Who Cares About Pleasing God

Bible Book: Psalms 15 : 1-5

Subject: God, Pleasing; Obedience; Security

Series: Psalms - Kirksey

Introduction

Who cares about pleasing God? If we conducted a scientific poll of the citizens of the United States of America, what percentage of Americans would state a desire to please God? Would the percentage be higher or lower if we expanded the polling to include everyone on planet earth? It might be interesting for you to remember God knows the how many desire to please Him. In fact, He knows the difference between those who desire to please Him and those who actually please Him. We read in Romans 8:8, “So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Dr. William R. Newell (1868-1956) explains, “This is God’s sweeping announcement concerning all mankind that are out of Christ. In this sense, all in the flesh are out of Christ. Those in the flesh, even if, like Cain, they would worship God, would come in their own way,—the flesh’s way, which God cannot accept. Terrible prospect! in a state forever displeasing to Him in whom is all blessing. Such are all not born of God.”[1]

Rev. Matthew Henry (1662-1714) observes, “In all ages there have been two sorts of worshippers, such as Cain and Abel; namely, proud, hardened despisers of the gospel method of salvation, who attempt to please God in ways of their own devising; and humble believers, who draw near to him in the way he has revealed.”[2] We read in Hebrews 11:4, “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.”

From Hebrews 11:5-6 we read, “By faith Enoch was taken away 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. 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.” Rev. Matthew Henry comments, “Enoch was the seventh from Adam. Godliness is walking with God: which shows reconciliation to God, for two cannot walk together except they be agreed, Amos 3:3. It includes all the parts of a godly, righteous, and sober life. To walk with God, is to set God always before us, to act as always under his eye. It is constantly to care, in all things to please God, and in nothing to offend him. It is to be followers of him as dear children. The Holy Spirit, instead of saying, Enoch lived, says, Enoch walked with God. This was his constant care and work; while others lived to themselves and the world, he lived to God. It was the joy of his life.”[3]

Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) explains, “The first verse asks the question, the rest of the verses answer it. We will call this Psalm THE QUESTION AND ANSWER.” From Psalm 15:1-5 we read, “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the Lord; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.”

Allow me to point out three things from our text.

I. Note the request made about fellowship with God.

From Psalm 15:1 we read, “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?” Dr. G. Campbell Morgan (1863-1945) comments in his Notes on the Psalms, “This psalm declares the terms of friendship between man and Jehovah.”[4]

Psalm 15 records the heart-cry of a man after God’s own heart. Paul the Apostle reminds us in Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

We read in 1 John 1:5-10, “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” There can be no fellowship with God without an eternal relationship with Him.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:14-22, “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread. Observe Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?” There can be no fellowship with God without an eternal relationship with Him.

II. Note the response given with fixity from God.

We read God’s requirements in Psalm 15:2-5b, “He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the Lord; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.”

Please note this is not a comprehensive list. Other passages of Scripture reveal things that please God. For example, we read in Psalm 24:3-6, “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face. Selah”

Later, we read in Isaiah 33:14-17, “The sinners in Zion are afraid; Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites: ‘Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?’ He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, He who despises the gain of oppressions, Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, And shuts his eyes from seeing evil: He will dwell on high; His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; Bread will be given him, His water will be sure. Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; They will see the land that is very far off.”

Jesus began His Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes. We read in Matthew 5:1-12, “And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ‘Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

The list provided in Psalm 15:2-5b reminds us of the Ten Commandments, in that there are both positive and negative requirements. As with the Ten Commandments, we can summarize them with one word, love. We read in Matthew 22:34-40, “But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.’”

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul explains to a church marked by envy, strife, and division, that love (agape) is the only way to please God. Regrettably, even when they observed the Lord’s Supper, they sought to please themselves (1 Corinthians 11:17-34). Sadly, they revealed they did not love each other and they did not really love God.

We read in 1 Corinthians 10:1-5, “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.” Conversely, in Hebrews 13:16 we read, “But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”

It is important for us to see the continuity between the Old Testament and the New Testament. God says in Malachi 3:6a, “For I am the Lord, I do not change.” We read in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

III. Note the reward promised for faithfulness to God.

From Psalm 15:5c we read, “He who does these things shall never be moved.” Dr. Derek Kidner comments on Psalm 15:5c, “His place: [is] assured.”[5] Kidner points out two other instances in the psalms using the word, “moved.” For example, David writes about the wicked in Psalm 10:6, “[Who] has said in his heart, ‘I shall not be moved.’” Later, as he prays, he unburdens his heart about a disgraceful possibility, in Psalm 13:4, “Lest my enemy say, ‘I have prevailed against him’; Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.”

Dr. Vance Havner (1901-1986) observed, “A deep and sober daily concern to please God is the rarest of rarities.”[6]

God is faithful and He is worthy of our trust and obedience. We read in Hebrews 11:6, “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.”

We read our Lord’s word to the church in Smyrna in Revelation 2:10, “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Commenting on Psalm 15, Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon explains, “This psalm is as fire for gold.”

One day there will be a revelation of God’s opinion of our thoughts, words, and deeds. If God is pleased it doesn’t matter who is displeased and if God is displeased it doesn’t matter who is pleased. In The Search for Significance: Seeing Your True Worth Through God’s Eyes, Dr. Robert S. McGee warns, “When we base our security on success and others’ opinions, we become dependent on our ability to perform and please others.”[7] Paul writes to those in Galatia, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ” (Galatians 1:6-10). Paul instructs Timothy, “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:1-4).

Rev. Matthew Henry reportedly declared, “The business of our lives is not to please ourselves but to please God.”[8]

Conclusion

At this point, I recall the lyrics of the first stanza of a great hymn written in 1917 by Thomas Obadiah Chisholm (1866-1960):

Living for Jesus a life that is true;

striving to please Him in all that I do,

yeilding allegiance, gladhearted and free,

this is the pathway of blessing for me.[9]

Please notice Paul’s inspired description of the conditions marking the end of a society and the end of the world in these two passages of Scripture.

We find the conditions at the end of a society in Romans 1:18-32, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.”

We find the conditions at the end of the world in 2 Timothy 3:1-7, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Do you see the parallel between the conditions in the United States of America and those Paul describes? Each one of us must pray in the words of David, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

In every generation it is appropriate to ask, “Who cares about pleasing God?”

[1]William R. Newell, Romans Verse-by-Verse, (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1938), 209

[2]Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, (1706), Database WORDsearch Corp.

[3]Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, (1706), Database WORDsearch Corp.

[4]G. Campbell Morgan, Notes on the Psalms, (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Company, MCMMLVII), 35

[5]Derek Kidner, Psalms 1-72: An Introduction and Commentary on Books I and II of the Psalms, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1973), 82

[6]John Blanchard, The Complete Gathered Gold: A treasury of quotations for Christians

[7]Robert S. McGee, The Search for Significance: Seeing Your True Worth Through God’s Eyes, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1998, 2003), 23

[8]John Blanchard, The Complete Gathered Gold: A treasury of quotations for Christians

[9]Thomas O. Chisholm, “Living for Jesus,” (1917) Accessed: 08/10/13 http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/i/livingfj.htm

By Dr. Franklin L. Kirksey, pastor First Baptist Church of Spanish Fort 30775 Jay Drive Spanish Fort, Alabama 36527

Author of Sound Biblical Preaching: Giving the Bible a Voice Available on Amazon.com and WORDsearchbible.com

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