Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) 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.Have you thought about what pleases God, and whether God is pleased with you? First, we must know that it is faith—faith in Him, faith in who He is, faith in what He has done for us and faith in His Word—that pleases God. Faith connects us with God from day one till we meet Him face to face. Also, we must know that while there is a judgment to come, and those who don’t believe in God will face the impending judgment at the great white throne, Christians will meet Jesus at the judgment seat of Christ for their rewards.
Titus 3:5 (NKJV) Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit
Many of us had a deep insecurity in our lives before we accepted Christ because when we didn’t know that the ultimate acceptance that brings complete rest in our souls comes only from God, we used various means to gain acceptance by men. However, God is the highest order and rules supreme in our lives. Therefore, Scripture says that our salvation is apart from works and has nothing to do with our ability to gain acceptance by God. We will never be good enough, and no amount of good works will earn us a right standing with God. The law only serves to reveal our weaknesses, and that we cannot fully observe the law due to the sin nature—if we break one law, we break them all.
Romans 8:33 (NKJV) Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
Jesus died for the ungodly. It is purely the grace and the mercy of God that caused Him to reach out to us and save us. To be justified means to be made righteous or given the ability to stand right before God just like we have never sinned. Our faith in the blood of Jesus Christ has accounted us for righteousness. The moment we believe in Jesus’ justification for us, we are saved, and it has placed in our account with our name that we are righteous! Nobody including Satan will be able to bring a charge against you for all the sins in your life if it is God who has justified you based on the blood of Jesus Christ.
Our faith in God will be affected by whether we approach Him with or without confidence. Therefore, not using our own strength to come before God is the most fundamental part of our relationship with Him, because otherwise there will be no intimacy. Let us remind ourselves of this truth daily so we can keep entering into His presence to fellowship with Him.
Sermon Series: What Pleases God? (Part 1)
凭借耶稣已竟之工亲近神
希伯来书11:6 人非有信，就不能得神的喜悦;因为到神面前来的人，必须信有神，且信祂赏赐那寻求祂的人。
你有没有想过什么能讨神的喜悦，神是否喜悦祢?首先，我们必须知道是信心——相信祂，相信祂是谁，相信祂为我们成就的一切，相信祂的话语——才能得祂的喜悦。信心使我们与神连结，从第一天直到我们与祂面对面。同时，我们必须知道，当审判来临的时候，那些不信神的人将会在白色的宝座前面对即将到来的审判，基督徒却会在基督的审判台前领受耶稣的奖赏。
提多书3:5祂便救了我们，并不是因我们自己所行的义，乃是照祂的怜悯，藉着重生的洗，和圣灵的更新。
在接受基督之前，我们很多人生活在很深的不安全感中，因为当我们不知道那让我们的灵魂得到完全安息的至高的接纳只能来自神时，我们会用各样的方式来获取人的接纳。然而，神是我们生命中至高的秩序和至上的法则。因此，圣经说，我们的救恩与行为无关，与我们获得神接纳的能力无关。我们永远不够良善，再多的善行也不能赚取我们在神面前的义。律法只是用来显露我们的软弱，证明我们因着罪的本性，无法完全遵守律法——如果我们干犯了一条律法，我们就干犯了所有的律法。
罗马书8:33 谁能控告神所拣选的人呢?有神称他们为义了。
耶稣为不敬虔的人而死。完全是神的恩典和怜悯使祂向我们伸出手来拯救我们。称义就是被称为义，被赋予在神面前站立得住的能力，仿佛我们从来没有犯过罪一样。我们对耶稣基督宝血的信心已经将我们算为义。当我们相信耶稣为我们称义的时候，我们就得了救赎，并且我们的义已被归在我们的名下！如果是神藉着耶稣基督的血称你为义，就没有任何人能够揪住你生命中所有的罪而控告你，连撒旦也不能。
我们是信心满满地亲近神，还是犹犹豫豫地亲近神，这将影响我们对神的信心。因此，不使用我们自己的力量来到神面前是我们与祂关系中最基本的部分，否则就不会有亲密关系。让我们每天提醒自己这个真理，这样我们就能不断地进入祂的同在，与祂团契。
讲章系列: 什么能得上帝的喜悦? (第一部分)