Redemption Church Plano Texas

Chasing Carrots – Perfection

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Welcome back to Redemption Church in Plano Tx. My name is Chris Fluitt. Thank you for joining us today.

We are in the 3rd week of our Google Search series… Wait that’s not right… Let me start again…

We

are in the 3rd
week of our Chasing Carrots series and today we are talking today
about chasing the carrot called fame… Let me try it one more time…

Chasing
Carrots

I’m just having some fun with you, but if I am being “real” with you, there is a desire to be perfect. Perfectionism is a huge burden and a source of stress. The desire to be perfect is the carrot we are talking about today.

Perfection

When

we mess up, we often beat ourselves up. When we achieve something
less than perfection we often feel shame. We feel unworthy.

This

has been a real struggle for me. I believe it is a struggle for you.

We

can always justify our perfectionism. I am just trying to better
myself… this is the price to be the best. You just don’t
understand my drive to be better. I am going from good to great.

And of course, society dangles this carrot.

You need a Pinterest worthy home.

You

need Instagram worthy looks.

You

have to be the perfect mom & dad, perfect spouse, perfect
Christian, perfect employee…

We

plan a day where we do something with the kids… maybe take them to
the zoo, but we often say these words… “I want it to be the
PERFECT DAY.” Don’t just throw a birthday party, there is this
drive to throw the PERFECT BIRTHDAY PARTY. Don’t just cook dinner
it must be the PERFECT DINNER.

We

place unrealistic expectations on ourselves. We try to live in
unsustainable circumstances.

We

know it is hurting us… but we tell ourselves “this is the price
you pay for success.”

Is

this you today? Are you following a carrot of perfectionism?

My

spouse needs me to be perfect, my kids, my friends, my job, …and
God needs me to be perfect.

Oh

yeah.. this ought to make matters worse… God asks you to be
perfect.

Matthew

5:48 (NIV2011) Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is
perfect.

Yikes!

No pressure there right… Just be as perfect as your heavenly
Father…

What

kind of perfectionist are you?

3
Types of Perfectionists
  • Self
    • Oriented Perfectionist
    – You hold unrealistically high expectations of yourself and battle
    with feelings of guilt, often obsessing to the point of
    inefficiency. You’re prone to procrastinate and struggle with deep
    feelings of inadequacy.
  • Externally
    • Oriented Perfectionist
    – You believe others expect you to be perfect. To cope with the
    pressure, you often use self-deprecating humor as a defense. You
    often feel alone, depressed and desperate because you know you will
    never be enough.
  • Others
    • Oriented Perfectionist
    – You expect others to live up to your impossible standards. Because
    you tend to lack empathy, you often tear others down or use abrasive
    and demeaning humor toward those who don’t meet your standards.

    Is this drive to be perfect self-oriented, externally oriented, or others oriented.

    Perfection

    You

    may feel like perfectionism is a psychological problem… that it is
    only a problem in the mind. Perfectionism finds it’s root in the
    Spiritual.

    Perfectionism

    is a mask or covering for anything imperfect.

    Adam & Eve were in the Garden. They were surrounded by perfection and didn’t even know it. We have no record of Adam & Eve ever feeling insecure or unworthy… they didn’t struggle with depression or live under a burden of stress… They lived in a perfect world.

    But when Adam & Eve tasted of the forbidden they realized immediately that they had done something wrong. They went and hid. They realized they were naked and suddenly felt insecure. What did they do with their insecurity? They tried to cover it. They took leaves and tried to fashion clothes to cover their shame.

    Adam

    & Eve realized they were not perfect but tried to cover up their
    imperfection. Perfectionism is a mask or covering for anything
    imperfect.

    Perfectionism

    is not just a thought problem. Perfectionism
    is a carnal, physical, sinful response to a spiritual condition.

    Adam

    & Eve were imperfect, yet they stood in the presence of a perfect
    God. When something imperfect stands in the presence of something
    perfect it creates pressure. This perfection pressure forced Adam &
    Eve from the garden.

    The
    Perfect Law

    We

    aren’t standing in the garden but we are standing in the presence
    of perfection and it causes pressure on us. God’s Word is perfect.
    The law, the commands of God are perfect and we are imperfect.

    God

    has given us his perfect law. There are 613 laws in the Old
    Testament. They are perfect and they put pressure on the imperfect.

    Romans 3:20 (NIV2011) …no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law…

    We,

    the imperfect, have been given the perfect law of God. But no one
    has been able to make themselves perfect/righteous through the law…
    The perfect law of God puts pressure on us, the imperfect.

    Now

    let us read the rest of Romans 3:20.

    Romans

    3:20 (NIV2011) …no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight
    by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious
    of our sin.

    The

    law is perfect, but you cannot make yourself perfect through the law.
    You will not be able to cover or mask your imperfection with the
    law… just like Adam & Eve were not able to hide their nakedness
    with leaves.

    Instead, the law applies pressure. The scripture says the law makes you conscious of your sin.

    I am a sinner. You are a sinner. We know it because the law tells us.

    613

    laws are hard to even think through. Think instead about 10 laws.
    Have we kept the 10 commandments? When we look at the 10
    commandments do we see how perfect we are, or does it reveal our
    imperfection?

    • Do
      • not lie? Fail
    • Do
      • not steal? Fail
    • Do
      • not covet? Fail
    • Do
      • not take God’s name in vain? Fail

      We

      fall short. We are sinners. The perfect law of God shows us how
      imperfect we are. We are sinners.

      Until
      you see yourself as a sinner – You won’t see your need of a
      savior.

      Your

      perfectionism cannot make you right with God. You cannot on your own
      effort solve your imperfection.

      What

      is dangerous is that your perfectionism may allow you to mask and
      hide your sin. But even if you hide it really well, it is still
      there.

      How
      are we made RIGHTeous?

      Romans

      3:22 (NIV2011) …righteousness is given through faith in Jesus
      Christ to all who believe.

      The

      imperfect cannot make themselves perfect. RIGHTeousness is given to
      the imperfect by the PERFECT ONE. He gives this righteousness
      through faith in Jesus.

      Perfectionism

      says Grace says

      What

      I do What Jesus has done

      About

      me About Jesus

      If

      I obey God will love me Because God loves me I can obey

      Win

      God’s approval Live in God’s approval

      Trying

      to be perfect brings so much pressure, but what Jesus has done for us
      takes the pressure off.

      The
      pressure is off

      You

      don’t have to live under the burden of perfectionism. Jesus can
      make you righteous RIGHT NOW.

      Jesus

      does not dangle a carrot… If you work hard enough, long enough,
      pray enough, give enough… then you will become righteous. NO! You
      can become righteous right now by faith in Jesus. REPENTANCE!

      Because

      the pressure of perfection is off it changes how we treat ourselves
      and others.

      We

      get to choose people over perfection

      There

      were 2 sisters, Mary & Martha. Jesus was coming to their house
      in Luke 10. Talk about pressure, the most important person on the
      planet is coming to your house!

      Martha

      was trying to make everything perfect. Martha was cleaning, cooking,
      working, and sweating, and Mary was just kicking back with Jesus.
      Here is what Jesus said to Martha.

      Luke 10:41-42 (NIV2011) “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

      Jesus

      wants us to choose people over perfection. Our perfectionism keeps
      us from having relationships with people. Jesus says what Mary has
      chosen is BETTER!

      When

      you get into that perfectionist mindset you need to stop yourself and
      say IT IS BETTER…

      It

      is better than I just relax and be me.

      It

      is better that I receive people in whatever state they are.

      It

      is better to choose people over perfection.

      Because

      the pressure is off…

      We

      get to choose Perfect Love over Perfect Performance

      Now

      wait… didn’t Jesus tell us to be perfect? Remember this verse?

      Matthew 5:48 (NIV2011) Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

      This

      verse reads different when you understand the context. This verse is
      about Perfect Love.

      Let’s

      read it in context beginning at verse 43.

      Matthew 5:43-44 (NIV2011) “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

      Matthew 5:45 (NIV2011) that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

      Matthew 5:46-48 (NIV2011) If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

      Now you tell me are these verses about being error-free perfect in performance, or about being perfect in love?

      Because

      Jesus has taken the pressure off we get to choose perfect love over
      perfect performance.

      In

      fact the word for perfect is the Greek word Telios. Telios does not
      mean to be without error or sin. Telios means to be complete &
      whole, no longer lacking.

      God

      wants your love to be complete, whole, and not lacking. This is why
      Jesus says the most important laws of God are… LOVE GOD and LOVE
      PEOPLE.

      Love

      God Love People

      Jesus

      says that loving God and loving people will fulfill all the law of
      God.

      Musician

      Just

      last week I was driving around town doing some errands. While I was
      driving I had this overwhelming fear and sense of inadequacy. I
      started saying out loud.. I’m not good enough. I can’t do this.
      I am not able to be a father, a husband, a pastor… I feel like such
      a loser. I ought to be able to do this but I can’t. I feel so
      lame.

      Perfectionism

      is all about me… and this was all about me. I felt this dark belief
      settling in on me, but then something rose up within me.

      I

      am not good enough, but my God is. I am not strong enough or smart
      enough, but my God is. I am not perfect but I am perfectly loved by
      God.

      The

      very next day I was talking to someone who is also a follower of
      Christ. They asked me how I was doing and I felt the Lord tell me to
      tell them the truth. When I told them about my fear of inadequacy
      they started to cry… they thought they were the only one struggling
      with this.

      Friend

      you are not the only one struggling. The altar is for those in a
      struggle. Why don’t you come today.

      This

      altar is for imperfect people. Why don’t you come today.

      The

      pressure is off because of Jesus. He loves us perfectly.

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      Redemption Church Plano TexasBy Redemption Church Plano Texas
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