1. HOW TO PLEASE GOD IN RESPONSE TO HIS AMAZING GRACE?
- Have faith in God: Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”
- Be Spiritually minded: Romans 8:6-8 “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God”
- Fear God: Psalm 147:11 “The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy”
- Follow Jesus Christ’s example: Matthew 17:5 “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”
- Obey God: 1 Samuel 15:22 ““Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice”
- Do God’s will: Hebrews 13:21 “[May God] make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen
- Give the sacrifice God wants: Hebrews 13:15-16 “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased”
2. FACTORS THAT WITHHOLD US FROM FOCUSING ON GOD
- Money: Matthew 6:19-34 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust5 destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
- Church / Religion: It can be easy to pursue Church and beliefs ABOUT God but forget to pursue GOD Himself and have a relationship with Him
- Relationships:
- We all have various kinds of relationships with one another, such as friends, parents, siblings, spouses, children, co-workers etc.
- Do we allow any of these relationships to distract us from God?
- God calls us to love one another, but don’t forget about God in the process.
- Relationships are extremely important, but our relationship with God is of the utmost importance and we should never forget that.
- Routine:
- Spending time with God must be part of your routine
- Often we squeeze God in when we have down time
- Often God takes last place in our daily activities.
- We must make Him the most important activity of our daily routine
- Our work: Luke 10:38-42 As Jesus and his disciples went on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed him in her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat down at the feet of the Lord and listened to his teaching. Martha was upset over all the work she had to do, so she came and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!” The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha! You are worried and troubled over so many things, but just one is needed. Mary has chosen the right thing, and it will not be taken away from her.”
- It’s easy to get caught up on our duties, but the most important things is to do it entirely for God and remember to spend time in His presence.
- Sometimes we let work become more important than listening to Jesus.
- Desiring a blessing more than God Himself: Matthew 6:33 “Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things.”
- Ourselves:
- We are by nature, sinful, and if we live by our nature we will not get close to God.
- This is why we need to die to ourselves, and live in Christ. Romans 6:11 says “In the same way you are to think of yourselves as dead, so far as sin is concerned, but living in fellowship with God through Christ Jesus.”
- No matter what we do there is a constant battle within ourselves, between spirit and flesh. Romans 7:25-21 “I do not understand what I do; for I don’t do what I would like to do, but instead I do what I hate. 16 Since what I do is what I don’t want to do, this shows that I agree that the Law is right. 17 So I am not really the one who does this thing; rather it is the sin that lives in me. 18 I know that good does not live in me—that is, in my human nature. For even though the desire to do good is in me, I am not able to do it. 19 I don’t do the good I want to do; instead, I do the evil that I do not want to do. 20 If I do what I don’t want to do, this means that I am no longer the one who does it; instead, it is the sin that lives in me. 21 So I find that this law is at work: when I want to do what is good, what is evil is the only choice I have.
- This is why we need to constantly allow God to search our hearts, and purify it. Psalm 139:23-24 “Examine me, O God, and know my mind; test me, and discover my thoughts. 24 Find out if there is any evil in me and guide me in the everlasting way.
3. GODS BLESSINGS IN OUR LIVES
What are some of the God’s promises of blessing when we stay committed to his calling?
- We do not deserve God’s blessing: John 1:16 “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.”
- But God enjoys blessing His children and wants to bless us: Jeremiah 32:41 “I will enjoy blessing them. With all my heart and soul I will faithfully plant them in this land.”
- You will experience all these blessings if you obey God: Deuteronomy 28:2-8 ““You will experience all these blessings IF you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in your towns and in the country. You will be blessed with many children and productive fields. You will be blessed with fertile herds and flocks. You will be blessed with baskets overflowing with fruit, and with kneading bowls filled with bread. You will be blessed wherever you go, both in coming and in going. The Lord will conquer your enemies when they attack you… And the Lord will bless everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain.”
- God wants to bless you in front of others: Psalm 31:19 ““Lord, you have stored up great blessings for those who honor you. You do much for those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world.”
- God blesses, so you can be a blessing to others: Ezekiel 34:26 ““I will cause my people and their homes around my holy hill to BE a blessing. And I will send showers, showers of blessings, which will come just when they are needed.”
- God blesses, if you meet with Him daily: Proverbs 8:34 ““Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching DAILY at my doors, waiting at my doorway.”
- God blesses, if you study and do His Word: Psalm 1:1-3 “Blessed is the man… whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his word he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”
- God blesses, if you bless others: Psalm 41:1-2 “God blesses those who are kind to the poor and helpless. He helps them out of their own troubles. He protects them and keeps them alive; he publicly honors them and destroys the power of their enemies.”
- God blesses, if you share the Good News: Philemon 1:6 “I pray you will be active in sharing your faith, so that you will fully understand every blessing we have in Christ.”
- God blesses, if you participate in fellowship with other believers: Romans 1:12 “I’m eager to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. In this way, each of us will be a blessing to the other.”
And there are many more blessings…..
