Are You "perfect?"

Our God is a creating God. We call Him the Creator. We often think of it as something that has been done. It's in the past. You know, our God went about a creation of the physical universe, including that which we live in, we call our environment, that is exactly what you and I need. It was something that took a long amount of time, and it's something that He continually sustains. If we talk about the Creator for a minute, it's not just that He sort of threw it out there, He just thought it up and breathed a breath or made a statement. It was done. It is really incredible what science has learned about the creation and continues to learn and never seems to be able to fully grasp or understand. For instance, we sit here on planet Earth, and we look out at the night sky and we wonder, of all the trillions and quadzillions of galaxies that are out there, could there be another planet like ours? One that would sustain life. As we've seen in the past through various materials presented here, our Earth is what is called a privileged planet. In other words, it just happens to be a certain size that will hold just a certain amount of people and provide for those people.

It happens to have a moon nearby that is just the right size to provide just a little bit of gravitational pull to make tides clean the oceans. And those clean oceans are able to create various life forms that are able to actually sustain life on land and around the world.

We have a sun that is just the right size sun. It's not one of those burning bright things you look up at night. No, this is a very small thing in comparison, this hydrogen explosion that's going off and throwing out horrible, dangerous rays that are somehow cleansed and they don't affect you and me.

And just that right size sun keeps us in a perfect orbit. It's the right distance just to give us the right amount of heat and light and radiation and such things.

We have just the right atmosphere, just the thin blue line that goes around this planet that gives just the right elements.

Mostly nitrogen, a little bit of oxygen, some carbon dioxide, some other gases, some things that clean and produce the air in which we need to breathe, but also screen out some things that are harmful, create a certain temperature, a climate.

And within that there's the right moisture content that allows for things like rain.

It's interesting that God made mountains and without them we probably would all be dead a long time ago because they are the sole source of storing water for much of the arable land surface through the summertime or to provide it for the summer growing season.

Otherwise, if it were all rain, it would all take place in the spring and then you'd have the hot, dry summer and there would be nothing there.

We wouldn't have rivers, we wouldn't have streams, we wouldn't have the melting snow.

God is just an incredible God. He's made soil, soil in the process of making soil. He's made vegetation to grow in that soil.

We think of maybe God created a tree until you get up into the air in an airplane and realize how many trees are out there.

And then you take a trip around the world and you find trees are everywhere in all different varieties.

Trees give us oxygen. They give us shade. They give us moisture in the air. Trees pump out amazing amounts of moisture from deep in the ground that they suck up through their roots and just transfer it into the air constantly.

They are a food source, often for us, sometimes for the animals. Then He makes animals. We look at microbes.

We don't tend to think of our Creator as being a microbe creator. Ever sit in a campground sometime and some new little thing comes along? It's a tiny little bug. Maybe you have to use stronger glasses or magnifying glass.

And here's this little thing going along. It seems like he knows what he's doing. He's got funny looking antenna and little legs and maybe some color. I didn't know about that one.

Then you read that God made some things down as small as amoeba and microbes that munched through the soil and break down refuse.

These things are at work. They're at work in your bed. You don't even realize it.

But the shedding of all your skin that takes place that's full of little bugs down there munching away, breaking it down.

God made that. If He didn't, we'd probably all have died many years ago. But you know what? God really put Himself out into all parts of the creation.

In fact, He gave humans the median size evidently of everything created. The largest thing that God made that exists in the universe and the smallest thing that exists in the universe has a median size of around 5.5 to 6 feet.

And that's about the size of human being. It's interesting. We can see up and with some help we can see down to some finite things.

God gave us mental capabilities, which He's not given to any other organism or animal. He's given us five senses. He has given us emotions and the ability to think, to reason, to remember, to dream up.

These things allow us to have a connection with God, a relationship with God, a realization that God exists, an awareness.

God then goes beyond that. On top of being a creation, making God, He is a master giver.

Of course, He had to give all of that and the creation of everything that we see and that we are and that we can do as a gift, but then He just goes on giving. He loves to give.

He gave us all this creation and how much did He charge you for it? How much did you have to pay when you were born?

You know, there was no loan. He gave it for free. He developed a spiritual relationship with man. Then He divests Himself of His glory and honor, comes down as a human being and died for us so that He could give us more.

He could give us eternal life. He could forgive our sins. We could have a relationship that wasn't possible without that happening.

Then He developed eternal opportunities for mankind and the ability to pursue and achieve those eternal opportunities. What are those costs? They are free. It is given gratis for those who are interested.

It's interesting that this creator has optimal character. Have you ever seen the Star Wars movies or some of those sci-fi movies?

When I was a young kid growing up, I came across a little paperback book called... what was that called? The Time Machine. It was by Orson Welles or somebody Welles. H.G. Wells, I think it was.

The Time Machine. I sat in my room and read that book. It scared myself to death. Wow! The warlocks came out at night.

In the daytime, you had this beautiful civilization going on. Everybody was happy. I think it was Wiena and some other people living life.

But at night, the people who gave them that life, who gave them all those nice things, came up and ate them.

Isn't it interesting that our God has the true, outgoing love that we're not sort of here as food?

The only God family in existence happens to promote love. It just happens to promote love. It's not like the Star Wars.

You had the good guys and they were battling against the bad guys. Everybody was partly corrupt, but those ones with the black helmets, they were really corrupt.

So many times you have good versus evil, but the good is not really good-good. It's just better than the alternative.

How did it happen that the only God, the single only one singular God alone, happens to have agape, outgoing concern? Isn't that wonderful?

Isn't that just like, wow, of all the other things we could have ended up with? Like being dinner.

We ended up with a God who happens to promote real love, service, sacrifice, humility, concern, assistance for everyone and everything.

It just happens to be that way. What a blessing that is. God's loving concern and His outgoineness is combined with ongoing sacrifice.

He continues to sacrifice His time. He continues to take His focus and put it onto small, imperfect beings.

He gives His energies, His focus, His concern. And you know what? That just happens to be what humans need.

They need continual focus. They need continual concern, direction, somebody to care about them.

Isn't it nice that God just happens to be a perfect fit for humanity's needs in every way?

In the entire creation, including Himself and our present needs and our future needs. Perfect fit.

God is the ultimate complement to humanity. He is perfect for every need, now and forever.

God is the perfect complement to humanity's existence and to humanity's future potential.

But now that we've talked about God for a minute and shown His wonderful, marvelous, perfect fit for us, let's turn the equation around and look the other direction.

What fit is man? And what fit in particular are you and me to God's purpose for creating us?

Is it a one-way relationship? Or are we also becoming a good fit for the reason God made us?

The title of the sermon today is, Are You Perfect? Are You Perfect?

We're going to examine the fit that God expects you to be and to become during your lifetime here on this earth, that He is so wondrously and lovingly created for you.

We have a term in the vernacular called perfect. Of course, there's another term of perfect, which we think of, meaning absolute perfection.

I told my wife, asking me this morning, What's the sermon on today? I said, Are you perfect?

She said, Oh!

In the vernacular, perfect can mean something like finding the right tool.

Recently, for instance, I was up underneath a big motor vehicle, and there was a bolt that I needed to tighten.

But when you put the bolt through and you put the lock washer and the nut on, they happened to be under a steel plate that was only open out here on the end.

And you couldn't go in from the side because there was another steel plate there. There was just a small gap.

And I looked at that, and I thought, How could you tighten that nut?

I got in there with a pinky, and I kind of got it pinky tight.

I started going through the wrenches I have, open-end wrenches. You could get one on there, finally, but you couldn't move it because there was no room for it to move.

I took socket set and tried to put a socket on it, but of course the wrench and the socket were too tall to get underneath the plate.

Wow, this is really something!

You know, as a head scratcher, it took me probably an hour to try to finally work out that problem.

However, there is such a thing called a wobble socket.

And when you put it on your wrench, it goes in between the socket head and the wrench itself, and it just wobbles. That's why they call it a wobble socket. You can put that socket on top of the nut and come at it from just about anywhere or nowhere, and that thing will wobble around and you can kind of get some pressure on it and eventually tighten it up.

And you know what? That was the perfect tool! A wobble! A wobble socket extender, thanks to the guy who made wobble socket extenders.

It was perfect.

In the vernacular, when you have an education, when you study, or you have your talents, whatever, and you go looking for a job, and you land that perfect pizza delivery job using your own car, and it's a lousy job, and you're responsible for the money, and it just doesn't work out.

It's not a good fit, is it? It's just not working out. But you'll do that part-time, you know, until you find something else.

And then, guess what? The phone rings, or somehow a job that fits your talents, fits your time, fits your budget and needs, a job that's exciting and interesting to you, comes along and you say, wow, that's perfect! Boyfriend, girlfriend, potential husband, wife. Sometimes girls get a little love-crazy, you know? Fall in love with love.

You ever hear a girl come walking out who's in love with love and say, oh, you're a man, will you marry me? Oh, will you marry me? Will you marry me? Will you marry me? No.

Actually, when a girl is in love with love, she's looking for the right person. Same with a guy. He doesn't say, oh, I like to get married. Will you marry me? Will you marry me? Will you marry me?

We don't do that, do we? We're looking for somebody who's going to fill the need, fill the desire, fill the void that we don't have in our life.

And I don't know about you, but you can look through a lot of people before you ever find one, the one. And when you find the one, it's perfect. He or she is, wow, perfect. I found the perfect girl. I found the perfect guy for me.

Are any of those people or situations perfect? Of course they're not. We don't mean it in that sense, do we? We mean they're the right fit. Something that fills the need that they were intended to. Once in a while, my wife will go shopping for shoes.

Once in even a greater while, I will go with her. Because I hate shoe shopping with her. I like going with her, I just don't like to shop for shoes because there aren't any. There are none. Trust me.

Because she has just a certain arch, and just a certain this, and just a certain thing in mind, and just a certain dress, a certain color that she has to fit.

You can go through some pretty big shoe outlets and not find a thing, but it's wonderful to be there when the word comes out. Perfect! Wow!

And so it is that there are things that we all have need for, but they really need to fit.

When I go shoe shopping, I don't say, well, I know this is a child shoe, and I can get two toes in, but it'll work.

No, there are certain things that needs to fit.

And God's plan provides opportunities for you and for me to join His absolutely righteous, never has sinned, never made a mistake, never needed to apologize, never had to change or anything.

He wants us to join that family. How can you and I, as people who sin, who make mistakes, accomplish that?

God provides incredible opportunities for those who will become firstfruits, now, later, forever.

But the candidates the Bible tells us must be a perfect fit. They must be a match.

God is developing and testing people to see if they match the criteria, if they're a fit for those who will become the firstfruits in His kingdom.

Some will be, some won't be. For an example or a bunch of examples on that, go back through the Gospels and read all of the parables of Jesus Christ, and you'll find that most of them deal with being a match or not a match. That's what it's about. Are you a match? Are you not a match?

That's what God needs to know.

The ultimate goal is becoming Elohim. Elohim. It's a uni-plural worm, Elo, God, but Im, I-M, is the plural. You can put an S on it. It's like God's, but it's more like the last name of a family in that sense. It's God the Father, Jesus Christ is His firstborn Son, He is the first of the firstfruits, and ultimately He'll bring many sons to glory. The family will go on, and that name will be written. You can read in Revelation chapter 3, that God the Father's name and Jesus' new name will be written on all of those who become the firstfruits. So that name is going to expand.

What is God? What's that family all about? What's He all about? What are you and I to fit into? Let's read this over in 1 John chapter 4 and verse 16. 1 John chapter 4 and verse 16. If we're going to fit, if we're going to fulfill the characteristics for being the right shoe, the right tool, in this case, the right individuals that God is seeking for sonship in His family, what are those characteristics about?

1 John chapter 4 and verse 16. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. We've talked about that a little bit.

God is love. So there we see that God has shown us love through all of this creation, all these opportunities. Now we find out that that's really what Elohim is about.

That's what the family of God is about, is agape, outgoing concern. And He who abides in love abides in God and God in Him.

Those who live or dwell in that mindset are connected with the family of God.

Verse 17. This love has been perfected or completely matured among us in this, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment.

So what we find is if that love is not maturing and developing in us, we will not have any boldness in the day of judgment, in the day of our final assessment as to whether we fit the bill or not.

So whether we meet the criteria of what God is looking for. And it's about love. Because as He is, so are we in this world. What does that mean? We're all striving to love. As He is, He is love we just read. So are we striving to be in this cosmos, in this society in which we have to live.

So that in a nutshell is what those who are going to fill the bill, be the perfect fit for the candidates of God's Kingdom will be about. Now how will He and I ever become love? Think about it. Pure, sinless, God-like in character and deed. Don't you struggle for that? Don't I struggle for that? How are we doing? Are you there?

Let's go over to Hebrews 12, verse 2. Just pick out a phrase here. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Now if you notice in the New King James Version, you have a number 1 and a number 2 there by a couple of words.

Let's read this with those words in place. Looking unto Jesus, the originator and perfecter of our faith.

So our faith, our trust in God, actually originated in Christ, from Christ, and He is the one who is perfecting or bringing to completion that faith.

That's how we do it. We do it through Christ. He is doing it in us if we let Him, if we're involved, if we want Him to be, if we're praying and asking for help. This is the process. He's the originator. Do you think you called yourself to the truth? I think sometimes people think that they're pretty cagey. They're pretty smart. Yeah, I knew the truth when I saw it. When I heard it on the radio, yeah, that was it. When I saw the magazine, oh yeah, I was just waiting for that one.

And sometimes it feels that way. I'm kind of making fun because in a sense we think, oh yeah, that makes sense. Well, why does it make sense? Because God turned the lights on. God allowed the light to shine in to where others He does not allow, and it's darkness to them.

So the originator was Jesus Christ, even though we might not give Him credit at times. And the perfecter, the ones that are finishing it or developing it, is also Christ living in us, and God the Father living in us through their Holy Spirit. The process begins with a calling. If we respond to the calling, then He gives us another gift, repentance. If we respond and repent, He gives us another gift.

Baptism and forgiveness of our past sins. Then He gives us another gift, the Holy Spirit, the Father and Christ living in us. And you think He leaves us there? No. He continues to give us more gifts beyond that.

To continue to be not only the author or the originator, but also the one who will perfect or mature us in that process as we go along.

As humans, what state can we achieve? I think this is important for you and I to understand. We all have this concept that we've got to be perfect, we need to be perfect, we need to be purely righteous. And we do.

How many of you have achieved that? Can I see your hands? Nobody yet.

We are above all men most miserable. That which we want to do, we haven't done for some reason.

So, that's not a very pleasant thing to go through. In fact, it can be very frustrating.

But is pure sinless righteousness perfection what God expects of you as a human? That's what you and I expect, and that's what we strive for. But is that what God is expecting? And is it realistic to expect that?

You might ask yourself the question, am I a spirit God being? No, God is perfect. Am I an angel? Did I check? Have I been at the throne today? No, am I a twenty-four elder?

Am I a seraphim or a caribbean? No, what am I? Oh, I'm a human being. What is God's expectation for human beings?

Let's go to Romans 7, verse 21. We see the Apostle Paul in this struggle right along with us. And the thing I'm sure we all love about the Apostle Paul is his openness.

He carries us along through the life and the development of Christianity. He takes us with him right into all the aspects of his life. The good, the tough, the trials, the sins, the challenges. We're all in this together.

He says in Romans 7 and 21, I find in a law that evil is present with me.

What state can you and I expect to achieve? Here's Paul telling us. Here is an Apostle, the most prolific writer of the New Testament, one who was called, chosen, set apart, and directed by Jesus Christ himself, taught in the desert, healed by God, miraculously of blindness.

And he says, evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man, but I see another law in my members, warring.

What we can expect in his human beings is to find evil and be at war. See, he didn't say it's residing. He didn't say it's multiplying. No, warring.

Warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members.

Verse 24, O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death.

Verse 25, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. That's how I'm going to be delivered from this body of death.

But he indicates the evil will be there, the war will be there, and the deliverance or the forgiveness, the graciousness of God will be present.

That is what you and I can expect to achieve as human beings.

This passage defines the state of a converted mind, an imperfect, repenting, sinning, wrestling, warring mind, just like yours and mine.

What's the result? What is the ultimate we can come to in this life as Christians? Let's look. 1 John 1, verse 8. We are told. 1 John 1, verse 8.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Here's another apostle.

One whom Jesus loved very much, his life was perpetuated, he again was a very prominent apostle, and at the end of his life he states, If you or I say that we have no sin in us, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

That's the state you can expect to become. You can achieve that state of a repentant sinner as a human being.

Because God created us human beings. He didn't create us angels and seraphim and caribbean. He didn't create us perfect.

He created us and put us in a laboratory and gave us choice.

Those choices are what he is monitoring, helping us with the struggle as we mature towards his character.

I'd like to repeat that a repentant sinner is the ultimate that you and I are going to be.

This is the kind of thing that God can achieve in this lifetime.

Before you get any weird ideas, I'm not cutting you any slack here.

This does not give us a sort of a pass. This does not allow us to have any sort of release or freedom from pursuing the righteousness of God.

Quite far from it, in fact.

The realism, though, about what God expects from you and me, and being a human being with his Holy Spirit, I feel is important for us to understand.

Because some people can become so frustrated by it, they can just give up and just say, I can't do it. I can't be perfect.

Well, you're right. You can't be perfect. Well, I can't stop sinning. Really? Okay. Well, if you ever did stop sinning and you said, I have no sin, well then, you'd be a liar and the truth wouldn't be in you.

Let's see this from God's standpoint. Does God sit up there and throw anything? You know what? Look at him. He made a mistake. What are we going to do with that guy?

I don't know. Is it time to squash him? Or shall we dig and dung him one more time and see if we can get any growth out of him?

What is God's expectation? Does he sit up there and think, oh, will these people ever get perfect?

Well, it's funny that he says, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. So God is not expecting that, not from a human being.

What is the status of an imperfect, repenting, struggling Christian? The status now. What is the status with God?

How does God feel about a sinning Christian who is warring, struggling, repenting, trying to become like him? What's in the next verse? Let's look at verse 9.

If we confess our sins, that means you have to see them. You have to recognize them. You have to go looking for them.

It's the lesson of unleavened bread. Find sin, hate it, put it out. If we are in that process of finding, confessing our sins, then he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

So we are forgiven if we are fulfilling that role to which we have been called. I'll call it the unleavened bread struggle.

That's the lesson for the firstfruits. The firstfruits' harvest comes right after unleavened bread. It's the struggle of the firstfruits, and those who produce the fruit during the struggle are those who are a perfect fit for the kingdom of God.

Let's go to Titus 2, verse 14.

You know, this finding and removing sin, some people don't think it's very interesting. They don't think that's a lot of fun. They'd rather do something else. They'd rather not think about that. They'd rather get caught up in the cares of this world. Finding and removing sin is what you and I are on earth to do. If we like it and love it, we'll do well at it. If we'd rather do something else, we're not going to produce fruit for the harvest, are we?

This is something you and I really need to come to love, is finding sin and hating it and really going after it and tackling it and trying to get rid of it. And when it gets you back again, work on it some more. The opposite of that, of course, is pursuing the righteousness of God. We should love love. We should love the outgoing nature and the character of God so much. That's what we want to replace these sins with. It's a wonderful thing to get on your knees and say, God, correct me. Show me my sins. Don't hold back. Bring it on. I want to see them. I want to get rid of them. I want to deal with them. That's what I'm here for. That's what pleases you.

I want to be like you. I don't want you to only show me a little bit so I can stay as carnal as possible. No, show me whatever you'll show me.

So we see here then in Titus 2, verse 14, talking about Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, who are zealous for good works.

Notice here, Jesus Christ is the one who will purify for Himself. It's not about you. It's not about me. It's about God and godliness and promoting godliness and promoting beings that can join the God family.

And He will purify gladly those who are zealous for good works. Or as the New Living Translation says, totally committed to doing what is right.

Those who are totally committed to doing what is right. The works and acts of loving God and loving your neighbor, if we're committed to that, Christ is going to come in there and purify, purify, purify.

The perfection that we seek, this being sinless and perfect and not a single sin, can help deceive us, because sometimes we'll start feeling like that and think, I think I've really grown spiritually now. I can't see any sin at all. Unfortunately, you know what the condition is. We've now gotten so far away from God that we see our wonderful, selfish human nature as being just right. So that's terrible. But there's a couple of future events with the saints that will take place. Jesus tells us about these in Luke 21 and verse 36, and it shows us that it's not about our perfection. It's not about our, somehow, ultimate righteousness that we have finally achieved that nets us, sainthood or nets us, sonship in the family of God.

Luke 21 and verse 36. This is one of those statements that Jesus Christ talks about, those who are developing fruit for the harvest, those who are meeting the criteria that God is looking for, for sons and daughters in His kingdom.

He says, let's go to verse 34 here. Luke 21, we'll start in verse 34. But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with something else, drunkenness, carousing, cares of this life, and that that day, the day of judgment, comes upon you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Now, what's different between all those who dwell on the face of the earth and you? What's the criteria? What's God looking for? Verse 36, it says, watch therefore. The term watch means be alert. Be alert to your state, your condition, your spiritual condition, your nature, God's nature, and the relationship that you have between those two.

Be alert and be one who prays. Pray always. If you're alert to your condition and you're praying always, you have a relationship with God. Now, those two things right there is what Jesus Christ is looking for, for those who will miss the great tribulation. Who are alert to their spiritual condition? Who are those who are repenting and overcoming their sins? Who are those who are working with me in prayer? These, He said, notice, these things work so that you may be counted worthy. Didn't say worthy.

Didn't say perfect. Didn't say anything. That God would count you worthy to do two things. Number one, going on to escape these things, all these things that will come to pass. And number two, to be able to stand before the Son of Man in the resurrection, the first resurrection. What's needed to escape the great tribulation?

Be watching to your state and repenting and overcoming and be in a relationship with God in prayer. And what is necessary to stand before the Son of Man in the resurrection? Exactly the same thing. Be an unleavened bread struggler, and you'll do really well in the harvest. You'll have the fruit for the harvest. You won't need to be tested and tried when the great testing and trials come upon the whole earth.

In Luke 20, verse 35, we'll continue this second gift of being brought into the kingdom of God. Just a chapter back, but those who are noticed counted worthy to attain that age. You see where this comes from, brethren? It's not about achieving some status of literal perfection.

It's about being deemed worthy by God, counted worthy by God, considered worthy by God to receive these blessings. Notice in verse 36, they can't marry, they can't die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. That's when we're perfect. That's when you achieve spiritual perfection. That's when you cannot sin, you cannot make any mistakes. God gives us that. God puts us into that divine state at some time in the future.

That's not the expectation for today. Were these individuals perfect? Just remember the statement John made, 1 John 1, verse 8. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. It's not about being sinless. It's about striving to be sinless, but it's not about having achieved sinlessness. So many people will come for baptism counseling and say, I'm interested in being baptized, but I'm not quite perfect yet. I'm just about there.

I should be back to you soon. I've just got a few things I'm trying to... When I'm perfect, then I'll come and we'll get baptized. Now get the stamped seal of perfection on me and I'll stay like I am forever. Does that sound like what God is looking for? But that's a common thought we all went through. I went through that when I was counseling for baptism. It took me a year and a half to go through baptism counseling to where God finally brought repentance on me to where I realized I was not only a sinner, but I couldn't get out of it.

It was like a quicksand. That's the way it is. That's what Paul said. Even with God's Holy Spirit, that's what I want to do that I don't do. Who's going to help me from this body of death? The concept, again, is that God's plan provides opportunities for humans to join His divine family. But the candidates must be perfect in the sense that they must fill the requirements.

They must fill and be a perfect fit to what God is looking for. That's sort of a vernacular term. God is, we could say, testing people and giving them opportunity to see if they are a match, a match for His family program. We could ask each of ourselves the question, are you fulfilling the purpose for which Jesus Christ gave Himself for you? Let's go to Matthew 5, verse 48 now and see a statement that He made. He is the one who came, lived on this earth, gave Himself so that we could each fulfill a certain purpose.

And that purpose was to be a match for the needs of the God family. Matthew 5, verse 48 is a very misunderstood statement. It simply says, in the words of Jesus Christ, therefore you shall be perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Now we know that God in heaven is perfect, and we think that Jesus told us that we have to be perfect like Him. Have we seen already that that's not an expectation God has of you and me as a human being? He must be talking about something else. You see, we tend to construe this term perfect as being sinless, and that's completely off topic.

That's not what Jesus Christ is talking about. He's talking about something entirely different. The word perfect here is translated from the Greek word telios. Telios, in a simple translation, if you just want to flip the word, you could flip telios and write the word perfect. Or it has two other one-word flips, complete or mature. So pick which one you want. Perfect, complete or mature. And if that's all the deeper we go into telios, then we're never going to really understand what Jesus Christ is talking about here.

There is more to this word than just a simple one-word flip. Mr. David Johnson, who is a minister at the home office, he's an ABC instructor, recently gave a sermon entitled, Going On to Perfection. I believe it was about a year, year and a half ago, that he gave the sermon, Going On to Perfection. And in the sermon he states, in the Greek, this word telios had the concept of something which fulfills the purpose for which it was created. Jesus isn't telling you to be absolutely perfect like your Father in Heaven is perfect.

He's saying, fulfill the purpose for which you were created like your Father in Heaven fulfills His purpose for you. We've already identified that God the Father is a perfect fit, as a Creator, as a God, a loving God, who came and lived and died and will resurrect us and give us eternity. He is perfect for you. You also fulfill that purpose for which you are here. Mr. Johnson goes on, something that fully and completely fulfills its purpose. It has matured in the sense that it fully accomplishes what it was supposed to accomplish.

It fills the bill. It's a perfect fit, you see. I have in my garage the perfect truck. It's a perfect 1951 Ford pickup. One ton, F-350. It's perfect. Why is it perfect? Well, first of all, it's the same age I am. That's why it's there. It's perfect for me to see something, some old bucket of bolts, that's the same age I am. It's perfect in that when you want to haul something that weighs up to 2,000 pounds, that's the truck. It's got 12 leaf springs over each axle in the back, over each wheel in the back.

It's got 9 or 10 leaf springs under each one in the front. Those springs never bend, unless there's a load on there. My wife and I kind of tested that. You hit a bump, the springs don't move. You move! But you know, it's perfect.

It's perfect in this sense. It's exactly...well, let's look at it this way. You know, a 1951 truck, it doesn't always bring you home, turns out. Probably half the times I've driven it, I don't think I'm exaggerating. Half the times, maybe, who knows, I don't get home with the truck without...

Well, it's the one that doesn't always bring you home. But you know, 1951's technology also wasn't designed as a gas sipper. Now, when gas was 19 since a gallon, I guess people didn't care back then how many miles of the gallon a thing got. It's not exactly the lap of luxury. You don't want to go getting in an accident in a steel-clad cab with no seat belts because they didn't have them back in 1951. Sitting in that seat is not ergonomically designed. There's not much headroom, there's not much legroom. They didn't make that cab much longer. That was one of the last years, so they got a bigger cab and started doing things more luxurious.

The old tube radio, you could get an AM station on it often.

There's a lot of challenges in the hydraulics, in the combustion system, the transmission system, in the wheels. There's always something to figure out. But you know what? Let me tell you something. It's exactly what you would expect from a 1951 truck. It fulfills what you would expect for a truck that's 57 years old. No surprises, either way. You're not going to get in it one day. You say, wow, this thing's really got power and smoothness and luxury. And wow, feel the cold air. It's not going to happen.

It's going to be a 1951 truck.

I say this because here in Matthew 5.48, Therefore you shall completely fulfill the purpose of your calling. You're not going to suddenly turn into a seraphim, floating over the throne of God, or a caribbean floating over the throne of God. You're not going to wake up tomorrow and suddenly you have this glow about you and absolute perfection and you're lifting off the ground. No, you're going to be a sinning, repentant person who is struggling and trying with the help of God to become more godly. That's what you're going to be. And I have absolute faith, as it were, or belief, that that truck is still going to drive and smoke and haul and go like a 1951 truck will.

Now, if it doesn't, let's say that truck suddenly just falls apart. What's going to happen to the truck? Out it goes. It'll have its day in the junkyard. It doesn't fill the bill any longer. It doesn't meet expectations, you see. Same with you and me. If we are not what is expected and not what God is wanting, then we're going to be dissolved, burned up, gotten rid of. What's the topic here? This isn't just a statement. Jesus Christ didn't just get up and say, Therefore, you shall be perfect or fulfill your purpose. No, it's actually, therefore, as a marker. It's a summary marker. It's actually summarizing and marking that which came before. You can find two or three, therefore, in this particular chapter going backwards. You go back to the previous one and come forward, and it's discussing agape love. Love. Showing love to any and everybody, including enemies. For example, verse 44. What is summarizing there is part of what verse 44 is talking about. But I say to you, love your enemies. Bless those who curse you. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. Verse 45. That you may be sons of your Father in heaven. You aspire to that love. You have the mindset of the God family, and you will fulfill the purpose for which you were created. That's what you and I need to be doing. The Father is the complete role model for His family. He is the complete provider for His future family. Jesus Christ came and He completed all the necessary steps and provisions for us to receive salvation. Let's go to Hebrews 2 and verse 10 and see how Jesus Christ was perfected. You might think, well, I'm not sure I know what He's talking about. I'm not sure He knows what He's talking about. Well, let's go back and look at the same word type used here in Hebrews 2 and verse 10 in relationship to Jesus Christ Himself. Now, before we get there, as we go there, let me ask you. Do you think Jesus Christ was a sinner? Do you think He was imperfect? Do you think as a God being in heaven, as our Creator, the God of the Old Testament, etc., etc., He was defective? Well, hold on to that question for just a second. And let's read here in Hebrews 2 and verse 10.

For it was fitting for Him, the One who became Jesus, the Christ, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Did Jesus Christ have to come to this earth and suffer so that He could finally be perfect? God the Father said to Him, Jesus, you know, you've got some imperfections. You've got to go down there and live as a human and suffer so you can finally be perfect. Or, as I've been teaching you, did He complete the purpose of His coming by those things which He suffered? Did He complete the purpose for which He was sent? Let's notice why did Jesus have to come. Because there was no Savior, there was no forgiveness for sin, there was no bloodshed. The wall of partition, the sins of man, was in place and could not be removed. There was no healing or stitching together of humanity with God. And so Jesus had to come as the captain of their salvation in bringing many sons to glory through sufferings He completed. Remember, telios can mean complete or mature. He completed those things that were necessary. Verse 14, Inasmuch then as children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, notice, that through death He might destroy Him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Verse 17, Therefore in all things He had to be made like His brethren, He had to complete this process to fulfill it, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to make propitiation for the saints of the people. He came and completed the role which the Father had for Him. He completed it. He exactly did what needed to be done in order to be our Savior. So He fully completed the purpose for which He was sent. The question remains for you and me again. Are we fully completing the purpose for which we have been called, for which we have been created? That responsibility is on to us, on to each of us. The saints need to be a telios, a complete mature fit, in order to ultimately become one of the first fruits. First fruits has to do with harvesting a crop. It's the first fruits of the harvest, the first fruits harvest. Not all fruits are worthy to be harvest. Let me give you an example. Monte Canudson has date trees, beautiful, medjool dates. Here are two. Those look like dates to you? Well, they are. Those are medjool dates. The harvest of medjool dates takes place in the state of Arizona during the month of October, from the beginning to the end of the month. And they go through and they pick the dates, and the dates begin like that, only green. And they're nice and green and moist and wet. And they need to have a certain sugar content in them, and that needs to grow and develop. And ultimately, then they dry in the sun. And eventually they fall off and they continue to lose their moisture. But the sugar content and the carbohydrate content needs to be strong, like these. There are two more medjool dates. Oops. There we go. Now, the interesting thing about this, as many of us assembled recently to go through the harvest at Monty's house, we had to sort through and figure out which dates we wanted and which dates went in the trash. I was talking to Monty this morning and thinking, you know, you remember all those dates that had on the tree. A bough has so many dates. A date grower will first go through and pick two-thirds of them off and discard them, and then develop the last third. The last third, some will finish up, some will shrivel up, some will never mature. Here's an example of two that didn't make it in the harvest.

When you pick up one of these, you'll find, I weighed these on a postage scale, they both weigh 0.6 of an ounce. Six-tenths of an ounce. Now, this is in the moist. This is the wet state. These should be heavy, full of moisture before they ever evaporate out. These should be very full of sugar. These weigh 6 tenths of an ounce, both of them. Those weigh 9 tenths of an ounce, already dried. These should be full of sugar, they just be sweet, sweet, sweet, so that once the water shrinks out of them or evaporates out and they begin to shrink down and prune up a little bit, it's just left with candy. So, for coming to church today, I did this for you. I ate at one of these. It was interesting what wasn't inside. Sweetness. I won't say that there was no sweetness, there was a hint, a slight hint of sugar. Not the kind of dripping sugar that you would get out of a date, by any means. This could never go anywhere. It's never gone anywhere. It fell on the ground, it looks like that, it's already beginning to bruise and rot. The point is, it never matured. It never filled the purpose for which it was intended. It never developed the characteristics of being food. This date, on the other hand, that weighs 9 tenths of an ounce, not only has sugar in it, it also has 66 calories in one date. Three of them are over 150 calories. 66 calories. That one doesn't have many calories at all. It's kind of empty and pithy inside, just a little bit of nothing. This has 66 calories, and it's heavier. It's mature in the sense that it is providing that which it is expected and intended to. God made a date to be a wonderful burst of energy and food, and it's delectable. That one didn't fill the bill. As the date sorters went through, we would take these and, psh! Roger Nettles, he's a great date sorter. And Stephen Kennedy, you know, they'd go through these things, psh! They could pick up these things, and they were just going in the trash like crazy, along with the little shriveled up dry ones and several other things. Some of them were so ugly that Roger would go, aah!

So Stephen and I developed a system. We didn't even have to look at him. We could just hold one in front of Roger and see if he screamed. Yeah. Well, these would definitely be aah dates. And so God is wanting us to fully mature to become that for which is intended. If you look at Jesus Christ's parables, many of them talk about that very same thing. Remember the fig tree? Withered. He saw no fruit. The wheat. The tares. The wheat. Did it have anything in the heads? Or did it not produce any fruit for the harvest? The sheep. The goats. The virgins. Did they have... Were they wise? Did they have God's Spirit? Or were they lacking God's Holy Spirit? See, it's sorting the crop to see if it meets the intent for which it was created. But are you perfect? Are you perfect and sinless? Let me answer that from 1 John 1, verse 8 from the new American Standard Bible. It says, If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves. We're in the process of deceiving ourselves. If we can't see sin, we're in the process of deceiving ourselves. And the truth is not in us. But are we complete? Are we maturing in regards to the criteria needed to be in that harvest? You know, the firstfruits, by the way, there's no human being that has ever been a firstfruit. Firstfruit is something that is harvested. It's not in the growing process. No human in the Bible is referred to as a firstfruit. Even Jesus Christ is referred to the first of the firstfruits only after he was resurrected and sat at the right hand of God. Let's see that in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 20. The saints are only called firstfruits after they are standing on the Mount of Olives with Jesus Christ the Messiah. Find that in Revelation chapter 14 and verse 1. Part of the 144,000 standing on the Mount of Olives with Christ. The potential candidates of the firstfruit harvest, the wheat or the tares or the chaff or the figs or the sheep or the goats or the virgins, these are being examined for maturity and completeness. You and I need to be growing into a completeness, into maturity. So are you a maturing fit for the harvest? That's the question.

We should get some satisfaction, in fact, that we are in the process of fulfilling that for which we are called. Or we should repent of that and get in the process of fulfilling that. Remember wretched sinning Paul? Let's go to 2 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 8 and see another viewpoint that he also had of his quest and his status of being a human being with God's Holy Spirit.

2 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 8.

Finally, I am becoming perfect and just about there I think it's going to happen every day. No, any day. Actually, let's read what he said.

Finally, there is laid up for me. Notice he didn't say, by me. There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that day.

And not to me only, but also to all who have loved his appearing.

We can have a certain confidence that we are struggling and trying. And like Paul said, I am confident there is a crown of righteousness. I am one day going to be perfect. I am one day going to be absolutely righteous. But I know that I am fitting the bill. I know that I am fulfilling the purpose for which God has called me.

And I am doing that in a very imperfect way, but I am meeting those criteria. And I know that all of those who are with me in this will be just fine in the day of judgment.

Why are some a perfect fit? Because they are striving for spiritual perfection through Jesus Christ, through His help.

Hebrews 13, verses 20 and 21, tells us how God is making us complete in this calling. It is not just up to you and me. We can't just go, Well, I guess I better go get myself real complete here and meet all those criteria. Better get in the tool shed and start putting it together. Actually, it is a spiritual thing. It can't be done by you and me alone. It has to be done actually through us by God. Hebrews 13, verse 20, says, Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you telios, make you complete in every good work to do His will, make you perfect in the sense that you are the fit for what God intends you to become in this flesh, that you are complete, that you have not stopped somewhere along the way like this, but that you are maturing on towards being the fruit that God is looking for in the harvest, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight. Notice He's going to complete it. He is going to work in you what is well pleasing in His sight. And what is well pleasing in the sight of God? Repentance from dead works. Forgiveness through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. We really need to give God the glory here. It's not about your or my righteousness or perfection. It's really about the wonderful great God and the creation, the opportunity, the assistance, and His helping us meet the criteria for being in His family forever. The state becomes then that of a complete or perfect fit while still being human, while still being sinful. Will those who are a perfect fit ever be perfect in this lifetime? Oh, come on now. We've said this so many times. 1 John 1, verse 8. Now from the New Living Translation, to make it really clear, For if we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth.

No, we're not going to be perfect. And if we ever find ourselves in a state of perfection, look out. Look out, because these dates did. They said we're perfect. We don't need to change anymore. I think we've made it. Look at that nice color. Look how fat and plump we are. I think we're good. We're good to go. Now, that would be a bad state to find ourselves in. I'd like to read you a bunch of Scriptures that say, Finally the saints become perfect. Except I don't know any. I couldn't find any. I even looked for some that showed that the saints became perfect after they got into the kingdom, where God says, Finally, I've made you perfect. Finally, you guys are sinless and perfect. You know, I can't find any Scripture that even stresses that. That's not what God is about. I mean, obviously, yes, that happens because every son of his and every being in the God family is absolutely perfect. That's a given in a sense. We know that, don't we?

Let's go to Philippians 3, verse 9 through 15 as we wrap this up. Philippians 3, verse 9. See what the Apostle Paul came to here. I really appreciate the Apostle Paul. I'm sure you do as well. But hats off to God inspiring him to share with us certain basic concepts that we all will struggle with. Philippians 3, verse 9 says, To be found in Christ, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.

It's not about my righteousness. It's about my struggling to have God live His righteousness in me. And may be found in Him not having my own righteousness. Verse 10, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings being conformed to His death through the repentance of sin and putting the old nature to death. If by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

You see the struggle, but you see the credit there? Verse 12, not that I have already attained or am already perfected. I have not achieved or attained some kind of perfection. But I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ has also laid hold of me. I press on to fulfill the purpose for which Christ has called me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended. And the margin here correctly states to lay hold of it. I haven't grabbed immortality. I haven't reached some sort of lofty perfection.

But here's what really is encouraging. But one thing I do for getting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. That's the beauty of God and repentance and forgiveness. What is in the past is of no consequence to God. We forget those things and we keep moving forward. I press towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, let us as many as are mature have this mind. You know what the word mature means or comes from? Telios. Perfect.

As many of us are fulfilling that calling for which we were put on this earth, have the mind of going forward to the last day that we draw breath. We need to be a perfect fit for the harvest. Let's look at 1 Corinthians 3 and verse 26. You know in 1 Corinthians 3 and verse 26 we find our calling. And we find that God didn't call the brightest bulbs in the box.

He tells us that right up front. 1 Corinthians 3 verse 26 says, Oh, it doesn't either. Excuse me just a minute. When I put 3 I wonder. I'll cross it out and put 1. I thought I was in 1. Here we have 1 Corinthians 1 verse 26. For now you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many noble, are called. And here we are. Let's skip down to verse 30. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and who became for us righteousness, and who became for us sanctification, and who became for us redemption.

See where that all comes from? It's not going to come from within you or me. It's not going to be the sum of our perfection. It's going to be Jesus Christ who became for us, becomes for us righteousness and perfection. In verse 31, that is, as it is written, He who glories, let Him glory in the Lord. God gets the credit for the creation. God gets credit for the calling. God gets credit for the conversion. God gets credit for a sinless state. Because, yes, God does see us as sinless.

When we repent, then He does not see us as unrighteous. So we need to be in that process. James 1 and 2, we'll finish up with this before we conclude, because this is very important. James 1 and 2. James, interestingly, opens the book with this statement. This is the preface, this is the big thing to the book of James. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various tests.

That's the opener. When we think, oh, wait a minute, is this guy on something? No. Here, let's look at the fruit. These fruit are coming to fulfill their purpose. And as we head towards that, we are tested. And if you're not being tested, you're not in the process. You're not part of the spring harvest, you see? He's saying, count it all joy when you fall into various tests, knowing that the testing of your faith, there's something going on here. God is involved and He's testing to see if this is a genuine thing that you're doing, that you're believing, that you're involved with. Is this just short-term and when the economy collapses or when some problem happens in your life, the real you comes out and you end up worshipping the beast or working on the Sabbath or something?

No. God wants to know. What? I'm going to test you. The testing of your faith produces hupomone. I read that accurately. The testing of your faith produces hupomone. That's a Greek word, which means endurance, steadfastness, continuance and perseverance. In other words, you're going to be tested to see if you keep on going. Is this just a nice, a religion for nice times? Or in the testings and things that come up in life, you should count it all joy because God's checking to see if you're going to keep going towards putting sin out of your life and becoming like Him.

But let steadfastness, perseverance have its perfect work. In other words, here's that word again, telios, perfect work. Let it fulfill the purpose for which those tests were created, that you may be telios, fulfilling the criteria required of the firstfruits, that you may be perfect, in a sense, a perfect fit, that you'll fulfill the purpose for which God called you. And holocleros, which means complete in all respects, no part unsound. Not like these guys. Complete in all respects, no part unsound. Lacking nothing. Lacking nothing needed to be in the firstfruits' harvest.

Those dates actually made it to the harvest. They came out of the bag, one of the bags that was harvested, proved that they made it to the harvest. These I picked off the ground this morning. They failed miserably. They were just laying around on the ground.

God is checking and testing the crop to see who meets the criteria. Rejoice. Be glad that you're getting tested. In conclusion, God has a gift for those who fulfill the purpose for which they were created, for which they were called. The criteria is shown to us by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 1, verses 3 through 12. I'll read excerpts. 2 Thessalonians 1, verse 3. Here the brethren are being praised. Here we see the criteria stated for who will be in this harvest and who will not. We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, notice, and the love of every one of you all abounds towards each other.

That love that God is is abounding and growing towards each other. Verse 5, which is manifest evidence of what? The righteous judgment of God that you may be counted worthy. Not that you are worthy, not that you have righteousness, but it's a righteous selection of God, that you're counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer. Verse 10, when He comes in that day to be glorified in His saints, it's about God, glory to Him, He will be glorified in His saints, and to be admired among all those who believe.

Salvation isn't about you or me being perfect or sinless. It's about God's goodness, His graciousness, to those who are struggling and trying and are fulfilling the criteria for the harvest. It's about Him. Notice, because our testimony among you was believed, faith with works, works of love, deeds, good works.

Verse 11, therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling. It's a decision. It is not our perfection, and therefore we deem ourselves worthy. It is God counting us worthy. How many times do we have to read that until we can accept the fact that God is going to determine this and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and you glorified by Him? As the last verse says here that I'm going to read, the last part says from the New Living Translation, This is all made possible because of the undeserved favor, the graciousness of our God and Lord Jesus Christ.

So, brethren, today we've seen salvation is never about me. It's not about my perfection. It's about God. It's His graciousness towards those who completely fulfill and mature into the purpose for which He has called us. The lesson of the Bible, the lesson of the Holy Days is to be zealous, full of energy and zeal towards good works of love towards God and repenting of the dead works of selfishness, getting rid of that. And when we do that, we completely fulfill the purpose for which we were created and the purpose for which we were called.

And when you and I never quit fighting sin, when you and I never quit hating the sin that we see, overcoming the sin, fighting the sin, have this convoluted fight of good and evil inside, when we never stop that fight and we always desire to be more like God, and God sees that in you, He says, you are perfect for me.