MEMORY VERSE:“Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more”. 1 Thessalonians 4:1
BIBLE PASSAGE: Romans 8:5-8
INTRODUCTION
Pleasing God in all things should be the goal of all believers-all who call upon the name of Christ for salvation. The requirements for all who want to please God are that they must seek God by faith, walk in the Spirit and not in the natural human nature of the flesh, and walk worthy of our calling in obedience and submission to the will of God.
OUTLINE
1.WALKING IN THE SPIRIT
- LIVING BY FAITH
WALKING IN THE SPIRIT
Paul reminded the believers in Rome that “those who operate in line with desires of the natural human nature cannot please God” Romans 8:8. So, the first step in pleasing God is to accept the sacrifice for sin that He provided in the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Only then are we “in the spirit” and not “in the natural fleshy nature of our humanness”. We do this by faith because “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” Hebrews 11:6.
In Romans 8, Paul explains the difference between the sinful nature of the ‘natural man’ we were born with and the nature of those regenerated by the Spirit of God at salvation. Those who are still in their sin have their minds set on sinful desires, whereas the ones regenerated by Christ have a completely new mindset that is controlled by the Spirit and desire to live in accordance with Him Romans 8:6-8. So, the first step for believers in pleasing God is to be sure we are walking in the spirit, not in the desires of our natural nature as exhibited by our human fleshly desires Galatians 5:16..
LIVING BY FAITH
Furthermore, we must live daily by faith Hebrews 10:38; 11:6. God cannot be pleased with those who “draw back” from Him because they have no confidence in Him Hebrews 10:39 or those who doubt the truth of His declarations and promises 2 Corinthians 1:20. Neither will God be happy with those who do not believe that His ways are right or holy and perfect Psalms 18:30. The requirement of faith and confidence in God is not unreasonable; and it is an indispensable condition of our being pleased with them. So, it is with God.
Therefore, pleasing God is a matter of living according to His precepts, commandments, and doing so in love John 14:15. The Epistles are God’s plan for believers and are filled with exhortations to display throughout our lives the behaviour that is pleasing to God: “ For the rest, then, my brothers, we beseech you and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, so you would abound more and more”. 1 Thessalonians 4:1.
CONCLUSION
Pleasing God may seem impossible to do, but God wants us to please Him, and He makes it possible for us to please Him. We do these things by the power of His Spirit who lives in our hearts.