Author's Note: All previous volumes of this series are here. The first 56 volumes are compiled into the book "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible." "Part Two," featuring volumes 57-113, was published in December 2022.
Thanks for joining us today about what the New Testament has to say about how to please God. If you missed last week’s study concerning the Old Testament, please read it now. While we wait, here is a “pleasing” song.
Last week I offered my take on pleasing God which is always at the top of my to-do list. This weekly study — posting for over five years now, thanks to you — is proof that I spend time and effort trying to glorify Him through His Word.
My other calling to glorify God is leading a Shroud of Turin education ministry with the goal of building a permanent exhibit in Washington, D.C. But, as I like to say, “enough about me,” so here is a question for you. Do you try to please God? If so, how? If you don’t think about pleasing God, now is a great time to start. Please pray about this matter. I would like to know about your effort so comment below or send me an email.
Now, let's turn to learning about pleasing God. (Read last week what first pleased Him in the Old Testament.) In the New Testament what was the first event where God specifically said that He was pleased? Answer: The baptism of Jesus. This seminal event is recorded in all four gospels, giving it the highest authentication: (Matthew 3:13-17), (Mark 1:9-11), (Luke 3:21-22), and (John 1:29-34). Immediately upon His baptism, Matthew, Mark, and Luke record the same verse:
“And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’” (Matthew 3:13-17). Why was God pleased? Here are five reasons:
The voice of God is pleased to declare that Jesus is His Son. God is pleased to reveal and confirm the beginning of Jesus’s earthly ministry. God is pleased that Jesus is both human and divine. God is pleased that Jesus will fulfill all the Hebrew Bible’s Messianic prophecies. God is pleased that Jesus will impact the world forever and ever.
There is a companion event near the end of Jesus’s earthly life known as the Transfiguration. (See Vol. 26.) Proof of its monumental significance, the Transfiguration is recorded in three of the four Gospels – (Matthew 17:1–12), (Mark 9:2-8), (Luke 9:28-36) and alluded to in John’s – “We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1-14). Again, God declared that He was pleased, and His words mirror the baptism.
"This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" (Matthew 17:5). And again, why was God pleased? Jesus, with His human body, physically revealed His Messianic divine glory as His death and resurrection drew near.
Here is the question of the day: What does Jesus tell us about how to please God?
“To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Mark 12:33).
Believing in God is a prerequisite to pleasing Him. Jesus told us what we must believe:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:13-17).
Later, John records Jesus saying:
“The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him” (John 8:29).
Let’s reposition that verse and direct it inward. God created (birthed) you to live on this earth. Jesus does not leave you alone, for He is always with you. And to please Him, you must love and believe in Him, obey His Commandments, and praise and worship Him. You much use your gifts and talents to glorify Him while you love, teach, care for, and help others. It is written in 1 John:
“And receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him” (1 John 3:22).
In the New Testament epistles (letters written to people or places), there are many verses about how faith pleases God:
“Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him” (Romans 8: 8-9).
“In the flesh” refers to our sinful human nature, contrasted with “in the Spirit” which is the ideal. That means a life without sin, always in step with the teachings of Jesus, which is impossible to achieve, and why Jesus died for our sins. Explained here:
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Moreover, Paul wrote about how to please God:
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1). To the Colossians. Paul wrote that “we have not stopped praying..”:
“..so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God..” (Colossians 1:10).
Here is a timely verse that you can act upon which pleases God concerning those who did not vote like you:
“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior.. (Timothy 2:1-3).
Lastly, Hebrews records a “go to verse” to always use as a faithful guide:
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
There is much more in the New Testament about how to please God that I hope you will continue reading. And don’t forget about the question I posed at the beginning for you to continue praying about: Do you try to please God? If so, how?
Myra Kahn Adams is a conservative political and religious writer with numerous national credits. Her book, "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible," reprints the first 56 volumes of this popular study. "Part 2,” with the same title, reprints Vols. 57-113. Order it here.
She is also the Executive Director of the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit, dedicated to building a future permanent Shroud of Turin exhibit in Washington, D.C. The National Shroud of Turin Exhibit recently hosted a four-day exhibit (with a VIP guest) at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, IN. Contact: MyraAdams01@gmail.com
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