It should be our desire to please God, but how do we please God? God wants you forgive your sins. God wants you to believe in Him and trust Him. God wants you to do his will. God wants you to follow Him. God wants you to forsake all for him. God wants you to be in heaven with Him.

2. 1 Thessalonians 4:1-2 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; (2) for you know what
commandments we gave you
through the Lord Jesus.

3. PLEASING GOD
A.(Psalms 149:4) For the LORD takes
pleasure in His people; He will beautify the
humble with salvation.
B.(Matthew 3:17) And suddenly a voice came
from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased."
C.(Hebrews 11:5) 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.

4. I. THE FORGIVENESS OF HIS PEOPLE.
A. There are two different avenues of
forgiveness.
B. First, there is sinner forgiveness. When the
sinner trusts Christ and his sins are washed
away in baptism. - Acts 22:16 And now why
are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and
wash away your sins, calling on the name of
the Lord.'
C. Also, there is saint forgiveness. - 1 John 1:9 If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.

5. II. THE FAITH OF HIS PEOPLE.
A.(1 Corinthians 1:21) For since, in the
wisdom of God, the world through wisdom
did not know God, it PLEASED GOD
through the foolishness of the message
preached to save those who believe.
B.(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.

6. III. THE FORTITUDE OF HIS PEOPLE.
A. (Galatians 1:15-16) But when IT PLEASED GOD, who
separated me from my mother's womb and called me
through His grace, {16} to reveal His Son in me, that I
might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not
immediately confer with flesh and blood,
B. (Philippians 2:12-16) 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; {13} for it is God
who works in you both to will and to do FOR HIS
GOOD PLEASURE. {14} Do all things without
complaining and disputing, {15} that you may become
blameless and harmless, children of God without fault
in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,
among whom you shine as lights in the world, {16}
holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the
day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in
vain.

7. III. THE FORTITUDE OF HIS PEOPLE.
C. (Ephesians 1:3-10) Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, {4} just
as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before Him in
love, {5} having predestined us to adoption as sons by
Jesus Christ to Himself, according to THE GOOD
PLEASURE OF HIS WILL, {6} to the praise of the glory of
His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the
Beloved. {7} In Him we have redemption through His
blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of
His grace {8} which He made to abound toward us in all
wisdom and prudence, {9} having made known to us the
mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which
He purposed in Himself, {10} that in the dispensation of
the fullness of the times He might gather together in one
all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which
are on earth; in Him.

8. IV. THE FOLLOWING OF HIS PEOPLE.
A. (1 Thessalonians 1:5-8) For our gospel did
not come to you in word only, but also in
power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much
assurance, as you know what kind of men we
were among you for your sake. {6} And you
became followers of us and of the Lord,
having received the word in much affliction,
with joy of the Holy Spirit, {7} so that you
became examples to all in Macedonia and
Achaia who believe. {8} For from you the
word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only
in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every
place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so
that we do not need to say anything.

9. IV. THE FOLLOWING OF HIS PEOPLE.
B. (1 Peter 2:21-24) For to this you were called,
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an
example, that you should follow His steps: {22}
"Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in
His mouth"; {23} who, when He was reviled, did
not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not
threaten, but committed Himself to Him who
judges righteously; {24} who Himself bore our sins
in His own body on the tree, that we, having died
to sins, might live for righteousness; by whose
stripes you were healed.
C. Jesus clearly and emphatically said, "Follow me
and I will make you fishers of men" (Matt. 4:19).
Christ desires that we follow Him completely,
obediently, and eternally. To "follow" means to
"move behind in the same direction. It is a pity
when God's people go the wrong direction.

10. V. THE FORSAKING OF HIS PEOPLE.
A. (Romans 8:5-14) For 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. {6} For to be carnally minded is death,
but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
{7} Because the carnal mind is enmity against
God; for it is not subject to the law of God,
nor indeed can be. {8} So then, those who are
in the flesh cannot please God. {9} But 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. >>>

11. V. THE FORSAKING OF HIS PEOPLE.
{10} And if Christ is in you, the body is dead
because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of
righteousness. {11} 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. {12} Therefore, brethren, we are
debtors; not to the flesh, to live according to the
flesh. {13} 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. {14} For as
many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are
sons of God.

12. V. THE FORSAKING OF HIS PEOPLE.
B. They are to forsake the world, the flesh, and the
devil to follow Him. - (Luke 14:33) "So likewise,
whoever of you does not forsake all that he has
cannot be My disciple.
C. (Isaiah 55:6-9) Seek the LORD while He may be
found, Call upon Him while He is near. {7} Let the
wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man
his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He
will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He
will abundantly pardon. {8} "For My thoughts are
not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,"
says the LORD. {9} "For as the heavens are higher
than the earth, So are My ways higher than your
ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

13. VI. THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS PEOPLE.
A. (John 8:29) "And He who sent Me is with Me.
The Father has not left Me alone, for I always
do those things that please Him."
B. God wants us to fellowship one another
(Hebrews 10:24-25) And let us consider one
another in order to stir up love and good
works, (25) not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as is the manner of some,
but exhorting one another, and so much the
more as you see the Day approaching.
C. God wants us have fellowship in His Son. (1
Corinthians 12:18) But now God has set the
members, each one of them, in the body just
as He pleased.

14. VII. THE FUTURE OF HIS PEOPLE.
A. (Luke 12:32) "Do not fear, little flock, for it is
your Father's good pleasure to give you the
kingdom.
B. He is pleased for us to live in the holy city
with Him forever and ever (Rev.21,22).
C. (2 Corinthians 5:6-9) So we are always
confident, knowing that while we are at home
in the body we are absent from the Lord. {7}
For we walk by faith, not by sight. {8} We are
confident, yes, well pleased rather to be
absent from the body and to be present with
the Lord. {9} Therefore we make it our aim,
whether present or absent, to be well
pleasing to Him.

15. VII. THE FUTURE OF HIS PEOPLE.
D. (Colossians 1:9-12) For this reason we also,
since the day we heard it, do not cease to
pray for you, and to ask that you may be
filled with the knowledge of His will in all
wisdom and spiritual understanding; {10}
that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully
pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good
work and increasing in the knowledge of
God; {11} strengthened with all might,
according to His glorious power, for all
patience and longsuffering with joy; {12}
giving thanks to the Father who has qualified
us to be partakers of the inheritance of the
saints in the light.

16. ARE YOU PLEASING GOD?
A.God wants you forgive your sins.
B.God wants you to believe in Him and
trust Him.
C.God wants you to do his will.
D.God wants you to follow Him.
E. God wants you to forsake all for him.
F. God wants you to be in heaven with
Him.

18. HAVE A GOD-PLEASING WEEK