WEBVTT 00:00:04.360 --> 00:00:06.559 You're listening to the Christ Our Cornerstone 00:00:06.559 --> 00:00:09.699 podcast, Ministry of Christ Our Cornerstone Church 00:00:09.699 --> 00:00:12.419 in O 'Neill, Nebraska. I'm Pastor Logan Manrick 00:00:12.419 --> 00:00:14.599 and it's our prayer that this message strengthens 00:00:14.599 --> 00:00:17.539 your faith and draws you closer to Christ. Let's 00:00:17.539 --> 00:00:22.320 dive in. Hello. Good to hear. I shouldn't say 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:25.640 see you all because I am not seeing you all or 00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:27.640 hearing you, but you're hearing me and I'm glad 00:00:27.640 --> 00:00:30.800 that you can hear me. It's been a while since 00:00:30.800 --> 00:00:34.740 I have done a question. an answer podcast, a 00:00:34.740 --> 00:00:37.799 little Q &A mailbag stuff. And so but I got one 00:00:37.799 --> 00:00:40.039 today and I was really excited and I asked the 00:00:40.039 --> 00:00:42.899 person who sent this question into me if I could 00:00:42.899 --> 00:00:46.539 do a podcast on it. And they said, absolutely. 00:00:46.799 --> 00:00:49.820 So I'm really excited about it because here's 00:00:49.820 --> 00:00:51.119 what we're dealing with. Here's what we're talking 00:00:51.119 --> 00:00:55.840 about today. The question came in that says, 00:00:55.960 --> 00:00:59.670 well, I'll just I'll just read it. OK, it's a 00:00:59.670 --> 00:01:02.469 question that I think that many of us struggle 00:01:02.469 --> 00:01:04.930 with when we read the words of Jesus and the 00:01:04.930 --> 00:01:09.829 Sermon on the Mount and we go, I can't do that. 00:01:10.450 --> 00:01:11.790 Jesus, weren't you the one that was supposed 00:01:11.790 --> 00:01:15.530 to come and be perfect? And it kind of hits us 00:01:15.530 --> 00:01:16.909 right in the chest, and especially if you're 00:01:16.909 --> 00:01:19.510 a perfectionist, OK? And so here's the question. 00:01:19.989 --> 00:01:22.489 In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, be perfect 00:01:22.489 --> 00:01:25.530 as your heavenly father is perfect as a perfectionist. 00:01:25.569 --> 00:01:28.299 This has been a tough one for me. I know we can't 00:01:28.299 --> 00:01:30.620 be perfect this side of heaven, so what does 00:01:30.620 --> 00:01:33.500 this actually look like? And this is such a good 00:01:33.500 --> 00:01:36.040 question. And let me just say this right up front. 00:01:36.459 --> 00:01:39.500 If you read this verse and you feel crushed by 00:01:39.500 --> 00:01:41.819 it, you're probably reading it the wrong way, 00:01:41.840 --> 00:01:46.560 okay? And I say that with all love, pastorally. 00:01:47.540 --> 00:01:51.219 And so remember, we have to zoom out. when we're 00:01:51.219 --> 00:01:53.579 reading or reading the scriptures, and especially 00:01:53.579 --> 00:01:55.859 when we read something like this, that feels 00:01:55.859 --> 00:02:00.500 very anti -gospel, okay? If you read it that 00:02:00.500 --> 00:02:04.500 way, that would be anti -gospel, okay? And so, 00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:09.000 because Jesus isn't commanding us to be sinless, 00:02:09.039 --> 00:02:11.120 He's not commanding us to be perfect because 00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:13.919 He knows that's why He came, right? So, let's 00:02:13.919 --> 00:02:16.419 slow it down. Let's back it up. And so, when 00:02:16.419 --> 00:02:18.740 Jesus says, be perfect, the Greek word there 00:02:18.740 --> 00:02:23.400 is teleos. And depending on the translation, 00:02:23.460 --> 00:02:27.060 the commentary that you have, that word can either 00:02:27.060 --> 00:02:30.020 be complete, whole, or mature. And that's the 00:02:30.020 --> 00:02:31.780 person that wrote this question and had said 00:02:31.780 --> 00:02:35.319 that. I know that word is teleos, but I'm just 00:02:35.319 --> 00:02:39.139 not following. And so I personally think that 00:02:39.139 --> 00:02:41.939 the word perfect is not a great translation there 00:02:41.939 --> 00:02:44.419 because everywhere else in the scriptures, especially 00:02:44.419 --> 00:02:47.960 in the New Testament where teleos is used, it 00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:51.319 is mature. When Paul uses it over and over and 00:02:51.319 --> 00:02:54.740 over again, it is translated mature. And I'm 00:02:54.740 --> 00:02:56.699 going to get into that in just a minute. But 00:02:56.699 --> 00:02:58.759 I think mature is the best way to look at it 00:02:58.759 --> 00:03:00.400 and understand what Jesus is actually getting 00:03:00.400 --> 00:03:02.879 at. And so what is Jesus actually saying? Well, 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:05.939 if we zoom out and we look at the context, Jesus 00:03:05.939 --> 00:03:08.639 isn't talking about flawless behavior. Well, 00:03:08.719 --> 00:03:10.680 Pastor Logan, what exactly is he talking about? 00:03:11.060 --> 00:03:13.639 Well, let me just read. So Matthew five, starting 00:03:13.639 --> 00:03:16.300 in verse 43, it says, You have heard it said. 00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:19.240 You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy, 00:03:19.300 --> 00:03:22.039 but I say to you love your enemies and pray for 00:03:22.039 --> 00:03:26.120 those who persecute you So that you may be sons 00:03:26.120 --> 00:03:28.460 of your father who is in heaven for he makes 00:03:28.460 --> 00:03:31.819 his Sunrise on evil and on the good and sends 00:03:31.819 --> 00:03:35.120 rain on the just and on the unjust For if you 00:03:35.120 --> 00:03:38.280 love those who love you what reward do you have? 00:03:38.360 --> 00:03:41.060 Do not even the tax collectors do the same and 00:03:41.060 --> 00:03:44.199 if you greet only your brothers? What more are 00:03:44.199 --> 00:03:47.830 you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles 00:03:47.830 --> 00:03:52.030 do the same you therefore must be perfect as 00:03:52.030 --> 00:03:55.789 your heavenly father is perfect So that's the 00:03:55.789 --> 00:03:59.949 context of what we're looking at, right? So when 00:03:59.949 --> 00:04:03.250 I when I say let's zoom out, there's our context. 00:04:03.250 --> 00:04:08.469 He's talking about how to treat people Okay Especially 00:04:08.469 --> 00:04:12.169 people you don't like dun dun dun that sucks, 00:04:12.189 --> 00:04:18.769 right? especially people Who don't like you That's 00:04:18.769 --> 00:04:21.790 even worse because let me tell you the people 00:04:21.790 --> 00:04:24.790 that don't like me and I don't like them. I want 00:04:24.790 --> 00:04:29.110 to You know spitting their cornflakes or whatever 00:04:29.110 --> 00:04:32.110 however, you want to say it like I want to be 00:04:32.110 --> 00:04:36.889 as brutally Mean and I would physically want 00:04:36.889 --> 00:04:43.420 to fight At times and so Jesus is saying What 00:04:43.420 --> 00:04:46.040 good is it to be like others? Like it's not doing 00:04:46.040 --> 00:04:48.639 you any favors. You're supposed to look like 00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:51.339 my kingdom." So he's saying, love your enemies, 00:04:51.620 --> 00:04:53.800 pray for those who persecute you, right? He says 00:04:53.800 --> 00:04:56.300 that in the Sermon on the Mount earlier on in 00:04:56.300 --> 00:05:00.199 Matthew 5, if someone wrongs you, don't retaliate. 00:05:01.259 --> 00:05:04.579 So when he lands on be perfect, he's not suddenly 00:05:04.579 --> 00:05:07.959 switching topics to be more flawless. He's saying 00:05:07.959 --> 00:05:10.180 this is what maturity looks like in the kingdom 00:05:10.180 --> 00:05:14.829 of God. It looks like love that isn't selective. 00:05:15.970 --> 00:05:20.529 It looks like grace that isn't earned. It looks 00:05:20.529 --> 00:05:23.189 like a heart that reflects the Father. Now you 00:05:23.189 --> 00:05:25.910 can be like, well, hold on. What do you mean? 00:05:26.810 --> 00:05:29.209 Well, if we back back up in that same passage, 00:05:29.730 --> 00:05:35.329 he says the rain to fall on the just and the 00:05:35.329 --> 00:05:39.579 unjust, right? So that's what God does. He causes 00:05:39.579 --> 00:05:41.819 the sun to rise on the evil and on the good. 00:05:41.899 --> 00:05:43.759 He sends the rain on the just and the unjust. 00:05:44.279 --> 00:05:46.860 In other words, God deals with people in a way 00:05:46.860 --> 00:05:50.920 that is steady, consistent, and not based on 00:05:50.920 --> 00:05:53.699 whether they deserve it. And we should be the 00:05:53.699 --> 00:05:57.379 same way because that's maturity. Maturity is 00:05:57.379 --> 00:05:59.699 not just, this is what you deserve, so I'm going 00:05:59.699 --> 00:06:02.279 to treat you this way. Jesus says, you're my 00:06:02.279 --> 00:06:05.560 disciples, so therefore we reflect the kingdom. 00:06:05.899 --> 00:06:08.339 What does the kingdom reflect? My father. And 00:06:08.339 --> 00:06:12.399 how does the father act? Well, he deals fairly, 00:06:12.399 --> 00:06:19.519 right? And so this is what maturity is. So this 00:06:19.519 --> 00:06:22.139 is what we're called to. And this is what it... 00:06:22.770 --> 00:06:24.449 This is what we're called to, and this is what 00:06:24.449 --> 00:06:26.230 it looks like for us to walk that out, right? 00:06:26.529 --> 00:06:28.589 So now let's bring this into real life. Maturity 00:06:28.589 --> 00:06:32.790 means I don't just love people who are easy to 00:06:32.790 --> 00:06:36.410 love. It means I seek the good of people even 00:06:36.410 --> 00:06:39.050 if they're not, quote unquote, my people, right? 00:06:40.269 --> 00:06:42.290 They don't have to be my best friend. They don't 00:06:42.290 --> 00:06:44.129 have to be in my inner circle. They don't even 00:06:44.129 --> 00:06:46.870 have to agree with me or my opinions. Now, as 00:06:46.870 --> 00:06:49.709 someone who's very opinionated, that stings a 00:06:49.709 --> 00:06:54.370 little bit. But I'm called to seek their welfare. 00:06:54.790 --> 00:06:56.769 Those who don't agree with me, those who are 00:06:56.769 --> 00:06:59.389 not like me, those who are not a part of my circle, 00:06:59.449 --> 00:07:03.149 those who are not a part of my tribe, if you 00:07:03.149 --> 00:07:05.589 will, I'm still called to seek their welfare. 00:07:06.170 --> 00:07:07.550 Well, Pastor Logan, where else does it say to 00:07:07.550 --> 00:07:09.810 seek their welfare? Are you sure? Yeah, absolutely. 00:07:10.529 --> 00:07:13.170 Because this idea isn't just showing up right 00:07:13.170 --> 00:07:16.529 here before Jesus says it. It's actually told 00:07:16.529 --> 00:07:19.050 to the children of Israel in Jeremiah 29. Now, 00:07:19.050 --> 00:07:23.350 we all know Jeremiah 29, 11. Right? For I know 00:07:23.350 --> 00:07:26.089 the plans that he has for me, plans to prosper 00:07:26.089 --> 00:07:29.209 me and all that stuff. Right? Like we love that 00:07:29.209 --> 00:07:33.430 part. But then it goes on and it says, seek the 00:07:33.430 --> 00:07:37.709 welfare of the city where I have sent you, for 00:07:37.709 --> 00:07:42.930 it is in their welfare that you will find your 00:07:42.930 --> 00:07:47.060 welfare. And so he's talking about I'm sending 00:07:47.060 --> 00:07:50.300 you into exile, into enslavement. That's God 00:07:50.300 --> 00:07:53.139 speaking to his people. You're going to live 00:07:53.139 --> 00:07:55.500 under a foreign nation, a hostile nation, and 00:07:55.500 --> 00:07:57.939 here's what I want you to do. Seek their welfare. 00:07:58.860 --> 00:08:02.579 Love them. He also says, have children, plant 00:08:02.579 --> 00:08:06.420 gardens, plan to be there a while, and love those 00:08:06.420 --> 00:08:09.019 around you. And that's wild. It's a wild thing 00:08:09.019 --> 00:08:11.939 to think about. So God is telling his people, 00:08:12.160 --> 00:08:14.899 work for the good of the place. You don't even 00:08:14.899 --> 00:08:18.699 belong to. Why? Because maturity understands 00:08:18.699 --> 00:08:22.240 something that immaturity doesn't. My life isn't 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:24.660 about me. And you guys hear me say that all the 00:08:24.660 --> 00:08:26.740 time because that's what the Christian walk is. 00:08:27.240 --> 00:08:30.420 It's living a life that is not about you. And 00:08:30.420 --> 00:08:32.440 that's exactly what Jesus is getting at in the 00:08:32.440 --> 00:08:36.259 Sermon on the Mount. If you're my disciple, you 00:08:36.259 --> 00:08:39.259 don't just react. You don't just mirror what 00:08:39.259 --> 00:08:44.179 others do to you. That's what Everybody does. 00:08:45.399 --> 00:08:48.340 The father doesn't react that way. We shouldn't 00:08:48.340 --> 00:08:51.840 either. And so the father is mature in how he 00:08:51.840 --> 00:08:54.139 deals with people. Now let's talk about the tension 00:08:54.139 --> 00:09:00.139 because I already feel that I failed this many 00:09:00.139 --> 00:09:04.039 times over. Okay. So let's talk about the gospel 00:09:04.039 --> 00:09:06.360 message here for you if you feel the same way 00:09:06.360 --> 00:09:11.539 I do. And here's what it is. You may be thinking 00:09:11.539 --> 00:09:13.879 to yourself, I failed, right? Like I can't do 00:09:13.879 --> 00:09:18.200 this. I sinned. I'm not mature. I have throat 00:09:18.200 --> 00:09:20.940 punched somebody. I have called someone names. 00:09:21.019 --> 00:09:24.860 I have written someone off. Yadda, yadda, yadda, 00:09:24.860 --> 00:09:30.179 right? That's okay. Of course you have. I've 00:09:30.179 --> 00:09:32.600 done the same thing, but it doesn't disqualify 00:09:32.600 --> 00:09:36.340 you. That's the beauty. All of this is a process 00:09:36.340 --> 00:09:39.679 and Jesus knows that. Even the apostle Paul, 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:43.240 over and over, when I said he uses that word 00:09:43.240 --> 00:09:46.980 teleos, he's using it in the way of maturity. 00:09:47.460 --> 00:09:52.980 And he, over and over, he says, I'm seeking and 00:09:52.980 --> 00:09:55.620 pressing on and striving towards and growing 00:09:55.620 --> 00:10:00.440 and owning things in my life and taking accountability 00:10:00.440 --> 00:10:05.320 before God so I can have a sense of responsibility. 00:10:05.710 --> 00:10:09.509 I'm going to fail, but I'm going to own it. You 00:10:09.509 --> 00:10:12.769 see what I'm saying? That's maturity, right? 00:10:13.110 --> 00:10:15.789 He's not pretending he's arrived. He says that 00:10:15.789 --> 00:10:19.269 over and over, but also he's not excusing his 00:10:19.269 --> 00:10:22.750 immaturity. And that's the difference. Perfectionism 00:10:22.750 --> 00:10:27.190 says, if I'm not flawless, I failed. Okay. And 00:10:27.190 --> 00:10:30.330 that's not the gospel. The gospel says, the gospel 00:10:30.330 --> 00:10:33.929 says you're being formed. All right. So perfectionism 00:10:33.929 --> 00:10:36.750 says, I'm not flawless, therefore I failed, but 00:10:36.750 --> 00:10:40.629 the gospel says I'm being formed. This is a process. 00:10:41.389 --> 00:10:43.850 So perfectionism crushes you under a standard 00:10:43.850 --> 00:10:47.210 you can't meet where maturity calls you upward 00:10:47.210 --> 00:10:49.870 into the person God is shaping you to become. 00:10:50.990 --> 00:10:53.090 So when Jesus says be perfect as your father 00:10:53.090 --> 00:10:56.049 is perfect, he's not saying never mess up again. 00:10:57.090 --> 00:11:00.509 He's speaking like a dad to us, and he's saying 00:11:00.509 --> 00:11:04.059 grow up into the kind of person who loves like 00:11:04.059 --> 00:11:09.600 your father loves. That's the goal. When I was 00:11:09.600 --> 00:11:12.299 at Micah's baseball practice the other day, I 00:11:12.299 --> 00:11:14.500 was watching as they were at practice, they were 00:11:14.500 --> 00:11:17.740 doing these drills where they were supposed to 00:11:17.740 --> 00:11:21.259 know where the ball was supposed to go, right? 00:11:22.919 --> 00:11:27.279 And coaches, myself, we all know where the ball 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:28.820 is supposed to go, but these guys are learning. 00:11:28.940 --> 00:11:30.600 And when they would mess up, they would hang 00:11:30.600 --> 00:11:32.039 their head if they didn't throw the ball to the 00:11:32.039 --> 00:11:34.240 right place. And I finally just yelled out, boys, 00:11:34.360 --> 00:11:39.159 this is this is where you learn. You're supposed 00:11:39.159 --> 00:11:43.500 to mess up in in practice. It's OK. Don't worry 00:11:43.500 --> 00:11:45.500 about it. Shake it off. Let's move on to the 00:11:45.500 --> 00:11:47.299 next one. Like you're learning. And it's the 00:11:47.299 --> 00:11:51.059 same thing with us. Shake it off. You're learning. 00:11:51.740 --> 00:11:54.059 You're striving. You're hoping to get better. 00:11:54.720 --> 00:11:57.139 You're hoping to be more like Jesus. You're hoping 00:11:57.139 --> 00:11:59.340 to mature. You didn't get it today. I'm going 00:11:59.340 --> 00:12:01.740 to hopefully do better tomorrow. That's that's 00:12:01.740 --> 00:12:06.080 the goal. It's not sinless perfection, but spirit 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:09.039 formed maturity. So a steady heart, a generous 00:12:09.039 --> 00:12:11.679 posture, a life that seeks the good of others, 00:12:12.019 --> 00:12:15.460 even when it's hard. Especially when it's hard, 00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:20.379 let me say it like that. And honestly. That kind 00:12:20.379 --> 00:12:24.179 of maturity, that's a lifelong journey. But it's 00:12:24.179 --> 00:12:27.149 a good one and it's worth it. and it's the one 00:12:27.149 --> 00:12:31.570 worth walking. I hope that's helpful. If you've 00:12:31.570 --> 00:12:33.649 always got questions, you know that you can text 00:12:33.649 --> 00:12:35.769 me, you can email me, you can message me on Facebook. 00:12:36.210 --> 00:12:38.110 I love doing this, hadn't had one in a while, 00:12:38.110 --> 00:12:40.509 so I was super pumped to get it. I hope you have 00:12:40.509 --> 00:12:42.269 a good week. I can't wait to see you guys this 00:12:42.269 --> 00:12:46.700 Sunday for... Palm Sunday, I'm going to be talking. 00:12:46.899 --> 00:12:48.639 I'm going to, I'm going to be preaching that 00:12:48.639 --> 00:12:50.659 text, but taking it in a different, a different 00:12:50.659 --> 00:12:53.480 direction. So I'm excited to preach that. Um, 00:12:53.539 --> 00:12:54.759 but that being said, I hope you have a great 00:12:54.759 --> 00:12:56.620 week. We'll see you Sunday lessons.