The life that is Pleasing to God.
Hebrews 11:1, 6, 17-19
INTRODUCTION:
1.) What could be a better desire for any of us than to please God with our lives?
A.) Hebrews 11 has been called by many the roll call of faith.
B.) There are many great men and women of God listed there who learned what it meant to live a life that is pleasing to God.
C.) This morning as we look a Hebrews 11, I want us to study a little bit of the life of a man who learned to live his life in a way that was pleasing to God.
ca.) Today, I want us to study the life of Abraham, and his faith, and worship that made him a man pleasing to God.
I. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD WITHOUT AN ACTIVE FAITH.
--Hebrews 11:6
1.) Faith is a basic requirement to a life that pleases God.
A.) We can choose any number of people in the Scriptures that had a positive relationship with God and we will find in them at least one common characteristic:
aa.) There may be far more than one common trait, but in any person of the Old or New Testament, who lived a life pleasing to God, you will find that man or woman was a person of faith.
B.) The pages of Scripture show us the lives of many men and women who had a strong faith in God.
C.) Though they would have looked to God for their salvation that was not the limit of their faith.
ca.) These were people whose views of God was far more intimate than merely a desire for salvation.
cb.) These were people seeking an intimate relationship with God Himself.
D.) When a person puts God first in his life, he or she is a person who seeks to honour and glorify God.
da.) The result of such a faith is that God will more than bless that person for any sacrifices they have made in in their commitment of faith in God.
db.) Certainly, the Word of God lists many people with that type of faith.
2.) Abraham would have been one of many in Scripture who demonstrate a life of faith.
A.) Certainly there are many things both good and bad we could say about Abraham, just as there is of any of the people in the Scriptures, or even any of us.
aa.) Abraham was far from a perfect man, and Scripture certainly does not hide his flaws.
ab.)Yet the thing which really sticks out with Abraham was his faith in God.
aba.) Through all of his ups and downs, Abraham maintained a strong faith in God and tried to live a life pleasing to God.
B.) Abraham had a faith in God that moved and motivated every aspect of his walk with God, and with man.
ba.) Certainly there are many examples of his walk of faith we could mention today.
bb.) Because of His faith in God, Abraham was able to show us perhaps more fully than anyone else other than Christ what it
means to worship God.
bba.) The Bible mentions many people who worshipped God, but Abraham shows us worship even when he was dealing with brokenness and pain.
3.) Abraham’s worship of God completely blows away the preconceived notions of worship most Christians and churches practice.
A.) If I was to ask the average Christian what it means to worship God, I could predict many of the answers that would be given to me.
B.) Most Christians would tell me something to the effect that worship is joining with God’s people, and singing Church songs that uplift
our spirits.
ba.) Others might tell me that worship is giving an offering to God, partaking of the Lord’s Supper, and hearing a sermon.
bb.) I do not I do not want to lessen any of these aspects of our church services, but I suspect that if Abraham was in the room with us
he would tell us that we have missed the boat in understanding what true worship is.
bba.) The reality is that we can perform any one of these functions without ever experiencing true Biblical worship that brings us into a close and intimate relationship with Almighty God.
bc.) Certainly if the heart is right with God, any one of these things can come from our worship to God, and may even be part of our worship experience, but to be honest, none of these things we often call worship really defines what worship is, or what it means to truly
worship God.
bd.) Jesus told the woman at the well, the true worshippers are those who worship in Spirit, and in truth.
be.) In other words, to have a life that is pleasing to God, and be able to worship God in a way that pleases Him, requires far more than just going through the motions we call worship.
C.) Abraham knew what it meant to worship God.
ca.) Look with me to Gen. 22:5
cb.) To reacquaint you with that passage, Abraham was going to Mount Moriah for the purpose of sacrificing his son to God.
cc.) We all know the end of this account, and that God would see his faithfulness and not require the life of his son, Isaac.
cd.) As I studied that passage of Scripture it occurred to me that this account of Abraham’s worship experience, would differ from the
definitions of worship most churches and Christians have about worship.
ce.) Scripture described this as a time of worship, and yet it was not a time Abraham would have experienced an emotional high, nor was it a joyful experience in his walk with God.
cf.) In fact at that time his heart was probably more broken than at any other time in his life.
cfa.) The picture and description of worship of Abraham in his worship of God in Genesis 22 would likely not even be included in our views or definitions of worship.
cg.) We usually associate worship with singing and joy, but I am doubtful that Abraham would have felt like singing though Scripture says it was a time of worship.
ch.) In fact the only song that comes to my mind that expresses the worship of Abraham at this time would have been Judson W. Van
de Venter’s Hymn: I surrender All. Listen to the words of that hymn:
cha.) .)All to Jesus I surrender, All to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live.
chb.) All to Jesus I surrender, Humbly at His feet I bow, Worldly pleasures all forsaken; Take me, Jesus, take me now.
chc.) All to Jesus I surrender, Make me, Savior, wholly Thine; Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit, Truly know that Thou art mine.
chd.) All to Jesus I surrender, Lord, I give myself to Thee; Fill me with Thy love and power, Let Thy blessing fall on me.
che.)) [Chorus] I surrender all, I surrender all. All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.
ci.) Even though this was a time of worship it was not an exciting, or happy or joyous time for Abraham.
cia.) The experience would not have elevated his emotions, but rather sunk them to the very depths of his existence.
cib.) These same statements could also be made of Job. Scripture records Job worshipping God in the midst of very trying situations.
cib-1.) Job 1:19-21
cib-2.) Like Abraham, Job experienced worship, but neither one of them were joyous or excited, content, or happy at that point in their lives.
cob-3.) The worshipful experience of these two men show us that sometimes worship does not have to mean being raised up to
emotional and spiritual highs, but rather to just consciously come into the presence of God recognizing Him as our God.
cj.) But both of these men reveal to us the heart of one who is pleasing to God, and who gives himself in true worship to God.
ck.) The account of Abraham and his willingness to sacrifice his son is not telling us that we will have to give up our children or anything else to serve God.
cka.) What the account shows us is that be pleasing to God in our worship is not merely a matter of going to Church, singing hymns, and choruses, or any of the other things which we have mistakenly called worship.
ckb.) True worship is a life that is turned over completely to God. It is a life that will glorify God in every part of our being, withholding
nothing from God, and surrendering to Him every part of our lives.
D.) This new understanding on the worship of Abraham motivated me to do a Word Study on the term “Worship”.
da.) I looked at 250 verses of Scripture in the Bible that speak of worship, and to my surprise, I only found seven of those 250 verses that actually spoke of worship as including music, or singing.
daa.) In fact One of those passages (in reference to the worship of a false god) stated the worship was to occur when the music was played. (Dan.3:5).
dab.) That is not to say that music and singing do not occur at times of worship, but that true worship is much deeper.
dab-1.) True worship is not in the externals we do, but in a heart fully surrendered to God.
E.)In my word study on worship I did find a few common themes as to what worship actually is.
ea.) Perhaps the most common thing in the verse dealing with worship was the idea of bowing down to God in reverence, and in awe of
God.
eb.) Many of these passages would have also carried the idea of bowing before God with repentance .
ec.) Let’s just look at a few of these passages on worship, and of a life that is pleasing to God:
eca.) The account of the search for a wife for Isaac involved worship.
eca-1.) Gen. 24:25-27, 48
ecb.) When Moses and Aaron went to tell Israel that God was going to deliver them from Egypt the nation bowed down in worship.
ecb-2.) Exodus 4:27-31
ecc.) God’s using Moses to tell the Israelites not to worship false gods included this.
ecc-1.) Deut. 11:16-17
ecd.) The Psalmist urged the people to worship God in this manner.
ecd-1.) Ps. 95:5-7
F.) Certainly this is a different view of worship than what most people would describe as worship today.
G.) The Bible does speak of other aspects that can be worship as well:
ga.) Scripture tells us that worship to the Jewish people included the bringing of bringing offerings, burnt offerings, fellowship offerings, etc. to God.
gaa.) Josh. 22:27
gb.) Worship also includes the idea of service, and serving God from the heart.
gc.) Worship also meant to honour the Word and commandments of God.
gca.) 2 Kings 17:15-16
gcb.) Neh. 8:5-7
H.) Certainly at times, the bible also includes singing and music in worship.
ha.) The entire book of Psalms was meant as a song book for the Jewish people, in their worship of God.
haa.) Ps. 100:2
hab.) 2 Chron. 29:28-30
4.) True worship shows us that mere Religious activity apart from faith does not please God.
A.) There were times that God even condemned the offerings, and sacrifices and other forms of worship the people were giving to God,
because they were going through motions, but not having hearts that were worshipping God.
B.) True worship is the expression of love towards God from a heart that is dedicated and surrendered to Him.
ba.) It can include any of the things we associate with worship, but any of these things by themselves without a heart given to God are meaningless.
5.) Let us go back and focus on our theme verse (Heb. 11:6).
A.) This verse shows us it is possible to live a life that will please God.
aa.) It also shows us the way to be pleasing to God is through our faith.
ab.) When we look at Abraham in his willingness to offer his own son in worship to God it was not the mere act, but a heart of faith that was willing to fully surrender to the word and Will of God that made Abraham pleasing in the sight of the Lord.
6.) That brings us to ask the question, what is faith?
A.) I have seen no better answer to that question, than the one which Scripture itself gives us.
aa.) Heb. 11:1
ab.) I am going to read that verse again, this time from the King James version because I personally prefer that rendering of the text.
aba.) “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
II. THE INGREDIENTS OF A FAITH THAT PLEASES GOD IS REALLY WHAT MAKES A PERSON PLEASING TO GOD IN HIS WORSHIP AND LIFE.
-- Heb. 11:6
1.) We must believe that God exists
A.) More than there mere existence of God, we need to have faith that so focusses on God rather than ourselves that we can trust him with the control of our life.
B.) It is only in the fullness of faith, that we can so trust God as to put our lives completely in His hands, and be able to surrender ourselves completely to His Lordship and will.
2.) Abraham was able to worship God, even with the life of his own son because he had come to a level of faith in God that caused him to believe that God will reward those who diligently seek him as Heb. 1:6 tells us.
A.) Abraham’s faith brought him to fully trust and surrender Himself to God.
B.) In that giving of the things he valued most in life over to God, he found God was pleased in his faith and worship.
ba.) He found also in that state with God, he had found the only God in whom he or anyone could ever trust without fail.
CONCLUSION:
1.) My prayer for each person here today is that wherever you are in your walk of faith, that you will continue to grow in that faith.
2.) I pray that each person here will come to a faith that gives you the ability to fully surrender your Life to God.
3.) It is there in a life fully surrendered to God, that you will find God rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
