Let's read this verse of scripture
again in 1 John 3, verse 22. And whatsoever we ask, we receive
of him, because we keep his commandments. and do those things that are
pleasing in his sight. Now I know this, whatever verse
of scripture that we're dealing with, it's the gospel. And you
pray for me that I will deal with this passage of scripture
as it is, and that I would preach the gospel from this passage
of scripture. Upon the surface, this verse
seems to say that the key to answered prayer is obedience. Keeping his commandments and
doing those things that are not pleasing in his sight. And if
you're asking for things in prayer and not getting them, it's because
you're not keeping his commandments. and you're not doing those things
that are pleasing in his sight. And how many times have you read
that verse and thought something like that? I dare say that every
one of us have read this verse at some time or the other and
thought something just like that. Quite often, God states things
in such a way that gives an unbeliever enough rope to hang himself. There's a lot of scriptures like
that. And this is one of them. And I hope that we will understand
this passage of scripture by the end of this message. And
whatsoever we ask, we receive of him. Whatever I pray for,
I get. Whatever I ask for comes to me. And here's why. Because we keep
his commandments. That's why we keep his commandments.
And we do those things that are pleasing in his sight. Now, before I get into the meat
of this text, I've got to make a couple of statements that are
Very important. It's true that our conduct can
hinder our prayers. You know that. First Peter chapter
three. Peter says husbands dwell with
your wives according to knowledge giving honor to them as unto
the weaker vessel that your prayers be not hindered. So I wouldn't just brush off
the importance of our conduct and our prayers because the Bible
says something about it. And it's also true that there
are exhortations to believers to do what is pleasing to God. Love wants to please, doesn't
it? If you love somebody, you want
to please them and you want their approvable. That's just, if I
love you, I want you to approve of me. I want your approval. I want you to be pleased with
me. Love wants to please. Romans
12, verse 1, Paul said, I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies
of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable. That's the word well-pleasing.
holy, well-pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service."
Anything else is just unreasonable, isn't it? To present your bodies
a living sacrifice. And then we read in Hebrews chapter
13, verse 16, but to do good and to communicate or give, forget
not, don't forget about this. To do good and to communicate,
forget not, for with such sacrifices, God is well pleased." Now, it's
going to be a sacrifice for me or you to do good, isn't it?
It just doesn't come natural. And it's going to be a sacrifice
for us to give. But the scripture says, with such sacrifices, God
is well pleased. I think of that scripture to
Timothy, no man that woreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this
life, that he may please him who hath called him to be a soldier. Now, that's the desire of every
believer We want to please our Lord. And the reason being, we
love him. And we want him to be pleased
with us. Is there any believer that doesn't
feel that way? Of course there's not. Every believer wants to
please the Lord. That being said, we're aware
that anything we do, Anything we do in order to please Him,
there's enough sin in it to send us to hell. You believe that? Every gift I've ever given, and
I want to be a cheerful giver, every gift I've ever given has
enough sin in it and selfishness in it and self in it that Apart
from the mediation of Christ, it's evil. Now, do you just go
ahead and not give then because of that? No, I'll go ahead and
give anyway, just like you do. But I realize that the only way
that anything that I do, I thought of gifts. If you love somebody,
you give to them. That's what love does. Love gives. Any gift
I've given, apart from the mediation of Christ, it's no good. I believe
that. I know that. I understand that.
I understand what Peter meant when he said we offer up spiritual
sacrifices which are acceptable, well-pleasing to God by Jesus
Christ. That's the only reason they're
well-pleasing to God. It's by Jesus Christ through
his mediation. And we also know this. This desire
to please Him, according to Hebrews 13, 21, is Him working in us
to do that which is well pleasing in His sight. If you have a desire
to please Him, let me tell you where that desire came from.
It didn't come from you. He planted it in your heart. And the only reason it's there
is because it's Him working in you. Paul said, were created unto
good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk
in them. So obviously, this thing of keeping
his commandments, pleasing him, doing what pleases him, we realize
it's God's work in us, and it's something that's very important
to us. So look at our text again. Don't
miss this. Verse 22, 1 John chapter 3, and whatsoever we ask in prayer,
We receive of Him everything we ask for, we get because we
keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing
in His sight. In His sight. Now this is so
important. What is pleasing in His sight? The Bible tells us, we don't
have to guess. You know, three times in the Scriptures, in Deuteronomy
25, in Proverbs 11, and in Proverbs 16, we read where the Lord is
pleased and delights with a just weight and perfect scales. He delights in it. He's pleased
with that. You've seen those pictures of
the woman with the blindfold on, holding the scales of justice. Well, there's no such thing as
that in this life. But the Lord God is pleased with
absolute, perfect justice and fairness. That's His delight. He's pleased by that. Absolute justice, righteousness,
and fairness. No respect of persons with Him.
I love that scripture, Proverbs 17, verse 15. He that justifieth
the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, they're both alike
an abomination to the Lord. That's the Lord that we worship. Someone who justifies somebody
that's wicked, that's an abomination to the Lord. Someone who condemns
somebody that's just, that's an abomination to the Lord. Shall
not the judge of the earth do right? Now, I want to ask you
a question. Are you pleased with this? You
see, doing what he pleases has something to do with being pleased
with the same things he's pleased with. Are you pleased that he's
absolutely just and that no sin will ever go unpunished? Does that make you respect him
and revere him? That's who he is. But you know, it also says in
Micah 7, verse 18, that he delights He finds pleasure in mercy. Now here are two things brought
together. He delights in absolute justice. The scales of justice are perfect. All sin is gonna be punished.
And he delights, he finds pleasure in mercy. He loves having mercy
on poor sinners for Christ's sake. This is that same one who
will by no means clear the guilty. I put these together at one who
will by no means under no circumstance whatsoever. Will he ever clear
anybody with any guilt at all? This same one delights. In mercy. And he's found a way
to be both in the gospel. Mercy and truth. are met together,
and righteousness and peace have kissed one another." Are you
pleased with that? Are you pleased that this is
the character of God? Absolute justice. He delights in mercy. Samuel said in 1 Samuel 12, 22,
it pleased the Lord to make you his people. It pleased the Lord. When the
Lord made me his people, it pleased him. The Lord was pleased to
elect some people, to choose them before time began. Does
that please you? It pleased the Lord to save some people by sovereign
grace. Does that please you? Isaiah 53 verse 18 says it pleased
the Lord to bruise him. It pleased the Lord to bruise
him. Now this is how he can save somebody
like me or you, the cross of Christ. It pleased the Lord.
He got satisfaction out of bruising his son, out of crushing his
son, out of killing his son. The reason he got satisfaction
from it is that his justice was satisfied. You see, Christ was
guilty. When the sins of God's elect became his sins, he was
guilty of those very sins, and the justice of God demanded his
death. And it pleased the Lord to bruise
him. Now, does this please you? Are
you pleased with this? Think of this scripture. Whatsoever
the Lord pleased, that did he. in earth and sea, in heaven,
earth, sea, and all deep places. You know what that's talking
about? That's talking about the absolute sovereignty of the Lord. Everything that happens is Him
doing it. Now, do you hear that? Everything
that happens is Him doing it. Please whatever the Lord please
that did he in earth and sea and all deep places. Now what
that's talking about is his absolute sovereignty and it pleases him. Does it please you? Are you pleased
that he is in absolute control of everything and every event? He's even in control of the thoughts
going through your mind right now. He's in control. I mean, He's in control of the
thoughts of everybody. The King's heart is in the hand
of the Lord as the rivers of water. He turneth it whithersoever
He will. Now, does that please you? Listen to this scripture. It
pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell. It ain't anywhere else but in
Him. Does that please you? Is that the way you want it? And here's the scripture I want
to get to. This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. That's said from heaven on several
different occasions. This is my beloved son in whom
I'm well pleased. And I sure am thankful it says
in him. If it would have said with whom, that had been true,
but it wouldn't do me any good. He didn't say, this is my beloved
son with whom I'm well pleased. He said, this is my beloved son
in whom I am well pleased. If I am in Jesus Christ, God
is well pleased with me. Todd Norbert, Rich Berg, Aubrey, John, everybody that's
in Christ Jesus, God is well And I believe this is what John
is talking about in this passage of Scripture. In Christ, I have
kept His commandments. In Christ, I have done that which
is well-pleasing in His sight. Whatever He did, I did. Christ said, I do always those
things that please the Father, and if He did, I did too, because
I am in Him. When He kept God's commandments,
I did too, because I am in Him. This is my beloved Son in whom
I am well pleased. Now what this is speaking of
is justification. This is that one who receives whatever he
asks for. This is that one who keeps God's
commandments. This is the one who does those
things that please the Father. It's the one who is justified. I hate, I can't stand when preachers
start trying to talk about the Greek. Greek this, Greek that.
I love what Tim James said, I know a little Greek on 37th Street.
That's about all the Greek I know. And I don't like it when people
make too much of an issue of this thing of the Greek because
you can't understand the gospel without the Greek. All you gotta
do is have the Bible. and you can understand the gospel.
But the Greek language is the language that the New Testament
was written in, and it's a very exact, precise language. It is a language that the English
can't compare to as far as the exactness of it. There's things
in the tenses, there's an errors tense that you don't even have
in the English language. But when John says, and I title
this message, Keeping and Doing. When John says, because we keep
his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his
sight, the keeping and the doing, both of those are in the present
active tense. Now, what does that mean? What
does that mean? Okay, I keep his commandments and I do those
things that are pleasing in his sight. In five minutes from now,
that's still going to be said of me. That's still present.
I keep His commandments. I do those things that are pleasing
in His sight. There's no lapse. There's no
time when this is not the case. Tomorrow, it's going to be said
of me, I keep His commandments and I do those things that are
pleasing in His sight. It's the eternal present. This
is always the description of the believer. I keep His commandments. And I do those things that are
pleasing in His sight, because if He did them, I did them. Now that's the gospel. That is
the gospel. That's being united to the Lord
Jesus Christ. This is always the present state
of that person. Now most people, when they think
of justification, And you tell me if I'm well, no, don't tell
me if you don't agree with it. Forget that part. I'm going to
tell you what I want to show you what most people believe
regarding this thing of justification. Most people look at justification
as a legal standing before God. God imputes righteousness to
you, therefore you have a righteous legal standing before the law. That's the view of probably 99%
of preachers with regard to justification. Just as Adam's sin was imputed
to you and you became guilty because of a sin you didn't commit,
Christ's righteousness is imputed to you, so you're counted not
guilty by an obedience you didn't have any hand in. that you didn't
have anything to do with. Now, that's most people's view
of justification. Now, is that a fair representation? Well, it is, whether anybody
agrees with me or not. That's what most people view this thing
of justification. It's you were charged with Adam's
sin. and became guilty by something
you didn't do, and you were charged with Christ's righteousness and
became innocent by something you didn't do. I've got a question. Would that
hold up in a human court of law? Could I be condemned for something
that somebody else did? Would that hold up in a human
court of law? I am rewarded because of something
else did. Would that hold up in a human
court of law? The answer is no, it wouldn't.
A judge like that, we'd get rid of him. It would not hold up
in a human court of law. Now, turn with me to Romans chapter
five. Verse 12. Wherefore, as by one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon
all men, for that all have had Adam's sin imputed to them. I
didn't read that right, did I? Death passed upon all men for
that all have sinned. When Adam sinned, I sinned. I'm not being charged with somebody
else's guilt. When I was in him, When he sinned,
I sinned. When he took the fruit, Todd
Nybert took the fruit. When he ate the fruit, Todd Nybert
ate the fruit. That's what that scripture says.
It doesn't say what he did was just charged us. It says when
he did it, we did it. When he did it, we did it. And we are guilty. Now, I'm not punished for Adam's
sin, I'm punished for my own. I'm punished for my own. God only deals with two men,
Adam and those in him, and Christ and those in him. Two men, Adam
and those in him, Christ and those in him. Now this is an
illustration I've used a lot, but it's so good I'm gonna use
it again here out of Hebrews chapter seven. This, I think, will explain this
thing of justification. Now when Adam sinned, you and
I sinned as well. Now look at Hebrews chapter seven,
verse nine. And as I may so say, Levi also
who received tithes. Now what were the children of
Israel to do? They were to pay tithes to the Levites to keep
everything up. And Levi had tithes paid to him,
it was the Levites. It says, Levi also who received
tithes paid tithes in Abraham. When Abraham paid tithes, Levi
did it too, for he was yet in the loins of his father when
Melchizedek met him. Now let's go up to verse one.
For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high
God. who met Abraham returning from
the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him, to whom also Abraham
gave a tenth part of all, first being by interpretation king
of righteousness, and after that also king of Salem, which is
king of peace, without father, without mother, without descent,
having neither beginning of days nor end of life. but made like
unto the Son of God abideth priest continually. Now there's been
debate by people as to whether or not that really was the Lord
Jesus Christ. I have no doubt it was. I have
no doubt it was. And here's why I have no doubt
it was. What did he bring to Abraham? Bread and wine. Bread and wine. Would a Levitical
priest ever bring you bread and wine? No, he offered sacrifice. This is a pre-incarnate I can't
remember what the word is, but it's the Lord Jesus Christ at
this time. He's the one, what a description,
having king of peace, king of righteousness, without mother,
without father, without descent, having neither beginning of days,
He never had a beginning, nor end of life, but made like unto
the Son of God, He abideth, a high priest, a priest continually.
Now, consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch
Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. And we think of Abraham
as really great, don't we? And verily they that are the
sons of Levi who received the office of the priesthood have
a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the
law that is of their brethren, though they come out of the loins
of Abraham. But he whose descent is not counted from them received
tithes of Abraham and blessed him that had the promises. And
without all contradiction, the less is blessed of the better.
And here men that die receive tithes, but there he receiveth
them of whom is witness that he liveth. And as I may so say,
Levi also who received tithes, paid tithes. It doesn't say that Abraham's
tithe paying was credited to his account. It said Levi himself
paid those tithes. Now, If Levi paid these tithes in
the loins of his great-grandfather Abraham, when Jesus Christ kept
God's holy law, I did too. That's the point. I was in Christ. When Christ
kept God's holy law, I did too. When He put nothing before His
Father, I, because of the mysterious, eternal, vital, living union
with Christ, where Hebrews 2.11 says, both He that sanctifieth
and they who are sanctified are all of one. Not real close together,
but one. That means when he kept God's
holy law, I did too. When he turned his back on all
idolatry, I did too. When he gave the proper reverence
for his father's name and never took the name of the Lord his
God in vain, I did too. When he kept the Sabbath, I did
too. When he honored his mother and
father, I did too. When he never killed anybody,
I did too. When he never committed any kind
of sexual sin, me too, because I was in him. Whatever he did,
I did. When he never lied, never stole, never coveted, that's
the description of me. Being united to him. When He
kept God's commandments, I kept God's commandments. When He did
those things that were pleasing in His sight, I did those things
that are pleasing in His sight, and so did everybody else that
was in Him. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. But if that's not the whole story,
what about my sin? You're just forgetting that?
What about my sin? I have sinned. I don't, I can't
look at myself and say, boy, I really keep his commandments
real well. I do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
What about my sin? Where does that come in? Well, all of the elect were in
him, not only when he lived and kept the law, all the elect were
in him when he died. Now, why did he die? There's
only one reason for death. Never forget that. Sin. He didn't
die as a martyr. He didn't die as an example.
He died because of sin. My sin, the sins that I have
committed, the sins of thought, word, and deed became his sin
so that he became guilty of that. And when he died, I died. When he satisfied God's law,
I satisfied God's law. That is the blessing of the gospel.
That's substitution. Now, if he did whatever he did,
I did. When he pleased God, I pleased
God. When he satisfied God's law, when I pleased the Lord
to bruise him, God was pleased with me. Turn to Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11. Verse 5. I've heard so many sermons on
this. Hebrews 11.5, read so many sermons
on it. By faith Enoch was translated
that he should not see death and was not found. He never died.
He never died. Because God had translated him
and before his translation, he had this testimony that he pleased
God. Oh, Enoch walked with God, and
he pleased God, and his conduct was such, and his life was such
that God was just so pleased with him, he brought him into
heaven, and you can walk with God too. I've heard sermons like
that. Let's go on reading, but before we go on reading, let
me ask a question. Enoch became so holy, he was fit for heaven. One simple question. Are you any more holy than you
were last year? Are you any more holy than you
were when God first saved you? Have you found an increase in
holiness in yourself? Can you look at that? Well, I'm
like Enoch. I'm walking with God and I'm
ripe for heaven. That's not what that verse of
scripture means. Now, let's go on reading. Now, Enoch had this testimony,
and this is God's testimony, that God was pleased with Enoch. Now, for God to be pleased with
somebody, they're gonna have to be perfect. God was pleased
with Enoch. He had this testimony that he
pleased God. Now, once again, let me go into
that. In the original, this is in the perfect tense. perfectly completed. God couldn't
be any more pleased with him than he was. He perfectly pleased
God. How? Look at verse 6. But without faith it is impossible. Not highly unlikely. Not difficult. It is impossible to please Him, for he that cometh to God must
believe that He is. Not simply that He exists, but
that He is, as He says He is in His Word. and that he's a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Now, it's not possible
to be pleasing to God apart from what believing what we confess
in believer's baptism represents. Now, this is the summary of everything
we believe. It's seen in baptism. When Jesus
Christ lived and perfectly kept God's holy law, I did too. And when my name is brought up
on judgment day, you're going to see someone who kept God's
law perfectly and who did always those things that pleased the
Father. That is every believer's hope. When Christ died, when we go
under the water, we're saying that when he died, I died. That's when my sin was paid for.
That's when my sin was put away. When he was raised from the dead,
I was raised from the dead. And all my hope is simply being
found in him. And now whatsoever we ask, we
receive. Now what do we ask? Well, the
first thing I think, and I have to forget this. He's forgiven me. Now with regard to everything
else, I ask that his will would be done. I ask, Lynn's had the flu, she's
sick, made things hard on me, so that shows how. I ask that the Lord heal her. I also know if it's His will,
He will. You know, it could be that it
would be His will to take her life tonight, and it would be
the best day of her life. It'd be the best thing that ever
happened to her. She'd be in the very presence of Christ,
perfectly conformed to His image. So even when we ask for these
things in prayer, we don't know exactly what to ask for. And
we say, Lord, Your will be done. Whatever it is, Your will be
done. I am encouraged. And you know, that's a prayer
that's always answered. His will's going to be done. I can be assured
of that. Lord, your will be done. It will
be done. I ask for my daily bread. You
know what? I've got it every day. I have.
He's never failed to give it to me. You know, we confess our
sin, forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. We say,
don't lead us into temptation, because we know what'll happen
to us. Deliver us from evil. Dine us the kingdom, the power,
and the glory forever. You know, we get everything we
ask for. Now that's not, you know that's
not talking about, well, I'm asking for a million dollars, or I'm
asking for health, or I'm asking for wealth. I'm asking for His
will to be done. And you know, I'm plumb satisfied
with that, aren't you? I'm plumb satisfied with that. That person
who, who, keeps His commandments and does those things that are
pleasing in His sight. Back to our text for just a moment,
1 John chapter 5. 1 John chapter 3. I'm going to get into this next
week, Lord willing. But verse 23, and this is His commandment,
that we should believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. You keep that commandment? Do
you believe that his name is the only reason why you'll be
brought into glory? And you're relying completely
on his name. Nothing else. And love one another
as he gave us commandment. Every believer, he that loveth
him that begat loveth him also that's begotten of him. Now I
want to keep his commandments and I want to be someone who
desires to please Him, don't you? I want that. I want that. But, I've got it. I've kept His commandments. I
personally, Todd Naubert, in the person of my substitute,
when he kept them, I kept them. I kept them. I've kept His commandments,
and I have done those things that are pleasing in His sight. And because of that, I and every other believer, and
I've got to say this to Lissy, Lissy said, I just can't, I just
have a hard time believing that I'm going to hear that. Well,
you will. Every believer will hear, well done. thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou in to the joy of thy
Lord. That is what every believer is
going to hear, because if Christ did well, I did too. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you that in
your blessed son we've kept every commandment, and in your blessed
son we've actually done that which is pleasing in your sight,
and through him we know that you hear and answer our prayers. Lord, teach us to pray, deliver
us from selfish fleshly prayers, and cause us to truly pray, thou
will be done. how we thank you for the gospel
of your son. In Christ's name we pray, amen.
At the beginning of this message I said that the Lord will state
things sometimes in just a way to let people hang themselves
if they want to do that. Now if you read this verse of
scripture and say, well, if I can just keep his commandments and
Do what's pleasing in His sight. I'll get my prayers answered." You've missed the meaning, and
that's just another form of salvation by works. May God be our teacher
and our Savior. Matt leaves in closing hymn.