There are times when people including Christians say some very strange things. Often we hear someone say something that stops us in our tracks. For example, have you ever heard something that sounded so strange or outrageous that you asked yourself, “Did I really just hear that?” I really believe that Jesus often had this effect on people. Throughout the Gospels there are many times recorded that Jesus said things that more than likely left many of His listeners asking, “Jesus said what?” Over the next several weeks we will be looking at several of these hard sayings of Jesus. These will be words that will even cause us today to stop in our tracks. We are going to begin this series with Him telling us to “be perfect.” On the surface that sounds like a next to impossible request. Especially, when we look at our lives and see how far we are from reaching that standard. In fact, the Bible is constantly reminding us that we are not perfect. Statements such as, “There is no one righteous, no not even one,” serve as a stark reminder of this fact. So why would God ask us to do something that is impossible for us? To get a handle on what Jesus is saying we need to put the statement into its proper context. When we do this the statement will become much less outrageous and much easier to embrace. In fact, we might even say, “Wow! I just might be able to do that!” Today, as we examine closely these difficult words of Jesus, I believe that we will find some very timely truths that we can apply to our lives.
I. The first question we must answer is, “What exactly does Jesus mean by perfect?”
A. Bringing a difficult word into perspective.
1. The dictionary defines the word perfect this way, free from any flaw, faultless.
2. When we think of the word perfect this is usually the definition that comes to mind.
3. When you consider this common definition it is easy to conclude that Jesus is asking the impossible.
4. The Greek word translated perfect is the word teleios.
a. This word is commonly translated as “mature or full grown.”
b. The definition for this word is, “the state of being complete.”
5. When we start viewing the word “perfect” in this light it seems to be a little more doable.
B. This statement has to be viewed within the context of this whole section of Scripture.
1. Too many people are guilty of pulling out just one verse from a passage and building a whole doctrine around it.
2. The Bible was not originally divided into chapters and verses. In fact the Bible was written in paragraphs much like a letter.
3. When you study the preceding material in this passage you discover that what Jesus is talking about is for us to strive to display the character of God not just in our behavior but in our relationships.
4. While sinless perfection is beyond our reach. Living a Godly life is a Biblical concept that is very attainable.
5. In essence, our love for God must be so strong that we will be willing to bring every area of our lives under His Lordship.
6. Paul shed some light on this in his letter to the Ephesian believers.
7. Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2—NIV 2011)
II. The second question we must answer is, “What exactly is Jesus expecting out of us?”
A. Perfection is not determined by obedience to a list of rules and regulations.
1. Jesus is showing that holiness is not about strict adherence to all the rules. It is about developing a heart that is totally devoted to Him.
2. Throughout this “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus repeatedly shows that the Law always points to the perfection and holiness of God. God is the ultimate standard.
3. Matthew’s concept of perfection has to do with imitating God’s love and behavior.
4. Although the Kingdom ethics that Jesus teaches in the “Sermon on the Mount” seem quite lofty and unattainable, they are essential to our identity as children of God.
5. Perhaps this is what Jesus is getting at, that we should display love and mercy without any strings attached just like the Father.
B. Jesus wants us to work to make our Heavenly Father’s character visible in our lives.
1. Jesus is not hinting that His followers have already achieved perfection but that we are striving to reach that goal by working daily to display His character in our lives.
2. It is really easy to look at the person next to us and say, I am much better than they are. Here Jesus removes the temptation to compare by showing that God is the standard by which our lives are to be measured.
3. We will never be measured according to what anyone else does.
4. Whether or not a Christian is perfect is not the issue. The point is that we all can continue to grow and better reflect our Heavenly Father to the world.
5. So Jesus is not trying to frustrate us with a standard we will never measure up to. He is challenging us to grow in our obedience to God’s will.
C. Jesus also shows that we are not left alone to try and reach the standard to which He is calling us.
1. The Holy Spirit has been given to us to enable us to be able to reach heights that we could never have reached on our own.
2. We are called to rise above the status quo and to live by a standard that is much higher than that of the world.
3. When we realize that we are not capable of reaching God’s standard on our own, we will better understand our need for a Savior.
4. First century Philosopher Seneca seems to have understood this fact when he said, “The good person is God’s pupil, His imitator and His true offspring.”
III. The final question we must answer is one of application. “How can we be perfect?
A. Our character needs to grow and be molded so that we will be like Jesus.
1. We must understand that in this life, none of us are capable of being flawless in the way we live.
2. In fact, it seems that the harder we try, the more we fail to make the grade.
3. These failures should not discourage us and keep us from continuing to strive to reach the goal.
4. We should continue to strive to become more like Jesus each and every day.
B. Holiness needs to be our goal. We must separate our lives from the values of the world.
1. There is a lot of truth in the old saying, “You can’t run with the world and walk with God.”
2. The world’s values are at odds with God’s so we need to work to separate ourselves from the things of the world.
3. The Pharisees were good at separating themselves from the world but their motive for doing so was to make themselves look good.
4. We need to separate ourselves from the world so that they can see Jesus living in us.
5. In everything we do our goal should be to make God look good.
C. Realize Christianity is a long term growing process. We cannot become like Jesus all at once.
1. We will never achieve holiness and Christ like character all at once. There is no magic switch to flip or formula to follow.
2. We grow toward maturity and wholeness. As Christians we are a work in progress.
3. Just as we expect different behaviors from different stages in human development. God expects different behaviors from us during the different stages of spiritual development.
4. There will always be room for growth in our lives.
D. Our love for others needs to become like God’s, totally unconditional.
1. As Christians we should never expect special treatment and by the same token when we see non-Christians receiving treatment we think is better than what we are receiving, we should not complain.
2. Jesus showed that we are to be willing to give to others and not expect anything in return.
3. We are called to display the same unconditional love that God has shown us to all those who cross our paths.
4. The world should be able to see that we are radically different from them in the way we live and treat others.
An old rabbi was asked by one of his disciples, “What’s the worst thing an evil urge can achieve?” The rabbi thought and then gave this very wise answer. He said, “To make a man forget that he is the son of a King.” That is very applicable to us. Satan’s goal is to make us forget that we are children of the King.
