Title: What Pleases God (Hebrews 11:6)
Contents
As the saying goes, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” As the saying goes, God delights in believers living by faith alone. What does it mean to live by faith?
First, he takes pleasure in relying on God alone even in difficult, lonely, poor, and difficult times.
① When faced with the reality of adversity, usually people, money, background, science, fists… rely on them to find these and try to overcome adversity. ② When a believer becomes such a person, God is angry because he is disregarding God. ③ Therefore, “Seek me, and you will live.” Do not seek “Bethel” (a moral fashionable man), do not enter “Gilgal” (a famous economic person), and do not go out to “Beer-zerba” (a religious or political celebrity). Surely they will be taken into captivity and will come to nothing (Amos 5:4).
Second, even when we are wealthy, He delights in drawing closer to God.
① Wealth and prosperity are gifts and blessings given by God, so we should love, draw closer, and depend on God more than before, but usually it goes further away. ② Like David and Job, we should use wealth or poverty as the capital to draw closer to God and love Him. ③ To keep away is to be compassionate In his wrath, God tore the riches.
Third, he delights in fearing only God first.
① All things in the heavens and the heavens are creations created by God and are made with materials for the salvation of our elect. ② Therefore, there is nothing to fear except God, and the things of the world that the world fears should be used for my salvation. ③ Fear of anything other than God is because they mistakenly believe that they are in control of their own life, death, and happiness, which is idolatry. Our life-and-death robes belong entirely to God.
Fourth, He delights in loving only God the most.
① “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deut. 6:4) ② This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments (1 John 5:3) “My He who has the commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him” (John 14:21).
Fifth, He delights in being careful with his words and deeds in consideration of God's face, dignity, and authority.
① Abraham refused when the king of Sodom told him to listen only to people and take all the spoils for fear that God’s honor and authority would be damaged, and Joseph said, “How can I sin before God?” when Potiphar’s wife tried to sin. God was pleased with the judgment and protected and blessed him.
Sixth, He delights in knowing the reality of all trials as a reward and giving thanks (1 Peter 4:12).
① “Beloved, do not marvel at the fiery trial that comes to try you, as if something strange happened to you, but rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may rejoice and rejoice when his glory is revealed.” The fire temptation makes cold things hot, brightens dark things, and cooks raw things, so it strengthens cold faith, discovers and removes dark sinful elements, and turns it into perfect faith. ③ In the character, life and deeds of the believer, everything that opposes God will be removed and they will be united with God.