Introduction:
A. Today I want to talk about living a life that pleases God.
1. Ultimately, living a life that pleases God will also be a life that will get the attention of others and will impact them.
B. I like the story told about the person who visited the mental institution and asked the director what the criterion was which defined whether or not a person should be institutionalized.
1. The director said, “Well, we fill a bathtub with water, and then offer the patient a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket and ask him or her to empty the bathtub.”
2. The visitor said, “Oh, I understand, a person who doesn’t need to be institutionalized will use the bucket because it’s bigger than the teaspoon or teacup, right?”
3. “No,” said the director, “a person who doesn’t need to be institutionalized will pull the drain plug. Would you like a bed near the window or the door?”
4. How many of you did I catch with that one!
C. So what is the criterion for living a life that pleases God and impacts others?
1. In 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12, the apostle Paul shared three aspects of a life that pleases God.
2. We dealt with the first of the three last week and it had to do with living a life of holiness.
3. We discussed the fact that living a life of holiness includes avoiding sexual immorality.
4. This is indeed a great challenge for us to do because of the sexually impure culture we live in.
5. But that was our subject last week so we can’t spend time on it today.
D. Before we look at the other two aspects of living a life that pleases God, let’s return to the two introductory verses of this section.
1. Paul wrote: 1 Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. (1 Thess. 4:1-2)
2. Notice again that Paul reminds them that while he was with them, he had taught them about how to live in a way that pleases God.
3. The good news was that they were living that way.
4. Nevertheless, Paul wanted to encourage them to live the pleasing life more and more – there is always room for improvement.
5. Finally, in those introductory verses, Paul emphasized the fact that the things he taught were taught with the authority of God.
6. Then in verse 8, he challenged them with the thought that anyone who rejects his instructions is not rejecting man, but is rejecting God.
E. So with all that in mind, let’s learn about living a life that pleases God.
1. First of all, living to please God means to walk in holiness – that was last week’s subject.
a. God is holy and He wants His children to be holy like Him.
I. Second, living to please God means to walk in love.
A. Look at verses 9-10: 9 Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.
1. Isn’t it interesting that just like verse 1, the Thessalonians were already doing this.
2. They were already walking in love and so Paul doesn’t even need to write them about it.
3. Nevertheless, he goes ahead and writes them about it anyway, and urges them to love each other even more and more.
B. This second point follows the pattern of the first: God is holy, so we must be holy – God is characterized by love, so Christians must be characterized by love.
1. John said it well in 1 John 4: 7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
a. Let that sink in…God not only loves – God is love!
b. There is no doubt that God loves us…just look at the extent of His love for us – He died for us.
2. It is in that context and with that understanding that we are called to live a life of love.
a. And we can see why it would be impossible to live a life that pleases God without love.
3. Jesus has shown us how to love one another.
a. John 13:34: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
b. So the command to love one another was not a new command – what is new about the command is how we are to love one another.
c. We are to love one another like Jesus loved us – and we all know how Jesus has loved us.
4. Fortunately, we are not left to ourselves to generate that kind of love.
a. Romans 5:5 says: And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
b. And Galatians 5:23 says: But the fruit of the Spirit is love…God is love and God empowers us to love.
C. Why is it so important that we love one another?
1. There are many reasons.
a. First, there is the fact that God is love and we must be like God.
b. Second, there is the fact that all of God’s commands can be summed up in the command to love God and love our neighbor.
c. Third, and very importantly, there is the fact that love makes a difference.
2. Love changes lives.
a. Jackie Landry shared her true story of the power of love on NPR.
b. She wrote: “I believe in the ingredients of love, the elements from which it is made. I believe in love's humble, practical components and their combined power.
c. We adopted Luke four years ago. The people from the orphanage dropped him off at our hotel room without even saying goodbye.
d. He was nearly six years old, only 28 pounds and his face was crisscrossed with scars. Clearly, he was terrified.
e. “What are his favorite things?” I yelled. “Noodles,” they replied as the elevator door shut.
f. Luke kicked and screamed. I stood between him and the door to keep him from bolting. His cries were anguished, animal-like. He had never seen a mirror and tried to escape by running through one.
g. I wound my arms around him so he could not hit or kick.
h. After an hour and a half he finally fell asleep, exhausted.
i. I called room service. They delivered every noodle dish on the menu.
j. Luke woke up, looked at me and started sobbing again.
k. I handed him chopsticks and pointed at the food. He stopped crying and started to eat. He ate until I was sure he would be sick.
l. That night we went for a walk. Delighted at the moon, he pantomimed, “What is it?” I said, “The moon, it's the moon.” He reached up and tried to touch it.
m. He cried again when I tried to give him a bath until I started to play with the water. By the end of his bath the room was soaked and he was giggling. I lotioned him up, powdered him down and clothed him in soft PJs.
n. We read the book One Yellow Lion. He loved looking at the colorful pictures and turning the pages. By the end of the night he was saying, “one yellow lion.”
o. The next day we met orphanage officials to do paperwork. Luke was on my lap as they filed into the room.
p. He looked at them and wrapped my arms tightly around his waist.
q. He was a sad, shy boy for a long time after those first days.
r. He cried easily and withdrew at the slightest provocation. He hid food in his pillowcase and foraged in garbage cans. I wondered then if he would ever get over the wounds of neglect that the orphanage had beaten into him.
s. It has been four years. Luke is a smart, funny, happy fourth-grader. He is loaded with charm and is a natural athlete.
t. His teachers say he is well behaved and works very hard. Our neighbor says she has never seen a happier kid.
u. When I think back, I am amazed at what transformed this abused, terrified little creature.
v. It was not therapy, counselors or medications. It did not cost money, require connections or great privilege.
w. It was love: just simple, plain, easy to give.
x. Love is primal. It is comprised of compassion, care, security, and a leap of faith.
y. I believe in the power of love to transform. I believe in the power of love to heal.”
z. All of us have seen lives changed by God’s love and the love of God’s people – including our own!
1. Who is the Luke that God wants to change through your love?
3. Let me suggest one other reason why it is so important that we love one another – it confirms that we are followers of Jesus.
a. Back to the passage I mentioned earlier from John 13 about loving as Jesus loved, the next verse says: 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
b. The Associated Press conducted a survey of 39 different Protestant church groups and they asked one question: “What is the number one factor that causes congregations to grow?”
1. The survey revealed that the number one characteristic of a growing church was the atmosphere of love among the membership.
2. The Associated Press concluded that people everywhere are looking for love and therefore are attracted to it.
c. The greatest compliment that any church can receive is that it is a loving church.
D. So if we want to live a life that pleases God and impacts others, then we must:
1. Walk in holiness.
2. Walk in love.
III. Third, living to please God means to walk in integrity.
A. Look at how Paul described it: 11 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
1. These are interesting verses.
2. As we have noticed in our study thus far, being ready for the second coming of Christ is an important theme.
3. It appears that some 1st Century Christians, including some of the Thessalonians, misunderstood how to be ready for Christ’s coming.
4. Being overly anxious and zealous about Christ’s coming, many of them quit their jobs, they stopped paying their bills, and they were obnoxious in their attempts to prepare others for Christ’s return.
B. With that in mind, look at Paul’s instructions.
1. Consider the opposite. Imagine if Paul said: Make it your ambition to lead a noisy life, to stick your nose in other people’s business and to not work with your hands.
2. To do those things would be to bring attention to yourself and make yourself an irritant to others.
C. Notice the reason that Paul gave in verse 12 for not being that way: so your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you won’t be dependent on anybody.
1. What kind of life wins the respect of outsiders?
2. Certainly a life of holiness, love and integrity would win the respect of unbelievers.
a. When Christians talk about holiness, but don’t live a holy life, then respect is lost.
b. When Christians talk about love, but don’t live a loving life, then respect is lost.
c. When Christians talk about integrity, but then don’t live integrity, then respect is lost.
D. Can you understand how unbelievers might have little respect for people who are loud, obnoxious and meddlesome and who are unwilling to support themselves?
1. Do you remember the old English proverb: “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop”?
2. People who are idle often spend their time interfering in the affairs of others and get themselves into other kinds of trouble.
3. When we are busy earning a living and doing productive things, then we don’t have much time to get into trouble.
4. So there are many good reasons why we should work and earn a living, including: staying out of trouble, providing for our families, avoiding being dependent on others, and so that we can help others in need.
E. Add to those reasons for the sake of evangelism.
1. For Paul, a key to evangelism was the integrity of a Christian’s life.
2. The foundation for evangelism is a life that displays holiness, a life that displays sacrificial love for others, and a life that exhibits tranquility, order, and the faithful carrying out of personal responsibility.
F. In the summer of 1805, a number of Indian chiefs and warriors met in council at Buffalo Creek, NY, to hear a presentation of the Christian message by Mr. Cram from the Boston Missionary Society.
1. After the sermon, a response was given by Red Jacket, one of the leading chiefs.
2. Among other things, the chief said: “Brother, we are told that you have been preaching to the white people in this place. These people are our neighbors. We are acquainted with them. We will wait a little while and see what effect your preaching has upon them. If we find it does them good, makes them honest and less disposed to cheat Indians, we will then consider again what you have said.” (Warren W. Wiesbe, Be Hopeful)
3. Isn’t that interesting – Red Jacket basically said: “We want to see the positive, practical results of the gospel on people before we are ready to believe it and embrace it.”
Conclusion:
A. So Paul instructed the Thessalonians and instructed us in how to live in a way that pleases God.
1. Living that way not only pleases God, it also impacts others and makes the gospel attractive.
2. There is a close connection between the way we live and the attitude that unbelievers will have toward the gospel.
3. Our lives are either building bridges for the gospel or our lives are burning them down.
B. Robert Putnam, professor of public policy at Harvard, who was described by London’s Sunday Times as the most influential academic in the world today, is not a religious believer, but has concluded from his research that religious people are nicer than non-religious people.
1. In 2010, Putnam and his co-author David Campbell published a book titled American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us.
2. His research revealed that religious people make better citizens and better neighbors.
3. He summarized, “On every measurable scale, religious Americans are more generous, altruistic and more involved in civic life than their secular counterparts.
4. He found that they are more likely to give blood, give money to a homeless person, financial aid to family or friends, give a seat to a stranger and to spend time with someone who is “a bit down.”
5. What can’t be denied, according to Robert Putnam and his co-researcher David Campbell, is that there is something unique about a religious community that has an impact on people for good - And that is the way it should be – Amen!
C. Have you ever considered the tangible impact of Jesus Christ on our world?
1. Sociologist, Alvin Schmidt, former professor of sociology at Illinois College (retired in 1999), decided to do an extensive research project to answer that question.
2. A summary of his research can be found in his excellent book How Christianity Changed the World.
3. It is an inspiring and insightful tour of church history, from the first century through to our modern world.
4. His description of the number of people transformed through their faith in Jesus Christ is nothing short of astonishing, as is the resulting impact on every sector of society.
5. Schmidt lists the following areas in which Christianity has changed the world.
a. In the sanctity of human life.
b. In sexual morality.
c. In women’s dignity and freedom – without a doubt, the birth of Jesus was the turning point in history for women.
d. In charity and compassion.
e. In hospitals and health care.
f. In education.
g. In labor and economic freedom.
h. In science – It may surprise you to know that Christians have been pioneers in all fields of science. In fact, modern science is an outgrowth of Christian theology.
i. In abolishing slavery.
j. In art, architecture, literature and music.
D. It is scary to think what this world would be like without Jesus and His followers!
1. We must continue to live a life that pleases God so that we can have an impact on the world!
E. Let me end with one more story that stands as an example of how Christians can live in a way that pleases God and impacts the world.
1. A 1991 article tells this story: Eight times the Ministry of Education in East Germany said “no” to Uwe Holmer’s children when they tried to enroll at the university of East Berlin.
2. The Ministry of Education wasn’t required to give reasons for its rejection of applications for enrollment.
3. But in this case the reason wasn’t hard to guess – Uwe Holmer, the father of the eight applicants was a Lutheran minister in East Berlin (Communist East Berlin).
4. For twenty-six years the Ministry of Education was headed by Margot Honecker, wife of East Germany’s premier, Erich Honecker.
5. When the Berlin Wall fell, Honecker and his wife were unceremoniously dismissed from office.
6. They were evicted from their luxurious palace.
7. The Honeckers suddenly found themselves friendless, without resources, and with no place to go.
8. None of their former communist, atheist cronies showed them any compassion or offered them any assistance.
9. Uwe Holmer, remembering the words of Jesus, “If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also,” extended an invitation to the Honeckers to stay with his family in the parsonage of the Lutheran parish he served, and the Honeckers accepted his invitation.
10. At the time this article was written, Pastor Holmer had not been able to report that the Honeckers had renounced their atheism and professed faith in Jesus, but Holmer was able to report that the Honeckers at least fold their hands and bow their heads when his family prays together.
11. I’m sure many a Christian and non-Christian were amazed at what the Holmers did for their communist enemies, the Honeckers.
F. Living a life that pleases God and impacts the world is a life characterized by holiness, love and integrity.
1. That kind of life is truly a life worth living.
2. God will reward it and will use it to accomplish much good!
3. Don’t you want to live a life that pleases God and impacts the world?
4. God will surely help us to do so!
Resources:
The NIV Application Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Michael W. Holmes, Zondervan, 1998.
The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, John MacArthur, Moody, 2002.
The Bible Exposition Commentary, 1 Thessalonians, Warren W. Wiersbe, Victor Books, 1989.
The Daily Study Bible Series, 1 Thessalonians, William Barclay, Westminster Press, 1975.
Inside Outside, Sermon by Ed Vasicek, SermonCentral.com
Walk Worthy, Sermon by Gordon Curley, SermonCentral.com
Behold, How They Love One Another, Sermon by Davon Huss, SermonCentral.com
God's truth, believers are nicer, by Simon Smart, September 9, 2011, http://www.theage.com.au/opinion
/society-and-culture/gods-truth-believers-are-nicer-20110908-1jzrl.html#ixzz1sWAO9IW0
Mark Conner's Space, September 13, 2011, How Christianity Changed the World, http://markconner.
typepad.com.catch_the_wind/2011/09/how-christianity-changed-the-world.html
The Power of Love to Transform and to Heal, by Jackie Lantry, http://www.npr.org/templates/
story/story.php?storyId=4769850
