Pleasing Your Father, Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word, Pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. See, is this just simply a test? And if it is, my question to you is simple. Are you succeeding? Are you failing? Are you resting in God? Are you doing what is right? Or are you complaining and whining about the circumstances? Are you wading in the waters of anxiety and worry, fear? What are you doing? You see, part of that could be you could be sinning right now.

Or you could be winning right now. How are you doing with the test? Thank you for joining us today on this edition of Fellowship in the Word with Pastor Bill Gebhardt. Fellowship in the Word is the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible Church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now as once again he shows us how God's word meets our world. If you're like me through all these past months, you've had to think about this a little bit. Like what's going on? What's really happening from a spiritual point of view? What's really going on in this world? I mean, we have the pandemic to deal with. We have all the economic uncertainty.

We have protesters and rioters in our streets. And it's interesting that often I hear Christians always acting like they know exactly what's going on. I've heard Christians say God is punishing America for drifting away from God. Now, you could possibly be right, but he's punishing a lot more than America.

And what they mean by that is he's punishing the unsafe people of America for acting like unsafe people. I mean, you could go back to Noah. I mean, he didn't judge the whole world except for Noah and his family. Sodom and Gomorrah punished in one day. But when you read the whole Testament, most of the evil empires in the old world lasted a long, long time. Egypt and Babylon and Syria, the Romans, they lasted hundreds of years. And we can't forget this, but we also know that God judged Israel. I mean, he took the northern tribes off in the Assyrian captivity and then Judah went into the Babylonian captivity.

And then when Israel rejected their own Messiah, Jesus Christ, he ripped them out of the land for 2000 years. So maybe it's a combination of both. Maybe. Only God knows. But the idea of difficult times happening to both the culture and the church are not unusual. I want you to open your Bibles, the first Peter Chapter four, first Peter Chapter four. And Peter says something in there that's kind of interesting, starting in verse 17.

Peter says this. He says, For it is time for judgment. To begin with a household of God. It's time for judgment to begin for the household of God. And then he says, And if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey in the gospel of God?

He makes it as really as clear as he possibly can. He said, And if it is with difficulty that the righteous are saved, what will be the outcome for the godless man and the sinner? Therefore, he said, those, he said, who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful creator in doing what is right.

Now, there's some interesting things there. Verse 14, way back there, he tells us that if you have been reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit of glory of God rests on you. He's telling them and suffering is an opportunity for you. God will rest on you.

We talked a little bit about rest last week, but God can rest on you. Suffering would be a good thing. In verse 15, he says this. He said, Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or some troublesome meddler. Now, I'll say this in my all these years of a pastorate.

I don't know a lot of people in our church who are murderers and thieves and evildoers, but there have been a few troublesome meddlers. He said, Sometimes suffering is deserved. There's a reaping and sowing principle in the word of God. Then he says in verse 16, And if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this way. So he tells us there's never to be ashamed for suffering for Jesus Christ.

That's something which should never cross our mind. He said, Suffering in verse 17, as I read, begins often with the household of God. But down at verse 19, he says something interesting. He said, Therefore, he said, Those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful creator in doing what is right. See, how do I know I can suffer well for God? God says it's pretty easy. Just do what's right in the midst of the suffering.

Are you doing what's right? It's amazing when you think about it from that point of view. God is faithful, it says.

He'll never forget any of us. He's the faithful creator. And we are to entrust our souls to him in this time.

The word entrust is the word parotithomy, and it means to place oneself into someone else's care. It means the rest. Just what I said last week in Isaiah.

It's the rest. He said, You need to rest your soul in God and then you need to do what is right. So really, I don't know if he's judging the church or he's judging the world.

Or maybe he's even doing something else. Maybe he's just testing his church. You see, I see this as a test.

That's what this is about. Now, you have to understand something, and this makes Christians very uneasy. But the word for testing in the Bible, in the New Testament and the word for tempting is exactly the same word. It's exactly the same.

Pirazo. The word to test or the word to tempt is the same word. Only the context will tell you whether it's a test or a temptation. Now, remember, God says, I don't tempt anybody ever in James.

So God never tempts you to sin. You see, he's not about that, but he does test us. And almost in every test, by the way, does it end up being a temptation as well to sin?

I think so. You see, what happens is, is that God tests us to prove our righteousness. The goal of the test is for us to succeed. Satan tempts us to prove our sinfulness. And his goal is that we fail.

But the word's the same. See, is this just simply a test? And if it is, my question to you is simple. Are you succeeding or failing? You see, are you succeeding or are you failing? Are you resting in God? Are you doing what is right? Or are you complaining? And whining about the circumstances. Are you waiting in the waters of anxiety and worry?

Fear? What are you doing? You see, part of that could be you could be sinning right now.

Or you could be winning right now. How are you doing with the test? Today, I want to give you a single word, a single phrase. That should be your goal in mind every single day as we go through this together.

I want to begin, though, in a roundabout way. I want to go to John Chapter eight. John Chapter eight. And I'm going to begin in verse twenty seven.

Now, if you understand that. John eight's about Jesus in another discussion with the scribes and Pharisees. They're at each other again. They're always after him.

His life's been a lot of turmoil. But in John eight, they go back and forth. And in verse twenty seven, it says they did not realize that he was speaking to them about the father. And so Jesus said, when you lift up the son of man, then you will know that I am the word he's in italics. When you lift up the son of man, Yahweh.

That's who I am. He said, I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak these things as the father taught me. And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone.

Now watch. He says, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him. So how often does Christ do things that pleases God the father?

Always. He said, I always do the things that are pleasing to him. In fact, in Chapter five, verse 30 says I can do nothing on my own initiative as I hear I judge.

And my judgment is just because I do not seek my own will, but only the will of him who sent me. So Jesus Christ says, here's what my life is. I please him. That's my goal.

That's my life. Now, what's interesting about this is we get a little couple glimpses in how the father feels about this. Turn with me to Matthew Chapter three. Very, very important passage. You don't have to go, but because you know it so well. Jesus is getting baptized.

It's an amazing thing. He has spent 30 years. To get prepared for this moment. He's been a sinless child. Who turned into a sinless adult. He's the oldest sibling in a family. He grew up in a family where Joseph died. He took on the responsibility to be the carpenter. All of this happened over all these years.

We know very little about it. But he's now ready to start the ministry, so we know it was perfection. And we get to verse 16, it says, And after being baptized. Jesus came up immediately from the water and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting upon him. And behold, a voice out of heaven said, This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Remember, Jesus said, All I do is try to please my father. By the way, the whole Trinity is here.

The son is being baptized. The spirit is descending upon Jesus as a dove in a like form, this lightly coming down upon him. And the father is speaking from heaven. And the father wants you to know that he's pleased me in everything he's done.

That's pleasing. Now, if I go to Matthew 17, the Mount of Transfiguration. He takes with him Peter, James and John.

And they go up to the mountain. Jesus reveals who he really is. And in verse two, it says he was transfigured before them and his face shown like the sun and his garments became as white as light. Behold, Moses and Elijah appear to them talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, Lord, is it good for us to be here?

If you wish, I will make a tabernacle here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah. But while he was speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And behold, a voice out of the cloud said, This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him. Fathers, please. Now, Jesus said, All I want to do is please my father. The father says I'm pleasing him. You see, I'm pleased. I would imagine even after the crucifixion, when he paid for the sins of the world and he was buried, the father said, I am pleased with him. And then he's raised in Easter morning. It seems such a simple thing.

You see, it seems like such a simple thing. I mean, and after all, it's Jesus. But I want you to see something in the word of God. Go with me to Second Corinthians, Second Corinthians. Chapter five, verse nine, the apostle Paul is speaking. Here's what Paul says.

Therefore, in fact, notice how he led up to it. Verse seven, We walk by faith, not by sight. We are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent in the body and be at home with the Lord. All the time when we talk about funerals for Christians.

But here's the verse. Therefore, we also have as our ambition. So that each one may be recompensed for his excuse me. Therefore, we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent. To be pleasing to him. That's his ambition. Paul said that's our ambition. Our ambition is to please God.

That was Christ's ambition. Please God. So what should your ambition be? Please God. That's my ambition.

My ambition is to please God. That intimidates some of us. And please don't try to hide in this fact. Well, that was Jesus. I know Jesus. We all know that. But I know this. I can please God.

I've broken you. You see, I can please God. And Jesus pleased God by living a certain way right up to his baptism. And that pleased God. Then he did his ministry in a certain way that pleased God. And even in the Transfiguration, God said, I'm pleased in him. And then he went to the crosses, the substitute, and then he was buried and raised in the dead, which obviously pleased God.

His whole life was to please the father. Is yours? Is that what you think about when you get up in the morning? Is that what you think about? God, how can I please you today?

How can I please you today? You see, it's an interesting thing. And when you're being tested. And inherently, there are temptations in the testing. This is a tremendous opportunity because I can. I'm not saying it's the universal answer for every test, but it's a good one to write down.

If you don't know anything else, what's the answer to my test? I'll please God. It's like a universal answer. Well, God's going to test you.

What should you do? How about pleasing him? You see, it's always the answer. The answer is I want to please God in everything that I do. Some say, well, that's awful harsh, though, because God judging me like that makes me nervous. This isn't about God, the judge. This is about God, the father.

I want to please my father because I'm a child of God. You see, that's what this is about. Now, go with me to First Thessalonians. Chapter four. Again, Paul writing, he says in these first couple of verses, he said, Finally, then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that as you receive him, as you receive from us instruction as to how you ought to walk, that means live and please God. What did Paul teach the Thessalonians? I want to teach you how to please God. You see, I don't know if we think about this very often.

I think what we often think about is, look, I know there's a whole bunch of stuff. We don't have the Old Testament law, but we have a lot of rules, a lot of principles, a lot of things we have to do, and God's pretty exacting, so I better be about doing them. Paul said, If that's the way you feel, you've missed the whole point of being born again into God's family.

You see, you missed the whole point. He's my father. You see, he's my father, just like with Jesus.

My single goal is to please God. And that's what he says. And notice, he said that you excel still more. What do you mean by that? Is there always room for me to please God more than I am?

Yes. He said, Yeah, no, I want you to excel even still more with that. Many years ago, I read in Desiring God, John Piper said this. John Piper said, God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in him.

Let me change that word glorified. God is most pleased when we are most satisfied in him. That's when he's most pleased. That's when I rest in him. You see, no matter what's going on around me, when I rested him, God says, Oh, I'm so pleased he rests in me.

But the circumstances we live in economic uncertainty in a pandemic, especially this is very unnerving to us. And God says, Why don't you just rest? Why don't you just rest in me? And what do we say yet?

But it's really hard. Just please me. You see, no matter whether things are going well or going poorly, I keep saying this over and over again and all these sort of individual messages.

But what God is telling you and I over and over again in the word of God, no matter what's going on in your life is this. I got it. I got this.

No, no, it's good. What are we going to do? I got it. No, but I know what happens. What if the government runs out of money? You see, what if there's no vaccine for two or three years? We're all what God says, I got it.

Do you trust me or not? You see, and I think a lot of us don't please God. I don't think that's what we're doing. We're not pleasing God. We're asking whether we realize or not for God to please us. God, get in there and change those circumstances so I feel better. God says, you don't realize this is a test. I'm testing you. I even whispered the answer, please, God.

That's the answer. I just want to please God when I am satisfied in him. I can't be anxious. I can't worry. I can't be fearful. I can't be angry.

I can't be bitter. Not if I'm satisfied in God. You see, that's the whole point. I mean, remember the context of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus knows people go through economic difficulty and they said, what are we going to do? You know, we don't have anything.

We're never going to make it. And what Jesus say? Yeah, I got you.

I mean, having looked at a bird, have you seen a flower? What are you worried about? I don't know. I don't have enough. He said, how about this? Seek first the kingdom of God and my righteousness.

I'll add all this to you. I got this. You see, I got this. And that's what we keep feeling, I think, in this test. We're just not doing it at all.

Last week, I talked about this whole idea of repent and rest and quietness and trust out of Isaiah. The message never changed. God still saying the same thing. It doesn't matter what this dorm looks like.

It doesn't matter what you're in. He said, this is what I want from you. So as I began to think about this, I thought, are there some practical ways we can please God? And fortunately for your sake, I probably wrote down and jotted about 50. And I decided that's too many. It's hard to get you to remember one, two or three things.

Fifty would be impossible. So I just wrote down five. How can I please God in the midst of what's going on right now? And the first thing might not seem quite as clear to you, but it is to me. The first thing we can do is to confess our sins repeatedly. I keep short accounts with God.

First John one nine. If I confess my sins to God, he's faithful and just to forgive me my sins, cleanse me from unrighteousness. That's how I relate to God.

In other words, could I be failing through something like this? Yes. Could I get my eyes off of God? Yes. Could I complain and whine? Yes.

Could I become fearful? Yes. I better acknowledge it as sin. Because that's what it is. It's sin on my part. You see, and that word confessed for some of you have a different background, think confession, something else. The words homologeo homo means single.

So or one. The idea is I say the same thing about my sin that God says. I feel the same way about my sin that God feels. I acknowledge my sin before God. And it says and he does the rest. He's faithful and just. It's my relationship with him. All my sin and all yours has been forgiven at the cross.

That's not what we're talking about here. We're talking about our day to day relationship with God. Keep short accounts with God. Secondly, Paul said this. These are tough times.

So how about this? Pray without ceasing. Pray without ceasing. In other words, your life of mine should be as a child of God, a dialogue with my Heavenly Father that goes on all the time. I'm not denouncing this.

I'm just saying it. It's given me hesitance to think about it at times. That's why I'm always bothered when someone wants to have a national day. Let's have a special day and then we'll pray.

Really? On that day. We're going to pray. Well, what about the day before the day after the days before the days after the weeks before the weeks after? Why not every day? Because Paul said, pray without ceasing. Why aren't we always in dialogue with God? Now, it won't count as much if we have a day. Then God will wake up and say, oh, they're all praying. I'm going to now I'll do something. He says, you pray without ceasing.

Why? Because prayer drives me to God. That's what prayer does. You've been listening to Pastor Bill Gebhardt on the Radio Ministry of Fellowship in the Word. If you ever miss one of our broadcasts, or maybe you would just like to listen to the message one more time, remember that you can go to a great website called OnePlace.com. That's OnePlace.com, and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online.

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