"Pleasing God!"
Cols. 1:10
INTRO.Who do you strive to please the most in your life? Your spouse, your family, your children, your boss, yourself? It seems all of us strive to please man more than God! But the chief aim of the Child of God should be to please his Heavenly Father! Cols. 3:23-24 says, "Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the LORD, and not unto men; knowing that of the LORD ye shall receive the reward of inheritance: For ye serve the LORD Christ."
In Cols. 1:9-14, Paul offered a petition unto God for the Church of Colosse. He had heard a good report of them from Epaphras, their Pastor. The aim of Paul's petition for them is found in vlO, "That ye might walk worthy of the LORD unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." Merely pleasing people is incompatible with being a servant of Christ. The aim of believers in all their worthy conduct should be to please God in every way; to anticipate and do His wishes in every aspect of life!
This was the ambition of Paul's Life! Hear his words in 2 Cors. 5:9, "Wherefore we labor, that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him." Gaining God's approval means everything! Because we must stand before Him one day soon to give an account of our lives! As vlO declares, "For we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he bath done, whether it be good or bad."
Paul in this petition gives four results of a God-pleasing Life:
(1) Fruitfulness (v10)--John 15:8, (2) Growth (vlOb)
-2 Peter 3:18, (3) Strength (v11)--Ephs. 6:10, (4) Thankfulness (vv.12-14)--1 Thess. 5:18. I want us to note three things in the message tonight:
(1) What Pleases God?
a)Reverence To His Name
Eccs. 12:13-14
*For us to please God we must be in awe of His Glory and Power!
PS. 113:1-9
*For us to revere God as we should we must:
1) See Him For Who He Is!
Is. 6:1-4
2)See Ourselves As What We Are!
Is. 6:5; Is. 64:6
*When we do then God can greatly use us in His Work!
Ps. 147:11
b) Remembrance Of His Goodness
Ps. 103:1-5
*It is good for us to take time to remember all His Grace to us!
Ps. 139:17-18
*When we reflect on His goodness, it should cause us to burst out
in thanksgiving!
*Someone has said, "Thanksgiving is a sure index of Spiritual
health."Maurice Dametz (1)
ILLUS. A ship was sailing in a very rough sea, when the cry
was heard, "man overboard." Volunteers only would be
expected to attempt a rescue in such a sea. The mate and
two sailors were lowered and rowed for the man. As they
rose upon a mountainous wave, they saw the man in the
distance and shouted "coming." After a heroic and
perilous struggle they reached him as he was ready to
sink.
They then thought of their frightful distance from the
ship, and struggled for life to regain it. They reached the
vessel, and were drawn safely upon the deck. The first
mate said, "we were all exhausted, but the rescued man
could neither speak nor walk; yet he had a full sense of
his condition. He clasped our feet, and began to kiss
them. We disengaged ourselves from his embrace. He
then crawled after us, and as we stepped back to avoid
him, he followed us, looking up at one moment with
smiles and tears, and then patting our wet footprints with
his hand, he kissed them with an eager fondness.
I never witnessed such a scene in my life. If he had been
our greatest enemy, he would have been perfectly
subdued by our kindness. The man was a passenger.
During the whole remaining part of the voyage he showed
the greatest gratitude, and when we reached port he
loaded us with presents." Christ did much more than this
for the soul of man. What a debt we owe him? (2)
*What is ours because of Christ?
2 Cors. 8:9
c) Reliance On His Spirit
Gals. 5:16
*God is greatly pleased when his people follow His Spirit in all!
Gals. 5:24-25
*What does the Holy Spirit mean to us? "The Holy SCRIPTURES
declare Him to be the revealer of all Truth, the active agent in all
works of Redemption, and from first to last the instrument of
grace in the experience of salvation. In Him, and through Him,
and by Him, is the Power that saves. Illumination and
conviction, repentance and regeneration, assurance and
sanctification are all the work of God the Eternal Spirit.
The Church is the source and supply of all wisdom and power. The Church is the Body of Christ, indwelt and controlled by the Spirit. He directs, energizes, and controls. Samuel Chadwick (3)
*When we fail to rely on the Spirit, God is not pleased and the
Spirit is Grieved (Ephs. 4:30)!
d) Reflection Of His Son
Matt. 5:14-16
*Our witness must be a "conspicuous" witness! There is nothing
as an "undercover" Christian!
ILLUS.A small boy was very perceptive when he looked up at a stained glass window in the church and said, "A saint is a person that light shines through." Richard Ruble (4)
*Wemust show forth His Light to a world in darkness! Phils. 2:15-16a
*Warren Wiersbe said, "You are a Christian today because
somebody cared. Now it's your turn." (5)
(2) What Displeases God?
a)Lack Of Contentment
Numbers 11:1-3
*God hates murmuring and complaining!
1 Cors. 10:10
*Weshould be content with what God has provided for us!
Hebs. 13:5-6
ILLUS.They have always been accounted happy who had a king for their father, princes for their brothers, nobles for their associates, and a palace for their home. How much happier is he who has God for his Father, Christ for his brother, saints and angels for his associates, and Heaven for his everlasting home? (6)
*If we have Christ, we have all we will ever need! We have
everything!
b) Lack Of Compassion
1 John 3:14-17
*If we belong to God, we should be men and women of
compassion!
*“Jesus teaches us that human need must always be helped; that
there is no greater task than to relieve someone's pain and
distress and that the Christian's Compassion must be like
God's-unceasing. Other work may be laid aside but the work of
compassion never!William Barclay (7)
1 John 4:20-21
c) Lack Of Consecration To His Purposes
Roms. 12:1-2
*We are to love the LORD with all our heart, all our soul, and all
our mind!"
*It dishonors God when we love this world more than Him!
1 John 2:15-17
*The LORD wants all of us! All we are belongs to Him!
1 Cors. 6:20
ILLUS. In 1748, a solemn deed was drawn up, signed, sealed,
and recorded, in which Louis xi. Conveyed to Virgin
Mary the whole county of Boulogne, France, but
reserved to himself for his own use all the revenues
thereof.
He deluded himself with the idea that he had done a
generous and pious thing for the Virgin, when he had
done nothing. The King had a long line of followers, who
professedly give all to God, but in reality, gave Him
nothing. If vengenance should be executed, the fate of
Ananias would fall upon many. (8)
*God wants our Time, our Talent, and our Testimony! He wants
it all!
d) Lack Of Vision
Provs. 29:18—“Where there is no vision, the People perish..."
*God is displeased when His People fail to see the needs all
around them!
*We Must Have A Vision Of:
1) The Lost
Ps. 126:5-6
ILLUS.The other day my friend's house was on fire.
And I don't think he knew it, even though he
was inside it. He must have been asleep. I
thought about telling my friend his house was
on fire, but then I wondered what he would
think. He might get embarrassed. Or what if I
should get all sooty? And what would my
friends think who don't believe in fires think?
Besides, isn't it the fireman's job? (9)
*We all know people all around us on the brink of hell;
will you share Jesus with them?
2) The LORD
Hebs. 12:1-2
*We must keep our eyes on Him, when we get off Him, we
get in big trouble!
EX: Matt. 14:30
3) The Promised Land
Titus 2:13
*This gives us our perseverance to go on!
e)Lack Of Victory Through The Spirit
1 Cors. 15:57; Cols. 1:27
*Christ in us, through the Spirit gives us the victory!
*When we rest in His Spirit, follow His Word, and do His Will, the
Victory is already ours! It is all of Faith!
1 John 5:4-5
(3) Who Pleases God?
a)The Man Who Relies On God And His Mercy
Ps. 147:11
*To please God, we should trust every detail of our life to Him!
Provs. 3:5-6
*Reliance takes a strong faith in God! Which is simply taking God at His Word! If God promised, He will perform!
b)The Man Who Praises God Continually
Phils. 4:4; Ps. 34:1-3
*We may not always understand the LORD'S WAYS, but we can always praise Him for His Presence and care for us!
*“Theunmistakable mark of a living Faith is a readiness
to praise."Howard H. Jones (10)
c)The Man That Practices Holiness And Keeps His Word
1 John 3:18-24
*It pleases God when His People live Holy!
1 Peter 1:15-16
*"A Holy Life... must be founded upon Truth, must begin personally in conscious peace with God.. must grow in the Increase of Truth and deliverance from error, must be maintained by fellowship with Christ Jesus through the indwelling Spirit of Holiness."
Horatio Bonar (11)
Titus 2:11-12
d) A Man That Will Live A Life Of Sacrifice Unto God
Hebs. 13:15-16
*It pleases God greatly when His People are willing to give up all for
Him!
Luke 14:33
*Sacrifice involves Self-Denial!
Luke 9:23-24
*"We do everything with the Cross-except take it up. We sing about it.
We preach about it. We make grateful mention of it in our prayers.
Some of us even wear it." Handel H. Brown (12)
*Christ wants us to bear it!
Hebs. 13:13-14--"Let us go forth unto him.. bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come"
ILLUS. The man in Roman times who took up his cross was not going
to have his life redirected; he was go-out to have it ended."
A.W. Tozer (13)
*To please God we must daily be willing for Him to increase and us to
decrease!
CLOSING: Paul prayed in Cols. 1:10, "That ye might walk worthy of the LORD
unto all pleasing..." We please Him when we walk worthy of Him!
The word "worthy" used there means "of equal weight." in the
Greek. We, as Christians (our Christlikeness) are to equal the
LORD’s standards-"To be holy as He is Holy."
Is your life pleasing to Him? Or are you dishonoring Him by an unworthy walk?
NOTES:1. Albert M. Wells, Jr. Inspiring Quotation-Contemporary & Classical. Pg. 200.
2.Elon Foster. 6000 Classic Sermon Illustrations. Pg. 411.
3.Wells. Pg. 89.
4.Wells. Pg. 36.
5.Wells. Pg. 36.
6.Foster. PP. 169-170.
7.Wells. Pg. 46.
8.Foster. Pg. 165.
9.Wells. Pg. 37.
10.Wells. Pg. 158.
11.Wells. Pg. 88.
12.Wells. Pg. 177.
13. Wells. Pg. 58.