Prayer Pleases God
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Intro:
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. 9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
Today, the title of my message is, [Prayer Pleases God].
In 1784 on a ship called, Greyhound, there was a crew member. He was known for his profanity and vulgarity. He gave the saying, to cuss like a sailor, a new meaning.
He used the worst words the captain ever hear, even creating new profane statements to push the limits. He had a sordid past. He left the Royal Navy, became an outcast, and found a job in the slave trade.
He openly mocked those who had faith. He went as far as to declare, God is a myth. Until one night a violent storm began to rage. For hours, he and the other crew members emptied water from the boat.
For hours this went on until finally he told the captain, “If this will not do, then Lord have mercy upon us.”
The captain sent him to steer the ship and for the next eleven hours those words went over in his mind, “Lord have mercy upon us.”
What other did not know is he had begun to read a book entitled The Christian Pattern. Two weeks later, the ship landed in Ireland, yet he couldn’t get past those words, “Lord have mercy upon us.
For two more years, he worked the slave trade as God began to work on him. Finally, in 1750, he determined he was a part of a wicked industry.
He left, and settled in Liverpool, England. He and his wife attended church and prayer meetings. By this point, he would write poems and hymns, bringing a new one to each prayer meeting.
In late 1772, twenty-four years after he called on God, penned a new poem that would eventually become a song. In early 1773, he brought it to the prayer meeting and the words went like this:
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lot, but now I’m found, twas blind but now I see.
The man’s name was John Newton and from him came a hymn that is used:
by denominations around the world
sang in churches
and even known in secular venues
The famous song tells the story of one who was ravished by the favor and mercy of God, and it all started with a simple pray, Lord, have mercy upon us.
I find it interested that John Newton is not known for his notorious life of sin, but of God’s amazing grace.
Let’s go back even further in history for a moment. It was nine generations from Adam and a man named Lamech had a son named Noah.
Noah was born in a world:
busy with activity
with busyness came immorality
wickedness
and disinterested in God
Such depraved behavior overtook humanity that God regretted ever creating people. His heart broke as He watched as sin reached its grip into every facet of society.
He determined to wipe everything from the earth, people, animals, and even the birds. BUT, there was a man named Noah, who found GRACE in the eyes of the Lord.
Why? Because Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person who walked in close fellowship with God.
Noah should remind us of his great-grandfather Enoch, who walked with God. We looked at his story last Sunday. Enoch walked so close to God, he went to heaven without dying.
Noah came from a long family line of people who called on the name of the Lord. They created a culture of calling on the name of the Lord.
Now as God prepares to extend His judgment, He spared the family of a man who pleased Him. Noah walked close to God and in the course of their conversations Noah became righteous and holy.
Today, I want us to see that PRAYER PLEASES GOD.
Our desire to commit 2021 as a Year of Prayer pleases God. However, it has to be more than a slogan, it must become our reality.
If we desire to be a church that pleases God we MUST pray.
If we long to be people who please God we MUST pray.
If we want to have marriages that please God, we MUST pray.
If we need a strong and peaceable family, we MUST pray.
Prayer pleases God and as we pray, we set ourselves up to be protected and surrounded by God’s grace, mercy, and favor.
As we look at the story of Noah, I want us to notice that the story is NOT about a flood and human wickedness. No, it is about the type of person God will protect in our lost world.
Sure in 2021 we see wickedness, violence, corruption, and division. But that is not the story. From God’s perspective, He watches and listens to people who commit to pray.
For prayer pleases Him.
Noah found grace in His eyes, amazing grace how sweet the sound. We too can find favor with God as we PRAY.
Therefore, let’s look at three prayerful aspects of Noah’s life that pleased God, [Prayer Obedience], [Prayerful Offerings], and [Prayerful Opportunities].
Let’s begin
1. Prayerful Obedience
1. Prayerful Obedience
13 And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.
See how it reads, God said to Noah. Noah and God had a relationship where communication were the norm. Therefore, God took time to speak to Noah and Noah took time to speak to God.
He revealed His plans for impending destruction. However, he wanted to save Noah and his family, but it would require Noah to radically obey God.
The conversation could have gone something like this:
God— Noah, I am tired of the filth and wickedness in this world. So I am going to wipe everyone and everything out, expect for you and your family.
Noah— I agree God, it is worse than ever.
God— So you need to build a boat, rather an ark.
Noah— Okay, how big of a boat?
God— Around 450’ long, 75’ wide, and 45’ high, around 33,750 square feet.
Noah— why does it need to be that big and why a boat?
If we read this word for word, we would see God had not yet informed Noah about the flood, just about the ark,
God— I am going to flood the entire world and you need to save your family, seven of each clean animal, both male and female, and two of every unclean animal, both male and female. Take enough food for you and your family and when I tell you, get into the ark.
This is how I imagine the conversation. But the miracle of the story is not in the instruction, but in Noah’s obedience. Noah had to gather the materials for the ark. He then had to begin construction on the ark.
Some acts of obedience are done in private. But Noah could not keep this private. Everyone around would see Noah’s unconventional actions and question and mock him.
So Noah had to weigh out which was more important, obeying God or maintaining popular social standing.
Likewise, we live in a society that is no longer Christian. Some in this room can remember the days when:
Sundays were sacred
Immorality was not on TV
Music was fairly clean
There was a sense of decency in our society
But those days are gone. We live in a time where people really believe that wrong is right, bad is good, immorality is moral, because it is up to every person to decide for themselves what is right and wrong.
There has never been a more volatile or uncomfortable time to be a follower of Christ. Therefore, we have to DECIDE, do we prefer a popular social standing or radical obedience?
If we are people of prayer, we will remember, nothing matter more than pleasing God. So like Noah, we have to understand we can’t pick and choose which of God’s instructions we want to follow.
We’re either all in our all out. I want to be like Noah:
22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.
Noah obeyed because he knew God and wanted to please the Lord. If we want to please God, it begins with prayerful obedience.
2. Prayerful Offerings
2. Prayerful Offerings
1 Then the Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. 2 You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female;
When the timing was right, God instructed Noah to take his family to the ark. Why? Because Noah pleased God through his lifestyle.
Most of us know the next part of the story, it began to rain for forty days and forty nights.
Dr. David Jeremiah gives this timeline of the flood:
Day 1— enter the ark
Day 7— flood waters rise, twenty-two feet above the highest mountain
Day 40— rains begin to stop
Day 224— tops of mountains begin to dry
Day 271— Noah releases dove and returns for no dry land
Day 278— dove released and returns with olive leaf
Day 285— dove released and does not return
Day 314— Noah removes cover of the ark and sees dry land
Day 370— Noah and family and animals leave the ark
For over a year God protected them as they rain fell. And we thought fourteen day quarantine was rough. Finally, Noah leaves the ark. Notice the FIRST decision he made.
20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.
Noah built an ALTAR to the Lord and made a sacrifice. Remember, God instructed Noah to bring seven clean animals, both male and female. So Noah offered them to God in thanks for what He did for him and his family.
Why did Noah build an altar?
He knew he would need God’s help and direction. The world he saw when he entered the ark looked vastly different from the world he saw when he exited the ark.
There were new mountains and valleys
A different climate
Silence everywhere
The absence of the wickedness that once prevailed
Noah knew he needed God’s help, so he offered his best to God and God responded. He was PLEASED with Noah’s offering.
What does this mean for us?
Of course we do not build physical altars and make animal sacrifices, but when we pray, it pleases God.
Offerings to God are something offered as a gift. When we think of offerings we often go to money, which is important. God deserves our tithe and offering!
But God also wants MORE. Truthfully, it takes less effort to write a check than to spend time in prayer.
However, it pleases God when we offer our time in prayer
when we offer a few meals to Him in fasting
when we offer our praise and worship
when we offer our gifts and talents to build His church
As the Psalmist cried:
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.
Noah made a prayerful offering. God is calling on us to do likewise. He wants us to offer our prayers to Him, for they please Him!
When we live in prayerful obedience and give prayerful offerings, we set ourselves up for...
3. Prayerful Opportunities
3. Prayerful Opportunities
8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: 9 “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you,
After some time, God found Noah and told him, I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants, never again will I destroy the world with a flood again.
The promise God gave Noah was a covenant. A covenant was a pact, treaty, alliance, or agreement between to parties.
Covenants in scripture occured when God would intervene with humanity and make a person a promise. The covenant included:
a sacrifice that included shedding of blood
a meal
a sign
Noah made a sacrifice, they ate from the sacrifice, and God gave His sign, the rainbow, as a constant reminder of HIs covenant.
Though Noah had no way of realizing it at the time, God gave him and his family an opportunity that would change the world.
Sure, Noah’s family repopulated the earth. But through Noah’s oldest son, Shem, God would continue to fulfill His promise to send a redeemer!
From Noah came Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah. And from the family of Judah came “the Lion of the Tribe of Judah” who would prevail over sin and make an opportunity for anyone who comes to Him to have eternal life!
See what Noah could not see was how pleased God was with his life of prayer and righteousness. Noah, as a human, could only see what was in front of Him.
But God sees the eternal. And from God’s perspective, He positioned Noah’s family to become descendents of a virgin names Mary and a man named Joseph.
And from them they would raise the Son of God named Jesus, who will save us from our sins!
The covenant God made with Noah still stands! His promise for humanity is not destruction, but salvation through Jesus Christ.
Jesus confirmed this when He met with His disciples on the night before His death. He gave His disciples the bread and the cup and told them:
28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
God made a covenant with us through the death of Jesus.
Jesus shed His blood
We feed on His word
And we have the sign: He gives us a new heart and empowers us with the Holy Spirit
Think about it, the blessings of salvation that we enjoy today can trace its roots back to Noah, who had the opportunity to be a part of the redemptive story, all because HE LIVED A LIFE THAT PLEASED GOD!
Close:
Prayer ALWAYS pleases God.
When we commit to a lifestyle of prayer through obedience and offerings, we position ourselves for supernatural opportunities that we cannot even fathom or imagine.
Just as God used Noah, He longs to use us
Just as God spent time with Noah, He longs to spend time with us
Just as God responded to Noah’s obedience and offerings, He wants our obedience and offering
Just as God gave Noah opportunity, He desires to give us opportunities
And it all begins with a lifestyle of prayer. Noah’s part in the story came from his CONSISTENCY. Notice, he walked with God long before the flood came.
Likewise, if we want to please God, it takes consistency. What then is the hangup in 2021?
What is a potential pitfall from living a life that pleases God?
Jesus described it this way:
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
The days before Jesus’ return will mirror the days of Noah. Before the flood people were busy living their lives. They were eating, drinking, marrying, and having children.
They were so preoccupied with themselves, they didn’t hear the warning of Noah’s hammer and nails as he prepared the ark.
Their interest in self and disinterest in God led the their immorality and wickedness, but it all began when they were to busy to make time for Him.
Likewise, we live in a busy society. Therefore, if we want to please God, we simply have to make time for Him. We must open our schedules and make room for God.
For when we obey His command to pray
When we offer our time, talents, and treasures
He will give us opportunities. We are a part of the New Covenant. God as made a promise with through the sacrifice of Jesus’ life:
He will never leave us nor forsake us
He will save us
He will empower us
He will heal us
He will help us
He will direct us
He will come back for us
That is His part, our part is simply living a life that pleases HIM!
So let’s commit, God will obey you and pray, I will offer my time to pray, and I trust you will include my family and me in the end-time outpouring of the Holy Spirit!
Who wants to live a life that pleases God?
Today we can find grace in the eyes of the Lord, amazing grace, that saved a wretch like me.
