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You have
all heard the statement "Practice makes perfect." If you have
not been shown the error of that statement before, let me correct your
thinking on this today. Practice cannot make perfect because if a person
doesn’t know how to properly practice that person will only develop
improper technique. In golf, I used to think that if I swung the club hard
I would hit the ball a long way. I discovered, after I was taught
differently that swinging hard more often than not gets you into trouble
and the ball doesn’t travel that far. The idea for the golf swing is to
develop a smooth swing with the various muscle groups of the body working
together as a unity. If one achieves "tempo" one will find that
better contact is made with the golf ball and it will fly farther and
straighter. It is the same way in other athletic endeavors and in most
other areas of life. If a person practices the wrong technique, it will
only exacerbate the problem and exasperate the person. Let’s revisit and
revise the statement. "Practice does not make perfect. Perfect
practice makes perfect."
As a coach, I have to correct
the misperceptions of those that I work with (whether unofficially in golf
or officially as a soccer coach). I find that often it is necessary that I
"unteach" (I know that isn’t a word) before I can teach. It’s
the same way as a pastor. Often, it is necessary to correct misperceptions
before it is possible to gain a proper view of God’s word, His kingdom,
and His plan for human history.
For example, Christians
worship God the Father through Jesus Christ by the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit. We understand that in theory. We acknowledge the reality of the
Trinity, even if we cannot fully explain how it all works. However, I have
found that many people don’t realize the implications of the statement.
Many struggle with the revelation of God as "Father" (I won’t
deal with that aspect today). Let’s just understand with Jesus in John 8
that God is Spirit. This makes it easy for us to know that the Holy Spirit
is also Spirit and therefore is God. What is difficult for many to
understand is that as the second person of the Trinity, Jesus is God.
As God "in the
flesh," Jesus came into the world to make atonement for our sins. As
a human, Jesus perfectly practiced His relationship with God and therefore
was perfectly righteous before God. Being perfectly righteous before God
made it possible for Jesus to be our Savior by paying the debt of our sin.
The debt of our sin is death, therefore it was necessary for Jesus to take
our place. At some level, most of us comprehend this to a greater or
lesser degree. What God wants us to know is that our sin cost Him His
human life (or the life of His one and only Son).
This is sometimes hard for us
to fully realize, but I want you to walk through the steps with me. Though
we try to comprehend the concept that God through Jesus is our Savior and
Lord, we try to make our lives right with God through our religious
practices and trying to live a good life. We believe that if we have good
intentions and try to do the right things, that will be enough and we will
go to heaven.
We begin our religious life
unknowingly. Most of us were Christened, Dedicated, or Baptized in a
church while we were infants. Sometimes the next time we are in a church
is when we begin Sunday school or CCD. We work towards our First Communion
and Confirmation, fulfilling our duties, as a "good Christian"
should. After Confirmation, we next attend church for our wedding
(sometimes) and then at the Christening, Baptism, or Dedication of our
child. I know that this does not describe all (or maybe even most of us),
but it does describe many in the world today that view the church and
faith abstractly.
Let me quote God’s word
through the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:8-9 – "For it is by
grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast."
Having made that statement from Scripture let me bring to memory the
statement that I made earlier: "Practice does not make perfect.
Perfect practice makes perfect." We can practice good intentions and
religiously do the right things, but if we have not received the gift of
God through faith, we are not saved.
The grace of God was poured out to
us through the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. God effectively said,
"I know that you are unable to make atonement for yourself, so I will
do it on your behalf. Further, I am not asking you to live perfectly
because you can’t. Therefore, I am asking that you receive this gift
through faith. For it is by faith in the work of my one and only Son that
you will have eternal life with me."
Now, let me correct a misperception
that has been fostered in the church for several centuries. There is a
mistaken notion that Baptism washes away original sin. Let me be clear:
Baptism is an outward act of an inward grace that God has worked in the
heart of a believer in Jesus Christ. When a person is able to comprehend
what is taking place and is Baptized, they are telling those present that
they have received the cleansing of Jesus by faith in His atoning work.
The water is the symbol of rebirth. For the infant that is
Christened/Baptized/Dedicated it is the statement of the parents’ that
they believe and will provide an environment in their home that will
nurture that child and lead them to faith in Jesus Christ. The Baptism
doesn’t save that child, only Jesus does. Ultimately, each child is held
responsible for the decision they make regarding Jesus when they are able
to understand and make a faith choice.
Now comes the interesting
part. When we are saved by grace through faith we recognize a vital truth
about being a child of God. Paul wrote: "For we are God’s
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared
in advance for us to do." To the church in Philippi, Paul wrote: "Continue
to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who
works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose."
What we are reading in these two
texts is that we have a responsibility as children of God to grow the seed
of faith that was planted in our hearts at our rebirth. Just as our
children will physically and emotionally mature, we are to spiritually
mature in Christ Jesus our Savior and Lord. To mature spiritually means
that we must be active in the fulfillment of the law of Christ mentioned
in Galatians 6:2. This law of Christ is evidenced in the manner that we
live in relation to those God will bring into our lives. What are we to
do?
We are to love just as Jesus
loved us. As parents, we know that we live in many ways for our children.
How many bumper stickers do we see that say, "I have no life, I’m a
soccer parent? Softball parent? Band parent? Or, the like." They do
not complain about the running around that is done – they’re proud of
what they do and about their children. When was the last time we see
people proud of the fact, "I have a life and it is lived in eternal
gratitude to Jesus." Maybe another bumper sticker could be like this,
"I live my life for Jesus so that I can give to my child a treasure
that’s out of this world."
Usually, when I begin to feel
this way, God brings me up a little way from my pity party. I remember
what His love cost Him. I am reminded that life was given as a blessing
and yet it is not for the faint of heart. Our Lord helps me to focus
outside myself to find that the greatest enjoyment is found when I am able
to give of myself to others. Then, I see that Paul’s statement in verse
9 is ever true: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the
proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we
have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who
belong to the family of believers."
There is not a person that does not
relate, at some level, to what I am saying today. Each one has moments,
sometimes very extended, where they become very tired of it all. Fatigue
leads to exasperation. Exasperation moves to frustration. Frustration
pushes us toward anger. Anger, when it is complete, gives way to a
pride-filled egotism. This egotism makes us seek to take control and run
the lives of those around us.
There is a difference between taking
control of others lives and being a living example of Christ on earth. Let
me clarify. We are not and will never be anyone’s Savior. However, we
may be the vessel that God uses to bring His salvation to those He brings
into our lives. Ephesians 2:10 reminds us: "We are God’s
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which He prepared in
advance for us to do."
It is so easy to rationalize
the decision to take over another person’s life. We note the mistakes
they so often make. We know that they are out of control. We are well
aware that if they would only follow our direction (we call it friendly
advice) their lives would be all straightened out. In our egotism, we are
also aware that if they continue to make bad decisions it is their fault.
However, if they make good choices we are careful to remind them that we
don’t want to tell them, "I told you so."
What I have just stated is a part of
what Paul has written in verse 1. "Brothers, if someone is caught
in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch
yourself, or you also may be tempted." This is the first point we
need to look at in this passage today. We may not be tempted in the same
area as the person whose life we’ve taken over. If we have the arrogance
to believe that our way is the best and only way, then we better be
prepared for our own fall. Remember the proverb, "Pride comes
before the fall." Note the word of encouragement. We are to restore
gently those that are struggling with sin.
Secondly, we are to "carry
each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of
Christ." What is the law of Christ? It is that we should love the
Lord and one another. Love isn’t found in how we take control over
another person’s life; rather, love is found when we emulate Jesus. As
Jesus bore our sins on the cross freeing us from the judgment and wrath of
God against sin, we are to share the load of suffering by being present
with them in their need as opposed to crushing them from afar. The
Twelve-step programs have the right idea with sponsorship. The sponsor
does not condemn the person’s weakness when called. Rather, the sponsor
encourages through listening, presence, and a timely word of
encouragement.
Third, we "should test
our own actions." We should be as aware as possible of our
motivation for stepping into another person’s life. Is this what God has
called me to? Do I have the proper gifts for handling this kind of
situation? Do I have compassion born from God for the person? There is a
reality that all of our motives are mixed – this is the result of sin.
However, we need to approach each situation with the mindset of "what
would Jesus do." Never compare yourself to another. If you need to
compare yourself to someone, compare yourself with Jesus.
If we are walking in the Spirit, we will find
that there is no need to judge another as lacking.
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