Please God

Happy New Month to Us all, wishing us a prosperous month in Jesus Name Amen.

Please God

Let’s first consider the difference between righteousness and holiness

Righteousness vs Holiness: Two Separate Things

Ephesians 4:22-24 - AMP:
Strip yourselves of your former nature—put off and discard your old unrenewed self—which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion; And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind—having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude; And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's image, (Godlike) in true righteousness and holiness.
This verse makes us know that righteousness is different from holiness. Righteousness is the right-standing with God you gained when you were saved (born again). The only thing you did to be made righteous was to accept Jesus Christ as your savior and the Lord of your life.

However, Holiness is another area. Holiness is the result of your choices. It's what you do with your time and your actions. It's your conduct. It comes when you make a decision of your will to live according to the precepts of the Lord. In short, holiness is doing those things that PLEASE THE FATHER.

Does God want us to please him?

Answer: Yes, God wants us to please him (A good son will always please the father)

(1Thess 4:1 [NET])
Finally then, brothers and sisters, we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received instruction from us about how you must live and PLEASE GOD (as you are in fact living) that you do so more and more.

Romans 12:1 ESV
I appeal to you therefore, brothers by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, HOLY AND ACCEPTABLE TO GOD, which is your spiritual worship.

Enoch pleased God

Hebrews 11:5 - ESV
By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having PLEASED GOD.

The Greek word for pleased in Hebrews 11:5 means to gratify entirely. God was so gratified with
Enoch that he couldn’t wait for him to die to be with him, so he took him. What a pleasing (worship/reverencing) life.

 

What God said about Jesus

This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:17) Matthew quotes God through the prophet Isaiah saying, Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, my Beloved in whom my soul is well pleased… (Matthew 12:18; Isaiah 42:1)

How should Christians please God?

We please God by obeying His Word (living by the Spirit). This is not the era where we begin to follow a set of commandments that we can never fulfill; Now we have the Spirit of God (Empowerment/Make Possible Ability) in us to fulfill the law of LOVE.

(Rom 8:8 [NET])
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.


(Gal 5:16 [KJV])
[This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.


(Heb 11:6 [NET])
Now without faith it is impossible to PLEASE him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Romans 8:5
"For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit".


Brethren, Determine in your heart today to live a life pleasing unto Christ. How will a man say he pleases God without obeying His Word? This is not God-like.

Let’s please God and get ready for a life of glory!

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You Have unparalleled righteousness

2 Corinthians 5:21- KJV
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

   
2 Corinthians 5:21 - TLB
 For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God's goodness into us!

What is Righteousness?

Righteousness is the ability to stand before God without any sense of condemnation, inferiority complex, fear, sin consciousness or anything of such. Righteousness simply means right standing with God.

Should we work to become righteousness?

Some Christians believe that they have to work at becoming more righteous.

No! Righteousness is the rightness with God that springs forth from believing in God.

Rom 4:3 - KJV
For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
   
Rom 4:3 - TLB
For the Scriptures tell us Abraham believed God, and that is why God canceled his sins and declared him "not guilty."

Righteousness is a gift from God to us through Jesus. And since it is a gift, we cannot earn it by keeping the law. We can only receive it!

How do we receive this gift?

We receive the gift of righteousness by believing in Jesus as our Lord and savior. We receive it by faith (believing) that Jesus died in our place (for our sins) and rose up on the third day for our Justification. God made Jesus "who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him". So, we are the righteousness of God in Christ. We are as righteous as Jesus is!

Do we have classes of righteousness?

But some of us think that in the body of Christ, there are different classes of righteousness, like we have university degrees – First Class, Second Class, Third Class, Pass and Fail

Some believe their pastor/prophet’s righteousness is – First class, while their own is second class or third class. No wonder they don’t have the boldness to pray to God. They always want somebody else to pray to God on their behalf

That is not what the Scripture says! When God gave us Jesus, He took our place (unrighteousness). So we all (Believers/Christians) have His righteousness (First Class). This means that we are absolutely righteous in God's eyes! We cannot but have first-class righteousness!

At the cross of Calvary, the divine exchange took place. Jesus took our place so that we might become the righteousness of God. He was spotless (without sin), but He was made sin in our place. We did not deserve to be made righteous, but we were made righteous because of what Jesus did for us (Grace).

This is awesome!

What a gospel (good news)!

What an undeserving grace!

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