How to Please God

Introduction

As Christians, we spend a lot of time emphasizing the importance of faith. After all, it is by grace through faith that we become Christians. But our faith as a Christian is not limited to the moment of salvation. If we want to please God, we must demonstrate faith in Him on a daily basis.

Hebrews 11:6 KJV 1900

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

The Old Testament is full of exciting, dramatic, and historical events, and one of the most mind blowing stories is the story of Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt for years, and God supernaturally freed them from bondage and proved Himself powerful through the ten plagues.

After escaping Egypt, the children of Israel made their way to the Red Sea only to discover that Pharaoh and his men were chasing after them. They saw dust on the horizon from the chariots charging after them. The Israelites stood at a dead end, fearful for their lives, but look at what the Bible says about this event:

Exodus 14:9–16 KJV 1900

But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon. And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

By this point, God had already proven Himself powerful to the Israelites. He sent the ten plagues, had worked through Moses, and had delivered them out of Egypt. Now, it was time for Moses and the Israelites to take a step of faith. God said to Moses, “Wherefore, criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.”

Here at the Red Sea, God was testing the faith of His people. He could have parted the Red Sea for them without involving Moses, but He wanted them to take a literal step of faith, demonstrating their complete trust in Him during a dire situation.

Just as God wanted the Israelites of the Old Testament to step out in faith, He asks the same of Christians today. He desires that we step out in faith so that He can demonstrate His power, faithfulness, and trustworthiness.

Just as God gave Moses a staff to lift over the Red Sea, He asks us to lift our staffs, or to act in faith in any situation. By acting in faith, without knowing the outcome, we demonstrate our complete trust in the ability and nature of God.

Faith is not just a part of justification in salvation. It is an everyday part of our sanctification, for without it, we cannot please God. We cannot grow in Christ or experience the Christian life to the fullest unless we live by faith.

Hebrews 11:6 KJV 1900

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

1. A Description of Faith

In order to live by faith, we must understand what faith truly is. From this point forward, I’d like to encourage you to think of the following three words in their relation to faith: confidence, change, and commitment. These words are not in any particular order because they are all equally important in describing faith.

A) True faith requires confidence

True faith in something is never separated from full confidence. To live a faith filled life, we have to be confident that God is faithful to do what He said He would.

**It’s like that age old Sunday School illustration of faith with a chair *EXPLAIN ILLUSTRATION

We can claim to have confidence in God, but until we take that step of faith, relying on Him to support us, we aren’t living in complete confidence in Christ.

B) True faith requires change

True faith in something or someone will change your life. When you begin to fully understand for instance, the fact that Christ saved you from an eternity in Hell and is now preparing a home for you in Heaven, there will be or should be an evident change in your life as a result. If this is what you truly believe, your faith in Christ should manifest itself in every area of your life.

2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV 1900

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

C) True faith requires commitment

Too often, Christians who have been saved for a long time lose the zeal of being a Christian. Truthfully, all Christians have a tendency to become spiritually apathetic the longer they are saved. Let me encourage you: never lose the excitement of being a Christian. You are on your way to Heaved because Christ died for you and conquered death by rising from that grave! That’s something to be excited about. You are loved by the almighty God of the universe! He is your Heavenly Father and desires to have a close relationship with you. Don’t ever get over that. These are exciting truths, and they should compel you to be committed to Christ.

Because of what Christ has done for you, the least you can do is be committed to Him. He died for you, can’t you live for Him? Romans 12:1 says that being a living sacrifice is your reasonable service. It’s reasonable. Being committed to Him is only reasonable, like the minimum. When talking with the teens about reasonable service, we say there’s five reasonable things to do to be committed to Christ. 1) Read your Bible. 2) Pray. 3) Go to Church. 4) Be a witness. 5) Give tithes and offerings. Those are five reasonable fruits of a faithful commitment to Christ.

** Penn Jillette is a well known outspoken atheist celebrity who’s known for having no respect for God or the Bible. Yet, even in his atheistic mindset, he has a great deal of respect for Christians who actually share their faith. He stated “How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? How much do you have to hate someone to not tell them about everlasting life if you simply feel socially awkward?” Jillette recognizes that real Christianity requires commitment in every area of life.

Luke 9:23–24 KJV 1900

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

Luke 14:26 KJV 1900

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

True faith in Christ will be evidenced by a commitment to Him in every are of life. It will show in our witness as we joyfully fulfill His Great Commission. It will show in our relationships as we love our neighbors as ourselves. It will show in our service for Him as we faithfully minister wherever He has placed us. It will show in our devotion to Him as we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us and control us. If we want to live a life of faith, we must possess true commitment to Christ.

2. A Daily Forecast

Hebrews 11:6 KJV 1900

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

If, without faith, it is impossible to please God, does that mean that if we want to please God every day, that we have to live by faith every day? The answer is, yes.

There are times in our lives when God leads us to take huge steps of faith. Perhaps your family had to make the decision to move, or get a new job, or make a huge financial decision. These are major decisions with major implications. However, our steps of faith are not limited by these big decisions. We take small steps of faith every day, and in doing so, we trust God in the life-changing steps, as well as in the small daily steps.

A) Every day, there is a step of faith.

It doesn’t matter your stage in life or your maturity as a Christian: your walk with God is a walk of faith. Every day, you must trust God, be sensitive to His leading, and respond in faith as He leads you in small and major decisions. If your car breaks down, or your water heater breaks, or your unsaved neighbor shows an interest in spiritual things, or your child asks a deep question that requires a well-worded answer - each of these scenarios requires faith in God. And He’s ready to help you. As you are sensitive to His leading and respond as He directs, you demonstrate faith and you please Him with your life.

B) Every day, there are opportunities.

Throughout each day, God gives you abundant opportunities to demonstrate faith in Him. They show up in a variety of ways.

One way to demonstrate faith in God is by fighting temptation. As an example, let’s just say you struggle with anger, so you pray and ask the Lord to help you control your temper. you understand that to please Him, you must live by faith. So, when you are in situations that cause you to feel angry, God may impress upon your heart specific responses He desires you to have. If you’re irritated with an individual, He may tell you to do something for that person. If you’re irritated with someone in the community, He may lay it on your heart to give that person an invitation to Church. If you’re tempted to become frustrated with your child who continually struggles with something, God might impress upon your heart to take that child out for ice cream and an undistracted time together.

Your job is to take the step of faith by obeying the Holy Spirit’s leading. Obeying the leading of the Holy Spirit is taking a step of faith!After you’be taken a step of faith, the Holy Spirit will begin working in you to calm, strengthen, and change you.

C) Every day, there are attributes needed.

Look again at the transforming truth found in the second half of our verse:

Hebrews 11:6 KJV 1900

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

As you approach God’s throne in prayer each day, you come in need of something that only He can give. You may need a financial miracle. You may need an extra measure of patience. You may need healing or restoration or wisdom or strength. God wants to give you what you need, and He rewards those that diligently seek after Him. Notice some of the attributes of God that you need on a daily basis.

We need His wisdom

We need God’s wisdom every day as we make decisions, such as how to spend money, how to respond to others, or how to live righteously in a wicked culture.

James 1:5–6 KJV 1900

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

As you ask for God’s wisdom, remember a key phrase in James 1:6 is “But let him ask in faith...” James 1:5 promises to give you wisdom if you ask for it, but verse 6 gives the condition: faith. You cannot expect God to bless you with His wisdom if you do not ask in faith.

James 1:7 KJV 1900

For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

We need His power.

Isn’t is comforting to know that our God is all-powerful, that He is omnipotent? When we pray, we give our petitions to the almighty God who absolutely has no limits!

Jeremiah 32:17 KJV 1900

Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:

But how exactly do we have access to the unlimited power of God? Throughout the earthly ministry of Jesus, He demonstrated His power to those who demonstrated their faith in Him. His miracles were often after He saw someone with true faith. When the paralyzed man’s friends lowered him through the roof so that Jesus could heal him, Jesus was stirred to action by their faith. If we want to see the power of God in our lives, we must have faith. When the man with the son who was possessed with a demon came to Jesus begging Him to heal him, He rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith and that’s when He said one of the most famous verses about faith:

Matthew 17:20 KJV 1900

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

We need His presence

One of the most comforting attributes of God is the fact that He is always with us.

Psalm 139:7–12 KJV 1900

Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; Even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; But the night shineth as the day: The darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

Since God is ever present, He is always available to guide, comfort, and protect. We have no reason to fear or doubt. Many of us would admit, though, that even though we know God is always there, we don’t always feel like He is. And if we continue in that attitude of transparency, we may also admit to times when we felt distant to God. The difference between reality and our feelings in this situation is our faith. If we don’t have faith in His presence, then we won’t feel the results of His presence. Notice what Hebrews 11:1 says:

Hebrews 11:1 KJV 1900

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is being confident of the presence of God even though we cannot physically see Him. Christian, we were not meant to walk through the Christian life without experiencing the presence of God. Have faith in God’s presence, and experience the joy of His companionship on a daily basis.

In each new day, God wants you to depend on Him and His attributes. When the day begins, you probably won’t know what that attribute will be. Trust Him and have faith in who God is and in what He can do.

D) Every day, there is a reward to gain.

Our text says that God is “a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” He has rewards for those who walk by faith, and He wants to give them to you. He wants to pour His blessings and goodness upon your life. Your lack of faith is all that hinders His blessings from flowing. What a shame to miss out on the blessings of God because of your own choices. May you take daily steps of faith and rejoice in His goodness as a result.

Now don’t hear me wrong on this point. We are not talking about a prosperity gospel that promises health, wealth, and happiness. That’s not what were talking about. Your heavenly Father can grant you a supernatural joy and contentment regardless of the circumstances you face. The blessing is the sweet communion you will have with Him.

3. A Diligent Focus

Hebrews 11:6 KJV 1900

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

It seems so simple: the way to please God is to live a life of faith. Yet the world, the flesh, and the devil sneakily distract us from what should be a diligent focus in our lives. Living a life a faith requires discipline and diligence.

A) A decision to live by faith must be made.

The life of faith is completely opposite from the life of feeling. When the Lord leads you to witness to someone, the life of feeling will give you every excuse as to why you shouldn’t. The life of feeling will convince you that you’re too tired, or you’ve worked too hard, or someone else will do it. The life of feeling is driven by your flesh, and it cannot be trusted.

Jeremiah 17:9 KJV 1900

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

One of the most influential missionaries of the twentieth century was a man named Jim Elliot. Jim Elliot developed a heart for foreign missions at an early age, and that passion burned in his heart throughout his life. He entered Wheaton College as a freshman knowing that he wanted to go on the mission field. During his college career, he lived in anticipation of getting to the mission field. He cared more for his longterm goal than anything temporary around him. Jim Elliot did become a missionary, to the Auca Indians in Ecuador. He wasn’t there long before he was killed.

Many would have looked at Jim Elliot’s life and said that it was wasted. In his short life, there wasn’t much time for him to accomplish everything for God that he would have wanted to. But Jim Elliot was more concerned with living a life of faith rather than a life of feelings. In his journal his wife found these words: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose”.

May we learn from Elliot’s life to live our lives for the eternal rather than for today. This wisdom of this world and our own fleshly hearts tell us so many things contrary to how God leads. Making the decision to live by faith requires us to choose living by faith rather than by feelings.

B) A desire to please Him must be kept.

After we make the decision to live by faith rather than by feeling or logic, our human flesh will fight that commitment. As humans, we have a difficult time trusting in what we cannot see. We like the security of knowing exactly how all of our needs will be met. We cannot, however, allow circumstances to weaken our faith. If we allow our faith to waver- sometimes trusting the Lord or sometimes not, then we are double minded. The Bible makes it clear that there is no security as a result of this thinking pattern.

James 1:8 KJV 1900

A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

C) A determination to hold on must be settled.

God can uphold you during your toughest times, but you must decide to hold on to Him… to completely trust Him and obey Him as well. I encourage you to decide this today: “When tirals come, I will hold strongly to my faith in God”. Consider Job in his desperate state. In the midst of his many trials, he determined to hold on to his faith.

Job 13:15 KJV 1900

Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: But I will maintain mine own ways before him.

Conclusion

Purpose in your heart to put all of your faith in God and none of your faith in yourself. Faith is not about you or what you can accomplish. It is all about God and what He can accomplish in you.

I heard a preacher tell the story that after a conference or a series of messages on the Bible on God’s word, one of his church members came up to him and said Pastor it seems like you just keep saying to read the Bible. Like that could solve all our problems, just read the Bible, read the Bible. Why do you keep telling us to read the Bible? And the Pastor said, Cause you need to read the Bible.

I want to leave you with this verse tonight:

Romans 10:17 KJV 1900

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The book you hold in your hands is a supernatural book and if you want to increase your faith, you must be in the book.