Central Thought: We were created to please God and do His will.
Hymn: All to Jesus I surrender
Text: Colossians 1:9-11, John 4:34, Hebrews 11:6
At conversion, a repentant sinner is forgiven and washed clean to begin a new life. His ambitions and aspirations are re-ordered as he contemplates on how to please God before anything else. We were created for His pleasure and the reason for our existence is to keep doing His will (Revelation 4:11). There must be real agreement between out professed faith and our practical life. This harmony is a manifestation of our willingness to please God. It involves the prayerful discharge of our duties.
The Christian race is a call to the service of God, where the means and the methods are determined by God as revealed in His Word. Our lives must be primarily patterned to seek His pleasure. This is the only way our lives will count now and hereafter.
Lesson Objectives:
The objectives of this study are as follows:
- To explain what it means to please the Lord.
- To discuss the place of faith, grace, and obedience in pleasing the Lord.
- To identify some Bible characters who pleased the Lord and others who did not.
- To enumerate attitudes and habits that will enable one to please God.
- To know the consequences of not pleasing God and the benefits of pleasing Him.
Question 1.) What does it mean to please God?
To please God is to do things according to His will. It begins with being reconciled to God by believing in His son Jesus Christ and putting our faith in His finished work on calvary. It is to live according to the will and purpose of God, and to become an agent of God’s kingdom here on earth.
Pleasing the Lord is to live a life that is governed by the word of God, the Spirit of God and the love of God which all together results in pleasing God. It is to do things that will delight God on a continuous and consistent manner.
Pleasing God shows the core/pillar/pivot of our relationship with God because it is the primary reason for our existence.
Question 2.) Discuss the place of faith, grace, and obedience in pleasing the Lord.
Ephesians 2:6-10, Hebrews 11:6, 13:20-21
Pleasing God is beyond mere compliance to a set of rules and regulations. It is more or less an exercise that has diving backing, provision and expectation.
Faith is the attitude by which we are projected into relationship with the Father through the Son. By this we enter into communion with God, and become pleasing and acceptable to Him.
Grace is the divine provision which qualifies us to approach God so that our sinful nature may receive mercy and forgiveness. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sins and brings us into the position of fellowship with God.
Obedience is the practical manifestation of faith and it is required of every believer by God.
Faith, grace and obedience are key elements in our resolve to please God. Obedience is the practical expression of faith, while faith is the positive attitude by which we tap into the grace of God.
Question 3.) Discuss how the following bible characters pleased the Lord.
- Noah (Genesis 6:8-9,22, Hebrews 11:7)
He was described as a just and perfect man who had fellowship with God. He pleased God by preaching righteousness, lived in obedience and built the ark of salvation as instructed by God.
- Abraham (Genesis 12:1-4, Hebrews 11:8, 17)
He heeded God’s call, had faith in God, withheld nothing from God and was patient in waiting for the promise of God.
- Joseph (Genesis 39:4-9)
He was faithful to God and to a human master, diligent service, knew God and had deep reverence for Him.
- Daniel (Daniel 1:8)
Daniel and his three friends resolved to consecrate themselves. They were hardworking, diligent, and prayerful. They were a great intercessor who had implicit confidence in God.
- Our Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:6-9)
The Lord Jesus who is our perfect example, submitted to God’s will, was humble and focused. He gave up His comfort in Heaven and His life on earth to save mankind from damnation.
- The early Apostles (Acts 5:29)
They left all to follow Jesus, received impartation of the Holy Spirit and they changed their world and paid with their lives.
- And many other men and women of faith in both the Old and New testament also lived to please God at moments of great trials.
Question 4.) Identify the factors that prevented the following from pleasing the Lord?
- King Saul (1 Samuel 15:10-11, 13:9)
This first King of Israel failed to please God because of outright disobedience, impunity and greed.
- Eli (1 Samuel 2:27-34, 3:12-14)
He could not please the Lord because of complacency to the errors of his children.
- King Solomon ( 1 Kings 11:1-4)
This greatly favored king became a symbol of pride, carnal lust, idolatry, and disobedience to God in his later years.
- Judas Iscariot (Matthew 27:3-4, John 12:6)
He did not please God because greed and desire for material gain mattered most in his priorities.
- Demas (2 Timothy 4:10)
He submitted to desire for worldly things (1 John 2:15-17).
On a general note, lack of knowledge of the word of God, wrong association, lusts and greed, complacency towards the things of God, idolatry, materialism, and sheer disobedience are major factors that could hinder one from pleasing God.
Question 5.) Identify some Christian virtues that will aid our desire to please God.
Hebrews 11:6, 13:16, 2 Corinthians 6:14, John 9:4
Faith is the first of such virtues, without which we can never please God. We must have some element of confidence and trust in God’s ability. Next is knowledge of God’s word and readiness to practice it without complaint. Pleasing God is a continuous lifestyle. We must be willing to lead a worthy lifestyle governed by the word of God. Right association and true fellowship will help us in our desire to please God. We must learn to be in the presence of God regularly, and to be in the company of those who will build our faith. We must also watch and pray, being sensitive in spirt and body to our environment, committing all our cares and worries to Him who is able to keep us. We should also keep our focus on the ultimate prize of our calling which is eternal life, and thereby remain resolute and diligent to offer holy and acceptable service unto God. To please Him we must be consecrated, putting the kingdom of God and His righteousness first in all that we do.
Question 6.) What are the consequences of not pleasing the Lord?
1 Samuel 15:23, 3:12-14, Revelation 21:8
Believers who are not pleasing the lord are laboring in vain because there will be no satisfaction from such laborers. It will be a life of struggle and complain because of the absence of grace. There will not be fruit that are of eternal value, and protection from God is not guaranteed. It will result ultimately in rejection by God, unfavorable judgement, destruction, and eternal damnation in Hell fire.
Question 7.) Enumerate some rewards we obtain by pleasing the Lord.
Proverbs 16:7, Matthew 19:29, Revelation 3:8-10
When we please the Lord, we receive peace that is beyond human comprehension (deep seated and life-giving peace). Divine joy and satisfaction will continue to well-up within us propelling us to keep keeping on in the faith. That believer will experience victorious living continuously here on earth. He will be fruitful and will experience increase in all aspects of life. He gets divine approval and divine commendation for steps, and he lives in the abundance of the grace and favor of the Almighty. By doing the will of God he will experience God’s protection, and at the end of the earthly sojourn, he will be rewarded with authority and a crown of righteousness that will never fade away.
Daily Living Application
A life that must be pleasing unto God must be built on scriptural principles. It should be characterized by genuine conversion manifested in testimony of a changed life. It will give priority to issues of eternal value, will be zealous of good works and will persevere in the face of challenges. The task of pleasing the Lord is tedious but His sufficient grace is always available. When we please the Lord, everything else will be at peace with us.
Memory Verse:
Hebrews 11:6
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him: For He that cometh to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”.