59 Sermon Illustrations on Perfection

The perfection of the schools is a kind of mandarin perfection, like that of a Chinese garden filled with dwarf plants and trees, with oaks two feet high. Scriptural perfection is like the oak of the forest, gigantic and unstunted in its growth, filling up its native and noble proportions, not stunted and dwarfed by the rules of art. Bouces.

The acorn does not become an oak in a day; the ripened scholar was not made such by a single lesson; the well-trained soldier was not a raw recruit yesterday; it is not one touch of the artist's pencil that produces a finished painting; there are always months between seed-time and harvest: even so the path of the just is like the shining light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day. Nichol.

Perfection is the denying of our own will, the acknowledgment of our own vileness, constant resignation to the will of God, and unwearied love for our neighbor. In a word, it is that love which thinks of nothing, seeks nothing, desires nothing, but God. John Arndt.

As the eagle pursues his upward flight until he reach the highest point of possible ascent, so the Christian should go on rising in the life of God until he come to perfection.

It is rough work that polishes. Look at the pebbles on the shore! Far inland, where some arm of the sea thrusts itself deep into the bosom of the land, and, expanding into a salt loch, lies girdled by the mountains, sheltered from the storms that agitate the deep, the pebbles on the beach are rough, not beautiful; angular, not rounded. It is where long white lines of breakers roar, and the rattling shingle is rolled about the strand, that its pebbles are rounded and polished. As in Nature, as in the arts, so in grace; it is rough treatment that gives souls, as well as stones, their lustre. The more the diamond is cut, the brighter it sparkles; and in what seems hard dealing, their God has no end in view but to perfect his people's graces. Dr. Guthrie.

Most people think they have to be good to go to heaven, but God expects perfection. We do not measure up to his standard.

In his celebrated book, "Abraham Lincoln, the War Years," author Carl Sandberg told of Lincoln traveling from Springfield to Washington for his inauguration. Those seeing the president-elect for the first time were most impressed with how tall he was. Curiously, many men stepped up to the train platform and stood back-to-back with him to compare their height to his. Only one man measured up to Mr. Lincoln. All the others failed.

God measures us against his son Jesus. His standard is perfection. Only Jesus can get us to heaven.

Biblical truths about marriage:

1. As a human institution it is temporal.

2. It is not a totally fulfilling relationship.

3. It is not for everyone.

How to strengthen marriage vows:

1. Develop other supporting relationships.

2. Churches must help in this.

3. Strengthen and honor your extended family.

Integrity is more than not being deceitful or slipshod. It means doing everything “heartily as unto the Lord” (Col.3:23). In his book “Lyrics,” Oscar Hammerstein II points out one reason why, a reason Christians have always known:

“Around 1983, on the cover of the New York Herald Tribune Sunday magazine, I saw a picture of the Statue of Liberty … taken from a helicopter and it showed the top of the statue’s head. I was amazed at the detail there. The sculptor had done a painstaking job with the lady’s coiffure, and yet he must have been pretty sure that the only eyes that would ever see this detail would be the uncritical eyes of sea gulls. He could not have dreamt that any man would ever fly over this head. He was artist enough, however, to finish off this part of the statue with as much care as he had devoted to her face and her arms and the torch and everything that people can see as they sail up the bay … When you are creating a work of art, or any other kind of work, finish the job off perfectly. You never know when a helicopter, or some other instrument not at the moment invented, may come along and find you out.”

Calvin and Hobbes are sitting under a tree having a discussion.

Calvin: If heaven is good, and if I like to be bad, how am I supposed to be happy there?

Hobbes: How will you get to heaven if you like to be bad?

Calvin: Let's say I didn't DO what I WANTED to do.

Suppose I led a blameless life! Suppose I denied my true dark nature!

Hobbes: I'm not sure I have that much imagination.

Calvin: Maybe heaven is a place where you're ALLOWED to be bad!

What would it take to get you to the polls tomorrow? Will you get out and vote or stay home waiting for the perfect candidate?

I’m asking because I’ve just been reviewing a survey of voting by Christians in the 2000 election. And, even though I’ve seen the results before, I’m appalled at the apparent apathy by the very citizens who ought to be the most morally concerned citizens in our country.

Among those identifying themselves as Christians, only 50 percent were registered to vote in 2000. Worse, only half of those Christians who were registered actually went to the polls. That means only one Christian in four voted!

Meanwhile, some races were won by margins of only ninety votes. The voters in one congregation could have made the difference.

So why don’t Christians vote? Father Frank Pavone, co-founder of Priests for Life, answers that some religious leaders are telling people not to vote! He explains, "Some Christians feel it is more righteous not to vote when the slate of candidates isn’t that great. They feel compromised, dirty, or even sinful by casting a ballot for someone with whom they disagree."

But how long will you have to wait to find a candidate whose position is identical to yours on every issue? By that standard, would you even be able to vote for your spouse?

Pavone continues, "When you are faced with two candidates, neither of whom is perfect, ... but one of whom is clearly closer in his or her convictions to the Gospel than any other, it is perfectly legitimate to vote for the better one." Government is God’s ordained instrument for restraining evil and sin. If one would do a better job, we’re bound to vote for that person.

But isn’t that a vote for "the lesser of two evils"? No. Pavone replies, "One is choosing a good - [that is] the reduction ... of an existing evil." What some would call a vote for "the lesser of two evils" is really a vote to lessen evil.

One of the most clear-cut examples is abortion. In numerous races, one candidate wants to maintain unrestricted access to abortion while the other is pro-abortion, but wants some restrictions. I prefer, of course, a pro-lifer with no reservations. But a vote for the candidate advocating restrictions is a vote for less evil.

Yet if there is no candidate who promises to eliminate all abortions immediately-a position not likely to pass in Congress anyhow-some voters stay home on Election Day. The result? A candidate who could have moved the issue in the right direction loses by default, and the out-and-out pro-choicer wins-not good.

Father Pavone calls the vote "a practical exercise in leadership, by which we do our part to put people into office who can make some improvement in our country’s policies ... [n]obody is morally bound to what is impossible, and it is perfectly legitimate to recognize the limits of what is possible."

No candidate is perfect. Even if the vote in some states seems to be for the lesser of two evils, cast your vote to bring about less evil. Our concern should be to make our community and our nation more moral than it is. And we do that by electing candidates who, as God’s magistrates, reduce evil.

A vote that helps reduce evil may not be perfect, but it is a good vote.

________

Copyright © 2002 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. "BreakPoint with Chuck Colson" is a radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries.

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #13117]

If 99.9% were good enough then:

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* 12 newborns would be given to the wrong parents daily.

* 114,500 mismatched pairs of shoes would be shipped per year.

* 18,322 pieces of mail would be mishandled per hour.

* 2,000,000 documents would be lost by the IRS this year. (That's possible))

* 2.5 million books would be shipped with the wrong covers.

* Two planes landing at Chicago's O'Hare airport would be unsafe every day.

* 315 entries in Webster's Dictionary would be misspelled.

* 20,000 incorrect drug prescriptions would be written per year.

* 103,260 income tax returns would be processed incorrectly per year.

* 5.5 million cases of soft drinks produced would be flat.

* 291 pacemaker operations would be performed incorrectly.

* A typical day would be 24 hours long (give or take 86.4 seconds).

* 880,000 credit cards in circulation would turn out to have incorrect cardholder information on their magnetic strips.

In Brooklyn, New York, Chush is a school that caters to learning disabled children. Some children remain in Chush for their entire school career, while others can be mainstreamed into conventional schools. At a Chush fundraising dinner, the father of a Chush child delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.

After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he cried out, "Where is the perfection in my son Ryan? Everything God does is done with perfection. But my child cannot understand things as other children do. My child cannot remember facts and figures as other children do. Where is God's perfection?"

The audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father's anguish and stilled by the piercing query. "I believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child like this into the world, the perfection that he seeks is in the way people react to this child."

He then told the following story about his son Ryan.

One afternoon Ryan and his father walked past a park where some boys Ryan knew were playing baseball. Ryan asked, "Do you think they will let me play?" Ryan's father knew that his son was not at all athletic and that most boys would not want him on their team. But Ryan's father understood that if his son was chosen to play it would give him a comfortable sense of belonging. Ryan's father approached one of the boys in the field and asked if Ryan could play.

The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said. "We are losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning." Ryan's father was ecstatic as Ryan smiled broadly. Ryan was told to put on a glove and go out to play short center field. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Ryan's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Ryan's team scored again and now with two outs and the bases loaded with the potential winning run on base, Ryan was scheduled to be up. Would the team actually let Ryan bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Ryan was given the bat. Everyone knew that it was all but impossible because Ryan didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, let alone hit with it. However as Ryan stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Ryan should at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came in and Ryan swung clumsily and missed. One of Ryan's teammates came up to Ryan and together they held the bat and faced the pitcher waiting for the next pitch. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Ryan. As the pitch came in, Ryan and his teammate swung at the bat and together they hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman. Ryan would have been out and that would have ended the game.

Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond reach of the first baseman. Everyone started yelling, "Ryan, run to first. Run to first." Never in his life had Ryan run to first. He scampered down the baseline wide-eyed and startled. By the time he reached first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman who would tag out Ryan, who was still running. But the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions were, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman's head. Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second." Ryan ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home. As Ryan reached second base, the opposing short stop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base and shouted, "Run to third." As Ryan rounded third, the boys from both teams ran behind him screaming, "Ryan run home." Ryan ran home, stepped on home plate and all 18 boys lifted him on their shoulders and made him the hero, as he had just hit a "grand slam" and won the game for his team. "That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "those 18 boys reached their level of God's perfection."

___________________________

[Other versions of this story use different names for the child.]

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This speaks a lot about the quality of Japanese products and their standards:

They're still laughing about this at IBM. Apparently the computer giant decided to have some parts manufactured in Japan as a trial project. In the specifications, they stated that they will only accept three defective parts per 10,000.

When the delivery came in there was an accompanying letter. It said, "We Japanese had a hard time understanding North American business practices. But the three defective parts per 10,000 have been separately manufactured and have been included in the consignment. Hope this pleases you."

If 99.9 percent is good enough, then...

•Two million documents will be lost by the IRS this year.

•811,000 faulty rolls of 35 mm film will be loaded this year.

•22,000 checks will be deducted from the wrong bank accounts in the

next 60 minutes.

•1,314 phone calls will be misplaced by telecommunication services

every minute.

•12 babies will be given to the wrong parents each day.

•268,500 defective tires will be shipped this year.

•14,208 defective personal computers will be shipped this year.

•103,260 income tax returns will be processed incorrectly this year.

•2,488,200 books will be shipped in the next 12 months with the wrong

cover.

•5,517,200 cases of soft drinks produced in the next 12 months will be

flatter than a bad tire.

•Two plane landings daily at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago

will be unsafe.

•3,056 copies of tomorrow's Wall Street Journal will be missing one of

the three sections.

•18,322 pieces of mail will be mishandled in the next hour.

•291 pacemaker operations will be performed incorrectly this year.

•880,000 credit cards in circulation will turn out to have incorrect

cardholder information on their magnetic strips.

•$9,690 will be spent today, tomorrow, next Thursday, and every day in

the future on defective, often unsafe sporting equipment.

•55 malfunctioning automatic teller machines will be installed in the

next 12 months.

•20,000 incorrect drug prescriptions will be written in the next 12

months.

•114,500 mismatched pairs of shoes will be shipped this year.

•$761,900 will be spent in the next 12 months on tapes and compact

discs that won't play.

•107 incorrect medical procedures will be performed by the end of the

day today.

•15 entries in Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the

English Language will turn out to be misspelled.

see \reference{1 Corinthians 10:31}{1 Corinthians 10:31} Source:

Insight Syncrude Canada Ltd., Communications Division

see "Fresh Sermon Illustrations",

(http://users.sedona.net/~budman/illustr.html)

Centuries ago, there lived in Italy a maker of violins, Antonio

Stradivari. When he became able to have a workshop of his own, he made

it a rule that no violin should ever leave the shop until it was as

near perfection as human care and skill could make it. He said, "God

needs violins to send his music into the world, and if my violins are

defective, God's music will be spoiled."

The legendary Ted Williams had had a particularly great day even

for him. He had hit two homers, was four-for-four at the plate and

had knocked in five runs. He had done everything just right.

A Cub reporter ran into the locker room and said, "Oh Mr. Williams,

you did everything today but walk on water."

Whereupon, Ted Williams said to the locker room boy, "Fill the

shower! Today's the day!"

Ernest G. Schmidt, { Choose to Win, }(Abingdon, 1979), 97

It's a humbling experience we've all had on the way to the morning shower -- looking at our bodies in the mirror. Even the physically fit can spot areas for improvement. And some of us, of course, don't need a mirror to tell us what needs fixing!

We're not perfect creatures. But do our imperfections prove that we're evolved by natural selection, and not created by an intelligent designer? Well, a recent article in the magazine Scientific American makes that very claim.

Entitled "If Humans Were Built to Last," the article by S. Jay Olshansky, Bruce Carnes, and Robert Butler argues that the human body reflects the mindless process of natural selection, and not purposeful design. Olshansky and colleagues write that many of our physical shortcomings exist because natural selection causes us to survive "just long enough to reproduce." Once we've passed on our genes, they say, our bodies start to fall apart.

If we had been intelligently designed, they argue, we should last much longer. And we wouldn't choke on food, suffer detached retinas, or a host of other ailments.

Well, this argument for naturalistic evolution dates back well before Darwin. The eighteenth-century philosopher David Hume, for one, argued that the miseries of human existence are best explained by "blind nature," not design. But this misrepresents what intelligent design really says. It also overlooks the powerful insights of the Christian worldview.

First, intelligent design does not say that any currently existing organism, including human beings, should be perfect. Every designed system in our present universe is subject to physical laws, and involves trade-offs with a wide range of functional requirements.

Consider, for example, your throat. The esophagus (the passage to the stomach) and the trachea (the passage to the lungs) come together at the top of the throat. When you swallow, a structure called the epiglottis closes to cover your trachea. You can feel this if you put your finger on your Adam's apple and swallow.

Sometimes, when people take excessively large bites of food, or if they're inebriated, the epiglottis may not close properly, and they choke.

Now, Olshansky and company argue that if our throats had been intelligently designed, this wouldn't happen. They suggest that a better design would have placed the trachea higher, near the nasal passage. .... Maybe, but maybe not.

You see, it would be impossible to speak if air only passed through your nostrils, not your mouth. Catching a cold could be a life-threatening illness, because congestion would block the only pathway for oxygen. And if you needed more air -- running to catch the bus, for example -- sorry, opening your mouth for extra oxygen won't help.

Yes, humans occasionally choke. But there is absolutely no evidence that another system would work better. It's easy to speculate about what an intelligent designer would have done, but there's a world of difference between speculation and science.

The Christian worldview tells us not to expect perfection. While God created the world, it's also fallen -- a world with illness and pain, waiting to be redeemed by God's new creation.

So remember that the next time you look in the bathroom mirror. If your current model is due to expire, don't worry about it: There's an incomparably better one coming!

_____________________

For further reference:

Hume, David. Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing Company, [1776] 1980.

Olshansky, S. Jay, Bruce A. Carnes, and Robert N. Butler. "If Humans Were Built to Last." Scientific American, March 2001, pp. 50-55.

_____________________

Copyright (c) 1999 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. "BreakPoint with Chuck Colson" is a radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries.

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“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for [His] good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13 NKJV)

Working Out Salvation

• as…obeyed — John 6:28-29 — as ye have been obedient to God

• not…only — ye need not the prompting of my presence

• work…trembling — Heb 4:11, 2 Cor 7:1, 2 Pet 1:10, Heb 6:11-12, 4:1 — be nervously anxious to be and do right

• for…you — 2 Cor 3:5, Eph 2:8-9 — this is your encouragement, that the work within is a work of God

• both…pleasure — Prov 16:1, Jer 32:39, Heb 13:20-21 — He supplies the impulse, and, through you, He performs the work. To Him, therefore, be all the praise.

Perfecting salvation — J. W. Coombs, B.A.

I. The Christian’s work — the completion of his salvation

II. His spirit — reverence and self-distrust

III. His warning and encouragement

Your own salvation — C. Wills, M.A.

It is “your own salvation,” because it must be wrought out –

I. In yourself, your own self;

II. By yourself, your own self — that is, by you, God working in you;

III. For your own self — what you sow that will you reap.

Working out salvation — It is but too common with some professors, under a pretence of magnifying the grace of God, to excuse their want of zeal, and their negligence in the duties of religion, by pleading that they can do nothing without the sensible influence of grace upon their minds. “I once heard,” adds Mr Buck, “a zealous minister (now with God) talking in his sleep, which was a very customary thing with him, and lamenting this disposition in some professors, which he thus reproved: ‘I am a poor creature, says one; and I can do nothing, says another. No, and I am afraid you do not want to do much. I know you have no strength of your own, but how is it you do not cry to the strong for strength.?’”

“Alone He works in all, yet He alone seems not to work.” — Thomson

“If we make religion our business, God will make it our blessedness.” — J. Adam

Watching Randy Johnson pitch is always a treat. The 6-foot-10 lefty is an imposing figure on the mound, and staring at him from the batter's box has to be an intimidating experience.

But watching the Big Unit pitch his perfect game May 18, 2004, was truly something special. Johnson's performance will go down as one of the greatest pitching feats ever, especially considering his age of 40.

In fact, Johnson became the oldest player in major league history to throw a perfect game when he retired all 27 Atlanta Braves batters he faced. He also became only the sixth player in baseball history to throw a no-hitter in both the American and National Leagues.

It was only the 17th time a pitcher has tossed a perfect game in major league history. That should give you a pretty good idea of just how rare the achievement is.

“A game like this was pretty special,” Johnson said in an AP story. “It doesn't come along very often.”

A lock for baseball's Hall of Fame, Johnson's perfect game is a nice exclamation point to a superb career. He has won 234 games and has a career ERA of 3.09. His 3,952 strikeouts place him fourth on the all-time list, behind only Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton and Roger Clemens. He has also won five Cy Young Awards and is a World Series MVP.

But despite all the honors, all the accomplishments and all the accolades, Johnson remains humble about his place in baseball history.

Johnson wrote the forward to Dave Dravecky's little book, “Play Ball.” In it, Johnson talks about his love for the game's history. His basement isn't adorned with any of his Cy Young awards, but with his collection of autographs from players like Cy Young himself, Lefty Grove, Kid Nichols and Babe Ruth.

“I love the history of the game, and I enjoy learning what those old-timers have done,” Johnson wrote. “These days, I'm greatly humbled by what I've been able to accomplish between the lines.”

Johnson goes on to give God the credit for his ability and for his success on the baseball field.

“With each passing season, I'm realizing that any history I'm making has not been done by my own strength,” Johnson wrote. “The Lord has taught me to accept the peaks and valleys and try to do my best -- to get the most out of my ability. I understand that the Lord is in charge of our destiny and that the blessings I've been given could come and go at any moment. That knowledge has helped me mentally prepare to be the best pitcher I can be.”

The peaks far outnumber the valleys in Johnson's career, and Tuesday's game [May 18, 2004] was certainly the pinnacle for him. We saw one of baseball's best achieve perfection.

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate in HolwickID 25837-26027]

Joyce Hall became the founder of Hallmark Cards, Inc. He is best known for the Hallmark slogan, “When You Care Enough to Send the Very Best.”

Quality was his trademark. Not a single Hallmark greeting card reached the marketplace without his “O.K. — J.C.” signoff. He was committed to giving the very best to his customers so they could give the very best to their loved ones.

We are motivated and inspired to strive for “the best” because we strive to reflect the character of the One -- the only One in history -- who absolutely did give His very best.

God gave His very best. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). The gift of Jesus Christ to the world represents the high price God paid to give us His gift.

God Himself is the best. Perfection begat perfection when God gave Jesus Christ, for perfection cannot arise out of imperfection. Jesus Himself said, “...your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

God gave for the best reason. The motivation which prompted God to give the gift of His Son was the highest possible -- pure love, “God is love” (1 John 4:16) and “so loved” the world (John 3:16). The perfection of His gift reflects the perfection of His love.

God gave the best gift. Would you be willing to give away a precious child? Imagine what it cost God to give His “one and only Son” (NIV) to die for our sins. God gave the most expensive gift He had for your and me -- Jesus.

God gave for the best purpose. The best gifts accomplish the highest good for the recipient. They're given for positive, uplifting purposes. God's gift was given for the best purpose: That whoever believes in Christ, God's gift, should not stay mired in sin but might be lifted up and planted on the solid rock of salvation and eternal life.

Joyce Hall set a high standard for excellence. But the perfect example of “caring enough to send the very best” is God's gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. God loved enough to send the very best to those who could only be saved by a perfect Savior.

At this time of the year our thoughts are turned toward gifts. The most important gift we have to give every year is the gift we give back to God Himself -- the gift of all that we are and have. Jesus described it as our “heart ... soul, and ... mind” (Matthew 22:37).

Giving ourselves to God can mirror His gift to us, in that:

-- We ourselves can be the best in Christ. We are not perfect like God, but as we obey the admonition to “be perfect” (Matthew 5:48), we present to God a heart striving to be holy in honor of Him.

-- We can give ourselves for the best reason. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life....” (John 15:13). If we would love our friends enough to lay down our lives for them, surely we should love God as much.

-- We can give the best gift. In thanks for God's “indescribable gift” to us, we can “present [our] bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God” (2 Corinthians 9:15; Romans 12:1). We only have one life. Giving it to God makes it our best gift.

-- We can give for the best purpose. When we give ourselves wholly to God, we make known the riches of His grace and glory to the world, proclaiming Christ's death until He comes (Romans 9:23; 1 Corinthians 11:26).

In the midst of your gift-giving this Christmas, reserve your best gift for the One who gave His best gift to you. Resolve this year be to give yourself -- heart, soul, mind and strength -- to God every day. Make Christmas a year-long event as you unwrap yourself in the presence of God each day. Show that you care enough to send Him the very best.

________

David Jeremiah is the founder of the “Turning Point” radio and television ministry, senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, California, and chancellor of Christian Heritage College.

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A recent remake of The Stepford Wives revived the idea that every man is looking for the perfect woman …. which reminds me of a joke …

A man was asked why he had never married.

“Well, I guess I just never met the right lady.”

“But you must have met at least one girl you wanted to marry.”

“Yes, there was a girl once. She was pretty close to perfect. In fact, she had everything. … I think she was definitely the girl for me.”

“Well, why didn’t you marry her?”

“Well … she was looking for the perfect man.”

Everyone knows that the perfect man and the perfect woman don’t exist. So, why did Jesus say to His followers: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”? (Matthew 5:48). Isn’t that impossible? “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10).

Yet, amazingly, we read in Hebrews 10:14 that we are perfect already! “By one sacrifice [Jesus] has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” God’s purpose for us is to be like His Son Jesus. When we accept Him as our Savior, we experience the truth of Romans 5:19, “Through the obedience of the one Man the many will be made righteous.” We are righteous because He is righteous. We are made perfect through Him.

Of course, Matthew 5:48 isn’t telling us that after we accept God’s gift of salvation we will begin to live sinless lives. But when we sin, God has provided a way to restore our fellowship with Him (1 John 1:9). And as we become more spiritually mature, we will be more and more like Jesus.

You and I may not feel perfect. But the ability to love our enemies, to pray for those who persecute us, and to live godly lives is possible (Matthew 5:44) through Jesus’ strength and because of His righteousness. In God’s eyes, we are perfect! — Cindy Kasper

DESTINATION POINTS

• Have I become a child of God, made perfect in the righteousness of Jesus?

• If it’s possible for me to “be perfect,” why do I still struggle with temptation?

• What motivates me each day to be more like Jesus?

God has placed His perfection in us.

Yesterday you heard Chuck Colson talking about the need for Christians to vote. Today, I want to talk about an aspect of voting that deeply troubles some Christians every time we have an election.

I’m talking about the fact that nobody’s perfect.

Wait a minute, you say, everybody knows that. That’s elementary-school stuff. Maybe so, but the truth remains that every election year, many Christians discover this simple fact all over again, and it throws them into a tizzy. They go into the political process as if they were picking a pastor instead of an elected official. They look for someone who is right in every category that matters to them, instead of looking for someone who will advance the common good and agrees with them as much as possible. When they don’t find the perfect person, they become disillusioned.

Politics is a rough business, but so is all of life. There’s always something that triggers this trend. This year, some of those triggers include the Foley scandal and David Kuo’s book TEMPTING FAITH, which attempted to persuade evangelicals that they were being used by those in power, even those who claimed to be on their side. And for some, it worked.

Thus, for example, Rod Dreher writes at his blog on Beliefnet.com, “I’m not prepared to be used ... again.... I can’t bring myself to vote Democratic, because I have no faith in the Democrats.... [But] I doubt very much I’m going to vote for [the Republicans] at the national level, because they have not earned my vote.” I guess we’re left with the conclusion that no one is good enough to vote for.

Rod is a good man, a good journalist, and a faithful Christian. He’s a brother. But I think he’s dead wrong. If you read more of his blog, it appears that he, and others with the same mindset, are insisting that politicians not only make the right decisions, but that they make them for the right reasons and that they make them all the time. Take it from someone who’s been in politics — that’s just not going to happen.

Are we right to want our leaders to share our values? Of course. But will we always have the choice? What should our response then be? To choose as wisely as we can — or not to choose at all?

The great conservative writer Russell Kirk called for us to be guided by “the principle of prudence,” or of sound judgment and consideration for long-term consequences. It might feel good if you feel disillusioned to refuse to vote, sitting on your hands at home, registering your protest. It might make you feel like you’ve taught the politicians a lesson. But if that’s the case, we’ve only failed to stand up and tell the politicians what we believe in. How can we expect our government to take an interest in what we believe if we won’t take the simplest action of voting to defend it?

The fact is, we always have a choice, whether we realize it or not. We have a choice between candidates. We have a choice to influence our government, or to stay silent. This year, I hope that all of you all around the country will make the right choice.

Go to the polls. Pray for wisdom and prudence. Then vote.

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Copyright (c) 2006 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. "BreakPoint with Chuck Colson" is a radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries.

”Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. . . .” — Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)

The fable is told about a bloodhound who started a hunt chasing a stag. A fox crossed the path, so the hound chased the fox. After a while a rabbit crossed the path, so the hound went after the rabbit. Later, a mouse crossed the path and the hound ended up chasing the mouse into a hole. The hound began his hunt on the trail of a magnificent stag and ended up watching a mouse hole!

More important in life is not so much that we start well but that we get on track and finish well. . .that we know what our God-given life purpose is and that we don’t allow ourselves to get side-tracked with anything — good or bad — that will take our eye off the main goal — and that we keep our eyes fixed “on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. … “

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to keep my eye fixed on Jesus so as to follow Him and not get waylaid by the many temptations of life and thereby get sidetracked from the goal and purpose you have for my life.Gratefully in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

In 1972 the Miami Dolphins embarked on an unforgettable and unparalleled season. They won all 14 games in the regular season, then had a 3-0 run through the playoffs, culminating with a Super Bowl victory. No other modern professional football team has matched that perfect record. Every year 30 some-odd teams try, but for almost 4 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 quieting the critics.”

The opposing coach going into the ‘72 Super Bowl was asked to comment on the awesome Miami defense. His reply was, “I can’t recall any of their names, but they are a matter of great concern to us.” Does anyone remember 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. Every player was willing 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, Hall of Famers. Yet no team has reached level of achievement that they did.

Have you ever wondered what would have happened if three players on that Dolphin offense decided they didn’t like what they were supposed to do, and wanted to play somewhere else.

Let’s suppose in the huddle, they call a sweep to the right with Mercury Morris running the ball. But Larry Little, Jim Langer and Norm Evans all decided that they wanted to play running back? “If I don’t play running back, then I’m not important. Guards never make the highlight reels, so forget it!”

How well do you think they would have done that year? Probably not all too well.

Well, the world of sports isn’t the only place where “Positional Confusion” can take place. It happens everywhere, and it happens in the church.

There are some congregations where the preacher does the work of the elders[*], shepherding the flock by visiting the members and handling spiritual matters.

The elders do the work of the deacons, since they were never allowed to do anything while they were deacons, they now use this opportunity to finally get to spend the Lord’s money by picking out carpet colors and lawn tractors.

And the deacons do the work of the members, basically showing up for worship and leading a prayer or serving on the table.

And then the members are expected to do nothing.

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* This reflects the leadership structure of the Church of Christ. For many Protestant denominations, elders and preachers/pastors are equivalent.

Sermon in 12 Step series. Removing defects. Ezekiel 36:25-27

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QUALITY CONTROL

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Step 6: "We are entirely ready to have God remove all our defects

of character."

Step 7: "We humbly asked him to remove our shortcomings."

I. How much of us does God want?

A. We are often willing to turn over our worst problems.

B. A dramatic victory in one area can make us smug elsewhere.

C. God wants all of us, not just a part.

II. Victory over moral defects is a life-long challenge.

A. It's all in the timing.

B. Genuine change involves human / Divine cooperation.

III. The goal is nothing short of perfection.

A. God's heart becomes our heart.

B. When can it happen?

C. Make a beginning, keep trying.

IV. Humility is the key.

A. Not a favorite topic in our society.

B. Confusing "means" and "ends."

C. Humility can be learned.

V. Humility changes our attitude about God.

A. Many view God as a pinch-hitter for emergencies.

B. Genuinea humility submits all of us to God.

#2601

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