Sunday Morning September 27, 2009
Bel Aire Baptist Church
Series: Having It All [#2]
BECOMING PERFECT
2 Peter 1:3-11
Introduction:
[Video: “The Perfects”]
This video is a great depiction of our opinion about being perfect. I see this video as “cheesy” and stupid. It obviously makes fun of the idea of being perfect. We see the idea of being perfect as impossible because we are human.
Through the power of Jesus Christ, we have everything we need to have a life of perfection. If you are being like God, then you are being perfect. So, is anyone convinced that you can be perfect like me and Jesus? Yes, just ask me, “I am perfect”.
2 Peter 1:3 (NIV)
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”
I can be perfect…
1. Through the divine power of Jesus Christ.
Have you ever heard of will-power? It doesn’t work. Anytime I have tried to use my will-power to do something I fail. If you are a saved person, then you have the power of Almighty God available to you in order to be perfect. You need to use it.
2 Peter 1:4 (NIV)
“Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
I can be perfect…
2. Through choosing to be like Jesus Christ.
God has promised us that He would give us all we need, including the promise of the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we can escape sinning. The bottom line here is that there is a battle between the Holy Spirit and your flesh. The flesh is your desires, which are evil. You don’t have to do the wrong thing. The statement of, “The devil made me do it” is a lie. The devil can’t make you do anything. You sin because you choose to let the flesh win over the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1:5-7 (MSG)
“So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others.”
I can be perfect…
3. Through the building onto my faith.
You must grow up. You must keep growing stronger and stronger in Jesus Christ. The longer you have been a Christian, the more grown up you should be.
We are given the building blocks in which to become more and more like Christ. Notice that it starts with your basic faith in Jesus Christ. If your life is not built upon Christ, you have no foundation. Building upon any other thing or person besides Jesus Christ will fall.
We are to add to our basic faith…
> Good character. Simply put- How you behave. You need to act right.
We are to add to our good character…
> Spiritual understanding. If you don’t understand what God expects of you, then how can you live a godly life? How do you obtain spiritual understanding? You obtain spiritual understanding through prayer, Bible Study, fellowship with other believers, etc…
We are to add to our spiritual understanding…
> Alert discipline. You must pay attention, because the devil is always throwing things out there to trip you up. Pay attention! You do have to make yourself choose to do the right thing even if you don’t want to.
We are to add to our alert discipline…
> Passionate patience. No, no, no, etc… Why does the Bible always got to throw patience into all of these things? If you always want it your way, right away; then you are being selfish which is sinful, not perfect. You have to learn how to wait upon the Lord.
We are to add to our passionate patience…
> Reverent wonder. When you look at all of the character traits of Jesus Christ, don’t you just sometimes wonder how He did that? The NIV uses the word, “godliness”.
We are to add to our reverent wonder…
> Warm friendliness. The NIV uses the words, “brotherly kindness”. We are to be friendly to people. How can you be perfect and “rip everyone’s head off” at the same time? You can’t.
We are to add to our warm friendliness…
> Generous love. Anytime you find a list of God’s character traits and how we are to live- Love will always be the key.
1 Corinthians 13:1-8a; 13 (NIV)
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Conclusion:
We can be perfect.
2 Peter 1:8-11 (NIV)
“For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
There is the invitation this morning.
> If you are without Christ as Savior; then you are blind and you will continue to struggle through life. Your only hope is Jesus.
> If you are a Christian that is not growing in Christ in these areas, then you are wandering around like a lost person. You need to eagerly make your calling and election sure- Start building on your faith in Jesus Christ.
> If you are growing in Christ, keep going. Remember, it’s a daily walk not an occasional stroll.
