Thirty years ago, the Miami
Dolphins embarked on an unforgettable & unparalleled season. 14-0 regular
season, then a 3-0 run through the playoffs culminating with a Super Bowl
victory. No other team has matched that perfect record. Every year 30-some odd
teams try, but for 3 decades, it stands alone. Sports enthusiasts all have
their own opinion about who might be the “Greatest Team of All Time”, but one
of the 1972 Dolphin team members put it best: “Perfection has a way of shutting
people’s mouths.” The opposing coach going into the ’72 Super Bowl was asked to
comment on stellar Miami
defense. "I can't recall any of their names," he said, "but they
are a matter of great concern to us." Who knows the nickname of the ’72
Dolphins Defense? The "No-Name Defense."
What made that team special was not
the handful of superstars – it was the dedication of every team member. The
willingness of every player to execute his position with excellence for a
common purpose. Something special happens when everybody plays their position.
The whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. They had some great
players, no doubt. But plenty of other teams over history have had better
personnel. More, Pro-Bowl players, superstars, and Hall of -Famers. Yet no team
has reached the level of achievement that they did.
What was so exceptional of Miami
Dolphins? They have learned the secret of excellence. They have excelled in
supporting one another to excel in their game. How does that apply to a Church
in modern society? Does God want us to excel as individual Christians and together
as a team? Without a doubt our God is a God of excellence. Whatever he does is
always beyond all our expectations and imaginations. How do we define
excellence? The word excel means: to go beyond or above, outdo or surpass. The
word excellence means: In possession of eminently good qualities, a superior
trait, great merit or virtue. God wants us to excel in all that we do.
Matthew 5:20, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness
surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly
not enter the Kingdom of heaven.” (NIV) in NLT “Better” ESV, “exceeds” in ISV
“greatly exceeds.”
What Christ expects from us is more
than following outwardly certain “legalistic rituals” but a heart that is
committed to excellence. That commitment to excellence runs through some of the
letters of Paul to the early Church.
1 Corinthians 12:31, Paul encourages believers
not to stop at just desiring Spiritual gift but to seek for more excellent way
the way of love which is indispensable. After this exhortation comes the great
chapter on Love.
1 Corinthians 14:12, we are to excel in the
gifts that build up the church.
2 Corinthians 8:7 “ We are to excel in our
giving, “But since
you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in
complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you
also excel in this grace of giving.”
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Titus 3:8: We are to focus on the things that
are excellent and profitable for every one. “This is a trustworthy saying. And
I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be
careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent
and profitable for everyone.”
What
happens when we chase excellence? 1 Timothy 3:13 “Those who have served well gain
an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in
Christ Jesus.” For the next few weeks I would like to share with you
three keys of excellence that the apostle Paul gave to the believers in Philippi . In a sense he gave them to all of us. They are:
1. The Key of Joy; 2. The Key of Faith; 3. The Key of Prayer. (Philippians 4: 4-7).
Let’s focus on the Key of Joy.
I. THE KEY OF JOY:
Vs. 4“Rejoice in the Lord always;
again I will say, rejoice!” The word “rejoice” occurs 74 times in NT. It comes
from a Greek word Charis which means “grace” as if Joy is a direct result of
God’s grace. In Hebrew it may be related to a word which means, “a young sheep
or lamb, indicating the skipping and frisking of a lamb for Joy. So the word rejoice could here mean “jump for
Joy”
When we read the Bible in English
we often miss out on the subtle nuances and the intentions of the original
writers. Let me explain. “There is no more forceful way in the Greek language
to tell someone to do something than a simple imperative or a command.
Especially when such a command is given regarding a specific situation, the one
giving that command sees himself as an authority figure. He expects those
addressed to do exactly as he had ordered.”[1]
The Greek word for “Rejoice” was a present imperative which
indicates a command to do something in the future and involves continuous or
repeated action.”
With this understanding let’s read
Vs 4 again: “I Paul, am commanding you Philippians
rejoice or “jump for Joy,” Let me repeat it again; not once but rejoice
continually. It is natural for us to rejoice when things go well fro us; but
how about when things don’t go our way how are we to rejoice then? The
following scriptures will give us the right perspective towards adversity.
Matthew 5:11-12, ‘11 “Blessed are you
when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds
of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward
in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who
were before you.”
This scripture tells us that when
we choose to live uprightly we will be persecuted and it is a blessing. Persecution
is one of the last things a Christian would consider as a blessing isn’t it?
Like suffering; we don’t have to seek for it. It could come from the world but most
likely from within our family and even from the Church family.
We tend to think that Persecution
often has to do with physical torture and possibly death, but how about insults
and false accusations are they considered as persecution as well?
In all my years of ministry I have not yet experienced
literal persecution, but have received plenty of verbal assaults, criticism, insults
and false accusations. Honestly speaking when I go through such situations it
is not fun, it is painful, demoralizing and discouraging. The last thing I want
do is to “jump up and down for joy” but that’s where I am left with a choice. I
could either choose to retaliate or choose to rejoice. The consolation during
persecution is that I am not an exception, many were and are being persecuted
for their faith and my reward in heaven will be great.
In closing here are the words of
James the brother of Jesus. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you
face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith
develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be
mature and complete, not lacking any thing. (James 1:2-4) Lord please grant us
the grace to use the key of Joy to overcome suffering. Amen!
Next we will learn about the second key of excellence which
is the key of faith.
