God is Not Through With You Yet

I want to tell you a story of two travelers and a Christian.

AMG Bible Illustrations Imperfect Christians and the Perfect Christ

Two fellow travelers were seated together in a railway compartment engaged in earnest conversation of a religious nature. One of them, a skeptic, was evidently trying to excuse his unbelief by exposing the various evils which afflict Christendom, detailing with pleasure the hypocrisy and the craft, and the covetousness and divisions found in the professing church, and then he pointed to some of the leaders as the most markedly corrupt of all. In front of them sat a Christian who was compelled to hear all this. He knew the accusations to be true—too true to be concealed from the most charitable mind—so all he could do was to bow his head and bear the deserved reproach. Soon, however, the accuser, anxious to extend the circle of his audience, addressed this fellow passenger in front of him. “I see you are quick to detect evil,” said the Christian, “and you read character pretty well. You have been uncovering the abominable things that have turned Christendom into a wreck, and are fast ripening it for the judgment of God. You have spared none, but given all a good measure. Now, I am a Christian and love the Lord Jesus and His people. Not a word shall I offer in defense, but I solemnly challenge you to speak the first word against the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.” The skeptic was surprised. He seemed almost frightened and sheepishly replied, “Well, no! I could not find fault with Him. He was perfect.” “Just so!” said the Christian. “Therefore was my heart attracted to Him, and the more I looked, the more I found I was not like Him at all, but only a poor, guilty, sinful man. All of the evil which professed followers of His may do cannot turn me away from Him. My salvation hangs on what He has done, and not on what they are doing.”

This response from a Christian wishing to defend the integrity of Christianity made one fundamental claims: Christians are not perfect, but Christ is. Since Christ is perfect and we are not, we should place our faith in the perfect Messiah rather than the imperfect believers who follow Him. Another writer wrote,

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 672 The Perfect Church

I think that I shall never see

A Church that’s all it ought to be:

A Church whose members never stray

Beyond the Strait and Narrow Way:

A Church that has no empty pews,

Whose Pastor never has the blues,

A Church whose Deacons always deak,

And none is proud, and all are meek:

Where gossips never peddle lies,

Or make complaints or criticize;

Where all are always sweet and kind,

And all to other’s faults are blind.

Such perfect Churches there may be,

But none of them are known to me.

But still, we’ll work, and pray and plan,

To make our own the best we can.

Without hesitation, we declare that Christ is the ultimate reason one should be a Christian. The logic and rationale for being a Christian is based on the identity and historical existence of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are to declare the message that Jesus is ultimately the greatest human being that has ever lived. How is he the greatest human being?

Divinity- both God and man

Morality- all good and no evil; love and no hatred; righteousness and no sin

Eternity- no beginning or ending, eternal

Yet, Christians play a fundamental role in inviting others to follow Jesus by the way they live in this world. How do they do this? Well, there are examples throughout Scripture. However, two examples are most suitable for today’s sermon—one in the Old Testament and the second in the New Testament.

Leviticus 19 is a clear example of how Scripture demonstrated Israel’s responsibility towards being a witness in the world. Leviticus 19:2 provides the commandment that Israel should be holy. The remainder of the chapter shares just what holiness looks like and how it is to be manifested.

There are two things that stand out in this chapter: a horizontal and vertical relationship. The vertical relationship is with God and is maintained through pious and religious activity. The horizontal relationship is between the Israelites who are obliged to each other’s well-being.

Holiness, then, is a life of personal and corporate piety and management of good relationships. Ultimately, one’s goal is to develop the character that will allow them to do these two things well. When this is done, holiness is accomplished.

However, there is another example in Matthew 22:36-40. When Jesus was asked which was the greatest law, He responded commandments:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.

Heart- internal feature

Soul- immaterial part of a person, which is the actuating cause of an individual life (psychological faculties

Mind- the faculty of reason

Love your neighbor as yourself

What do these commandments represent? It represents the paradigm that was first given to the nation of Israel concerning vertical and horizontal relationships. Again, this is the only way to obey God and ultimately live in faithful obedience to God.

Everything we have read in these passages so far is a prescription for holiness. It is a prescription for the thing most Christians feel they are terrible at—being holy. However, the only way to be holy is to understand the meaning of holiness.

Defining Holiness

When the word holy was used in Hebrew and Greek literature, it expressed meanings such as “different from,” “distinct,” “devoted to,” and “sacred.” The word holy is often seen as an impossible feat, because it is often associated with God. As G.F. Hawthorne puts it, holiness, at least in the Old Testament, is a 3-pronged motif:

Holiness is the fundamental character of God

Holiness is the description of God’s action.

Holiness is the ethical response believers give to God.

There’s a similar motif found in the New Testament, except holiness is now defined by Jesus Christ. Furthermore, the understanding that one has of the holiness of God as characterized by Jesus Christ. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 5:48, “48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Wait…Jesus expects us to be perfect? Is this a real expectation? C.S. Lewis wrote,

More Perfect Illustrations: For Every Topic and Occasion Sanctification: Perfection Is Possible

The command “be ye perfect” is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command.

When Jesus says be “perfect,” he is saying more than be holy. Holy is included, but what He really wants is for us to be complete, without defect or blemish. That, is He wants us to be the best version of our “kind” or specimen as possible. And yes, we should believe that such a commandment is possible and not simply idealistic as Lewis has said.

Being Perfect in an Evil Age

When Jesus speaks of being perfect, He is not simply speaking of being holy. Rather, He is instructing His followers to be complete. According to Ulrich Luz, there are two elements in this perfection:

unity of heart

totality of obedience as a subjective element and fulfilling all the law’s demands as an objective element

The Didache, refers to perfection as “bearing the whole yoke of the Lord.” Now, I will admit here, all that has been said so far may appear as a bit of web. There are multiple variables to consider, which gets us to this idea of perfection spoken of in Matthew.

There’s holiness, love, and then there’s perfection. Perfection is when we love God more than we love anything else as a means of pursuing holiness [separation for God’s use]. The word perfect in Matthew 5:48 implies that one love without limits. When we think about perfection this way, we understand perfection is a creational activity. Perfection, and therefore, our holiness is an expression of man’s desire to return back to His original God-given purpose and role in creation.

The Solution

What is the solution for a sin-infested creature who has all the natural instincts of the devil? How can such a creature live as perfect in an evil age? Do they keep trying until they master it? Is this simply a matter of time, so one would have to simply put their time into this practice until they finally get it right? No. We run to our heavenly Father for the assistance we need.

Paul talks about this when sharing his prayers with the church in Philippians. He is praising God for their outstanding partnership. He expresses his confidence that they will continue—not on the merits of their own work, but on the one that started the work in them.

You see, we are in a process of being perfected. Yet, this process continues as long as we throw ourselves on the cross of Christ—depending on the One who started a good work in us. Because God started this work in us, we will finish it.

Pray this prayer of perfection: Hebrews 13:20-21 “Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep—through the blood of the everlasting covenant, equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”