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In Genesis chapter number 17, let me get over there real quick myself. I really just want to look at that first verse there It's where I get the Title for the sermon tonight, which is be perfect and that's something that we see God commanding Abraham here and We kind of might wonder what that means to be perfect It says in verse 1 of Genesis 17 when Abraham was 90 years old and 9 the Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him I am the Almighty God walk before me and be thou perfect, right? so that's a very clear command that he gives to Abram that he's to walk before him and to be Perfect and I want to make some application here using this passage tonight but before we get into that let me just really quickly define the way the Bible uses perfect because The way we use it today isn't necessarily the way that the Bible uses it today if I say hey, this is perfect I'm saying, you know, there's nothing wrong with it It's it's you know, it meets this Exceptional standard. Okay, that's what we kind of mean when we say perfect But in the Bible really all the Bible saying here is to be complete Okay, and if you would go over to James chapter 1 you have to keep thinking Genesis, but go over to James chapter number 1 You know a couple in one sense, you know being perfect to walk before the Lord thy God and to be perfect You know I believe the way God is using it there and in other places is that he's expecting us to be completely obedient Right to walk before the light Lord thy God and be perfect because as we'll see here in a second to be perfect is To be complete right and what he's saying is to walk but walk before me and be perfect meaning walk Completely with me right be all all the way on board To love the Lord thy God with all thy heart soul mind and strength to be perfect to be complete to not be Lacking in that area when it comes to walking with the Lord God wants us to walk with God in a completely obedient fashion not kind of half in half out one foot in the world one foot living for the Lord and Trying to just kind of keep both things going and once God wants us all the way in on his side He wants us to be completely obedient, right? That's why he commands us throughout the scripture In fact over in Deuteronomy 18, he said thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God, right? And in the context of Deuteronomy 18 He's talking about how they are going to worship the Lord God only and not go after these you know false gods not be given over to you know, the astrologers and the Prognosticators and all of the the seers and things like that that the Canaanite nations the heathens and the nations around about we're practicing He's saying no don't be like them be perfect with me meaning worship me as I tell you don't Slack, you know don't cut corners with God. Okay, that's not something we want to do in life. We want to be perfect Okay. So again when we say be perfect, which is a command in Scripture, you know, we have to understand What does he mean by be perfect? What's he telling Abram when he says hey walk before me and be perfect Is he saying be sinless? Obviously not because that's not something we can do if that were the standard that God held us to So to live a perfectly sinless life, you know, we would all we're all gonna fall short because we all sin But what he's saying, I believe the way he's using this word throughout Scripture is he wants us to be You know completely on board with God. He doesn't want us to have a double mind He doesn't want us to have he wants us to have a whole heart that serves God with everything that we have Be perfected, you know is one thing to be completed, right? I believe that's what he's saying here to be complete through God's blessing Okay, because remember as he told Abram it was to walk before God and be perfect before me, right? So I believe one way you could kind of look at this is that when he's saying hey if you walk before me if you Walk in my ways if you serve me you will be perfect or you will be perfected You will be completed God will begin to You know make up that which we lack in our lives if we walk before him Again, let's just look at the word perfect here in James chapter 1 and verse 2 It says my brethren count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations knowing this That the trying of your faith worketh patience, but let patience have her perfect work, right? Meaning what let her have her perfect word mean don't stop it. Let it be completed. Let patience have her perfect work Don't try to you know, cut it short Let this trying of your faith take place so that your patience can be perfect so that your patience can be complete Let her have her perfect work that ye may be perfect and entire so you can see the way the Bible is using the word Perfect. It's not necessarily in the sense that we use it today, right? He's saying being perfect meaning be complete being entire look at there at the end of the verse for Wanting nothing being without want right? That's what it means to be perfect or to be Perfected it means to be completed to not be lacking anything to be without want if any of you lack wisdom So again, there's this idea of the being complete being perfect entirely wanting nothing and then there's this idea of lacking something Right and he's saying if any of you lack wisdom Let him ask God that giveth to all men liberally and a braideth not and it shall be given him But notice this verse 6 but let him ask in faith nothing wavering for he that waver it is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed for let not that man think That he should receive anything of the Lord a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways So what he's saying is right in order to be perfect to be in order to be entire to be Not in want of anything, you know, we have to have faith. We have to walk with the Lord our God, right? We have to trust the Lord and that was what is going to make us perfect in the Lord So when we say be perfect, what we're really saying is Follow God live for the Lord being given over to God be obedient to God and he will begin to make up with that Which lacks he will perfect us, okay? Being perfected is to be to receive from the Lord again If you look at verse 7 let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord and he's telling us to let patience have a perfect work to be entire to be want and want of nothing and It's going to be given to us of the Lord So what perfects us what makes us complete is something that comes only from God as Christians as those that have believed in Lord Jesus Christ there are things that we need from God that only God can give Okay, and if we're going to be perfect if we're going to be complete and entire Then we're going to have to go to God and get that from him It's something that God has got to bring into our lives and give us. Okay So what are some of those things that are going to help us be complete perfect entire and wanting nothing? Well, obviously, you know we could talk about salvation That's where it starts right and if you would go over to 1st John chapter number 2 1st John chapter number 2 the Bible says in Colossians 2 for in him dwelt all the fullness of the God had bodily and Ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. So we are complete in Christ Obviously, you know without salvation we are not complete right? We are we don't have the filling of the Holy Spirit We don't the sealing of the Holy Spirit. Our spirit is still dead We haven't been renewed in the inner man, you know if we have not been saved Okay, but just because we got saved that doesn't mean we're perfect and or that we are entire and complete and one of nothing Otherwise, why are we being told throughout Scripture to ask these things of God even as his children? Why are we being told to ask these things in faith? nothing wavering so that we may receive these things from God because there are still things that we need even as God's children in order To be perfect We can never get this idea or this thought that somehow we've arrived in the Christian life and Obviously, we're never going to arrive in the Christian life being perfect is really a process It's something that we go through over the course of our lifetime Okay Obviously begins in salvation, you know, we're completed him Bibles says in Hebrews 10 for by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are saved Christ has perfected us in Him right. He did that perfecting. He's the one that brought us salvation Our salvation is complete in Christ through him. Our salvation is complete and entire and want of nothing right just like in James It doesn't lack anything because it's done through Christ. We don't have to add anything to our salvation It's by grace through faith and not of works. We have nothing else to bring bring to it All our righteousness are as filthy rags You know, it is by his mercy that he saved us Okay So that's one example Right of the of something that we have to receive from God that has to come from him and it can only be received It's not something that somehow we can earn. Okay the other thing I want to look at in or and in in You know in with this idea that we are Receiving things from God in order to be complete in order to be perfect as we are commanded to be in Scripture Is the Holy Spirit Okay, and of course that kind of covers a multitude of things and I'll try to narrow it in here as we move along But the Holy Spirit is something that is given by God You know, obviously when we get saved we're sealed by the Spirit We have the seal of spirit until the day of our day of redemption, right? That is the earnest of our inheritance. Okay? But there's also the filling of the Holy Spirit, which is something that not everybody has It's something that we have to get from God. It's not automatic Okay Bible says in Luke 11. I'll just read to you if ye then this is Jesus speaking being evil Know how to give good gifts unto your children. How much shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him So he's showing telling us here. Look it's given to those that ask so if we're not asking for the Holy Spirit if we're not seeking it if we're not going after it if We're quenching and grieving the Holy Spirit. We're not receiving it because it's not automatic if we're not receiving the Holy Spirit We are not perfect and we need to walk before the Lord our God and be perfect You know, we want to live the whole Christian life We want to be complete as a Christian. We don't want to be lacking things in our Christian lives We don't want to have these big, you know gaps in our spirituality We want to make sure that we have all of it and a big part of that comes through The guiding and the leaning and the teaching of the Holy Spirit that and that's something we have to go and get from God We have to ask him and look like he said in James if we lack wisdom Let him ask God and shall be given him Because God gives to all men and a bread if not he giveth unto all men liberally and a bread if not But what we have to ask in faith and and again Jesus is saying in Luke 11 Hey, if you being evil know how to give a good gift unto your child And you're nothing like God you're nowhere near as good as he is and you know how to do good things for your children You know how to bless them and give them what they need how much more so shall your Heavenly Father give you the Holy Spirit Which is the greatest thing we could receive, you know, the filling of the Holy Spirit It's what's going to bring all the love joy Peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness and temperance that we need and patience in our lives We need these things right God gives us those things through the Holy Spirit and he will give them to us Because God is good. Okay, and he's using us as kind of an example right saying look, you know how to do it God's greater than you So we need to go and ask these things of God why so that we can be perfect so we can be complete Now obviously if we're gonna want to get you know, the Holy Spirit from the Lord and have that filling the Holy Spirit It's not enough just to ask right? I mean again using the analogy that Jesus used of a child asking a parent You know, my kids could ask me all day for something that they want But the fact is you know, if they're misbehaving or if it's something that they don't need or shouldn't have I'm not gonna give it to them You know, I'm gonna weigh out whether or not they need that You know a lot of it's gonna be the the merit is gonna be based on their behavior You know, we can't ask for the Holy Spirit and then quench turn around and quench the Holy Spirit We can't ask for the Holy Spirit and then turn around and grieve the Holy Spirit You know God gives us the Holy Spirit in order to you know Perfect us in order to complete us what to lead us away from a life of sin to give us wisdom and knowledge Understanding in his word, you know, if we're not taking the things of God seriously, why would he give it to us, right? So we have to walk with God and goes back to that picture Again with Abram walk before me and be thou perfect, right? If we walk with God God will perfect us Yeah, I believe that's one way you can look at that You there in 1st John chapter number 2 look at verse 1 my little children these things write it on to you that you sin Not but if any man sin we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also the sins of the whole world And hereby we know excuse me and hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments now Let me just point out here in verse 3 because sometimes this can get confusing for people But it's hereby we do know that we know him, right? Here's how we reassure ourselves that we are know God and that he knows us It's not for us to go around and judge other people with this is a real self reassurance, right? Here's by how and hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments, right? and What often happens with people when they get backslidden when they get out of church and they get into sin a lot of times? Those same people not all of them, but often people will start to doubt their salvation won't they? I mean they they reach out to the church all the time answer that I answer that email often as hey You know, I'm wondering if I'm even saved, you know, and then you add then you dig a little deeper and it's like well Yeah, I believed on Christ You know, it's salvation by grace through faith. You can't lose. It's like well, yeah, you're saved. That's the gospel Yeah, I know but you know, it's this that anything It's like well you dig a little deeper you find out they're they're just really backslidden, right? so that's just kind of a little extra, you know tonight, but Again, verse 3 is telling us hereby. We do know that we know him if we keep his commandments you know one thing it's really gonna reassure you in the Christian life that You have God's blessing is if you keep his commandments, right if we do that We're gonna we're gonna know that we know him he that sayeth I know him and keepeth not his commandments is a liar And the truth is not in him But whoso keepeth his word in him verily is the love of God Perfected. Okay. So when we keep his commandments when we keep God's Word when we walk with him We are perfected when we keep his word when we begin to do the things that are written the Word of God when we actually begin to flesh out and live the Christian life a genuine authentic walk with God You know, that's when God begins to perfect us. The love of God is perfected in us It is made complete in us When we keep his commandments he that sayeth he abideth in him ought himself also, so to walk Even as he walked in order to have the love of God perfected in us We keep his commandments and we walk as Christ has walked He told Abram walk before me and be thou perfect, right? So it sounds that you know when you first read that you think oh, it's a command Right and it is that first half walk before me and you could say well no He's commanding him to be perfect and in a sense he is he's telling him. Hey worship the Lord thy God only Him only shalt thou serve but another way of looking at that is that when we walk with God we are Perfected we are made better. We become more Christlike as we walk with God You know, and sometimes this is what people fail to see in the Christian life They just you know They wonder why they have such a hard time keeping the commandments why they have such a hard time Having a walk with God because all they see are a bunch of do's and don'ts all they see is just all the You know the hard work the struggle that comes along with this with living the Christian life But what they fail to see is that as you walk with God you are the love of God is perfected in you You become more Christlike, you know, and what else would would you rather be in this life than more like Christ? You know, there's nobody greater to emulate. There's nobody else that you would want to be more like than Christ himself But how is that accomplished through keeping his commandments? through keeping his word by by walking with him and letting the love of God be perfected in us and When that happens when the love of God is perfected in us when we walk with him You know that begins to show up in our lives. It begins to manifest itself I'll just read to you go to 1st Peter 3, but it says in 1st John 4 no man hath seen God at any time If we love one another God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us You know when a person is walking with God when a person is keeping the commandments when a person is having a real genuine walk with Christ It shows up it manifests. It's perfect. The love of God is perfected in us. And one way that we know that's happening is That his love is what's perfected and what happens is we begin to love one another right? We start to have a love for the brethren a love for the things of God, okay And that's something that we're commanded to do, you know, we are to love the brethren There ought to be a love there and look if we're lacking love towards God's people You know, then we have to ask ourselves. Are we really walking with God? Are we really is the love of God really being perfected in us? If there's a lack of love for the things of God and for God's people the Bible says 1st Peter 1 verse 22 I know you went to 1st Peter 3 but it says in 1st Peter 1 Seeing you have purified your souls and obeying the truth of the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren Right seeing you have purified your souls and obeying the truth the gospel through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren So he's saying, you know, you've purified your souls how because you obeyed the truth through the Spirit, right? You obeyed the gospel. You had the witness of the Spirit you heard the gospel But what did you obey unto unto salvation only no, but also unto unfeigned love of the brethren You know, that's something that comes with the Christian life or at least at adhu, you know If we get saved we ought to walk with God so that the love of God is perfected in us and then we have experienced what's called an unfeigned love of the brethren Unfane meaning and not a fake one, you know, not one that's just this surface level Just something that goes beyond courtesy something that just goes beyond being polite But we actually have a burden and a care for the brethren, right? That's what he's kind of saying there in 1st Peter 1 if you really break it down and kind of think about what he's saying I know I had to go to 1st Peter 3 But it might be worth backing up to chapter 1 and looking at that with me in verse 22 You've purified your souls and obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned of the love of the brethren That's what we're called to and then he kind of repeats himself But is he you know if we have to think about what he's saying see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently Seeing you have been purified unto unfeigned love of the brethren. That's what our Christian life is That's what we're called unto Salvation and love of the brethren because that's what it is. See that you love one another with a pure heart Fervently you follow what I'm saying here. Am I breaking that down well enough for you, you know, that's what we're called unto and So he ends the statement here by saying because that's the case see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently And he's saying fervently unfeigned, you know, that's the kind of love that we ought to have for the brethren You know, we ought to love the people that come to church here You know, obviously we love all people the Bible says that we should do good unto all men You know therefore as we have opportunity let us do good therefore unto all men But you know what else what he goes on and says, but especially what to them that are the household of faith Of course, we love the lost we help other people But you know the people that we should love fervently and and deeply are the people that are brothers and sisters in Christ Because you know, we share a kinship with our brothers and sisters in Christ that we don't share with the world You know, we don't those we're not going to spend eternity with the unsaved You know, we're not we don't we don't they don't love the things of God. They don't love the Bible Those are things that you know, we have a common interest so to speak with people that are here at least we ought to So there ought to be a fervent love of the brethren in a church And it ought to go beyond just you know, hey, how are you? You know have a good sunday. See you next week You know, and i'm not saying we all have to You know get together all the time, but there ought to be An understanding that if you know somebody in this church has a need we're there to help You know where we take an interest in other people Where we want to see other people grow and we don't want to and most You know, especially not take other people in this church for granted You know, it's really easy to do in a church sometimes especially if those people are faithful and diligent and you know reliable You know, sometimes those are the people that get taken granted for the most because they're just always there You know, we're just kind of like, oh, yeah, they'll always be there, you know, that's and that can actually sometimes quench people's love Because people take things for granted, don't they? So i'm just trying to make some you know practical application here with this command to love one another fervently You know that could mean a lot of different things couldn't it how you're gonna how are you gonna flash that out in the christian life? How are you gonna actually Live that so how are you gonna love one another fervently? You know, we could think about a lot of the needs that people have people have a lot of different needs at different seasons in their life And we should be there one for another you go back to first peter chapter three verse eight. I love this verse It says in verse eight finally We all have one mind having compassion one another love his brethren be pitiful be courteous Right and you know be courteous be pitiful, you know, we ought to be long suffering with people in church You know, but sometimes it's so mind-boggling to see christians So ready to just jump down one another's throats over things they start to pick people apart And i've said this before but there's a saying it's out there and I believe it's true That familiarity breeds contempt And that's unfortunately the case sometimes You know, we don't we don't want to let the familiarity that we have here Become a source of contempt with people. Okay, we want to make sure that we're pitiful Compassionate that we're loving and that we're courteous. Okay It goes on it kind of gives us a little bit more what this looks like in verse nine not rendering evil for evil You know, sometimes some people are going to come to church here and they're just going to be having a bad day They might say something they might do something And you know what? They might even render some evil, right? Well, let's not go tit for tat for them. Let's just be pitiful. Let's be courteous. Let's be long suffering That's the love of god, right? That's how we know that's the love of god being perfected in us God doesn't always treat us the way we deserve to be treated. Does he? You know god is very pitiful and merciful and compassionate and long suffering with us on a daily basis Sometimes for very long stretches, right? God looks past a lot of faults in our you know between us and him You know, we should be willing to do the same with another, you know We should you know, we should uh, be careful to not you know Behold the moat that is in our brother's eye when we have a beam in our own. Okay, make sure we've removed the beam. Okay? But contrary wise he says blessing that's why we should be treating the brethren knowing that you are there unto called We're called to bless the brethren Right, we've been purified unto unfeigned love the brethren. That's what we have been called to To bless and to love the brethren therefore, let's do that fervently therefore Let's be these things with one another, you know, that's you know, i'm just making applications. This is what it means to be perfect You know, this is the love of god being perfected in us You know if we walk with god, this is one way that it's going to show up in our lives If we have a love of the brethren You know, that's why you know people who kind of take church for granted or take bible reading for granted They kind of take the things of god for granted their love begins to grow cold You know people can be at sometimes be very on fire for the things of god. They can be very involved in the church They can be you know ready to lend a helping hand They they want to you know, spend time but you know, sometimes you'll see people where that ceases to be the case And a lot of times those same people will start to have You know that that love quenched in their heart, you know, we've probably all gone through that to some degree or another Even if we've managed to just you know, drag ourselves in here and stretch a smile across our face and just kind of fake it You know inwardly we might find ourselves Not having that fervent love You know, we don't want that to be quenched out. We don't want that to happen We want to make sure that we're loving one another Fervently in an unfeigned manner, you know being patient courteous all these things because that's what it means to be Perfected because that's a sign that we're walking with god, okay Bible says in first peter two, i'll just read to you there verse 17 honor all men love the brotherhood fear god honor the king Now, you know, we'd probably read the of those several of those commandments that are given in that one verse Right honor all men love the brotherhood fear god honor the king You know, we would never say oh fear god, that's optional Right everyone here say that's that's a command. Well, so is love the brotherhood So is loving our brother and that's something we are commanded to do to love one another You know another way this might show up another way we could practice this in our lives is to not assume the worst about people You know if we find ourselves just assuming the worst all the time about, you know, well, we're so-and-so You know, they must have quit the church They must be backslidden, you know, whatever, you know, that might be a little bit more of our own insecurities coming through right? Or maybe that's a lack of love. We should not assume the worst about other brothers and sisters in christ You know, we need to make sure that we're loving them. You know, we would just assume that You know the best rather than the worst You know the best rather than the worst Let me wrap up here though. Okay, so I wanted to kind of just make a practical application, you know What does it mean to to to uh to walk with the lord and and to be perfect? Right. Well you when you kind of read the scriptures that kind of surround those words What you see is the love of the brother brotherhood show up loving the brethren, right? You know, we have to walk with god in order to be perfect we cannot be Double-minded and that is a command right to be perfect But again going back to the text that we opened up with walk before me and be thou perfect In order to be perfect, we have to have a walk with god in order to be perfected in christ We have to have a walk with him If you would go to romans chapter number 12 romans chapter number 12 The bible says in first kings 8 i'll just read you verse 61 let your heart therefore be perfect with the lord our god To walk in his statutes and to keep his commandments as at this day So again, you always see this idea of being perfect and walking with the lord, right? He told abram be thou perfect, you know walk before me and be thou perfect He said in first kings 8 when solomon's dedicating the temple He says therefore be perfect with the lord our god and walk in his statutes And again, hopefully we have an understanding what that word perfect means now it means to be complete right If we're going to be perfected if we're going to be entire we're going to have to walk with the lord And if we don't have a walk with god Then we're missing that we're like hat. We're not we're not entire. We're not perfect. It's like part of us is missing Okay, we're not a complete person We're missing out on what we could be, okay And so why doesn't everybody do it then why doesn't everybody just go ahead and walk with god You know I mean it leads to all these great things right, you know in him the love of god is perfected We become more christ-like as we walk with god. Why doesn't everybody do that? Well, because it requires sacrifice. I mean if we're talking about being christ-like What did christ do? Right. He laid down his life For the brethren. No, no greater love had the man than this that he laid down his life for his friends, right? That's what jesus said, you know walking with god, you know And being perfect is going to require Sacrifice on our part. That's why people don't do it Despite all of the good things that come with it, you know the contentment the peace all of that People don't experience it because having a walk with god requires real sacrifice If you look at romans chapter 12 verse 1 It says I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of god that you present your bodies a living sacrifice A living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto god, which is your reasonable service That be not conformed to this present world, but be this world but be transformed by the renewing of mind that you may be May prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of god you know in order to prove the perfect will of god you have to be willing to Present your body a living sacrifice All right And now obviously we're not talking about, you know, literally laying yourself down on an altar, right? It's a living sacrifice That's what we are. We're not we're not a sacrifice that you know Like in the old testament or something like that, you know, it's a living sacrifice our life Is not our own you are not your own you are bought with the price this is what the scripture says You know and honestly, you know the sacrifices that god asked us to make the limit isn't real that really that big You know not many of us have been asked to you know, literally lay down our lives Or to go through some great trial or great some hardship, you know some hardship, you know There's there's other people that we can look at even other churches and pastors and things like that who are going through much greater Trials than any of us have ever gone through here, right? Really the sacrifices that got us, you know at a minimum requiring of us are not that great in the scheme of things your time Your effort, you know your will the things that we you know, we want out of life, you know, we should align ourselves with You know the gospel and preaching christ, you know living for the lord. That's what it means and to not be conformed to this world Meaning when the world's philosophy and the world's teaching the world's instruction coming in, you know conflict with this book God's word wins Every time we side with the bible, you know, that would be live presenting yourself a living sacrifice That's what it would mean to not be conformed but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind You know to say hey, what does the bible say about this issue? What does the bible say about this matter? Whatever it is? Look and there's plenty of things out there that come in conflict with this book But if we're going to have a walk with god that's real and genuine if we're going to be perfected You know, we're going to side with the word of god and it might require sacrifice You know it might require it might create conflict in our lives It might you know, uh cause us to be at odds with people that we know and love People that we know and love, you know, but that is a sacrifice, isn't it that we might have to be might have to make So go to philippians chapter number three i'm almost done philippians chapter number three So again the idea of being perfect isn't this Ideal, you know sinless perfection that we might think of today, but it's this idea of being complete being entire wanting nothing of being perfected right and What we see in the scripture when we look at it is that it's often associated with having a walk with god, right? So that just tells me that to be perfect, you know, that's something that's an ongoing process That's not necessarily something that just happens you get saved and then you're just perfect And honestly, as I said earlier, we're never really going to be Completely perfect in this life where where there's always going to be things that we have to make up, right? And some people might at that thought just throw up their hands and say well, what's the point Why bother having a walk with god if you know, it's just constantly going to be A struggle if it's just constantly we're never going to be perfect in the sense that we think of right Well again because as we do that, you know, we become more christ-like we have more genuine love We have more zeal for the things of god that just manifests themselves in our lives. They don't have to drum these things up They're just there and they're real, okay Look at philippians chapter number three verse 13 So again What I was saying, you know in order to be perfect you have to have a walk with god And it's not something that's going to just happen overnight something you have to do, right? So to be perfect don't you know, don't throw up your hands and say what's the point, you know start wherever you are And start having a walk with god so that you can be perfected, okay? It says in verse 13 brethren I count on myself to have apprehended But this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before So i'm not going to see her dwell in the past. I'm first pressing toward the mark, right? I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of god in christ. Jesus Let us therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded You know if we're going to be perfect We have to have the same mindset that we forget those things which are behind and we press Toward the mark we press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of god And if in anything you be otherwise minded god shall reveal even this unto you You know as we walk with god and be perfect we and we are perfected by him, you know god That's when god begins to show us things through his word and through the holy spirit in our lives things that we need to change Right things that maybe we have to add or take away from our lives things that we have to change in our lives God will show this unto you Right, isn't that what he said there god shall reveal even this unto you if there if you in anything you be otherwise minded I mean if we have a mind maybe that's In conflict with the word of god god will reveal that unto us if there's something that we think or opinion that we have or A philosophy that we have or whatever it is if that comes into conflict With god, you know god will reveal that through his word through conviction of the holy ghost Go to hebrews chapter number 13 hebrews chapter 13, so I guess what i'm trying to say here at the end is this is that perfection Is a process Perfection is not this sinless state that we somehow magically achieve in this life. What Walking before god and being perfect. He's talking about a process there, right? Because you think with abraham he's you know, what did abraham want wanted his son when you read that chapter He's asking for ishmael to be his heir god's saying no i'm going to give you a son of your own loins It's going to be the son of promise of of from sarah and he kind of laughs and mocks, right? But what he's saying is i'm going to Complete this i'm going to you know, make you perfect in this way, right? Make you perfect in this way, right? If you walk with me walk before me and be thou perfect be thou completed As you walk with me, right? So perfection is a process, you know something That we go through it's not something that just happens but it only happens When we have a walk with god, okay Hebrews chapter 13 verse 20 now the peace of the god of peace That brought again the dead of our from the excuse me that brought again from the dead our lord. Jesus christ That great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting confident make you perfect In every good work to do his will You know god is going to perfect us To every good work to do his will that's what it means to be perfect It means to do the will of god, right? Working you that which is well pleasing in his sight If being perfected is a process, you know, what it looks like is that we're doing the work of god We're completing it through jesus christ to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen You know again It's just this idea that We're never going to be some sin in some sinless state, you know being perfected is something it's called the christian life You know, it's achieved by having a walk with god And the fact is that we're never always we're never going to be all that we should be We're just not Okay We're never going to be everything that we should be for the lord It's just not going to happen But if we're striving to do that You know, we can at least be guaranteed that we're going to be better than we were You know, why go through the christian life? Why continue to serve god? Why continue to present your body that living sacrifice? So that I can be better than I was You know, i'm not gonna we're not gonna be all that we should but at least we should be getting better Okay, that's what it means to have The love of god perfected in you And to be you know, pressing toward that mark. It's getting better. We're never going to be perfect But we will always you know, we can be perfected. We can be going through that process. Let's go ahead and pray