Kingdom Living Series - Part 7 PROSPER

 

But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.  Matthew 5:48
Those who listen to instruction will prosper;
    those who trust the Lord will be joyful.  Proverbs 16:20

If you’re old enough to remember the days of Vietnam and when McDonalds first put up the Golden Arches, you are also probably old enough to remember Julie Andrews’ song “Practically Perfect” in the movie “Mary Poppins”.   Mary Poppins was the nanny who was “prac-tic-ally perfect in every way”. 

About the same time as Mary Poppins entered the scene, Mac Davis introduced us to his version:

O Lord, it’s hard to be humble,

When you’re perfect in every way

I just can’t wait to look in the mirror,

‘Cause I get better looking each day

Now, those were fun things, Mary Poppins, and an arrogant cowboy…priceless!  But Jesus laid out a tougher plan; He said we should be perfect.  What’s a believer to do with that?

The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, believed^[1] it was possible for followers of Jesus to achieve spiritual perfection – to the point of not sinning by being unloving.  Indeed, he held that God expected it.  Wesley believed the pursuit of Christian perfection in love should shape our lives here on earth.

To become “perfect,” one would have to get rid of a whole shopping-list of bad things.  The problem is that we love those things because we have a base nature that tends to get worse, not better. 

When I was a kid, I used to come in from a hard day of playing in the dirt and Mom would have the bath ready.  I'd go sit on the edge of the bathtub, wet the end of the washcloth, and clean a little spot right in the middle of my forehead.  I could then announce with a clear conscience that I'd washed; Mom would say, get real!

Reality says that if you are not 100% perfectly-clean you are still dirty.  In a spiritual sense, you are not clean, simply by quitting one or two bad habits and going to church.  That is reformation; speaking of which, we are right at the 503^rd anniversary of The Reformation started by Martin Luther.  This was rearranging church life and thought to get it right.  It didn’t.  Every denomination, church, and believer in the body of Christ hasn’t gotten it perfect….ever!

If you get rid of all the bad habits, go to church all the time, go on visitation, sing in the choir, and give all your money…well, that is incredible reformation.  And it still isn't perfection! 

In fact, that's not even what God requires, or what He wants!  God doesn’t really want your reformation; God requires a transformation!  And only the grace of God can do that!

Now, there are a lot of different ideas of exactly what Jesus meant by telling us to “be perfect” or morally healthy.  It takes a lot of thought to get our minds around this one.  We know ourselves, and we know how hard it is just to stay on a diet, or quit smoking, or quit cussing.  But to do it all – to  actually be perfect before God….that is a monumental concept. 

John Wesley’s sermon on Christian Perfection (going on in this life to perfection in love) is over 20 pages long (be thankful this one is only 4!).

So, where do you start?  How is it possible to be perfect in love?  How do you do that?  How do you change?  The answer is, YOU don't!  Christ does it in you! 

In John’s first epistle the Apostle gives us the starting place for Christian perfection: 

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.^[2] 

The word “purify” (or “cleanse”) is much different than the washcloth plan I tried to pass off as having cleaned Russell.  Beloved, when Jesus cleans you, not even your mother can find a dirty spot!

Now, if this is the starting point, where is the finish line?  How can we (as Wesley asked Methodists two centuries ago)…how can we “go on to perfection in love”? 

I believe with all my heart that the answer to that question is two-fold: 

1.   RECOGNIZE AND ACCEPT THE FACT THAT YOU CANNOT DO IT  

Only God can create in you the kind of moral character that “perfection” suggests.  Everywhere in Scripture we are told to follow-after Jesus and his righteousness (see Matthew 6:33).  But it is not following-after-to-catch righteousness that we are urged to do; rather it is in the following-after we will find ourselves transformed^[3] by the righteousness of Jesus Christ! 

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.  Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable.  This is truly the way to worship him.  Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.  Romans 12:1-2

2.   Commit to the truth that the longer you give yourself to Christ’s will, without reservation, totally abandoned to His leading, the more you will become like Him, and less like your old self.

Committing to this truth means you will find yourself loving others even if they don’t love you back.

It has been said that the Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint.  It was never truer of something than this one issue. 

Elizabeth and I got married on February 12, 1967….and a lot of changes have taken place…yes, sir!  Hanging out with her for the past nearly 54  years has changed the little boy who tried to convince mama with a “little-dab’l-do-ya” washcloth.  Now there are no socks dropped on the floor (mostly), crumbs routinely left on the table , or messy garage (occasionally).  And do you know what?  I now like it that way! 

It is the same way with hanging out with Christ – there will be changes…you will be going-on to having your ability to love increase towards perfection as you learn to submit to His leadership. 

That’s what the Apostle Paul found out.  He first met Jesus on the road to Damascus.  He followed Jesus for the next 30 or more years, still learning.  But one thing he’d learned and found to be unequivocally-true, and the most important thing about Christian perfection:  when you hang out with Jesus you learn to love what Jesus loves, and, keeping your eyes on Jesus, the rest somehow fades away…

It’s much like Helen Lemmel’s hymn, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus:

…and the things of earth will grow strangely dim,                                                                                     in the light of his glory and grace.[4]

So…you want Christian perfection?  Say it with Paul:

I want to know Christ…this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:10a, 13b-14 ^(NRSV)

Father help us to let go of this world’s ways so we can prosper in the ways of Your blessed Kingdom. 

For the glory, honor, and praise to which You alone are worthy, o Lord, we pray in the Name of the Son, cooperating with the Spirit, to honor and exalt the Majesty of the Father. 

Let it be so in each of our lives…Amen!

 

Title Image:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation  Matthew 10:24-39©

Watch Sermon Video

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[1] John Wesley, sermon #40 “Christian Perfection”:  http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umhistory/wesley/sermons/40/

[2] 1 John 1:9

[3] Romans 12:1,2

[4] Lemmel, Helen, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, The United Methodist Hymnal (1922 Nashville, UMC Publishing House) No. 349

 

What Else?

 

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Someone came to Jesus with this question:  “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”  “Why ask me about what is good?”  Jesus replied.  “There is only One who is good.  But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.”  “Which ones?” the man asked.  And Jesus replied:  “‘You must not murder.  You must not commit adultery.  You must not steal.  You must not testify falsely.  Honor your father and mother.  Love your neighbor as yourself.’”  “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied.  “What else must I do?”  Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.”  But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.  Matthew 19:16-22

Matthew, Jesus’ tax collector – turned disciple/apostle, knew what it was to keep the scorecard.  He knew about adding up the debits and credits to balance the score.  If Matthew wasn’t telling his own story, it might as well have been his; he was a Jew collecting the Roman Emperor’s taxes from his fellow Jews.  Matthew knew what it was to have power, riches, and prominence.  He also knew what corruptive possibilities come with each, and the weight of being an outcast among your own people. 

This story was also recorded by Mark and Luke.[1]  It must have been hardest for Matthew to see this young man walk away from Jesus.  Knowing the allure of piling-up money to keep you free of the cares of everyday living costs, and the fear of returning to poverty, must have reminded the former mover and shaker of what used to be so important.  That was a stark reminder of what he used to be, and a powerful contrast to what he’d become.  The requirement of entering the surrendered life of following Jesus without reserve is no small thing.

Another, somewhat different take on the rich young man who chose his 401K over Jesus’ offer of eternal riches, is that he really wasn’t serious about the question he asked.  He may have been serious, but what if he was only looking for Jesus to sign his report card?  What if the young man was saying to Jesus, I’ve listened to your preaching these past several months, all that stuff about being perfect.  Look here at my life; I’ve not murdered, stolen, or told lies.  I take care of my parents who are aged and can’t support themselves.  What else?  What else do I have to do to be ‘good’ with God? 

But perhaps the man had listened to Jesus’ sermon on the mount (which Matthew also recorded[2]), and maybe it had somehow gotten in his head that he might have missed something.  That preacher/prophet had even said it loud and clear, those who followed him must be perfect, even as Jehovah in Heaven was perfect.[3]  The rich young ruler’s question may have been driven by sleepless nights, trying to convince himself that he was already a good man, having lived a moral life.  He’d always tried to do everything right.  What else?  Did I leave anything out? 

There is almost a passive anger about the question; who is this preacher, anyway?  He doesn’t know me; he has no idea the pressures I face every day.  I gotta talk to this guy; I’ll show him how I’ve lived a good life.  Surely that’s enough, even for God. 

And so, the young man did just that.  And the question came out, What else?  And then the answer came out…everything…everything that’s standing in your way of truly worshipping God…that’s what else!

Jesus knew the man’s net worth was what mattered most, and, therefore, the biggest obstacle to this man’s eternal life.  The doctor from Nazareth wrote the prescription, give away that which will eventually rust and rot and have no value…then bring the only eternal thing you really have and let me light it up with eternal life and joy.

Unfortunately, the rich young ruler, accustomed to wheeling and dealing in the financial big leagues couldn’t see the best opportunity he’d ever encountered.  

For You Today

The word for us today is…take Jesus at his word…it’s a sad thing to walk away from eternal life and joy for a little more of what this world thinks is best.  Lord, save us from having to ask the question, What else?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

GO TO VIDEO

Title image:  Pixabay.com   W   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©

For other posts on this text see:  I Can't Get No Satisfaction and Choosing

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[1] Mark 10:17-22, Luke 18:18-25

[2] Matthew 5-7

[3] But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.      Matthew 5:48

 

Be Well

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (NRSV)

If you’re old enough to remember the days of Vietnam and when McDonalds first put up the Golden Arches, you are also probably old enough to remember Julie Andrews’ song “Practically Perfect” in the movie “Mary Poppins”.   Mary Poppins was the nanny who was “prac-tic-ally perfect in every way”.

About the same time as Mary Poppins entered the scene, Mac Davis introduced us to his version:
   O Lord, it’s hard to be humble,
   When you’re perfect in every way
   I just can’t wait to look in the mirror,
   ‘Cause I get better looking each day

Now, those were fun things, Mary Poppins and an arrogant cowboy…priceless!  But Jesus laid out a tougher plan; He said we should “be perfect”.  What’s a believer to do with that?
The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, believed  it was possible for followers of Jesus to achieve spiritual perfection – to the point of not sinning.  Indeed, he held that God expected it.  Wesley believed the pursuit of Christian perfection should shape our lives here on earth.

It would seem that to become “perfect,” one would have to get rid of a whole shopping-list of bad things.  The problem is that we love those things because we have a base nature that tends to get worse, not better.

When I was a kid I used to come in from a hard day of playing in the dirt.  Mom would get the bath ready.  I'd go in the bathroom, sit on the edge of the bathtub, wet the end of the washcloth, and clean a little spot right in the middle of my forehead.  I could then announce with a clear conscience that I'd washed; Mom would say, "Get real!"

Reality says that if you are not 100% perfectly-clean you are still dirty.  In a spiritual sense, you are not clean, simply by quitting one or two bad habits and going to church.  That is reformation.

If you get rid of all the bad habits, go to church all the time, go on visitation, sing in the choir and give all your money, well, that is incredible reformation.  And it still isn't perfection!

In fact, that's not even what God requires, or what He wants!  God doesn’t really want your reformation; God requires a transformation!  And only the grace of God can do that!

Now, there are a lot of different ideas of exactly what Jesus meant by telling us to “be perfect” or morally healthy.  It takes a lot of thought to get our minds around this one.  We know ourselves, and we know how hard it is just to stay on a diet, or quit smoking or cussing.  But to do it all; to actually be perfect before God….that is a monumental concept.  John Wesley’s sermon on Christian Perfection is over 20 pages (be thankful this one is only 4!).

So, where do you start?  How is it possible to be perfect?  How do you do that?  How do you change?  The answer is, YOU don't!  Christ does it in you!

In John’s first epistle the Apostle gives us the starting place for Christian perfection:  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.   The word “purify” (or “cleanse”) is much different than the washcloth plan I tried to pass off as having cleaned Russell.  Beloved, when Jesus cleans you, not even your mother can find a dirty spot!

Now, if this is the starting point, where is the finish line?  How can we (as Wesley asked Methodists two centuries ago)…how can we “go on to perfection?”  I believe with all my heart that the answer to that question is two-fold:

Number one is that you cannot do it.  Only God can create in you the kind of moral character that “perfection” suggests.  Everywhere in Scripture we are told to follow after Jesus and his righteousness (see Matthew 6:33).  But it is not following-after to catch righteousness that we are urged to do; rather it is in the following-after we will find ourselves transformed  by the righteousness of Jesus Christ!

This is where the “number two” comes in…the longer you give yourself to Christ’s will, without reservation, totally abandoned to His leading, the more you will become like Him, and less like your old self.

It has been said that the Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint.  It was never truer of something than this one issue.  Elizabeth and I got married on February 12, 1967….a lot of changes have taken place.  Hanging out with her for the past 45-plus years has changed the little boy who tricked mama with a “little-dab’l-do-ya” washcloth.  Now there are no socks dropped on the floor, crumbs left on the table, or messy garage.  And, do you know what?  I now like it that way!

It is the same way with hanging out with Christ – there will be changes…you will be going-on to perfection as you learn to submit to His leadership.

That’s what the Apostle Paul found out.  He first met Jesus on the road to Damascus.  After following Jesus for 30 or more years he was still learning, but he’d learned the most important thing about Christian perfection – when you hang out with Jesus you learn to love what Jesus loves, and, keeping your eyes on Jesus, the rest somehow fades away…

…and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.

So…you want Christian perfection?  Say it with Paul:
I want to know Christ…this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:10a, 13b-14 (NRSV)