Abounding Grace

Guest (Male): Here's the question we bring before you today on Abounding Grace.

Pastor Ed Taylor: Who will we choose to please is the question of the day. Now let's step back for a second and look at it from another angle. Are people's opinions, do they matter to you? And I'm not asking for an answer out loud, but I mean who are you seeking to please? Will someone's opinion of you move you? Will someone's advice change you because you fear them, because you overly reverence them instead of reverencing God? How you answer the question determines the direction of your life.

So as you take a close look at your life, who are you seeking to please? Is it God, others, yourself, or society in general? Let's give thoughtful consideration to that today on Abounding Grace as we go deeper into Galatians chapter 1. Just perhaps you'll discover you're more of a people pleaser than anything else.

Guest (Male): Here's Pastor Ed Taylor with his message, "Don't Be a People Pleaser."

Pastor Ed Taylor: Open your Bibles. Galatians chapter 1 is where we are today. We're going to cover just one verse, verse 10, Galatians chapter 1, verse 10. And I've entitled our Bible study, "Don't Be a People Pleaser." Don't be a people pleaser because there are those times where your commitment to Jesus will be challenged by the circumstances of the moment.

There are those times where the temptation to compromise, or the temptation to not fully obey, or the temptation to not fully tell the truth, or not fully anything, the circumstances of the moment begin to undermine our commitment to Jesus. You start to feel pressure. And it's not just for the young people. We'll train our young people, disciple the young people to be careful of peer pressure, to be careful who you hang out with.

The Bible says that evil company corrupts good habits, so be very careful with the peer pressure in life. But you know as well as I do, peer pressure doesn't end when you graduate high school, and peer pressure doesn't end when you graduate college. Peer pressure doesn't end, period. There are always people pressing in with their thoughts and their ideas and their opinions and how you and I should live our lives, and some of it is just plain tempting for us to compromise.

Who will we choose to please is the question of the day. Now let's step back for a second and look at it from another angle. Are people's opinions, do they matter to you? And I'm not asking for an answer out loud, but who are you seeking to please? Will someone's opinion of you move you? Will someone's advice change you because you fear them, because you overly reverence them instead of reverencing God? How you answer the question determines the direction of your life.

I mean if people's opinions of you are important, like super important, then how you answer that question is going to determine the direction of your life. Let me give you a few options if you're taking notes. Because there is that choice to please God, but some people, they choose to please self. It's a very common one. They live only for themselves, to themselves, about themselves.

And a new word is surfaced. It's actually not a new word, but it's newer in our culture and that's that sense of those that seek to please themselves and not really care about anyone else are known today as narcissists. Where they really don't have any feelings for anyone. It's all about me, me, myself and I is the old phrase from years ago. But many listening to me, this is the course of your life. All you really care about is yourself. Trying to please yourself.

Number two, some choose to please society or culture. They want to fit in. And social media has done great damage to our minds in this area. Social media has caused, especially for those that pick up your phone first thing in the morning, it's the last thing you put down and it's what you're on all day long, that has changed your thinking. It has changed the way you see life.

And so you see something, the way even the algorithms are developed so that they're sending you things and making you think a certain way. So then there's new clothing, you've got to have the new clothing. And there's new things, you've got to have the new thing. And then there's a new diet, you've got to be on the new diet. And before you know it, you're just living to please the world. You post something, you're worried about how many people see it. Who didn't see it? Who did unfollow? And you go through everything and it's just a waste of time. But many of you choose to try to fit in, whatever's trendy, whatever's popular, whatever's in.

Still thirdly, some choose to please others. We may call them people pleasers, where you just want, you're just trying to make everyone happy. You're trying, you run over here and say, I'll do this for you. And you run over here, I'll do this for you. You run over here, I'll do this for you. And if you haven't learned by now, perhaps by the end of our Bible study you will understand, it's impossible to please everyone. Sometimes it's impossible to please anyone.

Now by now you might think, well, I don't really have a real difficult time with people pleasing. Let me give you an example that you may have more of a difficulty with this than you realize. You know how they use that phrase when there's tension with people, or there's tension in the home, or there's tension at work, and you use that phrase that you're walking around on eggshells? How many of you have heard that, walking around on eggshells? A bunch of people pleasers.

Why are you walking on eggshells instead of walking in the confidence of who you are and what the situation is? That's because there's a little bit of that in all of us. We know why we're walking on eggshells. We don't want to make things worse. We don't want it to explode, whatever the reasons, but someone's behavior has changed your behavior. And the Bible says the only one that you should give permission to change your behavior is God. That your life would be set on pleasing God and him alone.

Turn over with me, would you, to John chapter 8. Jesus taught us this very principle. Such a powerful passage that I want you to read through, I want you to memorize, I'm asking you to turn because you need to mark it in your Bibles. If you can mark it on your iPad or your phone, do that as well. But you have to know this passage. It's so important. By internalizing this, allowing the Holy Spirit to use it in your life, thinking about it, meditating upon it, acting out from it will change your life, literally.

As you follow the example of Jesus, notice with me, John chapter 8, verse 28. Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing of myself. But as my Father taught me, I speak these things. And he who sent me is with me. The Father has not left me alone." And here's the phrase, mark it, circle it, underline it, highlight it, put a star next to it, whatever you need, but listen to what Jesus says. He says, "For I always do those things that please him."

Mark that word "please." Paul uses it in Galatians. You can mark it here and in Galatians. It has the idea of being content with doing the right thing, with pleasing someone. It has the idea of a settled peace that what you have done is the right thing to do toward God in this case, or even with someone else. You just have a contentment by doing that which pleases someone.

Again in first John chapter 3 and verse 22, it says, "Whatever we ask we receive from him because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight." And this is the commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus and love one another as he gave us commandment. We learn today that not only is it an example of Jesus, but it's possible. It is possible for you and I to do those things that are pleasing in his sight. It is the other end of a choice.

You and I, we can choose to please God or we can choose to please ourselves. We can choose to please God or we can choose to fit in with culture. We can choose to please God or we can choose to please someone that's influential in our lives. Now I know this Bible study will be challenging and difficult because of personalities. Because of your personality. You may have grown up in a home or been in a marriage where the difficulty of the home has created these habits in you where you really do walk on eggshells and it's very difficult for you to chuckle at that because it's hard for you.

Or you were raised in a home where all you wanted to do is please your parents but you never heard the affirmation, you never heard the encouragement, and it messed with you. And you've brought that into adulthood and it's messing with you now in your relationship with God. But today you're reminded that it's possible. You're a new creation in Christ. You are not bound by your personality. God is able above and beyond your personality to draw out from you those behaviors and those decisions and those choices that please the Lord.

And he affirms that obedience in your life. He's well pleased with you in Christ. That's the place of being in the right place at the right time is abiding in Christ. That's the place where God is well pleased with us through the blood of Christ. And we want to please the Lord. I mean we have to ask that, don't we? Does this describe our lives? Do we live our lives to always do those things that please the Father?

Let me just answer for you myself. I'll give you my answer to that question as you answer it for yourself in your own mind. Do I always do those things that please the Father? Do I always want to do those things that please the Father? Here's my answer. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. Sometimes I do. As I've grown older in the things of God and been walking with him now for thirty-four plus years, I have seen the scales tip where I believe I can see in my life a lot more do I desire to please the Father and I think I do than a lot less.

I can see the scales tip, but it's true, sometimes I do but sometimes I don't. And there's that significance of knowing that the Lord is drawing me to himself and I'm learning that his will is always better for me. That's the lesson. What he wants for me is always better than what I want for myself. What he wants for me is always better than what this culture has to offer. And what he wants for me, what his opinion is of my life is always better than the opinions of others.

And have you noticed lately everybody has an opinion? But these days everybody thinks you want to hear their opinion and we just like keep it to yourself. Just have your opinions unto yourself because everyone has an opinion, right? But only God's opinion matters. And we've got to train our ears, train our hearts to receive God's loving affirmation and acceptance of you and me in Christ under the blood.

You remember Jesus learned this as a human. He's in the garden of Gethsemane right before the cross, wrestling with the reality of the future and what does he pray? He says, "Nevertheless, not my will but your will be done Father." A place of surrender. That place of giving up. Any of you that ever sing a song with her hands raised up, you're doing at least two things. One you are in a place of worship and praise and you're almost like reaching out to the Father.

But also you're in the position and the posture of surrender. Did you know that? The song got you and you're just like, here I am Lord, work this out in my life. You're so good to me. And the place of surrender is so good for you. The place where you're no longer walking around on eggshells with people but rather you're seeking to please the Lord. A lot of times we are trapped by something totally different. For some today it would be better said, "For I always do the things that please man." And you're a man-pleaser.

And you're exhausted because you're running over here and you're running over here and you're putting this fire out, putting this fire out. What do they think? What do they say? What are they posting? And you're exhausted. You're the one that Jesus says, "Come unto me those of you that are weary and heavy laden. Come back to the place of rest." You are trying to please, you're always trying to please man. Really concern what people think about you. Really concerned about their opinion. It's a trap that God's ready to release you from.

Jot it down, Proverbs chapter 29 verse 25. The Bible says, "The fear of man," you can jot next to that, people pleasing, "The fear of man brings a snare. But whoever trust in the Lord shall be safe." There is great safety in choosing to please God no matter the price, no matter the circumstance. It doesn't matter how you feel or what others think about or what even's popular in culture or what the peer pressure is in your own little group. It doesn't matter. Pleasing the Lord is key.

And you realize that in your life as you step out and walk by faith, it will bring a response from other people in your life. I think as we're praying for Josie, I'm also thinking of just missionaries in general. Missionaries in general experience this in a real way. You know if you look at your life and you think, okay the people that I'm in my life with, my friendship group, if you kind of look at that life as a calm lake or a calm reservoir of water, a calm pool, it's just flat and serene and beautiful.

And you took a rock and you threw it in the middle of the lake or you threw it in the middle of the pool, what's going to happen? It's going to make a splash and then it's going to ripple out. Ripple after ripple after ripple. It really doesn't matter if it's a big rock or a small rock, things are going to be disrupted. The status quo, the place of comfort's going to be disrupted. And that's exactly what happens when you and I make a decision, when you and I make a decision to follow the Lord. It's going to bring a response. It's going to be like a little rock thrown into the water and everybody's going to have a response and an opinion.

I think of missionaries where they have a burden from God. We are going to leave our lives here and God is calling us to another country, to another place. So we're selling everything. We sold the house, we sold the cars, we sold everything. Everything that's left on our front lawn, come and get it because we don't need it. We're burning the ships and we're heading off one way ticket because this is what God has called us to do. Inevitably in their circle there will be those that get hit by the ripple and their step of faith is challenging to them.

And they'll come and go, what are you thinking? What do you mean you're selling your house? You know how hard it is to buy a house today and you're just selling it? Yep. And what do you mean you sold your cars? I mean what are you going to do? How what happens if it doesn't work out? Just stop. This is from the Lord. I know you don't want me to go and I know you're not happy about it, but I'm telling you God has called me. God has called me to do this and your opinions are not going to stop me. I'm going to do what God has called me to do.

Now most of us are not going to have those types of decisions, most of us aren't. But our lives are filled with steps of faith that disrupt the peace of those that are closest to us. I think of some of you, God has just spoken to you. We've got a men's conference coming up. The men's ministry is alive and vibrant. You're attending or you're coming to the studies, you're listening to them later, whatever it might be, and God has just spoken to you. I am going to be the leader of my home.

The problem is is you haven't been that much of a leader of your home for years. So now you've got that conviction and you're going to begin to pray together and you're going to begin to lead and you're going to begin to read the Bible. You're going to begin to lead and ladies, if your husband comes home like that and has a conviction from the Lord, you have to watch yourself to not resist the Holy Spirit working because you have become accustomed and it can go both ways. A wife gets saved and she says we're going to bring the Lord and the husband does like you have to be careful that you don't try to talk them out of their faith.

You want a godly man even though you may not want the changes. You want leadership in the home. And here you are you're going to go home, this is it, I'm going to follow the Lord, I'm going to serve the Lord. That's it. You have to expect around them maybe your kids you're like, I don't want this for my I mean I got a life dad, I'm not interested in in a family altar, we're not going to pray together and you're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Listen what I'm doing is right, good and holy and it pleases God. And I want my family and my home to be a home that pleases God.

This is why these decisions don't get made. That's why you don't press in because you don't want to deal with the fallout. And I'll tell you the summary is you fear man. You fear man way too much. Again that's a Bible study in and of itself. There's a right way to do that and a wrong way to do that. But for goodness sake do the right thing and please the Lord, whatever it is he's laid upon your heart today.

And yeah there's going to be resistance, there's going to be naysayers, there's going to be everybody's got something to say. Everyone has an opinion but only God's opinion matters. And it's never too late to get right with the Lord. It's never too late to get back on track. Don't be trapped by always doing the things that please man, but rather come to that place of safety.

You know the problem, there's a lot of problems with trying to please man but let me give you one of them that's super important. The problem with trying to please man is that it's impossible to please everyone, yes. But worse, it taints your testimony. Pleasing men, you have to remember seeking to please men is a very close cousin of hypocrisy. That's how you become a hypocrite.

You're one thing with someone and you're another thing with someone else and you're another one with someone else and you're another one at church and you're another person at home. I mean I don't even know how you can keep up with all the people that you are because of the fear of man. It's so much easier to fear the Lord. The Bible even says that if your ways please God, he'll make even your enemies be at peace with you.

But you taint your testimony. You see when when we seek to please men, this is what's happening. We have made the person we're wanting to please our master. And did you know you can't have two masters? You're either going to love one and hate the other, or hate one and love the other. You can't have two masters Jesus said. You make someone else your master and you step outside of the freedom that God has given to you in Christ.

When you're always worried when you're always worried about what people think and whether they approve or not, or what are they going to say, when you forget that you're a servant of the Lord and you need to be concerned about what he thinks. And he makes it very easy. He dwells inside of you and empowers you to follow him. There's such freedom in serving the Lord for the Lord.

In Colossians chapter 3 and verse 23 it says, "And whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance, why? Because you serve the Lord Christ." It's not unto men primarily. Men we get to benefit when we serve, all of us get to benefit men and women, we we benefit from others' commitment to Jesus.

But we serve the Lord, which brings us to Galatians today chapter 1 in verse 10. You'll remember that the churches in Galatia were enjoying salvation and the freedom that they have in Christ until these false teachers came to town. They're known as the Judaizers. They are either the same men that followed Paul around or some of the same men and then the young people, their kids and the young people that they trained.

They came in. We're using the modern-day word to describe it that's more common to us. We don't use Judaizers very much, but that's the technical term to describe them. But what we would call them today are the legalists. These are the legalists, that following Christ is not enough. For them, hey you want to be saved, they came into town, you want to be saved, this is how you're saved. Not what Paul said. Paul didn't tell you the truth. Instead here's what you need to be circumcised and then keep the law the rest of your life.

Which basically set up these precious saints to follow man and not God. Because then how do I know if I'm doing it right? How do I know if I'm following all the rules? And they've set up a man-made religious system, which there are many of those today, to follow man and not God.

And so notice with me verse 10 chapter 1. "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 servant of Christ." Remember the pathos of this passage, the emotion. Don't forget the emotion. Paul is upset, as any good pastor would be when his flock is being ripped off by liars and manipulators.

Because you know that that is, if you are a people pleaser then one thing you may see more of in your life is people coming into your life seeing that and taking advantage of you. It's one of those personality traits that gets taken advantage of all the time in the world, in the church. Where they there's just those that are strong in personality and they can sniff that out in someone and then they attach themselves and they draw you to themselves.

And they see that you may want friendship or you may want connection or, but you actually have something that they want. They desire your money, they desire your devotion, but they really, really desire your full commitment to them so that they become the one that tell you how to live life. That's not God's will for you. That's what was happening with the churches in Galatia and Paul says stop it. These guys are liars.

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