06-09-2019 - Fear of Failure
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Sea Shells:
Years ago I used to collect sea shells. I would spend many hours of vacations, early in the morning, late at night, timing tidal changes, going out at 2am - all in the relentless pursuit of PERFECT Seashells. Many times I would pick up a promising specimen to only be stymied because some flaw or other had been hidden in the sand.
If the shell was not perfect… I did not want it… until one day I picked up a shell that had been worn by wave and sand to a fraction of what it once was… and it was stunningly beautiful....
Shortly after that the Lord used that as a lesson in life, that the very idea of Perfectionism in the fallen world - even among those Redeemed and delivered is a problem in the modern church.
Christians often Doggedly pursue and Demand PERFECTION
I want to state, at this point, emphatically, that GOD DEMANDS PERFECTION… Which is Why He took YOU and I OUT OF THE EQUATION!!!
Accepting anything less than TOTAL DEFEAT, TOTAL SURRENDER and TOTAL ACQUIESCENCE is built on HUBRIS (Pride) and not HUMILITY
Let’s Take a look at Two Bible Examples who had to come to the end of themselves:
38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” 41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
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38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” 41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
The Desire for the PERFECT SOCIAL GATHERING
Made Martha DISTRACTED
Made Martha DEMANDING (critical)
Made Martha DELIRIOUS over DETAILS
I am asking every one here today who believes, even as a follower of Christ, that you can pave the way of people, or their experience to Christ with your Pathetic Perfectionism to Consider Clearly what Jesus says,
“There is only one thing worth being concerned about… Mary has discovered it...”
R.C. Sproul put it this way:
Inevitably the error of perfectionism breeds one, or usually two, deadly delusions. To convince ourselves that we have achieved sinlessness, we must either suffer from a radical overestimation of our moral performance or we must seriously underestimate the requirements of God’s law.
11 Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. 12 After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand. 13 The next day, when Moses went out to visit his people again, he saw two Hebrew men fighting. “Why are you beating up your friend?” Moses said to the one who had started the fight. 14 The man replied, “Who appointed you to be our prince and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?” Then Moses was afraid, thinking, “Everyone knows what I did.” 15 And sure enough, Pharaoh heard what had happened, and he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian. When Moses arrived in Midian, he sat down beside a well. 16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters who came as usual to draw water and fill the water troughs for their father’s flocks.
11 Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. 12 After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand. 13 The next day, when Moses went out to visit his people again, he saw two Hebrew men fighting. “Why are you beating up your friend?” Moses said to the one who had started the fight. 14 The man replied, “Who appointed you to be our prince and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?” Then Moses was afraid, thinking, “Everyone knows what I did.” 15 And sure enough, Pharaoh heard what had happened, and he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian. When Moses arrived in Midian, he sat down beside a well. 16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters who came as usual to draw water and fill the water troughs for their father’s flocks. 17 But some other shepherds came and chased them away. So Moses jumped up and rescued the girls from the shepherds. Then he drew water for their flocks. 18 When the girls returned to Reuel, their father, he asked, “Why are you back so soon today?” 19 “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” they answered. “And then he drew water for us and watered our flocks.” 20 “Then where is he?” their father asked. “Why did you leave him there? Invite him to come and eat with us.” 21 Moses accepted the invitation, and he settled there with him. In time, Reuel gave Moses his daughter Zipporah to be his wife. 22 Later she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, for he explained, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.” 23 Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. 24 God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25 He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act.
The Desire to Create the PERFECT WORLD or PERFECT ENVIRONMENT
The Desire to Create the PERFECT WORLD or PERFECT ENVIRONMENT
Made Moses Act IMPULSIVELY
Made Moses Act INDEPENDENTLY (apart from God and His Law)
Made Moses Act IMPERIOUSLY (as if He was king of the world)
Natalie Grant sings King of the World, and that line, “When did I forget that you’ve always been the king of the world...”
We often act Impulsively - without thinking. We often act Independently (isolated and without regard for God and His Word) and many times we act Imperiously (as if WE are the king and/or queen of this world.
Only when we Accept the FULL Measure of our FAILURE can GOD MOVE IN and TURN FAILURE into DELIVERANCE on HIS Terms…
Perfectionism is about our Struggle with an uncontrollable sin nature. We like to think it is this nature in others that our Perfectionism is designed to address, but in reality, we are unable to master our own failures.
It is OK if you give of your best to the Master, so long as you know that in your sinful flesh your best is always accepted because of God's mercy and His goodness.
Only in Jesus is your "best" acceptable to God at any level…
Both Moses and Martha - even in their FAILURE receive the mercy, grace and salvation of God.. The next time you FEAR FAILURE - FOCUS on CHRIST instead of the faults and failures of your life or the lives of those around you....