“that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;”
When we walk a life that corresponds to who and what the Lord is, we will “please Him.”
“fully pleasing Him”
Literally, this phrase means “unto all pleasing.” Paul wants us to give pleasure to the Lord. “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” (1 Th 4:1). This also infers that a true Christian may have God’s displeasure.
This word “pleasing” was used originally in the negative sense of a “yes-man” in extra-biblical Greek. This person is willing to do anything to please a benefactor. However, the Bible does not use this word in the sense of a cringing attitude. “Pleasing” implies the Christian’s anticipation to meet the desires of God. It is the willingness to do any wish the Lord may please. It is the desire to fulfill what is eternally due to God.
We think of the Lord’s desires in association with affection. We love him; how can we please him? We try to please the Lord beyond the explicit statements of Scripture. Just as a devoted son seeks to please a parent, we seek to please God. We seek to anticipate God’s wishes,
“Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him” (2 Cor 5:9).
People need to pray that they will please God over men. There is a great temptation to live our lives around what men think over what God thinks. God condemns pleasing men (Col 3:22; 1 Th 2:4; Gal 1:10).
Four results come from pleasing God with our lives:
1. “being fruitful in every good work” (v. 10)
2. “increasing in the knowledge of God” (v 10)
3. “strengthened with all might” (v. 11)
4. “giving thanks to the Father” (v. 12)
Principle:
It is possible to please God.
Application:
Are you seeking to correspond your life with God’s provisions for you? Are you, therefore, pleasing God? Are you interested in giving God pleasure? We cannot please everyone, so we might as well please the Lord and let the chips fall where they may. Would you like God to be proud of your life? When our children make a good play in baseball, we are proud: “That’s my boy/girl!” On the other hand, when our children embarrass us by their behavior when we have company, we want to disown them or make out as they belong to our neighbors.
God is not ashamed to call us “brothers” (Heb. 2:11). Are you walking in such a way as to warrant the smile of heaven? Are you living with a great amount of spiritual aberration? God is not happy with an erratic spiritual walk. Everything we do reflects on God.
What about the Book of Enoch?? and its validity I havent read it
yet , but Im thinking it is probably heresy…there is the argument
that Enoch walked with God..using this statement to add validity ot
the book I believe Gods word in the
verse about God statement and judgement about adding or subtracting
from his word…..Some say that the book of Enoch was subtracted
amd should be part of the bible I think this is heresy!
Your comments would be appreciated……..Harvey Moberg
Harvey, the subject to which you refer is canonicity. I highly recommend “A General Introduction to the Bible” by Geisler and Nix (see below). Canonicity is how books of the Bible are determined to be authentic or not. Enoch was a book rejected by “all” both Jewish and Christian. Note their comments on books rejected by all.
The Books Rejected by All—Pseudepigrapha
There are a vast number of false and spurious writings that deserve mention at this point; not because anyone would seriously contend for their authority, but because they do represent the religious lore of the Hebrews in the intertestamental period. The New Testament writers make use of a number of these books, for example, Jude 14-15 have a possible quotation from the Book of Enoch (1:9) and the Assumption of Moses (1:9); and an allusion from the Penitence of Jannes and Jambres is found in 2 Timothy 3:8. Of course, it should be remembered that the New Testament also quotes from the heathen poets Aratus (Acts 17:28); Menander (1 Cor. 15:33); and Epimenides (Titus 1:2).18 Truth is truth no matter where it is found, whether uttered by a heathen poet, a pagan prophet (Num. 24:17), or even a dumb animal (22:28). Nevertheless, it should be noted that no such formula as “it is written” or “the Scriptures say” is connected with these citations. It should also be noted that neither the New Testament writers nor the Fathers have considered these writings canonical.
The Nature of the Pseudepigrapha
The Pseudepigrapha books are those that are distinctly spurious and unauthentic in their overall content (see chap. 20). Although they claim to have been written by biblical authors, they actually express religious fancy and magic from the period between about 200 b.c. and a.d. 200. In Roman Catholic circles these books are known as the Apocrypha, a term not to be confused with an entirely different set of books known in Protestant circles by the same name (see below); although at times Protestants have referred to these same books as the “wider Apocrypha,” or “Apocalyptic Literature.” Most of these books are comprised of dreams, visions, and revelations in the apocalyptic style of Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zechariah. A notable characteristic of these books is that they depict the bright future of the Messianic kingdom, as well as the questions of creation, angels, sin, suffering, and rewards for faithful living.
The Number of the Pseudepigrapha
The actual number of these books is not known certainly, and various writers have given different numbers of important ones. There are eighteen worthy of mention,19 and they may be classified as follows:
Legendary
1. The Book of Jubilee
2. The Letter of Aristeas
3. The Book of Adam and Eve
4. The Martyrdom of Isaiah
Apocalyptic.
1. Enoch
2. The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs
3. The Sibylline Oracle
4. The Assumption of Moses
5. 2 Enoch, or the Book of the Secrets of Enoch
6. 2 Baruch, or The Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch
7. 3 Baruch, or The Greek Apocalypse of Baruch
Didactical
1. 3 Maccabees
2. 4 Maccabees
3. Pirke Aboth
4. The Story of Ahikar
Poetical
1. The Psalms of Solomon
2. Psalm 151
Historical
1. The Fragment of a Zadokite Work
Geisler, N. L., & Nix, W. E. (1996, c1986). A general introduction to the Bible. Includes indexes. Includes a short-title checklist of English translations of the Bible (chronologically arranged). (Rev. and expanded.) (262). Chicago: Moody Press.
YEA! AND AGAIN I SAY YEA!