What Delights God

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Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston.

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No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ. Based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the

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Apostle Paul said, "...but we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you."

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In short, if you like smooth, watered -down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn't for you.

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By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we're called by the divine trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her

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King. Here's our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth. Welcome to No Compromise Radio ministry, my name is

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Mike Abendroth, and I am going to try my best today not to yawn. It is about 6 o 'clock at night here, cold, rainy day,

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I'm exhausted. This is show four, four in a row, but I'm just trying to power through and tape a bunch of shows and then

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I send them into the station and then they play and then they get put on podcast, iTunes, etc.

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I don't know what delights you, I don't know what makes you very happy, but I'd like to ask this question, what delights

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God? What delights God? Did you know there are many things and people that delight

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God? I'd kind of like to know what those things are. What delights

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God? Wouldn't you like to delight the God of all creation? And so today we're going to look at this question, what delights

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God? That's just the better way to say it. What delights God? And so we're going to see from Scripture on No Compromise Radio in a positive way today.

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I'm not going to go after people today, I'll try my very best not to say anything demeaning about any false teacher,

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I'll be on my best behavior, my very bestest best behavior. This is going to be a topic that will help keep you from sin because it's going to make you think about God properly.

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The essence of idolatry, Tozer said, is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him. So now if we figure out what delights

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God, how great is that going to be? It's also going to help you expand your mind as you consider what delights

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God. Spurgeon said, Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man, as a devout, earnest, continued investigation of the great subject of the

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Deity, capital D. The most excellent study for expanding the soul is the science of Christ and Him crucified and the knowledge of the

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Godhead in glorious Trinity, end quote. That is exactly right. Now he didn't say

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Christ a scientist, he said the science of Christ. See, I couldn't go through a show without blasting

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Christian science. As MacArthur says, it's not Christian, it's not science, it's like grape nuts, not grapes and not nuts.

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Aye, aye, aye, aye, aye. Okay, what delights God? It's interesting, the

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Greek word for delight, eu do keo, to be well -pleased, to regard favorably, to take delight in.

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So to have joy in, to be well -pleased, to delight in, this is for Christians today.

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If you're not a Christian, then you can rest assured that God takes no delight in a person like you who sees

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God's handiwork, His creation, and then ascribes to Him no honor, no thanks, no praise.

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You were a born worshiper, but you're supposed to worship Jesus Christ. So today, if you're not a Christian, none of these things are going to help you.

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You could learn more about it, and the first one you're going to say, oh, that's interesting. But you need to know that you are not delighting

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God in any way, shape, or form as an unbeliever because Romans chapter 8 will talk about it, and Hebrews chapter 11 verse 6, without faith in Christ Jesus, it is impossible to please

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God. So the only way you get to the thrice holy God is through the mediator, the high priest.

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Yes, you need a priest, but you don't need a Roman Catholic priest. You need a high priest, a priest that is without spot, who is pure, who is undefiled, and that high priest's name is

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Jesus Christ, who also happens to be a king. The great king priest, the great king priest who is also a prophet.

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What does God delight in? Number one, God delights in his law.

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God delights in his word. Isaiah 42, 21, the Lord was pleased for his righteousness sake to make the law great and glorious.

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The greatness of the word of God, and certainly the text says here, to make his law great and glorious, but by inference he believes, or he thinks rather, that his law, he delights in his law.

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Certainly if God delights in his law, in his word, then should not you do the same?

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Number two, God delights in his son. This is really the big one, isn't it? This is what I was after, I think, for number one anyway, but I moved it around.

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Commit yourself to the Lord, let him deliver him, let him rescue him, because he delights in him.

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Psalm 22, verse 8, this great psalm that starts off, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

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He delights in him. Can you imagine God is delighted in giving, he's delighted in Christ, but he's also delighted in giving

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Christ, sovereignly giving Christ to do his will.

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And when the son does the will, that pleases the father too. Matthew 11, at that time

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Jesus answered and said, I praise thee, O father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and intelligent, and didst reveal them to babes.

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Yes, father, for thus it was well pleasing in thy sight. All things have been handed over to me by my father, and no one knows the son except the father, nor does anyone know the father except the son, and anyone to whom the son wills to reveal him.

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Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls.

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For my yoke is easy, and my load is light, and my burden is light. And so it's well pleasing to the father to hand all things over to the son.

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And so if the father finds delight in the son, shouldn't you find delight in the son?

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The son finds delight in doing the will of God, shouldn't you find delight in doing the will of God?

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Did you know that the father was even delighted in his son's obedience? Not just in giving over the task, his sovereign task to do his will, but in the son's obedience.

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How great is this? Matthew 3, Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the

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Jordan, coming to John to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent him, saying, I have need to be baptized by you.

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Do you come to me? But Jesus answered him and said,

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Permitted at this time, for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.

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Then he permitted him. And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water.

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And behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and coming upon him.

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And behold, a voice from the heavens saying, This is my beloved son, in whom

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I am well pleased. I am delighted. I am thinking well of.

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Did you know God the Father is delighted in sending the son to save sinners?

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That delights God. See how God -focused this is? How God -ward it is? What delights

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God? Well, his word delights him, but the Son, the Son delights

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God. The Father is delighted in the Son. And it doesn't take you very long to figure out if you're a dad, and how much joy you could have in your son when your son does something, or your son just is.

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Your son's born. He doesn't even have to do anything. And of course, that's a fallen father loving a fallen son.

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How about the holy and just God loving the holy and just Son? The Father loving the

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Son. God the Father is delighted by sending the Son to save sinners.

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Matthew chapter 12, verse 18. I just caught myself almost yawning there. Now I'm going to say the word yawn, and I'm going to yawn.

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Here we go. Oh, man. Mike Amonroth, No Compromise Radio Ministry.

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Cold, gloomy New England day. I don't know why I'm here in the middle of New England. Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, and then right after college in 1982, went out to Los Angeles.

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And so I've been here for 14 years, and it's been the longest three decades of my life.

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No, I've enjoyed my time in New England, and I'm so kind of in your face that people in the South in California would probably think

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I was mean, and they kick me out of the church anyway, so I'm right where God wants me. That is actually true to think about, that I'm in the center of God's will being here in New England, and until He moves me, maybe

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He'll never move me, then I'm just going to keep preaching. And if there are 10 people at the church, or 20 people at the church, or 500 listeners on No Compromise, then we're just going to keep going.

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By the way, we'll have to make a decision coming up in August. Do we keep going? And so if you want

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Mike Amonroth and No Compromise Radio on this station, you ought to call our email manny at WVNE, or you should call

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Dave Reno at WVNE, or you could write us at info at No Compromise Radio to say, stay on the radio.

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At times I'm tempted to say, radio costs enough money, let's go to iTunes only. Let's go to podcast only.

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Actually John Piper has done that with Desiring God. I don't think he's on radio anymore because it's so expensive to be on radio.

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So if you want us to stay on, I'm going to need to know that, or otherwise I'll just have to make a decision without you.

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So there you have it. I remember when we first got on WVNE, there was some other show on at 3 .30, and this is not trying to say that I'm so great or anything like that, but it was a pretty weak show.

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It was one of these how to sell petunias for the Lord kind of show. I think it was financial stuff, but rarely a

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Bible verse. And so I think that's good for the community, and you can have Jay Sekulow on.

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He has a few more Bible verses at 3 o 'clock, but then, you know, I'm the kind of guy that 4 o 'clock,

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R .C. Sproul, 4 .30, John MacArthur, 2 .30, what's on at 2 .30,

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1 .30, Alistair Begg. These kind of men of God preaching the word of God, that's what I like. So anyway,

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God the Father is delighted by sending the Son to save. Matthew 12, Behold my servant whom

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I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my spirit upon him and he shall proclaim justice to the

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Gentiles. Jesus is going to be someone different than they originally thought.

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They thought he was going to be some political, military, great person, and here he's coming as the one who is well -pleasing to the

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Father, and he is proclaiming justice to even the Gentiles, righteousness even to non -Jews.

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Verse 19 of Matthew 12, He will not quarrel, nor cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

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The Messiah doesn't have to stir up and to agitate and to politically drive everyone into some frenzy, no, that's not what the

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Messiah is going to do. Verse 20, A battered reed he will not break off, and a smoldering wick he will not put out, until he leads justice to victory, and in his name the

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Gentiles will hope. Here Jesus is saving all kinds of people, not just Jews.

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God's delighted by that. Did you know God's delighted by sacrificing Jesus Christ for sinners? Not just sending him, not just inaugurating him for ministry, but he's actually delighted in sacrificing

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Jesus Christ for sinners. Now you're saying, where's all the stuff about how God delights in a people?

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How can I delight in God? Well, right now let's just talk about what God is delighted by, and who he specifically is delighted by is

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Christ Jesus, his Son. God is delighted by sacrificing Jesus for sinners. Hebrews 10 .4,

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For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

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Take away there is used of Peter cutting off the high priest's slave's ear, removal.

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It's impossible for that to happen that way. Therefore when he comes in the world, he says, Sacrifice an offering thou hast not desired, but a body thou hast prepared for me.

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In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast taken no pleasure. He hasn't taken delight in that.

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Then I said, Behold, I have come to do the role of the book it is written of me. Come in the role of the book it is written of me to do thy will,

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O God. After saying above, Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou has not desired, nor hast thou taken pleasure in them which are offered according to the law.

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Then he said, Behold, I have come to do thy will. He takes away the first in order to establish the second.

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By this we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

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And all that happened, if I can fast forward to, or fast backward to Isaiah 53.

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But the Lord was pleased to crush him, putting him to grief. If he would render himself as a guilt offering, he will see his offspring, he will prolong his days, and the good pleasure of the

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Lord will prosper at his hand. So we have God the Father well pleased to crush his son.

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But the Lord was pleased to crush him, putting him to grief. And took good pleasure of the

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Lord will prosper in his hand. And so today on No Compromise Radio Ministry we're talking about God delighting in the

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Son. Now let's keep pushing a little bit more. God delights in the saving of sinners. Not just sending his

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Son to save, but sending his Son to save sinners. Micah chapter 7 verse 18.

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Who is a God like thee, who pardons iniquity, and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of his possession?

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He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in unchanging love.

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It is true, the world does overdo, so does the church, the love of God. But God really is love.

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And Micah says, Who is a God like thee, who pardons iniquity, and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of his possession?

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Most gods don't do that. These made -up gods don't do that. If you were God, you wouldn't do that. Who does this kind of thing?

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He delights in unchanging love. He delights in himself, he delights in his

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Son, he delights in saving sinners. That pretty much narrows the field. Who in your life do you know who delights in unchanging love perfectly all the time?

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No, only God. This is an example of actually God delighting in himself, and the sub -theme is the salvation of sinners.

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When you get saved, it's not really about you. That's why the whole crazy love thing, God's crazy about you, loves you with a crazy love, there's some truth to that.

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But it's not true unless it's said in the context of Jesus Christ is loved by the

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Father. If there's a crazy love, it's the Father who loves the Son. That's the love in the inter -Trinitarian working of the

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Father loving the Son, and the Spirit loving the Son, and the Son loving the Spirit. The way that works, that's what we really have to think about.

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Before creation, before the foundation of the world, there is delight, inter -Trinitarian delight, inter -Trinitarian fellowship, inter -Trinitarian joy, inter -Trinitarian love.

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This God who is a God of love, inter -Trinitarianly, is that a word? There's nothing lacking in heaven.

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There's nothing to be gained. He's not going to gain anything, because He is whole, yet in His love, in His kindness,

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He makes a great plan. This covenant of redemption where Jesus is going to go redeem those that the

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Father has given Him, and He is going to transform them by the Spirit's power and give them back to the

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Father. There is a delight where the Father delights in Himself. The Lord proclaims that it's

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His nature to forgive sin. He's willing to forgive sin to those who don't deserve it.

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Now, see, that's real love. That is real love. Not He loves me.

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He loves me not, but He does love me. Micah 7, 19, He will again have compassion on us.

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He will tread our iniquities underfoot. Yes, thou will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

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Let me fast forward a little bit to Galatians 1, verse 15. But when he who had set me apart, even from my mother's womb,

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Paul is talking, Galatians 1, and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal

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His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles.

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I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood. And so, it was pleasing of God not just to inaugurate the

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Son in the ministry, not just to send the Son to save sinners, not just to save sinners, not just to glorify

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Himself by forgiving sins, but also to reveal the Son in people.

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Now, this is a thing for Paul specifically as an apostle, but it is true for us too that the

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Son of God sends His Spirit to reveal the Son in us.

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That is an amazing thing. And so, when we are looking at this topic of God delighting in us, being joyful in us, it's because of the

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Son's work. It's because of the triune work. It's not because we deserve it and we, you know, are so great.

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It's back to the whole makeover thing. How do you do makeovers? You know, with people, oh, they were made over by some beautician.

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I always like the bumper sticker, by the way, with beauticians. I'm a beautician, not a magician. I think that might be my favorite bumper sticker.

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And so, you pick ugly people to make over because then when they look really good, the before picture, ugly.

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The after picture, pretty. And so then, who do you praise? You praise the person?

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No, you praise the makeup artist. And so, it's the same thing. God doesn't love us because we're lovely.

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It's the love of God that compels God to love the unlovely. Jude 24, now, to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, blameless with great joy.

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That's the word great joy, exaltation, exuberant joy. Now, you're going to have that in heaven.

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But could it be? I think the answer is yes, that this is God's great joy. There's going to be joy on that last day.

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God will be joyful, the joy of God. That is an amazing thing, that God has joy by saving sinful people.

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And so today, we're No Compromise Radio. We're kind of taking a different view today, a different topic, the delight of God, and the first points were really

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God delights in himself. And now, let's look at some things in scripture that show God delights in people.

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And mainly, it's God delighting in himself, and the overflow is God delights in his people.

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And so, I think it is fair, and it's right for us to do that. But let's go to the first one.

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One, God delights in obedience. In response to his grace, the response to grace is obedience.

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He delights in that. And so, if you'd like to say, I've got a human father, and when

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I obey, he delights in me. He doesn't make me a child because I've obeyed, but because I am a child,

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I obey, and God the Father, in that parental way, is joyful. Samuel said, has the

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Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the

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Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fad of rams.

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Well, how about this one? Haggai 1 .8. Go up to the mountains, bring wood, and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and glorified.

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God delights in obedience. He is pleased with obedience. Micah 6. Does the

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Lord take delight in thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

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He has told you, O man, what is good. What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your

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God? Do you know God delights in faithfulness? Proverbs 12 .22.

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Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal faithfully are his delight. When you are honest and you deal faithfully with people,

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God's delighted in that. That is a motivation to not lie. I want to delight the

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Lord, don't you? How about this one? Proverbs 15 .8. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the

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Lord, but the prayer of the upright is his delight. Isn't that a motivation to pray? The prayer of the upright is his delight.

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He is delighted when his children come and say, Daddy, Father, Abba. Did you know God is delighted when you fear him?

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Psalm 147 .11. The Lord favors those who fear him, those who wait for his loving kindness.

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He favors those. He's pleased. How about Isaiah 11 .3. He will delight in the fear of the

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Lord, and he will not judge by what his eyes see, nor make a decision by what his ears hear.

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Did you know God delights in you when you boast in knowing him? Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might.

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Let not the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the

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Lord who exercises loving kindness, justice and righteousness on the earth. I delight in these things, declares the

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Lord. I delight in these things. That is wonderful.

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Don't you want to have God be delighted in you? Now he's delighted in you positionally anyway if you're in Christ Jesus, because he sees you like he sees his

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Son. But now we want to live up to our position. We want to have conduct befitting an officer.

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And so it is wonderful that we can delight in God and that he can be delighting in us.

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Calvin said, God hates that confidence by which men presumptuously extol themselves while they think their life and their safety to be in their own hand.

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But on the flip side, when you say, I'm going to boast in knowing God, I'm not going to boast in my brains, my brawn, my bucks,

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I'm not going to do that at all. Did you know God delights in you when you're loyal? For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice,

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Hosea 6. Did you know God delights in your established steps?

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The steps of a man are established by the Lord and he delights in his way.

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Did you know God delights in you when you prosper? Let them shout for joy and rejoice who favor my vindication.

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Let them continually say, the Lord be magnified, who delights in the prosperity of a servant. You better study that one to see if that's

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Israel, to see who that is. But God delights in this particular servant, that's for sure.

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In Psalm 35, that particular servant. God delights in you when you are thankful.

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Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of lips that give thanks to his name.

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For with such sacrifices, God is pleased. So today on No Compromise Radio, we've talked about delighting in God.

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And how God can delight in not only his Son, but also those who are in his Son. And so that's our desire today, that you would delight in God.

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That's just an amazing concept, that we could delight God. With God, that God would be well pleased with you and who you are.

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This is Mike Avendroth, write us at NoCompromiseRadio .com. No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Avendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston.

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Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible teaching church, firmly committed to unleashing the life transforming power of God's Word through verse by verse exposition of the sacred text.

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Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 10 .15 and in the evening at 6. We're right on route 110 in West Boylston.

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You can check us out online at bbchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.

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The thoughts and opinions expressed on No Compromise Radio do not necessarily reflect those of WVNE, its staff or management.