Memory Verse: …You should learn more and more to do the things that please the Lord – Ephesians 5:10 (EasyEnglish).
Text: Romans 12:1-2
Spiritual Emphasis: Accepting His sacrifice and following Christ into grace is a key component of pleasing God. God does not want you to be a slave to sin and death. Accepting the gift of salvation that God offers to you is the greatest thing you can do to please Him.
Ways to Pleasing God
- Accepting Christ Sacrifice: The first step in pleasing God is to accept Christ sacrifice for sin that He provided by His death on the cross. Only then are we “in the Spirit” and not “in the flesh”. We do this by faith – John 3:16; Eph. 2:8; Rom. 8:6-8.
- We must live by faith: God cannot be pleased with those who “shrink back” from Him because they have no confidence in Him or they doubt the truth of His declarations and promises, or who do not believe that His ways are right and holy and perfect – 1 Thessalonians 4:1-9; Heb. 11:6; James 4:8.
- Praise the Lord: Praise is the appropriate response to God. He is worthy of all our praise. We teach our children to be thankful – not for our own sake but for theirs. We are pleased when they are thankful. God teaches us to praise Him because it is the right response to Him and because it is good for you. Thanksgiving is an appropriate response to human generosity. Continual praise is the appropriate response to God’s generosity to us –1 Thess. 5:18; Psalm 9:1-2; Psalm 33:1-4; Psalm 113:1-3.
Question/Activity: How do I figure out what will please God on a daily basis and then do it?
Conclusion: Pleasing God is, or should be, the goal of all believers. Figuring out what pleases God involves studying God’s word to understand His will, cultivating faith and trust in Him, and living out that understanding through righteous actions, worship, and kindness. The requirements for all who want to please God are that you seek Him by faith, walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh, and walk worthy of our calling in obedience and submission to the will of God.
Shalom!
Self-Study: Galatians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:4; Prov. 16:7; 1 Cor. 10:31-33; 1 John 3:22; 2 Cor. 5:9; 2 Tim. 2:4; Acts 5:29; Col. 1:10; Col. 3:20; Col. 3:22-23; Heb. 11:5; Heb. 13:16; John 14:15; Heb. 10:38.
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