Imperfectly Perfect
*Opening disclaimer
· Not like the other pastors
· My mom and dad – My dad the counselor
· This is my therapy session
Ti ff and Felicity gone for a week and a half
Depression, feelings of inadequacy, frustrations in life, etc…
Me: I feel Abandoned
God: You’re not abandoned, you’re hiding from me
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
-Genesis 3: 8-10
Us, trying to hid from God because we feel the weight and shame of our sin
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10 NIV
Depression is one of those mental health disorders that I don’t feel so much lost, as misplaced. I know I love Jesus, I have faith that my salvation is secure… but I’m hiding in the garden when I stumble and fall…
And Me, Hiding from God is stupid…
· Like a kid during hide and seek and his legs are noticeable behind the window curtain
· God, even during your worst, has never left your side…
And that’s where I feel led to take us today. It’s not a sermon series, there’s no comeback next week to hear part two, and there’s not a top 10 list or a 7-step program. Today, we’re just going to be RAW with each other.
Understanding we are made perfect in Christ, even though we will never be perfect.
The Apostol Paul talks about our sinful nature in Romans 7 where he explains “19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing.
20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”
I want so badly to do what I’m supposed to do, but my sinful nature means that I will constantly and forever keep making mistakes.
Too often I think because of our imperfections we run away from God as if He would never want to have anything to do with us because we’re dirty sinners.
· That somehow our imperfections repel God.
· That because we are not perfect, we cannot approach God
· That because we still fall for temptations, anger, depravity, anxiety, depression, sinful addictions, and constantly repeat a sinful nature, God doesn’t want to have anything to do with us.
· Like we were once pure, white as snow, brand new, but now we’re filthy… and God is disgusted with our filth…
God’s nature isn’t like that. We know in Matthew 18:12 that He’s the good shepherd who leaves the 99 to find the one.
(JOKE) Like all those 100 sheep lining up… and I’m like that one stupid sheep that goes off…
I’m the bAAAAAAAAd sheep….
Ever been that sheep… you’re like in church with all these other people and you all have your hands raised in worship but all you can think about are your faults and failures as a Christian?
So off you go… lone sheep… running from the Shephard…
But God doesn’t sit there and watch you run away… He leaves the 99 and chases after the one, He chases after you…
That’s God’s love for you… it doesn’t matter how far you run… God is constantly pursuing you…
A perfect example of God’s love for a broken sinful person comes from the book of Hosea. In the first 2 chapters, we meet the prophet Hosea, who has married a prostitute named Gomer. Gomer is depicted as an unfaithful wife primarily through her involvement in adulterous relationships and her pursuit of other lovers.
She engages in relationships with other men, seeking fulfillment and satisfaction outside of her marriage. At night she goes into town and sells herself. This behavior not only violates her covenant with Hosea but also causes him pain and heartache.
This is a powerful metaphor for how we treat God… just as Gomer causes pain and heartache to Hosea, we cause the same PAIN AND HEARTACHE TO GOD…
I may not be Collin the prostitute, but I’m Collin the one filled with pride and greed and lust and envy and gluttony and anger and depression and anxiety and the need to be liked and when those things raise their ugly heads, when I fall to the temptations of life I stop believing and I start trying to justify the why and what’s and I see God in the garden like Adam and Eve and instead of running to Him I run from Him….
“Because look at what I’ve done”
I walk in hurt and pain that I know I should hand over to Him, and yet I hide it away in a room in my mind and I lock the door and throw away the key. AND I PUSH GOD AWAY BECAUSE I’M TOO ASHAMED TO LET GOD SEE WHAT’S INSIDE…
Inside this room are walls covered in pain…
See, my problem is I don’t fix things, I just try to repaint
Cover ’em up, like it never happened
Say I wish I could change, but I’ve only adapted…
This room’s full of regrets, just keeps getting fuller, it seems
The moment I walk into it, is the same moment that I wanna leave
I get sick to my stomach every time I look at these things
But it’s hard to look past when this is the room where I sleep
And I regret the fact that I struggled trying to find who I am
And I lie to myself and say I do the best that I can
Shrug it off like it ain’t nothing, like it’s out of my hands
Then get ticked off whenever I see it affecting my plans
And I regret watching these trust issues eat me alive
And at the rate I’m going, they’ll probably still be there when I die
Congratulations sin, you’ll always have a room in my mind
The question is, will I ever clean the walls off in time?
One of the greatest tragetys in our lives is listening to the lie that God leaves us wallowing in our sin.
The bible clearly tells us a different story…
Psalm 34:18 (NIV): “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Isaiah 41:10 (NIV): “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Psalm 147:3 (NIV): “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
Matthew 11:28 (NIV): “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
John 14:27 (NIV): “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV): “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
Romans 8:28 (NIV): “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV): “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Psalm 30:5 (NIV): “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”
1 Peter 5:7 (NIV): “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
These verses remind us that God is always pursuing you.
In Chapter 3, God instructs Hosea to go and redeem his wife. This redemption involves Hosea buying back Gomer, who has likely been sold into slavery or prostitution due to her unfaithfulness. The act of redemption symbolizes God’s relentless love and His willingness to forgive His wayward people, despite their sins and spiritual adultery.
Hosea pays a high price for his wife… The price Hosea pays to redeem Gomer is significant, suggesting the costly nature of God’s forgiveness and redemption. It reflects the sacrificial love and commitment required to reconcile with those who have strayed.
Furthermore, this chapter emphasizes the conditions of the reconciliation between Hosea and Gomer. After redeeming her, Hosea tells her to live with him and refrain from her unfaithfulness.
God redeems you from your sin… and He wants you to want Him more than the things your flesh desires.
We are Perfectly Imperfect
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