The Parameters of Church Health

THE PARAMETERS OF CHURCH HEALTH

SERMON 1

THE PARAMETER OF EXCELLENCE

ETS – PAUL ENCOURAGES THE PHILIPPIAN CHURCH TO STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE, AS AN OUTFLOW OF THEIR LOVE FOR CHRIST.

ESS – BELIEVERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE AS A NATURAL OURFLOW OF THEIR LOVE FOR CHRIST.

OSS – OUR LOVE FOR CHRIST SHOULD RESULT IN A DESIRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN ALL WE DO.

PQ – AM I TRULY STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE IN ALL I DO?

UW – EXCELLENCE

INTRODUCTION:

THIS MORNING, AS WE CONTINUE THE SERMON SERIES ON THE PARAMETERS OF CHURCH HEALTH, LET ME REMIND YOU WHAT THESE PARAMETERS REALLY ARE…

THESE PARAMETERS ARE REPEATABLE AND REPEATED BEHAVIORS AND ATTITUDES THAT SHAPE NOT ONLY HOW WE LIVE, BUT HOW WE DO CHURCH…

THE PARAMETERS OF CHURCH HEALTH ARE HOW BELIEVERS ARE TO LIVE, AND THIS “HOW” IS TO TRANSLATE INTO THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH…

LAST WEEK, WE TALKED ABOUT THE FIRST PARAMETER, WHICH IS HOLINESS…

AND IN HOLINESS IS CERTAINLY “HOW” BELIEVERS ARE EXPECTED TO LIVE…

SO THIS WEEK, WE MOVE TO THE PARAMETER OF EXCELLENCE…

WHICH IS WHAT WE SHOULD EXPECT OF OURSELVES AND OF THE MINISTRIES AND ACTIVITIES OF THE LOCAL CHURCH…

SO LET’S LOOK AT WHAT THE BIBLE HAS TO SAY ABOUT EXCELLENCE…

TAKE YOUR COPY OF GOD’S WORD, WHETHER IT IS IN PAPER FORM OR ELECTRONIC FORM AND TURN TO PHILIPPIANS, CHAPTER 1…

I WANT US TO READ VERSES 1 THROUGH 11, AND THEN TAKE AS OUR PRIMARY TEXT FOR THIS MORNING, VERSES 9 THROUGH 11…

STAND – READ – PRAY

THE QUESTION WE HAVE TO ASK WHEN WE DEAL WITH ANY TOPIC OR ISSUE IS “DOES THE BIBLE REALLY SPEAK TO THAT TOPIC OR ISSUE?”

IN THE CASE OF EXCELLENCE, THE ANSWER IS ABSOLUTELY “YES!”

(ESV) – 31 SO, WHETHER YOU EAT OR DRINK, OR WHATEVER YOU DO, DO ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD.

(ESV) – 17 AND WHATEVER YOU DO, IN WORD OR DEED, DO EVERYTHING IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS, GIVING THANKS TO GOD THE FATHER THROUGH HIM.

(ESV) – 23 WHATEVER YOU DO, WORK HEARTILY, AS FOR THE LORD AND NOT FOR MEN, 24 KNOWING THAT FROM THE LORD YOU WILL RECEIVE THE INHERITANCE AS YOUR REWARD. YOU ARE SERVING THE LORD CHRIST.

SO WE ARE TO DO ALL THINGS FOR THE GLORY OF GOD, IN THE NAME OF JESUS, AND ON BEHALF OF THE LORD…

THESE THREE PASSAGES MAKE IT VERY CLEAR THAT IN EVERY ASPECT OF A BELIEVER’S LIFE, THE DESIRE TO DO THINGS WELL SHOULD BE THE NORM, AND NOT THE EXCEPTION…

SADLY, TOO OFTEN IN CHURCH-RELATED MATTERS, THE TENDENCY IS TO GIVE LEFTOVERS, WHEN GOD DISTINCTLY COMMANDS THAT WE GIVE THE BEST...THAT WE GIVE WHAT IS EXCELLENT…

SO LET’S GO BACK TO THE PASSAGE IN PHILIPPIANS AND WALK THROUGH THE LAST THREE VERSES OF OUR READING AND UNPACK WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EXCELLENCE IN THE CHURCH…

HERE’S THE FIRST THING I WANT YOU TO SEE HERE…

1. EXCELLENCE IS THE BY-PRODUCT OF LOVE…

a. – AND IT IS MY PRAYER THAT YOUR LOVE MAY ABOUND MORE AND MORE, WITH KNOWLEDGE AND ALL DISCERNMENT…

b. AN ABUNDANCE OF LOVE LEADS TO EXCELLENCE…

c. LOVE CAUSES US TO WANT TO DO THINGS THAT PLEASE THE PERSON WE LOVE…

i. WE PERFORM AT A HIGHER LEVEL FOR THOSE WE LOVE…

ii. AND WE SHOULD LIVE AT A HIGHER LEVEL BECAUSE OF OUR LOVE FOR JESUS…

iii. SO IF WE LOVE JESUS, WE SHOULD HAVE A DESIRE TO DO THINGS THAT PLEASE HIM.

iv. BECAUSE LOVE CAUSES US TO WANT TO DO THINGS THAT PLEASE THOSE WE LOVE…

d. ABUNDANT LOVE ALSO LEADS TO DEEPER KNOWLEDGE…

i. THE MORE WE LOVE SOMEONE, THE MORE WE WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THEM…

ii. BECAUSE THE MORE WE KNOW ABOUT THEM, THE BETTER EQUIPPED WE ARE TO PLEASE THEM…

iii. PAUL WANTED THESE BELIEVERS, AND ALL BELIEVERS, TO HAVE A PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST, WHICH WOULD SURFACE IN PRACTICAL WAYS.

iv. ADUNDANT LOVE LEADS TO DEEPER KNOWLEDGE…

e. AND ABUNDANT LOVE ALSO LEADS DEEPER DISCERNMENT…

i. THE MORE WE LOVE SOMEONE, THE BETTER WE UNDERSTAND THAT PERSON…

ii. AND THE BETTER WE UNDERSTAND A PERSON, THE BETTER EQUIPPED WE ARE TO PLEASE THEM…

iii. WE HAVE AN AWARENESS OF WHAT PLEASES THAT PERSON, AND THAT AWARENESS HELPS US OPERATE WITHIN THE BOUNDS OF WHAT PLEASES THEM…

f. SO DEEP LOVE LEADS TO GREATER KNOWLEDGE AND DEEPER DISCERNMENT…

2. LOVE LEADS TO EXCELLENCE…

a. – SO THAT YOU MAY APPROVE WHAT IS EXCELLENT, AND SO BE PURE AND BLAMELESS FOR THE DAY OF CHRIST…

i. SO THAT YOU MAY APPROVE WHAT IS EXCELLENT…

1. “APPROVE WHAT IS EXCELLENT” MEANS TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE BEST WAY TO LIVE…

b. AND BE COMMITTED TO GIVING OUR BEST…

1. WHEN WE THINK ABOUT EXCELLENCE, WE THINK OF THE BEST OF THE BEST…

2. AND THIS IS WHAT CHRIST DESIRES OF US…

3. THAT WE GIVE HIM THE BEST OF OUR BEST…

4. IN ALL THAT WE DO…

a. WHETHER IT IS WHAT WE ARE SAYING, OR WHAT WE ARE DOING, THE EXPECTATION IS THAT WE GIVE CHRIST THE VERY BEST WE HAVE TO OFFER…

b. AND WHEN WE LIVE THIS WAY…

5. ONE OF THE EVIDENCES OF GIVING OUR BEST IS THE WAY OUR LIVES ARE CHANGED BY THE KNOWLEDGE AND DISCERNMENT WE RECEIVE AS WE DRAW CLOSER TO CHRIST…

6. WE BECOME…OR WE ARE BECOMING…PURE AND BLAMELESS…

ii. SO THAT YOU MAY BE PURE AND BLAMELESS…

1. ABUNDANT LOVE FOR CHRIST NOT ONLY FOSTERS EXCELLENCE, BUT IT ALSO DEEPENS THE CHARACTER OF THE BELIEVER…

2. THAT WORD “PURE” IS A WORD THAT MEANS “TO HOLD UP TO THE SUNLIGHT FOR INSPECTION.”

a. IT, AND THE WORD THAT FOLLOWS IT, THE WORD “BLAMELESS,” ARE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE THE DESIRED CHARACTER OF THE BELIEVER…

3. ABUNDANT LOVE FOR CHRIST, FED BY PROPER KNOWLEDGE AND MORAL INSIGHT, ENABLES ONE TO SEE THE BEST WAY TO LIVE IN LIGHT OF THE DAY OF CHRIST.

3. EXCELLENCE BRINGS GLORY TO GOD…

a. – FILLED WITH THE FRUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT COMES THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, TO THE GLORY AND PRAISE OF GOD…

i. AS WE BECOME MORE PURE…AS WE ARE INSPECTED IN THE SONLIGHT…WE MORE EFFECTIVELY PRODUCE THE FRUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS…

ii. WHICH BRINGS GLORY TO GOD…

CONCLUSION:

AND SO, THE POINT OF THIS WHOLE THING IS THAT OUR LOVE FOR CHRIST SHOULD CAUSE US TO GIVE OUR BEST TO HIM AND FOR HIM…

ETS – PAUL ENCOURAGED THE PHILIPPIAN CHURCH TO STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE, AS AN OUTFLOW OF THEIR LOVE FOR CHRIST.

ESS – BELIEVERS TODAY ARE ENCOURAGED TO STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE AS A NATURAL OURFLOW OF THEIR LOVE FOR CHRIST.

OSS – OUR LOVE FOR CHRIST SHOULD RESULT IN A DESIRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN ALL WE DO.

PQ – AM I TRULY STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE IN ALL I DO?