Next Sunday is the Super Bowl. Can you imagine anyone being under more pressure to perform than Kurt Warner, the quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals? He went from being in the doghouse and from being the coach’s second choice for quarterback in preseason to being the savior of the Cardinal’s franchise! He went from being a has-been to being a kind of superhero.
Regardless of what happens Sunday, Warner has already established himself as one of the most remarkable players of all time in the NFL. Long before anyone even thought the Cardinals had a shot at the Super Bowl, Joe Montana told Sports Illustrated that he thought Kurt Warner would be a "shoo-in" for the Hall of Fame. Did I tell you that Lara got his autograph a few years ago in Chicago? She wanted me to say that in my sermon. Pray for Lara not to hyperventilate all week long in anticipation of the game!
With expectations soaring, Warner expressed feeling "relieved" after each game. There is so much pressure on him to perform. His coaches, his teammates, tens of thousands of fans, skeptical sports announcers, naysayers, and his own family--- he doesn’t want to let everyone down! People are very much looking for perfection Sunday. Perfectly executed plays, other-worldly throwing accuracy, and a perfectly choreographed offense.
Our world is obsessed with perfection.
The world’s standard is perfection. There isn’t any tolerance for mistakes or for weakness. There certainly isn’t much grace. Just talk to Rex Grossman of the Chicago Bears. You either perform and deliver perfection or you get benched. Such is the way our world operates.
Our world is obsessed with perfection, and not just in sports either. It’s having a 4.0 GPA,having a perfect body, having perfect health, a perfect family, a perfect marriage with perfect children, being articulate,being a top performer at work,singing flawlessly on "American Idol",having all the answers on "Jeopardy", or getting the gold medal. And it carries over to possessions too. For the paint job on the car, the home we live in, or the clothes we wear, the standard is perfection!
In this world we are haunted by the prospect of failure, of letting people down, or of losing our superiority (i.e., losing that competitive edge over others). At its core, our obsession with perfection is really a search for significance. If I can attain perfection, my life will matter, I will stand out, I will be noticed, I will gain the praise of men, I will ascend into glory, and I’ll be loved. Despite our obsession, such perfection is quite elusive.
The Bible offers a different view of perfection.
1 Peter 1:24-25 (NIV) offers a rather sobering perspective. It says,"All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,but the word of the Lord stands forever."
Our glory is short-lived. Heroes today are quickly forgotten tomorrow. With perfectionism you always end up with one of two results. You either end up with pride or you end up with discouragement. We become prideful because we think we’re better than everyone else. Or we experience discouragement because we see ourselves as dismal failures at life.
I have some news for you— perfection isn’t ours to give. Only God is capable of offering perfection. In the Bible we discover that God’s works are perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4), and God’s way is perfect (2 Samuel 22:31), and God’s law is perfect (Psalm 19:7), and God’s plans are perfect (Psalm 64:6), his faithfulness is perfect(Isaiah 25:1), his peace is perfect (Isaiah 26:3), and he has good, pleasing, and perfect will (Romans 12:2).
We can certainly aim for perfection (2 Corinthians 13:11), but perfection is only God’s to give. James1:17 (NIV)says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change likeshifting shadows."
Perfection is God's gift to us.
Incidentally, perfection is God’s gift to us through the justifying work of Jesus Christ, through whom we’ve been forgiven and lavished with grace. Ever-increasing perfection is God’s gift to us through the sanctifying power of God’s Holy Spirit. But make no mistake about it-- perfection is not ours to give.
Hebrews 10:14 (NIV) says it's,"...by one sacrifice he(God) has made perfect forever those who are being made holy (perfect)."
The burden of the perfection we seek has been shouldered by Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ became the perfect sacrifice for our sin. On the cross, Jesus paid the penalty, he took the shame of our failures and shortcomings and sin. In Christ, we’ve been set free from condemnation, set free from the scorn of our sins, liberated from our own guilt, and unshackled from the past.
Do you understand that it doesn’t matter whether the world applauds you, celebrates you, loves you, values you, or makes you feel significant? Through faith, you can be presented perfect in Christ. My friends, we have been set free from the tyranny of perfection. I love Hebrews 7:19 (NIV) which says, "(for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.”
You do not have the capacity, the energy, the discipline, the willpower, or the strength to become perfect.Perfection is God’s gift to you in Jesus Christ and through his Holy Spirit, not your gift to God. So take a deep breath. Relax. Soak up the good news. Celebrate God’s grace. Give thanks. Praise the name of Jesus. Be filled with the joy of your salvation. The curse of perfection has been fully satisfied in Christ and the righteous requirement of the law has been fulfilled.
Galatians 6:14 (NIV) says, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."
1 Corinthians 1:30-31 (NIV) tells us, "It is because of him(God) that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness (perfection) and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: 'Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.' "
We cannot give God perfection, but we can give him excellence.
My friends, we can never give God perfection, but let me tell you something we can give him. We can give God our excellence! Perfection is God’s gift to us.Excellence is our gift given back to God.
Perfectionism is our grasping for supremacy.Excellence is giving Christ supremacy in everything. Perfectionism is us making a desperate grasp for fleeting glory. Excellence is doing everything for the eternal glory of Christ’s name. Perfectionism is our attempt to earn favor, earn status, and gain access to glory.Excellence is demonstrated by our faith accepting what only Christ can achieve. Perfection is about outward performance. Excellence isabout inner surrender. Perfection bypasses the heart.Excellence flows from the heart. Perfection is driven by a fear of failure.Excellence is driven by God’s grace, by gratitude, and by the joy of our salvation. Perfectionsenslaves, it overwhelms, it paralyzes, it disables, it de-motivates, it cripples, it shames, and it condemns.Excellence liberates, it invites, it inspires, it empowers, and it releases.
Excellence is Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV) which says," 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' "
Excellence is Hebrews 12:2 (NIV) which says,"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame,and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Excellence is Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV) wherePaultells us, "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God."
Excellence is exemplified by Philippians 3:7-11 (NIV). "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christand be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."
Another example of excellence is in Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV). "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Excellence is found in 2 Corinthians 8:7 (NIV)."But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving."
Excellence as stated in Colossians 3:23 (NIV) is, "Whatever you do, do it with all your heart, as if working for the Lord."
Excellence is instructed in 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV) as,"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
Excellence is our response to God's perfection.
Do you understand? We are being presented with two life philosophies that are diametrically opposed to one another. One enslaves us and robs us of joy. The other sets us free, and the benefit we reap leads to holiness, and its result is eternal life.
Excellence is our response to God’s perfection— to God’s perfect gift. Excellence is our desire to identify with and bring pleasure to a holy and perfect God. Excellence is about loving God because he first loved us in Christ. Excellence is about boasting in Christ’s work, not in our own. Excellence is surrender to Christ. Excellence is inviting God’s Holy Spirit to have his way in us. Excellence is cooperating with the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, who changes us from the inside-out to become fully like Jesus.
Excellence is our response to the Jesus Christ whose body was broken and whose blood was shed on the cross. It’s the Christian’s DNA.