Would you turn back to Ephesians
chapter five? I'd like to read these three
verses again. For you were sometimes or a four
time darkness. He doesn't say you were in darkness.
He says you were darkness itself. But now are you light in the
Lord? Walk as children of light. For
the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness
and truth, proving what is acceptable. And that word acceptable means
well-pleasing. Proving what is well-pleasing
unto the Lord. I've entitled this message, Well-Pleasing
Unto the Lord. And verse eight, he says, you
were darkness, but now are you light in the Lord. Now, this
is a very simple concept and a very important concept. You
turn the light off in this room and there's no windows and you
can't see anything that's in here. You may guess, but you
will be ignorant because you cannot see. If you turn the light
on, You see what is in here. Now, darkness and light represents
ignorance and knowledge. Darkness and light represent
ignorance and knowledge. You were darkness. You had no
light. You were on your own. You didn't
have a clue as to who God really is or how he saves sinners. You
were in utter darkness and ignorance, but now you are light in the
Lord. He's given you this light. Now this is more than just cognitive
knowledge. This is a knowledge of the living
God. This is saving knowledge. This
is knowing him. That's the point, it's knowing
him. It's not just having certain doctrines and propositions. You
now believe it's knowing him and everything you believe is
conditioned upon knowing him. Now look what he says next. Walk as children of the light
for the fruit of the spirit. And it can also be said the fruit
of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth. Now the fruit of the spirit.
The fruit of God, the Holy Spirit. It's not the fruit of your flesh.
It's not the fruit of your efforts or your works. It's the fruit
of the Spirit of God. It's that which comes from Him.
He is the Holy Spirit. And that which comes from Him
is holy. The fruit that comes from Him
is holy. And this is talking about the
holy nature. the new nature. When you're born
again, this is why you have light. When you're born again, you're
given a holy nature, a new nature that was not there before and
a nature actually that does not commit sin. Now you still have
the old man and all he does is sin, but you have a new man. that does not sin because he's
holy. And the scripture says that,
he that's born of God doth not commit sin. That's what the Bible
says. Somebody says, well, how can that be? I don't know, but
it is. It is. And every believer has
these two separate natures, and he now has this holy nature,
and that is how he bears the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Fruit. An apple tree bears what
kind of fruit? Apples. A pear tree bears what
kind of fruit? Pears. A good tree, the Lord
said, cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt
tree bring forth good fruit. Now, when he's talking about
the fruit of the Holy Spirit, think of the parable of the sower.
There are four different kinds of soils. You remember the wayside
here, the the temporary here that was on
rocky ground, the thorn choked here, and the good ground here.
What did the first three bad soils have in common? None of
them bore fruit. None of them bore fruit. What
about the good ground here? It brought forth fruit. The Lord
said some 100 fold, some 60 fold, some 30 fold, but every good
grant here brings forth fruit because the Holy Spirit never
works in vain. If he gives you a new nature,
there will be the fruit of the spirit. Turn with me for a moment to
John chapter 15. John chapter 15. The Lord says in verse one, I
am the true vine. And my father is the husband. Now, I don't have any doubt that
he was looking at a grape vine at that time. And you could see
the vine and the grapes. And he said, I'm the true vine.
I'm the real vine. Every branch in me that beareth
not fruit, he taketh away. Now there's been so much said
about that verse, and I know that if you are saved by the
grace of God, you will bear fruit. You've got a nature that can't
do anything but that. Well, what does this mean then? I don't know, but it doesn't
sound good, does it? It doesn't sound good. Every branch in me
that beareth not fruit, he taketh away, and every branch that beareth
fruit, he purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now, I don't believe that these
people are truly in the vine, or they would bear fruit. But
still, the way he says it, and that's the best way for it to
be said. Every branch in me that doesn't bear fruit, he takes
away. Well, what does that mean? I've heard people say death.
I don't know. I don't know what it means to
be taken away, but I know it doesn't sound good. And I pray
the Lord to deliver me from that. That's all I know to say about
it is it sure doesn't sound good to be taken away and to not bear
fruit. But every branch that bears fruit,
he purges it that it may bring forth more fruit. Now you are
clean through the word which I've spoken unto you. Abide in
me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
If it's lopped off the vine, can it bear fruit? No. I love
the way the Lord gave us this picture of his relationship with
his people as a vine and branches. The same stem that goes through
the vine goes through the branches. There is no connecting point. This is talking about the believer's
union with the Lord Jesus Christ. And that is where fruit comes
from, being connected to Him, being actually one with Him. Connected is not a good word.
One with Him, just as there's no connection between the steam
going through the vine and the steam going through the branches.
Every believer is united to the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, abide
in me. And I in you, as the branch cannot
bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine, no more can
you except you abide in me. Now what's it mean to abide in
Him? It means you don't go anywhere else. It really is that simple,
like we were considering a Bible study this morning. If you know
all of God's blessing is in this room and there's nothing but
wrath outside of this room, what do you want to do? You want to
stay in this room, don't you? You want to stay in the Lord Jesus
Christ. You don't want to be found anywhere else. That's what
it means to abide in Christ. I abide in Christ when my constant
desire is, Lord, let me be found in Christ. I don't want to be
looked at independently of Christ at any time, under any condition.
I simply want to be found in Christ. That's what it means
to abide in Christ. He says in verse five, I am the
vine. You are the branches. He that abideth in me and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. And that's talking
about the fruit of God, the Holy Spirit. For without me, you can
do what? Nothing. Nothing. If a man abide not in me, he
feels like he can be independent of Christ in some way. I don't
care what it is. He's cast forth as a branch and
is withered and men gather them and cast them into the fire and
they're burned. If you abide in me and my words
abide in you. Now that's what happens when
people abide in Christ. His words, what he says abides
in them. If you abide in me and my words
abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done
unto you. Herein is my Father glorified that you bear much
fruit. So shall you be my disciples. Now every believer bears the
fruit of the Spirit of God because they've been born of God. Now
remember it's the fruit of the Spirit, but you remember what
the scripture says it is? We'll turn to Galatians 5. You
look at it yourself. Galatians chapter 5. Verse 22, but the fruit of the
Spirit. He'd been talking about the works
of the flesh, but then he talks about the fruit of the Spirit.
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Again, such there is no law.
Now think about this, the fruit of the Spirit, it's love. You actually love God. You love
Christ. And you love Him as He's revealed
in His Word. You wouldn't change Him if it
were in your power. You love the way He is. You love
all of His excellent attributes. There's no part of Him you don't
love. You love His holiness. You love His justice. You love
His sovereignty. You love Him. And everybody that
loves Him, you love Him too. Somebody that loves Him, you
love. And you love men. You want men
to have the same thing? Don't you want everybody that
you know to be saved the same way you are? You love those men. You want the best for them. You
want them to know the Lord, and that's what it is to love somebody.
It's to want them to have what you have. Joy. The joy of knowing that I have
perfect righteousness before God, the joy of justification,
the joy of redemption, peace. What peace we get by knowing
that Christ is our peace and that everything God requires
of us, he loves Christ for. Do you get peace from that? Now,
if you think something's expected out of you, all your peace leaves,
doesn't it? But if you know that everything
he requires of you, he looks to Christ for, what peace? Long-suffering. Now, what that means is you see
how long-suffering the Lord is toward you, and you're gonna
be long-suffering toward others. You're not gonna hold them to
a different standard you hold yourself to. You're gonna be
long-suffering. And goodness. God's goodness is his capacity
for mercy. What goodness is, is a capacity
for mercy. Blessed are the merciful, they
shall obtain mercy. Gentleness, kindness, faith,
faith in Christ, faith in the gospel, meekness, believing that
whatever he sends my way is right. Temperance, control from within
by his spirit. Now all of these, this is the
fruit. It's not fruit, it's the fruit. And it is grown in by the grace
of God. Every believer grows in this
fruit. And this fruit cannot be separated
from light. That's what he's speaking of
in this context. Now look back in our text, in Ephesians chapter
five, verse eight, for you were sometimes
darkness, but now are you light in the Lord, walk as children
of light, for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and
righteousness and truth. Now, this is another declaration
of the fruit of the Spirit. He names nine things in Galatians
5, but here he names three things. The fruit of the Spirit is in
all goodness and righteousness and truth. Now, how can I be
said to have those things? As sinful as I am, how can I
be said to have those things? Well, let me remind you, the
fruit of the Holy Spirit is in all goodness, and God's goodness
is his capacity to save somebody like me or you. He's so good. Show me your glory. Moses said,
I'll make all my goodness pass before thee. And I'll proclaim
the name of the Lord before thee, and I'll be gracious to whom
I will be gracious." Every believer is a partaker
of the divine nature, and every believer has this capacity for
mercy. The fruit of the Spirit is in
all righteousness. Now, there's only one righteousness.
Amen? The righteousness of Jesus Christ.
There is no other righteousness. And this righteousness is actually
imputed to the believer. It's his. Their righteousness
is of me, saith the Lord. Every believer has this perfect
righteousness. That's my righteousness before
God. And that's why I can look at judgment and not be afraid
because there's nothing to judge me for. I have perfect righteousness
before God. This righteousness is imputed,
it's mine, it's counted as mine, and it's imparted. Now I've had
people say, what's the difference between imputed and imparted
righteousness? There's only one righteousness. Imputed means
it's what is mine, it's the perfect righteousness of Christ as being
my personal righteousness before God, so when I stand before God,
Whatever perfection Christ has, that's my perfection. And it's
imparted in the new birth when I'm given a holy nature. And
the best way I know how to explain that is when Adam sinned, his
sin was charged to my account. I sinned. I sinned. Not just
his sin was charged in my camp because I was in him, I sinned
too. That's imputation. Here's impartation. I was born with his evil nature.
I was born with a nature fallen. Now that is, I have his righteousness. I had Adam's sin imputed to me
and imparted to me when I was born into this world, but I have
his righteousness imputed to me and I have his righteousness
imparted to me in the new birth. He that doeth righteousness,
John said, is righteous even as he is righteous. Now the fruit of the Spirit is
in all goodness, in all righteousness, and in all truth. He never acts contrary to the
truth. Our Lord said God is Spirit,
and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in
truth. The Lord doesn't work through
falsehood. He just doesn't do it. Why should
he? He's God. Why would he have to? Well, he
can't find anybody to tell the truth. Yeah, he can. Yeah, he
can. He reveals himself to people
and they tell the truth. And whatever God the Holy Spirit
does, it's never contrary to the truth of the gospel. The
fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and
truth. Now look at verse 10, proving, proving, demonstrating, what
is acceptable unto the Lord, what is well pleasing. That's
what the word means. What is well pleasing to the
Lord. Now, if you're somebody, and
if I'm somebody who actually loves the Lord, and I am, I do. If you're a believer, you do
too. You don't feel good about your love. You feel you know
that you ought to love him a lot more than you do. and you're
ashamed at the lack of love you have, but you do love him. You
love him. Now, if you love him, you can't help but be interested
in what is well pleasing to him. Isn't that so? If you love him, you cannot help
but be interested in what is well pleasing to him, and you
can't help but want to do that which is well pleasing in his
sight. the struggle we have. You know, we sing that hymn and
I love the hymn from every stormy wind that blows. And the line
I really love is where we read where sin and sins molest no
more. You see, when you want to please
him, there's something that molests you, your own nature. That's
what molest means. It means to abuse, to assault,
and to harass persistently. That's what our sinful nature
does to us. It abuses us, it assaults us,
it harasses us persistently. Don't you find that so? If you have a new nature, you
do. You do. Now the word acceptable, well-pleasing,
Let me give you some scriptures where this is used. And I think
that this will help us to understand this thing of what's well pleasing
to the Lord. And here's the first thing. When the words came from
heaven, this is my beloved son in whom? In whom? Not with whom. That'd have been
good if it said with whom, but it says in whom. I am well pleased. God's well-pleased with His Son.
He's infinitely well-pleased with His Son, and He's well-pleased
with everybody in Him. Now that means that God looks
at this sinner who's talking to you, and He says, I am well-pleased
with Him. And there's only one reason.
I'm in Christ. Now, does that mean that What about our sin? Is God okay
with our sin? No. No. The thing David did displeased
the Lord. Let me repeat that. The thing David did displeased
the Lord. But you know, it doesn't say
David displeased the Lord. It said the thing David did displeased
the Lord. Seems never okay. Under any circumstance,
sin is never okay. But understand this, when the
Lord looks at a believer, he looks at somebody he's altogether
satisfied with and well-pleased with. Right now, God is completely
pleased and satisfied with every believer. And here's why. I can
tell you why. Because it pleased the Lord to
bruise him. And that's scripture. Isaiah
chapter 53 verse 10, we looked at it this morning. It pleased
the Lord to bruise him, to crush him. Well, how did that please
the Lord? Because the Lord took the sins
of the elect and placed them, Christ bore them. He bore them
in his own body on the tree. It pleased the Lord, not in some
kind of sadistic pleasure, but this is God's eternal purpose.
He's the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, the
reason He created the universe. It's for the cross and how He
manifests His glory in the cross. It pleased the Lord to bruise
His blessed Son. And because of who His Son is
and what He accomplished, He's pleased with everybody He did
it for. Isaiah 42, 21, He is well pleased
for His righteousness sake. 1 Corinthians 1.18, it pleased
the Father, or Colossians 1.18, it pleased the Father that in
Him should all fullness dwell. It pleases God. It pleases God
that all fullness dwells in the body of His Son. That all fullness
of salvation, all fullness of attributes of God, it pleased
the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell. Let me ask
you a question, does it please you? Are you pleased by that? If you're a believer, you are.
You want all fullness to dwell in him. Galatians 1 15, when
it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb and
called me by his grace to reveal his son in me. When were you
saved? When it pleased God. Can you
give me a time and date? Nope. Nope. Can't at all. But I know the moment I was saved
is when the police got to save me, as far as my experience goes.
I heard somebody say, but I'd be able to give a name and a
date. And I remember he said, if you broke your leg, you'd
know it. Well, salvation ain't a broken leg. And as far as that
goes, I don't remember when I was born. Do you? I don't remember
when I was born at all, but that doesn't mean I wasn't. When were
you saved? When it pleased the Lord to save
me. Don't even worry about the date,
but know this, you were saved when the Lord gave you life,
when the Lord caused you to hear the gospel. 1 Corinthians 1.18
says, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe. Now, when you turn to Hebrews 13, this is a very important
passage of scripture concerning what we're considering. considering
what's well-pleasing in his sight. Hebrews chapter 13, verse 20. Now the God of peace, what a
name for our Lord, the God of peace. He's the God of peace. You know, there's so much you
could say about that. He's never worried. He's never distraught. He's never
distressed. He's at perfect peace. He's never
worried about what's going on. Boy, we think, oh, what's going
on? He's not worried about it because it's nothing but his
will being done. Christ Jesus is our peace before God. He's
at peace with Christ. He's at peace with everybody
in him. Isn't that a glorious name for our Lord, the God of
peace? Let's go on reading. Now, the God of peace that brought
again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of
the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant. Now
here's where this piece comes from. The everlasting covenant
and the blood of that everlasting covenant. The everlasting covenant
is the same covenant that David spoke of. Although my house be
not so with God, yet hath he made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things insure. And here's why it's sure, because
of the blood of the everlasting covenant. That's why it's sure,
because of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's sure for every
believer. Now let's go and read verse 21.
Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working
in you, that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ,
to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Now, it's the God
of peace who works in you, that which is well-pleasing in his
sight. Now, this takes the pressure
off. What if I said, You need to start acting in such a way
as you're well-pleasing to God. Okay. Everybody that knows anything
about sin knows that nothing they do in and of itself is well-pleasing
to God. It's just not. Scripture says
our righteousness is our filthy rags and the Lord said without
me you can do nothing. But here he tells us that the
great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting
covenant, this God of peace, will work in us that which is
well-pleasing in His sight. Now understand this, if by the
grace of God you and I ever do anything well-pleasing in His
sight, and if we're believers, we do. You see, We love Him. You take your kids, what they
do for you because they love you might not be any good in
and of itself. Like that first step is not exactly a strong
step, but it's your child. And if they're stepping toward
you, you love them for it. It's your child. And it's His work in you. Working in you that which is
well pleasing in His sight, for it's God that worketh in you
both to will and to do His good pleasure." Now, listen, think
about this scripture. Now, if you or I are enabled
by the grace of God to do that which is well-pleasing in His
sight, He's the one who does it. And I love this passage of
scripture, talking about Enoch and Enoch Enoch was not. He walked with God and he was
not. God took him. And usually when people think
of Enoch, they think, well, he was just so holy and so obedient
that God just took him up. You know, he didn't seem to have
the struggle with sin that you and I do. He was just this really
holy person and God just brought him up into heaven. Well, what's
the scripture say? Enoch had this testimony. that
he pleased God. That's the word. He was well
pleasing to God. You know what the next verse
says? But without faith, it is impossible to please God. Why was Enoch pleasing to God?
He believed the gospel. God gave him that faith. He looked
to Christ as his only righteousness. He believed the gospel. So all of these things were called
upon to do that are pleasing in his sight are so because he's
well pleased with Christ and those in him. He's well pleased
with faith in Christ and all who believe are well pleasing
to him. Now turn to Romans 12. Let me
give you several scriptures. I've just looked these scriptures
up where the word well-pleasing inside is used. We're gonna look
at all of them, there's not many. We're gonna look at all of them
briefly. Paul says in verse one, I beseech you therefore brethren,
by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living
sacrifice. Holy, acceptable, that's the
word, well-pleasing unto God, which is your reasonable service. Anything else is utterly unreasonable. Now he says, I beseech you by
the mercies of God. Well, he really brought out the
mercies of God in these first 11 chapters of Romans, didn't
he? I mean, you could pick out any chapter in Romans in the
book of Romans and show the mercies of the living God. But what I
thought about was, I suppose it's, this is one of my many
favorite passages of scripture, but where it says, and we know
this Romans 8, we know that all things work together for good
to them that love God, to them who are called according to his
purpose for whom he did foreknow. What a, what a mercy that is
to be foreknown. For whom He did foreknow, them
He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His
Son." What a mercy of God! Whom He did predestinate, them
He also called. What a mercy to have Him call
you. Whom He called, them He also justified. What a mercy
to be justified before God. For God to declare you without
guilt. Moreover, whom He justified, them He also glorified. To actually
be glorified. That's what it says. Believe
it. You might not understand it,
believe it. What shall we say to these things? If God be for
us, who can be against us? What mercy. He that spared not
his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not
with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? God justified him. Who is he
that condemned? You know, you're familiar with
the scripture. That's just one of the whole book of Romans.
That's just a little portion of the whole book. I beseech
you by the mercies of God. What? That you present your bodies. Now, why does he say bodies when,
you know, we're sinful? Because in your body dwells everything
that you are. He doesn't say present your soul
or your heart. He said present your bodies.
That means everything you and I are. I beseech you by the mercies
of God that you present your bodies a living Don't you want to do this? Holy,
acceptable, well-pleasing to God, which is your reasonable
service. Now, how do I go about doing
that? Here am I. When Isaiah said to
the Lord, here am I. You're not dictating to him what
to do or what you think you should do. It's a presentation. here am I, send me. What he says in verse two, he
says, be not conformed to this world, this world that hates
God, this world that hates the gospel, but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good
and acceptable, well-pleasing, perfect will of God. Turn to Romans 14. Verse 18, for he that in these
things serveth Christ is acceptable, well-pleasing to God, and approved
of men. Now, the Bible says this. He
that serveth God in these things. What things? Well, look up at
verse 10. Why dost thou judge thy brother? Why dost thou set it not thy
brother? I love what James says. He says,
When he says, judge not, he says you, here's the way it goes in
the original, you, who are you to judge your brother? Are you fit to judge anybody? Can you look down in moral superiority
at anybody? Now every believer says no. No,
I'm not fit to stand in judgment on anybody for any thing. Now, saying that, how much judging
do you do? A whole lot, don't you? A whole
lot. And what we do is we expose what
hypocrites we are in judging anybody for anything. Now remember,
this is what's well-pleasing to the Lord. Let's go on reading. For we shall all stand before
the judgment seat of Christ. You know what that means? That doesn't mean we're gonna
stand and be judged. It means we're gonna stand justified. And brethren, that you're judging,
God accepts him. God sees him as perfect and righteous
and just. He's gonna stand before God on
the judgment. Every believer will. Every believer will. For it's written, as I live,
saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall
confess to God, so that every one of us shall give an account
of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one
another anymore. But judge this rather, that no
man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's
way. I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that there
is nothing unclean of itself, but to him that esteemeth anything
to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Now, what does that mean? Well,
let's make it as contemporary as we can. There's nothing wrong
with the use of alcohol. I'm not talking about drunkenness,
you know that, but there's nothing wrong with the use of alcohol.
But if my brother says, thinks that's wrong, that's sin, to
him it is sin. To him, it is unclean. Now what am I to do about that? Verse 15, but if thy brother
be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat
for whom Christ died. Now that didn't mean somebody
Christ died for was going to go to hell. Don't cause them to
be tripped up and confused. Just, if you're around them,
don't drink around them. Don't drink around them. I mean, just
go ahead and stay away from that if it's bothering them. Let not your good, and it's good. You know, it's the weaker brother
who thinks it's wrong to, say, touch alcohol. It's the weaker
brother. He's wrong. He's immature. He's out of line. But let not then your good be
evil spoken of, for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink,
but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he
that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and
approved of men. Now, he mentions two things there.
He talks about not judging, not judging anybody for anything,
and going ahead and surrendering what is your right to keep from
offending your brother. And he says, he that serveth
God in these things is acceptable, well-pleasing to the Lord. Turn
to Philippians chapter four. Philippians chapter four, verse
15. Philippians 4 verse 15, now you
Philippians, know also that in the beginning of the gospel,
when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated, supported
me, gave with me, gave for my support as concerning giving
and receiving, but you only. For even in Thessalonica, you
sent once again into my necessity. It's not because I desire a gift,
but I desire fruit that may abound in your account, but I have all
and abound. I'm full having received of Epaphroditus
the things which were sent from you, an odor of sweet smell,
a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God. Now, let's say this about
that verse. This shows the power of Christ's
intercession. Have you ever given a gift that you would think,
now that smells good to God. That's well pleasing to God. Have you ever done anything that
you thought nailed it there? No. But this is what the intercession
of Christ does. He takes something that we have
done and it smells good to God because he presents it. It's
well-pleasing to God because He presents it. Now, when believer,
when by the grace of God we give, it is a sweet smell to God, acceptable,
well-pleasing in His sight. Now, that is because of the intercession
of Christ, but it makes it well-pleasing to Him. Turn to Hebrews 13. Verse 15. By him, Hebrews 13
verse 15. By him, therefore, let us offer
the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit
of our lips giving thanks to his name, but to do good and
to communicate, forget not, for with such sacrifices, God is
well pleased. There's all, when I do good,
and listen, don't say, well, you know, every believer, anything
you do for the glory of Christ is good. That's what a good work
is. Something done out of love to Christ. When you do good,
or when you communicate, give is what that means, there will
be personal sacrifice involved. It always is, because we're so
selfish and sinful, that's the way we are. But with such sacrifices,
the scripture says God is well pleased. Two more, 2 Corinthians
5. Verse six, therefore we're always
confident, knowing that whilst we're at home in the body, we're
absent from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.
We're confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the
body and to be present with the Lord. Now, I think that a young
person that's a believer might not enter as much into this as
someone who's been around a little bit longer, but I look forward
to dying. I look forward to dying. Let
me give you two reasons. Number one, because I won't have
a sinful nature anymore. And number two, because I'll
be in the very direct presence of Christ. Is it any wonder Paul
said for me to live is Christ and die is gain? The best thing
that can happen to any believer is the day they die. You won't
have to deal with your sinful nature anymore, and you'll be
face-to-face with Christ your Savior in his very presence. Verse nine, wherefore we labor. Now, that passage of scripture
always troubled me. Wherefore we labor, that whether
present or absent, we may be accepted of him. And that word
accepted is the word well-pleasing. We labor. And I looked up the
word, though, and the word doesn't mean we work. You know, we do
this and we do that. We do this so we can be accepted
of him. The word is literally we're ambitious. We're ambitious. This is what
we want. Whether present or absent, we
want to be well pleasing to him. And last one is found in Colossians
chapter three. Like I said, I've just used every
verse in the New Testament that is used with regard to this thing
of being well-pleasing. Colossians 3, verse 20. Children, obey your parents in
all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. Now, you know from
the light of the scriptures, that's not talking about keeping
one of the Ten Commandments and so on. You've got to throw the
whole book at something to understand. That's not talking about, well,
if you can just obey your parents, then you'll be well-pleasing
to the Lord. But I think of that passage of scripture also in
Ephesians chapter 6. Let's go ahead and turn there,
because I want you to see this just a few pages back. Ephesians
chapter 6. Children, obey your parents in
the Lord, for this is right. Honor thy father and mother,
which is the first commandment with promise, that it may be
well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. Now,
this is talking about child rearing. Parents, make your children obey
you. Teach them to respect authority,
and they're going to have a better life. They're going to have a
better life here on earth. I don't know if the Lord's going
to save them. I hope he does. I hope he saves all of our children,
don't you? I hope he does. But if a kid is taught to respect
authority, and that's really what this is all about, respecting
authority. If a child is taught to respect authority, if you
let your kids disrespect authority, you're hurting them. You're hurting
them, and they're not going to prosper. They're not going to
do well. They're not going to do well in school. They're not
going to do well in the job. They're always going to have problems.
Oh, may the Lord give us the grace to cause our children to
obey us. As a matter of fact, that's one
of the requirements for a pastor is to have children not accused
of riot or unruly. Now, you'll say, well, I know
a preacher's had bad kids. Well, she's a lot worse than
anybody knows anything about. I don't know why I said that,
but I did. I didn't want to sit there because
I can't stand it when somebody starts bragging about their child
rearing. I don't know anything about child
rearing. Just kind of like Greg Elmquist
made this statement, he said, our parents screwed us up and
we screw up our kids. I think there's probably a whole
lot of truth to that. But may the Lord enable us to
to understand how important this thing is of teaching our children
to obey and respect authority. And if they don't parent, it's
your fault. It's your fault. That is your
responsibility to instill that in them, and you're failing them
if you don't do that. And the Lord says, children,
obey your parents in the Lord. This is the Bible saying this.
That's well-pleasing to the Lord. Somebody says, we are teaching
salvation by works, and you're teaching salvation by keeping
the commandment. No, I'm not. No, I'm not. But that's in the Bible for a
purpose, and may the Lord give us grace. But let me leave you
with this thought. All this stuff about being well-pleasing,
I want to be well-pleasing to Him, don't you? I love Him. I
want to be well-pleasing to Him. But I know this. Christ is well-pleasing
to him. And my only hope is being found
in him. Let's pray. Lord, we ask that we might be
in the light, the light of thy gospel, the light of how you
save sinners by Christ. We ask that we might bear the
fruit of thy spirit by your grace, that we might prove what is good,
acceptable, and well-pleasing in your sight. Bless this message
for Christ's sake. In his name we pray. Amen. Matt,
could you come lead us in closing?