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Central UMC Lenoir City
SRSLY: Be Perfect?
9:00am Modern Worship / 11:00am Traditional Worship Helping People to Find and Follow Jesus
Locations & Times
Central UMC Lenoir City Tn
301 Hickory Creek Rd, Lenoir City, TN 37771, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 11:00 AM
We are in a series called SRSLY where we are looking at Jesus' teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, the greatest sermon ever given. Rather than thinking of the Sermon on the Mount as one sermon given once, it is the essence of Jesus' teaching and what it means to be a follower in his movement.
Be Perfect
Is Jesus commanding us to be perfect? That seems impossible. Jesus is not telling us to be a perfectionist or be flawless. He is calling us to become more like Him.
A better way to translate this verse is "you will be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect." To Understand this we need to.undestand the meaning of the word perfect used here. Perfect means complete, mature, not lacking anything. Jesus is not telling us to never make a mistake but to grow up to maturity.
The context of this very is how we are to treat our enemies in Matthew 5:43-48. Jesus tells us to love our enemies. While some of us may have "enemies" many of us do not. A helpful way to think about it practically is, "Does anyone irritate you?"
What are you to do with people who irritate you? You could avoid them but that doesn't sound like loving our enemies. In the parallel account from Luke, we see three things we are do to love our enemies.
How to Love Your Enemies
1) By Our Words - Luke 6:28 tells us to bless those who curse you. Instead of replying with a snarky comment, give a gentle answer. "A Gentle answer turns away wrath"
2) By Our Deeds - Luke 6:27 Jesus tells us to do good. Instead of retaliating, do good deeds to them.
3) By Our Prayers - Matthew 6:44-45 says to pray for those who persecute us. Prayer can lead to a both a pathway to forgiveness and change potentially in the person you are praying for.
How Pearls Are Made
Pearls are made when something irritates or injures an oysters soft tissue. Instead of running from it, it covers the irritant with layers of Nacre, the same substance that lines the shell. The peal isn't produced in spite of the irritation but because of it. Over time, something beautiful is formed.
Application
Is anything irritating you right now? A difficult person at work? A Frustrating family member? traffic? Politics?
The test of Christian maturity isn't when all is well; it's how we respond when we are disappointed, irritated or hurt. God gives us an opportunity to add another layer of loving with our words, doing good deeds and praying for those who irritate us.
If we love those who are just like us, we are no better than anyone else. Let us take the irritants and let Go transform pain and irritations into something beautiful.
Be Perfect
Is Jesus commanding us to be perfect? That seems impossible. Jesus is not telling us to be a perfectionist or be flawless. He is calling us to become more like Him.
A better way to translate this verse is "you will be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect." To Understand this we need to.undestand the meaning of the word perfect used here. Perfect means complete, mature, not lacking anything. Jesus is not telling us to never make a mistake but to grow up to maturity.
The context of this very is how we are to treat our enemies in Matthew 5:43-48. Jesus tells us to love our enemies. While some of us may have "enemies" many of us do not. A helpful way to think about it practically is, "Does anyone irritate you?"
What are you to do with people who irritate you? You could avoid them but that doesn't sound like loving our enemies. In the parallel account from Luke, we see three things we are do to love our enemies.
How to Love Your Enemies
1) By Our Words - Luke 6:28 tells us to bless those who curse you. Instead of replying with a snarky comment, give a gentle answer. "A Gentle answer turns away wrath"
2) By Our Deeds - Luke 6:27 Jesus tells us to do good. Instead of retaliating, do good deeds to them.
3) By Our Prayers - Matthew 6:44-45 says to pray for those who persecute us. Prayer can lead to a both a pathway to forgiveness and change potentially in the person you are praying for.
How Pearls Are Made
Pearls are made when something irritates or injures an oysters soft tissue. Instead of running from it, it covers the irritant with layers of Nacre, the same substance that lines the shell. The peal isn't produced in spite of the irritation but because of it. Over time, something beautiful is formed.
Application
Is anything irritating you right now? A difficult person at work? A Frustrating family member? traffic? Politics?
The test of Christian maturity isn't when all is well; it's how we respond when we are disappointed, irritated or hurt. God gives us an opportunity to add another layer of loving with our words, doing good deeds and praying for those who irritate us.
If we love those who are just like us, we are no better than anyone else. Let us take the irritants and let Go transform pain and irritations into something beautiful.
