Hi, I'm Wintley Phipps,
and welcome to our program
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Perfecting Me,
Becoming More Like Jesus.
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I'm so glad you've joined us.
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My guests today on our
program are Ruthie Jacobson,
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head of Prayer Ministry of
the North American Division
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of Seventh-day Adventist,
Pastor Errol Stoddard,
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Pastor, Senior Pastor of
the Church of the Oranges
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of Seventh-day
Adventist in Orange, New Jersey,
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and Mrs. Adly Campos, speaker,
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and president of the
Family Well-Being International.
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They will be
joining our discussion
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a little later in the program.
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This program is
dedicated to the belief
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that there is
nothing more important,
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or more exciting you
can do with your life
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than to become
every day more like Jesus.
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We trust you will find
joy, and being able to say,
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"Everyday, Jesus is
molding me, shaping me,
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and everyday He
is perfecting me."
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Over the last 200 years,
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there is a word
that has progressively
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and gradually
fallen from our vocabulary,
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and from our focus
and priorities as humans,
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and even as Christians.
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It is a word that
has almost been expunged
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and purged from our
spiritual consciousness.
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Today, this
word of which I speak
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is as unpopular as a
politician's promise.
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It is now shun by
many like the plague.
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It is now viewed by
many with scorn, derision,
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and even disdain.
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And nowhere have
I seen the decline
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of this word's presence
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and influence more
than in the church.
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Today in the
church, this word is seen by
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many as
unfashionable, and out of favor.
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Frankly, it is a
word I seldom hear used
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in modern praise
and worship to God.
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Today, this
word of which I speak
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seems to scare the
daylights out of Christians.
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It is not a word
from films of horror,
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it is not a blood curling word,
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not some beastly wild profanity,
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neither is it some vulgarity
that has gained acceptance
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in our
sacrilegious irreverent world.
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To the contrary,
this word of which I speak
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is a most beautiful
and compelling word.
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It is a
challenging and inspiring word.
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It is a word that should stir us
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and motivate us.
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A word that
should lift our sights,
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and move us to consider
the limitless possibilities
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offered to us by our loving God.
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This word is a visionary word,
a shimmering, sparkling word,
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a word that lifts our
sights from earth to heaven.
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This word of which I
speak is the word, perfect.
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Yes, perfect.
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Today we will try to understand
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how such a beautiful
word has become unfashionable,
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and fallen out of
favor in the Christian world.
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I've been blessed to
get to know a dear brother
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in the Lord, his
name is Dave Blakeslee.
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Dave is a potter
who loves the Lord,
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and God's process for molding us
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and shaping us reminds me
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so much of the
work of David Blakeslee.
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As he tries to
fashion vessels for the Lord
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that are as perfect as possible.
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Let us go into his
shop and see Dave at work.
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What actually
I'm going to do here
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is to create a
hole in the middle.
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Call it opening up.
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Right down to the
very center, the core.
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Throughout the Old
Testament and the New Testament,
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the word heart is used a lot.
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Truly, not so much
the emotional heart
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that we think of romantically.
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As it is the core of our being.
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The very center of what we
are, who we are as a person.
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And the
interesting thing about God is,
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He doesn't do an
outside work on us
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as much as an
interior work inside of us,
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in our spirit, in
our soul, in our mind.
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In fact, He desires
to even dwell in us.
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The very beginning of creation,
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story of the creation of Adam
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in Genesis says that,
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God formed or fashioned Adam
out of the dust of the earth.
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And the second
aspect of Adam's creation
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was that God blew His spirit
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into the nostrils of the man
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that He had
formed from the earth.
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With that, I believe
that there are two parts of us
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that are essential.
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One, to be a full
person is, of course,
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to have a physical body, mind.
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Second is, to have the
spirit of God in dwelling us.
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We must be filled, be birthed
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from the spirit of God as well,
have the indwelling of God.
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So I love the fact
in making this vessel,
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I have to start
in the very beginning
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after it's been centered,
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by working in the
interior of the pot.
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You can't see lot of this.
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You know, in our world
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we're so
concerned with the exterior.
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But I think,
what's really important
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is what goes on inside of
us, and who's living there.
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And when we surrender to Jesus,
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He promises us the
indwelling of His spirit
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has an incredible promise.
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So this pot has been stilled
by the hand of God, centered,
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the opening has been made,
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which in the sense the
spirit of God will dwell.
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Now we're gonna go
on to another stage.
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And it's a stage called pulling.
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It's the potter's term for it.
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It's the way that
pots vertically grow.
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It's very exciting.
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It defies gravity,
and it's done by pressure,
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pressure from the inside hand,
pressure from the outside hand.
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What I think
about in that is that
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we too grow under pressure.
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What I mean by that
is, let's picture the idea
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that the hand
that is on the inside.
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This hand here, that is pressing
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against the hand on the outside.
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This hand is representing
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the presence of
God inside of us,
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the spirit of God,
who now lives within us.
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The truths of God
that are in our mind,
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the teachings of Jesus.
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This hand is
representing the experiences
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that we have in our
daily lives in the world,
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with other people,
the situations, whatever.
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And how are we going to respond
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when we encounter
someone who hurts us,
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who speaks wrongly of us,
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who lies to us, who
perhaps steals from us?
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And Jesus teaching on
the sermon on the mount,
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He teaches a lot
about forgiveness.
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Forgiveness is
not an easy thing.
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In fact, there are many things,
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many principles
in following Jesus
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that are not easy.
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And we can't do them alone.
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We really need the
presence of God within us.
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Because if God was not inside,
these pressures can destroy us.
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We can go through
abusive situations,
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maybe divorce, or
loss of a business,
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or home, or whatever.
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And that pressure from
the outside can be so huge
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that we or this pot
can become destroyed.
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And then there are some of us
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who really wish the
world would go away,
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that if it could
just be me and Jesus.
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The reality is that
we live in this world
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following Jesus
and His principles,
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surrendering to Him as our king,
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living in His kingdom.
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We forgive our neighbor.
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I'm not
necessarily saying to you
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that you need to surrender
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to physical abuse
or things like that.
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I'm not saying that at all.
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But there are many
things which we're called to do,
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we're called to
trust that God so loves us
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that He's gonna provide for us.
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We have a peace
from within about that
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that we can afford be generous.
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And yeah, that's
a pressure thing.
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There's so many
realities of following Jesus
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that causes us to grow into
really very beautiful people.
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Today in much of
the Christian world,
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that word perfect is
viewed as damaged goods.
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Instead of seeing
that word as embodying
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God's will and
dream for our lives,
00:10:04.57\00:10:07.27
we know see that word
as condemnatory and flawed.
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We see that word perfect
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as itself
imperfect and defective.
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Many even see that
word perfect as irrelevant
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to the human
condition and experience.
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They see it as impractical,
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unrealistic and as
an unrealizable goal.
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Perfect, it is a word
that was meant to inspire
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and arouse our best
sentiments and desires.
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But today, we have come to see
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that word perfect as a
critical and a demanding word.
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We see it as judgmental,
even a pejorative word.
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Many even now see
that word perfect,
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and they say it
with a disparaging,
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vilifying tone 'perfect'.
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Who wants to be perfect?
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We now mock at it.
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We are sarcastic
and derisive of it.
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The word perfect has
fallen from our vocabulary,
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and no longer does it
challenge our human pursuits,
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no longer does that
word perfect hold us
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in our behavior accountable.
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No longer is
perfect held up by any one,
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it seems as a
standard for human conduct.
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In popular
culture, it seems like
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we are
celebrating not the perfect,
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but rather
celebrating what is imperfect,
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celebrating imperfection,
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and everything
that is imperfect.
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In our world
today, it is the imperfect
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that seems to be glorified.
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Even in church,
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what often passes as a testimony
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is a
glorification of imperfection.
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When you tell how
God has delivered you,
00:12:03.72\00:12:06.49
we don't need to know the name
of the place and the address.
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Only give the
name of God the praise.
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We don't need all the details
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of what God has
delivered you from.
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For ages in
churches, there have been
00:12:19.00\00:12:21.60
centuries of arguments
00:12:21.64\00:12:23.71
and debates over
this word perfect.
00:12:23.74\00:12:27.44
Some denominations
believe it is a word
00:12:27.48\00:12:30.48
we should no longer
use or subscribe to.
00:12:30.51\00:12:33.82
Throughout the centuries,
00:12:33.85\00:12:35.18
there have been church
councils and conferences
00:12:35.22\00:12:37.65
that have been
held to deliberate
00:12:37.69\00:12:39.65
and dispute over this one word,
00:12:39.69\00:12:43.39
and it's relevance in
our age and in our time.
00:12:43.43\00:12:47.13
They have been whole
churches and denominations
00:12:47.16\00:12:49.20
who have split over
whether the word perfect
00:12:49.23\00:12:53.17
should even be held up
00:12:53.20\00:12:54.74
before God's people
as a goal to pursue,
00:12:54.77\00:12:58.37
and as an object to
aim for and strive for.
00:12:58.41\00:13:03.11
Frankly, I never thought we
would ever get to the point.
00:13:03.14\00:13:06.75
When the preacher would
have to defend the word perfect,
00:13:06.78\00:13:10.89
and its derivative word
is perfecting and perfection.
00:13:10.92\00:13:16.32
Many in our world,
and in the church today
00:13:16.36\00:13:18.86
no longer see beauty
00:13:18.89\00:13:20.76
or holiness in the word perfect.
00:13:20.80\00:13:23.80
They find it
intimidating and overwhelming.
00:13:23.83\00:13:27.34
Some find it
sinister and threatening,
00:13:27.37\00:13:29.60
they see it as a gotcha word,
00:13:29.64\00:13:31.77
a word used mostly
by religious bullies.
00:13:31.81\00:13:35.51
A word used by sanctified
terrorists masquerading
00:13:35.54\00:13:39.95
as followers of God.
00:13:39.98\00:13:41.78
And yes, we have always
had sanctified terrorists
00:13:41.82\00:13:45.55
masquerading as
followers of God.
00:13:45.59\00:13:48.36
Sometimes this word perfect
00:13:48.39\00:13:49.72
has been used
by religious people
00:13:49.76\00:13:52.06
to discourage us, not uplift us.
00:13:52.09\00:13:55.36
In the Book of Luke
18:10, Jesus gives us a picture
00:13:55.40\00:13:59.37
of a religious leader
caught up in his own belief
00:13:59.40\00:14:02.57
and his own perfection.
00:14:02.60\00:14:04.67
The Bible says,
"Two men", said Jesus,
00:14:04.71\00:14:07.41
"Went up to the temple to pray,
00:14:07.44\00:14:09.04
one a Pharisee and
the other tax collector.
00:14:09.08\00:14:11.68
The Pharisee stood
by himself and prayed,
00:14:11.71\00:14:13.88
"Oh God, I thank you,
00:14:13.92\00:14:15.25
I'm not like other
people, I'm perfect.
00:14:15.28\00:14:18.49
I thank you that I'm
not a robber or an evildoer.
00:14:18.52\00:14:21.89
I'm not an adulterer
00:14:21.92\00:14:23.26
or even like this tax collector.
00:14:23.29\00:14:25.56
I'm perfect."
00:14:25.59\00:14:27.70
"I want you to know,
brothers and sisters,
00:14:27.73\00:14:30.67
it is people like that
00:14:30.70\00:14:33.03
who give this word
perfect a bad name,
00:14:33.07\00:14:39.14
they've made this word perfect
00:14:39.17\00:14:40.64
one of the most
misunderstood words.
00:14:40.68\00:14:43.41
But God calls us to be perfect.
00:14:43.45\00:14:49.05
Jesus said, "Be
ye therefore perfect
00:14:49.08\00:14:53.46
as your father in
heaven is perfect."
00:14:53.49\00:14:57.33
Joining us again, and
my guest for this program,
00:15:01.76\00:15:04.33
Ruthie Jacobsen, Adly Campos,
and Pastor Errol Stoddart.
00:15:04.37\00:15:09.17
Ruthie, let me start with you.
00:15:09.20\00:15:11.17
Do you think in some
ways that word perfect
00:15:11.21\00:15:15.04
has become a dirty word today?
00:15:15.08\00:15:19.51
Well, I think it can be scary.
00:15:19.55\00:15:23.32
I think people think,
00:15:23.35\00:15:24.75
"I can't do
this, I can't do this",
00:15:24.79\00:15:27.42
and they're absolutely
right, we can't do it.
00:15:27.46\00:15:30.49
But you know, there is something
00:15:30.53\00:15:33.09
that I think should
be an encouragement.
00:15:33.13\00:15:35.20
Remember Joshua was talking
to the children of Israel...
00:15:35.23\00:15:38.87
And he laid out the
rules for the Promised Land,
00:15:38.90\00:15:42.70
and they jumped
in, and they said,
00:15:42.74\00:15:44.77
"Everything that God
has said, we're gonna do,
00:15:44.81\00:15:47.54
we're gonna
obey," and Joshua said,
00:15:47.58\00:15:49.88
"Wait, wait,
wait, you can't do this,
00:15:49.91\00:15:52.48
you cannot do this,
but God will help us."
00:15:52.51\00:15:56.62
And so I think,
while we look at the fact
00:15:56.65\00:16:00.12
that we can't do
it, there is hope
00:16:00.16\00:16:04.03
because we have someone who can.
00:16:04.06\00:16:06.63
Absolutely.
00:16:06.66\00:16:08.13
Pastor Stoddart, you know,
when the Lord actually told us,
00:16:08.16\00:16:13.03
"Be Ye Therefore Perfect",
00:16:13.07\00:16:15.87
what does that mean to you that,
00:16:15.90\00:16:18.01
you heard what Ruthie said,
00:16:18.04\00:16:19.47
that we can't do it,
why would the Lord ask us
00:16:19.51\00:16:22.61
to do something He knows
00:16:22.64\00:16:24.51
in our own strength we can't do?
00:16:24.55\00:16:27.52
Well, I think
it's interesting that
00:16:27.55\00:16:29.78
when we look at
Matthew Chapter 5
00:16:29.82\00:16:31.49
and see the context in
which Jesus uses the term,
00:16:31.52\00:16:34.19
it really pin points emphasis,
00:16:34.22\00:16:36.89
because right before Jesus says,
00:16:36.93\00:16:38.69
"Be Ye Therefore Perfect,
00:16:38.73\00:16:40.06
as your Father which
is in heaven is Perfect."
00:16:40.10\00:16:42.70
He deals with the
issues of loving your enemy,
00:16:42.73\00:16:45.83
bless them that curse you,
do good to them that hates you.
00:16:45.87\00:16:49.74
And He is really highlighting
how people of the new kingdom
00:16:49.77\00:16:55.84
think
differently from the old way,
00:16:55.88\00:16:58.51
the old way of
thinking, an eye for an eye,
00:16:58.55\00:17:00.48
tooth for a tooth,
if somebody curses you,
00:17:00.52\00:17:03.42
you curse him back, if
they punch you in the face,
00:17:03.45\00:17:05.15
you punch them back even harder.
00:17:05.19\00:17:07.59
This whole idea of
loving your enemies
00:17:07.62\00:17:10.83
is really antithetical to
who we are as human beings.
00:17:10.86\00:17:14.16
We don't love our enemies.
00:17:14.20\00:17:17.23
It's hard to love
our enemies naturally.
00:17:17.27\00:17:20.77
It goes against the brain.
00:17:20.80\00:17:23.41
It's hard to love
our friends sometimes.
00:17:23.44\00:17:25.71
Yeah, oh, absolutely.
00:17:25.74\00:17:29.31
No doubt about
that, it's hard enough
00:17:29.34\00:17:31.21
trying to love your friends.
00:17:31.25\00:17:32.58
It's hard enough
trying to love the people
00:17:32.61\00:17:33.95
that you're trying to like.
00:17:33.98\00:17:35.32
Yeah, that's
right, that's right.
00:17:35.35\00:17:39.22
So when we look
at the text, God is,
00:17:39.25\00:17:42.26
Jesus is really emphasizing
that to be to perfect
00:17:42.29\00:17:46.49
as our heavenly father
00:17:46.53\00:17:47.90
is to love
everybody like God does,
00:17:47.93\00:17:51.27
and I think that
is the starting point.
00:17:51.30\00:17:53.03
The starting point has
to be loving people like
00:17:53.07\00:17:57.07
God loves people.
00:17:57.11\00:17:59.51
And when you start there,
you see that this thing of,
00:17:59.54\00:18:03.35
"Being perfect as our Father
which is in heaven is perfect,"
00:18:03.38\00:18:06.61
it starts at the
point of relationship.
00:18:06.65\00:18:09.72
It starts in a relational way.
00:18:09.75\00:18:12.15
It starts with me treating
you the way God treats you
00:18:12.19\00:18:17.36
even when you are not worthy
00:18:17.39\00:18:19.49
based on "Human standards
of being treated well."
00:18:19.53\00:18:22.36
God still treats us
because the text says,
00:18:22.40\00:18:25.77
"He allows His rain to shine
on the just and on the unjust,
00:18:25.80\00:18:29.24
He allows the sun to shine,
He allows the rain to fall
00:18:29.27\00:18:33.27
on the good and the evil."
00:18:33.31\00:18:35.64
And so God wants us to
treat everybody in the way
00:18:35.68\00:18:40.28
that He treats everybody.
00:18:40.32\00:18:42.75
Could I say one more thing here?
00:18:42.78\00:18:45.02
Okay.
00:18:45.05\00:18:47.62
You know, at that time Christ
had some tearing down to do
00:18:47.66\00:18:52.59
because the people of Israel
00:18:52.63\00:18:54.60
had been looking
at the Pharisees,
00:18:54.63\00:18:56.60
and they were saying, "Watch us,
00:18:56.63\00:18:58.60
we are perfect, we are
keeping all the rules."
00:18:58.63\00:19:01.57
And Christ was saying,
"No, no, no, you can't do that,
00:19:01.60\00:19:05.24
there is a higher standard,"
and that's for us for all time.
00:19:05.27\00:19:09.78
We can't look at one another,
we can't look at ourselves
00:19:09.81\00:19:12.18
but we can look to Jesus.
00:19:12.21\00:19:13.75
Right, Adly, is there a
place for that word perfect
00:19:13.78\00:19:18.09
in our Christian lives?
00:19:18.12\00:19:21.32
Certainly, Jesus
commanded us to be perfect.
00:19:21.36\00:19:28.30
And whenever He gives a command,
00:19:28.33\00:19:30.63
He also gives us the
tools that we will need to obey
00:19:30.67\00:19:35.20
to fulfill that
command. That's right.
00:19:35.24\00:19:37.04
When he was about to be
lifted up back to heaven,
00:19:37.07\00:19:40.48
He said, "I have to go,
00:19:40.51\00:19:42.28
but I will be
sending the counselor,"
00:19:42.31\00:19:46.35
and why was He
sending the councilor?
00:19:46.38\00:19:49.08
So that He could
be with us forever.
00:19:49.12\00:19:53.19
And Sister White said
in a very interesting way.
00:19:53.22\00:19:57.69
She says in Steps to Christ,
that Jesus left the Holy Spirit
00:19:57.73\00:20:04.17
so that we
human beings imperfect
00:20:04.20\00:20:08.20
can have the strength
that we need through prayers,
00:20:08.24\00:20:11.81
and Bible study,
00:20:11.84\00:20:13.98
and most of all the
assistance f the Holy Spirit
00:20:14.01\00:20:17.61
to become like Jesus,
to reflect His character,
00:20:17.65\00:20:21.98
to be able to overcome
00:20:22.02\00:20:25.62
all these
inherited negative things
00:20:25.65\00:20:29.06
that we have in our characters
00:20:29.09\00:20:30.66
that are from
reflecting Jesus character...
00:20:30.69\00:20:34.06
He says, all the
things that we have inherited,
00:20:34.10\00:20:38.23
whether inherited,
00:20:38.27\00:20:39.83
whether acquired
through the years,
00:20:39.87\00:20:42.00
that Holy Spirit
has this strength,
00:20:42.04\00:20:44.87
the power to give to us
so that we can overcome them,
00:20:44.91\00:20:50.71
and then be perfect
and be like Jesus is
00:20:50.75\00:20:55.12
and was when He
was here on Earth.
00:20:55.15\00:20:57.65
So the Holy Spirit is
there, a powerful tool
00:20:57.69\00:21:01.26
that we very
seldom use as we pray,
00:21:01.29\00:21:04.69
ask the Holy Spirit
every day, every moment.
00:21:04.73\00:21:06.39
There's a lot of
hope, isn't there?
00:21:06.43\00:21:08.36
Absolutely. Absolutely.
00:21:08.40\00:21:09.83
Pastor Stoddart,
what do you think
00:21:09.86\00:21:11.57
is the relationship between
00:21:11.60\00:21:15.37
sanctification and perfection?
00:21:15.40\00:21:19.47
Well, let me jump
onto something that
00:21:21.48\00:21:24.65
Ruthie talked
about little earlier,
00:21:24.68\00:21:26.28
and then I'm gonna to you,
00:21:26.31\00:21:27.65
the relationship between
sanctification and perfection.
00:21:27.68\00:21:29.55
I think a lot of
times, one of the reasons
00:21:29.58\00:21:33.46
people are turned
off by the word perfect
00:21:33.49\00:21:36.69
is because many of the people
00:21:36.73\00:21:38.06
we've heard advocating
perfection or perfectionism,
00:21:38.09\00:21:43.77
they were the opposite of
what they were advocating.
00:21:43.80\00:21:48.34
And it's frustrating
when your hear people saying,
00:21:48.37\00:21:50.57
"Well, you want to be
perfect, you want to be perfect,
00:21:50.61\00:21:53.04
and we should
strive to be perfect."
00:21:53.07\00:21:55.34
And you know,
when you look at them,
00:21:55.38\00:21:57.78
you go, "But you are
nowhere near perfect."
00:21:57.81\00:22:00.95
"And you are
pushing this perfection
00:22:00.98\00:22:02.52
but you are mean
as a junk yard dog."
00:22:02.55\00:22:04.72
Yes, yes, that's right.
And so you see this thing...
00:22:04.75\00:22:10.99
There is not congruence between
00:22:11.03\00:22:14.23
what they're saying,
and how they're living.
00:22:14.26\00:22:17.37
And that has been a
turn off to a lot of people
00:22:17.40\00:22:20.44
who look at it, and
say, "Why even bother."
00:22:20.47\00:22:23.74
I remember going to
school with a guy who, he said,
00:22:23.77\00:22:28.58
"Let me tell you something,
I'm the humblest guy I know."
00:22:28.61\00:22:35.35
Yeah, you disgrace the humility
with the statement, yeah.
00:22:35.38\00:22:41.99
It can't help, we
can't help the fact that
00:22:44.76\00:22:48.33
when you make a decision
to become more like Jesus,
00:22:48.36\00:22:52.67
you are in the pursuit
of perfection because...
00:22:52.70\00:22:58.07
Absolutely. He is perfect.
00:22:58.11\00:23:00.51
And Sister
Ruthie, do you think that
00:23:00.54\00:23:03.85
when you are
striving to be like Jesus,
00:23:03.88\00:23:07.48
that you are striving
00:23:07.52\00:23:08.88
for a perfect
paradigm, a perfect pattern?
00:23:08.92\00:23:13.99
Well, you know, we
don't think of it that way,
00:23:14.02\00:23:16.83
but what a comfort to think that
00:23:16.86\00:23:20.26
when we surrender
our lives into His hands
00:23:20.30\00:23:24.77
and give Him total control,
00:23:24.80\00:23:27.20
then He does
what only He can do.
00:23:27.24\00:23:30.87
And that is...
00:23:30.91\00:23:32.24
There is so much hope in that
because He knows we are weak,
00:23:32.27\00:23:36.75
but He's strong.
00:23:36.78\00:23:38.11
I love that song, you know,
I am weak but Thou art strong,
00:23:38.15\00:23:42.78
Jesus keep me from all wrong.
00:23:42.82\00:23:44.85
Amen! And that's
where the hope is.
00:23:44.89\00:23:46.72
That's where the
enlightenment is.
00:23:46.76\00:23:48.56
Do you... I love the thought...
00:23:48.59\00:23:50.49
Go ahead... Go ahead.
00:23:50.53\00:23:52.39
Yeah, you were saying, "I
love the thought," go ahead.
00:23:52.43\00:23:56.13
Well, I love the
thought that we're given...
00:23:56.16\00:23:59.67
that we can be surrounded
00:23:59.70\00:24:01.64
with an atmosphere
of light and peace.
00:24:01.67\00:24:04.77
Wow! That's huge. Yes.
00:24:04.81\00:24:08.04
And as we strive to be
more like Jesus, Sister Campos,
00:24:08.08\00:24:14.58
what are the kinds
of things you think
00:24:14.62\00:24:16.79
that we need to do to
help people to realize
00:24:16.82\00:24:19.79
that you're striving
for this wonderful idea
00:24:19.82\00:24:23.63
because rather
than be afraid of it,
00:24:23.66\00:24:26.06
why not embrace
this joyous experience
00:24:26.09\00:24:29.90
that as I am
walking with the Lord,
00:24:29.93\00:24:32.13
as I'm living for the Lord,
00:24:32.17\00:24:33.97
as I'm teaching and singing,
I'm becoming more like him.
00:24:34.00\00:24:38.37
And you had asked earlier about,
00:24:38.41\00:24:42.74
are there any hymns, any songs?
00:24:42.78\00:24:45.31
And those are
the kinds of things
00:24:45.35\00:24:48.12
we probably need to do,
00:24:48.15\00:24:49.48
we need to sing more about it,
we need to play more about it,
00:24:49.52\00:24:52.99
we need to pray for it.
00:24:53.02\00:24:55.06
Are there any songs
that come to your mind
00:24:55.09\00:24:57.63
that will help
us as we think about
00:24:57.66\00:25:00.20
becoming more like Christ?
00:25:00.23\00:25:02.73
Yes, that song, Be
like Jesus is my thought
00:25:02.76\00:25:06.40
all throughout the day.
00:25:06.43\00:25:08.00
That's what is in my mind,
00:25:08.04\00:25:09.94
and when that is
absorbed in my mind
00:25:09.97\00:25:13.31
all day long, no
matter what I'm doing,
00:25:13.34\00:25:16.24
no matter who I'm
relating or relating to,
00:25:16.28\00:25:20.32
if I have that in mind,
that is going to help me
00:25:20.35\00:25:24.55
achieve it by God's grace.
00:25:24.59\00:25:27.06
Not that I will be
perfect without fault,
00:25:27.09\00:25:30.63
but that I will be all
the time constantly trying,
00:25:30.66\00:25:36.23
looking for,
being that open book
00:25:36.26\00:25:39.40
that God wants us to be.
00:25:39.43\00:25:41.57
We need to be open letters
because we are read by all men,
00:25:41.60\00:25:45.47
and one of the ways
that we need to portrait
00:25:45.51\00:25:48.71
that is reflect
in Jesus' character.
00:25:48.74\00:25:52.05
Reflect in the way He
was when He was on earth.
00:25:52.08\00:25:55.85
So the more we think about
it, the more we concentrate
00:25:55.88\00:26:00.96
on the work, "I want
to be more like Jesus,
00:26:00.99\00:26:03.99
I want to be perfect
because that's what He...
00:26:04.03\00:26:06.43
that's what it means to be
like Jesus, to be perfect."
00:26:06.46\00:26:10.87
There is nothing wrong in that.
00:26:10.90\00:26:12.50
Everybody wants
to be like Jesus.
00:26:12.53\00:26:14.40
Many songs talk
about being like Jesus.
00:26:14.44\00:26:17.61
But we are afraid certainly
of using the word perfect
00:26:17.64\00:26:20.98
because something has put
that thing in our mind that,
00:26:21.01\00:26:27.42
that can never be done.
00:26:27.45\00:26:29.18
Look at David,
he was called a man
00:26:29.22\00:26:32.62
after God's own heart,
00:26:32.65\00:26:34.12
and he committed such
horrible scenes, adultery,
00:26:34.16\00:26:37.93
he killed a man,
he did so many things,
00:26:37.96\00:26:41.43
and yet God called him
a man after His own heart.
00:26:41.46\00:26:46.27
He was striving
all through his years
00:26:46.30\00:26:48.77
to be more like Jesus
even though he failed.
00:26:48.80\00:26:51.64
Yes.
00:26:51.67\00:26:53.01
He surrendered to
God, he admitted it.
00:26:53.04\00:26:54.61
Wintley, I want to
ask you a question.
00:26:54.64\00:26:55.98
Can I ask you a question?
00:26:56.01\00:26:57.35
Well, you know,
we're out of time,
00:26:57.38\00:26:58.71
but we're gonna
come back because this,
00:26:58.75\00:27:00.12
we're gonna be
addressing this many ways,
00:27:00.15\00:27:02.88
from different
angles and perspectives
00:27:02.92\00:27:04.79
because it is
important for the church.
00:27:04.82\00:27:06.76
Thank you for being with us.
00:27:06.79\00:27:08.22
It was with great
purpose and intentionality
00:27:13.19\00:27:16.63
that God commanded
us, that we be perfect.
00:27:16.67\00:27:21.04
Matthew 5:48, "Be
ye therefore perfect
00:27:21.07\00:27:24.01
even as your father
which is heaven is perfect."
00:27:24.04\00:27:27.74
This is not a
suggestion, it's not a proposal,
00:27:27.78\00:27:30.65
it's not a hint, not
even a recommendation,
00:27:30.68\00:27:33.68
it is a command.
00:27:33.72\00:27:35.42
In Matthew 5:48,
"Be ye therefore perfect
00:27:35.45\00:27:39.25
even as your father
which in heaven is perfect."
00:27:39.29\00:27:43.83
Allow me to make it
clear that when Jesus said,
00:27:43.86\00:27:46.36
"Be ye therefore prefect",
Jesus was not talking about
00:27:46.39\00:27:49.46
material perfection
or physical perfection,
00:27:49.50\00:27:52.87
He wasn't talking
about ladies having
00:27:52.90\00:27:54.37
an hourglass figure,
00:27:54.40\00:27:56.00
and men having
impressive abs, no.
00:27:56.04\00:27:58.67
When Jesus spoke those
words, He was calling us
00:27:58.71\00:28:01.91
to the highest kind
of perfection there is,
00:28:01.94\00:28:04.81
He was calling us to
character perfection.
00:28:04.85\00:28:08.65
Hebrews 10:14,
"For by one offering
00:28:08.68\00:28:12.12
He has perfected forever
them that are sanctified."
00:28:12.15\00:28:16.86
God is satisfied with nothing
short of perfect obedience,
00:28:16.89\00:28:20.80
and perfection is the only title
00:28:20.83\00:28:23.20
which will gain
admittance into heaven.
00:28:23.23\00:28:26.63
Let no one say, "I cannot remedy
00:28:26.67\00:28:28.70
my defects of character",
if you come to this decision,
00:28:28.74\00:28:32.61
you will fail of
obtaining everlasting life.
00:28:32.64\00:28:36.28
The impossibility
lies in your own will.
00:28:36.31\00:28:39.95
If you will not,
then you cannot overcome.
00:28:39.98\00:28:43.59
The real difficulty
arises from the corruption
00:28:43.62\00:28:47.16
of an unsanctified heart
00:28:47.19\00:28:49.42
and an unwillingness to
submit to the control of God.
00:28:49.46\00:28:54.10
Yes, all are lost through Adam,
00:28:54.13\00:28:56.13
our only hope is transformation
of character through repentance
00:28:56.16\00:29:02.77
and faith in Christ
as our personal savior.
00:29:02.80\00:29:05.77
I'm Wintley Phipps,
and until next time,
00:29:05.81\00:29:08.51
remember to be a Christian
needs to be Christ like.
00:29:08.54\00:29:14.32