Nobody's Perfect Part 4

Growing in Grace

Next week we will take a pause and examine the reason for the season.

After Christmas we will start our new sermon series, “Make a Choice” - Decision making and the will of God.

Grace is a force. It is like a tailwind that pushes us toward the will of God. - Tony Evans.

Our works do not justify us

We need to learn to replace lies with truth

Growing in Grace

Freedom from the Prison of Performance

Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

Pockets of Perfectionism

Is orderliness necessary for you to relax?

Has cleanliness become an obsession?

Do family members have to be exemplary?

Is punctuality a must?

Does your work always have to be praiseworthy?

Must your appearance always be immaculate?

Does your specific skill have to be exceptional?

Do people have to meet your expectations?

Did you respond with a yes to some of these questions?

1 Peter 5:7 “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

1) Face your Feelings:

Psalm 25:17 “The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.”

This is a process best done with in a safe community of people who love you.

Recognize your longing for acceptance. Read the Psalms to find passages that express your deepest feelings.

Allow yourself to feel the pain of your past. Find someone with whom you can pray and share your feelings.

Try to understand those in your life who gave only conditional love. They were probably treated the same way.

Let go of your claim against those who have hurt you. Release your anger and make a conscious choice to forgive

Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

2) Commit to Change

Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”

Know that change is difficult.

Choose to be satisfied with less than perfection.

Cease all comparisons between yourself and others.

Eliminate unrealistic expectations of yourself and others.

Take responsibility for doing what is right for you.

Set some personal goals that will be beneficial.

Cultivate the ability to say no!

Learn to laugh at your mistakes.

Galatians 1:10 “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

3) Master Your Mind

(Making a Choice)

Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Eliminate your “all or nothing” thinking.

Rid yourself of your rigid personal rules (should’s, ought’s, must’s, have to’s).

Keep a daily journal of your negative thoughts about yourself and then replace them with a positive statement about yourself.… “Thank You, God, for your continual grace toward me.”

Tell yourself the truth by memorizing God’s “messages of grace,” such as 2 Peter 3:18.

2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

Pray daily for God’s intervention to help you take charge of your thoughts.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”

4) Lose your Life

Surrender your demands to have things your way. (Give up your right to be right)

Let go of your right to live life out of your own resources.

Trust God to meet all of your needs.

Submit yourself to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Choose to live day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment in dependence on Christ’s life within you.

2 Peter 1:3-4 “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”

5) Grow in Grace

Your God, the God of all grace, wants to give you a heart full of grace—grace toward yourself and others. Grace involves unmerited favor, undeserved care, unearned love. Pray that you will allow the Spirit of Christ within you to produce the fruit of His Spirit through you.

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

As believers grow in maturity, they are set free from the shackles of the law … free to grow in grace. You can excel in grace by lining up with the Lord. Grace enables you to accept God’s undeserved, unmerited, unearned favor despite your imperfections.

Illistration:

Some purchases come with extras that have to be purchaes. A new car is a sizable investment in and of itself, but there is always a long list of additional purchases that can be added on to enhance the new car and increase its price. There is the base price and then there’s the price that includes all the extras. This is the case unless the car is considered “top of the line.”

Many toys purches for chdilren during the Christmas season indicate on the box that batteries are not included and must be purchased separately. The toy is now accessible but doesn’t include power. What good is a toy that needs a battery?

Grace is different. Grace comes with everything included. God says that everything He’s every going to do for you He’s already done. Grace is also all-inclusive.

Exchange your efforts for dependence on Christ’s power. Don’t try and bring your own batteries as a solution. Exchange your push to perform for Christ’s performing His perfect work through you.