Month: October 2024

Text: John 8:19-32

Introduction:

One of the greatest secrets of the successful Christian life is to please God instead of pleasing ourselves or other people such as the ungodly crowd.

Jesus Christ’s autobiography can be summarized by John 8:29 “for I do always those things that please him.”

I.  Some other Biographies of Jesus Christ are:

(Luke 19: 10) “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

(John 1 :14) “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Peter at Cornelius’ house said of Jesus that He ” … who went about doing good, … “ Acts 10:38.

In eternity past the Son is saying to the Father, regarding His incarnation, life on earth, death for our sins and resurrection, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: … “ Psalm 40:8.

As a boy Jesus said, ” … I must be about my Father’s business?” Luke 2:49.

At Jesus baptism, the Father said ” … Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Mark 1 :11

Peter said of Jesus that He was a “man approved of God.” Acts 2:22.

Jesus pleased His Father in life, “The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.” Isaiah 53:10

Jesus pleased God in death, “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him.” Isaiah 53: 10.

(Romans 15:3) “For even Christ pleased not himself;”.

The one consuming passion in Christ’s life was to please the Father.

Nothing else mattered.

Lesson:

The most miserable and wretched life is one that constantly tries to please itself.

Away with the selfish life. “Get all I can and can all I get” doesn’t make anyone happy.

If we want to please God, we must find out what pleases Him.

If a young man is courting a young lady, he will find out what she likes and do it.

Just like a husband, will find out what his wife wants and do it.

Give her what she likes.

II. The Bible tells us what pleases God.

It pleases the Father when:

1) We exalt His Son.

Colossians 1:18-19.

This means that we should exalt the Lord Jesus Christ who contains all the fullness of God.

It pleases the Father when we talk about Jesus Christ.

Good songs to sing are: “What a friend we have in Jesus”, “All hail the power of Jesus’ name”, “No one ever cared for me like Jesus”, “Let’s talk about Jesus, the King of Kings is He, the Lord of Lords supreme, through all eternity.

The great I am the way, the Truth, the Life, the Door.

Let’s talk about Jesus more and more.

2) We Do Good.

Hebrews 13:15-16.

By doing good, we please God, such as when we help others, or buy things for those in need.

Don’t hoard your money all to yourself.

Use it to help others, and get the gospel out, so you can still enjoy the effects of your money when you are 150 years old, 200, 1000, 1 million years old.

It pleases God when we do something for others to help them know Jesus Christ.

This is why we emphasize soul winning, missions and tract distribution.

3) We Love One Another.

Romans 15:1-3.

If you love others you’ll exhort them to get busy serving God.

Some day you’ll have to face Jesus Christ and tell Him why you wasted so much time in laziness on earth.

I want you to enjoy heaven more and not to be ashamed at Christ’s coming.

God wants us to love one another.

Question: Do you hate anybody today?

Question: Did you criticize anyone lately?

That doesn’t please the Father.

Question: Have you stood in the way of sinners, or sat in the seat of the scornful? Or criticized some good Bible preacher?

That doesn’t please God.

God is pleased when brethren dwell together in unity.

Psalm 133:1-3

To God, it smells like ointment.

God says, “When my people love each other, it smells like sweet perfume. If they fight each other, it stinks.”

4) We are Fruitful.

Colossians 1:10

When you bear fruit by leading someone to Christ, there is much pleasure in heaven

(Luke 15:7,10).

Question: Are you bearing fruit for Jesus Christ?

5) We Praise Him.

Psalm 69:30-31

God would rather have heartfelt praise than temple sacrifices or good intentions.

It pleases the Father:

a) When you lead someone to Christ & they tell someone:’! have received Jesus Christ as my Saviour’

b) When someone gets baptised, and praises Christ for saving him.

c) When we go soul-winning, and tell sinners how good God is.

d) When we praise God in hard times.

e) When we come to church and praise God in song.

f) When we disciple people so they get back into fellowship with God & praise Him.

That pleases God

6) We pray for a wise and understanding heart to serve others, as Solomon prayed.

I Kings 3:9-10.

Question: Do you study God’s Word to become wise to serve God and people better?

7) We preach the gospel to lost sinners.

I Corinthians1 :21.

Many Christians fear soul-winning because they may look foolish before men.

God is pleased when we are prepared to look foolish for Him so sinners can get saved.

8) We seek to please God rather than men.

Galatians 1:10.

It pleases God when we are prepared to take a stand against the ungodly crowd and the ways of the world.

9) We walk with God in sweet fellowship, as Enoch did.

Genesis 5:21-24

Hebrews 11 :5.

Enoch pleased God by walking with God in the midst of an evil world.

Do you walk daily with God?

10) We do things by Faith and Obedience.

Hebrews 11 :6

It pleases God when we obey and trust Him in hard situations.

11) When we give God’s Word out to people.

Isaiah 55:11

12) When we choose the things that please God.

Isaiah 56:4-5.

These include such things as giving Sunday and our lives wholly to serving God.

13) When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and not led by the flesh.

Romans 8:8.

14) When we don’t entangle ourselves in the affairs of this life but seek to please Christ who has chosen us to be a soldier.

II Timothy 2:4.

We are soldiers for Jesus Christ.

15) We bless Israel.

Numbers 24:1.

Genesis 12:3

16) When we abstain from fornication.

I Thess. 4: 1-8.

God avenges (v.6) those who fornicate and defraud (take advantage of) others.

Ill. Things That Displease God

1) When people kill and persecute Christians.

I Thess. 2:15-16

2) When people commit adultery.

Example: David – II Samuel 11 :27

3) When people rejoice when their enemy falls.

Proverbs 24:17-18.

4) When people complain

Numbers 11:1

I Cor 10:5,9-10

5) When people are proud of their achievements.

I Chron.21:1-8

6) When justice and judgment on sin is not done.

Isaiah 59:14-15

7) When people turn little children away from Jesus.

Mark 10:13-16

IV. Conclusion:

Do you please God or displease God?

Do you please yourself?

Do you seek to please the ungodly crowd?

What are you doing that is displeasing to God?

Get right with God today.

• 1.  “A fair woman” – Prov. 11:22
  • fair woman posses discretion.
    • Prudence, or knowledge and prudence; that discernment which enables a person to judge critically of what is correct and proper, united with caution; nice discernment and judgment, directed by circumspection, and primarily regarding one’s own conduct.
• 2.  “A gracious woman” – Prov. 11:16 – retaineth honor
  • gracious -Favorable; kind; benevolent; merciful; disposed to forgive offenses and impart unmerited blessings. 
• • honor – respect, regarded with esteem, reputation, good name.
• 3.  “a whorish woman’ – Prov. 6:26
• whorish – Lewd; unchaste; addicted to unlawful sexual pleasures; incontinent.
• 4.  “an odious woman” – Prov. 30:21-23
  • odious – 1. Hateful; deserving hatred. It expresses something less than detestable and abominable; as an odious name; odious vice. All wickedness is odious.

2. Offensive to the senses; disgusting; as an odious sight; an odious smell.

3. Causing hate; invidious; as, to utter odious truth.

4. Exposed to hatred.

He rendered himself odious to the parliament.

• 5.  “an adulterous woman” – Prov. 30:20
  • Acts if has done nothing wrong.
• 6.  “a brawling woman” – Prov. 21:9
  • brawling – The act of quarreling.
• 7.  “strange woman” – Prov. 2:16-19
  • characteristics – flatters with her words; forsakes what learn as child and God’s words; connected with death and hell.
    • strange – meaning not just a woman of another race or someone not acquainted with by an harlot.
• 8.  an “evil woman” – Prov. 6:24-35
  • also strange woman, adulteress, whore.
• 9.  a “contentious and an angry woman” – Prov. 21:19
  • contentious – Apt to contend; given to angry debate; quarrelsome; perverse.
• 10.  “a foolish woman” – Prov. 9:13 -18
  • clamorous –  Speaking and repeating loud words; noisy; vociferous; loud; turbulent.
  • simple – Weak in intellect; not wise or sagacious; silly. The simple believeth every word; but the prudent looketh well to his going. Prov. 14
• 11.  “a wise woman” – Prov. 14:1
• wise – Properly, having knowledge; hence, having the power of discerning and judging correctly, or of discriminating between what is true and what is false; between what is fit and proper, and what is improper; as a wise prince; a wise magistrate. Solomon was deemed the wisest man. But a man may be speculatively and not practically wise.
  • Characteristic – builds her house or home with wisdom.  “the words of God” is the foundation.
• 12.  “virtuous woman” – Prov. 12:4
  • virtuous – 1. Morally good; acting in conformity to the moral law; practicing the moral duties, and abstaining from vice; as a virtuous man. 2. Being in conformity to the moral or divine law; as a virtuous action; a virtuous life.

The mere performance of virtuous actions does not denominate an agent virtuous.

3. Chaste; applied to women.

• crown – Honor; splendor; dignity.

Our governments continue to pass laws recognizing homosexuality as a “way of life” or a “choice in life”, accepting homosexual partners as ‘normal’ married couples, allowing homosexual couples to adopt children, and making the clear Bible teaching a criminal offence. The time has come for God’s preachers  and teachers to proclaim what the Bible clearly teaches as over against the popular view of the media, talk shows, education and Government leaders. Notice carefully what God says in His Word:

2 Peter 2:6, “… turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly … “

Romans 1 :24-28, “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient … “

Jude 7, “Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”

Here in Jude we are told that God judged Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them for two reasons:

1. They were giving themselves over to fornication which indicates addiction to unclean practices.

2. They were going after “strange flesh”. This simply means they were committing the sin of homosexuality. No matter how hard our doctors and political leaders and “open mike” radio shows try to affirm that homosexuality is a disease, God says that this practice is a sin.

This “strange flesh” here means “other flesh”, as being other than what nature has appointed. When God made man at the beginning, He also made woman as a helpmate and it was never God’s intention that man and man or woman and woman, in that terrible act of homosexuality, should be ONE FLESH as man and woman together are.

Notice carefully that Sodom and Gomorrah suffered the vengeance of eternal fire, for God poured out fire and brimstone from heaven to destroy the cities. God says here that these facts are set forth for us today as examples. God warns us clearly and definitely that nations and leaders who disobey His plain teachings will suffer the consequences of His judgment.

The clearest teaching of all is found in Romans 1 :24-28 where we are told three times that GOD GAVE THEM UP for this wicked sin of homosexuality. I believe God will give our nation up and over to unclean and wicked influences unless there is national repentance and a turning from sin unto God. What a terrible thing it is to be living in a nation that God will give up.

The Gospel Standard

Text: Ephesians 1 :3

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:”

Intro:

Unlike the children of Israel in the Old Testament and in the future Kingdom of Heaven on this earth, the Christians blessings are primarily spiritual in nature and not physical or earthly.

Our text tells us that the believer is already blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.

However, there are some things that can hinder or block us from having access to those spiritual blessings.

Today, we want to look at some blockades to spiritual blessings.

I. Selfishness Is A Blockage To Spiritual Blessings

1. Selfish people think only of themselves; Luke 12: 17- 19.

2. Selfish people show a lack of love; I John 3:17.

3. Selfish people reap what they sow; Acts 5:2,5, 10.

II. Laziness Is A Blockage To Spiritual Blessings

1. Lazy people beg in the harvest; Prov. 20:4.

2. Lazy people come to poverty; Prov. 6:9-11.

3. Lazy people will not work for Christ; Luke 19:20-24.

Ill. Covetousness Is A Blockage To Spiritual Blessings

1. Covetousness troubles one’s own house; Prov. 15:27.

 2. Covetousness causes one to come to want; Prov. 22:16.

3. Covetousness brings God’s judgment; Jer. 8: 10.

IV. Prayerlessness Is A Blockage To Spiritual Blessings

1. Prayerless people are troubled people; Dan. 9:13,

2. Prayerless people are disobedient people; Luke 18:1; James 4:2.

3. Prayerless people shall not prosper; Jer. 10:21.

V. Worldliness Is A Blockage To Spiritual Blessings.

1. Worldliness reveals the inward life; I John 2:15.

2. Worldliness does not please God; Rom. 8:5-8.

3. Worldliness separates from God; James 4:4; Isa. 59:2.

VI. Unfruitfulness Is A Blockage To Spiritual Blessings

1. Unfruitfulness comes from not abiding in Christ; John 15:4

2. Unfruitfulness results in the loss of reward; I Cor. 3:14-15.

3. Unfruitfulness brings judgment; Luke 19:20-26.

VII. Unfaithfulness Is A Blockage To Spiritual Blessings

1. Unfaithfulness is sin; Rom. 14: 23.

2. Unfaithfulness robs of the Crown of Life; Rev. 2: 10.

3. Unfaithfulness cannot please God; Heb. 11: 6.

Conclusion:

Today, we have looked at seven blockages to spiritual blessings.

We need to do as the Psalmist said in Psalm 26:2, “Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.” to make sure that we are not causing a blockage to spiritual blessing in our lives due to one of the things we looked at today.