Pleasing God Begins with Faith

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Hebrews 11:1-6

We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. Last week we studied that giving, whether money, time, talent, or yourself, to God begins with faith. Faith is when we give God the opportunity to make spiritual truths visible, physical realities in our life. Today we learn how important that is to the Christian. 

1. AN IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION. This verse was written “without faith, it is impossible to be well-pleasing to God.” The word for “impossible” means just what we think it does! Something that is impossible can’t happen! If we never give God a chance to prove to us that He and all the benefits of salvation are real, there is no way we can be pleasing to Him. How pleased would you be with a loved one who kept kicking you in the teeth every time you tried to show them your love for them was real? Why would we expect God to be pleased with us when we do the same thing to Him? The more times we let God prove Himself to us by making spiritual truths real, the more often we will give Him the chance to be pleased with us. At salvation, God gave us a “clean slate.” Then He asks, “will you give me opportunities to fill that “slate” with evidences that I am intensely interested in you?” Are you willing to do that Dear Christian? Notice how we do that!
2. ACCEPT HIS INVITATION TO COME. The starting point is so simple it is profound. Another of Satan’s most effective lies is making a person think (1) coming to God isn’t necessary since He saved us and knows we exist; (2) making us think that before we can come we must clean ourselves up and be worthy to approach Him. The songwriter was right in saying “just as I am, I come.” Our sin and sinfulness sometimes embarrasses, discourages, or shames us when we think about coming before our Holy Heavenly Father. We know we have let Him down, hurt Him, or smeared His Name! Think about it – would the same God Who came looking for you to eternally save you, then abandon you or reject you when you come to Him for help? Impossible!! Next we must
3. BELIEVE THAT HE EXISTS! If a person is a true Christian, this is not an issue. As Christians we know it is the Eternal God Who has sought us, saved us and is now sanctifying us to prepare us to live with Him forever in His heaven. The Christian’s problem is not “believing God exists”, it’s
4. BELIEVING HE REWARDS THEM WHO DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM. It’s often easier to believe God rewards others than it is to believe He rewards us, isn’t it! It is interesting to note that God inspired the writer to say a person must “believe,” which is the same word for faith! The problem comes with “diligently” seeking God. We must look for God with the intent of finding Him, then letting Him do as He wants in our lives. We must look/seek hard, long, continuously, and relentlessly (Prov. 2:1-4) as did Christ for us when He saved us, to give God all the opportunities to work in our lives. When we do, He rewards us with the very best so we will become an “exact representation” of His Son, Jesus Christ.

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