Hebrews 13:18-25
Pleasing the Lord!
Introduction
1. We love to try and please our boss.
2. We as humans have a natural tendency to want to please people.
3. Kids do this often with their parents. That is why you have all those pictures hanging on your refrigerator
4. Even though you might not know what the picture is it is your kid trying to do something nice to please you
5. I love the one commercial when the kids make there parents briefest in bed and the mom leans over to the dad and says we don’t have the ingredients in the house to make pancakes. Those kids were trying to please their parents.
6. To day I would like to talk about the Ingredients that we need to please the Lord
I. Prayer 18-19
A. Explanation
1. Whoever wrote the book of Hebrews was obviously a smart man, He believed that God would answer the prayer of God people.
2. The funny thing in all of this is the fact that he has spent the entire letter scolding them. This implies that were definitely still saved, despite all their issues.
3. The author knew the what the Lord wanted him to do, however he wanted to make sure that there would be people in prayer for him
B. Application
1. God wants us to talk to him.
2. He wants to here us call his name
3. Is that so much to ask for?
4. Please the Lord and Pray.
C. Illustration ???
II. Peace 20
A. Explanation
1. WE know that God is a God of peace.
2. We know that God desires us to live a peaceful life.
3. God does not want his children in the middle of all the turmoil of the World
4. God Wants Peace!
B. Application
1. So that brings us to the question of how do we get peace.
2. God is the God of Peace (VS 20)
3. Peace cannot be found in this world
4. Peace is only from God.
5. Apart from God there is not peace
6. If we want to please God we must let His peace be in our lives
C. Illustration -- Imagine if there was a product out there that could increase your work productivity by 400 percent and was given to you as a gift from your boss, and you did not use it. Your boss would feel pretty bad. Think about it our heavenly boss gave us the gift of peace what if we don’t use it?
III Perfection 20-21
A. Explanation
1. The Greek word for perfection is Katartizo.
2. This particular Greek word for perfection is often used in the medical field.
3. It was often used to refer to a broken bone that was torn apart to be reset to be made perfect again.
B. Application
1. It pleases God when we are perfect.
2. You say that with man this is impossible. However your are not looking close enough at the meaning of perfection
3. The fact that the same word for perfection is the word the describes a break in the bone make us think in a different way
C. Illustration – When I was 11 I was riding my bike fell off, George Picked me up, went Dr Mcelevys, went to passavent, the doctor did the most painful thing.
4. Sometimes this route to perfection is painful. We have to be willing to be broken by God.
5. To let the God of perfection put us back together.
6. To be put together according to his will.
7. Perfection pleases God!
IV. Praise 21
A. Explanation
1. By the time we realize that our prayer, our peace in God, our pursuit of perfection out of all this comes a doxology
2. This should be a natural reaction.
3. The word doxology comes from the Greek work for glory or majesty.
4. Praise then is the reflection of God’s glory and majesty.
B. Application
1. it pleases God when we praise him
2. When we should Hallelujah with our hearts lifted up to him and rejoicing in him and He is pleased.
3. To often when neglect god in our praise.
4. To often we prayer “Lord, I need this, I need that, give me this give me that.” Let’s stop that two year old spiritual baby stuff
C. Illustration
1. I had a camper from Arbuckle, watching him praise the lord
V. Performance 22
A. Explanation
1. Read Vs 22
2. Now let me give you the common folk translation “I told you what to do now get on with it!”
3. So that brings us to the point performance, commonly referred to our obedience
B. Application
1. How is our performance?
2. Would God see it a acceptable
3. Our we being obedient to God
4. Performance pleases God.
5. We need to get to the point in our lives that we seriously live out everything that was written in the book of Hebrews instead of just saying that would be a good thing to do.
6. If we can ever get to that point in our performance we would please God
C. Illustration
Conclusion
1. This book has told us many different things, if we follow them we please God
2. If we don’t God is not pleased
3. Shouldn’t we try and please God?
4. Shouldn’t we give the one of our hope of eternal life a shot?
5. Shouldn’t we do our best for our Savior
6. Doesn’t our Heavenly Father deserve more?
7. Let us try to please God!
