When you know who you are in Christ, you can easily follow the Lord’s Way and Truth. Some of you think, “That’s too hard.” However, I ask the Holy Spirit to bring to your remembrance that Jesus, Himself, said: “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:30, NIV). If things are hard for some of you, it is probably because you love leaning to your own understanding and making it hard for yourself. So, if you think the Lord’s Way is hard and burdens heavy, I ask you to examine what you think you know. Some of you think you know that nobody is perfect. I always chuckle when people say that as they strike a self-righteous pose. How do you know that “nobody is perfect”? What is your measure? Have you met all the trillions of people in the world? Are you psychic? Or do you think that is what the Bible says? With the Holy Spirit as my witness, I am here to tell you that is not what the Bible says! It is a myth, an unsubstantiated statement spoken with a mean spirit and meant to create strive or shame others. If you want to grow, examine what you think you know!
The Bible never says, “Nobody is perfect.” I tell you the truth, the Bible says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48, NIV). Well, my house and I choose to believe and stand by what the Bible says. Bishop G.E. Petterson sang a song that says, “The Bible is right, and somebody’s wrong.” Just because we are imperfect does not mean we lose our salvation because the Lord gives us every opportunity to ask for forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9, ESV). There is no limit on how many times you can ask for forgiveness if you ask with a repentant and sincere heart. We have a High Priest sitting at the Father's right hand who sympathizes with our human weaknesses but does not condone them.
Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations (Gen. 6:9). “Yahweh appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect” (Gen. 17:1). “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright” (Job 1:1). Many, many Scriptures in the New Testament point the saints toward perfection. Those preaching Christ with all wisdom present everyone perfect in Christ (Col. 1:28). Read your Bible; if you want to grow, examine what you think you know. Stop adding to God’s Word. This “Nobody’s Perfect” theology is from the devil, not God. The worst-case scenario of saying “nobody’s perfect” is mocking God, who said, “Be ye perfect, for I am perfect.” The Word of God is “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” Eph, 4:12). Epaphras, a servant of Christ, labored fervently in prayer so the people could stand strong and perfect and complete in the will of God (Col 4:12, NKJV). A little less worst-case scenario, which is still bad, is people who say “nobody’s perfect” are discouraging babes in Christ from striving to be like Jesus, who is perfect. And most of you are contradictory because I have heard many of you sing the song, “I want to be like Jesus,” and if Jesus is perfect, then the Bible is right, and you are wrong. Be careful what you say and what you sing about.
When you use the phrase “nobody’s perfect” to denigrate and hurt people, are you mocking God and discouraging babes in Christ from striving to be like Jesus? The world defines perfect as free from faults and defects. None of us are free from faults and defects. But that is the world’s definition, and we are not of the world. Therefore, we should not define ourselves by what the world says. By the world’s definition, we see what we see, and we might be able to examine what we see and make some ungodly conclusion, but by what measure? Do you want to use the world’s measure of the biblical measure? The Bible says, “One sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Heb. 10:14, NIV). One sacrifice, which is Jesus Christ, has made perfect forever those working to be holy (sanctified). Are you becoming holy? Are you? What about you? Perfection is in those who are becoming holy because of the ONE Sacrifice made by Jesus Christ. Notice the words “being made holy,” not already holy. I do not know about you, but the Lord still works on me. Early in the morning, I ask the Lord to work on me, to work on my eyes so I see no evil, to work on my ears so I hear no evil, and to work on my tongue, so I speak no evil. I do not deny that I am striving to be holy like Jesus, and I will not allow anyone to shame me with their “Holier than thou” and “Nobody’s perfect” false doctrine. Stop mocking God and ask the Lord to work on you as you become more holy. Just because the Lord is working on you does not mean you should continue to sin. The answer to whether we should continue to sin so grace will abound is “God forbid.” If you think God condones your sinning, examine what you think you know.
The world we live in today is reaping the harvest of the sins brought to fruition by the living generations and the generations before us, and there are some people who think the living generations are too far gone to turn back to the Lord. When I say living generations, I am talking about everyone that is alive today. Too many people want to lay the blame for where this world is at the feet of the young (Gen X and the Millennials). There are a few still alive from “The Greatest Generation.” Many are alive from “The Silent Generation” and “The Baby Boomers.” These are the two generations sitting in power today, Trump, Biden, and those in that Baby Boomer group. Generation X and the Millennials are rising and trying to get a foothold in the Seats of Power. But what morals will they bring to the table? What morals did the Baby Boomers pass on to Generation X and the Millennials, who now pass their values on to Gen Z and Gen Alpha? Yes, the younger generations are establishing their own morals; however, most of them, especially the privileged “ME-ME” attitude, come from previous generations. Too many in the living generations are refusing to examine themselves and, in this process of disobedience, are conforming to the world's ways and planting a new crop of sins that those not yet born will reap. We can deny it if we like, but the sins of partiality to the poor and favoritism to the rich are taking a toll on every cultural group worldwide. If we continue to repeat these mistakes, future generations will continue to follow a bad model of faith that peddles anger, hatred, self-righteousness, partiality, favoritism, malice, vengeance, etc. This is not the foundation Jesus and the prophets laid.
Open your minds. Do you want to be the one hanging on to the old things, believing that “everything that happens has happened before; nothing is new, nothing under the sun” (Eccles. 1:9, CEV)? Compare what Solomon said to what Paul said about new creations in Christ. If we continue to be of this world, there is nothing new under the sun. However, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away” (2 Cor. 5:17). Anyone who belongs to Christ is not of this world; they are a new creation striving to be holy with a clean heart and a right spirit, and with Christ being able to cast off transgressions. Notice I said with Christ! God came to us in the form of a man, Christ Jesus, and we live because of the sacrifice of Christ. Without God, the Father, and God the Son, nothing we do is of any substance. The Lord cleanses us from all impurities; as a recipient of this cleansing, our souls embrace repentance. “For we know how dearly God loves us because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love” (Rom. 5:5, NLT). Once we fill up with the Holy Spirit, we stand firm in the free will that God gave and do not allow ourselves to feel shame for our hope in the Lord. The Lord sustains us as we promise to preach, teach, and live the gospel. This includes instructing those in the present age not to lose faith that an omnipotent power is working on our behalf to save us from ourselves. Titus’s challenge was to convince people to see, understand, and operate differently than they were living. Too often, we live a life we have not entirely sacrificed to the Lord. Too many like to straddle the fence and walk in the shadow of darkness, thinking that everything is okay just because God knows your heart. Be careful, God knows your heart, but have you examined your heart lately? For those who claim Christ, our bodies are supposed to be a living sacrifice. Our challenge is to change our point of view on things that are not pleasing to God. If you want to grow, examine what you think you know.
To embrace things pleasing to God, we must wholeheartedly accept the Holy Spirit into our life and give the Spirit from God the ability to change our minds. “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Prov. 3:6, ESV). We must trust in the Lord with all our hearts. We cannot afford to have lapses in judgment. Peter’s mindset became problematic when he lost focus while walking on water. We sometimes lose focus by concentrating on worldly things and keeping company with the ungodly. Trust the Lord and remember that even as the floodwaters run unrestrained, fires burn out of control, and a cloud of smoke hovering over the city takes away our breath. No matter the situation, God will uphold those who belong to Christ with His righteous right hand. Join me as I pray those with an ear to hear God's Word will have confidence and tell the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the rising generations. Open your mind, and God will validate or correct what you think you know and reveal the truths we hide in the chaos of our minds. Stop for a moment and take the time to look around your homes and communities. We see school shootings, gang violence, hatred, aggressive behavior among leaders, corruption at the highest levels of government, and similar acts of disobedience not pleasing God. These and much more are considerable problems in this age because too many, including church folks, have chosen to ignore sinful behavior. Too many people think anyone can define sin and it is whatever an individual says it is. However, that is not the end of the matter because not many people consider the Lord’s Way and the Lord’s Truth. If you want to grow, examine what you think you know.
Nehemiah understood that the manifestation of sin in his people was detrimental to each individual's well-being and to the entire society. Nehemiah did not deceive himself into thinking that sin did not exist. He knew how detrimental it was and is to humanity. When we do not humble ourselves, pray, and confess our sins, we are not obeying the commands or embracing the will of the Lord. Even in the Old Testament, God said: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14, NKJB). We must grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and ensure we do not become numb to evil behavior. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8, ESV). He was born in the flesh, lived among us as a man, and left this world without sin. And you say you want to be like Jesus! Who is the Jesus that you serve? If you want to grow, examine what you think you know.
