Spirit of Excellence # 2
Last week we started a message called “The Spirit of Excellence.” I want to continue from there.
I. Last time we looked at MATT 5:48 (Turn there this is our main text.)
A. When he says, “Be ye therefore perfect,” the word “Perfect” means “to carry through completely, to accomplish, finish, bring to an end.”
1. This is what God says should be part of our character.
a. As Christians we need to have this excellence in our lives, to bring things through to completion, and to accomplish what we what we set out to do. That also means to keep our word.
b. All of these things that we just mentioned here are part of God’s character.
2. The last part of that V says, “Even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
a. The word “Perfect” is the same Greek word.
i. God doesn’t just do a job ½ way, He brings it to completion.
ii. And God wants us to be the same way.
B. In (Ephesians 4:1) Paul says, “I therefore beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.” KJV
1. The word “Vocation” would be better translated “Calling.”
a. What Paul is saying is that it’s God’s will that we would fulfill the calling (or the things that God has given us to do) in a good and suitable way.
b. Whether it’s a place in the pulpit ministry, helps ministry, or on your job, we should do it in excellence.
C. In order for us to obtain excellence and walk in it there are some steps that we need to take, things that we need to do. 1st we need DEDICATION.
1. Dedication is a quality decision.
a. What I means by a Quality Decision is that when you decide to do something or give your word to do something, we bring it through to completion.
i. Just a little side thought, giving your word to do something is done by you just say, “Yes, I’ll do that,” or by you just agreeing to do it.
ii. Jesus said in (Matthew 5:34-37) “But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” NIV
2. Your follow through in commitment can change your whole life.
a. 2 men both called to be apostles ended up in total different direction.
b. Judas and the Apostle John were both called by the Lord, both followed Jesus.
i. 1 kept his commitment and ended in success and the other turned his back on that commitment and his live ended in ruin.
3. We need to Dedicate and Devote Ourselves to Pleasing God.
a. True excellence is only going to be accomplished if we’re pleasing our heavenly Father.
b. HEB 11:6
i. Whatever we do, we need to walk in faith, believing that God is working in your life and that He will give you the strength and ability to do the job.
c. Part of that Quality decision that we need to make is to walk in LOVE.
i. 1COR 13:1-3
ii. Paul says that we could be diligent in every area, but if we’re not diligent in Love it amounts to nothing.
4. Make that Quality decision to be Dedicated:
a. Dedicated to be Pleasing to the Father, Dedicated to walk by the Word, Dedicated to Live by Faith, and Dedicated to walk the life of Love.
II. The 2nd step in having a Spirit of Excellence is similar to the 1st though it deals more with your work for the Lord, but you can still apply it to your personal life and your job.
A. And that is SINGLENESS OF PURPOSE.
1. We need to have a focus and a direction.
a. Turn to JAMES 1:5-8
2. “A double minded man” literally means, “Wavering, uncertain, doubting, divided in interest.”
a. If you’re “Wavering, uncertain, doubting, divided in interest,” you’ll always be wondering what you are supposed to do.
i. Don’t hesitate to step out in faith.
b. When a person is Double Minded, his decisions are split.
i. When your in an area of indecision, you’re at a standstill.
ii. You don’t go either way.
c. This is also a person that talks both faith and doubt.
i. We’re going nowhere real fast, we‘re peddling our wheels, but we’re not getting anywhere.
ii. We seem to be going through all the motions, but still not seeing any success.
iii. If you want to see the power of God moving in your life you need to step out in faith.
B. Turn with me to LUKE 8:22-25
1. The 1st thing that Jesus said when He got into that ship was “Let us go over unto the other side of the lake.”
a. There was enough power in those words to have gotten the disciples all the way across the lake.
b. But they became afraid and came running to Jesus saying, “Master, Master, we perish.”
2. This is a perfect illustration of double mindedness.
a. They heard the Word of God come out of Jesus mouth.
i. Yet they were speaking out words of death. (We perish)
ii. They were consumed with the problem while the answer was right there with them.
b. The words, “We perish,” didn’t sound so unreasonable to the disciples, but to Jesus it was a direct contradiction of what He stated.
i. When Jesus spoke, “Let us go to the other side,” He knew without a shadow of doubt that they were going to the other side.
ii. The disciples should have known too.
c. They should have stood on the bow of the ship and said to that storm, “The Son of the Living God, Jesus the Christ, told us to go to the other side, so we’re going to the other side, waves be still, storm be still.”
i. If the disciples weren’t capable of exercising such faith, Jesus would have had no right in rebuking them after He stilled the storm.
3. In MARK’S account to this storm (MK 4:40), Jesus said to the disciples, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?”
a. Fear is 1 of the biggest areas that will cause a person to be double minded.
i. Either it’s fear about a sickness you might have. The double minded person would say, “I’m healed, but I’m so sick.”
ii. The single minded person would say, “The Word of God says that I am healed, so I am healed.” That’s all they would say.
b. Fear can also stop a person from doing the will of God in their life.
i. God’s you must have made a mistake, I can’t teach children, I can’t speak in front of people.
ii. Or maybe God called you to sing, but God I can’t get in front of people and sing.
a. Now there is a time and a place for everything. (For instance, the position may be filled by someone else, or only reason they’re coming to the Church is to minister, I won’t put people in to a ministry position in the church until they show themselves faithful and committed. Sometimes it’s just not in the right timing. If it’s God He will open the door at the right time, but don’t try to force it.)
iii. If God has called you to do something, but fear is holding you back, sometimes you just have to jump in with that singleness of mind, single of purpose. Knowing that God will always be there to make the difference.
C. Don’t hesitate, do whatever it takes.
1. If you really believe that God has spoken to you about doing something, then you can do it, don’t let fear hold you back.
a. In (Mark 9:23) says, “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” KJV
b. If you believe that God has told you to do something than you can do it.
2. To operate in the Spirit of Excellence be Dedicated by making a quality decision and don’t let fear or anything else cause you to be double minded and waver.
WOLCC SUN AM 4/28/96