Welcome back to the fourth part of our series on exploring God’s character. At the end of part three we looked at the importance of building ourselves up in Christ, and between then and now, has anyone had numerous opportunities and challenges doing that? (I know that I did!)
The pressures of the world and the cares of life tend to scream at us rather loudly, impugning the character and the goodness of God in many ways, and far too often we believe those reports, rather than the reports of scripture. It’s easy to do, right? Because we may read the Bible, but we experience the world around us. And this is the main struggle; the tension between what we read in the scriptures, against what we see in daily life.
It’s far too easy to take our experiences, and use them as a litmus test for truth, rather than using the truth of scripture as a reinforcement against the pressures of life. It’s a very difficult habit to break for many of us, and it’s impossible if we don’t know God’s character— in-fact, we may even fall into the trap of letting our experiences define God’s character, if we aren’t careful!
So in this final part of our series, we will use the scriptures to see God’s character, and indeed His very heart which He has revealed, so that we may know Him better— not rules, but the true transformative character of God.
What Pleases God?
This is another one of those questions where if you ask ten Christians What Pleases God, you might very well receive ten different answers! A few will probably say “Performance! Performance pleases God!”
Another will say “Repentance pleases God”
One may even say that suffering pleases God, because suffering can be a road to repentance.
Yet in all of these answers, the heart of God remains clouded— the true thing that pleases Him remains hidden. Because while all of these answer seem pious and righteous, they miss the mark of what God reveals as the object of His affection… Jesus!
The scriptures record in Matthew 3:17 that the Father speaks with a voice from Heaven saying:
“And see a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
It is Jesus that well-pleases the Father. Now let’s meditate on this. First of all, Why does Jesus please the Father? Have you ever thought about this? Is it simply because Jesus is good? Is it even because Jesus is God incarnate?
No.
The scriptures also give us the answer to this question, in Isaiah 53:10-11:
“10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief: when you shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”
The reason that Jesus pleases the Father, is because of His perfect sacrifice. Because He gave Himself to save us. Jesus is the (definite article) righteous servant. Many Christians are trying to make themselves righteous, instead of accepting the One who is perfect, and perfectly pleases the Father.
God Desires Your Salvation
So it pleased the Father to crush Jesus, but why? Take a look at verse 11. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
It pleased the Father to crush Jesus, because of His sacrifice that justifies many. You want to honor God? Honor the finished work of His Son. Understand and accept the fact that today, if you believe on Him, you are justified righteously— your sins were laid upon Him, and today you are clean! This honors Jesus.
1st Timothy 2:4 says that God desires that all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Now, what truth is this verse referring to? Some would say that this is the truth of the Law of Moses, or the ten commandments… but no; look at verses 5 and 6:
“5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”
Now pause here because I want to highlight this point… why does the scripture point out “the man” Jesus Christ? Is the scripture saying that Jesus isn’t God? No… It’s pointing out that Jesus died as a man. He died as you, so that today you can live as Him. He died in your identity, so that today you can live in His identity. He took your place on that cross. And today you are seated with Him in glory and honor. (Ephesians 2:6)
Now 1st Timothy 2:6, this is the result of His sacrifice:
“6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”
The truth of the Gospel is that Christ is the one mediator between God and man, and that Jesus gave His life as a ransom for all.
Conclusion
My friend, if today you are questioning God’s character, or His love for you, I encourage you today to not look at your experiences, don’t look at the world around you, look straightly at Jesus, and be refreshed in Him.
He loves you, and gave Himself for you, and today, you are righteous in Him.
The Father is well-pleased in Jesus, and today, you are in Him.
Be blessed.
2 Responses
Hello James. Thank you for another great article. I hope you are doing well. Marilena and I have moved to Lakeland Florida. It’s time in my life for peace and quiet.
We send all the best wishes to you.
Hey Anthony! It’s great to hear from you. I wish you all the best!