What is a Christian: By Devotion

Father, we thank you, Lord, for today.

We thank you for this week. We thank you for the things

you've already taught us, Lord, through your word.

Tonight we want you to open our hearts and minds to understand

more of what you have for us as your children.

We love you, Lord, and that's why we're here, and that's why

we want to study the Word of God.

And that's why, Lord, we anticipate that what you're

going to teach us tonight, we'll stick with this, not just for a

brief moment, but for the rest of our lives.

We just thank you, Lord, that you have allowed us the

opportunity to study your word. It's such a, a precious,

precious tool. And we are so grateful that

you've given it to us to equip us, to teach us, to lead us and

to guide us, to comfort us and to move us on to maturity in

Christ. May that happen in all of us

this evening. Lord, we pray in Jesus name,

Amen. Now by now, hopefully you have

been able to understand and answer more of what it means to

to be a Christian. I hope that's the case because

if someone was to ask you what is a Christian, I, I'm sure that

you'd be able to explain things maybe hopefully better than you

could have seven weeks ago. But I'm sure that if someone

asks you what is a Christian, you would tell them that a

Christian is known by, by their decision.

And that decision is based on Luke 923, right?

That if any man come after me, let him deny himself, take up

his cross and follow me. And so you'd also tell them that

a Christian is known not just by the decision that he or she

makes, but by the definition of Scripture.

And that is in Philippians chapter 3 verse #3 that we are

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

the marked ones, we are the circumcision, we worship God in

spirit, we glory only in Christ Jesus, and we put no confidence

in the flesh. That is the best definition of a

Christian in the Scriptures. Philippians 3 verse #3 You'd

also be able to explain to them that a Christian is known by by

description. That is second Corinthians 517

that a Christian is described by being in Christ.

For the man be in Christ. He is a new creation.

Old things are passed away. Behold, all things have become

new. That's how it is.

A Christian is described in the Bible.

They are in Christ and Christ is in them.

And then you'd be able to say, well, a Christian is also known

by declaration. They have a declaration that

they speak loudly, without hesitation and without

reservation, that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God,

that Jesus is the Messiah, and that he is God in the flesh.

Every Christian understands that.

And next a Christian is known by by his dedication.

Philippians one verse #21 For it to me, to live is Christ, and to

die is gain. A Christian is dedicating to

living for Christ because they want to live for no one else but

the Christ. And then a Christian is known by

his or her denunciation. That is, they denounce the

things of the world, so much so they're willing to put to death

the members of their body in order to glorify and honor the

Christ. That's Colossians 3 verses 1 to

Colossians 3:1–8

8. That was last week's lesson.

Tonight I want to talk to you about the Christians devotion.

The Christian is devoted to one thing and one thing only.

The difference between dedication and devotion is this.

A person who is dedicated is committed to one purpose.

A person who is devoted is committed to one person.

A person who is dedicated is committed to that purpose, but

it demonstrates itself by a disciplined pursuit of

fulfilling that purpose. A person who is devoted is

committed to one purpose, and to fulfill that purpose, they are

deeply passionate toward that person.

That's the difference between the Christian's dedication and

the Christian's devotion. And So what is the Christian

devoted to? He's devoted to one thing.

It's summed up in one verse, Second Corinthians chapter 5

2 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

verse #9 where the apostle Paul said it very clearly this way.

Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or

absent, to be pleasing to him, Paul says.

I have one ambition, I have one drive, I have one passion.

I am completely devoted to doing one thing and that is pleasing

the Lord. You see, you are either going to

please the Lord or you're going to please yourself.

It's very clear that in Romans chapter one that those whom the

wrath of God is poured out upon are those who want to please

themselves. They want to worship the

creature rather than worship the Creator.

And God pours out His wrath upon those people.

Paul would say it this way in the book of Ephesians, Ephesians

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5. He would say this, let no one

deceive you, verse number six with empty words.

For because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons

of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers

with them. For you were formerly darkness,

but now you are light in the Lord.

Walk as children of light. For the fruit of the light

consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth.

Trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

Paul says, Seek to please the Lord.

Walk as children of the light live in a way that honors and

glorifies the name of the Lord. You were created for this

purpose. Revelation chapter 4 verse #11

Revelation 4 · chapter mention

All things were created for His desire or for His pleasure.

Everything was created for the pleasure of God.

Therefore, His creation is designed to please their God.

Those who don't experience the wrath of God.

When you seek to please yourself, it is foreign to the

original purpose for which you were created.

The Bible says in Psalm 115, verse #3 that the Lord is in the

heavens. He does whatever He pleases.

In Psalm 135 it says this in verse #5 For I know that the

Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.

Whatever the Lord pleases, He does in heaven and in earth, in

the seas, and in all the deep. Interesting that Jesus said in

John chapter 8 verse #29 I always do those things that are

John 8 · chapter mention

pleasing to the Father. Our Lord's devotion was seen in

that statement. I always do those things that

are pleasing to the Father for us to be like Christ.

We then too want to do all things that are pleasing to the

Father. That was our Lord's ambition.

That was our Lord's devotion. That was Paul's ambition.

That was Paul's devotion. That should be the devotion of

every single believer. They want to please the Lord

over in Romans chapter 15, Romans chapter 15, the apostle

Romans 15 · chapter mention Romans 15 · chapter mention

Paul says these words in verse #1 He says now we who are strong

ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not

just please ourselves. Each of us is to please his

neighbor for his good, to his edification, for even Christ did

not please himself. But as it is written, the

reproaches of those who reproached you fell upon me.

Paul says, If you want to be like Christ, then you need to

understand that Christ did not please himself.

No, He sought to please his Father.

Therefore you were looking out for the welfare of others, for

those who want to please themselves.

I'm not looking out for the welfare of others.

They're looking out for their own welfare.

But Christ wasn't that way. And so in order to be like

Christ, then you want to please the Lord.

Paul said in Galatians chapter one verse #10 these words.

For I am now seeking the favor of men or of God.

Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please

men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ, Paul

said. If I seek to please man, I cease

to be a bondservant of Christ. In other words, a bondservant

seeks to please his master. So if I seek to please men, I

cease to find the favor of God or I cease to please God.

Now this is hard for us because we are narcissistic at nature.

Everything in our lives revolves around us, or so we think it

does. Or we want it too, right?

We want it to revolve around us. We want people to please us.

And we are more men pleasers than we are God pleasers.

Just ask yourself how you converse with other people so

that they like you and not confront them when they live in

sin. That would make you a man

pleaser, not a God pleaser. And if you're going to live out

your devotion, you are devoted to pleasing God above all else.

That's so incredibly important. Over in Colossians chapter 3,

Colossians 3 · chapter mention

Paul says these words verse #22 slaves and all things.

Obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external

service as those who merely please men, but with sincerity

of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do you work

hardly As for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from

the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance is the

Lord Christ whom you serve. So whatever you do, you, you

seek to please the Lord. The apostle Paul knew this.

So in Second Corinthians chapter 5, after he says in verse #9

2 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

that it is his ambition to please God, he says in verse #10

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so

that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body

according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Poemics are very clear that the reason I please the Lord is

because one day I will stand before my Lord.

I will be judged before my Lord. And this is not a judgment of

condemnation. This is not the Great White

Throne judgment of Revelation chapter 20, that that's a

Revelation 20 · chapter mention

judgment for unbelievers, not for believers.

This judgment is only for believers and this judgment is

is what they call a a Bema seat. And the Bema seat was a raised

platform where those who who were winners of their athletic

contest would stand upon and receive a wreath for their

victory. Paul is talking about the

judgment seat of Christ being that platform by which believers

step up on and receive their crowns, and at that time they

will receive that which is done on their body, whether it be

good or whether it be bad or whether it be evil.

That's not the word, for it's not the word Ponte, Ross or

kakia which deals with evil, but it's the word phallos which

deals with worthless or useless. In other words, the things that

you do based on the motive for pleasing God are those things

that are good, those that were based on the motive for pleasing

myself. Those things are useless and

they are burned up, and they are not attributed to whatever it is

you have done. What you think in the name of

Christ is because your motive was wrong.

Your motive was to please yourself, and God is the one who

weighs the heart. God knows those things, so God

will judge you based on the motive of your heart as to why

you did what you did. That's why Paul says I make it

my ambition. This is my soul devotion to

please the Lord, please the Lord and how I speak, please the Lord

and what I do, please the Lord above men.

The Bible says these words in the book of Hebrews chapter 13

Hebrews 13 · chapter mention

verse #20 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the

great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the eternal

covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you and every good thing

to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His

sight through Jesus Christ, through whom be the glory

forever and ever. Amen.

The right of Hebrews makes it very clear that God is working

in you, the Good Shepherd is working in you to equip you, to

put you together so that you will do those things that are

pleasing to the Lord. Solomon said in Proverbs 16

verse #7 When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even

his enemies to be at peace with him.

That's just an incredible statement.

When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies

to be at peace with him. Years ago, it must have been at

least 20 years ago now, I was talking to an individual who had

come to see me about his marriage, and he came to me and

poured out his heart. He says I need to leave my wife,

I can't be with her anymore. I can't stand to be around her.

I said, why can't you stand to be around your wife?

He goes. She is the most critical person

I've ever met. She has to support me in

anything. In fact, I really believe that

she is my biggest enemy, therefore I need to leave her.

I said I got good news, he says you got good news.

I said I got good, I got great news, he says.

What's the good news? I said, Well, by your own words

you said she was your enemy, and the Bible says you are to love

your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

On top of that, you can do that because Romans 55 says that the

love of God is shed abroad in your heart.

In other words, the love of God is everywhere already in your

heart. And Galatians chapter 5, verse

Galatians 5:23

23 says the fruit of the Spirit is love.

So here's the good news. You can love your wife who is

your enemy, because the love of God is shed abroad in your

heart. And the fruit of the Spirit is

love. And the Spirit of God is going

to produce love in you that you might reach out and volitionally

love your wife as Christ. Love the church.

He goes, that's not good news. I said that's great news.

I said, what do you mean? That's the best news ever?

See, you can do this. You're telling me you can't.

I'm telling you, you can. Why?

Because of what God has done. And when you when you listen,

when a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies

to be at peace with him. If your wife truly is your

enemy, don't you want your wife to be at peace with you?

If that's the case, then your ways must please the Lord.

And how do you know you're going to please the Lord?

By loving your wife as Christ loved the church, by nurturing

her, by protecting her, by caring for her.

This is a great opportunity for you to demonstrate to your wife

who Jesus Christ is. This is great counsel.

He didn't accept the counsel. Unfortunately, he didn't want to

do that. He thought it was beyond him.

I tried to help him understand that it wasn't beyond him

because God is working in Him so that He can please the Lord

Jesus Christ. You see, so many times we forget

that we have a we have a responsibility to honor and

glorify the name of Christ, to be pleasing to Him.

But the problem is, the problem is, as Paul says in Second

2 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

Timothy chapter 3 verse #2 that in the end times, men will be

lovers of self and lovers of pleasure more than lovers of

God. And that's very true.

We, we really do love ourselves, so much so that we don't

necessarily want to love other people, and we certainly don't

want to please the Lord because we're too busy trying to please

ourselves. Solomon was this way, right?

We read for you a couple of weeks ago from Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2, where Stalin said I'm going to do this for myself, I'm

going to do this for myself, I'm going to do this for myself and

enlist all these things he did just for himself.

It was all empty. It was all futile.

But but why did, why did he do that?

Well, the answer lies in the Book of Second Kings Chapter 11,

2 Kings 11 · chapter mention

which says these words. Now King Solomon loved many

foreign women, along with the daughters of Pharaoh, Moabite,

Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite, women from the nations

concerning which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, You

shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with

you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their

gods. Solomon held fast to these in

love, in spite of what God said, He held fast to those he loved.

And then it says he had 700 wives, princesses and 300

concubines, and his wives turned his heart away.

For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away

after other gods, and his heart was not holy, devoted to the

Lord. His devotion was not to please

the Lord. His devotion was to please

himself. His devotion was all about him.

He was devoted to doing whatever suited him best.

Forget about what God said. Forget about what God commanded.

He wanted to please himself, and Ecclesiastes 2 says he did not

withhold one thing that would bring pleasure to himself.

Not one. He found out it was all futile,

it was all empty, but his heart was turned away.

It says his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as

the heart of David his father had been.

David's heart was devoted to his God.

Solomon's heart was not. For Solomon went after Astaroth,

the goddess of the Sedonians, and after Milkham, the

detestable idol of the Ammonites.

Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not

follow the Lord fully, as David his father had done.

Then Solomon built high a high place for Chemish, the

detestable idol of Moab on the mountain which is east of

Jerusalem, and for Molech, the detestable idol of the sons of

Ammon. Thus also he did for all his

foreign wives, and burned incense, and sacrificed to their

gods. Now the Lord was angry with

Solomon, because his heart was turned away from the Lord, the

God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.

And it commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not

go after other gods. But he did not observe what the

Lord had commanded. So the Lord said to Solomon,

because you have done this and you have not kept my covenant in

my statutes which I've commanded you, I will surely tear the

Kingdom from you and will give it to your servant.

Here's the king of Israel whose devotion was not to God but to

his own self, and it ended up dividing the Kingdom of Israel.

God didn't do it till after Solomon died.

God was gracious to Solomon for 40 years has he reigned as king.

There was no wars in Israel. Complete and total peace.

God bless them because of his father David.

But yet when he died, the Kingdom was divided simply

because he was not devoted fully to the Lord is God.

You see, whatever you're devoted to, you love, right?

Whatever you're devoted to, you love.

That's why you, you, you need to stay true to the Lord.

And so if you love your wife, you're you're, you're devoted to

your wife. If you love your kids, you're

devoted to your kids. If you're devoted to the Lord,

if you love the Lord, you're devoted to the Lord.

See our our devotion wanes because of our of our love for

God. That wanes.

And therefore we need to realize that the Christian is known by

his devotion. He wants to please the Lord.

For those of you who love your wives, which I trust all of you

do, you want to please your wife.

Those of you who who love your children, you want to please

your children. Children want love their wives.

Excuse me, Children who love their parents, that they want to

please their parents, right? If you love your parents, you

don't want to displease them. And if you love your wife, you

don't want to displease her. If you love the Lord, you don't

want to displease them, you want to please them.

So the question comes, how do you please the Lord?

Simple question, very simply answered in the scriptures.

Let me answer it for you. You want to please the Lord.

Those who please the Lord please him by proclaiming the message

of the cross. You please him by proclaiming

the message of the cross. Listen to what Paul says in

First Corinthians chapter one verse #18 For the word of the

cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who

are being saved, that is the power of God.

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise

and the cleverness of the clever.

I will set aside, Where is the wise man?

Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this

age? Has not God made foolish the

wisdom of the world? For a sense in the wisdom of

God? The world through its wisdom did

not come to know God. God was well pleased through the

foolishness of the message preached to save those who

believe. When you proclaim the message of

the cross, you please the Lord, because he was well pleased

through the message that the world calls foolishness to bring

about the salvation of lost souls.

It's interesting that Paul would quote from the book of Isaiah as

an illustration about the power of God.

Once the Nekireb would come with the Assyrian army against Judah,

Hezekiah would want to revert to the ways of wisdom, the counsel

that he would receive from those in leadership.

And God said, don't do that. Trust me, I am the all powerful

God, I will deliver you, but you got to trust me and God did.

The Angel of the Lord came and one foul swoop killed 185,000

Assyrians. And God made it very clear that

your victory comes through me and my power, not through you

and worldly wisdom. Paul uses that as an

illustration to say, you know what?

God's gospel is powerful. The message of the cross is

powerful. Just preach.

That message you're preaching does not make the message

powerful. The message of the cross is

powerful in and of itself. You don't make it powerful.

God made it powerful. That's why Paul said, For I am

not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of

God unto salvation to the Jew 1st and also to the Greeks.

Paul says I'm not ashamed of the gospel.

Why? Because the gospel has the power

in and of itself to save men. You being filled with the Spirit

don't make the gospel any more powerful than it is.

It's powerful in and of itself. It's powerful not to save

people. That's why it's well pleasing to

the Lord when you proclaim the message of the cross.

But the cross is foolishness to the unbeliever.

It's a stumbling block to the Jew.

Remember in that encounter that Christ had with Peter and the

apostles in Matthew chapter 16, when the great confession was

Matthew 16 · chapter mention

made, that great declaration now with the Christ, the Son of the

living God, when Christ said, Who do men say that I am?

Who do you say that I am? And then Christ said something

very interesting. He said, don't tell them what

you just said. Instead, tell them this.

Tell them that the Son of Man must go to Jerusalem, suffer

many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, be

killed, and be raised up on the third day.

Don't tell them that the Messiah is the Son of the living God.

Tell them that the Messiah is going to die and rise again.

And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying God

forbid. Why?

Because the message of the cross is foolishness to the Jew, and

the Bible says cursed as everyone who hangs upon a cross.

Peter knows that. So why would you take upon

yourself a curse and die and rise again?

The Christ says this is what you need to proclaim freely for all

to hear, because that's the message.

That's foolishness to the world, but is the power of salvation to

men. And Peter only had in mind the

things of man. That's why Christ said, get thee

behind me, Satan. Peter was being used by Satan to

detract Christ from the mission of the cross because the cross

is central to the mission of Christianity.

And we'll talk more about this in weeks to come.

But when you proclaim the message of the cross, it is

pleasing to the Lord. So if you want to please Him,

you proclaim the message of the cross.

Not only proclaiming the message of the cross is pleasing to the

Lord, but living a life of faith is pleasing to the Lord.

Living a life of faith. Hebrews 11 verse #6 For without

faith it is impossible to please Him.

Impossible. So in order to please the Lord,

you must be living a life of faith.

What is faith? Faith is defined by two words,

trusting, obedience. That's what faith is.

Faith is, if you recall our study in Hebrews Chapter 11,

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

where we spent 17 weeks in Hebrews Chapter 11, that faith

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

is believing absolutely in what God said, and faith is behaving

accordingly to what God said. That is trusting obedience.

It behaves absolutely or believes absolutely in

everything that God said without reservation and then behaves

accordingly to what God said. That's faith.

That's living the life of faith. That's why it says in Hebrews

11/5 about Enoch that Enoch had this testimony that he walked

with God and was well pleasing to God and God took him.

Enoch was well pleasing to God. Why?

Because he lived a life of faith.

And therefore, in order to please God, you must live a life

of faith. And remember, Enoch was 65 years

old, according to Justice chapter 5, when he began to walk

with God. He died at age 365 S.

For 300 years, Enoch had this testimony that he pleased God.

That was a man of supreme devotion.

He wanted to please his God. So the writer of Hebrews comes

around and says, listen, without this kind of faith it's

impossible to please God. For he who comes to God must

believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who

diligently seek him. Faith not only costs you, but

faith always compensates you. It rewards those who diligently

seek him. So in order to please the Lord,

you must proclaim the message of the cross.

You must live a life of faith, that is believing in what God

has said, looking at His Word, trusting what He says is true,

and saying, Lord, you said it, it's true.

I'm going to follow it no matter what others might think, what

others might say. Lord, I'm going to do what your

word says because I'm going to live a life of trusting

obedience in the living God #3 Faith is proclaiming the message

of the cross, living the life of faith, and exalting Jesus Christ

the Son of God. When you exalt Christ, the Son

of God, when you lift Christ high, when you acknowledge His

glory, when you acknowledge the fact that He is to be magnified

in through your life, that is, He used to be seen so big in

your life, you please the Lord. Matthew 3 verse #17 The Lord at

the baptism, the voice out of heaven came.

This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Listen to what Paul says in Colossians chapter 1.

Colossians 1 · chapter mention

Colossians chapter one verse #15 He is the image of the invisible

God, the first born of all creation.

For by Him all things were created both in the heavens and

on earth, visible and invisible, with the Thrones of dominion or

rulers or authorities. All things have been created

through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in

Him all things are held together.

He is also head of the body of the Church, and He is the

beginning, the first born from the dead, so that He Himself

will come to have first place in everything.

For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to

dwell in Him. It pleased the Father for the

fullness of the Godhead to dwell in Him.

He is preeminent, He is above all things.

He's all powerful because He created all things, and

therefore all the fullness of God dwells in Him.

So whenever you exalt the Son, you are bringing pleasure to

God, because that's the Son that brought pleasure to God.

Therefore when you exalt the Son, you are pleasing the Lord.

John 5 verse 23 says He, he who does not honor the Son, does not

John 5:23

honor the Father who sent the Son.

In other words, he who does not exalt the Son, he who does not

glorify the Son, he who does not put the Son first, does not

honor the Father who sent the Son.

And therefore, in order to be well pleasing to the Lord, you

honor the Son of God. So proclaiming the message of

the cross, living the life of faith, exalting Jesus Christ the

son #4 asking God for wisdom brings pleasure to God, asking

God for wisdom. First kings three.

God said to Solomon, Ask me anything that you want, and I

will give it to you. And Solomon asks, Give your

servant an understanding heart to judge your people, to discern

between good and evil, for who was able to judge the great

people of yours? Verse 10 It was pleasing in the

sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing.

Solomon asked for wisdom in order to discern between good

and evil, and it pleased the Lord.

So when you go to the Lord and you ask for wisdom, it brings

pleasure to Him. Why?

Because you're not relying upon human wisdom, You're not relying

upon your own understanding. You're relying upon the Lord who

gives you wisdom. Over in the book of Colossians,

the first chapter, Paul says this verse #9 for this reason

also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray

for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of

His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Paul prays that they would be filled with spiritual wisdom so

that you will walk in a manner worthy the Lord to please Him in

all respects. In other words, we're asking God

to fill you with all wisdom so that you can walk in a manner

that is pleasing to the Lord. You can't please the Lord

without wisdom, He says, Bearing fruit in every good work,

increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthen with all power

according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all

steadfastness and patience, joyously giving thanks to the

Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the

Saints in light. In order to walk worthy of the

Lord, those things must happen. In order to for that to happen,

you must ask God for wisdom that comes, and it's pleasing to him.

Therefore you begin to bear fruit because you are pleasing

to the Lord. That's why James says, if any of

you ask, ask wisdom, let him ask James one verse #5 and those of

you ask, God gives generously. God gives without condemnation,

without rebuke, so that you don't become a double minded

man, but that you become a man singularly focused upon God.

So if you lack wisdom, you ask for wisdom.

Why? Because wisdom pleases God.

Pleasing God means you proclaim the message of the cross, you

live a life of faith, you exalt Jesus Christ's Son, you ask God

for wisdom #5 you stay away. From sexual sin you should know

this. First Thessalonians chapter 4.

1 Thessalonians 4 · chapter mention

We spent many weeks here. Finally then, brethren, verse

one, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that as you

receive from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and

please God, just as you actually do walk, that you excel still

more. For you know what commandments

we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that is

that you abstain from sexual immorality.

Paul says we want you to walk and please God.

In order to walk a life that's pleasing to God, you must

abstain from sexual immorality. So many people, so many people

don't want to do that. Even in the church.

They just don't want to abstain. Why?

Because they're lovers of self rather than lovers of God.

They're lovers of pleasure rather than they are lovers of

God. Those who are devoted to the

Lord want to please the Lord. Your devotion begins to wane

when you engage in sexual immorality.

Why? Because you find yourself

willing to give in to those sensual desires we talked about

last week that need to be put to death so that you can walk in a

manner that's pleasing to the Lord.

Staying away from sexual immorality is pleasing to God

and look at Solomon's life. He just could not stay away. 700

wives, 300 concubines. How do you celebrate an

anniversary with 700 wives? How do you do that?

There's not enough days in a year to celebrate an anniversary

with all those wives, right? And so, but he could not forego

his own pleasures, his own desires, and therefore his heart

was turned away. He was not devoted to his God

fully like his father David was. And he continued in sin.

And of course, the book of Ecclesiastes is a record of his

downfall. And so we need to realize that

that in order to please God, you just stay away from sexual sin.

Number six, you want to please God.

Please pleasing God comes because you imitate the Christ.

You imitate the Christ. John 829 we quoted to you

earlier says, I always do those things that are pleasing to the

Father. So in order for us to please the

Lord, we imitate the Christ. We do what He did.

We seek to please the Father because we want to imitate the

Lord Jesus. How badly do you want to be like

Christ? How badly do you want to walk

like Christ? How badly do you want to be

Christ like? In your behavior then, you seek

to please the Father as the Son, please the Father.

Over in first John chapter 3 verse 22, John says whatever we

1 John 3:22

ask we receive from him because we keep His commandments and do

the things that are pleasing in a sight.

You want to know why you ask for things and do not receive them?

It's because you do not do things that are pleasing in the

sight. Paul says we know.

John says we know them when we ask.

We receive what we ask because we keep His commandments, and in

keeping His commandments, we're doing those things that are

pleasing in His sight. So whatever you're asking God

for and you're not getting an answer to, ask yourself this

question. Am I doing those things that are

pleasing in the sight of God? Am I proclaiming the message of

the cross? Am I living a life of faith?

Am I exalting Jesus Christ, the Son above myself and everything

else? Am I asking God for wisdom?

Am I staying away from sexual sin?

And am I imitating the Christ? Because if you are, you will

always do those things that are pleasing to the Father.

Now granted, Jesus Christ is the perfect Son of man.

He is sinless and we are sinful. That's why last week's lesson

was so important that we are constantly putting to death the

members of our body. Why?

Because it hinders us from pleasing the Lord.

And that's why the Christian life is marked not by

perfection, but by progression. Are we moving on toward maturity

in Christ? Are we further along in our walk

with the Lord now than we were yesterday and last week and last

month and last year? That's the question that needs

to be asked and answered #7 you. Please the Lord when you neglect

not to share with others. Neglecting not to share with

others. Had to have an N word there

because I'm spelling the word pleasing.

If you're taking notes, you know that if you're not taking notes,

you're not spirit filled anyway. Neglecting not to share with

others. Hebrews chapter 13 verse #16 Do

Hebrews 13 · chapter mention

not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such

sacrifices God is pleased. What sacrifices?

I told you on Sunday, I'll reiterate it this Sunday, that

we are a priesthood of believers.

Priests offer sacrifices. There are three sacrifices that

all Christians offer #1 the sacrifice of their person.

Romans 12 verse #2 We present our bodies a living sacrifice #2

There is the sacrifice of praise, right?

That's in verse number 15 or 14. If he was 13.

We'll talk talk to you about that in a second.

A sacrifice of praise. So there's a sacrifice of my

person. There's a sacrifice of my

praise. Are you ready for the next one?

There's a sacrifice of my purse, my money, my goods, right?

You can say it this way, the sacrifice of myself, the

sacrifice of my song, the sacrifice of my substance,

whatever words you want to use. There are three sacrifices that

every Christian offers as a priest of the believers, and it

becomes the sacrifice of my substance.

I'm not going to neglect others by hoarding everything for

myself. There are people that are in

need and therefore I'm going to offer up a sacrifice to those

who are in need of my substance to help them in their time of

need, to move them on to maturity in Christ to help them

understand that I, I love not just in Word and in tongue, but

in deed and in truth, as John says in first John chapter 3.

1 John 3 · chapter mention

That's why Matthew 25 is so important, right at the, at the

judgement of the sheep and the goats at the at the end of the

tribulation in the Jezreel and in the the Kidzman Valley, right

that there is this great judgement where the sheep are on

the right and the goats are on the left, right.

And the Lord says to the sheep, when I was hungry, you fed me.

When I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink.

When I was naked, you clothed me.

When I was in prison, you visited me.

And the sheep will say, When did we see you hungry?

When did we see you thirsty? The sheep are perplexed.

When, when were you in prison that we visited you?

When were you naked that we clothed you?

And Jesus says these words, when you did it to the least of

these, my brethren, you did it as unto me.

It's it's a remarkable judgement.

Why? Because you see, the direct

opposite happens with the goats. When Christ says when I was

hungry, you didn't feed me. When I was in prison, you didn't

visit me. When I was hungry or thirsty,

you didn't give me something to drink.

And when I was naked, you didn't clothe me.

And the goats say the same thing.

When did we see you naked, hungry or thirsty in prison?

Christ responds when you didn't do it to the least of these my

brethren, you didn't do it as unto me.

You see, both were perplexed. But you see, the sheep did it

and the goats did not Why? Because inherit.

Inherent in your DNA as a Christian is the desire to do

that which is pleasing to the Lord.

You don't neglect to do good to those who are in need.

And so when there was a need for someone who was thirsty, they

gave him something to drink. When there was a need for

someone who was hungry, they fed them.

When there was a need to visit someone in prison, they visited

them. When there was a need to close

someone, they clothed them. And you know what?

They did it simply because it was part of their spiritual DNA.

They weren't doing it for recognition, they weren't doing

it for a crown. They weren't doing it so that at

the sheep goat judgement they would be rewarded.

No, they did it simply because it was part of their nature.

So Paul, the right of Hebrews, it might be Paul, I don't know,

but the right of Hebrews says do not neglect in sharing with

those who are in need, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Neglecting not to share with others is pleasing to the Lord.

You ever notice that sometimes we can hoard that which is ours

and not be willing to share it with those who are in need?

And that's just pleasing to the Lord, especially when it's in

your power to do that which is good.

And lastly, pleasing God comes when you give praise in His

name. That's the earlier verse in

Hebrews chapter 13. Through him then let us

Hebrews 13 · chapter mention

continually OfferUp a sacrifice of praise to God.

That is the fruit of lips that give thanks to his name.

Do you know that you please God when you OfferUp a sacrifice of

praise? When you when you get to a place

where where you don't want to praise and sing to God and thank

Him, but you do anyway? That's a sacrifice that brings

pleasure to God and don't you want to please him?

Of course you do. I love what the psalmist said in

Psalm 69 when he said these words.

Psalm 69, verse #30 I will praise the name of God with Saul

and magnify him with Thanksgiving, and it will please

the Lord better than an ox or a young bull with horns and hoofs.

There's one thing that will please God more than anything,

that's offering a song of praise in His name simply because of

who He is. So I spelled out the word

pleasing and gave you 8 principles that if you follow,

the Lord is pleased. This is our devotion, the

Christian's devotion. As the apostle Paul said, this

is my ambition. This is my soul desire.

This is my driving passion. This is what I'm devoted to.

I'm going to please my God. How about you?

I would trust that that's your prayer this evening.

Let's pray together. Father, we thank you, Lord, for

the word of God. We thank you, Lord, for the fact

that you spell out what it means to be pleasing to you.

Our prayer is that that's exactly what we would do, that

truly our our efforts would be toward you.

Forgive us, Lord, for always seeking to pleasure ourselves.

We, we do love ourselves more than we ever should.

We do love pleasure more than we ever should.

We should totally love God. Be devoted to you.

Our prayer, Lord, is that we would be so devoted to you that

everything else pales in comparison to the glory of our

God. That we would exalt your name.

That we would abstain from sexual sin.

That we live a life of faith, trusting obedience in our God.

That truly we would do good to others, help them in their time

of need. That we give praise to your

glorious name. That when we lack wisdom, we'd

ask for wisdom to the God who gives to all men generously.

And that we'd always proclaim the message of the cross.

For it's that message that's the power of God and to salvation

for all men. We ask us in Jesus name, Amen.