Living to Please God

He created the cosmos, not merely universe but cosmos (as in Cosmo magazine… beauty, fashion, love)… the cosmos is the beautifully ordered harmonious universe born from a God of beauty, order and harmony.

When God rescued Israel from Egypt he wanted to live with his people so he gave orders for a beautiful tabernacle of gold and blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen.

Where God lives, there is to be beauty, order, harmony.

His high priest had to don garments of blue and purple and gold and fine linen to go into God’s presence.

Where God is there is amazing grace, justice and mercy, and also beauty, order and harmony!

While every human being has something of that wonderful character of God within us… by and large that is not what people are like.

There are people who will help others in fires and floods… and people who go out looting.

The Privilege of Christians to “Make” God attractive… to a watching, wondering world.

But more generally for those who form relationship with God through Jesus… our unattractive old self-centred, angry, impatient, immature selves gradually become more God centred… and other centred, more patient, wise and caring…

And even if our bodies age and wrinkle by God’s grace we become more attractive people to those around us.

Something God does for those who follow him closely for a long period of time is make us more attractive.

But I wonder if you’ve ever thought about our responsibility… well actually delight and privilege of every Christian to make God more attractive?

Through the prophet Jeremiah God says this of his people exiled from the Promised Land because of their sin...

Jeremiah 33:7–9 (NIV84)

7 I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before. 8 I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. 9 Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it...

Look at those words again…

Renown… standing, reputation, fame

Joy… jubilation

Praise… glory… songs of praise

Honour… beauty, splendour, radiance

When God’s people fall into sin… and the chaos and heartache that always follows sin, God’s good name is tarnished.

Just think of the stories of child abuse that have come out over the last decade and how that reflected on the reputation of God.

What does the WSC Q1 say? What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy him forever.

Why did God bring Israel out of exile?

Jer 33:9 “9 Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it”

Why did Jesus die and rise again and bring us into relationship with God?

Jer 33:9 “9 Then this people will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for them”

Now make no mistake, there is a sense in which God won’t let his name be dishonoured… at least not forever; he will bring honour to his name through the destruction of people who refuse to honour him.

But how much more joy to his heart and honour to his name to have a Christian church that sets its heart to bring honour to God and adorn the Name of God before a world where many are wondering if there is anything to this God stuff?

The world looks at creation, babies, flowers, rivers and mountains, the changing of the seasons… and thinks it looks like it’s created not accidental… but it seems like God has abandoned it… hasn’t he?

Look at the chaos and bloodshed and injustice and cover ups. Look at the wars in homes and businesses and countries. If there is a God he’s gone AWOL… hasn’t he?

Well, no actually. Look at the church of Jesus and see God made manifest… the beauty and glory and attractiveness of the invisible God appearing to a sceptical world.

How do we do that?

Living the Holy Life

1 Thessalonians 4:1–3 (NIV84)

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. 3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;… 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.

Many people wonder: what is God’s will for my life?

Some things change with life stage and life circumstances… God’s will for career, marriage partner, children, or retirement and what to do with our estate become more or less important dependent on our stage in life.

However this will never change: Whatever stage of life, whatever place we may be in life, young or old, in a mansion or in a jail cell…

God wants us to live to please him and be set apart for his purposes, to live a holy life where ever we are…

I think most of us have been in churches long enough to know that God says, avoid sexual immorality, control yourself, don’t take advantage of one another, love each other deeply… from the heart… and do it all more and more.

Is that a fair summary of vv 3-12?

What must we understand if we’re to fulfil God’s command to be sanctified - not just knowing good but being good!

Question is: How do we do that throughout our individual and corporate earthly life?

Why is it that churches generally are not the very different counter-cultural communities that amaze onlookers and bringing people into relationship with Jesus?

We know what to do… But it is so much easier to be smart than to be good… isn’t it?

Knowing what to do is easier than doing it.

Knowing what to eat to stay healthy, knowing that God commands us to forgive not just our friends but our enemies… knowing that being with someone and listening to them is a wonderful gift of love to someone… is different to doing those things!

What do we need to understand if the Christian church, you and me, are going to adorn God’s name by living in ways that please him… doing it more and more as we move through life…so that we become holy and God is desired by people who watch us?

Have you ever noticed how Jesus navigated some very stressful and highly emotion times his in life, yet did it with grace and serenity?

Control our own bodies, v4

He knew how to live to please God… avoid sexual immorality, control his own body in a way that is holy and honourable.

Notice that Paul doesn’t say control looters and stupid drivers and wayward children and telemarketers… and don’t get flooded and surround yourself with godly people and have plenty of money and a good education and live in a sensible liberal democracy and you will be sanctified and God’s name glorified.

Control your own body in a way that is holy and honourable.

Control your own body…

Now think of Jesus life in this respect.

Look anywhere in his ministry. So much in his world and in his life was not under his control. He was constantly in very challenging circumstances.

This is why it is so important to understand something of the concept that Jesus was and is fully man… as well as fully God.

For example, in Mt 4, Jesus being tempted by Satan in the wilderness. After 40 days w/o food Jesus was hungry! (Well, he would be!). The tempter came to him… (remember 1 Thess 3:5) and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread”.

Why didn’t Jesus tell the stones to become bread? He is the Son of God. He will go on to walk on water and raise dead people!

Why didn’t Jesus make some bread? Because he was also Son of Man; he was actually and fully and truly human like you and me. And the role of humans is to… what… trust God is in control of the world… and maintain self-control.

In their book, “How People Grow” Henry Cloud and John Townsend say,

God’s role is to be in control; our role is to yield to God’s control of the world and to be in control of self. When people try to control things outside of their control they lose control of themselves.

In all the circumstances of Jesus life, from meeting people he just clicked with through to walking into Jerusalem and arrest and crucifixion… he trusted God was in control of the world.

He maintained control of himself.

He had ultimate faith in God

In arguments; in pain; in betrayal; under accusation… even from Pontius Pilate telling him he could send him to the gallows or set him free… Jesus controlled himself and let God control the world.

Now it is true that Jesus was fully, perfect humanity… and we are fallen humanity.

That is a significant difference.

So what do we need to understand if we’re to adorn God’s glorious name through our growing holiness?

Actually, truly, really… know the God of the Bible… (not the god we imagine to be there!)

1 Thess 4:4-5 “4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God;” 1 Thess 4:7-8 “7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.”

The heathen do not know God… but we do… don’t we?

Are you a competent fail-er? You might condemn yourself when you fail… but do you know God as the God of all grace?

The God who refuses to condemn those who are covered in the blood of Jesus?

Many don’t.

I read about a man who was struggling with an addiction. He prayed and went OK for a while… but next thing he knew he fell… again. He came to his senses and went to God and said, “O Lord, I’m so sorry, I’ve done it again!” And he said God replied, “Done what again?”

He sensed that God couldn’t ever remember him doing that before.

That’s a man who knows the God of the Bible and the grace of God!

Now notice he didn’t blunder into his addiction confident he could sin because God forgives. He was struggling. Don’t play with God!

But those who struggle find amazing grace from the God of grace… who calls us to live in his grace.

The Role of the Holy Spirit… and the body of Christ

Secondly… what about this little phrase… who gives you his Holy Spirit.

Law never empowers or rewards anyone. Law sets a standard… shows us what straight looks like, shows us our need of God’s help and God’s grace.

I think it was Don Carson who told the story about just before being introduced as a speaker at a conference the MC stood up and said that they had just received a request from a missionary they supported that needed $4k? urgently. The MC said let’s pray that God might meet that need.

But before they could pray Don Carson stepped forward and pulled out his wallet and emptied it on the table. Then he encouraged others at the conference to do the same.

If the money they had in their wallet wasn’t for something urgent then consider investing it in the missionary.

They did… and had more than enough on their own for the missionary. When they had finished Don encouraged the MC that now he could pray!

The point is that among the brothers and sisters of the Lord there is often sufficient resources to meet the needs of God’s people to live holy lives.

Whether we struggle with addictions, be it food, alcohol, sex, TV… or a hot temper or what to do next with our children’s behaviour or whatever… there’s help in knowing God’s desire for our success, God’s Holy Spirit to empower us towards holiness… and the resources among God’s family to help each other.

Conclusion…

Our sanctification (living holy lives) adorns God’s holy Name!

Learn to control our own bodies… and leave the world up to God to control.

Accept help! We are not god… we are dependent creatures.

The Holy Spirit… working through God’s people.

Let me finish with the Serenity Prayer from St Francis of Assisi.

God, give us grace to accept with serenity

the things that cannot be changed,

Courage to change the things

which should be changed,

and the Wisdom to distinguish

the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,

Enjoying one moment at a time,

Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,

Taking, as Jesus did,

This sinful world as it is,

Not as I would have it,

Trusting that You will make all things right,

If I surrender to Your will,

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,

And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

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