In this podcast episode, Pastor Joe cracks the not-so-secret code to pleasing God — it’s our faith. But not a burdensome faith filled with striving and self-condemnation. In Hebrews 10, it says that we are to draw near to God in the full assurance of faith, and that faith is the way that we approach God when we know our sins are forgiven, and we know we’re welcome in his presence. In Hebrews 11, it says that without faith, it is impossible to please God.

Now, think about this: if it pleases God when you come to him that way – aware that your sins are forgiven, and that you’re welcome in the presence of God, exactly as you are – then he must want you to come that way. It’s the traditions of man and our own insecurity that make a simple formula more complicated.

Under the old covenant, the command was “Do, and you shall live.” Under the new covenant, now we “live, and you shall do.” But religion tells us we need to do something to please God; that God’s reluctant to bless anyone unless they jump through all the right hoops. But Jesus jumped through all the hoops and opened the way to bring you through with him. Hallelujah!

• What is it about faith that pleases God?
• What does it it mean to “labor to rest”?
• How do we activate these simple truths in our lives?

Tune in to this episode 22 for answers. This episode is pulled from the Pleasing God MP3 series.

Additional Resources

Pleasing God – Full MP3 series

Who We Are In Christ – Book

The Finished Work of Christ – Book

Full Transcript

So I’m starting a series tonight on the message that Pam told me I needed to preach. A series actually. But I’m going to talk to you for some time about pleasing God, about delighting the Father’s heart. When you find out what this is about, you’re going to say, “Oh, that.” But you see, a lot of times we hear about faith, and we think of it in terms of getting answered prayer. We think of it in a lot of legitimate ways, but you see, the Bible says that faith pleases the heart of God. And without it, you can’t please him. So I want to talk to us for some time about bringing pleasure to the heart of God and what that’s like what that means. And see, for many of us, if you’ve heard much faith teaching, you can get so boggled down in the principles then the logistics and the mechanics, that you forget that faith is just a relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ.

I was sharing with some folks. Last Monday night I preached up in Burlington at restoration School of supernatural ministry, which is a Bethel School that’s in Burlington. Anyway, we had lunch with them today. Years ago, I went over to Great Britain, and I was invited to preach in a church there that had a lot of people in from the American faith movement. And so the pastor had me in, and I began my message, and I said, I’m going to teach on the full assurance of faith. Well, after the service, he told me he said, “Yeah, when you said that, I just went oh no, not another message on faith.” Because he’d had all these people in preaching on faith. When I got finished, he said, “That was really good. That wasn’t at all what I expected. And when you told me you’re going to teach on faith, I went, Oh, no,” he said, “But what you said was really good.” Well, what I said was, in Hebrews 10, it says that we draw near to God in the full assurance of faith. And that faith is the way that we approach God when we know our sins are forgiven. And we know we’re welcome in his presence.

Now, think about this. If you drawing nearer to God, having an awareness that your sins are forgiven, and that you’re welcome in the presence of God, if without that assurance, you can’t please God, think it through now, if it pleases God when you come that way, then he must want you to come that way. I know that’s simple. But how many have figured out that it’s not the complex things that trip us up? It’s the simple things. We think, see, over the years, you know, I wrote a book called Who We Are In Christ, and I’ve taught on those things for probably 25 years. And you’d be amazed how many people came to me for counseling. And they said, “Pastor, I just I don’t know, I just wrestle with, I just feel so much like I’m a failure. And I feel so much like I just don’t measure up to what God wants me to do.” And I’ll say something like, “Well, you know, it sounds like you really need to know who you are in Christ.” “Oh, I know that.” You see, because they know it in their head. And they know it intellectually, but they don’t know it in their heart. And so it hasn’t set them free yet.

Truth has to get out of your head, or let’s put it this way, beyond your head into your heart before it sets you free. And you’ve gotten enough doctrine in your head to change the world. But until it reaches your heart and your feet, it’s not going to make a lot of difference. See, we are the most taught generation ever alive on the planet. And yet, you know, you could examine the 21st century church and say, “Well, where’s the power in the Western Church?” Why? Well, one reason is because we have good doctrine, but it’s not revelation to us, and it’s not application in our lives. Now, I’m not saying that’s true of you necessarily. But what I am saying is it’s kind of like the folks who read the National Enquirer always wanting something new. But it’s not something new that’s going to change your life. It’s going over and over the basics, until they become your lifestyle that’s going to change you. That’s why reteaching on faith, I’ve taught on faith for many, many years. But one of the things that I know is for myself, I have to go over the teaching of the scriptures on faith, because the battle front for you and I is with condemnation, and fear, and anxiety, all of which God’s answer to is faith.

Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. Now, Hebrews 11:6 says, Without faith, it’s impossible to please God, for he who draws nearer to God must believe that He is, and this is a better translation than New King James, but that he becomes the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Now, as I was studying these things, years ago, for a series I was teaching, I said, “Well, Lord, why does faith please you? Because this said it was without faith it’s impossible to please you, so Lord, why does faith please you?” And his answer was quite simple. He said, “Well, faith allows me to be God to the people who trust me.” See, God is God to everybody on the planet, but how many know it’s not benefiting them? Why? Well, because they don’t believe. But in the church, we find that the traditions of men make void the Word of God. And I have been in a 45 year journey, to put the traditions of man out of my mind, and get to the simplicity and truth of God’s word.

But you see if faith is what pleases God, you see sometimes, how many have figured out anything can be taught legalistically. But what I’m wanting to present to you, is I want you to think of faith relationally. See, well, how am I going to build my faith? How am I going to build up my faith? Well, the way you’re going to build up your faith, is you’re going to get into the presence of God and hear God’s word in His presence. So that it’s him speaking to you, not a truth you’re trying to grasp. You see? And I like that faith, you must believe that He is and then he becomes the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Now, diligently seeking Him is not working hard. But diligently seeking Him is being, as it says earlier in the book of Hebrews, labored diligently to enter into rest.

Now, as long as in your heart and mind, there’s any sense of unworthiness or condemnation, it’s gonna make you work to try to gain approval. So one of the ways you labor diligently to enter into rest is you deal in authority with condemnation, guilt, shame and fear. You say, “I don’t have time for those things. I am coming to my father’s throne of grace. I will obtain mercy and I will find grace to help in my time of need.” You know, we’re in a warfare. And that warfare is quite subtle. I mean, anxiety, we all deal with anxiety, worry and fear. For most of us, they constantly seek to approach our mind and our emotions so that we’re upset. But you know, the Bible says to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, casting all your cares on Him, because he cares for you.

Now, if you’re in a prolonged battle, which many of you are, then it’s essential to keep refreshing yourself in the goodness of God, the faithfulness of God, God’s willingness to keep his promises to you. And there’s a battle against that. Because what if just the people in this body who need a miracle got their miracle? How fast would word spread that miracles were happening here? Well, Pam shared an exhortation at the beginning of this service about the gifts of the Spirit. The gifts of the Spirit. We were we were praying on on Friday night, we were having a time of prayer, and we were really longing for the miraculous, longing for healing and miracles to manifest. And all of a sudden, I was reminded of revelation 20 that says that there’s a river that flows from the throne of God. And I thought, I felt like the Lord said, “Why are you trying to talk me into being willing to give you something?” You know, it was kind of like he said, “How about just getting in the river?”

There’s a river of supernatural power coming from the throne of God, and its lodging place is in the innermost being of the saints. And what I really felt like the Lord was saying, “The problem with my church isn’t that they need revival, in the sense of a fresh out pouring. They need revival in the sense of faith in who’s already in them.” You see. Miracles aren’t going to fall from heaven. Miracles are a gift of the Spirit, who we already have. But here’s the thing. If you’re unwilling to be used in those gifts, and you’re waiting for them to show up first, you’ve got the cart before the horse. You see. Miracles will happen as we step out and expect them and minister just like God meant what he said and said what he meant. “Well, I haven’t really seen a lot of miracles as I prayed for people.” So pray for more. So raise your level of expectation. So say, “Lord, this person needs a miracle. And working of miracles is one of the many, here’s the operative word, gifts of the Spirit.” “Lord, how can I? What can I do to earn your gifts?” Yeah. It’s like a child coming into their parents bedroom on Christmas morning, “Oh, Lord. Oh, father. Oh, dad. Oh, Mom, what can I do to earn these Christmas presents?” You see? “They’re gifts!” “Well, yes, but I’ve never been used in the gifts.” Well, it’s a wide open field for you then. You see?

Part of what we’re trying to pull down in 21st century Christianity is the idea that the minister is the one who moves in the gifts. Now we hit on this almost every week. We talked about how every believer is gifted. Every believer can move in the Spirit. You know, the problem that Paul had with the Corinthians was not that they weren’t willing to be used. They were very desirous and being used in the gifts. They just weren’t walking in love with one another so it was causing problems. Well, I’d rather have that problem than the problem of a lack of gifts operating. We can straighten you out if you get too rambunctious. But let’s get rambunctious. Let’s move into rambunk area.

The Hebrews were tempted to drop back to Judaism. They they were being persecuted by their fellow Jews who’d not received the Messiah, and it would have been much easier just to be a good Jew, and not follow the Messiah. But what the author of Hebrews says is, “Beware, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” Well, I want to say it kindly, but we’ve had so many years of tradition that’s made it hard for us to draw near to God, that we’ve got to shed that unbelief. You see? Hebrews said to those same believers, “My righteous ones shall live by faith, but if he draws back, my soul will have no pleasure in him.” In other words, if he draws near, my soul has pleasure in him. You ever thought about that? You have the privilege of bringing the Father’s heart pleasure.

Here’s another verse, Philippians 2:13. “It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” Now put that together with Hebrews 11:6, “Without faith, it’s impossible to please Him.” So what is he working in you? Faith. If faith is what pleases him and he’s working in you to enable you to to do His good pleasure, then he’s working faith in you. And he that’s begun a good work will complete it. If you shed the grave clothes of religious tradition that makes you feel unworthy and unable or that you need to somehow, “Well, maybe if I could just crucify my flesh enough. Maybe if I could just repent deeply enough.” What we need to repent of is unbelief. The root cause of all sin is unbelief. You see. Israel died in the wilderness because they limited the Holy One. Now, their enemies weren’t a problem for God. They were just a problem for them in their thinking.

We used to have Tuesday night school of the word which we called Two Spies Bible school. You remember the ten spies said the giants are in the land. The two spies said, “Well, if God delights in us, we’re well able, they’re bread for us.” See here’s the thing that you and I need to grasp, God delights in us if we’re in his son. Now that’s the key to victorious overcoming faith is knowing that you have God’s heart. “Well, God is holy.” Yeah, so are you. You know why? Because he made you holy by giving you his son as your holiness. Why? So you could be compatible with him.

In the Old Covenant it was do and you shall live. In the new covenant it’s live, and you will do. You see, but religion tells us “Well, we need to do something to earn this. We need to, we need to die out to self, we need to crucify the old man, we need to repent of all our sins, we need to do something. We’ve got to somehow work hard enough to please God because, you know, he’s reluctant to bless anybody unless they jump through all the hoops.” Well, that isn’t true. Jesus jumped through all the hoops and opened the way to bring you through with him. See, he opened up a new and living way so that you could come with boldness to the throne of grace and obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Grace to help in time of need.

You know, I love word studies. And the term mercy is a common Bible word. There’s a popular distinction between grace and mercy that we hear sometimes. It’s, “So well mercy is God not giving you what your sin deserves, and grace is God giving you what you don’t deserve.” And I think that’s all right. It just isn’t biblical. I mean, it’s not a bad thought. But here’s the thing. Mercy is God’s faithful love manifesting in his covenant promises. It’s love doing things. One of the challenges for us Westerners is we think like Greeks, not like Hebrews. And Greeks thought conceptually. You want to see a good example of Greek thinking, pick up a book on the character of God, and it will list his attributes. What’s wrong with that? Well, to the Hebrew mind, you never talked about God’s attributes, you talked about what he did. See, mercy wasn’t something God had, mercy was something God did. And the same thing is true with truth. The Hebrew word that’s translated truth means faithfulness. See, truth to us is this abstract thing, but to the Hebrew mind, it’s God’s faithfulness, you see.

So I discovered this when I was studying the armor of God, and it said, their loins were girt about with truth. And I started doing research on that and found out it was quoting Isaiah, that Jesus’ loins were girt about with truth. Only thing is in the Old Testament, it says they were good about with faithfulness. And so I did a little research on that and found out that the Greek word that’s translated truth, when they translated the Old Testament into Greek, they translated that verse, the loins girt about with truth was from the Hebrew the loins girt about with faithfulness. So, you know, we think, “Well, I want to know all the truth, and so my loins will be girted.” But what that’s really saying is, you put on God’s faithfulness for your clothing, dress yourself in his faithfulness, trust in His faithfulness, you see. He has mercy, His covenant love, and His faithfulness, you see.

But I just want to bring this home, that faith is a relationship. And the enemy, the great enemy of faith, is any sense of unworthiness, condemnation, or shame, that would cause you to back away from the presence of God. Victory is at the throne. And the devil works day and night, to keep you distracted, or condemned, because he greatly fears a church that knows their place in the presence of God. And you are invited in. And actually, if you think about it, if Jesus paid the price he paid so you could come to the throne of grace, and you don’t come, you are unintentionally dishonoring him. Now, I know we don’t do it on purpose. We just think we’re not worthy, or we think this or we think that or we think we haven’t been consistent enough. But you see, God’s idea is to fix you through relationship. See? “Well, once I get fixed up, I know I can come to God.” No, you’ll never get fixed up. But if you come to God and let Him work in you, he’ll fix what’s not right. He’ll adjust you. He’ll transform you. You see?

But when the Bible says that we can be transformed by the renewing of our mind, a lot of that has to do with how we think about ourselves and how we think about God. We want to embrace the transformative power. Think about it like this. Paul says in Second Corinthians that in the Old Covenant, there was a veil over the word and they couldn’t see Christ. But once we’ve come to Christ, and the Spirit’s working in us, now we can look in the word and see Christ and as we behold Him in the scriptures, he says we’re changed from, as I think it’s the Amplified says, from one degree of glory to another, by the Spirit of the Lord.

Now we start out seeing Jesus as Savior, who forgives our sins. And thank God he’s that, right? I mean, isn’t that wonderful? If that’s all you ever knew that’d get you to heaven. But there is a progressive unveiling of the finished work of Christ, we behold His glory. In the 18th century, there was a missionary group called The Moravians. And their passion was to evangelize the nations, because they wanted these people, they didn’t want Jesus work to be in vain for the people of the world. Now they were talking about soul winning, winning the lost.

But you see, Jesus finished work does more than get us to heaven. Actually, it’s intended to get heaven to earth. You see? Your kingdom come your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. You see? the expanding, increasing kingdom is the will of God. So, being saved and going to heaven, that’s a great way to die. But you got to have more to live in earth. You’ve got to understand that you are in the new creation, that your identity has been dramatically changed by the finished work of Christ, that you’re no longer a sinner saved by grace, you’re a son or daughter of God who’s accepted in the Beloved Son of God. And the throne is open for you.