========================================================================
  LIVING TO PLEASE GOD
  by Theodore Epp
========================================================================

Summary: The sermon emphasizes the importance of living to please God
above all, while maintaining a balance in our interactions with others
for effective evangelism.

Topics: "Pleasing God", "Balance in Evangelism"
Scripture References: Colossians 1:9

------------------------------------------------------------------------
DESCRIPTION
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Theodore Epp emphasizes the importance of living to please God rather
than seeking the approval of man, drawing from Paul's prayer for the
Colossians. He highlights that true pleasing of God comes through the
strength of the indwelling Christ, enabling believers to exhibit the
fruit of the Spirit. While our primary focus should be on God, Epp
reminds us that maintaining a balance is crucial, as our attitudes and
actions can impact our ability to reach others with the Gospel. Paul
exemplified this balance by seeking to please others for their salvation
while remaining true to God. Ultimately, the goal is to always do those
things that please Him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTENT
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Colossians 1:9-12

As Paul prayed for the Colossians and their walk, or way of life, he did
not pray that it might be pleasing to man but to God. In his letter to
the Galatians, Paul said of himself, "For do I now persuade men, or God?
or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be
the servant of Christ" (1:10). Of course, when we live in a way that
pleases God, many people will also be pleased by the way we live. But
our focus of attention should be on pleasing God rather than people.

Living in a way that pleases God cannot be done in one's own strength.
It is only by means of the indwelling Christ that the believer can
exhibit the fruit of the Spirit and have a walk that pleases the Lord.

Although the believer seeks primarily to please God, not people, we must
keep these truths in balance. We will not be successful in reaching
others with the Gospel if we constantly displease them by our attitudes
and actions. But above all, we must be true to God Himself in all that
we do. As Paul sought to evangelize the lost, he was very careful not to
unnecessarily offend those he was endeavoring to reach. Paul summed up
this aspect of his life in this way: "Even as I please all men in all
things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they
may be saved" (1 Cor. 10:33).

"For I do always those things that please him" (John 8:29).

========================================================================
Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/theodore-epp/living-to-please-god/
========================================================================