How Do We Live A Life That Pleases God

How do we live a LIFE THAT PLEASES GOD Colossians 1:9-14

First of all - How You Spend Your Time? What do you do with your day!

• 3 years in business meetings,

• 13 years watching TV

• $89,281 on food,

• Consumes 109,354 pounds of food,

• Makes 1811 trips to McDonalds,

• Spends $6881 in vending machines,

• Eats 35,138 cookies and 1483 pounds of candy

• Catches 304 colds,

• Involved in 6 motor vehicle accidents,

• Is hospitalized, (8 times men) and (12 times women)

• Spends 24 years sleeping.

• Only spend 6 Months pursuing a relationship with God!

E- Mail that said Everything I need to know about life, I can learn from Noah's Ark

One : Don't miss the boat.

Two : Remember that we are all in the same boat.

Three : Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.

Four : Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.

Five : When you're stressed, float a while.

Six : No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting

Before we look at How we live a LIFE THAT PLEASES GOD

• Think for a moment about how you would answer that question

But here are what I feel are the most common answers

1. Contains Certain experiences (manner of conversion, baptism sprinkling vs. immersion, how often we take commmunion)

2. The absence of certain habits (don’t smoke, don’t drink, don’t dance, don’t watch "R" rated movies, what are your views on gambling)

3. Theological issues ( the end times, spiritual gifts, what translation of the Bible you like best.)

But These are all externals., What we do on the outside

• If we look closely at this list what we are really saying is:

• The one who lives a life that pleases God is the one who is most like me!

We want to live a life that please God.

• So, we seek to define pleasing God by our experiences and beliefs.

But In today’s text Paul gives us some ideas on what a life that pleases God looks like.

Colossians 1:9-14

What We see in this text is that there are four characteristics of a life that pleases God.

1. We are To Produce fruit

2. We’re to Keep growing in our knowledge

3. We’re to be strengthened

4. We’re to Live a Life filled with Joy

A. So lets start by talking about Produceing Good FRUIT

If you purchased a fruit tree, planted it, and took care of it you would expect to get fruit from that tree in a couple of years.

If after a few years the tree didn’t produce fruit, you would begin to think that there was something wrong with the tree. You might even go back where you bought the tree and complain.

Jesus says the same is true of people who profess faith.

Mt 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

Mt 7:16 By their fruit you will recognize them.

Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

Mt 7:17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

Mt 7:18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

What Jesus is telling us is that if there isn’t a change in our lives,

• Then there isn’t a change in our hearts.

But at the same time We need to remember that fruitfulness takes time.

• You don’t get any good fruit the first year that you plant a fruit tree.

• It takes time for the tree to mature.

The same is true about followers of Christ.

• We may not see the change immediately.

• But, over time we should see a difference in the way people live.

Here Paul is telling us that When we follow the desires of our sinful nature,

• Our lives are going to produce evil results.

But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives,

He will produce the fruit of: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

A person who is living to please God

• Will start to change their values

• And when that happens we’ll see a change in their behavior.

Jesus said:

Jn 15:4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me.

Jn 15:5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.