Pleasing God | Luke 3:1-22

Pleasing God | Luke 3:1-22

A common thing to wonder and worry about is this: “How do I please God?” We hear warnings from people like John the Baptist about how there are only two eternal destinations, and we want to know exactly how we can avoid punishment and find God’s favor. We hear in our Gospel reading from Luke chapter 3 what the Father declares to the world after Jesus’ baptism: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” We want the Father to say that to us! But…how??? There are many different ways we can strive to please God, but every single one of them will fail us…except The Way, our Lord Jesus. Only through faith in Him can we be found to be pleasing to God. But when we are connected to Jesus by faith, and united with Him in His death and resurrection, then the Father says those same words to us, that we are His beloved children, and how He is well pleased with us.



God the Father says to Jesus: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” 



How do I get God to say these words to me? How do I please God?



John the Baptist has come to show people the right way to please God.



Have you tried to please God? How has it gone for you?



Pleasing God can become a lifelong obsession that is frustrating, painful, and ultimately impossible!


For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God–2 Cor. 5:21

The only way for us to become pleasing to God…is through The Way, Jesus.

  1. What are some misguided ways you have tried to please other people? What are some misguided ways you have tried to please God?

  2. What do you notice about the words John speaks in this passage? What do you learn about him? What do you learn about Jesus?

  3. Baptism is only intended for sinners, so why is Jesus baptized?

  4. How does our baptism make us pleasing to God?

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