To Be Pleasing to God - 250103

SPEAKER A Hello. Welcome to Let God Speak. I am your host, Uriah St Juste. Christians sometimes claim that the followers of other religions are called on to sacrifice to their God. But Christianity is the only religion whose God sacrificed himself for his followers. Does God call on his followers to sacrifice to please him? What role does living a life pleasing to God play in the life of the Christian? And how can it be done? Today we will discover the answers to these questions and more as we examine what it means to be pleasing to God on Let God Speak. On our panel today, we have Kaysie Vokurka and Clive Nash. Welcome, Kaysie and Clive. SPEAKER B Thank you. SPEAKER A Please join us as we pray. Dear God, we thank you for being our friend today. Lord, there are people who may be listening or watching and they may be alone in their homes. We pray, Father, that you may come divinely near to each one. May youy spirit be felt in our hearts as we study youy word today. May it give hope and comfort to those who are in need. May it enlighten our minds and draw us close to Jesus is our prayer. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. What would make someone refer to themselves as a wretch? Yet this is how John Newton describes himself in the famous hymn Amazing Grace. Some believe Newton was motivated by his guilt. After serving many years as the captain of a slave ship, after experiencing conversion to Christ and God's Amazing grace in his own life, a transformation took place in John Newton's life. He renounced his slave trade and became a prominent abolitionist, moving from profiting from slavery to to fighting for the freedom of those he once enslaved. When people think of God, they sometimes think of this old man with a long white beard having a very stern look on his face and maybe looking upon us as wretches. But the Bible speaks of God's wrath. Yes, but Cayce, does God display other emotions? SPEAKER C Good question. So the number one attribute of God that the Bible talks about is that he is love. And this is a principle that's expressed in many different emotions. And the Bible says that God experiences things like compassion and sorrow, as well as things like jealousy, hate, anger. There's a whole mix of them there. There's also places in the Bible where it talks about God experiencing joy. And we'll have a look at one of those just now in. In Zephaniah 3, verse 17, which says, the Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you with his love. He will rejoice over you with Singing and so this is talking about how God experiences joy among his people. And especially in the context of this passage, it's when the people return to him, he experienced great joy. SPEAKER B So. SPEAKER C So that's quite an inspiring picture of God. SPEAKER A That is wonderful to know that God experiences joy and he sings over his people. Now, in Luke 15, Jesus tells a parable and he tells a story of a father who had two sons. And in this parable, the younger one asks for his inheritance and he leaves home and squanders it all. And when he becomes penniless and friendless, he finds himself in a job where he is feeding pigs. And he thinks to return home and say to his father that he's not worthy to be his son and to take him back as a servant. Clive, when the son puts this plan into action, does that plan work? SPEAKER B Well, Uriah, when the. The father saw his son approaching, and I get the impression that he'd been looking for him for quite a while and he saw his son coming home, he had quite an emotional reaction. I'd like to read Luke chapter 15 and verse 20. The Son arose and came to his father, but when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and notice the reaction. He had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. This is quite a contrast to the Jewish custom of where someone had rebelled against the family, though kind of treated as an outcast, and the father should have shunned the son for squandering his wealth. That's what he should have done. There's a Jewish custom of the day called kezazar, which means cutting off. And the community would actually take a clay pot and break it at the son's feet, symbolising that the relationship was broken because of what he did. But the father didn't react in that way. He accepted the son. That's a wonderful picture of God our Father. SPEAKER A Wonderful. That's right. Now, Cayce, what else did the father do to reveal how he felt about his son? SPEAKER C Well, we already talked about how he ran to him, which was something that was not really what you would do. If you're a respectable Jewish person, you would. You would consider that to be a little bit undignified. But he went the step further. And we read that in this passage in Luke 15, verse 22:24, it says, but the father said to his servants, bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet, and bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry. For this my son was dead and is alive again. He is lost and is found. And they began to be merry. And so you can just see he is so overjoyed of his son's return. He is. He's not sparing anything to show that and to celebrate. SPEAKER A Now, Clive, sometimes it can be hard for some people to forgive someone who's hurt them. Some people might even find it hard that God forgives other people. And it might seem like that kind of behaviour is being condoned when someone forgives. And the story of the prodigal son does not end on that high note. The older brother is not happy with the way the father responded. How did the father respond to this older brother? His reaction? SPEAKER B Well, I think probably in the older brother's eyes, the father was actually rewarding bad behaviour. You know, this younger son had gone off and spent his inheritance. And, you know, there was just everything about it was a no, no, as far as respectable Jewish living was concerned. And so as far as we're concerned, we can easily focus on bad behaviour and feel that if we accept the person, we're condoning what they have done. I'd like to read again in Luke 15, the same story, and this time verses 31 and 32, verse 31. And he said to him, that's the father said to the older brother, son, you are always with me and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again and was lost and is found. So here's the Father in the parable really is representing God, isn't he? God the Father? And he's rejoicing over the fact that the Son has been reclaimed. And he rejoices over every one of us who come back to him too. SPEAKER A And I think the lesson in the prodigal son is there's no shame in coming to God. It can never be too late to come to God because he rejoices when we do so. Now, earlier, Clive, we mentioned a passage from Zephaniah. Who was this Bible character Zephaniah, and what was his message? SPEAKER B Okay, well, Zephaniah was a prophet in the days of King Josiah. I think he was fortunate, really, because King Josiah was one of the good kings in Israel, King of Judah. And the two previous kings, Manasseh and Ammon, had led the people into worshipping idols. But King Josiah embarked on a programme of reform and destroying the idol worship and so on. So the prophet Zephaniah was God's Voice giving warning of God's judgement. In chapter one, verses two to five, for example, we read, I will utterly consume everything from the face of the land, says the Lord. I will consume man and beast. I will consume the birds of the heavens, the fish of the sea, and the stumbling blocks along with the wicked. I will cut off man from the face of the land, says the Lord. I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off every trace of BAAL from this place. The BAAL being the, you know, the false worship, the idolatrous worship, the names of the idolatrous priests with the pagan priests, those who worship the host of the heaven. So they're kind of like astrologers in a way. Those who worship the hosts of the heaven on the housetops, those who worship and swear oaths by the God, but who also swear by Milcom. So God was. He wasn't happy with what they were doing. God was very displeased with the rebellion of Israel. But did that mean that he stopped loving them? No, he continued to draw them back to him. SPEAKER A Wonderful. And it seems, Kaysie, that there's a parallel with the story of the prodigal son and God's people in the kingdom of Judah at that time. And they too came to a turning point in their lives. Tell us what happened to them. SPEAKER C Well, according to Zephaniah, it seems that God did end up pouring out judgments. And we can read that in verses, chapter one, verse nine. And it says, in the same day I will punish all those who leap over the threshold, who fill their masters houses with violence and deceit. And then Moving to verse 11, Wail, you inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down, all those who handle money are cut off. And then moving up to verse 13 and 14, it says, therefore their goods shall become booty and their houses are desolation. They shall build houses, but not inhabit them. They shall plant vineyards, but not drink their wine. The great day of the Lord is near. It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter. There the mighty men shall cry out. So more descriptions of the judgement that is coming. And yes, it seems that they did experience judgement. But later in Zephaniah you get a clue to something different, because throughout Zephaniah it's a call to repentance. But it says in Zephaniah 3:15, it says, the Lord has taken away your judgments and cast out your enemy. So there's a switch and a shift and that's where we see God rejoicing. And so it seems that God was calling them to repentance, but when they did repent, then he turned away as well, any remaining judgments and he accepted them back to himself, basically, and he. SPEAKER A Was pleased with them. So as he as their behaviour changed, their conduct changed, his emotional response to them changes. Yes, and that's where we get in verse 17 of Zephaniah 3, where it says, the Lord your God, in your midst, the Mighty One will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you with his love. SPEAKER B He. SPEAKER A He will rejoice over you singing. It's the only place in the Bible where God sings and he's singing and rejoicing over his people. He's glad that they have had that change of heart and they have turned to Him. Now, Clive, is there the risk of us coming away from this concept that when we are good, God is pleased with us and he's pleased with the righteous, but then those people who behave badly, then he hates them. Is that the case we're getting from the Bible? SPEAKER B Well, I think probably I'd have to refer to one of the most loved texts in the Bible and that's in John 3:16, where it says that God so loved the world, he loves the whole world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. So, you know, God doesn't stop loving us when we sin, although those he loves, he also rebukes and chastens, of course. And I'd like to read another text which in the words of Paul, in writing in Romans chapter 5 and verse 8, where he says, but God demonstrates His own love towards us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. So he's not pleased when we do wrong, but he rejoices when we turn from wrong to him. And in fact, the Bible talks about we grieve God when we sin. You know, it brings out an emotional response in him. He is not happy. There's another text I want to look at from the wise man in Proverbs chapter 15 and verses 8 and 9. And here Solomon writes in Proverbs 15, 8, 9, the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, and there are two buts in these two verses which I like. But the prayer of the upright is his delight. Verse nine, the way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but he loves him who follows righteousness. So God Responds emotionally. He loves those who respond to him. Quite a contrast there between abomination and delight, between the abomination of the prayer and the prayer of the upright. So God loves the sinner, but he hates the sin. SPEAKER A And it's important for us to make this, this clear distinction. Now, Kaysie, when someone is coming to God and they want to be saved, they want to receive the gift of salvation, do they need to please God first before they come to Him? SPEAKER C That's a very, very good question. Because I think every human being's inclination is to want to do something to better themselves before coming to God. But the Bible shows a different picture of what God requires. He understands our sinful state, our tendency to have, you know, to have wicked inclinations. And God loved us first. That's the big thing. And there's no one that God's love doesn't reach. And we already read about that in John 3:16, that God took the first step to sacrifice his Son on our behalf and make atonement for us. But it's interesting, he elaborates on the motives of God in John 3. And if we look at verse 17, it says, For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but the world through him might be saved. And then verse 18, he who believes in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. So God didn't send Jesus out to make a condemnation for us. He sent it him out so that we would be able to come to him just as we are. And if we have faith in what Christ has done for us, then that is the grounding point in our salvation. And from there God then transforms us. SPEAKER A Now, if God doesn't condemn me, Clive, does that mean then I could just do as I please and I won't be condemned? Is that how it works? SPEAKER B Well, I think about my relationship with my parents, for example, you know, they loved me and I loved them. And it was. I didn't say, well, because they love me, I can do whatever I like. It's interesting that in Romans, chapter six and verse one that Paul asks a pertinent question here, I think when he says, what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? So, you know, when I understand that Jesus suffered and died for me on the cross of Calvary, I want to accept him as my Saviour. I want to please him, which is, you know, our topic today, being pleasing to God and I want to live for him, you know, I don't want to do those things that are displeasing to him. I have no interest in saying, well, you know, his grace is free, so let me take a good advantage of it. No, that's not the way it is right now. SPEAKER A In the book of 2 Corinthians 5, 17, the Bible says, therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. So when we are in Christ, we are renewed. We have a new appetite, we have new desires to live for God and to. To please Him. Kaysie, does that make me now feel a sense of pride and a sense of superiority that I'm better than others when I come to Jesus? SPEAKER C Well, if you do feel a sense of superiority, then it's mistaken because basically, whatever we have through the grace of Christ, it's not our own power. It's not anything that we have done. And we can read about this in Philippians, chapter 2, verse 12 and 13. It explains. It says, therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. So this is saying that every motive that we have to do right, as well as every action that we do right and pleasing to God, it's actually God initiated, not us. If we let him work in us, he will initiate it in us. So in that sense we can't really take the credit because, yeah, it's. It's God's work in us. And so the thing we can have, we may not be able to take pride, but we can have a sense of peace and satisfaction in pleasing God. That is something that we can be blessed with and enjoy. SPEAKER A Wonderful. And so sticking with you, Kaysie, does the person who comes to Jesus now and experiencing his salvation, is there any assurance from the Bible that we are not just left alone by God, but He is there to help us? SPEAKER C Yes, indeed there is. And we can have a little picture of how this works from 1st Peter 2, 4, 6. So I'll just read that now. Coming to him as a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God. And Precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture. Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect precious. And he who believes on him will by no means be put to shame. So what this passage is saying is kind of like an analogy that the church is like, I guess, a temple where Christ is like the foundation stone. And all of us members of the church are like living stones that are built up on that foundation stone. And just like in a, in a building, you know, all of the bricks, they're laid close, hard against the foundation. That's the only way it can stand the same in our relationship with Christ in the church, that it's through a close connection, a solid connection with Christ that we are able to, to live and to worship and to please God. And so that connection is definitely there. And also we have the understanding from this passage that it's through Christ working in us in that relationship that we are able to offer those sacrifices to please him. And so we have there the assurance of God's help, like Christ's help with us as well. And all of this, of course, is something that's done through our faith in him. In Hebrews 11:6, it talks about how we have to have faith and exercise faith in order to please God. And so it's, it's not by our own works, but by faith in Christ's work in us that we are able to have that. SPEAKER A And I love how the Bible in Hebrews 11:1, it defines what faith is. It says now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Clive, what role does faith play in the life of the believer in living a life pleasing to God? SPEAKER B Well, in one of Jesus miracles, a man brought his sick son to his disciples. And unfortunately, even though they who had given power to cast out demons and all sorts of things, on this occasion, they didn't have success in doing that. Mark chapter 9 and verse 23, Jesus says to the man who said, well, I didn't have any. I didn't have success with the disciples. I've come to the Master. And Jesus said to this man, if you can believe, all things are possible. To him who believes, we think we're not good enough to please God, but Jesus tells us that if we believe, if we have faith, and the Greek word for believe and faith have the same root, and really they're synonyms. If we believe and have faith in him, it is not beyond our reach to live a life pleasing to him. SPEAKER A Great. Now I'm just looking at this world. If believers lived a life pleasing to God, Cayce, how would our communities be different? SPEAKER C Well, that's a very good question. I think it would make quite a tremendous impact. And the Reason for that is when we read in Matthew 22, we can read a little passage here, verse 37 to 40, it says, Jesus said to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is, like it, you shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. And so essentially how this is, is when we have that connection with God and have that love for God, it transforms us to the point that it impacts our relationships with one another. And so if we are living to please God, it's going to automatically translate to treating our neighbours, our friends, better because they are God's property too. And so in that sense, having this connection with God is going to bring a lot more peace in this world because we'll be working according to the principle of love to God and love to one another. SPEAKER A So you're saying the believer can't be living a life pleasing to God, yet being terrible to his neighbours? SPEAKER C Well, if that was the case, something's very wrong. That's not how it's meant to work. SPEAKER A That's right. Now, Clive, what about in our homes? If we live a life pleasing to God, how will the home be different? SPEAKER B Well, there's a lovely analogy in Ephesians, in Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 25, where Paul says, husbands love your wives, and then he gives a comparison. Just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her, it's a sacrificial love that's being spoken of here. And this sets the right tone for a family living. An unselfish love for each other and. SPEAKER A The family being the building block of society. You know, if families are well put together, then the society will be well put together. And that sacrificial life. The Bible is calling on husbands to set the tone and set the pace for the family to live sacrificial lives, not just to their wives, but for their children. And if it starts in the home, as we say, charity begins at home, it will flourish to the community. Thank you very much for your discussion today. That's all the time that we have. In Act 1, Scene 3 of Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Polonius gives advice to his son Laertes before he sends him off to university. The famous advice is given this above all, to thine own self be true. On the other hand, Albert Einstein said, only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile. While Einstein's thoughts are an improvement on Shakespeare's, the Bible gives us the best advice of we should live a life pleasing to God. In that way, we honour our Maker, to whom, at the end of our days, we will return to give an account. And the best part is he helps you by giving you the inspiration and strength to do so, if you will only respond to Him. We're glad you've joined us today on Let God Speak. Remember, all past programmes plus teacher's notes are available on our website, 3abnaustralia.org.au. That's the number three and the letters abnaustralia.org.au. or you can email us on [email protected]. God bless you. SPEAKER B You have been listening to let God speak, a production of 3ABN Australia television. To catch up on past programmes, please visit 3abnaustralia.org.au. Call us in Australia on 02 4973 3456. Or email [email protected]. we'd love to hear from you.