To Be Pleasing to God

Lesson 3

To Be Pleasing to God

(Ephesian 5, 1 Peter 5, Psalms 149, Mark 9)

Copr. 2025, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

Introduction: What is your attitude about pleasing others? Because I’m a professor, my students want to please me. Because I’m old enough that I don’t have to work, I could say that I’ve had enough of pleasing my employer. But that is not my attitude. I want to please my students, my employer, and generally everyone else who crosses my path. Why is true? Plenty of people simply do not care about the opinions of others. My reason is that I believe my life is better when I make the lives of others better. Is this a Biblical principle? Let’s dive into our study of the Bible and learn more!

1. Pleasing Others
   
   1. Read Ephesians 5:22. How do you understand this verse? Should wives “submit” to their husbands in a way that considers their husbands to be like God? Would that be pleasing?
      1. Or, should they only submit to their husbands in a way consistent with their submission to God?
      2. Or, is this saying that the relative merit of the husband is irrelevant, because this is a matter of obedience to God?
      3. Does this verse generally command submission of women to men? (It is specifically limited to “your own husband.)
      4. How do you understand the word, “submit?”
   2. Let’s back up and consider the context. Read Ephesians 5:15-16. How can you make this advice part of your life? (Paul tells us to think carefully about the direction of our life. Be smart. Use your time well.)
   3. Read Ephesians 5:17. Should we ask ourselves when considering the direction of our life, what would God suggest?
   4. Read Ephesians 5:18. When you are drunk, what has happened to your free will? (You are controlled by your drunkenness.)
      1. Notice being filled with the Holy Spirit is stated as an opposite activity. Do you think the two are opposites? (The Holy Spirit guides your actions as opposed to your drunkenness.)
   5. Read Ephesians 5:19-20. Is this describing an attitude? (This is a positive approach to your relationships with others. You share uplifting things and you are grateful.)
   6. Read Ephesians 5:21. How does this suggestion fit in the line of suggestions we just considered? (The first suggestions are about our life and they progress to how we should relate to others.)
      1. Many people view verse 21 as a direction to submit to those in authority, but the text says nothing about authority. However, if you do not insert authority into this verse, does it make any logical sense?
         
         1. How could two people submit to each other if they have different ideas on what to do? (Context tells us to have a cheerful, grateful attitude. This attitude improves the lives of others, and in that way is a submission to others without compromising our opinion on a specific subject.)
      2. What does the final phrase, “out of reverence for Christ” add to your understanding of what this means? (The submission results from our understanding of God’s will. The result should be consistent with the teachings of Christ.)
   7. Read 1 Peter 5:5. Would Peter agree that the elders should submit to those who are younger? Does he disagree with Paul’s statement in Ephesians?
   8. Read Proverbs 14:7. What if the other person is a “fool,” should we submit to a fool?
   1. Let’s look again at 1 Peter 5:5. What does Peter suggest for “all of you?” (He suggests an attitude of humility.)
      1. Let’s feed this back into Ephesians 5:21. Do you think submitting means doing what the other person says? (Submission is an attitude that improves the lives of others. The context suggests we are not talking about specific issues on which we may disagree.)

2. Pleasing Your Spouse
   
   1. Now lets apply our understanding of “submission” to Ephesians 5:22. Since the same Greek word is used in Ephesians 5:21, does this mean wives should have a humble attitude towards their husbands?
      1. Does it mean more?
   2. Read Ephesians 5:23-24. Would you agree that a proper interpretation of these verses is that we should have a humble attitude towards God? Is that all it means? (It must mean more.)
   3. Read Ephesians 5:25-27. What should a husband give up for his wife? (Himself.)
      1. Can you describe a relationship where one partner “submits” and the second partner gives up everything for the other?
   4. Read Ephesians 5:28. Since I’m a husband, I consider the direction in this verse the most important advice to husbands. “He who loves his wife loves himself.” Will a wife have any problems with a husband who believes this and acts on it?
   5. After being married for more than fifty years, I think the commands to submit and love must become a natural part of the attitude if they are to work. If the husband demands submission, or the wife demands love, something is terribly wrong. The Holy Spirit can change our attitude.
3. Pleasing God
   
   1. Read Psalms 149:1-3. What kind of attitude towards God is described here? (Joyful praise!)
      1. Do you ever experience this? If not, why not?
   2. Read Psalms 149:4. Does God take pleasure in us? (This text says explicitly that He does.)
      1. Do you want God to take pleasure in you? If so, what does this suggest is the way to accomplish this? (Humility.)
      2. Think back to our discussion of mutual submission and a wife’s submission. How important is humility to those submissions?
   3. Read Psalms 149:5. Whose glory is referenced here? (Considering the context, it must be God’s glory.)
      1. What does it mean to sing for joy in your bed? (You go to sleep praising God!)
   4. Read Psalms 149:6-9. Whoa! How did we get from humbly praising God to executing punishment and binding kings through the power of the sword?
      1. A recent decision of the U.S. Supreme Court regarding guns said that the fundamental reason citizens have a constitutional right to possess guns is so they can keep the government in check. Does the discussion of swords in these verses reflect a similar idea?
   5. Read John 18:36. How does this apply to our discussion? (Jesus famously said that His kingdom is not of this world, otherwise, His servants would be fighting Rome for His freedom. In light of this I’m uncertain the full extend of what these verses in Psalms mean, but they must at least mean that our humble praises and submission to God should result in tangible steps to promote the Kingdom of God on earth.)
   6. Read 2 Peter 2:2-5. Who is handling the “sword” here? (God is executing judgment.)
   7. Read 2 Peter 2:6-9. Who is rescuing the righteous from the “sensual conduct of the wicked?” (God is rescuing Lot. Lot is not raising his sword.)
      1. What should we conclude from Lot’s story of living in a wicked city and Psalms 149? (The key is humility. The Holy Spirit will lead us in understanding what we should do to advance the work of God.)
4. Making Sense of This
   
   1. Read Mark 9:17-19. Is Jesus calling His disciples “faithless?” (They seem to be included among others who are present.)
   2. Read Mark 9:28-29. How did the disciples fail?
      1. Is their failure a permanent problem? (This is logically connected to our discussion of swords. The disciples thought they could do what Jesus had been doing. Jesus tells them that connecting to the power of God through prayer is essential. Once again, humility is the key to success.)

4. 3. Friend, do you want to be pleasing to God, to your spouse, and to your friends? An attitude of humility is central to success. Why not, right now, ask the Holy Spirit to give you an attitude of humility?
5. Next week: God Is Passionate and Compassionate.