Growing strong through Our Excellence for His Glory

Philippians 1:12-21
Eld (Dr) Chuah Seong Peng

Introduction: Our Excellence for His Glory

HLCE commitment to excellence (Philippians 4:4, 8-9)

We believe that excellence honours God and inspires people. Our God who is a God of excellence gave his best – his one and only Son for us (Romans 8:32).
Therefore, we are committed to pursue excellence in all that we do to glorify him.

What does it mean to reveal God’s glory through our excellence?

Glory

Glory in Hebrew is ‘kabod’. It gives an idea of heaviness, weightiness, worthiness.

Glory of God refers to revelation of God in his nature, character and presence.
God’s glorious Presence was felt by the people at the foot of Mt. Sinai in Exodus 19:17-19. God reveals his glory through the expression of his character to Moses in Exodus 34:6.

In the NT, Jesus Christ is the outshining example of his divine glory
Hebrew 1:3 “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful words. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty in heaven.”
God’s glory is revealed most fully in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Today His people are called to reveal his glory to the world

2 Corinthians 4:6
For God who said, “let light shines out of darkness,” made his light shines in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
The glory of God in the face of Christ is to be seen and reflected in the church today. It is to be seen in the words and deeds of the disciples (Matthew 5:17).

Excellence

Excellence is often equated with doing the best, producing the best results. There is a danger of doing excellence that is result-orientated (Kiasuism) and doing excellence for excellence sake that can be a form of idol worship. So what does it mean to give our excellence for God’s glory?

Our Excellence for His Glory - An Example from Paul

Philippians 1:12-21 Paul’s Chains Advance the Gospel
12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

The church in Philippi Acts 16:6-39
In Philippi, Lydia was converted, Paul and Silas were throne into jail because Paul delivered the slave girl who was possessed by a spirit and caused the owner to lose his fortune telling trade. As a result, the jailer and his household were saved.
Paul’s yardstick for excellence that glorifies God is when the Gospel is advanced.
As long as the Gospel is advanced, God is glorified! It is not about how well he is doing.
“Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.”
‘what has happened to me’

Acts 21:17-28:31
Paul was arrested in Jerusalem temple because the Jews were upset he brought in the Gentiles and desecrated the temple; the Romans thought he was the Egyptian outlaw on their most wanted list who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the desert. He was remanded in prison for two years under Governor Felix in Caesarea because Felix was playing favor to the Jews. After Felix was succeeded by Festus, the chief priest and the Jews leaders again appealed for him to be transferred to Jerusalem to face charges in their attempt to kill him. Paul managed to appeal to be transferred to Rome to face Caesar. On the way the ship was wrecked and they were stranded in Malta for three months before they were able to go to Rome. In Rome Paul was put under house arrest.

‘Advanced’ = furtherance

Means being a pioneer in advancing the work of God. It is a Greek military term referring to the army engineers who go before the troop to open the way into new territory.
As far as Paul is concerned, his primary motive in whatever he does in life is to do it excellently to advance the Gospel and bring glory to God.

The Gospel refers to the good news
The coming of His kingdom as Jesus proclaimed in:
Mark 1:15 “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Luke 4:18-19
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor… to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

The Gospel refers to the coming of the kingdom in every aspect of our lives to do what we are called to show his love to everyone. It is not merely the sharing of the words of salvation or getting people converted to Christ. It is not only about personal salvation, it is also about ‘proclaiming freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor’. It is bringing in the reign of God into our lives to glorify Him.

Paul gave his excellence for God’s glory in ALL situations

* In chain.
* Facing critics.
* Going through crisis of life and death.

Paul gave his excellence in chained

13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.

Paul wanted to go to Rome as a preacher of the gospel; instead, he was in Rome as a prisoner. Nevertheless, the prison cannot stop Paul from giving his excellence for His glory! As a result of his imprisonment, the gospel was shared to the prison guards and those around. The brothers in the Lord also were encouraged to be bold to share the gospel.

Paul gave his excellence when faced with his critic
15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Paul has his vision set on things above. He did not allow personal feeling or issues to cloud his vision of the glory of the Lord. He is totally committed to advance the Gospel to give his excellence for God’s glory.

Paul gave his excellence for God when going through crisis of life and death
“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.”
Paul did not know how his trial was going to turn out. He has no idea if he would be released when he wrote this letter. Yet he was all ready to commit himself totally to the Lord and his cause. He was even ready to die for what he has called to do as long as Christ’s name is exalted.

For many, Paul’s troubles may look like failure; but for Paul these were opportunities to be excellence for his glory because the gospel was advanced! He was a pioneer of the Gospel in all situations.

The secret of Paul

The power of prayer and the Holy Spirit
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.
Paul can continue to rejoice in all circumstances and give his excellence for his glory because he was sure of the help from prayer of the saints and the power of the Holy Spirit at work to ensure his salvation to the end.

Single-mindedness for God’s glory
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
For Paul, it’s all about God and not himself! Paul has the single-mindedness of doing his best to bring glory to God. It’s all about God’s glory and reputation and not himself! His eyes are on God and not himself. His heart is for God and God only.

What can we learn?
The excellence that could give God the glory to advance the Gospel is:
Not our best effort or our greatest achievement, but our best state, the best that we could be.
Our best effort and success can only draw credit to ourselves, but not glory to God.
It is when we realize that we are living in His strength, and we cannot help but say, “The Lord is good! Glory be to Him!” It has to be a situation when everyone must recognize that this is clearly the hand of God working in and through us.

Our best state is not what we could be in ourselves, but one where we have given ourselves completely to Him and put our trust in Him-
It is when everyone around us recognizes the grace and the power of God at work in us, enabling us to act and respond in a way that truly reflects His divine character and power. And they cannot help but exclaimed, “Hallelujah! Glory be to God!”

It is when we can truthfully say, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”
It is when we proclaim with Paul, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain!” and “In Christ alone, I place my trust.”
Some pioneers of faith who gives their hearts completely to God
Margaret Brand, a pioneer of Christian faith, who lived a balance career, family and faith, gave her excellence for the glory of God.

* Self-trained world expert on Leprosy on eye.
* With the late Dr. Paul Brand (d. 2003), raised a family of six children in India.
* Christian Medical College in Vellore, S. India, for approximately 18 years.
* 22 years as Chief of Ophthalmology at Gillis W. Long National Hansen’s Disease Center.
* Dr. Margaret, now 85, is officially retired, but maintains a busy schedule, speaking and traveling around the world.

According to Margaret Brand, a pioneer of Christian faith,
“It is the grace of God, which is available to everyone, that has enabled me to accomplish what I have done, and His grace that has overruled many of my foolish mistakes.”
“Our disappointments are God’s appointment for us!”

It is in such situations that we can give our excellence to for his glory when we respond to his call to advance the gospel and be a pioneer of the Christian faith.

‘Chained’ by circumstances – Susannah, Mrs. Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“Book Fund”
Early in their married life, Susannah became an invalid but her burden to share in her husband’s ministry took her to start the “Book Fund”, a work of faith that supported thousands of pastors who were too poor to buy books. She began only by sharing with them her husband’s book and God took her burden and developed it into a great ministry even though she was home bound for 15 years.
When Susannah became chronically ill and was often confined to bed, discouraged and confused, Susannah cried out to God. Later, she would write, ” . . . the moment we come into any trial or difficulty, our first thought should be, not how soon can we escape from it, or how we may lessen the pain we shall suffer from it, but how can we best glorify God in it . . .”

But how could Susannah glorify God or minister with her husband while confined to a sick room?

In the summer of 1875, Charles completed the first volume of his book, Lectures to My Students. He gave a proof copy to Susannah and asked her opinion of it. After reading it, she said, “I wish I could place it in the hands of every minister in England.” Charles quipped, “Then why not do so; how much will you give?”3

Susannah took the challenge seriously. She had, on a whim, been saving crown pieces as she happened to get them. When she counted them out, there were exactly enough coins to buy 100 copies of the new book. Charles announced in his magazine that 100 copies of Lectures to my Students would be mailed to poor pastors at no charge. Orders flooded in for the books from English ministers, many of whom were so strapped for money that they hadn’t bought a new book in years. Susannah mailed out the books and received dozens of grateful letters in thanks. Some pastors wept when the precious volumes arrived. Spurgeon announced the results in the next issue of his magazine and asked his readers to help continue the work. Donations poured in. Though they never again asked for funds, enough money continued to trickle in over the years to distribute hundreds of thousands of theological books.
Susannah often worked from her sick bed, keeping track of the finances and corresponding with pastors. A room in their home was dedicated to storing and shipping books. As long as Susannah was well enough, volunteers would come in once every two weeks to help pack books for shipping.

Charles later wrote about the effect the labor involved in the book fund had on his wife. “Our gracious Lord has ministered to His suffering child in the most effectual manner when He graciously led her to minister to the necessities of His servants. . . . Let every believer accept this as the inference of experience: that for most human maladies, the best relief and antidote will be found in the self-sacrificing work for the Lord Jesus.”

She was a splendid manageress and a supporter of Spurgeon’s Pastors’ College

By means of rigid economies, quite a substantial amount was saved towards the support and education of the first student, the success of this effort leading to the foundation of the Pastors´ College. “I rejoice,” says Mrs. Spurgeon, ‘“to remember how I shared my beloved´s joy when he founded the Institution, and that together we planned and pinched in order to carry out the purpose of his loving heart; it gave me quite a motherly interest in the College, and ‘our own men.´
Do we feel ‘in chain’ to someone that pull us down or prevent us from serving him?

Susanna Wesley could be ‘in chain’ by her 19 children, but she was not!
She drew her inner strength from her belief in God. With single mind, she sees her difficult situations as God-given opportunities for furtherance of the Gospel. She shared,
"Help me, Lord, to remember that religion is not to be confined to the church... nor exercised only in prayer and meditation, but that every where I am in Thy Presence."

"I am content to fill a little space if God be glorified."
“My excellence for His glory” is a choice

Our unstoppable determination for His holiness! It involves a choice!

Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest shared,

“To reach that level of determination is a matter of the will, not of debate or of reasoning. It is absolute and irrevocable surrender of the will at that point. An undue amount of thought and consideration for ourselves is what keeps us from making decision, although we cover it up with the pretense that it is others we are considering.”
“When we think seriously about what it will cost others if we obey the call of Jesus, we tell God he doesn’t know what our obedience will mean. Keep to the point – He does know.”

What should our responses be?
“Shut out every other thought that keep yourself before God for this one thing only – my utmost for his highest. I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and Him alone.”

How does God prepare and grow us to that state?

Experiencing God!
Blackaby shared about the steps God grows us through experiencing him in our love relationship with Him. Oswald Chambers shared something similar in this light when he said,
“But before we choose to follow God’s will, a crisis must develop in our lives. This happens because we tend to be unresponsive to God’s gentle nudges.”

It is a process of growth
We need to go through the process of growth in our experience with God. To look at the process that God lovingly and graciously subject us to, to bring to fruition the end product that He so desires to see in us, come to…HLCE Camp 2009
The theme: Our Excellence for His Glory

1. Experiencing His Comfort in our Trials (1:3-11).
2. Experiencing His Victory in our Setbacks (2:1-17).
3. Experiencing His Power in our Frailty (3:12-4:18).
4. Experiencing His Eternity in our Mortality (5:1-21).

We will be taken through the process of how Paul experience God’s grace that worked powerfully in him and help to strengthen and build him up to do excellently to glorify God in his life.
Let us go to the camp and learn to give Our Excellence for His Glory!
To God be all praise and glory! Amen.

_______________________________________________________________

HLCE Audio Sermons Online are on the web
at http://www.hlce.org.my
©HLCE 2000-2006