CALEB CUNNINGHAM: PERFECT PEOPLE IN CHRIST

Perfect People In Christ


Most of us have heard the saying, “Misery loves company”. What it means is that people who are miserable prefer to have other people feeling miserable with them. No one wants to suffer alone. No one wants to be the only person to feel bad. No one wants to be the only person in poverty, or sickness, or be guilty of sin.

As Christians we’d never wish our misfortunes or mistakes on other people but I have to admit, I feel just a little bit better about my struggles when I hear about other people’s struggles. As a matter of fact, I would be miserable if I were surrounded by perfect people. I probably couldn’t be happy in a perfect place because I’d be there and I’m imperfect.

And you know what, my family isn’t perfect either. I didn’t grow up in a perfect home and my children aren’t growing up in a perfect home either.

I don’t have a 100% perfect marriage. It might be hard for some of you to believe but we sometimes disagree. And sometimes we get really mad about our disagreements. We’ve argued about driving techniques, room temperatures, finances, in-laws, and all the other things that couples will have arguments about. I heard one preacher say that every time he does a sermon on marriage he gets into an argument the week before with his wife. And I laughed out loud because I know what he’s talking about. One church member in Sunday morning Bible class joked around about the chaos of trying to get the family dressed and out the door for worship, and I immediately felt better because I thought my family was the only one that experienced that kind of chaos.

I’m not a perfect person, husband, father, preacher, I’m not a perfect Christian. I wish I was, but I’m not. So in some sick way I’m kind of relieved to hear that other people aren’t perfect either.

1. There are no perfect people in the Bible

I’m amazed at how honest the Bible writers are about the heroes of our faith. In many religions the people of old are made out to be perfect people who did everything right and never failed. But this isn’t so of the Christian’s Bible. In our Bible’s we read about the sins of the best people our faith has to offer: Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Peter and Paul.

Even sometimes in church there is a tendency to think the church of our grandparents was perfect and did everything right, but this isn’t true either.
Ecclesiastes 7:10 - Do not say, “Why is it that the former days were better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.

The fact of the matter is that God’s people have never been perfect in any time. We’ve been better at some times than others, but we’ve never been perfect. As James 3:2, tells us, “For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.”

2. There Are Many Dangers in Pretending to be Perfect.

A. When people pretend to be perfect, they’re living a lie.
"The closest people come to perfection is when they fill out a job application."
1 John 1:8 - If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.

B. When people pretend to be perfect, they become arrogant.

Meryl Streep, said about the life of Hollywood, “It’s sort of exhausting, this self-congratulatory atmosphere in which the movie community lives. It’s unbearable. We’re not that important in the world, but we certainly all think we are…I shouldn’t talk about it, I mean I’m really grateful that my work is recognized…but boy, we’ve gotten a little bloated. It’s so grand and the outfits are so incredible and the critique of how everybody looks and the desperation of people to make an impact—it really gets to me.” (Interview for the Daily Telegraphy, 02/28/00)

Luke 7:36-39 - Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, 38and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. 39Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.”

The farther a man knows himself to be from perfection, the nearer he is to it!

C. When people pretend to be perfect, they discourage imperfect people.

What happens is that the expectations become unrealistic. And it becomes very uncomfortable for the people who don’t pretend to be perfect. There may also be the temptation to be judgmental towards people who are open and honest about their struggles.

Just imagine a newcomer to the worship assemblies or to Bible class. The newcomer is not a Christian, therefore, he hasn’t lived a life guided by God’s word. As he observes everyone dressed in their Sunday best condemning not only the practices of the outside world, but even fellow believers. The newcomer then comes to the conclusion: I don’t belong here because I am not perfect.
Now imagine a newcomer to the worship assemblies or Bible class. He meets people who aren’t perfect and they know it. They love the Lord, however, and want to be perfect but acknowledge how tough it is. They’re open with one another about temptation, sin, and questions and doubts. They work through these issues together, not judging one another, but encouraging one another. The newcomer then comes to the conclusion: I belong here because I am not perfect.

Pretending to be perfect discourages everyone from confessing sin and being open about their struggles in life. And I wonder if it is for this reason that the Bible tells us to “confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another” (James 5:16).

D. When people pretend to be perfect, they stress themselves to death.

It is mission impossible to convince everyone that you’re perfect when everyone knows you’re not. So why even go through the stress of trying.

We all have a tendency to be perfectionists to some degree. However, a study was done recently that revealed being a perfectionist can kill you. Hypertension, migraines, and heart problems are common ailments for perfectionists. Also, labor problems are common for perfectionist bosses. This kind of boss alienates employees, destroys morale, tends to put off making significant decisions, and frequently causes financial harm to the companies they run. The conclusion of the study was that the tendency to be a perfectionist results in poor health, poor relationships, and personal misery.

E. When people pretend to be perfect, they become exclusive of openly imperfect people.

The Pharisees of Jesus’ day had many private sins in attitudes and action, but they pretended to be perfect. This led them to have a disdain for people whose sins were more obvious. Just because your sins are secretive doesn’t make you acceptable to God or the church. All sin separates us from God.

And this is the bad news for all of us imperfect people…

3. Anything less than perfection is not good enough for our perfect God.

According to the Holman Bible Dictionary, PERFECTION is “Reaching an ideal state of spiritual wholeness or completeness”.

The basis of moral and spiritual perfection lies in God Himself: Whose law (Jas. 1:25), works (Deut. 32:4), and ways (Ps. 18:30) are perfect.

According to Scripture, God will not admit anyone into His presence in Heaven who is not perfect. If God graded you, and 70% were passing, then heaven would be 30% sinful. If He let anyone into Heaven with a grade of 99.9%, then Heaven would still be .1% dirty. Thus God demands total perfection.
Leviticus 22:21 - When a man offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD to fulfill a special vow or for a freewill offering, of the herd or of the flock, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it.
Isaiah 25:1 – O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks toYour name; for You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.
“You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48).

So since God is perfect and demands perfection should those of us who are imperfect just give up and given in to temptations and sin? No.

4. God Will Perfect Us in Jesus the Christ

The New Testament clearly articulates the need to “perfect holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1).

It is what we strive for never completely attain in this life. Paul admitted that he had not “been made perfect” (Phil. 3:12). But he didn’t attempt to excuse himself from pursuing the goal of perfection. He said, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” The person who excuses himself from serous effort because nobody’s perfect, is fooling himself and the truth is not in him either.

While it is self-righteous and hypocritical to claim that one has already attained perfect behavior and though in Christ at any point in this life, it is also self-deceiving and foolish to ignore the pursuit of perfection..

Just because we’re not perfect doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t always strive for perfection. As Paul wrote in Philippians 3:12, “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.”

5. God’s Way to Perfection

A). The Bible is the perfect guide.
Psalm 19:7 – The Law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul.
James 1:25 - But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

B). Transformation of your life and mind:
Romans 12:2 - And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

C). In all things practice love.
Colossians 3:14 - Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
1 John 4:18 – “Perfected in love” casts out all fears.

D). Going through difficult times in life.
1 Peter 5:10 - After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

E). Remember that Perfection is a Process
Philippians 1:16 - For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Since perfection is a process that takes time, we must…

F). Never Give Up
Endurance will lead to perfection eventually, “And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:4).

The divine gift of perfection will be fully realized only in eternity (1 John 3:2). It is a goal to be sought (2 Cor. 7:1; Heb. 6:1). True perfection cannot be found this side of heaven (Eph. 4:13; Jas. 3:2).

Conclusion

The good news of the gospel is that God can use us in great ways in spite of our imperfection. He can even use our imperfections to advance His kingdom. For example, Have you ever noticed the pock-marks, or dimples, covering the surface of a golf ball? They make the ball look imperfect. So, what’s their purpose? An aeronautical engineer who designs golf balls says that a perfectly smooth ball would travel only 130 yards off the tee. But the same ball with the right kind of dimples will fly twice that far. These apparent “flaws” minimize the ball’s air resistance and allow it to travel much further.
Most of us can quickly name the physical characteristics we wish we had been born without. It’s difficult to imagine that these “imperfections” are there for a purpose and are part of God’s master design. Yet, when the psalmist wrote of God’s creative marvel in the womb, he said to the Lord, “You formed my inward parts” (Psalm 139:13) and “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed” (139:16). He also said, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made (139:14).

God demands perfection from his creatures, but if they will ever have it, he himself must supply it. We need not be concerned about how high God’s standard is, as long as he meets it for us.

Caleb Cunningham