Pleasing God

[0:00] Who do you want to please? Who matters to you that you want to please?! You love from the ones that you love.

[0:32] Your children. You see the smile on their faces and you know it brings a joy to you, doesn't it? Like our Lord says it's more blessed to give than to receive. There's a joy, there's a smile, there's praise.

[0:45] You know, you've given to your mum, you've given to your father, you've given to your children, your wife, your husband. There's a joy there. And you know that you can have that sense today with God Almighty himself.

[0:58] That's what are we talking about here. We're talking about pleasing God. Pleasing God. There's a genuine fulfilment that you can find and know that God is pleased with you.

[1:11] That's special. Nothing beats that. And really to please our Lord is really the ultimate, isn't it? The ultimate, the highest purpose of life for every one of us.

[1:22] It's the ultimate and highest purpose. And that's what it says here in Revelation chapter 4. Revelation chapter 4. We've got the context of the end of the age of the worthy and almighty one seated on his throne.

[1:38] And in the setting here of Revelation 4, it says there's 24 elders. These are those that are looked up to, the elders, and they're falling down and worshipping.

[1:51] They're coming, as it were, on their faces, bowing to the most holy one, the most high. And it says of them in Revelation 4, it says that they fall down and they bow down before him that sits upon the throne.

[2:05] And they worship him that liveth forever and ever. And they cast their crowns at his feet. They cast their crowns before the throne. And they declare, Revelation 4 verse 11, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power.

[2:28] Why? For thou hast created all things. And for thy pleasure they are and were created, including you and me.

[2:38] Isn't that right? For his pleasure they are and were created. As his creation, we are called to this. We're called to that same song of these 24 elders. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power.

[2:54] You've created us, you've created all things, and it's for thy pleasure as to please you. This is the ultimate. It's the ultimate. It's the absolute. Nothing beats this. No, nothing can compare.

[3:06] We can't deign to compare it with the grand final or you name it. Something that people get all excited and jumping up and down about. Nothing compares with this. Nothing at all.

[3:17] Nothing. That is, pales into nothingness, doesn't it? This is the ultimate. That we can bow down before our great and glorious God, whom we love and adore, and we cast ourselves before him.

[3:30] We cast ourselves upon his awesome mercy, and know his love and his care for us. And if we look up to this one seated upon the throne, we would see his smile.

[3:42] And wouldn't that be something? To see the smile of God. To see his favour. To know, as these ones knew, Thou art worthy, O Lord. To see him.

[3:53] And he has designed us so. To be such. He's designed us, you and me, so that we can find our best and highest fulfilment in that place of bringing him honour and glory.

[4:05] This is true greatness, isn't it? True success. This is the ultimate endeavour, the ultimate aspiration, our ultimate resolve to one day be in such a setting before that same throne, before that same almighty God, and to give him our praise, and to know his smile.

[4:25] And this is the answer to the puzzle of life, really. Our reason for being. Why we have been created. It is for this. For this. To this end. To please our loving master and our maker.

[4:37] To bless him. You that fear God. He is pleased with you. That's something precious, isn't it? Isn't it just?

[4:48] You that fear him. He is pleased with you. You know his sure peace. And failing as we are at times, yet he still bears with us. And he loves us still. And here is the key to life itself.

[5:01] That you will see his smile one day. You will see that. And one day. One day soon. Relatively soon, really. Isn't it? Life is a vapour. You are commended, you that fear God, that one day you can know his closeness.

[5:13] It says that in Psalm 147 verse 11. Psalm 147 verse 11. Who does the Lord take pleasure in? Who is the Lord pleased with? The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him.

[5:27] In those that hope in his mercy. He takes pleasure in you that fear him, that hope in his mercy. When we fear God then truly, then we will be attuned to his will.

[5:38] There's a repeated theme in the word about who it is that we are intent to please. For men and women, it says we are to please our spouse.

[5:54] Now that can be hard enough too, can't it? I mean, for a... I've got to be careful what I say here. Of course my wife is easy to please. But I know I need to work harder at pleasing her.

[6:09] And Julie said, I need to work harder at pleasing my wife so that she is pleased with me. But more so, much, much at a higher level, isn't it?

[6:22] That really the pleasing the one we ought to... The pleasing our God ought to be the absolute above all. And to please the one that we love, to please the one that we love, even if they're hard to get along with.

[6:37] Not that Julie is, but... The one that we love ought not to be a chore or a drudgery. It ought to be something that we want to do, isn't it?

[6:48] We want to do that. We love to do that. Because it's a priority. It's a priority. And likewise, in the parent-children context, children are commended by God for obeying their parents.

[7:01] It says, this is well-pleasing to the Lord to do that. And all of us are children. All of us have parents living or passed away now, but there's that sense where our parents are due an honour and a regard, whether they're saved or not saved.

[7:19] There's something about that special relationship as you as a child to your mother and father. And God says he's well-pleased when we obey. And we're commanded to. We're commended for that.

[7:30] And as a child, you have that desire, don't you? It's kind of inbuilt in us as much as, well, some might have an occasion where they may have an abusive parent. We know that can happen. But aside from that situation, there's that desire in us to please our parents, isn't there?

[7:45] Something that's a good thing. And, you know, even as we remember, as we recall growing up, you look up to them and you want to hear them say, you did a good job.

[7:56] Well done. Even if it's just a short word of praise, something, yes, that made me feel good to know my mum and dad were glad.

[8:08] I made them glad by what I did in some way. And oughtn't it to be ever so much more important? What about pleasing our God? Shouldn't that be something even more as something that excites us, that motivates us to want to hear him say, well done.

[8:26] Wouldn't that be something? If you did something in all your frailty and failingness and your weakness and your inadequacy, as little as it might in the scheme of things be, that one day he'll say, that was well done.

[8:42] You want to know you've made them glad. To please our God ought to be the vital consideration for life, shouldn't it? How we set our life goals and how we make our life choices with that in mind.

[8:56] That this matters. It matters more than any other thing, any other consideration. How do we live? Does what we do make his heart rejoice? Or the opposite?

[9:07] Do we hurt his heart such that he is displeased with us? Of course, sometimes who we aim to please and how we aim to please someone can actually be contrary to pleasing our God.

[9:21] This theme of pleasing, of pleasing others, of pleasing God, the Bible talks about being man pleasers and failing to please God. I can tone this down and never give you anything that's a bit, oh, he had a go at me there.

[9:35] You know, the preacher can be almost like afraid of their faces such that he never gives anything that's, oh, I might offend somebody by that.

[9:48] But I must be driven more by the fear of God than the fear of man. And if I fail to impart something that challenges you in a godly, spiritual, good way, then I'm failing God.

[10:01] And so the fear of man should not be more for us than the fear of God. And it's the same, you know, for us, we're in the workplace, in a work setting, we're mixing with unbelievers and we shouldn't be afraid of them such that we don't say, I'm going to do right.

[10:19] And I'm going to speak right. I'm going to live right. I'm going to be a testimony for my Lord. Because I care more about the fear of God than the fear of man. I care more about eternal things than about pleasing people.

[10:32] As we can all be like that, we can be moved more by what the world around us offers, by what people around us are like who are worldly minded, that we care about such things more than the things that are eternal.

[10:44] And that's a grave mistake. Sometimes, likewise, we can care more about pleasing ourselves. Pleasing ourselves more than pleasing God.

[10:56] That can be a trap too, can't it? Now I'm sure that's not true of any of you, but I know for myself, I can be looking at pleasing myself more than pleasing God.

[11:07] That can be a trap, can't it? What do we care more about? What do we care more about? Care more about pleasing ourselves, pleasing people, or caring about pleasing God?

[11:19] Thinking about that, it pays to think about it. Do we just go ahead and do things without thinking, does that please my God or displease Him? It's interesting, as an aside, there's one time in the Word where the Lord Jesus was displeased.

[11:35] He was displeased. It says He was very displeased. It's an interesting reference. And it was in the occasion where the disciples tried to shut the children away from Him.

[11:49] This is Mark 10. It's the one time that God was displeased in the form of, in the Son, in God the Son, that He reflected and it was stated of Him that He was displeased.

[12:03] One time. So the Lord cares for the little people and so should we. The little people, the children. Woe betide these churches that have failed the children.

[12:16] Woe betide them. And Mark 10.13, it says that some tried to bring young children to Him that He should touch them and His disciples rebuked those that brought them.

[12:27] But when Jesus saw it, He was much displeased and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto Me and forbid them not for of such is the kingdom of God.

[12:38] Our Lord puts it in context that every soul is valued. Now, the ones who get discounted, often the children get discounted, don't they? They kind of get left out, left behind, kind of out of sight, out of mind and we adults know better and the children can miss that but the Lord Jesus wants us to care for the little ones, the little people and so how can we please Him?

[13:04] Pleasing God should be our prime consideration in life, in the decisions of life and the reality is sometimes for us to please God, we have to determine to actually displease men.

[13:15] Sometimes we have to be bold enough and courageous enough to stand when it's hard to stand. To please God is what matters. In other words, we have to go against the flow, against the crowd.

[13:29] Paul talked about that in 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 4. He tells how we were put, allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak not as pleasing men but God which trieth the hearts.

[13:42] Paul was talking about how we've got to trust, we've been entrusted with this message. We that are saved, we've got the life-changing, soul-saving message of salvation. It's been given in trust.

[13:54] It's entrusted to you and even so we speak it. It's been given for you to speak it. Your salvation is such that you can't help but tell the things that God has done for your soul.

[14:08] You can't help but speak the things that God has done for your soul. Paul says we speak as we would please God not man and the context here is of being bold to do so. Now, there's times when I'm not naturally bold.

[14:22] I'm probably naturally not bold. I think it's in a lot of us where it's easier to say nothing but God wants us to speak even so we speak not as pleasing men but God.

[14:38] So don't be afraid when the situation crops up that you're not afraid to speak. And sometimes you can get to the point where you don't even have to say anything when you're in like I know in a work setting where I've been in a group of people and there's coarse language and they say oh sorry Andrew I didn't say anything except they can't swear in my presence you know I'm so holy.

[15:01] But there's that sense where we should be such that there's something they know there's something about you that is different. that there's something about you the person of Jesus in you and to be bold enough that I don't care that they think I'm a bit weird a bit radical a bit different I'd rather be fearing God and fearing them and to deliver the gospel we can face hostility but yet we must do it.

[15:31] And I'm not meaning to be some crazy oddball who just makes Christians look like they're a bunch of crazies. but there's a sense where we're not afraid of their faces we're not fearful of them and so well we're not afraid to be a bold Christian sometimes the best Christian well I put to you really in every case the best Christian is the bold Christian now when I first got saved immediately my closest friends kind of didn't want anything more to do with me because they knew where I stood because I wasn't afraid to tell them I'm a Christian God's changed me you know sometimes it's better that they treat you like that than that you'd be a kind of mediocre one that kind of just blends in and you're a bit of a chameleon where you're changing colours to suit who you're around it's better to be bold and forthright without being off-putting of course but that you're not afraid to be a bold Christian to speak up and because you've been put in trust with the gospel this is too important this is so important that it'd be better that you that you offend someone than that they go to hell without you saying something without you making some impact on them so step up and speak out and stand up the word says to please God should be something we abound in it says that in 1 Thessalonians 4 verse 1 something we should abound in in other words it's something that should grow more and more stronger and stronger it says that in 1 Thessalonians 4 verse 1 1 Thessalonians 4 verse 1

[17:07] Paul says we beseech you brethren exhort you by the Lord Jesus as you have received us how you ought to walk and to please God so you would abound more and more Paul says I've told you how to how to walk how to please God and that you ought to abound more and more in that so in the sense that as a Christian as a Christian we don't just suddenly become a Christian and then that's it we've kind of arrived it's a journey it's a walk it's a it's a walking with God it's a growing with God it's a keeping on keeping on a keeping on growing it's a going over and over and above it's an abounding more and more it's not holding back it's a building layer upon layer it's a precept upon precept our Christian walk is something that should be flourishing and thriving and increasing more and more that will please him that will walk with him and more and more so because the Christian life is something we walk in and sometimes I've got to say sometimes it's one step forward two steps back now and again sometimes look I'm saying it as it is for myself you know the righteous man falls seven times but he keeps picking him up doesn't he

[18:18] I'm no better than any other man but God helps you to get back on your feet again and we know as folk I know have had times of backsliding God's refreshed their love God's got them back on the track again and God has given them more faith than they've ever had before such that they got off track but God's restored them and refreshed them and revitalized them and the Bible says we can please God more and more there's that sense that this is a walk and there's something to walk in it's a walk and to walk somewhere it takes you know there's a worldly saying isn't there the journey of a thousand steps starts with one step it's the same with a Christian walk isn't it the same one step after the other one foot after the other you might think I'm not much of a Christian I'm failing I'm faulty and oh it just seems such a hard thing to live the Christian life to walk the Christian walk one step in front of the other step day by day one step after the other the Christian life is a walk it's progressive and it says in Proverbs 4 verse 18 that the path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day path of the just it's like a light and it gets brighter brighter and brighter till the perfect day till we see his face and we'll see his shining glory it's a walk and so pleasing God is talked about as being a walk with God it's like Enoch

[19:55] Enoch was a man in the Old Testament Genesis 5 in verse 24 it tells of this man Enoch it doesn't say that much about him but it says that Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him now what a testimony he had he had the first rapture he's beat us all to it really Enoch he's already got taken up as it were he walked so close with God so close to God and let's walk like Enoch walked won't that be something that if you had such a closeness to God that you know maybe you had such a closeness maybe holding his arm you're walking with God you're talking with God and Enoch walked right up with God now God went up that as it were I'm kind of being picturesque here but that heavenly stairway and Enoch just kept talking and walking until bang he's gone he left this planet I wonder whether God got so caught up with the conversation that they were having that they were having such a good talk it was such a close walk it was such a closeness there and Enoch was just so close to God that it's as if God thought whoops

[21:04] I forgot you had to die first you know I'm being a bit flippant maybe here but there's a sense where Enoch just walked straight on up and he was walking with God such that he was walking on the clouds and boom he was gone their communion was so close and it says of Enoch in Hebrews 11 verse 5 by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him but for before his testimony sorry before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God something about Enoch he walked with God and it says that he pleased God wow how are we to walk wouldn't it be good to be as close as Enoch walked with God such that we just keep on walking and we've arrived so we can walk with God so tenderly so lovingly so closely that his heart will be our heart that our walk on this earth will be as if our Lord walked in our own shoes and he does because Christ in you in your shoes is Christ where you walk how you walk if you're a saved believer here today that Jesus is walking in your shoes and it ought to be that way that what he cares about we care about that what Jesus would do we would do that his love would be our love that we would be moved as he was moved when he saw people he was moved that we can be as Jesus to them that we will walk with the Lord in the light of his word that we will walk worthy of him pleasing him in every step we take

[22:43] Colossians 1 it talks about walking worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing walking worthy unto all pleasing that we will walk so worthy of God that we will please him in every context being fruitful in every good work increasing in the knowledge of God strengthened with all power according to his glorious all might rather according to his glorious power unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness and it's showing that giving thanks about being partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light it's saying they walk worthy pleasing God effectively pleasing God being fruitful friends brothers and sisters in this 21st century we can walk with God like Enoch did we can walk with God such that it's a close communion such that it's a blessed closeness and our life can be lived such that we please our God it is possible on this planet to still please our God and holy living can be a day by day reality a fruitfulness within our hearts a spiritual fruitfulness can be within us such that we'll be fruitful unto every good work a strengthening can be in us because the same strength the same Holy Spirit the same power of God is ours today that same joyfulness that same partaking of the inheritance of the saints in light can be yours and mine how?

[24:09] how can we please God? how can we mere mortals how can we failing feeble frail as we can be how can we please our mighty God in all of our inadequacy?

[24:22] it's faith it's faith it starts with faith faith by faith by faith by faith Hebrews 11 it's still the same today it's by faith this is a walk of faith it starts with faith you can't begin without that trust him it's impossible to please God without faith it says Hebrews 11 6 without faith it is impossible 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 that's the starting point faith here it is where the walk begins faith how do I believe how do you how do you explain that one just just trust him you know we're talking on the doorstep yesterday and a man was going on about churches and religion and oh I've had it up to here with church with religion and has he ever heard the gospel how's he had the starting point faith by faith through grace and

[25:30] I said just get in a room with God and talk to him and trust him you just get alone with God and trust him you know it's you and God trust him trust him and then keep on walking with God like Enoch one foot after the other determined to please God God helping you he'll enable you to please him let that be a prime objective and so put away carnal things it says in Romans 8 verse 8 they that are in the flesh cannot please God it's something that the flesh gets in the way doesn't it last time I looked I'm still flesh still flesh here still flesh here in me there's still flesh in this vessel there's flesh we've got to recognise the flesh and renounce it choose faith not flesh it says they that are in the flesh cannot please God there's a sense we've got to renounce the flesh

[26:35] I'm talking about the sinful inclinations the flesh the fleshly way of thinking of living the flesh where it rises up and is prideful and and gets in God's way it's in all of us and it's in every believer there's still the flesh we've got to crucify it we've got to nail it nail it till it hurts get rid of it as it were that which would hinder our walk with God get rid of it crucify it seek rather God's face God's will seek to put God as the centre that holy calling that you're called to God will help you and it's a daily crucifying you've got to daily walk that man of flesh up to the hill and let him be nailed there die daily as it were it's a daily determination I'm going to go with God I'm going to have faith

[27:35] I'm going to walk the highway of holiness I'm going to walk the pathway of power I'm going to walk with God I'm going to be like Enoch I want to be closer closer closer to him I want to abound and abound more and more and more such that it will be the perfect day I'm going to go walking on that upward way and keep on walking and not look back and he lifts us up to that higher plane when we yield to him now I guess I'm putting it in colourful language here but this is truth it is true you can know you can know that you know you can know that you're saved and you can know his daily working in your life such that the Christian walk it's daily and there'll be days when it'll be hard for you to walk that walk there'll be days when you'll regret the day and what you've done God is still working he's not stopped working we can come to him he's an advocate isn't he and we can go to him and he's going to keep working in us he never leaves us nor forsakes us even when we mess up and I love that scripture where in Hebrews 13 verse 20 through 21 talks about this great shepherd of the sheep it talks about the blood of the everlasting covenant says that he will make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever amen

[29:15] God was working here back in Genesis through to Revelation but it continues today it's not stopped working it's closed the canon the canon that you know there's no more revealed scripture but God hasn't stopped working he still is working and he's working in you isn't that something that God is at work in you he's working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight that's special isn't it God is working he's working in you and when you look at other Christians you don't get on well with think God is working in them just give them a bit of grace be forbearing forbear one another he isn't finished with them yet or with you amen we can all look at others and think well they need a bit of improvement their faith needs a bit of uplifting they look like they're a backslider whatever it be but actually

[30:22] God is working in them and he's working in you God is working in you what is he working he's working what is well pleasing in his sight we've not arrived yet we've not arrived yet I've got there's a lot of rough edges still in this vessel here he's changing me he's changing you he's changing us he's working out his will such that we will will and do of his good pleasure in other words what we will will our willpower our decision making power he will will and he will do such that our will our willing and our doing will be of his good pleasure he's changing that mindset he's changing us that we will want to do his good pleasure we'll want to do that is pleasing unto him as Paul says in part in Philippians 2 verse 12 wherefore my beloved work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is

[31:22] God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure there's two aspects there notice that to will and to do some people are willing but they're not doing there's a sense where that the will has to be moved into action to will and to do of his good pleasure in other words let's cultivate holy desires holy aspirations that doesn't mean we've all got to become monks and nuns living in monasteries or become you know wear some sackcloth and become some outlandish kind of spectacle on the street where people would think we're just some crazy person but the holy desires that are in us will be godly desires they'll be godly thinking a time came where the lord offered

[32:25] Solomon to ask for what he wanted now imagine that god comes to you and he says ask for whatever you want and he could have asked for I don't know abundant pleasures and riches and praise but Solomon asked the right thing and this is 1 Kings 3 verse 9 he says Solomon asked the lord this give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people that I may discern between good and bad for who is able to judge this thy so greater people and the speech so pleased the lord that Solomon had asked this thing Solomon didn't ask for himself for some benefit to himself he asked for wisdom from god and it says god was pleased with that now we can pray for a lot of things can't we we can ask for things Solomon specifically asked for wisdom from god and god was pleased with that what about our prayers what is it that we asked for can we have a prayer like

[33:25] Solomon lord give me wisdom help me to make wise decisions with my life that's what he asked for and god gave it to him god gave it him and he gave him much more likewise we can please god by asking according to his will ask for wisdom ask for god to guide your steps in your relationships in your family in your home in your life in your job in your circumstance ask for god to guide your steps for grace with others for holiness in your walk for wisdom pray prayer pleases god and sometimes we can get such that prayer prayer is kind of when we can fit it in and it's not a dedication prayer pleases god saint of god pray pray even if it's prayers that are brief but they're real prayers they're prayers from your heart it's you and god in a room it's prayer prayer pleases god it says in proverbs 15 verse 8 it says the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the lord you know people that worship that are wicked it's an abomination god doesn't hear it it's vain oblations he says the wicked who makes some pretense some show some false kind of sense of some worshipful religious act god says it's an abomination to him but it says the prayer of the upright is his delight when you pray your prayer if you're one of the upright you're seeking after god you want you want to be god's child it says your prayer is his delight proverbs 15 verse 8 friends these are things to consider today god loves to hear you pray he's your father talk to him now take time to do that amen make that at least if there's one action point from this message here tonight take time to pray take it take that time pray and also live a life of praise praise god how often do we thank him and praise him for all we have you're

[35:47] Aussies you've got so much to praise him for but aside from that even if we were in Siberia even if we were in some in north korea we'd still have reason to praise wouldn't we for his saving wouldn't we not praise for some material gain or some comfort of life but his saving grace that's reason to praise and to live a life of praise in psalm 69 30 it says this i will praise the name of god with a song and will magnify him with thanksgiving this also shall please the lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hooves so this someone here is sacrificing some impressive expensive animal but the one is bringing a song it's more pleasing to god than some manifest sacrifice of some beast of the time as that would have been a blessed thing to do rather praise the name of god with a song and you can do that you might think well i'm not much i'm not one for singing in a congregation or i'm a bit of a quiet naturally inclined to be a quiet person and i may not be so exuberant in song but maybe when you're driving your car you know you can put a christian song on and praise him you can praise the lord you can praise him from your heart you can hum and sing and whistle a melody unto the lord the point is the lord wants you to praise him that's what it says it says the lord delights as we praise him and so pray and praise we're coming to a close here we're talking about pleasing god what's stopping you from pleasing god stopping me there's lots of things that can hinder and we need to be aware there's one who wants to hinder you he wants to hinder you he wants to block you he wants to be an obstacle to you he wants to stop you from anything of god in your life he wants to stop you from getting to the word he wants to stop you from praying he wants to stop you from praising he wants to stop you from walking and he wants you to go backwards rather beware of what can displease your lord and what is that friends we've got an enemy we've got an enemy you know something that really when someone trusts the lord one of the first things you want to tell them is you're going to face opposition as a christian as a newborn christian you've got an enemy now and this enemy will dog your steps he'll keep bringing that ugly you know when the as it were the the old man as you look in the mirror oh it's still there i'll look in the mirror and oh andrew craig is still as ugly as ever this the ugly old man the old andrew craig is still there i've got to keep crucifying him i've got to keep killing him because the flesh is still there and the enemy will want to dog you every step of your walk he'll want to stop you from walking with god he'll want to deter you from this path from this walk that we're called to walk he'll want to divert you divert your energy divert your love divert you to other things and they might not be sinful things even but he wants to sidetrack you take you away from that you know there's folks i know that have been detoured they've taken the detour now we had to take a detour tonight there was a car accident we had to take a detour it was almost going the opposite way until we got back on track again the devil wants to sidetrack you and mislead you such that you'll get right off track and my heart grieves for many such bible talks about people who get entangled entangled you ever seen a fly get entangled in a net in a spider web cobweb paul tells timothy this in 2 timothy 2 verse 4 no man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who hath called chosen him to be

[39:48] a soldier there's a sense where i don't mean to labour the kind of military analogies but there is military analogies in the words right through the book really he is our commanding officer he's our commanding officer and we want to have conduct becoming of a soldier in this outfit don't we we want to have conduct becoming as it were that we want to please our commanding officer such that he will be pleased with us because our commanding officer is not some some harsh dictator he's our loving master and the one that we want to choose we want him who has chosen us to be a soldier we want to please him nothing matters more nothing and it's talking really here about our separation unto God it's a God pleasing thing don't get entangled with the affairs of this life such that you get detoured and distracted and you just miss the best for other don't get entangled and snared and snared and see the diversions for what they are so the point I'm making here is to be separated unto God that sense where it's special it's like you and

[41:15] God in a room trust him pray it's like you and God as Enoch walked with God it's you and God you and him and he needs to sort some things out with you and you need to sort some things out with him that you will live a life that pleases him and God is pleased when we live rightly you know David cried just one last scripture to quote here 1 Chronicles 29 17 and it's David talking here he's crying from the bottom of his heart he says he's speaking unto God I know also my God this is 1 Chronicles 29 verse 17 he says I know also my God that thou tryest the heart and hast pleasure in uprightness as for me in the uprightness of mine heart I've willingly offered all these things and now have I seen with joy thy people which are present here to offer willingly unto thee David's saying that God has pleasure in uprightness now what is uprightness it's right living it's righteousness it's living right and

[42:23] God can convict us of where we're living wrong sometimes it takes a while to get the message doesn't it how are we to please God have we got that closeness to him that when we talk with him he says oh by the way there's this area that needs a bit of work and sometimes we I think we miss that heart to heart with him looking back in my life I think how at school in the school I'm probably going a little detail here but just to kind of picture it and illustrate it as a youngster at school you used to get your report card and the teacher generally said I don't know it might be maybe not for you I mean maybe I was fortunate but they generally didn't say much that was bad about you it's more kind of encouragement don't you think maybe it wasn't for you but there's that sense where maybe they pick out maybe there's an area of challenge here you could pick up the pace a little bit here but generally the teachers kind of gave you generally positive encouragement and then when I started my first job and I got my first supervisor's report it was very damning and I thought what have

[43:40] I done wrong I've never been told off like this before I just didn't make the grade I ended up losing that job I don't know she might have taken a dislike to me I don't know what it was maybe I actually wasn't a good worker but there's a sense where my first supervisor's report it kind of shocked me and rocked my world that they were honest enough with me that they told me I need to pick up the pace here I okay lord I am hearing you I will work on that yeah so willingly offer your heart to him ask him to make you willing to do his will and set aside the selfish ways now I hope I have communicated something to you that you can kind of identify with here tonight and that these considerations of the kingdom will become our motive Let me just quickly sum it up here now pleasing

[44:45] God doesn't matter to you that's the point isn't it do you really care do you care about pleasing God is it something that matters or it ought to be that pleasing God ought to be something that matters to me and to please God why you've actually been designed for this this is your ultimate purpose this is why you've been made this is why you're here on this planet in this place in this body of yours that you've been given this purpose that ultimately you've been created for his praise you've been created for his good pleasure that's the ultimate and to realize that wow that's what I'm aiming for and so what should we do be bold go with the gospel you've been entrusted with it you're his messenger no one else is going to do it he's not going to send an angel to your workplace he's sending you you us he's sending you to that one who probably says oh you

[45:52] Bible basher get lost you might actually make an impact on that one you don't know it can happen God by his grace might use you believe it or not and so be bold and please God not men don't be afraid of them fear God here's the one we've got to answer to walk worthy it says walk in faith be like Enoch walk closer closer and closer as the days go by closer and closer until that perfect day perfect day it's just a few days away isn't it the perfect day aren't you looking forward to that sense of that perfect day when we cross the river we'll see his face we'll be with him we'll be with him he will be with us in the flesh in the person for the meantime we should walk worthy and walk in faith not in flesh recognize the flesh and deal with it ask God to help you that you'll be more faith filled than flesh filled and it's the will of God that matters so seek after God be like

[46:59] Solomon and say Lord if there's one thing I want to pray for I want to pray like Solomon prayed for wisdom I want to pray for wisdom for my life and the Bible says that we should pray for wisdom in James it talks about praying for wisdom and it says God will give you that wisdom that you pray for he promises you wisdom wow that's something something I need and work out your salvation such that we'll will and do of his good pleasure of his good pleasure so what we will what we desire what we want what we intend upon will be his good pleasure what we do will be his good pleasure that will not only want it but will do it that which pleases our God and we'll learn to pray we will learn to pray pray more pray harder pray believing and we'll learn to praise him more we'll learn to give him praise because it pleases God when you pray and praise let's pray

[48:01] Lord we God we Lord God we praise you we love you we lift you up our great Lord and God and King our master our saviour as one day we'll be like those that cast their crowns at your feet and you'll say well done you'll say that you're pleased that's what we want that's what we want Lord God and we I say this Lord not flippantly but reverently that you'll do that work that you'll work in us both to will and to do that which pleases you Lord help us we know this has maybe touched some nerves here tonight maybe there's some sense where you've spoken to areas of people's lives Lord I don't know what you're doing in each soul here today but Lord let us be such a people that will take these truths will take it live Lord help us to be moved by this to be moved by this to not stay where we are but to move ahead to move forward in faith to move in that walk with you

[49:14] Lord to love you more dearly to walk more closely with you to put these truths into action dear God pray for every person here tonight for everyone listening in for every family every heart every home dear God dear God be glorified in us that we will both will and do of your good pleasure that we can work out our salvation such that our salvation is energized It's activated!

[49:44] It's put into everyday living! And we'll walk in the spirit! We'll walk in the light! We'll walk in your ways Lord will walk and it will be one step after the other pray if there's any here tonight that might have been discouraged in their Christian life that might have had some setbacks and some hiccups Lord some stumbling some sin Lord that you might help us to see you pick us up and put us on the track again and we thank you for that your long!

[50:18] suffering with us help us to take action now to walk more strongly with you our God in your precious holy name Lord Jesus we pray Amen