The Challenge to Excel (Part 5): 1 Thessalonians 4 by Dr. Rod Mattoon

Scripture

• 1 Thessalonians 4

About this sermon

Pursuing excellence involves a desire for peace. We are to study to be quiet. We explain what this means in this message. If you are not careful, you will stress out yourself by running frantically through life at warp speed. Such a pace can lead to distractions and neglect of time with God. That’s not a good idea. * Psalm 46:10- Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Paul also stressed the importance of doing or minding your own business. That is an important element of excelling in your Christian growth. In his day, there was a problem with people that had too much time on their hands because they were lazy and nosy. That created problems and conflicts. We are not to be a bunch of busybodies. We explain the message what that means. If you want to excel, then you also need to learn to work. Excellence is not achieved by sitting around and doing nothing at all. Even if a Christian is handicapped and unable to move around, he or she can still excel by reading, studying, praying, writing or calling others if one has those abilities. The pursuit of excellence is exactly that. It is a pursuit. We may not be able to achieve perfection, but we can do our best at whatever we do, especially in the matter of growing spiritually. May the message of our lives point people to the Lord Jesus Christ. The way we live should distinguish us from other people. * Our attitude should be admirable and agreeable. * Our work should be worthy of our best. * Our patience should be persistent and pleasant. * Our words should be wonderful and wise. * Our generosity should be genuine and gallant. * Our character should be consistent and Christlike. Charles Spurgeon said, "A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you, and were helped by you, will remember you when forget-me-nots are withered. Carve your name on hearts, and not on marble." This message was preached on Sunday night, April 25,2021, at Lincoln Land Baptist Church.