HOW TO PLEASE GOD
Text: Hebrews 11:5
Introduction:
· Enoch mentioned 9 times in Bible, 6 in Genesis, 1 in Luke, 1 in Jude, 1 in Hebrews
· Genesis 5:24 Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him
· Hebrews 11:5 he had this testimony, that he pleased God
· Wouldn’t it be nice to have that type of testimony?
· Bible gives 6 ways to please God
A. You can please Him by trusting Him (Hebrews 11:6)
· For salvation
· For living the Christian life
i. Ministry
ii. Trials
iii. Temptations
iv. Prayers
· What is God asking you to trust Him for today?
B. You can please Him by praising and worshipping Him (Psalm 69:30, 31)
· Singing
· Reading Psalms orally; write your own
· Prayers of thanksgiving
· Praising His attributes
· Recognizing His work
C. You can please Him by respecting and obeying your parents (Colossians 3:20)
· Parents are accountable to God
· Your behavior and willingness to obey can make it a joy or a nightmare for them
· Submission to parents teaches submission to God
· Adds to your testimony
· “well pleasing”
· Next time parents seem unreasonable, take moment to consider why and resolve to obey
· Respecting parents lasts a lifetime; take care of them and their needs
D. You can please Him by living like a Christian should (1 Thessalonians 4:1)
· List of Christian dos and don’ts
i. Abstain from sexual sin
ii. Don’t be dishonest to or cheat others
iii. Be holy
iv. Receive correction with a good spirit
v. Love others
vi. Mind your own business
· Why? Because non-Christians are watching
· What they think about God depends upon you
E. You can please Him by separating yourself from worldly things (2 Timothy 2:4)
· More focused on things than on God
· Bigger house, better car (or 2 or 3), make the most money, best vacation, designer clothes
· Nothing wrong with these as long as they take back seat to God and don’t distract you from serving Him
· Pray about next big purchase…how can I use this to glorify God?
· Rich young ruler, rich fool
F. You can please Him by telling others about what He’s done for you (Hebrews 13:15, 16)
· Greek word “communicate” can mean fellowship, generosity, sharing, or contributing
· Share the good news about Jesus
· Share the things He has blessed you with to help others (opportunity to witness)
· Take someone to dinner and tell them about what God has done for you
· Help them with a problem and share how God has helped you with a similar one
Conclusion:
· Enoch pleased God before there was a church, before there was a Bible, before there was the indwelling of the Holy Spirit
· If he could do it, surely we can too
· Romans 8:8 – can’t please God as long as unsaved
