EXCELLENCE: Is It By Grace Or By Works?

[Music] well we'll go into God's Word for today and I want to address a very important question about how we become people of excellence or how we produce excellent results in the last few weeks I have talked about having an appetite both hunger and appetite for excellence we've talked about how pressure produces excellence in us and today I'm going to answer or address a questing' because until we clarify that question properly we will not be able to go for excellence the way we have to so my message today is titled excellence is it by grace or by works excellence is it by grace or by works it's a very fundamental question and the answer we give to this question will determine our approach to the whole concept of excellence is it by grace or by works so let me first start by defining what I mean by grace and what I mean by works so what is grace and you can find many definitions from different theological points of view but I'm gonna give you my simplest definition of grace is a gift or favor from God to man a gift or favor from God to man so when we say something is of grace it means it a gift and it means that it is a favor it is something that you haven't worked for something that you don't deserve that has been made available to you in the Bible grace is an act of God and it he shows us grace to show us his love and to show us his power so that is the definition of grace a gift or favor from God to man so what do I mean by works works is an effort of man to obtain something an effort of man to obtain something so when I ask excellence is it grace by grace or by works what I mean is excellence is it a gift or a favor from God or it is something that is a product of our efforts it is something we make an effort to get or it's something that God gives to us by grace so if we say that excellence is favor or gift from God and it was appear as if there is nothing we can do about it God is the one who controls whether you're going to be excellent or not and if we say that excellence is a result of our effort or works then it will seem as if God has nothing to do with it so one way or the other it would it would lead us to some conclusion either that this is just God so don't do nothing about it or this is you and God has nothing to do with it so where do we place excellence if we say that God wants us to be excellent is it just something he gives us a gift for or is something that we work hard for and I'm going to take you through the Scriptures to try and position this question properly my first passage my text would be from first corinthians chapter 4 verse 7 first corinthians chapter 4 verse 7 and it's a very interesting verse it says for who makes you differ from another and what do you have that you did not receive now if indeed if you did indeed receive it why do you boast as if you had not received it very interesting it's talking about things we have received and where they came from and what our attitudes should be the three concept I want to bring to your attention as we explore this questing' the first concept says that we differ from one another because of what we have received from God for who makes you differ from one other another what do you have that you did not receive we differ from one another because of what we have received from God in other words our difference is a gift from God what he has blessed us with separates us from others so if God gives me the gift of music which I don't have it will separate me from somebody who has a gift to calculate numbers which also I don't have so the gift of music separates the musician from the mathematician and so our gift separates us that's the first thing that I to bring your attention to we differ from one another because of what we have received from God the gift that God has given to us second things is that all that we have in life comes from what we have received from God all that we have in life comes from what we have received from God what do you have that you did not receive every achievement or height we get to in life is based on what we have received from God very important all that we have in life comes from what we have received from God what we received from God makes a difference from us and all that we have is based on what we have received from God that third is that in consequence of these we cannot boast of what we have as if we didn't receive it from God so we can't be arrogant as if everything we have was just produced by us so no effort of ours could have gotten us what we have if the Lord had not given it to us that is what second Corinthians a 1st Corinthians chapter four verse seven it's telling us God has given us some things it makes the difference between us and no matter what we have achieved in life he is the owner now when you look at that passage then it would seem a sieve really we have nothing to do with excellence it is a gift come from God and we cannot boast about it but is that all that we should be looking at well I'll give you another perspective and that is in proverbs chapter 31 and verse 10 now you know that from province 31 from verse 10 it talks about what is has been known as the virtuous woman and gives qualities about a virtuous woman but I'm not teaching or bringing your attention to this verse because of because I'm going to teach about women and how to be a virtuous wife and so on but I'm just using this verse to explain something about excellence and how it is achieved now promise chapter 31 verse 10 says who can find a virtuous wife for her worth is far above rubies now look the word virtuous as it is used in this passage means strong capable and efficient who can find a strong capable and efficient woman this is a description of her quality not her gift a woman who is strong I'm sure the men would also want to say they would join in and be virtuous husbands strong capable efficient then the passage says that her price is above rubies or her worth is above rubies so the question is who can find her who can finally win when the passage says who can find it doesn't mean that it is not possible to find it means that it is rare it is rare to find a person who is strong capable and efficient they're not easy to come by it's not easily seen now I suppose that if God made people Vettius then it should be easily seen but here we say we say that this kind of pressing is not easy to find it is rare because there's something that the peasant does that others do not do and you find it I will show it to you very soon and the passage says that have value is more than money a lot of us have value that can be readily matched to a certain monetary amount but this kind of pressing has value beyond any amount in other words no matter how much you pay them you still feel you have underpaid them and there are other people that no matter how low you pay them you feel you have overpaid them so for those of you who work for people do you think your boss feels he's over paying you or under paying you not whether you feel you are being overpaid or underpaid but do you think your boss thinks he's wasting money on you or getting value out of you now if you work in a place and somebody patient in the person's happy thinks he's overpaying you then your price is below rubies your price is below money but if you're working in a place that the person says listen I wish I could pay you more because you do far more but I don't have the money to pay you now but you what you do is far bigger than what I'm paying you then your price is far above rubies so where are you because you know most people who work in places whether you work for government or you work in a factory you work somewhere feel that they are underpaid because of their need just because you're broke doesn't mean you've been underpaid but you have to see from the employers point of view does he think he's over paying you or under paying you and most of you will be very shocked to find that the people you work for think they are over paying you because your price is not above rubies it is below rubies and the reason is because you are not rare and you are not this kind of virtuous person who is strong who is capable with efficient now in verse 29 of proverbs chapter 31 it tells us why her price is above rubies she's above her pay grade and it says many daughters have done well but you excel them all this room an is described as a more excellent person is she excellent because of the grace of God or because of her works why does she excel why is she performing at a level beyond her salary above rubies it says many have done well but you excel them all so excellence is actually higher than well done and many of us are producing work that is below well done now if you are below well done you have to get two well done then you have to get two excellent then your part prices above rubies but if you are at well done your price is at powered rubies and if you are below well done your price is below rubies so for most of us we are overpaid he said but my seller is low yet but you still overpaid because your contribution it's nowhere near your salary I'm just checking most of yes check yourself is your contribution to whatever wherever you are equal to how much you are paid not how much rent you need to pay how much electricity you have to pay but your contribution you go to the office late you sit down the whole day no contribution you read newspapers you made calls you played games on the computer on your cell phone you what's up people the whole day Monday Tuesday you did the same thing Wednesday you made that is the same thing Thursday you do the same Friday you did the same thing you stretch yourself I'm going home for the weekend Monday to Friday your contribution has been what supping you've caused the company a time phone time internet time you've used chairs free of charge you've used tables free of charge you've walked in the office free of charge use the toilet free of charge and your contribution zero and yet mercifully you were paid something and you think your employer is wicked he's very kind because your price is below rubies I know you don't like that but I'm still gonna say all right so why why why is the Bible describing this woman as her price is above rubies and if you read from verse 13 downwards several verses verse 13 says she seeks wool and flats and willingly worked with her hands verse 14 she's like the merchant ships he brings her food from afar verse 15 she rises well it is yet night verse 16 she considers a field buys it from her profits she plants a vineyard verse 18 Helen does not go out by night what that is why she is a virtuous woman and that is why her price is far above rubies and that is why many have done well but she excels them all it's not simply because she loves God more or because he worships more or because he goes to church more or reasonable more but she wakes up while it is night she bites I do one business and reinvest the money in another one and she is working him a chance from our farm and the Bible calls her an excellent person whether your clap or not right I don't mind because some of you think I'm spoiling your soup I'm spoiled but pastor I was following my soup I'm going to negotiate for seller increase now I have to judge my productivity well but that is what the Bible says the reason she is above rubies is because of her work it's not because of her beauty so is it grace or works well most of us are familiar with a parable of the talents and I'm not going to read it but the reference is in Matthew chapter 25 from verse 14 to 30 but most of you are familiar with it so I'm not going to read it you know the parable of the talents Jesus told it a man is going to travel a master cost 3/7 keeps them talents one he gave five one he gave to the other he gave one then he goes he comes back the one who has five has worked with it and doubled it to ten the one who was to double their two for the one who was one reproduces the one and he thinks he's done a good job by saying this is the assignment you gave me receive the assignment back you know it's like somebody your boss is traveling he said listen while I'm away this is something we need to work in the office so he gives you a note sheet number one make sure the internet is working number two make sure this is number three balance day account number for whatever gives you about twelve things to do in a paper and gives it to you and say why work on these things was on my way and then he goes away and he comes back and you take the paper he gave you and give it back to him and say that the thing you gave me is what I have given you and you think that is hard work and no matter no wonder the master looked at the sever they say you are wicked and unprofitable so how many of you have received an assignment and give it back to your boss he traveled for one man he came the work is all done the assignment is presented say you you told me to do this take take it back so in the parable of the talent the master represents God and he's a judge but what does he judge what does he judge does he judge their talent he gave them or what they did with the talent so a few things you learn when you read that passage take time to study is that God does not judge grace he judges works God does not judge grace he judges works the master did not judge them based on what he gave them he judged them bears on what they were supposed to do with what they have received that's the first thing secondly God does not reward grace he rewards works the mustard enorus reward them because the five press talent had five talents he rewarded them because of the work they produced to produce five more talents God does not reward grace the rewards works God gives us gifts but what works make us excellent God gives us gifts but works make us excellent it is therefore not very accurate to see a person who is excellent and simply claim that it is the grace of God at work and we all do it we see somebody working so hard who has achieved so much I was all look at the grace of God yes there is grace but there is works as well it's excellent a product of grace or of works that's the question under discussion to be or not to be that is the question I see it a lot these days in ministry young pastors see an excellent minister who has probably raised a very big ministry for the Lord then they go to him and ask him to pray for them for the grace on his life to be on them listen to me pastors wherever you are and I have people who come to me lay hands on me and impart the grace and they think this building His grace and a university is Grace and having a big church His grace so somehow they think if I lay hands on you big church will be transferred to them there are people coveting peoples Mantle's and they think that if I can go to his ministry sow a seed into his life he prays for me lays hands on me and somehow grace will come on me because we see excellence as a product purely of grace with no works you our Lord help us there are people seeking the anointing that was on other people I remember when Kathryn Kuhlman great woman of God died and people are wondering where did her mantle fall who received the grace who received the anointing and they are still wondering the impartation is it an impartation of grace or impartation of works who answer that pretty soon now get me right there is a need for prayer I have had several people pray for me several men of God seniors to me have prayed for me mostly when they've prayed for me I have asked them to pray for me that I'll be obedient to God that I'll be remain faithful to the law that I would I would have wisdom to do the will of God that's what I want them to pray for me but I don't pray that the grace on them will fall on me I have never sought to receive their grace because I can't I can't receive it it is their five talents it's like the guy with the one talent going to say five talents sir can you give me your five talents because God gave me only one no he gave you one but he expected you to use the one you don't go borrowing talents from other people you use what God has given to you you know sometimes I think commonsensical e we don't we act like we are not thinking properly would a footballer become a better football because Ronaldo prayed for them you know he's like a young footballer who wants to be a good football said Ronaldo lay hands on me no you don't go for Ronaldo to lay hands on you you studied the way he plays and learned from his works and reproduce his works if you are a businessman you don't go to Bill Gates and say mr. gates open windows for me lord help me that's a pun but mr. Gates's cannot open any windows for you but you can learn from Bill Gates and you can learn his business practices and you can learn from his works and produce results in your area but his five talents would never become yours you would only multiply what you have if you admire somebody's grace or works study them closely to find out the habits that they have developed and learn from them success is not imparted by the laying on of hands the pattern in the Bible is that people land from their leaders and then the leader lay his hands on them later on the laying on of hands is like the a graduation so Elijah follows Elijah for 20 years and then at the end he has what you want this is after 20 years education if he started from class 1 6 years to finish primary school 3 years SSS that's nine years GSS 3 years 12 12 years is now finished as such as 12 years four years first-degree one year accelerated masters three years accelerator PhD then it is after 20 years that he now qualifies Elijah the Ranger said Paul just get this hands laid on you and you will be like me no after 20 years Moses Joshua had been with Moses for forty years from the day they left Egypt he had been studying Moses for 40 years and after 40 years Moses lays hands on him and if you study about Joshua he studied Moses like a textbook when Moses went to the mountain he was in a mountain waiting for him he studied the guy and he had what the Bible calls his spirit in other words he received the characteristics of Moses and Moses says you finish school now graduate lay hands but what people want now is graduation before school because they believe that excellence is a grace so people would travel and go to Bishop oedipal lay hands on me receive your Monto past a tip where lay hands on me received man to go to some other person lay hands on me receive mantle and they go man to less and come back man to less because that's not how it works that's the hard works so there are people who are seeking to partake of the grace on the lives of successful people but the reality is that what you want to partake of is of his ways that have produced the success so another questions people will be asking are you saying it is all works that God's grace has nothing to do with this so let me illustrate with an answer Jesus tried to answer complex questions with parables so let me give you my version of it and many of you have seen it before probably you've done it before it happens on school graduation days especially primary schools and so on a young girl is the highest performing student in the class and she's tops mathematics top science tops English tops whatever subject they're studying top top top and and people are copying everybody's excited about what the girl has achieved she receives the prize shakes the hand of whoever gives her the prize and then we see the girl would walk to where her parents are and give the prize to the parents and then she gets another prize and she takes the prize and gives it to the parents and then finally this is their overall best student for the class grace among kua and she picks she piece the prize and she gives it to the parents I want you to watch what is happening did the parents go to the school no did they set an example No did it right the example hello so in actual fact they don't they didn't do any work so why is the girl giving it to her the parents because they gave birth to her and all that she asks and the school fees that they paid until the parents did not do the work what they gave to her was a gift grace she did the work and then goes back to the parent and say I honor you with all that we have received so that that is how our work is God gives us the grace the five talents the two talent we work with it and when we have achieved all that we have achieved we take everything God has given to us and we say really we run the exam but actually it is God who gave it to us and we go and give him back is it what is it grace grace gives us the original gift what allows us to use the grace and then in the end we thank grace for giving us the gift in the first place because if we didn't have the gift there will be nothing to work with and nothing to multiply but you cannot say when she passed the mathematics oh that is grace no she's grace a monk WAPA that was not grace that is a hard work learning all those theorems and learning all those algebras and all those geometries and that is work but she was doing it if the parents had not paid her feet she wouldn't be in the school if they hadn't brought her to the world she wouldn't even be alive to study mathematics and she recognizes the balance between grace and works the Apostle Paul himself understood that and that was my final scripture and this is how the Apostle Paul explains it 1st Corinthians chapter 15 verse 10 first Corinthians chapter 15 verse 10 the Apostle Paul says but by the grace of God I am what I am and His grace toward me was not in vain but I laboured more abundantly than they all he had not i but the grace of God which was with me interesting phraseology first grace is the source of all that we are I am what I am by the grace of God the source of our identity the source of our gifts even being able to wake up in the morning and breathe is God's grace we doubt his grace we have no beginning but grace must not be rendered useless he says His grace toward me was not in vain the word vain was not was useless His grace must not be in vain it must not be empty grace becomes vain if we sit on it like the man with one Talent he met grace to be in vain he sat on his talent frustrated the grace of God grace must not be rendered useless three grace requires us to labor abundantly the more you receive the grace of God the more hard-working you must be Paul did not say that grace on his life was more than others he said I liberate more than them in other words policy the reason why I planted more churches than everybody else is not because of the grace upon me it was because of the labor it was a hard work he was not even there when Jesus was alive he came later but he did more than the earlier boys not because of grace but because of labor he said I live bed more abundantly than all of them whoever all of them is he said I laboured more abundantly than so policy yes I am what I am by the grace of God but I wouldn't be here without labor and then finally Paul says grace takes the credit grace makes us honor God for all of our success he says I laboured more abundantly than they all yet not i but the grace of God which was with me like the schoolgirl she labored more abundantly she studied hard but she recognizes without the grace I received from my parents I wouldn't even have the opportunity to study hard so as a pastor in this Accra Ghana if I should ever buy whatever me--he's of time travel or whatever meet the Apostle Paul what should i desire from him would I say Paul the great man of God lay hands on me and impart your grace on me because since he left nobody has received your mantle I need or should I go to pause and say Paul show me how you did it how did you manage your life when you woke up in the morning what did you do in the afternoon what did you do how do you manage stress how do you manage when you were beaten how did you how did you manage to work so hard in a mess of so difficult an environment of the two which one would make me more Paul like the second one the first one he will lay hands on me and I will not get his five talents I still have my one Talent but the second one I can learn from him so that with my one Talent even if I don't do all that he did I would do far better than what I am doing so don't dismiss people's success and say who do they think they are it's all Chris you have grace Chu where is your wax it's all Chris you are posting as if you are somebody it's all grace it's all by God's grace yes it was God's grace that gave the gift originally but it is hard work that produces the excellence so a conclusion all I'm saying is God has grazed you some of you have great talent great gifts but you are lazy I'll say to these people in conclusion God has blessed you he is crazy he has gifted you but you are lazy no response I'll go to the middle the problem is not a problem of lack of grace its lack of work you're not working hard you make an excuses you want to be paid above your exercise level salaries are not to meet your needs nobody pays you to meet your need everybody pays you as a reward for your contribution you say I've been working here I've been working here for 20 years and look at me this is the house I'm living it how much has your contribution be because I can tell you this anyone who knows your value will reward you because if they know your value the first thing they want is to make sure they don't lose you if they are paying you so that they lose you because sometimes you pay people so you lose them so they leave and go somewhere else and labor commission will not give you problems for that if they if they really think you are contributing and you are valuable the first thing is they don't want to lose you and one of the ways not to lose you is to make sure that you feel happy that you are contributing well and any time you complain even before you complain they will raise your salary they will give you benefits though if the fringe benefits that you didn't ask for when your boss starts giving you fringe benefits you didn't ask for your price is above rubies but when you see others having those benefits and you not having it your price is below rubies I know it hurts your pride I know I know I've really wounded your pride today and you may not like me after service today as a pastor you have read the way you preach they pass that today I didn't check you out or I didn't check you I didn't check you but whether you check me or not I am checking you so receive the grace of God but work hard with the grace of God don't look for laying on of hands to move you forward look for hard work to make you excel about them all god bless [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Christ Temple

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Keywords: mensa otabil, otabil sermon, central gospel church, icgc, international central gospel church, greater works, central university

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Length: 46min 11sec (2771 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 09 2020