♫ 2025-06-22 St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Welkom

ABSA BANK, WELKOM

4052 0411 25

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Welcome

Scripture Readings

Chorus No 3 in the blue book - Jesus we enthrone You

Chorus ` No 5 in the blue book - Such Love

Chorus No 7 in the blue book - Father we love You

General Confession said together.

 Almighty and most merciful Father, we have strayed from Your ways like lost sheep, we have left undone what we ought to have done,  and we have done what we ought not to have done. We have followed our own ways and our own desires and we have neglected and broken Your holy laws.

Have mercy on us Lord.

Restore those who repent and confess their sins  according to Your promises declare in Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant, merciful Father, for His sake, that hereafter  we may live a righteous and obedient life,  to the glory of Your Holy Name. Amen. 

 Assurance of forgiveness said by the minister standing.

and forgives the sins of all who truly repent and believe His holy gospel.   Therefore, let us ask Him to grant us true repentance and His Holy Spirit, that we may please Him now, and that the rest of our life may be pure and holy so that at the last we may come  Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, does not desire the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn from his wickedness and live.  He has given authority and commandment to His ministers to declare to His people that He pardons to His eternal joy through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The Lord’s Prayer said together. 

Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed by thy Name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, In earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trespasses,  As we forgive them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, For ever and ever.  Amen. 

The Ten Commandments

Minister: Our Lord Jesus Christ said : “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it : Love your neighbour as yourself.  All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments”. 

Congregation : Lord have mercy on us, and write these commandments in our hearts and minds to keep them. 

Janet will now read the Old Testament reading to us from the NIV pew bible.

She begins with “Hear the Word of God as it is written in Psalm 63:1-8”

She ends with “This is the word of God”.

Congregation: “Thanks be to God”

Jenny

will now read the New Testament reading to us from the NIV pew bible.

She begins with “Hear the Word of God as it is written in Galatians 3:23-29”

She ends with “This is the word of God”.

Congregation: “Thanks be to God”.

Hymn No 34 in the Blue Book - God is our strength and refuge

Sermon

WORDS OF LIFE SERIES 1

BIBLE STUDY NOTES SECRETS OF SUCCESSFUL LIVING

by Francis W. Dixon

Study 3 MAKING IT OUR AMBITION TO PLEASE HIM

Key Verse: “We make it our ambition to please Him”

(2 Corinthians 5: 9-lit.)

The constant aim of everyone who really knows the Lord should be to be well-pleasing to Him – look up John 8:29, and compare John 13:16. Could anyone, anywhere, have a greater ambition than this? Is it your ambition to please Him? – for here, surely, is the secret of successful living. In this series we are considering ten of these “secrets”, but it could rightly be said that all ten are summed up in the theme of this study. There is nothing greater than living day by day a life which is well-pleasing to the Lord. See what the Holy Spirit has recorded about Enoch – Genesis 5:22-24 and Hebrews 11:5. All down the ages there have been men and women whose supreme ambition it has been to please God. Most people today are bent upon pleasing themselves – compare Judges 17:6; 1 Corinthians 10:5; and 2 Timothy 3:4; but there are those who are seeking to fulfil God’s conditions of a life that is well-pleasing to Him.

WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS FOR PLEASING GOD?

We must be born again. Look up Romans 8:8, and compare this with John 3:5. Every man and woman is “controlled by the sinful nature”, and while we are “living according to the sinful nature” (Romans 8:5) we can never please God. The first need, therefore, is to be born again, so that we are “controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit” (Romans 8:9).

We must separate ourselves from all sinful and doubtful things. When we are born again we become children of God (1 John 3:1); but the Christian life is a warfare, and we are soldiers – look up 2 Timothy 2:3-4. The lives of worldly Christians are full of sinful and hindering things, but those who wish to please Him disentangle themselves from the things which hinder them in their Christian life.

We must dedicate our lives to Him. Look up Romans 12:1, and notice the words, “holy and pleasing to God”. Separation from sinful and doubtful things is negative, but the dedication of ourselves to the Lord is positive. Have you ever presented your body to the Lord? Have you handed over to Him the “parts” of your body (Romans 6:13) – your hands, feet, eyes, ears, lips…in other words – yourself?

We must be good witnesses. God has put us in trust with the gospel, and what a sacred trust it is! The gospel is for everybody, and our whole business is to make it known – look up 1 Thessalonians 2:4. Notice that Paul says, “…we speak…” Do we speak? Perhaps we need to pray the prayer of the psalmist in order to please Him – look up Psalm 51:15. Believers who witness to the Lord’s grace and power, by lives which are consistent and by lips which are ready to speak for Him, are well-pleasing to the Lord.

We must be obedient. Look up Colossians 3:20. If it is well-pleasing to earthly parents when their children obey them, how much more must it please the Lord when His children obey Him? Obedience is very important – look up 1 Samuel 15:22, and compare John 2:5; 14:15; and Acts 9:6.

We must have faith in God. In Hebrews 11:6 we are told that unless we have confidence in God we cannot please Him. Thank God, we can trust Him – not only for forgiveness (1 John 1:9), but for food (Psalm 34:10); not only for salvation (Acts 4:12), but for the supply of our every need (Philippians 4:19)!

We must be large-hearted. Look up Hebrews 13:16. One translation renders this: “Don’t forget to be kind and liberal” – full of love, sympathy, understanding, readiness to help, encouragement, unselfishness – compare Romans 12:13 and Galatians 6:6. This is the successful Christian life in action!

WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF PLEASING GOD?

The most wonderful result is that if we make it our ambition to please Him, we shall have His smile upon our life – compare John 8:29 and Matthew 3:17. The Lord Jesus is the Son of God in an unique sense; but every Christian is a son of God through faith in Him (Galatians 3:26). How wonderful to have God’s smile upon our life! There are three practical results of pleasing God:

Answers to prayer. Look up 1 John 3:21-22, and notice why we are so sure that God will hear and answer our prayer. Notice also the word “anything”, for this covers all our needs. This promise is very challenging, for it not only tells us the way to get our prayer answered, but it explains why some of our prayers are not answered!

Enemies at peace. There is a wonderful promise in Proverbs 16:7; and note again that the blessing promised is conditional upon our being well-pleasing in His sight – look up Romans 12:17-21. It may well be that in the matter of human relationships you need to prove the Lord on these verses!

Special overcoming power. In Ecclesiastes 7:26 a special temptation is referred to; but if deliverance is promised from this evil, surely it is promised from every evil – look up 1 Corinthians 10:13, and compare 2 Timothy 4:18.

WHAT ARE THE MOTIVES WHICH SHOULD CONSTRAIN US TO PLEASE HIM?

Even the Lord did not please Himself (Romans 15:3).

Only thus can we glorify Him (1 Corinthians 10:31).

The Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 3:13). But be sure to note this: We cannot please Him in our own strength – see Philippians 2:13!

Notices

Collection

Praise God from whom all blessing flow

Prayer

Hymn No 43 in the Blue Bppk - I serve a risen Saviour

Benediction

Doxology Now unto Him