Pleasing God

Lead Vocalist (Kelly)

Welcome & Announcements (Mike L)

Good morning family!

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Two announcements:

1) Members Meeting, 11/24

The budget and a few other matters will be voted upon during our next meeting at 6 PM on 11/24.

You can pick up a MM packet, or a budget packet at the announcement wall.

2) Volunteers still needed to help with OCC Collections Week

Please sign up at the announcement board or by scanning the QR code on the screen or in your bulletin

Now please take a moment of silence to prepare your heart for worship.

Call to Worship (Zec 2, Is 61 (p 5-6))

Prayer of Praise (Elizabeth Wells)

Come Praise and Glorify

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Prayer of Confession (Colin Smith), Disobedience

Assurance of Pardon (1 Peter 1:3-5)

The Church's One Foundation

We Fall Down

Scripture Reading (1 Thess. 4:1-2)

You can find it on page 1173 in the black Bibles

Pastoral Prayer (Mike L)

Prayer for PBC—Help us to please God

Prayer for kingdom partner—Joey & Cali Howell (StoryRunners)

Prayer for US—President-Elect

Prayer for the world—Timor-Leste

Pray for the sermon

SERMON

START TIMER!!!

What do Ariel, Luke Skywalker, and Batman have in common? All of them have daddy issues.

Ariel doesn’t think she can please her father. He just doesn’t understand her. His standards feel unattainable. No matter what she does he gets angry with her. So she decides to run away.

Luke Skywalker just doesn’t care. When—spoiler alert—he learns his father is the infamous villain, Darth Vader, Luke is dismayed and disgusted. But he doesn’t care about pleasing his father because he does not love him.

Bruce Wayne doesn’t know how to please his father. His dad died long before he became the Batman, but he is haunted by his father’s legacy. Would his dad be happy with the man he has become? He just doesn’t know.

I think these three characters illustrate the three main reasons why a child will not try to please their father:

Some don’t try because they don’t think they can. If you think your dad will be unhappy no matter what you do, you probably will give up trying.

Some don’t try because they don’t care. If you don’t really love your dad, you probably don’t care what he thinks about you.

Others don’t try because they don’t know how. You want to please your dad, but you’re not sure how.

Whether we like it or not, the same three reasons can often keep us from trying to please our heavenly Father.

Perhaps some of you don’t try to please God because you don’t think you can.

Others don’t try because you don’t really care all that much.

Still others may feel like you really don’t know how.

If you can relate to any of these feelings, God has something to say to you from His Word this morning.

Turn to 1 Thessalonians 4

About twenty years after Jesus ascended into heaven, the Apostle Paul started a church in the town of Thessalonica.

SHOW THESSALONICA MAP

Even though this church was relatively young, they still had a sincere longing to please their heavenly Father.

The Big idea I hope to communicate this morning is that A thriving local church longs to please God.

As we carefully study the Word of God this morning we’ll learn Four Truths About Pleasing God:

First, we’ll see the prerequisite to pleasing God,

Then we’ll rejoice in the possibility of pleasing God,

We’ll uncover the power for pleasing God,

and conclude by briefly considering the pathway to pleasing God.

Let’s begin by considering…

1) The PREREQUISITE to Pleasing God

When I went to college my ACT math scores were so bad, I was required to take a basic college algebra class. It was a prerequisite—something that I had to accomplish before I was able to move on to other things.

My math skills were—and are—so horrible that I could not move forward with my degree until I got that class out of the way.

In a similar way, all of us were born with something so horrible that we cannot move forward with pleasing God until we get it out of the way.

The problem is our sin.

Contrary to popular opinion, we are NOT born morally neutral with a clean slate.

The Bible is clear that all of us are born sinners—by nature and by choice.

King David put it this way: Psalm 51:5—Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

He is not saying that his parents sinned in conceiving him. Sexual intimacy within marriage is not sinful, it is right and good.

David is saying from the moment of conception he was a sinner! Before he breathed his first breath, before he ever did anything wrong, he was already a sinner.

But how can that be?

The Apostle Paul helps us to understand this in...

Romans 5:12—Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.

When Adam rebelled against God in the garden, sin spread to the entire human race.

The human race is like a mighty oak tree, Adam is the trunk and we are the branches. When Adam sinned, the entire tree fell. Now if an oak tree falls, do the branches fall too? Yes!

This means we are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners.

Because we are born sinners, and God is unfathomably holy, we have a problem.

King David puts it this way in Psalm 7:11–13—God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day. If a man does not repent, God will whet His sword; He has bent and readied His bow; He has prepared for him His deadly weapons, making His arrows fiery shafts.

God is NOT pleased with everybody. Those who will not repent are in the bullseye of His wrath.

This might seem harsh to you, but that’s because you have no idea what it’s like to be God. He commanded light to exist, and the light shone. He commanded planets to exist and they spun into orbit. He commanded the earth to form and every particle of dust marched into its place. He commanded the waters to part and each molecule gladly obeyed. He commands donkeys to speak, fish to swallow, worms to eat, winds to blow, clouds to pour forth rain, and even gravity itself to suspend its laws so man could walk on water. Every created thing obeys the Word of God without question, without delay, and without complaint. Every created thing except two species: the fallen angels that we call demons, and you and me. That’s why God must punish sin.

Dear friend, until your sin problem is dealt with you CANNOT please God.

Romans 8:8—Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

To be “in the flesh” simply means to be living in your own strength, without God in your life.

You cannot please God in this condition.

Is there any hope?

Hebrews 11:6—And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.

If you want to please God, you must have faith. But not just any faith, since even the demons have faith.

You must believe God is holy, and He is right to punish you for your sin.

You must believe you are a sinner by nature and by choice.

You must believe God the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to live a sinless life and die a sinner’s death in your place.

You must believe Jesus rose from the dead, so you can be saved.

Then and only then can you even begin to please God!

So what is the prerequisite to pleasing God? It’s repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

Unless and until you trust in Jesus, nothing you can do can please God.

Friend, please repent and believe today!

If you had a life-threatening sickness, would you try to get well before you went to the hospital? Of course not! That’s what hospitals are for!

Don’t make that mistake spiritually. Stop trying to heal yourself before you come to God. You’ll never please Him that way. You must first turn from your sins and trust in Jesus!

But if you have done that, I want you to rejoice in...

2) The POSSIBILITY of Pleasing God

Ariel is just one of many characters in fiction who doesn’t feel like she can please her father. It’s such a popular theme because so many people can relate to the feeling that our father will not be happy, no matter what we do.

Sadly, there are many people who think that our heavenly Father is impossible to please.

I want to be clear: if you’re not a Christian it IS impossible to please God!

But if your faith is in Jesus, you can live in a way that pleases God!

1 Thessalonians 4:1—Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.

Notice, who Paul is writing to: he calls his readers “brothers.”

Some Bibles rightly say translate this as “brothers and sisters.” In other words Paul is writing to Christians.

And notice what Paul says in the middle of the verse: he urges them to please God, just as they are already doing.

That means, Christian, it is POSSIBLE for you and I to live in a way that pleases God.

Perhaps some of you have been taught—as I have—that it is impossible to please God.

Maybe you think of yourself as a spiritual failure. That you’re so bad you cannot possibly obey God, even for one nanosecond.

One passage some have used to teach this is…

Isaiah 64:6a—We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.

If our righteous deeds are like filthy rags, then there’s nothing we can do to please God. Right?

Wrong. In his book The Hole in Our Holiness, Kevin DeYoung writes this: “Many Christians believe that all their righteous deeds are nothing but filthy rags. After all, that’s what Isaiah 64:6 seems to say: even your best deeds are dirty and worthless. But I don’t think this is what Isaiah means. The “righteous deeds” Isaiah has in mind are most likely the perfunctory rituals offered by Israel without sincere faith and without wholehearted obedience. . . . But we should not think that every kind of ‘righteous deed’ is like a filthy rag before God. In fact, the previous verse, Isaiah 64:5, says, “you [God] meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. It is not impossible for God’s people to commit righteous acts that please God.” [1]

I think DeYoung is absolutely right! Isaiah 64:6 is not talking about Christians who are trying to please God, but unbelievers who are trying to please God in their own strength.

Unbeliever: Your best deeds are like filthy rags in the sight of a holy God. You must repent and believe before you can ever please God!

Christian: You have been dressed in the righteousness of Christ! Your good deeds can and DO please God!

In order for us to fully embrace the possibility of pleasing God, we need to expose two errors:

Error #1: Every sin displeases God the same amount.

This is a popular idea in the world, and even among many Christians.

It’s become particularly popular over the past few decades as we have grappled with the sexual revolution. Some well-meaning Christians have responded, “Sure, the Bible says homosexuality is sin, but it’s not worse than any other sin.”

Comments like these are dangerous because they are half-true.

Any and every sin deserves God’s wrath. But that doesn’t mean that every sin displeases God to the same degree.

The truth is, all sins are equally damning, but all sins are NOT equally damaging.

Lusting after another man’s wife is wicked, but it causes far more earthly damage and Divine displeasure to sleep with her.

Hating your neighbor is evil, but it causes far more earthly damage and Divine displeasure to kill him.

R.C. Sproul writes this: “The idea of gradations of sin is important for us to keep in mind so we understand the difference between sin and gross sin. Again, all our sins require forgiveness. All of our sins are acts of treason against God. We need a Savior for our ‘little’ sins as well as for the ‘major’ ones. But some sins are more significant than others, and we need to identify which these are.” [2]

As long as you think every sin is the same, you’re probably not going to fight sin at all.

Why stop sleeping with your girlfriend if you’re still going to struggle with pornography?

Why stop looking at porn if you’re still tempted to lust at the beach?

Why stop staring at girls at the beach if you’re still going to have intrusive thoughts pop into your head on occasion?

Do you see how a failure to see the degrees of sin actually leads us to despair? We stop fighting sin entirely!

But there are degrees of sin. Not all sins are equally heinous. So we can and should fight our sin!

There’s a second error we must expose before we can fully embrace the possibility of pleasing God...

Error #2: Christians can never displease God.

If your dad was a pushover who let you do whatever you wanted without consequence or discipline, you wouldn’t try to please him at all. You would do whatever you wanted whenever you wanted.

In the same way, until you reckon with the reality that Christians can and do sometimes displease God, you won’t really try to please Him.

If you compare Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians with his letters to the Corinthians or the Galatians, you’ll notice a massive shift in tone.

Paul is very displeased with the Corinthian church because they are tolerating sexual sin and disunity in the church.

Paul is very displeased with the Galatian church because they are tolerating false gospels.

But Paul is very pleased with the thriving Thessalonian church because, even though they aren’t perfect, they aren’t committing these sins which displease God.

Remember, although Paul was the human author of these letters, they were inspired by the Holy Spirit. Which means Paul’s displeasure is a reflection of God’s displeasure.

In other words, it is possible for Christians to sometimes displease God.

To another group of Christians, Paul writes this in Ephesians 4:30—And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

It is possible for Christians to behave in ways that grieve God.

Nothing can separate us from God’s love, but that doesn’t mean He is always pleased with us.

There’s a reason why in our text Paul URGES the Thessalonians to keep living in a way that pleases God.

Pleasing God isn’t automatic, even for Christians.

And if pleasing God isn’t automatic, we need help. So consider with me…

3) The POWER for Pleasing God

Shortly after that iconic moment when Luke Skywalker learns he’s got a Darth Daddy, Vader says: "Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son." Luke replies “I’ll never join you!” He doesn’t care about pleasing his father because he doesn’t care about his father.

Similarly, you will not care about pleasing your heavenly Father unless you love Him!

You will have no power to live a life that pleases God if you don’t really love God!

Which means we motivate each other to please God not by guilt trips and shaming one another, but by reminding each other how God has loved us.

As the Apostle John reminds us in 1 John 4:19—We love because He first loved us.

You can see an example of this amazing love if you look closely at our text:

1 Thessalonians 4:1—Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.

That phrase “in the Lord Jesus,” and others like it, are used over two hundred times in Paul’s letters alone.

It’s a phrase that illustrates what theologians call our “union with Christ.”

Because Jesus perfectly pleased God and lived the life you should have lived and died in your place, you were united with Him when you became a Christian.

Much like our little Zekey was united with the Boutot family when we signed the final piece of adoption paperwork, you were united with God when you put your faith in Jesus.

Just like there’s nothing Zeke can do to stop being a Boutot, there’s nothing you can do to stop being united with Christ!

The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith explains it like this: “God continues to forgive the sins of those that are justified, and although they can never fall from the state of justification, yet they may, by their sins, fall under God’s fatherly displeasure; and in that condition they usually do not have the light of his countenance restored to them, until they humble themselves, beg pardon, and renew their faith and repentance.” [3]

A good father will never abandon his children. He will never threaten to withhold his love. He may revoke certain blessings, but he will never kick his children out of the family.

And yet, a good father is still sometimes displeased with his children. When they disobey he is not happy.

Sometimes when my kids displease me, I have a hard time forgiving them right away when they confess. Especially if they’ve done something really wrong. I want them to feel my displeasure a bit longer before our relationship is restored.

But our heavenly Father is not like that. However far we wander from Him, it is always only one step back. And He is far more eager to restore us than we are eager to be restored.

It is this love that grants us power to please God.

But how do we please Him? Consider with me finally…

4) The PATHWAY to Pleasing God

Bruce Wayne was only a boy when his father was killed. Even though he has sacrificed much to serve the citizens of Gotham as the Batman, he is plagued by his father’s memory. He often wonders if he’s living up to his father’s legacy. He wants more than anything to please his father, but he doesn’t know how.

Aren’t you grateful that our heavenly Father hasn’t left us in the dark about how to please Him?

How are the Thessalonian Christians going to continue pleasing God?

Paul tells them in…

1 Thessalonians 4:2—For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

The pathway to pleasing God isn’t a secret. It’s not a mystery. God is not hiding it from us.

Look at the first half of verse 3, which we’ll unpack in greater detail next week:

1 Thessalonians 4:3—For this is the will of God, your sanctification…

Figuring out how to please God is not a cosmic Easter egg hunt. God has clearly revealed His will to us in His Word. He wants us to grow in holiness. That’s what pleases Him.

Which means out ability to please God is directly related to our knowledge of His Word.

What about you? Are you pleasing God?

If you’re not a Christian, you can’t. So we plead with you to repent and believe the gospel so you can begin to live a life that pleases God.

To the Christians hearing my voice...

Perhaps you’ve been ignorant about the possibility of pleasing God.

Maybe you’ve believed one of the errors we talked about earlier, so you haven’t really tried to please Him.

If you confess your ignorance to God He will forgive you, and rejoice as you believe the truth.

Or maybe, Christian, you’ve not been trying to please God because your love for Him has grown cold.

Confess that to Him today, and warm your heart at the fire of the gospel.

You can grow in love for God as you remind yourself how much He loves you!

Or perhaps you’ve not been pleasing God because you’ve ignored His Word.

Confess that to Him, and commit to grow in your faithfulness to His Word so that you might please Him more.

And for those of you that are pleasing God this morning, may we be like the Thessalonians and “do so more and more” until the day Jesus returns.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

All I Have is Christ

Benediction (Colossians 3:9-10)