If You Want to be Perfect
Notes
Transcript
Intro; Wouldn’t it be nice if we were perfect? No defects with our body and mind; having complete understanding of situations and circumstances; mature beyond our years; a finished product admired by all.
Ills. Google plaque my wife gave me [thought I had arrived]. Then I realized how often Google is wrong, needs to be revised and doesn’t work when internet is down. I think my wife is being sarcastic and I need to get rid of this plaque! No, I’m not perfect and neither are you!
Matter of fact there is nothing we can do in ourselves to reach this state of perfection. This can only be accomplished in Christ.
This morning I want us to look at a young man that wanted to be perfect, but he would not do what Christ said was required of him to attain perfection. And there are many today that are unfortunately walking the same path he did.
Text; Mt. 19:16-26
16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”
17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’
19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”
26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Prayer
This very sincere young man came to Jesus to inquire about the means of living forever [eternal life/being perfect]! Now, who doesn’t want to live forever? Who doesn’t want to be perfect? Everybody I know does! Yet, too many are like this young man. They are interested in spiritual things [eternal life/perfection] but when they come face to face with the Lord Jesus to attain what they are seeking, most decide not to follow Him. What a tragedy! Far too many people miss Jesus everyday.
1. Eternal Life; 16
1. Eternal Life; 16
What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? Nothing
There are way too many false views concerning salvation that leads to eternal life. [Works, faith plus law, birthright, denominational]
Works salvation; This is the predominant view of salvation by almost all religions except Biblical Christianity. Salvation by works appeals to man’s pride and his desire to be in control. Surely God will look at my “good works” and they out weigh my faults and I will be saved in the end.
12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
[v. 17a] Jesus tells the young man that there is no one “good” but God!
Good [aga-thos]; of excellent and positive morality, benevolent and full of good acts, profitable, without fault, perfect.
8 Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
7 The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.
4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
[v.17b] But, if you think you can do it on your own then “keep the commandments”. We know the Ten Commandments, but the entire Law encompasses 613 commandments.
[v.18-19] Which ones? Then Jesus names six that all deal with how to treat others the way God does
[v.20] Yep, Got them all checked off! Which others out of the 607 left do I lack?
This is where many people are today in religion. They think they can check off all the boxes and be saved; [I’ve never killed anyone, been true to my spouse, worked hard for everything I have, I’m honest and I care about others].
Those things are all good and well, but that doesn’t make one right with God, nor will it obtain “eternal life”;
10 But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.”
19 Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the Child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people.
24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
1 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.
A shadow is just a glimpse of the real thing. The law was just a shadow of the amazing grace of God we find in Jesus Christ!
2. If You want to be Perfect; 21
2. If You want to be Perfect; 21
Perfect [tel-e-ios]; having no defect, complete, healed, mature, finished.
That definition is nearly word for word the same as the word “good”, that Jesus said about God. The main difference is the word healed!
The only way a person can become “perfect” is to be healed in the Lord Jesus Christ! That’s why Jesus said to “follow Me”!
Jesus did not tell this young man to sell what he had to become perfect, nor that doing so would gain him eternal life. He told him to simply get rid of the things that are keeping him from following Christ and truly keeping the commands of God!
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
If one is to love God with their whole being there must be a recognition in our life that we are sinners and sinners cannot be in the presence of a Holy God. No amount of works on our part can ever change that! So God enacts the process of His grace through faith in Christ so we can be healed and move towards perfection! To be healed one first must have a;
Conviction of Sin;
44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
Confession of Sin;
9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’
13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
The only way to be perfect is to have the righteousness of Christ imputed/possessed in us [healing], and for that to happen you must follow Him! When one truly follows Christ, he won’t hold tightly to the things of the world.
3. Sorrowful Sight; 22-26
3. Sorrowful Sight; 22-26
The most sorrowful sight to ever see is when a person is looking for Jesus and then they miss Him when he shows up!
I believe this young man was truly sincere in his search for eternal life. He asked the right questions of the right Person. The problem was the cost seemed to high for him. He was not willing to give up his earthly wealth to gain the treasures of heaven!
[v.24] Jesus even says, “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Jesus is not saying only poor people go to heaven and rich people go to hell. Jesus is asking “what you are holding onto that is keeping you from following Him?”
Every question in life requires a response. Every response must have actions attached to it. And every action deals with three areas of a persons being;
Mind; When the mind is engaged in an issue the thought is “I ought to or I ought not”
Will; When the will is engaged in an issue the motive is “I have to or I don’t have to.”
Heart; When the heart is engaged in the issue the response is “I want to or I don’t want to.”
The disciples were overwhelmed by Jesus’ response. If this young man who had tried to keep the law and did good to others, if he couldn’t be saved, who could?
[v.26] Jesus’ response is that no man can save himself, it is impossible, salvation is a work of God!
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Close;
If you were to read the account of the Rich Young Ruler in the three Gospels [Mt., Mk., Lk.] you would find that right before it you would read of Jesus gathering children around Himself. There is a reason these accounts appear back to back like they do in the Gospels.
Jesus received the little children which in that day were often rejected by men, and then He rejected the rich man who in that day was received by the people. What’s the message that Jesus is trying to tell us?
Jesus receives the humble and rejects the proud!
If you want to have eternal life, if you want to be perfect, you must humble yourself before God and He will exalt you in Christ!
