"What lies behind us, and whatlies
Before us are small matters
Compared to what lies withinus."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Do youbelieve that you are to become perfect as God is perfect? There is a scriptureon this before the death of Christ which would clearly put this as a yes I must work at being saved, I needto perfect my flesh so God will accept me. Is the above true
Matthew5:47-48 New King James Version (NKJV) 47 And if you greet your brethren only,what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven isperfect.
Matthew19:20-22 New King James Version (NKJV)
20 The youngman said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I stilllack?”
21 Jesus said to him, “Ifyou want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to thepoor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he wentaway sorrowful, for he had great possessions
Now let uslook further has anyone of you reading here perfectedyour flesh at all,now remember thepassages I am putting down here are before the death of Christ while he walkedthis earth, prior to the new covenant that took place after his death.Now what he told this man that had great possessions in order to go to heaven he needed to giveeverything up for he claimed he had obeyed the law from birth, yet he walkedaway very sad he could not go that far to give up his worldly possessions. He could not be perfect in and of himselfand no one can and Jesus revealed this deeply
Jesus alsowhile walking this earth said many hard things like
Matthew 5:30
And if yourright hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is moreprofitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body tobe cast into hell.
Matthew 18:8
“If yourhand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is betterfor you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or twofeet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.
Matthew 5:29
If yourright eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is moreprofitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body tobe cast into hell.
Are you listening under the Law of MosesJesus expands on the severity of the Law, showing you, me and all that wantsalvation how to get it through the Law. Pretty severe yeah!!!! It is a must to beperfect as God is perfect
This aboveis under the Law people and the stringency of it, and today we as the people of this Nation are mixing Lawand Grace. We areaccepting Grace and saying thanks, then believing the lie from the devil as inhow we are to be perfect as God is perfect
The problem here is that man has interpreted thisas our flesh has to become perfect and we sin no more, then God will accept us. Well you just read thestringency and cut off this and that so you can enter Heaven. So under the lawand cutting off we will end up as a torso. Now do not think that I am saying the law is bad forit is not bad. The Lawis true, just and holy. The problem with the Law is that my flesh that I wasborn with is weak and cannot obey the law in its entirety. You know our carnal nature might get9 out of ten Laws down, yet the requirement of the Law is miss none get all ofthem right and human flesh can’t. Itis like trying to hold ten apples under water at the same time using only oneshands. So do you agree it isimpossible to be perfect from Human flesh?
So how doesone make perfection this is what the disciples were hearing from Jesus if youwant to go to heaven become perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect? All theway down to the rich man that said he had obeyed the Law from birth, and Jesussaid he lacked one thing give up his riches and follow him.
Now let uslook at the Matthew 5:47-48 again and notice it Jesus states therefore you shall be perfectjust as your Heavenly Father in Heaven is perfect
Okay Ialready have found out that there is no way I can be perfect through trying tobe perfect.
Using theten apples as an example I could get nine apples under the water at one time,and every time I would go for the tenththe other nine, sometimes less would pop back up and I would be back at squareone trying to be perfect to get God to acceptme, for I knew that in order to get to Heaven I had to be perfect. What a ridethis was to get to perfection as our heavenly father who is in Heaven is!!!
I finally gaveup trying to accomplish perfection; I just could not complete it, how about anyof you reading this? I still want to and yet can’t so what did Jesus mean whenhe said THEREFORE YOU SHALL BE PERFECT. Now again this was before the cross thedeath of Christ. And the Law was still in place and through this understandingof cut off your hand, foot, gouge out your eye and obey the law in its entiretyand there was one that said he did, but he could not give up his worldlytreasures, and left very sad.
Now the disciples hearing all this are destroyed inthinking about ever going to heaven seeing they are not perfect and wonderinghow can they ever be?
So theyasked Jesus straight out how is it possible for anyone to get into heaven?
Jesus’sanswer: Matthew 19:25-26
New KingJames Version (NKJV)
25 When Hisdisciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can besaved?”
26 But Jesuslooked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
So by and through God the Father it is possiblefor one to be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.
So now whatdo you think, since we now know that no one no not one can be perfect ofthemselves for it is impossible with man to be perfect as Jesus said?
But all itis possible with God, WOW! Let us look at other scripture before the death ofChrist
Matthew 5 NewKing James Version (NKJV)
TheBeatitudes
5 And seeingthe multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciplescame to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessedare those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessedare the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessedare those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7 Blessedare the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessedare the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9 Blessedare the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessedare those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when they revile andpersecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for sothey persecuted the prophets who were before you.
None ofthese things Jesus said to the people were filled in them as of yet, for he saidshall be filled, and then when filled they will know they are blessed, so doyou desire any or all of the sayings above? Then let us move on to be filledand perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect in heaven.
First let ussee scripture showing us where we are at today in history. We are after thecross right? Now what took place at the cross? First the death and what tookplace at the death?
Hebrews9:15-17 New King James Version (NKJV)
15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the newcovenant, by means of death, for the redemptionof the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
TheMediator’s Death Necessary for the new covenant
16 For wherethere is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of thetestator. 17 For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has nopower at all while the testator lives.
What is thisnew covenant? How are we the believers being viewed from God the Father in thisnew covenant? Are we being dealt with under the Old Covenant since the cross ofChrist by God the Father?
NewCovenant:
Hebrews9:23-28
23 Thereforeit was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should bepurified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrificesthan these. 24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands,which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the MostHoly Place every year with blood of another— 26 He then would have had tosuffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put awaysin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointedfor men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear thesins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart fromsin, for salvation.
Christ tookit all at the cross all the sin so nowunder this new covenant God the Father of Christ does what on the day youbelieve what do you receive?
Hebrews 10 NewKing James Version (NKJV)
AnimalSacrifices Insufficient, and one’s conscience needs purged
10 For the law, having a shadow of the good things tocome, and not the very image of the things, can never with these samesacrifices, which they offer continually year by year,make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified,would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3 But inthose sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it isnot possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.
Neither willrepenting over and over take away sins having a conscience of sins just keepsthem coming day after day after day, until Christ purges your conscience fromsin through the new covenant provided for you through the cross
Christ’sDeath Fulfills God’s Will
5 Therefore,when He came into the world, He said:
“Sacrificeand offering you did not desire,
But a body youhave prepared for Me.
6 In burntofferings and sacrifices for sin
You had nopleasure.
7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it iswritten of Me—
To do Your will, O God.’”
8 Previouslysaying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin you didnot desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law),9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establishthe second. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of thebody of Jesus Christ once for all.
Are any ofyou hearing what the Spirit is saying, He at the cross took away the first thathe may establish the second and by this we those that believe have been sanctifiedby the body of Jesus once and for all. So please give up trying to be good andreceive the sanctification by faith in Christ Jesus and thus by no effort ofyour own, you ask by Faith in Christ God the Father to live through you now andforever more instead of just in you, as what has happened to most of us, by usworking for our salvation, our flesh being in the way for God the Fatherthrough the Holy Ghost when we are doing this can’t live through us, becauseFather is not a tyrant, he lo9ves us and gave us all free choice, so it is yourfree choice to ask Father to not only live in you but better than that through youand then you can rest in him, not worried any longer about what or how you are todo, for in this one’s conscience is purged from sin.
Christ’sDeath Perfects the Sanctified
11 And every priest stands ministering daily andoffering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice forsins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting tillHis enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those whoare being sanctified.
15 But the Holy Spirit also witnessesto us; for after He had said before,
16 “This is the covenant that I will make with themafter those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and intheir minds I will write them,” 17 then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds Iwill remember no more.”[d] 18 Now where there is remission of these, there isno longer an offering for sin.
There is nomore offering at all for any sins committed whether willful or not it is doneGod the Father has put all sins behind his back never to see again. This wayFather can deal with each one on the basis of a new nature that he has plantedin you via the Holy Ghost. He is now your teacher listen if you believe toFather via the Holy Ghost and you shall know this is truth and this will setyou free all of those sayings in Matthew 5 are now available to receive afterthe death of Christ where this new covenant took place.
If youhunger and thirst for righteousness, today under this new covenant that took placeat the cross at the death of Christ is available for you to have by belief notby your works, by belief that all the bible is filled in Christ who is the headof all principalities and powers, and you by Faith (belief) in Christ are safeno matter what this world throws at you, God promised to supply al your needsnot necessarily your wants, your actual needs.
Are you andme going to trust God no matter what this world throws at us, no matter whatothers say. Do you believe that God by his Love has accomplished salvation foryou through his Son Jesus Christ?
Do you still or did you ever believe that you have todo the work to be perfect and pleasing to God? Thisis only true under the First Covenant
Or do you nowbelieve that through your Faith in Christ that God will and does perform thework through you, you being God’s vessel?
This is thenew covenant where God by your belief made you perfect in his sight by and throughhis Son Christ Jesus.
Love you allhoping for all to come to this miraculous salvation in appreciation to such awonderful God.
Homwardbound