Oakbrook Evangelical Free Church

Introduction:
The Terminal

“The Terminal” is the story of Viktor Navorski (Hanks), a traveler who’s stranded at John F. Kennedy International Airport after a coup topples the leadership of his homeland, the fictional Krakozhia. The new rulers aren’t recognized by the United States, so Viktor finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard place, unable to enter the U.S. and unable to fly home because his passport is no longer valid. He’s told ‘America is closed’ and is forced to wait out the war in the international terminal, passing the time learning English, hanging out with a few sympathetic airport workers, falling for a stewardess, and trying to avoid causing further problems for the airport’s homeland security official (played by Stanley Tucci).

Do you know what Nepolean gave Josephine as a wedding gift?
The next time you come I will show you.

You know what Nepolean gave Josephine as a wedding gift?
A fountain with a 1000 …

The Liberator
The message worth getting excited about
The Life Worth Living

I. Who Am I Trying to Please?
Galatians 1:10 “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men?” NIV

Don’t know what Paul asks the question.
Maybe this was something he personally struggled with.

Galatians 1:14 “I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.” NIV

Philippians 3:4-10 “If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ “and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” NIV

Pastor Larry Osborne thinks we all struggle with this!
The Contarian’s Guide to Knowing God
He pastors North Coast Church in Southern California

A contrarian is a person who asks, “Is this really true?” Larry Osborne is brave enough to ask questions about many things that we assume are true, Biblical, and right. But you’ll find that we (the Church) have made up some things that aren’t necessarily accurate according to the Bible. It’s an interesting and eye-opening book. In case you’re skeptical of this contrarian, Osborne is a solid Bible teacher who uses the Bible as the foundation to question some of our methods and models that the Church has created.

Do any of these statements apply to you?
• I try to be who someone wants me to be.
• I am afraid to rock the boat.
• It is hard for me to know what I want.
• I avoid speaking my mind.
• I find it easier to go along with what someone wants or with their opinion.
• It is hard for me to express my feelings when they are different from someone I’m close to.
• It is difficult for me to say No.
• I try to be nice rather than expressing how I really feel.
• I want everyone to get along.
Appearance to the world of the people-pleasing personality
• Very organized
• Easily liked
• Placators or appeasers
• Friendly, outgoing, gregarious
• Helpful, supportive
• Courteous and considerate of others
• Always smiling
• Interested in others’ welfare
• Cooperative; real “team players”
• Generous with own time and energy
• Work hard at pleasing others
Feelings inside persons with the people-pleasing personality traits
• Fear of loss of approval
• Fear of rejection
• Denial of problems
• Self-denial or ignoring of personal rights
• Feeling lonely and isolated from others
• Avoid conflicts or fights at any cost
• Feeling not “good” enough or undeserving
• Feeling inferior to others
• Concern about satisfying others’ demands
• Compulsive need to please others
• Unhappy over not pleasing others
• Embarrassed by personal looks or behavior that displeases others
• Fear of not “doing best” for others’ sake
• Fear of letting their friends and family down
• Fear of failure
• Exhaustion from always trying to be “perfect”
II. The Driving Motivation in Paul’s Life
Galatians 1:10 “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” NIV

Paul liked to describe himself as a “bond-servant” (Greek doulos) in
relation to Christ (cf. Rom. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; Titus 1:1)

Paul desires this for all believers
Colossians 1:10 “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,” NIV

Do you think it possible that Paul struggled with this?
Galatians 1:14 “I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.” NIV

Philippians 3:4-10 “If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ “and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” NIV

Pastor Larry Osborne thinks we all struggle with this!
The Contarian’s Guide to Knowing God

III. So, why did Paul give all this up?
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” NIV

Do you see it?
Do you know what Jesus gave his bride for her wedding?
His unconditional love and all he had – his very life!

1 John 4:10 “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”

Do You Know What Jesus Gave His Bride On Their Wedding Day?

1 Corinthians 6:20 “you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” NIV

1 Corinthians 7:23 “You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.” NIV

2 Timothy 4:10 “for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.” NIV

Romans 12:1-2 “I urge you brothers in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good and pleasing and perfect will.”
Seeking to Please God, Not Man
The servant of the gospel seeks to please God alone and not men.
Pleasing people is much lower on Paul’s list of priorities than serving Christ.
The lesson to learn from verse 10 is not that the more people you can displease the more spiritual you are. It was never Paul’s aim to alienate people. On the contrary, in 1 Corinthians 10:31f. he says, “Do all to the glory of God. Give no offence to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please all men in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage but that of many, that they may be saved.”
In Romans 15:2f. he says, “Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to edify him; for Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached thee fell on me.’”
It is good to please people provided that pleasing them is a means to their salvation and their edification and to God’s glory. This calls for a heart of deep spiritual wisdom to know when to be angry and say, “Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees!” and when to weep and say, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how oft would I have gathered you like a hen gathers her chicks, but you would not.” “Let your speech be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:6).
The most thrilling implication of verse 10 is this:
The absoluteness of Christ’s lordship is gloriously liberating. It frees me from having to worry about pleasing one person here and another person there. It brings unity and integrity to my life. When you live to please only one person, everything you do is integrated because it relates to that one person.
Shall I go to this movie? Read this book? Make this purchase? Take this job? Go out on this date? Go with my friends? Do this thing they want me to do? Marry this person?
What a freeing thing it is to know that there is one person who is to be pleased in every decision of life—Jesus. Sometimes pleasing him will please others. Sometimes it won’t, and that will hurt. But the deep joy of a single-minded life is worth it all.
The underlying truth of this passage is that there is one, and only one, gospel. If you embrace the one true gospel, not only are all your sins forgiven by God, but a thrilling unity and integrity and liberty come into your life because there is only one person to please, Jesus Christ, and he only wills what is best for you.
The world is filled with people who are confused, empty, misguided, miserable, defeated, and in bondage to sin. They go here and do this and that often trying desperately to be loved and accepted only disappointed and hurt when they discover they’ve been used by others and thrown away, left out and rejected when those they tried to please got what they wanted.
People are searching for and in profound need of miraculous and dramatic transformation in their lives that only Almighty God, through His matchless love, His marvelous grace, and His mighty power, can accomplish—not the world’s philosophies, not personal relationships, not material possessions, not entertainment, not anything else….
Coming to faith is Christ and embracing the one and only Good News, not only frees you from the guilt of all your sins in Christ forgiven by God, it brings unity and integrity and liberty into your life because there is only one person to please, Jesus Christ, and he only desires what is best for you.
Application Questions:
~ Who am I trying to please? Really!
~ Who is my number one priority? They come first even ahead of me.
~ Have I gotten off track? I know that at one time I lived to please Christ but now I’m side-tracked and I know it and I don’t like it!
“Submit yourselves to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Come near to God and he will come near to you.
Wash your hands, you sinners and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will life you up.” James 4:7-10.