Pleasing God

Galatians 5:19

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Pray:

If you pay close attention to today’s text, you will notice that these sins can all be placed in certain groups. Meaning that verse 19 is talking about sexual sins.

We can put the sins we commit against God into one category or another. And one of the biggest sins that often goes overlooked by the average Christian today is the sin of not doing what God wants us to do, or not being what God wants us to be.

At the end of the day, we will discover that at the heart of most sins we commit stems from our desire to be independent of God.

And we can see a snapshot of this in our own lives. As we grew older, we started to become more and more independent. We even have a name for it amongst teenagers. We say that they are being rebellious. But what they are really doing is trying to establish their independence from their parents.

Now in a godless family, the mom or even the dad may be trying to force the kid to depend on them. And I know parents who have made this huge mistake. What a Godly parent does is teach their child to be dependent on God. And they do so by example. When a parent teaches a child to be dependent on them, they end up crippling that child for their own selfish desire to be needed. That parent failed because they never learned to depend on God. I have even seen parents plot against their own kid’s marriage in order to take away their grandkids. And ten times out of ten it is a grandma or grandpa who never goes to church and has never learned to depend on God. That is just one example of the sin of not doing what God wants us to do.

For us trying to be independent from God is a sin. At the core of being a good Christian should be a desire to please God. Turn with me to Revelation 4:11

Read it with me out loud please.

11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

So why were we created? To please God. Say it with me. I was created to please God.

One more time. I was created to please God.

Since we know that we were created to please God. Then God must have at some point told us exactly what we need to do to please him.

I don’t know about you, but I like to look for answers to questions like that in my bible. And that question is?

How do I please God?

Now I’m going to give you a little illustration. When I was a young man in bible college. I would be sent out preaching all over the place. And during one of my sermons, I mentioned how much I loved my grandmother’s coconut cream pie. So, as I was getting referred from church to church apparently it got around that I liked coconut cream pie. Now the truth be told I also like pecan pie. Come to think of it I also like chocolate pie. And I wouldn’t say no to a slice of sweet potatoes pie. And frankly, apple pie isn’t too be either.

Where was I. Oh yeah. So, it got around that I liked coconut cream pie. And on some of the stops I would make someone in the church would bring me a coconut cream pie.

Those gracious churches wanted to please me. And it’s not hard to please me. Because truth be told my favorite pie happens to be the one closest to me at the time.

But we need to find out what pleases God.

Because we were all created to please God.

Hebrews 11:6

6 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.

Now let’s go back. Why was I created? Not everyone at once now. I was created to please God. So, when I ask you say to please God. Ok. Here we go. Why were we created?

To please God.

Now what pleases God? Faith.

Another way to say that would be. God made me to depend on him. If you go back to the garden, Adam and Eve depended on God completely. That is how children are, we are dependents. And after we get saved, God wants us to learn to depend on him because that was his original design.

Romans 14:23

23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

There it is. Failure to depend on God is sin. No matter what you do. If you do so without depending on God, it is sin. When I get up here to preach, if I do so without depending on God it is sin. If we teach Sunday school without depending on God, it is sin. If we try to build a church without depending on God, it is sin. God created us for the pleasure of doing for us. And loves it when we depend on him. That is why I believe that one of the worst things you can do as a parent is raise your kids without church. You are handicapping your child by refusing to teach them to depend on God.

We know that if we depend on God that he will bless our lives. And that is what I want for all of you. To be blessed by God.

Let’s look at this teaching as Jesus taught it.

Matthew 5

5 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

What does it mean to be poor in spirit? It means that spiritually someone is so lacking spiritually that they MUST completely depend on God. In other words, they cannot get through this life without their faith in God. This has nothing to do with being financially poor. Although it is certainly not a sin to be poor or a sin to be rich. It is a person who completely realizes that they need God.

Psalm 146:5

5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:

Our hope, our faith is in God. And that means we have Gods blessing. Again why? I want you to get this.

Because God made us for his pleasure. And it pleases God when we have faith.

I cannot build Westside Baptist Church. But God can. I cannot win people to Jesus. But God can. I cannot repair that building next door. But God can. We must have humility and faith to accomplish what God wants us to do.

Do you want God’s blessing on your marriage? Depend on God. Do you want God’s blessing in your work: Good then depend on God.

Proverbs 14:12

12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

What God is saying is this. We want to do things our way. We want to sit back and take credit for everything we do. It seems right for us to be independent of God. But that path leads to death or dead ends. When we get into the habit of thinking that we have all the answers, and that we know everything. We are going nowhere fast.

We must learn to depend on the wisdom found in the word of God in order to have a blessed life.

This is a verse I often quote:

Proverbs 3:5-7

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

Again, we hear God saying. Depend on me.

James 1:5

5 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.

We do not have to go through life failing at everything we do. All we have to do is depend on him. Ask him for wisdom and he says: Nope. I have no desire to give you wisdom. Lol. No. It says he will give it to you freely!! So, we are without excuse. Depend on God, depend on God’s wisdom. When we refuse to do so it is because we lack faith. Or because we have more faith in ourselves.

A few years ago, I took a class called Christian counseling. But it wasn’t Christian counseling at all. It was Freudian gibber jabber. I believe that people need counseling. But they do not need us analyzing every word coming out of their mouth to judge what we think is wrong with them. Psychology is hogwash. It is nothing but an excuse for some arrogant Dr to push a pill on you. They say well you have a chemical imbalance. How would they know that? Do they take samples of the chemicals in your brain? No. They listen to you talk and try to judge for themselves what is going on. It could just be a poor diet; it could just be a lack of sleep. It could be a number of things. But the belief in the magical pill in our society has become ridiculous.

I choose to believe that Gods word has the answers. I choose to believe that our problem is a failure to depend on God and not the need for some magical pill. Brother Virgil said to me the other day. I’m glad that you are one of those preachers that believe in Dr.’s. And I do. I believe in the divine physician. There is a limit to what man’s medicine can do.

We have a medical cult that has spent billions to cure cancer. That has failed. They have spent billions to cure aids and they have failed. They have spent millions to cure the common cold and they failed. But they would have you believe that they cured the covid cold in just three months.

What am I saying. I’m saying man’s wisdom is nothing and it will not help you. God is pleased when we trust in Him. And modern psychology is garbage. Get your advice from the word of God.

So, we need God’s wisdom because it is perfect. And we also need Gods strength.

Psalm 84:5

5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.

There is that word blessed again. And we are blessed for depending on God’s wisdom. And here it tells us that we are blessed for depending on God’s strength. Do you see the consistency in the word of God? God made us to please him. And we please him by having faith in him and another way to say that is by depending on him.

Isaiah 40:31

31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

We get tired and we are weak. We are going to face hard times. We are going to find challenges that we cannot win on our own. We lose loved ones; we face divorce and heartache. Some have even had to endure the loss of a child. We might sit back and wonder. How did they get through it? The only one anyone can. Depending on God’s strength.

Psalm 71:16

16 I will go in the strength of the Lord God: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.

When we count our blessings, and we should. Never forget that every good thing comes from God.

James 1:17

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

I know many people will say. I earned all this money. It’s mine. No. God gave you wisdom and strength and then blessed you for depending on him. If you stop depending on God, you can lose it like that. Everything good that you have, you have because of God.

Psalm 73:26

26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

You young people. Learn to depend on God while you are young. Trust me you are going to need too when you get old. Arthritis, bad vision, diabetes, hair loss, dentures, sagging skin. You begin to forget things. You begin to forget things. You begin to forget things. You repeat yourself. Oh, the joys of old age. It is Gods reminder that you aren’t going to live forever. Better to learn to depend on him in our youth. One of these days you are going to look like brother Danny. Or worse you could end up looking like me.

Remember this passage:

2 Corinthians 12:8-10

8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

How much better would it be if we learned to depend on God without the need to be reminded of our weakness? What I mean by this. If you are young and healthy and full of energy. That’s the best time to start depending on God.

Ecclesiastes tells us to: Remember our creator in the days of our youth.

Over and over God instructs us to depend on him. The power of Christ works through us when we depend on God. Why? Because he made us for his pleasure. And gives him pleasure when we need and depend on him.

Some wisdom comes with age. That is one of the reasons that I listen to brother Virgil. Because he is SOOOOOOOOO much older than me.

Psalm 31:14-15

14 But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God.

15 My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.

We want things in our time. And I believe that one of the many ways that God teaches us to depend on him is by making us wait on his timing. After all, God knows exactly when that house will come up for sale that he wants to bless you with. Right? When we get into a hurry, we end up settling for less every time.

Waiting for the things we want isn’t easy. But what we have got to understand is that God wants us to depend on him. The sooner we figure this out the better off we will be.

I’m not a fan of microwave culture. We want it yesterday. I don’t even eat microwave popcorn. In fact, the only time I use a microwave is to store leftovers. I prefer to heat things up the old-fashioned way. I go through the drive through. Just kidding. What I’m saying is we lack patience. We don’t know how to trust God. And that’s a problem.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

In other words. God does everything in his time not ours. So that we can’t know. We have no other option but to trust and depend on God.

Like the song: Trust and obey for there’s no other way. Trust and depend. That is what God wants from us. That is how we make God happy. That is the key to pleasing God.

As I’m about to close let me add this: We have a huge problem in this world and in religious circles with depending on God.

Listen carefully please:

Religion says: Don’t depend on God. Depend on your baptism.

Religion says: Don’t depend on God. You better be good enough to save yourself.

Religion says: Don’t depend on God. Depend on a Priest to save you.

Religion says: Don’t depend on God. Pray to Mary.

Religion says: Don’t depend on God count your rosary beads and take holy communion.

But God’s word and its wisdom is SOOO consistent. It is amazing how consistent the word of God is in every way. The word of God says. Don’t depend on yourself for your salvation. Depend on me. I did everything for you. All you must do is place your faith in me. Trust me for salvation. Because I made you for my pleasure. And it pleases me when you believe in and depend on me.

Think about it. Even the gospel message says. Depend on me. Ephesians 2:8

Ephesians 2:8

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Don’t trust yourself to do what only God can do. If you are here this morning or listening online and you have never put your faith in Jesus Christ. Then there is no better time to do so then now.

And if you want to know the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior I want to invite you to come forward during our alter call and ask me how you can know Jesus Christ.

If you are watching on Facebook. I want you to bow your head now. And say. Lord, I believe that you died for my sins. I believe in your death, burial, and resurrection. And I admit that I am a sinner. I repent of my sins right here and now. And I ask you to save me. Then come to Westside and follow the Lord in believers Baptism.

You see folks everything is connected in the word of God. God said to you one day. Believe on me to receive salvation. And if you did that wasn’t the end of it. It was just the beginning of your journey. And the theme of that journey is US learning to please God. And we all struggle with pleasing God.

But we can do it by trusting in him for our strength. But trusting in him for our sustenance and by trusting in him for EVERYTHING. That is the walk before us. More of him, less of us.

Once again everyone answer me please. Why did God make us? For his pleasure.

And what pleases God? Trusting him, depending on him for everything.

listen I often hear Christian’s complain and complain about everything! You know what is the biggest problem most of time? They don’t go to church. They don’t read their bible. They don’t pray. In fact they aren’t serving God in any way. Well maybe just maybe. God is trying to get your attention!!! I died for your sins. You trusted me with that. Why can’t you trust me with more?

Let’s pray: