Almost Perfect (1 of 4)
Series: All Grown Up
Jeff Strite
Matthew 5:43-48
OPEN: This morning I'm going to give you a quiz, and I don't want you to think real hard about your answers. I just want you to answer as you feel you should.
Question #1: How many of you believe you are perfect?
Question #2: How many of you believe it is possible for someone WHO IS STILL LIVING to become perfect?
(only one or two raised their hands on the 1st question, and about 8 raised their hands on the 2nd)
Did you notice how few raised their hands? I suspect that the reason so many of you didn't raise your hands was because - for many of us - "perfection" means "sinlessness." And we all know that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
However, consider these scriptures:
Gen. 6:9 "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God."
Philippians 3:15 "Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded…"
Hmmm. Now one of two things is wrong here. Either these people of Scripture defied Romans 3:23 by being sinless... or there is something about the Biblical concept of "perfection" that we don't understand. I believe that Matthew 5 indicates that maybe there is something about "perfection we don't understand. In fact, the REAL Biblical concept of "perfection" can be best summed up in what I call the "Theology of the Donut."
ILLUS: Donuts Story (throughout the illustration, I would take periodic bites from the donut until it was all gone - speaking as I chewed and swallowed each bite)
BITE "Did you realize that the most popular donut in the world is the glazed donut?"
BITE "Doughnuts originated in 16th century Holland. They were cooked in oil, and were so greasy that the Dutch called them olykoeks, or 'oily cakes.'"
BITE "The Pilgrims, who'd lived in Holland, brought the cakes with them when they came to America. Their version was a round doughy ball about the size of a nut - thus the term 'donut.'"
BITE ...
Series: All Grown Up
Jeff Strite
Matthew 5:43-48
OPEN: This morning I'm going to give you a quiz, and I don't want you to think real hard about your answers. I just want you to answer as you feel you should.
Question #1: How many of you believe you are perfect?
Question #2: How many of you believe it is possible for someone WHO IS STILL LIVING to become perfect?
(only one or two raised their hands on the 1st question, and about 8 raised their hands on the 2nd)
Did you notice how few raised their hands? I suspect that the reason so many of you didn't raise your hands was because - for many of us - "perfection" means "sinlessness." And we all know that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
However, consider these scriptures:
Gen. 6:9 "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God."
Philippians 3:15 "Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded…"
Hmmm. Now one of two things is wrong here. Either these people of Scripture defied Romans 3:23 by being sinless... or there is something about the Biblical concept of "perfection" that we don't understand. I believe that Matthew 5 indicates that maybe there is something about "perfection we don't understand. In fact, the REAL Biblical concept of "perfection" can be best summed up in what I call the "Theology of the Donut."
ILLUS: Donuts Story (throughout the illustration, I would take periodic bites from the donut until it was all gone - speaking as I chewed and swallowed each bite)
BITE "Did you realize that the most popular donut in the world is the glazed donut?"
BITE "Doughnuts originated in 16th century Holland. They were cooked in oil, and were so greasy that the Dutch called them olykoeks, or 'oily cakes.'"
BITE "The Pilgrims, who'd lived in Holland, brought the cakes with them when they came to America. Their version was a round doughy ball about the size of a nut - thus the term 'donut.'"
BITE ...
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