Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #14803 - Don’t Be A People Pleaser - Galatians 1:10

Transcript

#14803 - Don’t Be A People Pleaser - Galatians 1:10 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

0:03
Welcome to the study of God's Word with pastor and author Ed
0:07
Taylor, recorded live at Calvary Church in Aurora, Co.
0:11
To learn more about the many resources available through
0:13
Abounding Grace Media or to tune into our live stream services,
0:17
visit us online at Calvary Co dot Church or download our free
0:22
Calvary Church app. Now.
0:24
Here's Pastor Ed to take us into our study.
0:28
Amen. Open your Bibles.
0:29
Galatians chapter 1 is where we are today.
0:32
We're going to cover just one verse, verse 10.
0:36
Galatians chapter one, verse 10 and I have entitled our Bible
0:41
study Don't be a people pleaser. Don't be a people pleaser
0:45
because there are those times where your commitment to Jesus
0:50
will be challenged by the circumstances of the moment.
0:54
There are those times where the temptation to compromise or the
0:58
temptation to not fully obey or the temptation to not fully tell
1:04
the truth or not fully anything, the circumstance of the moment
1:09
begin to undermine our commitment to Jesus.
1:11
You start to feel pressure. And it's not just for the young
1:14
people. You know, we'll train our young
1:16
people with disciple, the young people to be careful of peer
1:19
pressure, to be careful who you hang out with.
1:22
The Bible says that evil company corrupts good habits.
1:24
So be very careful with the peer pressure in life.
1:27
But you know as well as I do, peer pressure doesn't end when
1:30
you graduate high school, and peer pressure doesn't end when
1:33
you graduate college. Peer pressure doesn't end,
1:36
period. There are always people pressing
1:38
in with their thoughts and their ideas and their opinions and how
1:42
you and I should live our lives. And some of it is just plain
1:47
tempting for us to compromise. Who will we choose to please is
1:53
the question of the day. Now let's step back for a second
1:56
and look at it from another angle.
1:58
Are people's opinions, do they matter to you?
2:02
And I'm not asking for an answer out loud, but I mean, listen,
2:05
are you? Who are you seeking to please?
2:08
Will someone's opinion of you move you?
2:11
Will someone's advice change you because you fear them?
2:16
Because you overly reverence them instead of reverencing God.
2:22
How you answer the question determines the direction of your
2:25
life. I mean if people's opinions of
2:28
you are important, like super important, then how you
2:31
question, how you answer that question is going to determine
2:34
the direction of your life. Let me give you a few options if
2:37
you're taking notes. Because there is that choice to
2:39
please God. But some people, they choose to
2:42
please self. It's a very common one.
2:45
They live only for themselves, to themselves about themselves.
2:49
And a new word is surface. It's actually not a new word,
2:52
but it's newer in our culture. And that's that sense of those
2:56
that seek to please themselves and not really care about anyone
2:59
else are known today as narcissists where they really
3:03
don't have any feelings for anyone.
3:04
They're just it's all about me, me, myself and I is the old
3:07
phrase from years ago. But many some listening to me.
3:12
This is the course of your life. All you really care about is
3:15
yourself. Trying to please yourself #2
3:19
Some choose to please society or culture, they want to fit in.
3:24
And social media has done great damage to our minds in this
3:27
area. Social media has has caused, you
3:30
know, especially for those that pick up your phone first thing
3:32
in the morning. It's the last thing you put down
3:35
and it's what you're on all day long that has changed your
3:38
thinking. It has changed the way you see
3:41
life. And so you see something the way
3:44
even the algorithms are developed so that they're
3:46
sending you things and making you think a certain way.
3:49
So then there's new clothing. You got to have the new clothing
3:51
and there's new thing. You got to have the new thing.
3:54
And then there's a new diet. You got to be on the new diet.
3:56
And before you know it, you're just living to please the world.
4:00
You post something you're worried about how many people
4:02
see it, who didn't see it, who didn't unfollow, and you go
4:04
through everything and it's just a waste of time.
4:08
But many of you, you choose to try to fit in whatever's
4:11
trending, whatever's popular, whatever's in still.
4:14
Thirdly, some. Some choose to please others.
4:18
We may call them people pleasers where you, you just want, you're
4:23
just trying to make everyone happy.
4:24
You're trying you, you run over here and it's like, I'll do this
4:27
for you and you run over here and I'll do this for you.
4:29
You run over here and I'll do this for you.
4:30
And if you haven't learned by now, perhaps by the end of our
4:33
Bible study, you will understand it's impossible to please
4:39
everyone. Sometimes it's impossible to
4:42
please anyone. Now you by now you might think,
4:45
well, it I don't really have a a real difficult time with people
4:48
pleasing. Let me give you an example that
4:50
you may have more of a difficulty with this than you
4:53
realize. You know how they use that
4:55
phrase when there's tension with people or there's tension in the
4:58
home or there's tension at work and you use that phrase that
5:02
you're walking around on egg shells.
5:04
How many of you heard that walking around on eggs, you
5:06
bunch of people pleasers? Why are you walking on egg
5:11
shells instead of walking in the confidence of who you are and
5:16
what the situation is? That's because there's a little
5:19
bit of that in all of us. We know why we're walking on egg
5:22
shells. We don't want to make things
5:23
worse. We don't want it to explode,
5:25
whatever the reasons. But someone's behavior has
5:29
changed your behavior. And the Bible says, look, the
5:34
only one that you should give permission to change your
5:36
behavior is God, that your life would be set on pleasing God and
5:44
him alone. Turn over with me, would you to
5:46
John chapter 8. Jesus taught us this very
5:50
principle, such a powerful passage that I want you to read
5:55
through. I want you to memorize.
5:56
I'm asking you to turn because you need to mark it in your
5:59
Bibles. If you can mark it on your iPad
6:01
or your phone, do that as well. But you have to know this
6:04
passage. It's so important by
6:07
internalizing this, allowing the Holy Spirit to use it in your
6:10
life, thinking about it, meditating upon it, acting out
6:14
from it will change your life literally as you follow the
6:18
example of Jesus. Notice with me John chapter 8
6:21
verse 28. Jesus said to them, when you
6:25
lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that
6:30
I do nothing of myself. But as my Father taught me, I
6:35
speak these things, and he who sent me is with me.
6:40
The Father has not left me alone.
6:42
And here's the phrase. Mark it, circle it, underline
6:46
it, highlight it, put a star next to it, whatever you need.
6:49
But listen to what Jesus says he says, for I always do those
6:54
things that please him. Mark that word, please.
6:59
Paul uses it in Galatians. You can mark it here.
7:02
And in Galatians it has the idea of being content with doing the
7:06
right thing, with pleasing someone.
7:09
It has the idea of a settled peace that what you have done is
7:13
the right thing to do toward God in this case, or even with
7:18
someone else where you're just, you have a contentment by doing
7:22
with that which pleases someone. Again, in first John chapter 3
7:26
and verse 22, it says whatever we ask we receive from Him
7:30
because we keep His commandments and listen, do those things that
7:34
are pleasing in His sight. And this is the commandment that
7:40
we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus and love one
7:43
another as He gave us commandment.
7:47
We learned today that not only is it an example of Jesus, but
7:51
it's possible. It is possible for you and I to
7:54
do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
7:58
It is the other end of a choice. You and I, we can choose to
8:02
please God, or we can choose to please ourselves.
8:05
We can choose to please God, or we can choose to fit in with
8:08
culture. We can choose to please God, or
8:11
we can choose to please someone that's influential in our lives.
8:14
Now I know this Bible study will be challenging and difficult
8:18
because of personalities, because of your personality.
8:21
You, you may have grown up in a home or been in a marriage where
8:24
the difficulty of the home has created these habits in you,
8:28
where you really do walk on egg shells.
8:31
And it's very difficult for you to chuckle at that because it's
8:33
hard for you. Or you were raised in a home
8:36
where all you wanted to do is please your parents, but you
8:38
never heard the affirmation, you never heard the encouragement
8:41
and it messed with you. And you've brought that into
8:44
adulthood and it's messing with you now in your relationship
8:47
with God. But today you're reminded that
8:51
it's possible. You're a new creation in Christ.
8:53
You are not bound by your personality.
8:55
God is able above and beyond your personality to draw out
9:00
from you those those behaviours and those decisions and those
9:04
choices that please the Lord. And he affirms that obedience in
9:08
your life. He's well pleased with you in
9:11
Christ. That's the place of being.
9:13
Being in the right place at the right time is abiding in Christ.
9:16
That's the place where God is well pleased with us through the
9:20
blood of Christ, and we want to please the Lord.
9:24
I mean, we have to ask that, don't we?
9:26
Does this describe our lives? Do we live our lives to always
9:30
do those things that please the Father?
9:33
Let me just answer for you myself.
9:34
I'll give you my answer to that question as you answered for
9:37
yourself in your own mind. Do I always do those things that
9:41
please the Father? Do I always want to do those
9:43
things that please the Father? Here's my answer.
9:45
Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't.
9:49
Sometimes I do. As I've grown older in the
9:52
things of God and been walking with Him now for 34 plus years,
9:57
I have seen the scales tip where I believe I can see in my life a
10:01
lot more do I desire to please the Father and I think I do.
10:05
And then a lot less I can see the scales tip.
10:08
But it's true, sometimes I do, but sometimes I don't.
10:12
And there's that significance of knowing that the Lord is drawing
10:15
me to Himself, and I'm learning that His will is always better
10:20
for me. That's the lesson.
10:22
What He wants for me is always better than I what I want for
10:25
myself, what He wants for me is always better than what this
10:29
culture has to offer. And what He wants from me, what
10:32
His opinion is of my life, is always better than the opinions
10:37
of others. And have you noticed lately
10:40
everybody has an opinion, but these days everybody thinks you
10:45
want to hear their opinion. And we just like, keep it to
10:48
yourself. Like just have your opinions
10:51
under yourself because everyone has an opinion, right?
10:53
But only God's opinion matters. And we got to train our ears,
10:57
train our hearts to receive God's loving affirmation and
11:01
acceptance of you and me in Christ under the blood.
11:07
You remember Jesus learned this as a human.
11:10
He's in the Garden of Gethsemane right before the cross,
11:13
wrestling with the reality of the future.
11:15
And what does he pray? He's like, hey, nevertheless,
11:19
not my will, but your will be done, Father, a place of
11:25
surrender, that place of giving up.
11:27
Any of you that ever sing a song with our hands raised up, You're
11:33
doing at least two things. One, you are in a place of
11:38
worship and praise and you're you're almost like reaching out
11:41
to the Father, but also you're in the position in the posture
11:45
of surrender. Did you know that it is like the
11:48
song Gotcha man. And you're just like, here I am
11:51
Lord work this out in my life. You're so good to me.
11:55
And the place of surrender is so good for you.
11:58
The place where you're no longer walking around on egg shells
12:01
with people, but rather you're seeking to please the Lord.
12:05
A lot of times we are trapped by something totally different.
12:09
For some today would be better said for I always do the things
12:13
that please man. And you're a man pleaser and
12:17
you're exhausted because you're running over here and you're
12:21
running over here and you're putting this fire out, putting
12:23
this fire out. What do they think?
12:24
What do they say? What are they posing?
12:26
And you're exhausted. You're the one that Jesus says
12:29
come unto me. Those of you that are weary and
12:32
heavy laden, come back to the place of rest.
12:36
You, you are trying to please. You're always trying to please
12:39
man. Really concerned with what
12:40
people think about you, really concerned about their opinions.
12:44
It's a trap that God's ready to release you from.
12:48
Jot it down. Proverbs chapter 29 verse 25.
12:53
The Bible says the fear of man. You can jot next to that people
12:58
pleasing the fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in
13:04
the Lord shall be safe. There is great safety in
13:09
choosing to please God, no matter the price, no matter the
13:13
circumstances. It doesn't matter how you feel,
13:16
or what others think about, or what anything's popular in
13:19
culture, or what the peer pressure is in your own little
13:22
group. It doesn't matter.
13:24
Pleasing the Lord is key, and you realize that in your life as
13:29
you step out and walk by faith, it will bring a response from
13:33
other people in your life. I I think of as we're praying
13:36
for Josie, I'm also thinking of just missionaries in general.
13:39
Missionaries in general experience this in a real way.
13:43
You know, if you, you look at your life and you think, OK, the
13:46
people that I'm in my life with, my friendship group, if you, if
13:49
you kind of look at that life as a, as a calm lake or a calm
13:53
reservoir of water, a calm pool, it's just flat and serene and
13:57
beautiful. And you took a rock and you
14:00
threw it in the middle of the lake or you threw it in the
14:02
middle of the pool. What's going to happen?
14:04
It's going to make a splash and then it's going to ripple out,
14:07
ripple after ripple after ripple.
14:09
It really doesn't matter if it's a big rock or a small rock.
14:12
Things are going to be disrupted.
14:13
The the status quo, the place of comfort's going to be disrupted.
14:17
And that's exactly what happens when you and I make a decision.
14:21
When you and I make a decision to follow the Lord, it's going
14:24
to bring a response. It's going to be like a Little
14:26
Rock thrown into the water and everybody's going to have a
14:28
response and an opinion. I think of missionaries where
14:32
they have a burden from God. We are going to leave our lives
14:36
here and God is calling us to another country, to another
14:39
place. So we're selling everything.
14:41
We sold the house, we sold the cars, we sold everything.
14:44
Everything that's left on our front lawn, come and get it
14:47
because we don't need it. We're burning the ships and
14:49
we're heading off one way ticket because this is what God has
14:52
called us to do. Inevitably in their circle,
14:57
there will be those that get hit by the ripple and their step of
15:01
faith is challenging to them and they'll come and go.
15:05
What are you thinking? What do you mean you're selling
15:06
your house? You know how hard it is.
15:08
I'm like, buy a house today and you're just selling it.
15:10
Yep. And what do you mean you sold
15:12
your cars? I mean, what are you going to
15:13
do? How what happens if it doesn't
15:14
work on it's like, stop. This is from the Lord.
15:19
I'm I know you don't want me to go and I know you're not happy
15:21
about it. I know, but I'm telling you, God
15:23
has called me like God has called me to do this and your
15:27
opinions are not going to stop me.
15:31
I'm going to do what God has called me to do.
15:33
Now, most of us are not going to have those types of decisions.
15:38
Most of us aren't, but our lives are filled with steps of faith
15:42
that disrupt the peace of those that are closest to us.
15:46
I think of some of you, you're going to, God has just spoken to
15:49
you. We got a men's conference coming
15:51
up. The men's ministry is alive and
15:53
vibrant. You're attending or you're
15:55
coming to the studies, you're listening to them later,
15:58
whatever it might be, and God has just spoken to you.
16:00
I am going to be the leader of my home.
16:03
The problem is, is you haven't been that much of A leader of
16:06
your home for years. So now you're got that
16:08
conviction and you're going to begin to pray together and
16:11
you're going to begin to lead and you're going to begin to
16:13
read the Bible. You're going to begin to lead.
16:16
And ladies, if your husband comes home like that and has a
16:19
conviction from the Lord, you have to watch yourself to not
16:23
resist the Holy Spirit working because you have become
16:26
accustomed. And it can go both ways.
16:28
A wife gets saved and she says we're going to bring the Lord
16:30
and and the husband does like you have to be careful that you
16:33
don't try to talk them out of their faith.
16:36
You want a godly man, even though you may not want the
16:39
changes. You want leadership in the home
16:42
and here you are. You're going to go home.
16:43
This is it. I'm going to I'm going to follow
16:45
the Lord. I'm going to serve the Lord.
16:47
That's it. You have to expect around them.
16:50
Maybe your kids are going. I don't want this for my I mean,
16:52
I got a life doubt. I'm not interested in in a
16:54
family altar. We're not going to pray
16:56
together. And like, whoa, whoa, whoa,
16:57
whoa. Listen, what I'm doing is right,
17:00
good and holy, and it pleases God.
17:04
And I want my family and my home to be a home that pleases God.
17:09
This is why these decisions don't get made.
17:13
That's why you don't press in because you don't want to deal
17:16
with the fallout. And I'll tell you the summary is
17:19
you fear man. You fear man way too much.
17:25
Again, that's a Bible study in and of itself.
17:27
There's a right way to do that and a wrong way to do that.
17:30
But for goodness sake, do the right thing and please the Lord,
17:34
whatever it is He's laid upon your heart today.
17:37
And yeah, there's going to be resistance, There's going to be
17:39
naysayers. There's going to be everybody's
17:41
got something to say. Everyone has an opinion, but
17:44
only God's opinion matters. And it's never too late to get
17:48
right with the Lord. It's never too late to get back
17:51
on track. Don't be trapped by always doing
17:54
the things that please man, but rather come to that place of
17:58
safety. You know the problem?
18:00
There's a lot of problems with trying to please men, but let me
18:04
give you one of them that's super important.
18:06
The problem with trying to please men is that it's
18:09
impossible to please everyone. Yes, but worse, it taints your
18:13
testimony. Pleasing men.
18:16
You have to remember, seeking to please men is a very close
18:20
cousin of hypocrisy. That's how you become a
18:23
hypocrite. You're one thing with someone
18:25
and you're another thing with someone else, and you're another
18:28
one with someone else, and you're another one at church,
18:30
and you're another person at home.
18:31
I mean, I don't even know how you can keep up with all the
18:33
people that you are because of the fear of man.
18:37
It's so much easier to fear the Lord.
18:40
The Bible even says that if your ways please God, He'll make even
18:43
your enemies be at peace with you.
18:45
But you taint your testimony. You see, when when we seek to
18:49
please men, this is what's happening.
18:51
We have made the person we're wanting to please our master.
18:55
And did you know you can't have two masters?
18:58
You're either going to love one and hate the other or hate 1 and
19:01
love the other. You can't have two masters.
19:03
Jesus said. You make someone else your
19:06
master and you step outside of the freedom that God has given
19:10
to you in Christ. We're always worried when you're
19:15
always worried about what people think and whether they approve
19:18
or not or what are they going to say?
19:19
What? When you forget that you're a
19:22
servant of the Lord and you need to be concerned about what he
19:26
thinks and He makes it very easy.
19:28
He dwells inside of you and empowers you to follow Him.
19:31
There's such freedom in serving the Lord for the Lord.
19:35
In Colossians chapter 3 and verse 23 it says and whatever
19:38
you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men, knowing
19:44
that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the
19:48
inheritance. Why?
19:49
Because you serve the Lord Christ.
19:53
It's not unto men, primarily men.
19:57
We get to benefit when we serve. All of us get to benefit men and
20:01
women. We we benefit from men and from
20:04
others commitment to Jesus, but we serve the Lord.
20:07
Which brings us to Galatians today, chapter one in verse 10.
20:13
You'll remember that the churches in Galatia were
20:16
enjoying salvation and the freedom that they have in Christ
20:20
until these false teachers came to town.
20:23
They're known as the Judaizers. They are either the same men
20:27
that followed Paul around or some of the same men.
20:30
And then the young people, their kids and the young people that
20:33
they trained, they came in. We we're using the modern day
20:36
word to describe it. That's more common to us.
20:39
We don't use Judaizers very much, but that's the technical
20:42
term to describe them. But what we would call them
20:44
today are the legalists. These are the legalists that
20:48
following Christ is not enough for them.
20:51
Hey, you want to be saved, They came into town that you want to
20:53
be saved. This is how you're saved.
20:54
It's not what Paul said. Paul didn't tell you the truth.
20:58
Instead, here's where you need to be circumcised and then keep
21:01
the law the rest of your life, which basically set up these
21:05
precious Saints to follow man and not God.
21:09
Because how do I know if I'm doing it right?
21:11
How do I know if I'm following all the rules and they've set up
21:14
a man made religious system, which there are many of those
21:19
today to follow man and not God. And so notice with me verse 10,
21:26
chapter 1. For do not do I now persuade men
21:31
or God, or do I seek to please men?
21:35
For if I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of
21:40
Christ. Remember the pathos of this
21:43
passage, the emotion. Don't forget the emotion.
21:46
Paul is upset, as any good pastor would be, when his flock
21:50
is being ripped off by liars and manipulators.
21:54
Because you know that that is, if you are a people pleaser than
21:58
one thing you may see more of in your life is people coming into
22:03
your life seeing that and taking advantage of you.
22:07
It's one of those personality traits that gets taken advantage
22:10
of all the time in the world, in the church where they can,
22:15
there's just those that are strong and personality and they
22:18
can sniff that out in someone and then they attach themselves
22:22
and they draw you to themselves and they see that you may want
22:27
friendship or you may want connection or, but you actually
22:30
have something that they want. They desire your money, they
22:35
desire your devotion, but they really, really desire your full
22:39
commitment to them so that they become the one that tell you how
22:42
to live life. That's not God's will for you.
22:44
That's what was happening with the churches in Galatia and Paul
22:47
says stop it. These guys are liars.
22:50
Remember what he said in verse 8.
22:53
He said even if we are an Angel from heaven, preach any other
22:56
gospel to you then what we preach.
22:57
Let him be accursed. Remember that word is anathema.
23:01
Let them spend an eternity of judgment apart from God.
23:05
That's how bad they are. And he says it twice at the end
23:07
of verse 9 as well. Let them be a curse.
23:10
Let them be anathema. These guys are no good and there
23:14
are no those that the same principle applies today.
23:17
If somebody comes along and wants to take advantage of you,
23:19
wants to use this church in some way to to get into your life so
23:23
they can steal from you, they can harm you, they can hurt you,
23:25
they can take you away. This is no small thing that
23:29
Paul's dealing with and it's no small thing.
23:31
Any pastor that sees that happen in their church, they should be
23:33
upset too and they should get out the rod.
23:36
You know how the shepherd has the staff in the rod.
23:39
Wolves need to be dealt with. You know that, right?
23:41
Wolves need to be dealt with and they're not pet.
23:43
They're not pet. Oh, nice little wolf.
23:45
You're so nice. You're so cute out of here.
23:49
Unless you get saved and you can become wolves can become sheep
23:52
in the church, but very rarely, unfortunately, it's very rare.
23:57
That's where Paul is. So he's standing here and he
24:00
almost like in verse 10, he pauses.
24:02
It's like he's saying, I know it's been a hard.
24:04
So I know in nine verses, in a couple sentences, the letter has
24:08
already been hard. But let me tell you something.
24:11
I'm not writing to you to please man.
24:14
I'm writing you to please God. That's how God brought me into
24:17
your life when I taught you the gospel and the reality of your
24:21
sin in in a Pagan world. All this false worship, I'm also
24:26
doing it now. I want to tell you the truth.
24:29
His enemies had accused him of being a compromiser.
24:33
His enemies had accused him of being a liar.
24:36
His enemies had accused him of teaching a false gospel.
24:39
And this just blows my mind. I don't know if I'm sure many of
24:42
you this has happened to you. It's happened to me on more than
24:45
one occasion, and it just just trips me out.
24:47
I don't get it. But you're sitting across with
24:49
somebody, you're trying to resolve something, and then they
24:52
start accusing you of stuff. They start saying stuff about
24:54
you and that you never did, but that they're doing right now as
24:58
they're accusing you. Has that ever happened to you?
25:00
It's just unbelievable. Nehemiah said he had people
25:04
accusing him. He says this stuff ain't true.
25:05
You're making it up in your own mind.
25:07
That's what's happening with Paul.
25:08
It's nothing new. You were the first one it
25:10
happened to. You're not.
25:11
They're doing that with Paul. The very things that Paul was
25:15
not and the very things that the false teachers were.
25:19
They flipped it around to try to gaslight Paul and try to make it
25:23
his fault, try to use it against him.
25:26
Because if they could separate the leadership of Paul from the
25:29
churches, they would have more power.
25:31
And now Paul's going. I don't have none of that
25:33
nonsense. They are not telling you the
25:36
truth. These false teachers were the
25:38
man pleasers. These false teachers were the
25:42
ones that chose to twist and pervert the truth of God for
25:45
their own power. He says it later on.
25:46
Notice chapter 4. Notice chapter 4 and verse 17.
25:52
Actually he's pick up in verse 16.
25:54
He says it later because the whole letter is a very
25:57
challenging letter. He says, have I therefore become
26:00
your enemy because I tell you the truth?
26:03
They zealously court you, but for no good.
26:08
Yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for
26:13
them. Paul came with a message for the
26:16
churches to be zealous for Christ.
26:19
These guys came in and go. You got to understand what's
26:21
happening. They want you to follow them and
26:26
that is not good. Now let's step back for a second
26:29
and go, OK, how did Paul become so confident?
26:32
Now I know he had a strong personality, but I don't believe
26:34
that's what he's Speaking of from in this letter, a strong
26:39
personality because he doesn't know yet that this is the exact
26:42
words of God for the church is he doesn't know that yet.
26:45
He's just writing of emotion, He's writing of experience.
26:48
He's writing of the knowledge of the word of God.
26:50
He doesn't know yet. These are exactly the words of
26:52
God coming through him. So where did he get this
26:55
confidence? I'm going to give you 3 things
26:57
because the same place he got his confidence, you can have
26:59
your confidence as well. You want to stand for what's
27:02
strong in life and to please the Lord you.
27:05
These are yours as well. So let me give them to you and
27:08
we'll look at them briefly #1 Why was Paul so confident #1 He
27:12
knew grace personally. He knew grace personally.
27:18
He remembers Damascus and the road to Damascus, Acts Chapter
27:25
9. He remembers the Lord met him
27:28
there. He remembers who he was and now
27:33
who he is. Why?
27:34
Because he knew grace. He knew the power of God through
27:38
the message of the gospel. He knew the power of God through
27:41
the blood of Jesus Christ. He knew the power of God that
27:44
would change a man like him. This Pharisee of a Pharisees
27:50
listen. Paul understood as he looked
27:53
back on his life that by living a strict, legalistic,
27:57
judgmental, appearance focused life of a Pharisee that his goal
28:05
before Christ was actually just to please men.
28:08
Which is what Jesus condemned. Remember, he spoke to the
28:11
Pharisees and what did he say? You guys, you're like
28:14
whitewashed tombs. You look good on the outside,
28:20
but you are filled with dead men's bones.
28:24
Chapter 23 is such a strong of Matthew's Gospel, such a strong
28:28
statement about this outward appearance, just wanting to
28:31
impress people, attitude that the Pharisees said, well, Paul
28:35
had that too. He knew what it's like.
28:37
He knew grace, He knew the power of God.
28:41
He says in verse 1 of chapter one that his ministry didn't
28:45
come from man. Remember Paul the apostle, not
28:48
from men or through men, but through Jesus Christ.
28:50
His ministry didn't come from man, neither did his message.
28:54
Look at chapter one, verse 12, we'll get to later.
28:57
But notice in verse 12, neither have I received it from man, nor
29:00
was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus
29:04
Christ. Why would he be fearful of man?
29:07
Man has had nothing to do with his changed life.
29:10
His only interaction with religious men almost destroyed
29:13
his life and disrupting all the churches and all the families.
29:17
He's like, no, no, no, He knew grace and you do too.
29:20
You know the grace of God. You have a testimony.
29:25
It's so important that you share that testimony.
29:27
How many times have you found yourself?
29:29
And I know I have sharing my testimony, I'm sharing with
29:31
someone. And as I'm listening to it, I'm
29:33
like, I'm blown away. Like I, it's hard to believe
29:36
that's the life I'm living. Like that's not somebody else's
29:39
story that I read, not some missionary like, like this is
29:42
the work of God. So when I'm reminded in my own
29:45
life of what God has done in my life, it makes me less prone to
29:48
worry about what you think about me now.
29:51
It's not like you're going to go and be arrogant and just kind of
29:54
plow through people. That's not from the Lord either.
29:56
You're not walking in the fruit of the spirit.
29:57
However, you can have a strength about you to say, hey, you got
30:01
an opinion about my walk right now?
30:03
Where were you when I was lost? Where were you?
30:05
You didn't. I don't remember you picking me
30:07
up from jail. I don't remember you helping me
30:10
when I had to pay that fine. I don't remember like where were
30:12
you? And you're going to roll into my
30:13
life right now and tell me I'm not really saved.
30:16
Get out of here, man. Get out of here.
30:18
How could you tell me I'm not saved?
30:20
You want I know Grace. I know grace.
30:23
That's Paul was confident. You do too.
30:25
It makes you confident #2 #2 Paul knew suffering intimately.
30:33
Why is that important? Well, you remember the book of
30:36
Galatians is written to a series of churches, not just one
30:39
church. And it was while Paul was
30:42
planting the churches in Galatia that something really important
30:46
happened to him. Would you turn back to Acts 14?
30:48
It's been a while since we saw this, but I want you to see it.
30:51
Acts chapter 14. Not only did Paul know Grace
30:56
personally, but he also knew suffering intimately.
30:59
And when you have suffered, it changes you.
31:03
When you have suffered and the Lord has comforted you, and the
31:05
Lord has encouraged you, and the Lord's come to you, and the Lord
31:08
has revealed Himself to you, and you know him as the God of all
31:11
comfort, and you cling to Him, and He's your All in all.
31:15
It gives you confidence when people's opinions try to sway
31:19
you. Even your own, even your own
31:22
opinions can sway you. And notice what happens.
31:26
This is huge. Acts 14 pick up in verse 19.
31:32
It says Then the Jews from Antioch and Iconium, they came
31:37
there, and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and
31:43
dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.
31:48
In planning the churches in Galatia, Paul almost died.
31:52
They beat him up, they crushed him, they left him for dead.
31:57
Or you, we might say today, they beat him half to death.
32:00
Everybody thought he was dead. And so it was the blood that was
32:04
shed in his commitment to the Lord in order to plant these
32:08
churches. And now these guys are going to
32:10
roll into town and undermine. Like, it's almost like Paul's
32:14
going, don't you remember? Don't you?
32:16
I love you guys. I'm willing to die for you.
32:19
Why would you listen to them? Why are you listening to them?
32:24
When you and I suffer, it changes us fundamentally on the
32:29
inside. It gives us a deeper faith.
32:32
We are more connected to the Lord and less connected to
32:36
people's opinions about our behavior.
32:39
Because you're abiding in Christ #3 What gave Paul this
32:42
confidence? He knew God's favor powerfully.
32:46
He knew God's favor #1 He knew grace personally #2 he knew
32:51
suffering intimately, and #3 he knew God's favor powerfully.
32:56
You can jot it down. I'll read it to you.
32:58
Second Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 9.
33:01
Therefore we must make it our aim, whether present or absent,
33:05
to be well pleasing to Him. This theme is everywhere in the
33:08
Bible. If you look for this, you'll see
33:10
it everywhere. This idea of honouring, pleasing
33:14
the Lord, this phrase pleasing is used multiple times.
33:17
He says we, whether we're live or present or absent in your
33:21
presence, we're going to be well pleasing to Him.
33:23
For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ,
33:27
that each one may receive the things done in the body
33:31
according to what He has done, whether good or bad.
33:34
Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.
33:38
But we are well known to God and I trust also are well known in
33:43
your consciences. And Paul sums it up.
33:47
He says whether I'm here or there alive, here alive in the
33:50
presence, my goal is to please God, which is a great way to
33:54
live your life. You're just not worried about
33:56
what people think. You're singularly concerned with
33:59
God and pleasing Him again in Colossians chapter one, verse 9.
34:04
I'm going to read to you from the NLT because I think they do
34:06
a great job. Colossians 19.
34:09
So we have continued praying for you ever since we first heard
34:12
about you. We ask God to give you a
34:15
complete understanding of what He wants to do in your lives,
34:18
and we ask Him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom.
34:22
Verse 10. Then the way you live will
34:26
always honor and please the Lord, and you'll continually do
34:31
good, kind things for others. All the while you'll learn to
34:35
know God better and better. This is a Bible.
34:38
This one verse, these two verses are a Bible study all together.
34:41
I love this. You have knowing God better and
34:43
better. You have that along with on the
34:46
other side. You have the sense of always
34:48
honouring and pleasing the Lord, honouring and pleasing the Lord
34:51
on one side, knowing Him better and better on the other side and
34:54
in between doing good and kind, being kinder.
34:58
I mean, isn't that what? Isn't that what the world needs
35:01
through your life? And it's, it's abiding in
35:04
Christ. It is trusting him with your
35:06
life, honoring him and pleasing him, knowing him better and
35:10
better. And the fruit of that being good
35:12
and kind. And it's coming out of your
35:14
life. Such a powerful way to live your
35:17
life. Paul, as he's writing these
35:19
difficult things, was confident in the Lord.
35:24
I, I met a young believer not too long ago.
35:26
He put it this way, I want to be as zealous for God as I was for
35:30
the devil. I wish I would have said that.
35:33
That's the desire of my life. I want to give more of my life
35:38
to the Lord than I ever gave to this world.
35:40
I ever gave to the devil. I ever gave to myself.
35:42
And that was a lot like many of you.
35:46
I have a personality that's all in you.
35:49
Flip the switch, you get it all. And that is not a very good
35:53
personality to have for addictions and trouble and
35:58
crime. Not good.
36:00
But it's a beautiful personality to have serving the Lord where
36:03
you just all in, flip the switch and you're all in.
36:07
And do I always please the Lord? And sometimes I do and sometimes
36:12
I don't. But I'm growing in that area.
36:15
Glory to glory, strength to strength.
36:17
And Paul stood strong and goes. You guys listen, you can tell
36:21
the difference between someone that's pleasing men and
36:24
something that pleasing God. And I want you to examine my
36:27
life. What I'm saying is true.
36:30
Notice he says at the end of verse 10, I would not be a
36:33
servant of Christ if I was a man pleaser.
36:36
You're not honoring God when you try to please men when you're
36:40
trying to to to appease everyone and try and put this fire, put
36:44
this fire, put this fire, put this fire, put this fire and you
36:46
can't even remember all the people you and instead of just
36:49
cultivating the fire of in your heart that God has started and
36:53
letting it burn brightly. It was Warren Weirsby that said
36:57
this and I quote Paul was not a politician.
36:59
He was an ambassador. His task was not to play
37:02
politics, but to proclaim a message.
37:05
These Judaizers, these legalists, on the other hand,
37:08
were cowardly compromisers who mixed law and grace, hoping to
37:15
please both Jews and Gentiles, but never asking whether or not
37:20
they were pleasing God. And they did much damage to the
37:24
Church of Jesus Christ, which means they did much damage to
37:28
people, to families, to kids. It affects lives.
37:35
You may still be unconvinced. You may still not see this as a
37:41
very significant issue in your life, but I pray you would be.
37:46
This theme is throughout the Bible, this temptation to please
37:49
God, please yourself, please God, please this culture, please
37:54
God, try to please everyone. It's all throughout the Bible.
37:57
Let me give you one more example.
37:58
Would you turn over to Joshua chapter 24 where at the end of
38:03
conquering the promised land, they end up only really taking
38:07
30% or 10% of all that God had given them?
38:11
They they had left giants. They didn't completely wipe them
38:14
out. Going to be a difficult life.
38:16
Joshua is very close now to death.
38:20
In chapter 24. It's only a few verses after
38:23
what we read in verse 14 that Joshua will go home to be with
38:29
the Lord and he gives these final words, these final words
38:34
that resonate through all of time and eternity to us right
38:37
now. And he says in chapter 24,
38:40
notice verse 14. Now therefore fear the Lord.
38:45
Serve him in sincerity and in truth.
38:47
Put away the gods which your father served on the other side
38:50
of the river and in Egypt. Serve the Lord and that's his
38:54
call. It's time right now, church,
38:57
serve the Lord. Put away your false idols, put
39:00
away your fear of man, and let's choose to follow the Lord and
39:03
then notice what he says. He follows up.
39:05
And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, you know why He
39:10
adds that? Because some just don't want to
39:13
serve God with their lives. They don't want to deal.
39:16
They want that label, Christianity.
39:18
They want enough Christianity in them where your conscience feels
39:22
good and you feel good this week because you were in church, but
39:25
you really don't want to follow the Lord.
39:27
And that's what Joshua said. If you think it's evil, if you
39:29
think it's that bad, do you really?
39:31
Is that really the life? You've seen the victory, you've
39:34
seen the faithfulness, you've seen all this in your life.
39:37
If you really think it's evil to serve the Lord, then what does
39:41
he say? Choose yourselves.
39:44
You have a choice. Choose yourselves to stay.
39:46
Who you'll serve, who you'll please.
39:50
It's a choice. That's a matter of choice.
39:51
Even if that's why you feel today you go.
39:53
Yeah. I mean, I'm dabbling and I
39:54
really don't want to be here. Don't know.
39:56
I'm here for my, you know, I don't want to be in church.
39:58
I don't really care. I'm just kind of, you know, my
40:00
kids. I want my kids.
40:01
Like, whatever the reason is that the Bible says.
40:04
OK, OK, we'll meet you where you're at.
40:07
You got a choice to make. Today's a day of choice.
40:10
Choose you this day whom you will serve.
40:14
Notice here's your options. The gods.
40:17
The false gods of that your father served at the other side
40:20
of the river, the gods of the Amorite, all the idolatry of the
40:24
day. And then Joshua goes, look, you
40:26
got a choice to make, but let me tell you mine because it might
40:28
encourage you and how it resonates with our heart,
40:31
doesn't it? But As for me and my house,
40:34
we're going to serve the Lord, and that's the choice.
40:37
As for me and my house, I'm going to fear God, serve him in
40:41
sincerity and truth. I'm going to put away idolatry
40:45
to serve the Lord. I'm going to abide in Christ.
40:48
I'm going to trust Him. I'm going to obey him.
40:51
I'm going to not be worried about man's opinions about me.
40:55
That's not to say you might not receive advice or counsel.
40:59
Don't misunderstand this. You, you cross and I cross a
41:02
line when I let other people's opinions of me change me from
41:07
following the Lord and letting God be the ruler of my life.
41:12
Because Jesus said it is impossible to serve 2 masters.
41:20
You can't, you can't, it's not possible.
41:25
You can't have two master passions in your life.
41:29
Jesus said in Matthew chapter 624 no one can serve 2 masters.
41:36
He'll hate one, love the other. There is power in your choices
41:41
as one. Someone once said, I've owned it
41:43
as my own. Now we make our choices and then
41:46
our choices make us. And today we are a sum.
41:52
We are the sum total today of all the choices we made
41:55
previously, all the decisions that we made, which tells me
41:59
that the future can be different based upon my choices to please
42:04
the Lord. When I, like Joshua, say, you
42:07
know what? I know there's a lot of opinions
42:09
and I know there's a lot of attitude, but I'll tell you
42:11
this, I've made the choice. As for me and my house, I'm
42:14
going to serve the Lord and anybody who wants to fight, if
42:17
you think it's evil to serve the Lord, that's on you.
42:20
But you're making the wrong choice.
42:23
But in my house, I want to serve the Lord.
42:28
And so, Father, I pray for our church across the board, a very
42:34
probing, challenging time in your word that would draw from
42:37
us a sense of we, we, we're ready.
42:41
Lord, this is the issue for so many listening to me right now.
42:46
This is the issue, man pleasing versus God pleasing.
42:53
And it's just wreaked havoc in homes and families.
42:56
It's wreaked havoc in so much because we haven't abided.
43:06
We haven't. We really don't care about what
43:10
you think more than we care about what someone else thinks.
43:14
And we just pray for forgiveness, God, that the
43:17
scales would be tipped and we would live to honor and please
43:21
you more than we live to honor and please others.
43:23
Why? Because you said if our ways
43:26
please you, you'll make even enemies be at peace with us.
43:29
And it's so much easier to please you than it is, man.
43:34
If you're here today, we've been praying for you that today would
43:37
be the day that you choose to follow God.
43:41
And I mean, for the very first time that you would be born
43:45
again today of the Spirit, you become a Christian by a choice,
43:51
that you've made a choice in response to the work of God in
43:55
your life. You know, the Bible says that
43:57
we've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
44:00
All of us. Well, we have all fallen short.
44:04
We are not measuring up to God, his creative purposes in our
44:08
lives. And the Bible goes on to tell us
44:11
that the wages of sin, which all of us have, is death, eternal
44:15
separation. But it's not just something that
44:17
gets experienced. Then a person that lives apart
44:21
from God and sin right now is experiencing death right now.
44:25
You have no relationship with your creator.
44:28
The Bible actually even describes us as enemies of God.
44:32
I don't know if you've ever thought about that.
44:34
Jesus would even say if you're not for me, you're against me,
44:37
which are powerful words. However, the gift of God is
44:41
eternal life. That forgiveness is available to
44:44
all of us through the blood of Jesus Christ.
44:46
That he died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and
44:50
that he rose again from the dead to save our soul.
44:54
So that if today you will confess with your mouth the Lord
44:57
Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the
45:00
dead, you'll be saved. Generational change will begin
45:04
right in your home and in your family with you.
45:07
You might be the rock that gets thrown into the calmness of your
45:10
family, but for a good reason. The ripples of your righteous
45:14
life and your good life, but you have to come.
45:17
You have to follow in the invitation and follow the lead
45:20
of the Lord. So I want to give you a chance
45:22
today. If you're here and you'd say Ed,
45:24
I need and I want to follow Jesus Christ.
45:28
Just stand to your feet right here and I will pray with you.
45:30
Now this is the first time not just believers like saying, OK,
45:33
I want to follow. You can do that in your heart.
45:35
But for those of you that have never chosen to follow Jesus
45:38
before, I'm inviting you right now.
45:40
Would you just stand to your feet?
45:41
I want to pray with you and I want to help you with the most
45:44
important decision that you will ever make.
45:47
It's more important than a than a house to buy and a person to
45:50
marry and a bank to choose or a job or career.
45:54
What you do with your soul is the most valuable part of you.
45:59
And God is ready to forgive you of all of your sin.
46:02
Whatever you bring to the table, Jesus died for you.
46:05
Is there anyone here? Let's get busy with the Lord.
46:08
God bless you. God bless you in the back.
46:11
Today's the day, choose you this day, this day, and another
46:16
place. The Bible says today is the day
46:18
of salvation. God bless you guys in the back.
46:20
Everyone responding, someone's going to come next to you.
46:22
So don't be intimidated by that. They're pastors, key leaders in
46:27
our church. They want to help you.
46:29
God bless you. Who else would say that?
46:31
You guys online, I don't see you, but I acknowledge you and
46:34
listening on the radio, today is a day.
46:38
This is the moment, this is the time, this is God's will for
46:43
your life. Who else would say that's me?
46:47
I really sensed, I don't sense it right now, but in the first
46:50
service, it was like a lot of wrestling.
46:52
Maybe you're wrestling, maybe you're fighting, maybe you're
46:57
embarrassed. And let me just say that it
47:00
feeling of embarrassment in front of people is the fear of
47:04
man. You don't need to deal with.
47:06
It doesn't matter. We all love you.
47:08
Trust me, most of us do. We all love you.
47:11
We all care about you. We're all excited for you.
47:14
We're all happy that things are going to change, that you're
47:18
going to know God personally. You don't need to worry about
47:20
us. We're here to serve you.
47:23
Anyone else before I help you guys, pray because that's what
47:26
the Bible says when you talk to God, that's prayer.
47:29
And so anyone that would say, yeah, that's me, today is the
47:31
day. All right, so those that
47:36
responded, you guys in the back, I see you.
47:38
Let's pray and let's talk to God.
47:40
You can repeat after me if you'd like, but you could say, God, I
47:43
admit that I've sinned against you and I ask you to forgive me
47:48
of all of my sins. I believe you sent Jesus to die
47:52
for me, to rise again from the dead, for me to forgive me of
48:03
all of my sin. I choose to follow you today.
48:07
I choose to turn away from my sins, to repent, and to give you
48:13
my life. Take it, Lead me, God, change
48:18
me. Fill me with the power of Your
48:21
presence. Help me to understand your Bible
48:27
and how to live a life that pleases you in Jesus name.
48:32
We pray that you've been encouraged by this Bible study,
48:35
delivered live from the sanctuary of Calvary Church.
48:38
For prayer, call us at 87730 Grace that's 877-304-7223.
48:48
To listen to this message in its integrity or to join us for our
48:51
live stream services, visit us online at Calvary Co dot Church
48:56
or download our free Calvary Church app.
48:59
Be blessed as you worship Jesus this week.