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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/larry-perkins/pleasing-god-by-faith/
Could we look at Hebrews chapter 10, please? The book of Hebrews and chapter 10. In verse 38, Hebrews 10 and 38, Now the just shall live by faith, but if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him.
And then in chapter 11, verse six, but without faith, it is impossible to please him. For he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Now I would like to speak for a few minutes about pleasing God.
We've been challenged this afternoon and this morning, and I don't doubt, but everyone here, we have a desire to please God, but it's not easy. We've got the infirmities of the flesh, the sin principle within us.
There's difficulties, challenges in life. The world around us seems to be going in the opposite direction. How is it possible for the average Christian like you and me to please God? Or is it possible?
Pleasing God can seem out of reach, but it's not out of reach, brother, sister, because pleasing God isn't based on a superior IQ. It's not based on spiritual gift. It's based on faith. Look with me in verse 35 of chapter 10.
It says, therefore, do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. Do you ever have times in your life, and maybe you're going through right now, that things are so difficult that you just feel like giving up, that your confidence in God is being stretched?
You know, the people that this letter was written to, the book of Hebrews, they were going through difficult times. There was persecution, and they were in danger of giving up. Now, in the past, in North America, we haven't faced a lot of overt persecution, but it may be coming, and the question is, if we're still alive then and the Lord hasn't come, how are we going to do?
Don't cast away your confidence, we read here, because it has great reward. Now, likely the context here, the great reward is eternal reward, but I wouldn't limit it to that. Some of us who are older, and by the grace of God, we've been allowed to trust him and not lose confidence.
We've seen that God is faithful and that it's worth trusting him, it's worth serving him, even in this life. You know, difficulties can cause us to lose sight of the big picture. You know, this morning, as we were singing, and I was listening to my brothers speak, I was just thinking, I am looking, as I'm an older man now, I'm looking forward so much to being with the Lord.
When the struggle against the world, the flesh, and the devil will be behind us, and just to be with the Lord. But sometimes, if you're like me, that can sort of fade and not be such a bright prospect, because of the circumstances I'm going through.
It's good we have conferences like this to be reminded there's a better day coming. No matter who we are, whether you're young, you have challenges, you're setting up your sails, wondering, you know, about schooling, about marriage, middle age, trying to hang on by your fingernails.
I remember when our girls were home, being a parent, a good parent, is not easy. It's hard work, and it's busy. Our oldest daughter has six children, 12 and under, and I don't know how she and her husband do it.
And they're actively, very actively involved in the our home assembly. And there's older saints, when your body starts to wear out, and you start to feel it, you can't do the things that you used to do.
And you wonder, what's next you're going to bring? What's five years, ten years going to bring? The aging process, the dying prospect, all these things can affect us, so that we lose our confidence. Look at verse 36.
For you have need of patience, or endurance, or perseverance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise. Now the people that this was written to back in the day, you know, we're in the same situation.
We're in danger of losing confidence in God, and not persevering. That's this word, patience, or endurance. It's literally abiding under. It's keeping on when things are difficult. Then in 37, and 38, this quote from Habakkuk in the Old Testament, for yet a little while, and he who is coming will come and will not tarry.
Now to me, the context is speaking about the Lord when he comes, that when the Messiah comes and sets up his kingdom. But for us, we can make application. We've been hearing that this morning, the Lord could come at any time.
Tremendous for us. The battle will be over, but there's souls all around us, and many of us have loved ones that aren't saved yet. Not too glorious for them. But then verse 38, now the just shall live by faith.
We can forget about this, that the Christian life isn't based on our own fancied abilities, but it's based on faith. Putting our trust in somebody else, but thank God that somebody else is the Lord Jesus.
There's no one like him. In fact, this book starts out with the greatness of Christ, who he is, his deity. Chapter two, he became a man for the suffering of death. Then it goes on talking about his once and for all supreme sacrifice that every believer stands in the good of.
Why is it then when he is so great and so wonderful and has treated us so graciously, why is it that we have so much trouble trusting him? Or maybe you're not like me, maybe you don't have trouble like that.
You know, there's days when it seems relatively easy for me to trust the Lord. The wind seems in your sail and everything's fine, but there's other times, like maybe a half an hour ago when I'm sitting there wondering who's going to have to get up to preach.
It's hard to trust the Lord. What challenges do you have in your life? Brother, is it maybe getting up to worship on a Sunday morning? Sister, is it maybe having people to your home because you feel maybe you can't cook like others?
We all face our challenges. The just, how we're going to live the Christian life, it's based on faith, trusting him. That's how it started, trusting Christ for salvation, what he did for us. But trusting him now, each step of the way.
You know, faith, it seems such a simple thing. I mean, everybody knows faith and Christianity, it's like, it goes together. Well, it might seem like a simple principle, but I'm finding it's not as easy to put into practice as I would like.
What is faith? Romans tells us faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Faith has a basis. It isn't just some kind of ethereal cloudy feeling. Faith is based on facts. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God.
It's believing God can do what he promises. So if I'm not reading the word of God, what kind of faith am I going to have? Brother, sister, are you reading in our busy lives? How do mothers with little children, how do they have time to read the Bible?
I don't know. And some men, the schedule that their business, their work, not easy, but somehow it has to be carved out or it's going to be hard for us to live by faith. But notice the end of verse 38.
The first part says that just shall live by faith. But God says, if anyone draws back, that is shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. So here's the flip side of pleasing God. What doesn't please God when we don't trust him, when we shrink back from his will for our lives.
And isn't that what we feel like doing so many times, the challenge, God's will, the bar seems up here. And we say, I can't do that. And we're right. We can't ourselves. But this is where the faith comes in.
This is where the Lord comes in. The Lord of all the Lord who wants to be everything to you, brother, sister, that you're in need of. So you can please him. Chapter 11, verse one says, now faith is the substance of things hope for the evidence of things not seen.
Now, one version says faith is being sure of what we hope for and being certain of things not seen. And the rest of the chapter goes on to talk about those that were commended by God because of their faith, not because of this, that or the other, but it says by faith, he did this by faith.
He did that. And verse two, for by the elders, the old Testament saints obtained a good testimony. That is, they had God's commendation. That's how they pleased him. And it's how you and I can please him.
This isn't for some select group of people, missionaries in Timbuktu or people preach and see 30 people saved. This maybe isn't so difficult as some of us might make it. Verse three, when it comes to creation, says by faith, we understand that the worlds, the universe, the worlds were framed by the word of God so that things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
Do you believe in the creation account? Why? You weren't there because of Genesis one, right? Faith is just taking God at his word. So then in the rest of chapter 11, we have these examples that people received God's approval.
They were commended by him simply because of their faith. They believed what God had told them and they acted accordingly. And this is what God is looking for from you and me so we can please him. Isn't this what we want?
The one who has done so much for us, God spared not his son, but delivered him up for us all. The son of God loved me and gave himself for me. If we don't have a desire, a little desire to want to please the Lord, something is wrong.
But it's the doing of it that maybe a lot of us struggle with. Lord, I want to please you, but I'm having a tough time. I just want to look at three of these people that are commended for their faith before I sit down.
First of all, let's look at Abel, Mr. Abel there in verse four. Of chapter 11. By faith, Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous.
God testifying of his gifts and through it, he being dead, still speaks. So here's Abel. Because of his faith, he was commended by God as being righteous. He believed God, he brought a blood sacrifice, and his offerings received God's approval.
He offered to God. It was his worship, and we've been hearing about that today, this morning, as well as this afternoon. What can we offer? Brandon mentioned this morning, Romans chapter 12. Present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable, pleasing to God, which is our reasonable service.
We can give ourselves. Hebrews 13 says, offering the sacrifice of praise to God, and then it goes on about doing good and sharing, sharing what we have with others. It says, with such sacrifices, God is well pleased.
It might seem like a little thing, but on a Sunday morning, the breaking of bread, how was our sacrifice of praise? And I'm just not talking about brothers who take part audibly, but any of us. Is God pleased with what we offer?
You know, worship isn't limited to a high IQ or, again, spiritual gift. Worship is a matter of the heart. That's within reach of all of us. Faith is in reach of all of us. And really, it may be our weaknesses that cause us to depend on the Lord at all.
So we can't say, well, Lord, I can't do this, I can't do that, so I can't trust you. It's all the more reason why we should trust him, because of our inability in ourselves. Then it says that through it, I take it through Abel's faith, he being dead still speaks.
Brother, sister, will your example of faith speak to others after you die? What kind of legacy, living legacy are you leaving? So by faith, Abel pleased God. And it included his worship. Verse five, Enoch.
By faith, Enoch was taken away, or taken up, translated, so that he did not see death and was not found because God had taken him. For before he was taken, he had this testimony that he pleased God. Now in Genesis 5, we read that Enoch walked with God.
Walked with God. Do you know anything about that? Walking with God? About fellowship? Enjoying the relationship that we've been brought into? Do you enjoy letting God speak to you when you read his word?
Because it's a relationship, and a relationship, a good relationship needs communication. God wants us to enjoy our relationship with him, and he wants to enjoy his relationship with us. He wants to communicate.
Tremendous privilege to have the word of God that's been preserved down through the centuries, to have it in our own language. I often say the best part of my day often is in the morning, being able to read the Bible with a cup of good coffee.
How about praying? I think most of us feel our prayer life could use some improvement, but that's us talking to him. You know, parents, if they love their kids, they like their kids to talk to them. God loves it when you talk to him too.
Again, it's a relationship, a living relationship. Relationship with a living person. Walking with God. There was a man who walked with God, and we can do this too. Somebody will say, well, I'm so sinful, how can I walk with a holy God?
God has made provision in the death of his son, burial and resurrection. 1 John 1 and 9. If I ever have the privilege of seeing somebody saved, I try to get them to look at 1 John 1 and 9. What happens when a Christian sins?
What happens? If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. This is a parental forgiveness. It's not regarding the penalty of our sin, but just when we sin, it hinders that communion.
He's made it possible if we confess that he says he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Brother, sister, he's made it possible for failing people like you and me to walk with him, a holy God.
He's not looking for us to be perfect, but he is looking for us to be honest. Again, the importance of reading the word of God, it searches us and we realize how he sees us. We get his perspective. Great privilege to have fellowship with a creator, wouldn't you say?
The creator of the universe, the one that's keeping our hearts beating, that has the universe under his control. There's a number of young people here. Can I say this? Don't wait until you're old to get close to God, to walk with him.
It's a tremendous privilege. Now, the world will try to rip that away from you, but to walk closely with God, to enjoy his presence, there's nothing. You know that some of us weren't saved until we were up in years and we try to satisfy the emptiness in our souls by the things that are in the world.
It doesn't work. Many of us have learned that by tough experience. You don't have to go that route. Just believe what God says. Lord Jesus says, come to me, all you that are labor and heavy laden. I'll give you rest.
Rest for your soul. The world doesn't have an answer for that. Enoch walked with God. What's it say? He pleased God. Brother, sister, no matter who you are, whether you've been saved just a few weeks or 55 decades, you can walk with God.
You can please God, just like Enoch. But just one more, Mr. Abraham, down in verse 8. By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance, and he went out not knowing where he was going.
By faith, he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. For he waited for this city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
That was quite a thing that Abraham did. I mean, living in Ur of the Chaldees, I've heard that it was a metropolis, quite the city of its day, and the Lord calls Abraham to go to a place he's never been before, some 800, 900 ,000 miles away.
What would you have done if you were Abraham? I mean, living in a big city, probably a nice house, to go live in a tent. You ever go camping? We used to go camping when our girls were home. I'm too old for that now, because we had a tent.
But it was nice living in a tent for a week or two, outdoors. But I'll tell you, I was always glad to get home, showers and a nice bed. But that was just for us, a week or two. For Abraham, he was willing to do that by faith.
He was willing to submit to the will of God for his life, even though he didn't know what it was going to involve totally. He didn't know where he was going. So what I see here is, are you willing to take your hands off the steering wheel of your life and let God call the shots?
Is he worth it? Does he deserve it? Abraham, by faith, he obeyed when he was called to go to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. Listen, brother, sister, you will never come up short. You will never get the short end of the stick by letting God have his way in your life.
The devil will tell you you will. He tried to do that with me, and maybe still does. Somebody has written, I'd rather walk in the dark with God than walk alone in the light. I'd rather walk by faith with him than to walk alone by sight.
Abraham knew what it was to walk with God, by faith. And he was willing to be a pilgrim. He was willing to live in a tent when he could have lived in a big city in Canaan. How could he do this? How could he do this?
The last verse we read, verse 10, he looked for, he waited for a city which has foundations. He was living in view of eternity. He saw the big picture. He believed God, and he pleased God. Brother, sister, you can please God, too.
God isn't looking for you to jump through some whatever. By faith, we can offer God the worship of our hearts, just like Abel. By faith, we can walk with God and enjoy fellowship with him, just like Enoch.
By faith, we can submit to God's will for us, just like Abraham. God says, the just, the righteous, shall live by faith. And he also says, without faith, it's impossible to please him.