Pleasing Our King Series

Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:5-11

INTRODUCTION

My next five lessons, Lord willing, will be on the topic of Bible Authority. I have titled the Series “Pleasing our King.” Our first lesson will be the introduction to our series which, Lord willing, will include lessons on what we do when we come together to worship our King:

• Our Music

• The Lord’s Supper

• The Collection

• Proclaiming the King’s Will

To begin this series, I would like us to consider a very important question: “What is our goal as Christians? Why is it that we do what we do? How we answer this question is important. We need to have the right reason as to why we choose to do what we do in service and worship to God. I believe the Apostle Paul sums up pretty well what that reason should be in 2 Corinthians 5:9

“Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.”

In everything we do, is this our desire? This needs to be the motivation we have in approaching the will of God and the Authority of Christ. Each one of us as Christians must make it our goal and aim to be pleasing to Him in EVERYTHING we do.

There are three points I would like us to consider today when it comes to being pleasing to our King. Pleasing our king means that we must remember:

1. Who The King Is

2. How He Reveals What Pleases Him

3. Why We Must Desire To Please Him

❶ WHO IS THE KING?

Who is in charge? Who is the ultimate source of authority? Of course the answer to this question should be easy for us to answer as Christians. But the question must be asked because there are people that claim to be serving God out there who allow other influences rule in their lives and to be their ultimate authority decisions. Many turn to themselves and to other people as their source of authority and guidance. They turn to others to be their King and Ruler.

These things are not our source of authority:

• Our feelings or intuition. No matter where we believe these feelings are coming from, they are not the ultimate source of authority. Saying “I feel God would like it if we do this” when God does not speak on the matter or says something else on the matter is dangerous. Our feelings are not King.

• Our personal experiences. I have recently been studying with someone who allows their personal experiences to be their King above Jesus when it comes to miraculous spiritual gifts. Because he had seen guys on TV do miracles or he himself had learned to speak in some kind of heavenly language led him to reject what King Jesus and His Apostles say about those things.

• What we have always done as a church. Traditions are not our King. They must be submitted to what He says also. Just because we have done something a certain way for so wrong does not make it right.

• What our families have always believed. Our parents, grandparents, and other families members are not our King either. When we become Christians, we make the decision to take Jesus’ words above even what those closest to us say. Jesus says, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26) Our allegiance to Him as King needs to far surpass our allegiance to anyone else.

• What preachers and elders say. Even those who we look up to and respect in the church are not King.

If any of these contradict what the true Authority and King says, then we are wrong. Plain and simple. We are wrong. If we allow these things to take precedence over Jesus by using these things as our source of authority, we are putting these things on the throne of our lives. We will not allow this to happen if we truly want to please our King. Everything that we think or feel must be submitted to Him.

We need to choose each and every day who it is that will be the One who reigns in my life and leads me to make decisions in what I do in my service to God. This is what we must decide as individuals and as local churches. This is what authority is all about. It is all about pleasing our King instead of pleasing ourselves and making ourselves and those around us King.

Jesus is the King. He is the One who created us. We belong to Him. He is the reason why we can become citizens in the Kingdom. He is the One who God exalted and sat at His right hand. Jesus is the King, not us or anyone else! Jesus is the Ruler and King of everyone, whether they like it or not. Jesus is the King of the atheist whether they choose to submit to His Lordship in their lives or not. Paul says in Philippians 2:9-11 about Jesus: