Richard Ellis Talks

Richard Ellis: If you don't have Jesus on board, living inside of you, you do not have access to say no to sin that you're struggling with. So you say, "I think I can, I think I can. I'm going to stop this. I'm going to go to rehab. I'm going to do all these things that I can do." You cannot stop sin without a Savior. And only Jesus saves. So unless you've got Jesus, it is going to be a fight, a struggle to the end.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Richard Ellis Talks with Richard Ellis. Richard's going to take the next few minutes to share some great words of hope and insight for you. And in today's broken world, that is something everyone is desperate to hear. Richard shares unapologetically the truth of the Bible in a way that's clear, relational, and uplifting. So thank you for taking this time to listen. We know it will bless you.

And when you have a moment, you might want to check out our website so we can stay connected with you, richardellistalks.com. But right now, let's go ahead and get things off and running with today's talk. Here's Richard Ellis.

Richard Ellis: The title of today's message is "Please Me." This is not going to be a very complicated message. You're not going to be very happy unless you really have a desire to follow God and walk with God. Otherwise, this isn't going to be very pleasant, although the title is "Please Me." If you've ever been to Chick-fil-A and you order food there, after you've ordered your food, if you say, "Thank you," what do they say to you? "My pleasure."

Now, what does that mean? They're saying that you have requested something, you have thanked them for taking that request, and what they've summed it all up by saying is, "It is my pleasure to serve you." Now, remember that statement because that's the whole ball of wax. That's what this whole thing is about. But what does it turn into? It turns into "please me."

So we were created, everything that you see, everything—and I'll give you all these verses in a second as we go through the Scriptures—everything that you see, everything that's happened, we specifically—you go read Genesis 1:27, it talks about in the image of God He created man, male and female He created them. In the image of God He created them. And so we are the only thing in the universe created in the image of God, men and women.

So animals are great. I love animals, concerned about animals. They were not made in the image of God. They're very creative, they love, they care, they have—I'll say it gently. Jesus died on the cross to save people. How's that? That should be pretty safe. So who did He leave out there? Nobody. That's who He died to save, people. Buried, raised from the dead.

So He makes us in His image, and the whole exercise, this whole thing, is because it brings pleasure to God. It is His will, it brings pleasure to God to do what He has done. You say, "What's the point?" He doesn't need a point. He's God. My life is supposed to bring pleasure to God. I am supposed to please Him. So when He orders something, so to speak, He says, "This is what I would like you to do," and I say either "Yes, sir" or "No, sir."

But if I say, "Yes, sir," and He says, "Thank you," then I say, "My pleasure," because I have no other reason to be here but to bring You pleasure. Now, you say, "Well, where could this possibly go wrong?" Please me. It's not about Him, it's about me. I'm not interested in pleasing God. I'm interested in taking care of me and finding other people who are interested in taking care of me. And if they're not, I'm going to figure out a way to use them to take care of me. Even if I have to pay them to take care of me, I am going to find someone to take care of me.

So let's read some Scripture. Psalm 147:10-11, talking about God: "He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man." The Lord takes pleasure in what? "Those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy." So you say, "Well, I would like to bring pleasure to God." Here's how you do it: those who fear Him, those who hope in His mercy.

So you find these scriptures and you say, "Okay, well, this is obviously, it's written down. This is how I please Him. I need to get about this." But where do we spend most of our lives, especially non-believers? And by the way, if you're not even a Christian yet, good luck because that's all you got. If you don't have Jesus on board, living inside of you, you do not have access to say no to sin that you're struggling with.

So you say, "I think I can, I think I can. I'm going to stop this. I'm going to go to rehab. I'm going to do all these things that I can do." You cannot stop sin without a Savior. And only Jesus saves. So unless you've got Jesus, it is going to be a fight, a struggle to the end. When you get Jesus, you get someone who has overcome death, sin, the grave, Satan, everything.

All the enemies have been defeated. And once He lives in you and through you, now you have the power, the ability to say yes to God, to please Him, and no to yourself. So unbelievers have no chance. Believers, if you're walking in the flesh, same thing. You say, "But I'm a Christian." But if you don't access that power, you are powerless.

When you walk in the Spirit, you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. And that is the only category, the only slot where if you're in that slot, then you're living a life that is pleasing to Him. So 147 again, verse 11: "The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy." Is that me? Then I'm bringing pleasure to Him.

Go to Romans chapter 8, verse 1: "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." So sin and death are a law, and the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus is a law as well that supersedes the law of sin and death.

"For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." So how do you fulfill the righteous requirement of the law? How do you keep it?

You cannot keep it yourself, by yourself, just in the flesh, in your own person. Read it again, verse 4: "That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." So if you walk in the Spirit, and that just means the Holy Spirit doesn't just live in you, He lives through you, you give Him control of your life.

You get in a situation, you go, "Oh, I want to go back and do this old thing I used to do," and the Spirit says, "We don't need to go back there. There's nothing back there. Keep moving." "Oh, let me just take a peek. Let me just take a taste. Just a second, I'll be right back." There ain't no "I'll be right back." Stay with Him, walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh." So one indicator of how you would know if you're in the flesh or in the Spirit is: what is your mind set on? Are you thinking about things of the flesh all the time? Is all you can think about is food? All you can think about is what you're going to drink, alcohol maybe? All you can think about is sex?

All you can think about is stuff? Or are you consumed with things of God? "Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." So carnal mindedness results in death. To be spiritually minded results in what everybody apparently seems to be looking for: life and peace.

You want life? You want peace? Then be spiritually minded. To be spiritually minded, you've got to have a relationship with God, you have to have the Holy Spirit living in you, and that's how you end up here. "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be." Me, you, by yourself, without Christ, will never be subject to anything that God wants you to do.

It's a life of just wahoo, do whatever you want to do, or do the best you can to do the right thing, but you can never do it without Him. Verse 8: "So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God." So if my stated goal then is to please Him, and I make a choice to live in the flesh and not connect, not listen, not be available, not obey, not do anything He says to do, I can't be shocked when He's not pleased with me.

So you make a choice. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. And I say, "Well, Lord, that's not what I want. I want to please You." Then He says, "Then get out of the flesh, walk in the Spirit, and let's do what I made you to do. Let's get on with this." Now, this goes over like a lead balloon usually. And do you know why? Because we don't want to hear about pleasing anybody else. We want to talk about me.

"What are you going to do for me? In fact, what is God going to do for me?" If you've ever had a grandkid at about a year and a half, this was actually not scary, but kind of impressive. If you hang your hand down around about a walking year and a half old, and they get ahold of your index, any finger, any finger. The power in a hand on a one-and-a-half-year-old is an extraordinary thing.

That little kid grabbed my index finger and torqued it in the direction we are going. He ain't asking. He knows if I go over there and grab that man by the finger and twist it in the direction I want to go, he's going to go where I want him to go. You think a bit in a horse's mouth is a powerful thing? I mean, he twisted it one time and I'm like, "This kid could break my finger. I'm not even sure how that's possible."

But he knew what he wanted, and what he wanted was for me, whether I wanted what he wanted or not, to do what he wanted me to do. "You are going over here." And sometimes we pray that way. We grab God by the finger and say, "Guess what? You are going over here and bless this, because this is what I want and this is what we are going to do, right?"

Instead of saying, "Lord, look, I'm about to ask for something, but if this does not please You, I don't want it anymore. If this does not bring pleasure to You, I'm out." Now, that's an astonishing way to pray because I'm here, I'm made for Your pleasure, so I would hate to buy anything, do anything, go anywhere if this is not what You want. I'm out.

Now, here's where I have gotten in trouble and where you are getting in trouble every day all the time. If you're a believer specifically, the Holy Spirit lives in you and you're going to feel a little tap, tap, tap. You go to buy something and He says, "We don't need that. That will not bring me pleasure. I get it will bring you pleasure. I'm saying no to the purchase."

And you say, "Well, better luck next time. We're buying it." And you do whatever you're going to do. And then consequence. And He says, "Okay, really? What are we doing now?" And sooner or later, the consequences get so great that you finally decide, "I don't want what I want anymore. I want what You want because when I get what I want and it's not what You want, this doesn't go well." And then you get into mode: "If You please, this is what we're going to do."

Keep reading: "So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you." So how in the world could you be in the flesh if you have the Spirit, capital S, of God living in you? The Holy Spirit. "Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His."

So you say, "Well, I'm a nice person. I'm trying my best. I'm trying to keep the rules." That is not what being a Christian is. Being a Christian is believing that Jesus died on the cross, was buried and raised from the dead to pay for your sin, purchased a place for you in heaven that He offered as a free gift. And you accept Him, He moves in, and you cannot be a Christian and not have the Holy Spirit living in you. It's not possible.

"So you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His." So if you don't have the Holy Spirit living in you, you don't belong to Jesus. "And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God."

So how do I know, what's proof at some point, that I'm a son of God? I am led by the Spirit of God. Are you led by the Spirit of God? The answer is either yes or no. 2 Corinthians 5—we'll go through these pretty quick. 2 Corinthians 5:8: "We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him."

This is the goal, he says, the stated goal. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body. So we would be well pleased to be absent from the body, to be in heaven with Him and to be present with the Lord. "Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him." Is that my stated goal every day, to be well pleasing to Him? Whatever I'm doing, "Are You pleased? Are You well pleased with what I'm doing, Lord?"

And then wait for the answer. And if He says no, then say, "Well, what have I got to adjust?" And He says, "Well, this is what I was trying to get you to do." Go, "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. We'll do that." So this is a little bit crazy analogy, but I have not been a big coffee drinker in my life, but my wife likes coffee. So I try to get up in the morning and make her coffee. Now, I'm not sure I got this blend right, right? So much water, so much coffee.

I'm probably not doing it exactly like she would do it. I probably should watch her do it and then do that. And then if I'm not just making it but pouring her a cup, there's a little recipe. It's so tablespoons of creamer, all that, right? So what if I thought, "I'm not just going to make her coffee, I'm going to serve her every morning and take her the cup in bed"?

"But from now on, I'm putting salt in her coffee." Now, you say, "Dude, you're not going to last very long doing that." She is not going to be very pleased, much less well pleased. What is she going to be most pleased with? That I'm willing to serve her and that I get it the way she likes it, not the way I like it, because it's for her. So stop telling God what He needs. Start asking God what He needs and say, "How can I serve You?"

Now, people wonder, they say, "Well, I kind of wonder sometimes if I'm a mature Christian or not." If it's all about you, the answer is no. That is the answer. If most of your life is consumed with thoughts of the flesh, not the Spirit, thoughts of God doing something for you, not you pleasing Him, not you serving Him, I can promise you you're a two-year-old at best.

Me, me, me, me, me. Please me. Take care of me. Go where I want to go. And God says, "It's not about you, but I will not force you." Another thing Claude used to tell me: "Richard, God will never make you do anything. He'll just make you wish you had." And what is He waiting for? Not that He forces me to serve Him, where I come voluntarily and say, "I'm here. I serve at the pleasure of the King. Whatever You say, here am I, send me."

You say, "Well, I'll lose my life." Exactly. "I will never get to do anything fun." What kind of God are you praying to? He gives—the Scripture says He gives us all things to enjoy. He gives them to us to enjoy His way, not our way, right? Wait till He gives it to you. Don't take it from Him.

And how many people get messed up on this one? I spoke to a guy recently. He's on his about-to-be on his fifth wife. And as gently—I know him enough, well enough, to say this to him—I looked at him and said, "Dude, you need to not be picking another one." I said, "There's a really good chance your picker is busted. And you need to be sure you have some people around you to help you on the next pick if you're determined to pick another one because you're not doing too well."

Now, he's been picking what he wanted and he gets what he wanted and it doesn't turn out well. Why don't you give God a shot? Just say, "Lord, you know what? There's a chance what You want for me is better than anything I want for me. How about I just let You pick?"

Ephesians 5:8: "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable," and the word can be translated "well pleasing" to the Lord. Find out what's well pleasing to Him. It's everywhere.

Philippians 2:12: "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." So He is working in me both to will—so you say, "Well, I'm not willing to do what God wants me to do." He's even working on your willer, right?

You got a willer, He's working on your willer. "Well, my willer ain't willing." He'll help you make it willing. I promise you. So He's working in us to what? To will. So now I have the will to do what He wants me to do, now to do it. And what does it result in? For His good pleasure. Whatever I'm doing, whatever I now will to do and I do, it's for His good pleasure.

You say, "Well, what about me?" You're going to come out okay because what could bring me more pleasure than to know that I'm bringing Him pleasure? You say, "But what if it pleases Him but I suffer?" Then you're better off suffering for His sake than anything else you could come up with. It's all about Him.

A few more. 1 Thessalonians 4:1: "Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus." It's over and over: how that you should walk and please God.

2 Timothy 2:4: "No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please Him who enlisted him as a soldier." So as a soldier, your job is to do what you're told, to follow orders, to please the one issuing the orders, make sure you're doing what they've asked for.

Hebrews 11:5: "By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death," so he's one of two people that God just taken out of here without dying. "And was not found, because God had taken him; for before he was taken he had this testimony," so this was the characteristic of his life that contributed to him being taken and not even have to experience death: "that he pleased God."

So much so that part of the reason He's like, "You know what? Forget the death thing for you. You're out of here, and I'm taking you out. And one of the reasons is you pleased me." "But without faith it is impossible to what? 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."

Why do we not come to God? One reason might be we don't believe that He is. And the second reason, if you're a Christian and you do believe that He is, you don't believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. We seek Him to get what we want, we don't seek Him to get what He wants. And when you diligently seek Him and you seek Him in order to find out what He wants, what does He do? He rewards you.

I've said this and I'm going to keep telling you this. I could not do better for myself than He has done for me. I couldn't have connived my life into places that He has allowed me in. I've said, "Lord, when I say to Him I will go where You want me to go, do what I want You to do," He says, "Okay, here we go." And along the way, He takes care of me. And if that's not your story, you're not dealing with the same God. Things will happen along the way and He says, "Hey, here's a little something for you because you please me."

One more in Hebrews 13:15: "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." So what do you do? You do good, you share. Why does God like that? It pleases Him. That's who He is. You're made in His image. It reflects Him. God is not a stingy God or He never would have given His Son.

Guest (Male): Richard will be back in a moment to wrap up today's talk. But first, I want to share a couple thoughts with you. Let's be honest. Real life isn't about living some highlight reel for others to see. Most people have deep hurts, questions, and struggles. We get it and want to help you in any way we can.

So let's keep this conversation going. Give us a call at 855-6-RICHARD, or connect with us at our website, richardellistalks.com. You can even put in your prayer request right there on the prayer wall so others can pray for you as well. Call us at 855-6-RICHARD or online at richardellistalks.com. And now let's get back to Richard with a final word on today's show.

Richard Ellis: The last one is Revelation 4. It's obviously a scene in heaven. Go down to verse 8: "The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!' Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 'You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.'"

And if you read the King James Version on this, "And for Thy pleasure they are and were created." And if you read this word for "will," I'll read you this definition quickly out of the commentary. Will: not to be conceived as a demand, but as an expression or inclination of pleasure towards that which is liked, that which pleases and creates joy.

When it denotes God's will, it signifies His gracious disposition toward something, used to designate what God Himself does of His own good pleasure. So if you're trying to decide whether you're going to live for yourself the rest of your life or somebody else, listen close and you'll hear Jesus saying, "Please me. Pick me."

No one will ever take better care of you than Jesus. He's promising you forgiveness of sins, eternal life in heaven with Him, a purpose for being here, the power to live the life that He is calling you to live. Even if you don't want to live it, He'll work in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. And once you get in that groove, you'll never want to go back because there is no life back to go back to. Once you find Jesus' life, there is no other life. It's just a shame it takes us so long.

Guest (Male): You've been listening to Richard Ellis Talks. We really appreciate that you spent this time with us. But we want to keep the conversation going with you, so give us a call anytime at 855-6-RICHARD. That's 855-6-RICHARD. Or through our website, richardellistalks.com, by sending an email to us so we can stay connected with you.

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