He mean? That's exactly what He means. And so there are a lot of people who sit in church week after week and listen to sermons and hear what God's word says, walk right out and absolute disobey God because what they're saying but they're disobedience. I don't really believe that God will do that. God is a love.

6:12He's a God of love and goodness and mercy. And God just doesn't do things like that. Yes, He does. Whatever He says He will do, He will do. If He says to you, this is the job I want you to take. Trust me. It looks like you're not going to make as much money. It looks like things are not going to go very well for you. When God says this is my will for your life, follow His will. Do what God says do because God will do what He says He will do. You can't wait till you understand it all. You can't wait till God gives you an explanation. If you'll think about this, that's not a single verse in the Scripture that says God will explain. He doesn't say that. You know why? Because the truth is listen. Watch this. He wants us to trust Him. Not just have to have proof. What I'm simply doing in these passage of Scripture is doing what? I'm just giving you some proof that whatever God says He will do,

7:14He will do exactly what He says He will do, and He's not going to show up late somewhere. We read in the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy, God's Word to the Nation of Israel. He says, if you do the following things and keep my word, I will bless you in the following way. But if you do not, I will not bless you. That's condition. When He spoke, for example, to Noah, and that wasn't conditioned, He says, here's what I'm going to do. When He spoke to Moses, He didn't say, this is, it's conditioned upon this. He says, this is what I'm going to do. When He said to Abraham, not conditioned upon anything, this is what I'm going to do. The Joshua, it's not conditioned upon him. This is what I'm going to do. You say, well, no wait a minute, God's never spoke to me that way. Listen very carefully. God is willing to speak to any single one of us. If we listen to Him, now watch. If we learn to listen, you have to learn to listen to the simple things

8:16that don't seem to be all that difficult to understand. Once you and I begin to listen to Him and be sensitive to Him, you may be surprised what He would say. So I give you two instances in my life, and that in their details necessarily. One of them had to do with coming to Atlanta, which I did not want to do, whatsoever. God says, here's what I'm going to do. He didn't say, if and or but or accept to me. He said, here's what I'm going to do. And what happened is exactly what He said. Because the reason He didn't say, if you'd like to come, He knew I didn't want to come. So He doesn't ask me any questions. He just said, here's what I'm going to do. The second time, He said, this is what I'm going to do. He didn't ask me any questions. And I can see in both of those situations and circumstances, somebody says, well, do you think you had any choice in that? Since He didn't say if and but, no, I did not. He said, well, did He work against your will? No, He did not.

9:18He caused my will to be willing to do exactly what I was going to do. To do exactly what He said. Because I knew that He had spoken. And He didn't say, this is my plan, this is my purpose, you pray about it. He didn't ask me to pray about it. He said, here's what I'm going to do. Now I prayed about it, but you know what I had to pray? God get my attitude right so that I'll do what He says, do. I knew I had to do it. There was not even a feeling that I had any choice in it. Here's what I'm going to do. Will God do the same in your life? Listen to this, if it's something crucial in your life that's going to affect your future in some fashion some way. Will He do that for you? Yes, He will. Listen, He's not partial. When I think about the fact that if I said, no, I'm not going to do that. God, forget it. I've never made you, you never made me, and I would have lost my wonderful opportunities in the world. If I had said the second time, well, I don't believe that.

10:18I just impossible, but He didn't ask me. He said, this is what I'm going to do. Ask yourself the question, have you to learn to listen to the voice of God? And have you to learn to listen with faith, believing Him, trusting Him, not arguing with Him? Have you learned to listen? Have you learned to believe that God loves you enough that He has the right to choose you, and when you look around and think that so many other people who are so much more capable, that's not even the question. In fact, Moses didn't even think He could speak. He didn't even think He could talk. So, He had to have some kind of a problem. Embassize that. Look who He chose. He'd been a shepherd for 40 years on the back side of the desert. God chose Him. He says, here's what I'm going to do. And the last place He wanted to go was back to Egypt because you know why He left. He left because He killed one of the Egyptian soldiers. He was on the run for 40 years, so to speak.

11:20God chose Him. Don't underestimate what God will do in your life that you've got to learn to listen and start obeying Him in the simple things. If you want to speak to Him in the crucial things, you have to learn in the simple things. And I think God must smile when He sees all that He has in store for you and He just waiting for you to say yes. But I think, humanly speaking, He must be sad in His face if we can put it in that way. When He sees you here and God has all that over here and He says, oh, if you could just see what I've gotten to store, if you just trust me, just you're not going to. Sad, sad, sad. Well, look if you're on the 16th chapter of Matthew. This is a very significant passage because it's the first time Jesus lays out His disciples the fact of what He says. From this time forth, Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem,

12:22suffer many things from the elves and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised on the third day. Peter took Him aside and again, our bucum sent Lord, forbid it, God, this shall never happen to you. Has that for an obedient follower? This shall never happen to you. And so Jesus said to Peter in that 23rd verse, He turned and said to Him, get behind me, Satan, you're a stumbling block to me. You're not setting your mind on God's interest, but man's. Now, what makes this passage so important? Look at this, if you will. Verse 13. Now, when Jesus came to the district of Cessar of Philippi, he was asking His disciples, who do you people say that I am, the Son of Man? And they said, some say John the Baptist others in larger, but still others Jeremiah are one of the prophets. He said to them, but who do you say that I am? Now watch this, very significant. Simon Peter answered, you are the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Now, there, and watch this, Jesus said to him,

13:25blessed to you, Simon, because flesh and blood didn't reveal that to you, but my Father who is in heaven. I also said to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it or be able to withstand the own slaughter of the church. Think about this. God's building His church upon this truth, that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. And what He said He will do is what He's done. He says the gates of hell will not be able to withstand the owns lot of the church. The church is not to be on the defensive, defensive, defensive. He says the gates of hell will not be able to prevail against it. Well, listen, because the church is going to move. Now, think about this for a moment. When does the church multiply the fastest? When does it grow the widest and the deepest? When does it grow the widest and the deepest? In times of persecution, well, that doesn't fit a loving God.

14:28I mean, you would think the church would grow when all the Christians are happy. I will live in big homes, job big cars, have big salaries. Everybody loves everybody. That's when the church grows. No. The church grows the mightiest and the most powerful. It becomes the most penetrating and impacting when there is persecution, hardship, death, and all the rest. Because you see, God doesn't do things the way we see them. He knows exactly what He's doing. Somebody says, look, what all these people lose? What happens when a person dies because of their faith? They have this awesome reward because listen, they're not a victim, but they are a victor in the time of persecution. Laying down their life for their faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, not some of the man. And so when you look at Jesus Christ's life, what did He say? He says, He says, what's going to happen to me? He says, I must go to Jerusalem and He did. Suffolm many things and He did from Elis and Chief Freeze.

15:28Be killed, He was crucified, raised on the third day. Yes. And then He says, so all of that we see is true. Then He says, not all of that. He said to His disciples, He said, I don't want you to be feel like orphans. I'm going to send you a help of the Holy Spirit. When He comes, He'll be in you with you and upon you. He said also to them and acts that first chapter. He says, when the Spirit of truth comes, He says the power of God will be upon you. To do what to share my name throughout the world. Did the Holy Spirit come? Yes, He did. Everything Jesus said will happen, did happen. Now, when God says, I will, He will. When He says it's conditioned upon these things, it's conditioned upon these things. God wants us to learn, to listen and obey and watch Him work in our life. All right, so how does that apply to me today? So all those things happen in the past. Well, for example, here's how it affects your life in my life. Jesus said through their possible, if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord.

16:30And believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. That means if you will, into acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ, that He is God. If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord. Believe in your heart, God raised Him from the dead, that He's alive. See the Defall of His right hand, listening to your prayer. You will be saved, conditioned upon our faith. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him with several exceptions. If you believe in Him, but you haven't committed the following sins, no. Whosoever believes in Him, He says, will not perish, but have everlasting life. He says, for example, if we confess ourselves in, he's faithful and just to forgive ourselves in, cleanses from all unrighteousness. Faithful and just dependable. You can count on it. That's what that means in 1 John 1 9. He says, for example, in His Word, over and over and over again, these are things that are going to happen. I want you to turn to Revelation chapter 22, because this is one that most people would say,

17:31there's no way that this is going to happen to me. Look if you will in Revelation 22. Now it's all coming to a close. God's bringing it all to a close. Listen to this absolute, final, awesome assurance for all of us who believe us. Listen to what He says. Talking about heaven now. Verse 3, there will no longer be any curse, the throne of God, and the Lamb will be in it, and His bond servants will serve Him. They will see His face, and His name will be in their foreheads, and there will be no longer, and in night, they'll not have any need of the light of the Lamb, the light of the Son, because the Lord God will illumine them, and they will reign forever and ever, and as we sing it, hallelujah, hallelujah. Amen? He says, you are not going to reign, whether you say, well, now wait a minute. I never have done anything worth it. That's not the issue. Well, there are no issues. When you and I get to heaven, we will reign with the Son of God.

18:31That's somebody who says, well, reign over whom? Mm-hmm. Rain with Him? For example, you and I don't have any idea how many more worlds there may be out there. Galax is in stars that we can't even, man can't even fathom what's out there in space. He says that you and I are going to reign with Him. You think about this, that He loves you and me so much, that He's going to give us a position in heaven, whatever that may be. The only thing I know about that is what the Bible says, depends on how I've lived down here, how faithful I've been. Didn't say I'm going to reign whether I have a knot, we will reign forever and ever with Him. The position is not the important thing. The important thing is this. What He says He will do, He will do. What He promises to do and the promise is unconditional, He will fulfill. Maybe you've never trusted Jesus as your Savior.

19:31And you can give me a lot of reconvencing reasons why you don't really think He'll save you. Listen, Jesus said, he that comes to me, I will know why, has cast him out. You see, what you don't understand is the awesome love of God. When He sent His only begotten Son to the cross to be nailed there, stripped almost naked and to die hanging upon the cross in two thieves, jeered, mocked, you name it. That's the price. He loves you enough to pay that price, that no matter how deep in sin you are, if you ask Him to forgive you sins and ask Him to forgive you on the basis that His Son paid your sin that in full, He will forgive you, clean up your life, make your righteous person one day you will reign with Him in heaven for all eternity. Amen.

20:38You're listening to In Touch, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley. If you realized your need for a Savior, please trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins right now. Once you humbly ask Him to save you, your eternal destiny is forever changed. To learn about what it means to be a Christian, visit our website in touch.org and that's where you can hear this message again. Look for the link to Today on Radio. If you go to the bookstore page, you can order a copy of today's complete message, He keeps His Word. It's also included in the entire teaching set, The Ways of God. Again, you'll find these resources at intouch.org or call or text 1-800-intouch. To write to us, address your letter to Intouch, post office box 79-100, Atlanta, Georgia, 303-57.

21:39God's promises remain true. You can trust them for today, and for eternity. Encouragement is just ahead in today's moment with Charles Stanley. Dr. Stanley devoted his entire life to helping us. Get closer to Jesus as we all want to do. And also discover all that He has for us. Help us to be fully prepared for God's purpose in our lives. So are you ready for the next step in your journey? It begins at the new Charles Stanley Institute Bible-based, Christ-centered, Holy Spirit-filled instruction so you can know God. You can learn how at charstownin institute.org. Trusting God each day can be a challenge, but working to grow that trust brings greater joy and peace than we could ever find on our own. Interesting God with today, the 365-day devotional from the teachings of Dr. Charles Stanley. We are encouraged to believe in God's love and rest in His purpose for us.

22:40Available now at Intouch.org slash today. You're listening to Intouch. Do you ever feel alone or empty? Believers have the promises of God to sustain them. Here's a moment with Charles Stanley. Think about these promises, these declarations that He's made. I will never leave you in Norfasek here. No condition. Believer, living in sin or living faithfully. Once we're saved by His grace, He'll never leave us Norfasekas. He may allow us to go through pain, suffering, heartache, pruning, you name it. But for Sakers never. So what does that say? It says, in this day and time, this God whom you and I love and serve and worship and adore, He keeps His Word. What does that say to me today? That in this lifetime He's there doing for us what we need to have Him do.

23:40Now what does that tell me about the future? For example, because you and I can't foresee the future except through the Word of God. Here's what it says to me. In the long time Jesus said, I will return with the angels calling out my people in the 24th chapter of Matthew. Is He going to do that? Yes, He will. He says through Paul in 1st Thessalonians chapter 4, what does He say? He says, in a moment in the twinkling of an eye, He says, listen, the dead in Christ are going to rise, caught up to be with their loved ones and the heir who are coming with Him. If we're still alive when He comes. Is He going to do that? Yes, He will. Why should I believe that? Because go back to Genesis and every single thing He says He will do, He has done. Why do I believe He will change His mind now? He says one of these days He's going to raise these bodies out of the earth. Well, but how do I know that? Because He said it. Listen, everything He says I will do all the way from Genesis to the present day. He's still doing what He says He will do.

24:46You'll find resources to help you discover the richness of God's Word at ntouch.org. And if you have a story about how God's grace has touched you through this program, we'd love to hear it. Tomorrow on ntouch, God's work and a believer's life is steady and certain. We'll hear about some of the things He uses to accomplish His goals Friday on ntouch, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley. This program is a presentation of ntouch ministries at Lata, Georgia and remains on this station through the grace of God and your faithful prayers and gifts.