The word, Complete, is defined in my Collegiate Dictionary as “lacking nothing; whole; entire; having all the required or customary characteristics, skills ” A Complete Christian is one that has applied himself to being whole through Jesus Christ, who will not settle for less than the best that Christ has for him.
My call as your Pastor is to point you to completion in Christ, men and women who are serious about being world-class Christians who make the world a better place and who are catalysts for Kingdom of God.
Our text for this series speaks to what it means to be a complete Christian, not in the sense that we have reached the end of our need to grow, but rather as one fully engaged, fully prepared to live for Christ. A couple of weeks ago, we learned from this passage that Gd has given everything we need ‘for life and godliness!’
Please do not hear this series as one simply motivating you to self improvement. It is important to commit to spiritual and mental growth, but the Complete Christian does not emerge out of self-actualization! This is a work of the Spirit, the result of continuing FAITH that trusts God. This faith lets us ‘see’ what we can become in Christ and then keeps us steady when it appears that we cannot reach the goal.
That is just the beginning, however.
READ TEXT
“Make every effort to add to your faith.....” And then we find seven traits of a complete Christian -
∙ Goodness,
∙ Knowledge,
∙ Self-control,
∙ Perseverance,
∙ Godliness,
∙ Brotherly kindness, and
∙ Love.
Imagine if the Creator had become bored or weary and decided that instead of making the universe all 'very good,' (Genesis 1:31) He had settled for “good enough!” We observe that God went for design that is wondrous, full of beauty, and marked by excellence. Since this is how our God chose to prepare the world for us, doesn’t make sense that we choose to serve Him with excellence?
Inspiring Peter, the Spirit challenges us to commit ourselves to a life of goodness
“Add to faith, GOODNESS.” The KJV says, VIRTUE.
Goodness, in the Bible is a robust word, that speaks of moral excellence and character worthy of admiration.
In the first language of the New Testament, Greek, the word is ARETE. It derives from a root that means: to raise up, elevate, lift up.
We live in a society that is increasingly low, full of compromise, with little commitment to moral excellence.
Our entertainment is full of things lewd and crude. Much of our art is incomprehensible splashes of clashing colors, nothing like the great works of the masters of the 18th century.
Our world could stand a few more truly good people who would, by their example and encouragement,
RAISE THE STANDARD. Sin leads us into a moral swamp where there is no shame, no sense of offense, no striving for the best.
A caution : Do not confuse genuine goodness with its false look-alike; sanctimony.
What is sanctimony? Sanctimonious people are “ pre-occupied with building an image of devotion and/or religiosity.” Jesus dealt with sanctimonious people all of the time. He told them they resembled ‘white-washed tombs, full of death’ and that ‘they shut the Kingdom in the face of those who would enter’ though they themselves did not even truly keep the Law!
Colossians warns Christians about turning to a list of moral rules ‘Don’t touch that. Don’t go there. Don’t do this,’ in a vain attempt to become virtuous people. Then, we are told - "you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth." (Colossians 3:1-2, NLT)
The goodness to which we are challenged comes from a Christ-centered life, a brand new focus, and a heart-deep transformation.
That is not to suggest that becoming truly good happens to us magically or without our involvement! We can learn about the goodness God asks of us by studying Matthew 25. In that chapter Jesus tells three stories about judgement. He is teaching us, in story form, about the kind of life that will stand up to His inspection when we appear before Him.
∙ First, he tells of 10 young women invited to a wedding. Five of them took extra oil so as to be prepared for delay. Five of them failed to anticipate any problems and thus missed the great event.
Goodness involves taking the long view, being prepared for the unexpected situations that life thrusts on us.
∙ Next he told of a rich man who was going away for a long time. He entrusted some of his wealth to three servants to use in his absence. They were expected to give account of how they had used the money in investments when the rich man returned. Those who had done their job and put the money to work received this commendation: Matthew 25:23 "`Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' (NIV)
Goodness involves sustained effort, even when NO ONE is looking at our work.
∙ Finally, Jesus told of the judgement where God divides the faithful from those who are forever lost. He points to the consistent goodness that God commends. Listen to his words: Matthew 25:34-36 "Then the King will say to those on his right, `Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
[“Lord, when did we do these things for you?”] Matthew 25:40
"The King will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' (NIV)
Goodness involves caring compassion in a world full of human need.
Did you take note that the goodness of the servants that is commended is not the great and heroic things that they did? It is not the singular moments that stand out in history that find mention at the judgement. What we find mentioned is the daily ordinary goodness that each one of us can practice: being prepared, being faithful without constant supervision or reminder, feeding a hungry person, extending hospitality, clothing the naked, visiting the oppressed.
While we’re looking that opportunity to change the course of history, we miss the occasions to buy a cup of coffee for a friend who needs to talk; to offer a ride to a hitch-hiking kid who needs a word of encouragement, to listen to the lonely widow in front of the supermarket who needs to know that someone still cares, or to do an outstanding job at work for Christ's sake.
This is the kind of goodness that God wants to see in your life and mine.
Make NO MISTAKE – (I know I am repeating myself, but this is critically important) being a complete Christian is not a self-help effort nor does it emerge solely from self-discipline.
Re-read v.3-4
Only after we have received Christ and the life of the Spirit are we ready to become participants in discipleship. There are choices to make!
A. Make a choice for excellence and purity to replace the mediocrity of life that surrounds you.
*ill. When I was in school, it was easy to get a grade of "B". I didn't have to study to pull that kind of grade. I could coast and I often did. Why work at getting an "A" ? The "B" was good enough for me! Unfortunately there were teachers who wrote little notes on my report cards that said, "Jerry could do much better if he would apply more effort to his work!" The motivation that I lacked in myself was promptly supplied by my mother.
That same temptation to just get by is a part of most of our characters. If we leave the decision to the moment, we will only do as much as we feel we have to do. But if we make a choice to live excellently as an overriding value, we will make the GOOD choice when faced with the choice.
B. Choose the right standard against which to measure yourself.
∙ How much lumber would you buy from a lumberyard who used a ruler that marked one foot an inch shorter than the rest of the world’s rulers? BUT IT IS ONLY AN INCH!
∙ How many of us would fly in an airplane built by a company that allowed just .1 % error tolerance? Hey they’re right 99.9% of the time, what’s so critical about .1%?
We sometimes reason in this flawed way when evaluating our lives:
“I am not as bad as he is.”
“I do more for God than she does.”
“Our family goes to church more than most other families.”
Or there is yet another kind faulty standard...."it must right, everybody is doing it!"
God does not grade on a curve. He will not evaluate our lives based on averages. He isn't going to ask you what the prevailing opinion was among your peers. He knows what you’re capable of. He knows the gifts you have been given. And His standard is going to be what the Word said to you.
God has promised to speak to us within our hearts, convincing us of righteousness. When he speaks to you, it's time to respond regardless of what others do or say. Christ, alone, among people; and the written word of God, alone, among books are the standards of our goodness.
C. Choose the right people on whom to model your life and the kind of people who will encourage the best in you for God’s sake.
In choosing your role models, look for real character, not simply superficial attractiveness.
Look for lasting values, not merely some transitory achievement in sports or business.
Look outside of the circle of celebrities for a real person in your own acquaintance and take time to pursue a friendship. Ask them what motivates them, how they came to make the choices that you admire, and what the cost of goodness and/or excellence has been in their life!
One of the basic ideas about Christianity is that we are a community. The Bible calls us the body of Christ. Christianity is not a hermit's religion! To experience the best of our faith, we need to be in close relationship with other spirit-filled believers. We make invaluable contributions to each others' lives.
Use peer pressure. We are all influenced by the values and expectations of the people with whom we associate. So choice a peer group that will bring out the best in you.
Close: Would you like to all that you can be as a Christian?
Do you desire to become mature and stable, with a life blessed by God?
Begin with a choice of Faith, accepting Christ as Lord and Savior.
Follow-up by committing yourself to the process of building a Christ-like character:
Your first choice will be to commit to: goodness, genuine excellence that will not tolerate mediocrity.
Amen
