Matthew 5:48 - Be Perfect

Intro

Tell them your name

Turn your Bibles to Matthew 5

How many of you desire to be a faithful follower of Jesus?

**Show of hands.

The vast majority of the people in the room want to be faithful followers of Jesus.

Which is good! You’ve come to the right place.

I understand there are some that are not following Jesus

You’re here because you were invited

You’re here because you passed the sign

You’re here because you’re walking through some things in your life: “Does the church have what I need?”

Regardless why you’re here, I’m glad you’re here.

The next question you have 15 seconds to think and answer:

What does a faithful follower of Jesus look like?

Since we have the desire to be faithful followers of Jesus, it’s important we know how to answer the second question.

If this is what we want to be, it’s important to know what that is!

Because a lot of Christianity today has no idea how to answer that question.

There are different answers across the board

Many of you might have answered the second question by what a person does.

If you think that way, you probably thought of a list of things to do.

DO list

Go to church every Sunday, read your Bible, pray, give 10% of your income (gross, not net).

Go on mission trips, share the gospel with neighbors, be a good spouse, mother, father, sister, brother,

DON’T list

If you grew up with a similar church background like me, this is a long list.

Dont drink, don’t covet your neighbors wife, and don’t dance if you’re a good Baptist.

And depending on who you talk to, that don’t list changes!

The church I grew up in, you weren’t saved unless you dance!

A lot of people define faithfully following Jesus by “am I doing all the right things and am I not doing all the wrong things.”

Summarized, following Jesus is tied to the word “performance.”

Christianity is the sum of my performance for Jesus.

If this is the way you think of Christianity, you probably feel disappointed and frustrated.

This is the way I lived for a long time.

You come to church and think everyone has their stuff together.

You wonder why you’re the only one that’s broken.

Everyone else is able to keep the do’s and don’t’s where you simply struggle week in/out.

Another way we answer this question is based on what we know.

To faithfully follow Jesus, you learn as much about the Bible as you can possibly know.

To have as many apologetic questions answered as you possibly can.

If you have the right doctrine, all the right theology, and the creeds

I’m not saying that faithfully following Jesus has nothing to do with what we do or how we think, but I think both of those paradigms by themselves fall short of following Jesus.

We’re in the sermon series: Jesus: Difficult and Unexpected

Jesus said a lot of controversial and scandalous things.

Some of the things Jesus said would get Him “canceled” in a heartbeat.

He’d say things like our text today

Stand with me for the reading of God’s Word

Matthew 5:17–20 ESV

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

This is God’s Word written down for you and for me

Thanks be to God

Verse 20 - Put that on your Christian coffee mug.

Today we’re looking at a hard saying Jesus gave that our culture still struggles with.

How do you exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees?

They were Jews whose job was to translate, interpret, and teach the law.

They read, they prayed, the studied!

Their lives were spent down to the punctuation of the Law of Moses.

They were morally excellent!

Then Jesus gives with another hard saying later in the passage

Matthew 5:48 ESV

48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

That’s a pretty tall order.

The Pharisees were really good at behavior driven religion that focused on works.

Works based religion can bring moral excellence, but not perfection.

Non-Christians consider sin to be a term of action—It’s something I do.

Things I have done or should not do.

Their aim is to be good.

Something is good when it is to the extent of all it can and should be.

Some people are hinging eternity on “if I’m good enough, I’ll go to heaven” or “If my good outweigh’s my bad, I’ll go to heaven.”

Morally ethical people want to live within the law, but have little conscern for the spirit.

The mind, the feelings, the emotions

The ultimate win for them is to uphold the moral law and be seen as good.

Some church people who claim the name of Jesus have also functionally taken type of belief.

“If I’m good, I’ll go to heaven.” So they bring all of their goodisms and self-justifications to church and push Bible verses like Matthew 5:48 right out of context

Out of our mouths we’ll admit our imperfections, but then parade their goodness above others.

I’m not perfect, but I’m not that guy.

They will hold non-believers to the Law.

The church has not historically championed the topic of godliness well.

This puts an extreme vice on people that are far from God.

When we tell them our rules, but nothing of our Savior

When we expect them to live up to our rules .

Many people that have stepped away from Jesus because of church people.

"I couldn’t live up to their standard of living on my life.”

The “holier than thou” mentality.

Jesus had just doubled down in this passage.

“Unless your righteousness exceeds the Pharisees”

Then he gives 6 elements of Jewish law.

“You have heard it said”...”but I say to you.”

Jesus doesn’t stop at the action; Jesus aims at the heart and the mind.

“Well, I didn’t kill anyone!” “Oh, but you wanted to!”

As Christians, we must be more concerned with the Spirit than the flesh.

The heart influences the action

It’s more than adultery/divorce—I don’t want to look at a woman who isn’t my spouse with lust

It’s more than anger—I don’t want bitterness and grudges to run my life.

It’s more than breaking a promise—I don’t want to be found a liar.

It’s more than loving people—I want to love people like Jesus, who came to die for His enemies.

Following Jesus is more than behaviorism—This is down to the character of heart.

Jesus reminds us of the character of God.

God is good

In order of something to be good, it has to be the best that it can/should be.

God’s character and essence is perfect, righteousness

He Himself is perfect.

All He thinks is right, all He does is right, and all He says is right.

God is perfect.

The greek word there is Teleios **slide**

Perfect; mature; complete

God is complete. God is perfect!

Jesus calls us to be too.

How do we better understand this? Because this seems impossible.

The apostle Paul is going to help us understand this.

Paul frequently drew his readers to remember who they were before Christ.

Ephesians 2:12 “12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”

No hope and without God.

That was who you were.

That was your story.

If God is perfect, and you were without God--that means trouble.

Hell bound. Dead in sin.

Hopeless.

Verse 13 brings a contrast!

Ephesians 2:13-14 “13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility”

Okay, so there’s hope for us!

Now through faith in Christ, who killed the hostility, we can be reconciled to God!

We can be with God again!

Jesus didn’t leave us to our hopelessness and godlessness!

Instead, He came and preached good news of peace to us who were far off.

Now, though we are not perfect, we turn away from our sin and what makes us imperfect and strive toward Jesus!

Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we no longer have to live outside the presence of God without hope!

Now, the Father welcomes us into the Kingdom!

Instead of being outcasts, we can be citizens!

Instead of being sinners, we can be saints!

Instead of being slaves to sin, we can be sons of God!

If no one amens that, I’m going to start this sermon over.

That’s really good news, Bo! But that doesn’t fix the issue! If I’m honest, I’m still far from perfect!

You’re right! And no matter how close you got to perfect, it still wouldn’t be enough.

Paul was an impressive guy.

He would say that he was

Philippians 3:5-6 “5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.”

Paul was very Jewish.

Paul was educated, morally excellent

Paul kept a high status

But Paul doesn’t care about any of this now! (v. 7)

Compared to Jesus, it’s all trash!

Paul would say “if you’re looking at my impressive resume, it says that without Jesus, I’m an unspeakable loser!”

Philippians 3:7-15

Jesus is infinitely better!

“The surpassing worth of knowing”

Knowing Jesus surpasses anything else we can get in this life!

If I were to lose everything, Jesus is enough!

Paul renounced everything so that He would have Jesus!

"and be found in Him”

Identification with the crucified Christ!

We have no righteousness of our own! (v. 9)

We are imperfect people!

We are not teleios!

We’re broken!

We’re sinners!

But through Christ, His righteousness is given to us through faith! (v. 10)

My self righteousness is trash! My only hope is Jesus! Give me Christ!

Whatever the cost, give me the resurrected Christ!

Paul does not take on Christ’s righteousness as if he had earned it.

He didn’t get this on his own.

This is not Paul’s righteousness.

Paul doesn’t deserve Jesus’s grace.

Paul is not already perfect (vv.12-15)

Do you remember the greek word for perfect? “Teleios”!

I am not perfect, I make Christ righteousness my own because Christ Jesus has made me His own.”

Paul belongs to Jesus.

Being a faithful follower of Jesus is not a matter of doing, but a matter of belonging.

But I press on toward the call of God in Christ!

I want to be like Jesus!

“Let those who are mature think this way” (v. 15)

Any guess as to what the Greek word for mature is? “Teleios!”

Paul gives his life to proclaiming the excellencies of Jesus because it’s through Christ that people grow to be more like the perfect Christ!

We’ll never be perfect, but following Jesus will lead to being more like Christ through repentance and faith!

Paul would go on to write

Colossians 1:28.

The goal of discipleship and evangelism is to present everyone mature in Christ.

Any guesses on that word “mature?”

The reason we do community groups is because we want to present everyone mature in Christ.

Growing toward Jesus with one another.

Response

What’s our next steps?

Surrender preconceived notions of Christianity.

You’ve grown up in or have experienced moralistic deism but not the gospel.

It’s not too late for you to receive the gospel.

Your frustrations and disappointments with white-knuckled religion and religious hypocrisy can come to an end.

Today, you can receive freedom in Christ

You can today, declare that Jesus died to make you right with God and was raised that you may have His eternal life!

“Jesus, I want you more!”

Would you do that today?

Take the next step toward maturity in Jesus

What does that look like for you?

Perhaps you just became a Christian considering baptism

Praise God! Let’s talk about it!

Perhaps you are just baptized and you’re wondering what’s next?!

Let’s get you connected to a Community Group.

Maybe you feel the Lord calling you to serve somewhere?!

Let’s commit ourselves to pressing on toward the upward call of God in Christ.

To be perfect as our heavenly father is perfect.

Slides needed

How many of you desire to be a faithful follower of Jesus?

**added to slide 1** What does a faithful follower of Jesus look like?

Matthew 5:17-20

Matthew 5:48

τέλειος - “Teleios” = Perfect; mature; complete

Ephesians 2:12-14.

Philippians 3:7-15.

Being a faithful follower of Jesus is not a matter of doing, but a matter of belonging.