Well-Pleased

Well-Pleased:

Finding God's Approval

How do you please God? For many, the answer is "be a good person," "do church stuff," or point to a spiritual moment in the past like a childhood baptism. We tend to think that if our good outweighs our bad, God must be happy with us.

However, the Bible paints a different picture. Romans 8:8 tells us that those "in the flesh cannot please God," and Isaiah 64:6 describes our best righteous deeds as "polluted garments." If our best efforts aren't enough, how do we find favor with the Creator?

In Matthew 3:7-17, we witness a moment where God the Father looks at Jesus and declares He is "well-pleased." By understanding why God was pleased with Jesus, we discover the only way God can be pleased with us.

You Need More Than Good Works

When the Pharisees and Sadducees—the most religious people of the day—came to John the Baptist, he didn't congratulate them on their morality. He called them a "brood of vipers."

These leaders didn't think they needed to repent because they were "children of Abraham." They relied on their heritage and their rituals. John warned them that "the ax is already at the root of the trees." Being near spiritual things is not the same as being transformed by them.

John points out that while he can wash the outside with water, the Messiah brings something more powerful: The Holy Spirit and fire.

Fire: Represents God’s holy, consuming presence that removes what cannot stand before Him.

The Holy Spirit: Represents God’s life-giving presence that transforms the heart.

No matter how long you’ve been in church or how many committees you've served on, you need more than a "bath" of good works. You need the internal transformation that only the Messiah can provide.

Jesus Meets You Where You Are

Jesus traveled a few days' walk from Galilee to the Jordan specifically to be baptized. John the Baptist tried to stop Him, recognizing that Jesus was already righteous. But Jesus insisted, saying it was necessary to "fulfill all righteousness."

Jesus wasn't baptized because He had sin to confess. He was baptized to identify with sinners.

He entered our condition: He experienced hunger, grief, and temptation.

He stood among the guilty: He didn't watch our suffering from the sidelines; He stepped into the line of those being "counted among the rebels" (Isaiah 53:12).

He became our substitute: He took the place of the guilty so He could eventually take the punishment of the guilty.

Because Jesus identified with us, we don't have to "clean ourselves up" to come to Him. He met us in our brokenness so that we could meet Him in His righteousness.

God is Pleased With Us Because of Jesus

As Jesus came out of the water, the heavens opened, the Spirit descended like a dove, and the Father spoke: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased."

In the Old Testament, the term "pleased" was often associated with sacrifices that were acceptable to God. By using this phrase, God was identifying Jesus as the perfect sacrifice—the one who would "justify many" by carrying their iniquities (Isaiah 53:11).

When we are baptized as believers, we are identifying with Jesus. We are "buried with Him" and raised to "walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4). God is not pleased with us because we are perfect; He is pleased with us because we are in Christ.

When you know you have God's favor through Jesus, your motivations change. It’s like being happily married—you stop trying to impress everyone else because you are already "taken." You can live with confidence, set God-centered priorities, and develop Christlike character without the fear of rejection.

Main Point: Live for God’s Approval.

True peace comes from realizing that God's "well-pleased" verdict over Jesus now applies to you if you are His. You can stop exhausting yourself trying to earn a favor that has already been given.

Beyond Works: Religion can wash the outside, but only Jesus can baptize with the Spirit.

Identification: Jesus stood in our place so we could stand in His favor.

Empowerment: Knowing you are loved by God allows you to serve Him out of joy rather than fear.

Challenge

Take one step this week that God is calling you to take, regardless of what others think. Invite that person to church, start that difficult conversation, or reconcile with that person you've been avoiding. When you live for God's approval, the world's opinion loses its power.