Pursuing Perfection

Good morning. Well, this last memory verse here is something that we are experiencing as we are going through Second Corinthians. And I have used this verse on the college campuses throughout the years.

There's a verse prior to that, it says, some, save with compassion, and then our memory verse says, and others, save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. So there is actually different ways in which we can minister to people depending upon their condition and where they're at. Some, save with compassion.

I like compassion, and I would much rather see people save through compassion, but others, save with fear. And one of the things that I know the college students do not like is, or anyone, for that matter, is the idea of fear and bringing fear, preaching about judgment and fire and indignation and wrath and hell and damnation and all those concepts. Oftentimes people say, why don't you just love people into the kingdom? I would love to love everybody into the kingdom.

Some, save with compassion, but some do not hear with compassion. They need to hear with fear. And if you'll follow the ministry of Jesus and how he taught, he had a lot of compassion and mercy.

He healed and he blessed and he taught, but then come to the end of his ministry and he changed directions and he began to really forcibly speak into lives. And there in Matthew 23, his last few days before he would be crucified and he began to minister there in a different way to the Jews and called them blind, called them hypocrites, called them, how can you escape the damnation of hell? And he really, woe unto you, seven woes he brought them. But that was just a few days before he was leaving.

And so he had tried compassion and now he was going to bring in another option. And that is fear. And as second Corinthians, we are seeing that also.

Wonderful book and not a whole lot of issues here about fear, but we get to this last chapter and Paul begins to really put the hammer down and he's really trying to bring them to the place of repentance. If you remember last week in verse number one of chapter 13, this is the third time I'm coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses, shall every word be established.

I told you before and foretell you as if I were present the second time and being absent. Now I write to them, which heretofore have sinned and to all others that if I come again, I will not spare. That sounds pretty severe there.

And that ought to stir some fear in the hearts of the individuals. And so Paul uses this very concept. I think we ought to start out with people just like with babies, you know, compassion, mercy, grace, and all the things that forgiveness, all the things that newborns.

That's why I don't like to press on our young people here as much as I press on the older ones. The older ones have had opportunities. They've had many years.

They've had opportunities and God's been working with them many years. And as we get older and older, we need more and more of the exhortation to admonition, warning, and fear. And, hey, hey, you've had much time.

You have much time, let's begin moving. And so as you see later on in the Lord's ministry, and later on as Paul's third time he's coming, he begins to really lay things out for them. So let's look at chapter 13.

I left off last time in verse number six. I thought that maybe we would finish, but there's a lot of things here in these last couple of verses. So I'm gonna just take four verses here this morning.

And then we'll finish up another time, this book of 2 Corinthians. I wanna read starting in verse number seven. He's concluding here in verse seven.

Now, I pray to God that you do no evil, not that we should appear approved or make us look good, but that you should do that which is honest. As Michael said, you should have integrity. Though we be even as reprobates, for we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.

For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. And this also we wish, even your perfection. Therefore, I write these things being absent, less being present, I should use sharpness according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification and not to destruction.

And I talked last time primarily about the idea that the Holy Spirit of God is given to us and this treasure and earthen vessels for the purpose of edification. And it's God's heart that we be built up and that not be torn down or not be destroyed. But if we are unwilling to be built up, and if we have a rebellious heart in us, there are times when God will use that same power, not to edification, but to destruction.

And I thought of Ananias and Sapphira, we shared that last week. Their life was taken and destroyed, even the Corinthians. I think the Corinthians would say, we know all about that.

Many of us were eating the Lord's supper and not being reverent. And we were made sick. We were, some of us even, some of those even passed away.

It talks about there in 2 Corinthians or 1 Corinthians chapter 11. So here this morning, I'd like to look at verse number nine specifically. And I'd like to talk about this idea of perfection.

The idea of perfection. This word is used and Paul admonishes them here in verse nine, he says, for we are glad when we are weak and you're strong. And this also we wish even your perfection.

That's his heart, I desire, I wish for your perfection. Now I wanna spend some time on this idea of perfection because there's been a lot of teaching that I think is in air and throughout the history of the church, this has been a struggle here. This idea of sinless perfection or Christian perfectionism.

Oftentimes people, and sometimes their motives are good but they get off track. They push things too far. They take something good and push it too far.

And you know, that's a possibility. We're all oftentimes aware of the liberal mindset where we go in the direction of compromise and those types of things. But sometimes people are pushing things too far.

The Pharisees were ones who did that in Jesus' day. They came out of the Babylonian captivity and they were put into captivity, the Lord said because they didn't honor the Sabbath. And so there were men who came out of that thing and says, we're gonna honor the Sabbath.

And they made all these Sabbath rules and directions and they pressed it and pressed it and pressed it. Yes, they didn't want to go back into captivity but they took it upon themselves and they went way too far. And sometimes people go too far, you know? You can make air by going too far in one or the other direction.

So sinless perfection, Christian perfectionism. Yes, Paul here desires their perfection but I'd like to explain a little bit about perfection here this morning and how the Bible teaches this idea of perfectionism. There are some dangers with regards to sinless perfection and the whole concept.

And one of them is pride. Pride is always a danger, elevating ourselves above others. I thank God that I am not like other men.

And so oftentimes that doctrine begins to build in individuals this idea of being better than others and looking down upon others. There is also the danger of deception, deception. And first John says, if we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves.

And nobody wants to deceive themselves or be deceived in that way. But that is a reality. That is a reality for those who embrace these types of things.

But here's one that I'll talk about a little bit later. Despair, you know, despair. I cannot be perfect.

I cannot be perfect. And so I'm just going to give up, I'm gonna give up. And many people, and I've experienced some of this, many people have been harmed and even destroyed because of this idea of perfectionism and them not being able to reach that level.

And therefore they give up and they despair. And that's not good. Despair is not good.

Jesus even said to the Pharisees that you shut up the kingdom of God to others. And so perfectionism, let's talk about that here this morning. Let's have a word of prayer.

And then I'll look into the scriptures here. We'll look at a couple of verses, passages and ask the Lord for help. Heavenly Father and Lord, may you give us direction and guide us through the scriptures and encourage our hearts and strengthen us in the truth, in the balance of your word.

We know that the scriptures are given to us for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto every good work. And so would you work that perfection in us as we examine the scriptures here this morning. Lord, give me a heart and motivation to share your word and also give those sitting here a heart to receive it and to understand it according to your will, Lord.

So we look to you, look to the truth here this morning. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

All right, the Lord in the Sermon on the Mount is one of his, was first sermon. He made this comment in Matthew 5, verse 48. He said, be he therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

That is the desire of the Lord. And I don't wanna downplay that at all. Be he therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

And that's a command. That's a command from the Lord as he looks upon his disciples that they would strive for perfection. What does that mean? Does it mean sinlessness? Yes, it does.

It means to strive for sinlessness. That's the direction you want to head. Be he therefore perfect.

But there's also another aspect to perfection. And that is someone who is complete in every way, someone who is mature in every way. So you think of someone who is perfect, it's not just someone who avoids evil, someone who avoids sin, although that's a part of being perfect, but someone who is perfect is like Jesus Christ.

He has all wisdom. He has understanding. He has maturity.

He knows things. He's a father in the faith. And so it includes not just the negative side avoiding sin, but perfection also includes maturity and being fully furnished.

As a matter of fact, one of the definitions in the concordance for perfection is maturity. Having maturity. Be he perfect.

The songwriter said this, O to be like thee, blessed redeemer, this is my constant longing and prayer. A longing and prayer. I want to be perfect.

That is my longing and my prayer. He did not say, O to be like thee, blessed redeemer, this is my present state of accomplishment. I don't think anyone who has an honest heart can say I am like the Lord Jesus Christ in every way.

Not only avoiding the sin, which Jesus, there was no sin found in him, but also in being mature. The Bible tells us we're to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And so when we think about perfection, we're thinking about someone who is perfect in every way.

Perfection. Be he perfect. Perfection in the Bible is a goal in which we are to seek after.

It is only going to be attained, 1 John says, when we see him, amen. 1 John 2 says, when we see him, then we shall be like him in every way. And until that time, it says in 1 John, that we should be purifying ourselves until that day, just like he is pure.

And so this commandment to be perfect is a desire or a command to move in that direction. And seek to accomplish this idea of perfection. And I know that we all need more growth.

We need more maturity. And many of us need to deal with issues. Even sin issues in our own hearts that need to be addressed.

So turn with me to Philippians. We're gonna look at a couple of verses here. Philippians chapter number three.

Paul writes about this, not only in Corinthians, but he also writes about it in Philippians and in Ephesians. So we're gonna look at those two passages here this morning. Philippians chapter three, verse 10.

He's giving his own testimony here in the first part of chapter three. And in verse number 10, he says that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect.

Now there's that word, perfect. Paul uses that word with regards to himself. He says, I am heading in this direction.

I am seeking to be made conformable unto his death. If by any means, verse 11, I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. That's not only something in the future, but that's a life.

A life that is raised up from the dead. But then he says in verse 12, not as though I had already attained. In other words, if Paul were here, he would tell you this.

I have not yet attained to what I am pressing towards. He's gonna use that word here in just a minute. I have not yet attained it.

Verse 12 says, either were already perfect. Perfect. And so, if the apostle were here today, he would acknowledge that I am not, I'm not there yet.

And I wish, I trust that we would also acknowledge that we're not where we would like to be completely. And so he has not reached his ultimate goal. And that goal being Christ's likeness.

Look at verse 12 again. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect, but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Now, why did Jesus apprehend us? Well, Jesus apprehended us that we might be his brethren.

He, the first begotten and many brethren, the book of Hebrews says, that we might be like him in every way and that we might be conformed unto his image. And that's the work that God is doing. He which has foreknew us, he also predestined us to be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ.

That is why he has apprehended you and me to be conformed into his image. He wants a bunch of little Jesuses, which is why we're called Christians. Christians is a word for little Christ or little Jesuses.

And so that is the reason why we were apprehended. And Paul says, I have not attained that yet. The reason why the Lord apprehended me, I am still working in that direction to be perfect, to be Christ-like, to be in his image.

Verse 13, he says, brethren, talking to the church here, I count not myself to have apprehended. I don't say that I'm there yet. And if anybody tells you they're there yet, well, they're probably deceived.

Well, I know they're deceived. And, but he, here Paul says, I have not apprehended, but this one thing I do. Now here's the important thing for us, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

And so after saying he hasn't arrived, he hasn't reached his goal yet, he does tell us that he is pressing toward this mark, pressing toward the mark. What is the mark? It says the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, meaning I am pressing toward Christ-likeness. And it's a high calling.

It's a high mark. It's kind of like shooting for something, a bullseye. And I'm trying to hit that mark.

I remember when I was a young Christian, someone sang a song. It really had an impact on me. I can still remember sitting in the car when this young lady started to sing it.

And I listened to it. And I was, it was a time in my life when I needed it. And the Lord knew I needed it.

He's still working on me to make me what I ought to be. It took him just a week to make the moon and the stars, the sun and the moon and Jupiter and Mars. How loving and patient he must be.

He's still working on me. Have you ever heard that song? Okay, you just heard it this morning if you haven't heard it all before. So Paul says here, I haven't arrived.

I haven't arrived. I haven't become to this, I haven't come to this place of perfection. But here's the important part in verse 13.

He says, I am pressing toward the mark. Now this is what's lacking today. And this is why I think people get frustrated.

And I think some of these doctrines come out like sinless perfection and Christian perfectionism because people get frustrated with others who are not pressing toward the mark. And that frustration kind of boils over into pressing the Bible too far and pushing people too far. And when you do that, you come up with false ideas and false doctrines.

But for us, it is important that we press toward the mark. And that ought to be something we examine our own hearts. And by the way, if you're not pressing toward the mark of being like the Lord Jesus, if it's not something that daily is pressing you and you're getting up in the morning and you're seeking the face of God and you're in his word, which is by the way, the only way it's gonna change you into his image is by the word of God.

As we behold the glory of the Lord, we are changed into his same image. If that's not in your heart, if you didn't have a love for Jesus, you're not seeking his face, well, you're not gonna move toward the mark. The word press here, it's kind of like a race, a hundred yard dash.

I am pressing toward the finish line. You've seen guys run a hundred yard dashes. They're pressing and they get to the end and they're reaching.

And so probably the issue here in church life is there's very few people today who are actually pressing toward the mark. And we just kind of meander through and I just think everything will work out in the end. And that's not a good place to be.

And so it's pressing, pressing towards this idea of perfectionism. Now, something else he mentions here in verse 13, he says, brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth onto those things which are before forgetting. You know, one of the things that people are struggling with is they can't forget the past.

They can't forget yesterday. They can't forget last week. They can't forget last month.

You know, they drag these things with them. By the way, how many of you think I would win a hundred yard dash race if while I was running the race, I was always looking behind me and turning around to see what's behind me? You say you wouldn't have a chance. That's right.

The only way you can win a race is if your eyes are forward and you're pressing down the race course. Looking behind is, no coach would ever tell you to look behind while you're running, winning the race and desiring to win. And we'll talk a little bit about that later because there are some people, I talked with one a few weeks ago and struggling with being this perfectionism and very weighted down, very discouraged because they're not perfect.

And so there's a balance here. You have to accept this pressing, but you also need to remember forgetting. Forgetting those things which are behind.

I just heard someone say this yesterday, our failures should not be burdens that we carry along the way, but they should be used as stepping stones to build us up, to learn from our mistakes and to use those for building up our life. Let's keep reading here in verse 13. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before.

That means more Christ likeness. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Now look at this, verse 15, let us therefore as many as be perfect.

Well, that's interesting. If you notice here in verse 12, he says, I am not perfect. I am not perfect.

And then in verse 15, he talks about, let us therefore as many as be perfect. Now this brings out the definition here of the word perfect as mature. It's mature, it's maturity, it's completeness.

I am not arrived to the place of being completely mature, the mark of the Lord Jesus Christ, but Paul says, I've come a long way. I am a spiritual father. I am mature in my faith.

I have not yet reached the pinnacle. We all understand that. I mean, we're all moving toward a mark.

We're getting better and better and better. We're growing in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're no longer babes in Christ.

We'll see that in a little bit. We're no longer babes. We're no longer young men.

We're fathers, we're mature. And one of the definitions of perfect is maturity, being mature. And as I look out, you know, there's mature people here.

There are people who are perfect. And Paul writes to the Philippians and says, let us therefore as many as be perfect, as many as you who have maturity be thus minded. I'm a lot further down the course of this thing of being Christ-like than I was 25 years ago.

And I'm moving down the road to perfection. I have not arrived, just like Paul is saying here, but I am maturing and I'm a long way down the road. And so that is Paul's heart there with regards to perfection.

I have not arrived yet. It's my mark. It's my goal that I'm heading for.

And I'm pressing toward the mark. Now, turn back with me to another example here he gives in Ephesians chapter number, Ephesians chapter four. Ephesians chapter four, verse 11.

It says here, and he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints. Here's that word perfecting. That's the goal, the perfecting of the saints.

And God has blessed the church with apostles and pastors and evangelists and teachers and prophets. And those individuals are to do this work of perfecting the saints. I could throw another word in here.

The Bible uses the word sanctification. Sanctification, a process. We're heading toward a goal.

And so God has given these gifts. Verse 12 says, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ till, notice verse 13, till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of God. That's part of being perfect, the knowledge of the son of God.

How many of you have all the knowledge that you need? No, we don't. We're growing in grace and knowledge and we're understanding more and more. Till we all come in the unity of faith and the knowledge of the son of God unto a, there's our word, perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Now, I don't know. Maybe there's someone who thinks that they've reached the stature of the fullness of Christ. I'm not there and I'm not even close to that one.

But that's where we're heading. And someday the Bible says when we look up and the Lord Jesus comes, it says that we will be transformed and we will be made like him. And I don't know all that that means, but I do know the scripture says that we'll take on his likeness, we'll take on his image.

But until that day, we are to teach and instruct and encourage for the perfecting of the saints until we all come in the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the son of God unto a perfect man. That's a process. It's a maturing process.

And I know there's some groups that say you can have some sort of a crisis experience and you can get there all of a sudden, but the Bible doesn't teach that. It teaches a maturing process and that process being complete when the Lord Jesus returns. That's our goal, to be like him.

Verse 14 says that we henceforth be no more children. So a perfect man is one who is a father, a mother in the faith, mature that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love may grow up into him.

Meaning may grow into his likeness, grow into him in all things, in all area of life, which is the head, even Christ. So when Paul thinks about perfection, he thinks about a process of growing and putting away, putting off the old man and putting on the new man, a process of sanctification, growing in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. First John, I'll read this to you.

You don't have to turn it. We'll go ahead and turn to first John. We're gonna be a little bit in first John.

First John chapter three says this, verse number two, beloved, now are we the sons of God? And it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is. And of course, that's the goal. That's the end, we'll be like him and we'll see him as he is.

And the next verse says, and every man that has this hope to be like him purifies himself even as he is pure. And so we're in this process, pressing toward the mark. Let me ask you this, are you pressing toward the mark? That's a good question for our own heart.

Am I one that is impressing toward the mark? I was in the river with Zach yesterday. We stopped at one of these places along 62 where the bridges are and you can go down underneath there and kids can go in there and go swimming. And the stream is moving pretty good and not a lot of water in there.

But even Zach gets in there, tries to swim upstream. It's pretty difficult for him to do so. Canoers, kayakers trying to go upstream.

They can do it, but they have to press. They can do it, but they have to labor at it. But if they lay the oars down and just start to drift, by the way, there's a young man that called me last week.

I think he's from this area. He says he's doing a survey on drift. He wants to get some understanding about drift for the churches.

And he wants to come and talk to ministers who have been in the ministry for over 20 years. And he wants to ask them the questions about why is there so much drift in the church? Why are churches and people drifting? Well, it's pretty simple. Once you stop pressing toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, and you just lay the oars down, where are you gonna go? Backwards.

You're gonna drift. And that's what's happening to a lot of people. They're drifting because their interests are in other places.

Their interest is not in Paul. Paul, what did he say? This one thing I do. This one thing I do.

This is the most important thing in my life. I press towards the mark. To most people, being like Jesus is something that is a second or third priority, maybe even further down the list.

It's not this one thing I do priority. And if it's not that, I can just tell you you're gonna drift. You're gonna drift.

You're gonna drift. And five years, you'll be further backwards than where you're at today. I wanna talk a little bit here this morning about those who have tender consciences.

There are some who have some tender consciences, and it's a good thing to be a tender conscience and have a real soft conscious. I've given you my feet illustration. Maybe some of you haven't heard my illustration.

I like to use it, especially in revival meetings, but my feet are very tender. It would just be brutal for me to go out there on those stones. We were out at the river with Zach.

I was out there with him yesterday, and I was amazed. There were stones alongside. He's just running full blast up and down.

It's like it doesn't bother him. And if you look at the bottom of his feet, they're calloused. They're tough because he's been running on those stones for a long time, and he's calloused his feet.

I don't go out there on those stones and run or walk. My feet, if you look at the bottom of my feet, they're very soft and tender, and that's the way the heart is supposed to be, a soft and tender heart, a broken and a contrite spirit, and we keep that heart soft by responding to our conscience. When our conscience tells us we don't go this way, we back off.

When I walk out on those stones, my nerves at the bottom of my feet say, don't go this way, this is painful. So I back off, and I don't go anymore on the stones. It keeps my heart, or keeps my feet soft, tender, but it wouldn't take long, and I'm not gonna do it, but it wouldn't take long if I start going out on those stones, and I feel the pain, and I just say, I'm just gonna keep going, and I keep walking on stones, and every day I walk on stones, and next week I walk on stones, and about two or three or four weeks from today, I'll lose my tenderness, because I didn't respond to the pain in my nervous system and get off the stone, and so that's what happens in the hearts of men.

The Lord convicts them, pricks their heart, and says you ought not to go this direction, and they say, I'm gonna go that way anyway. I'm gonna do my own thing. I'm gonna press this way, and they begin to lose the sensitivity, and the conviction in the heart, and pretty soon they become callous, but many people have a tender conscience, and they're very, very tender with regards to sin, and I've met many of them, every little thing, and I think that's a good thing to have a tender conscience, and to think, did I say that right to that person? Was I wrong in saying what I said? It's good to have a tender conscience, but you have to put something with that tender conscience in order for it to work well, and what you have to put with that tender conscience is what Paul said.

He said, forgetting those things which are behind, I press toward the mark for the prize of the calling, of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Here's what you put together with a tender conscience. Look back to 1 John 1, in verse number eight.

For all of you who have a tender conscience, here's what you need to embrace. Let your soft heart receive this. In verse number eight, it says, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Now, we have to be open with a tender conscience, and the Lord's speaking to us and saying, that's not right, to be able to say, Lord, forgive me, and put it behind you, and not carry it with you. Forgetting those things which are behind, and embracing, I confessed my sin, I acknowledged my sin, and I laid it aside, and it's behind me, and I forget it, and I move on.

I like chapter two, verse one, it says, my little children, these things write unto you that you sin not, that's the goal, the mark of sinlessness, and if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. Now, that word advocate is, most of the times in the Bible, translated comforter, we have a comforter. That's interesting, if any man sin, we have a comforter.

That doesn't mean that he's comforting you in your sin, it means if any man sins, and he confesses his sin, and makes it right with God, and confesses and repents, then the Lord is there as a comforter, comforter. He will comfort you, and help you, as Loyal said, to keep a clear conscience. And a soft heart, and so I've talked to many who have very tender consciences, and just to encourage you, it's good to have a tender conscience, but make sure that you're also willing to be open to say, Lord, I'm sorry, I made a mistake, or I didn't say something properly, or I shouldn't have done that, Lord, and lay it down, forgetting those things which are behind, and pressing toward the mark.

So life, the Christian life, is something that is directional, and this is perfection. We are pressing towards the mark, with a high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Now, there's concern here, in my own life, in your life, concern is for drifting, and backsliding.

Backsliding, what is backsliding? Backsliding is going back to where you were. Children, if you're on a slide, and you're trying to climb up a slide, and it's, I remember when I was in grade school, they had these tall metal slides, about 15 feet up in the air, 10, 15 feet up in the air, and we'd try to climb up that slide, go in the wrong direction, instead of sliding down, climb up this way. You really had to press to get up that slide, but if you relaxed and let go, you immediately slid back down that slide.

That's what backsliding is. Backsliding, going back to where you began, and that's the concern that God has for all of us, to not to be a backslider. Israel went back to Egypt, it's something that's in us, when we're not walking with God, not walking in the Spirit, it's something that tends to happen.

We tend to backslide, we tend to drift. And if the Spirit of God is in us, and He's active, and we're yielding ourselves to Him, then obviously we're gonna be pressing toward the mark, or the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. But, if we're not walking in the Spirit, then our tendency is, the natural tendency is, to be a back, to be backsliding, or sliding backwards.

Israel, when they came out of Egypt, it was excitement, they saw the Red Sea part, they came through, they sung a song, and everything was wonderful, they're gonna follow the Lord, and the Lord brings them out into the wilderness, they're tempted, they're challenged, and after a short time, their hearts begin to turn back into each. I wanna go back to where I started. And that was their cry, you see, they said, let's go back to the locks, or the leeks and the garlics that were in Egypt.

There's nothing wrong with the leeks and the garlics, in Egypt, but God had called them out of that lifestyle, into a new lifestyle, into a pressing into a promised land. And they wanted to go back to where they were. I think of Peter also, Peter wanted to go back fishing.

Remember when Peter was confused, and Jesus was crucified, and he tells the disciples, I'm gonna go fishing? What's wrong with going fishing? Well, it was Peter's heart to go back to his original vocation, and stop this walking with the Lord, stop this following Jesus, I wanna go back to the way my life used to be. I wanna go back fishing, and it was comfortable, and he back slid, he went backwards. Me, if I were to back slide, I would go back to my life, where I was, I came out of, I would go back to drinking, and carousing, and playing golf as an idol, and doing my thing.

Which with each of us, back sliding means something different. Going back to where you were, before the Lord called you, to come out of your Egypt, and to follow Him, and to walk with Him. And so, Christian perfectionism, doesn't mean that we are perfect in every way, it doesn't mean that we are sinless, it doesn't mean that we are fully mature, it simply is a call to head in that direction, be ye perfect.

Here in 1 John 2, verse one, you see this very thing, my little children, these things write unto you, that you sin not. That is the goal, sin not. Little boy was standing outside one night, shooting his BB gun at the moon, and older man passed by, and said, son, what are you doing? And the little boy said, I'm shooting at the moon.

And the older man in his wisdom said, you're never gonna hit the moon. And then the little boy had a good response, he said, I'll get closer to the moon than you're getting. And so, shooting for something.

Paul said, I'm shooting for the mark, which is the high calling of God, in Christ Jesus. And I can assure you this, if you're not shooting for it, you're not gonna hit anything, amen. You're not gonna hit anything.

And so that's what perfection is. I am heading towards Christ's likeness. I am heading towards maturity.

And even the apostle said, I have not yet arrived there, but I am pressing toward the mark. Let me read to you here. Epaphras in Colossians chapter four, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, salutes you, always laboring fervently for you in prayer, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

Boy, I read that verse, I said, that's a real need in my heart to pray for you all. All of you. Here's a man who came before the Lord and he was laboring fervently in prayer for this very thing, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

That's a goal, that's a direction. That's something we're shooting for and we ought to be praying one for another, amen. You know, what a great ministry it is.

You say, what's my ministry? I don't know what I should do for the church body. One of the things you can do for the body of Christ is to do that very thing right there, pray and labor in prayer that these individuals and myself may stand perfect and complete. In all the will of God.

Oh, we need more of those, amen. Prayer warriors who pray for one another and lift one another up in prayer. So as we press toward this mark, if we fail, if we stumble, we have a comforter, we have an advocate with the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and He comforts us in all of our difficulties.

So let's, as brothers and sisters, let's examine our own hearts. You know, are you one of these who are truly pressing toward the mark for the high calling of God in Christ Jesus? Is that your desire? Or unless you fill in the blank, you fill in the blank for your own life, this one thing I do, what would you say is your one thing that is the most important thing in your life? This one thing I do. Well, it'd be interesting to find out, you know, in your own heart, what is that one thing? Is it pressing toward the mark or is it building a business or is it making money or is it 101 other things? Is it pleasure? Is it, as Paul said, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God? What is it? And so that's what perfectionism is.

It's a goal. It's a journey. It's the narrow road.

And we're all on it. It's narrow, it's pressing. And so let's pursue perfection.

And let's be humble enough to acknowledge that we've not yet arrived on that journey. All right, I'm going to finish there and then we'll take the rest of these verses next time. And we'll finish with 2 Corinthians.

Does anyone want to add to the message? We got some time here this morning. Anyone want to add to the message? We have anything you'd like to share?