Be You Perfect
Greetings, brothers and sisters. This is Dr. James Perry continuing with our series where we seek to
explore the deeper meanings of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Over the years, the heavenly
Father has revealed many revelations of spiritual truth to me, and I want to share them with you. This
morning we seek to understand the command of the Father to be perfect even as he is perfect.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
Be You Perfect Even as the Heavenly Father is Perfect
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father,
but by me." John, Chapter 14, Verse 6.
Brothers and sisters, what is the meaning of the Father's invitation-command, "be you perfect even
as the heavenly Father is perfect"? Is it indeed possible for a human being to become perfect in this
life? If so, why is there an almost universal attitude that this is an impossibility? And if it is an
impossibility, why is the injunction to be perfect etched in our minds and souls? And more
importantly, why did the Father issue such an impossible command if we cannot obey it? We know
that with the Father, all things are possible to him who really believes Jesus. What is the meaning
of perfection in this context?
We know that we have an example of a human being who achieved this perfection. And this
individual is none other than Jesus, the Son of God, who incarnated as the Son of Man. Speaking for
the Father, he then commanded us to do the same thing: be perfect even as your heavenly Father is
perfect. We shall examine the role of prayer and worship in obeying this command, and its role in
ultimately inducing the human will to submit to the Father's will. And finally we shall dispense with
the philosophical analysis and boldly assume the state of spiritual perfection in human experience
by obeying this command to be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect. And we shall do this using
the Spirit of Truth who will show us how.
In mortals there is an unrecognized urge to master our environments, to continue to find better and
better ways of doing anything and everything. This urge for mastery is none other than the Father's
command to be perfect even as He is perfect. And when we do reach supreme levels of spiritual
values and their meanings, we will truly love the Father with all of our hearts and souls, all of our
minds and strengths, and love our neighbors as ourselves. This is true spiritual development and will
allow us to perfectly reveal the Father to our brothers and sisters through the Spirit of Truth, the
spirit of Jesus. This sublime search for the Father through his Son, Jesus, activates our souls, and
once activated, they never stop climbing until they find the Father. And it is this definition of
spiritual perfection that we equate with obeying the Father's eternal command: be perfect even as He
is perfect.
We know that as human beings we are limited in our intellectual grasp. As the Son of Man
demonstrated, it is not the infinite grasp or even the supreme grasps of intellectual meanings, but
rather is the grasp of supreme spiritual values and meanings that constitute spiritual perfection.
Because Jesus lived the full mortal life--from birth to death--and achieved spiritual perfection as a
human being, we can acquire his moral and spiritual perfection of character. The Spirit of Truth he
gave us not only teaches us to love our neighbors as ourselves but also empowers us to do so.
This Spirit of Truth surrounds our souls and shows us how to worship the Father in truth and in
spirit. This has the sure effect of transforming our souls into the image of the Father, the image of
His Son, Jesus. And it is the unification of these supreme values and meanings that constitutes
supreme consciousness of the Father through Jesus. And these supreme values and meanings are
demonstrated in the life of any person who joyfully displays the fruits of the spirit in a consistent
manner under any and all circumstances. So we define the achievement of divine perfection as a self
will joyfully submitted to the Father's will.
Since perfection is a spiritual quality and a potential in mortals, and since potentials become actuals
only by exercising faith, it becomes absolutely necessary to achieve spiritual perfection of our souls.
And since faith is necessary to respond favorably to the questions that arise in response to living this
life, it becomes necessary to exercise living faith. When in the grip of some trial, life will ask if we
still have faith. And faith should always answer with an emphatic yes!
So few us achieve perfection of character and spirit in this life because it is not our supreme desire
or goal. (How often do we hear others pray for perfection as the Father commands?) Today, spiritual
goals appears to be a fail-safe if and when all material gods perish. And worship is not the
admiration of the Father's character but a sort of bargaining with God in the form of praise in
exchange for material blessings. Few will be found contemplating His marvelous character, as
displayed by the Son of Man. The ideal of moral and spiritual perfection resides in every morally
conscious human being.
And now we do mostly humbly acknowledge our human state. We do not have an intellectual grasp
of all the facts of our existence. We are often confused morally, spiritually uncertain at times,
sometimes more than others, suffering physically some more than others, troubled by the prospect
of a troubled future; sorrowful over our past mistakes and consequences that weigh heavy upon our
lives; and not absolutely sure if we are exercising faith or being presumptuous.
And now, I invite you to join with me and pray the supreme prayer, the prayer for spiritual perfection
of our souls, to do the Father's will, to abandon the preoccupation with evil and sin, and boldly
embrace the divine righteousness so gracefully and mercifully supplied by the Spirit of Truth. Seek
the greater and the lesser will be found therein. Let us find out if attainment of the supreme truth is
possible. Will you make this the goal of your earthly striving? Come brothers and sisters! Let us join
the march of progress in the universe. Let us do what we have been commanded to do, let us grasp
the power that has been given to us. Let us embrace faith and trust, and energize our desire and
submit our wills to the divine will. Let us use intelligent prayer and worship, depending every step
of the way on the Spirit of Truth, for he is the way, the truth, and the life, the way to spiritual
perfection, the truth of spiritual perfection, and the eternal life of spiritual perfection. Let's follow
him. He is waiting for you and me.
This concludes today's message on understanding the Father's eternal command to be perfect even
as He is perfect. We hope you find something in this message to ponder and pray about as you go
about your day.
Until next time, this is Dr. James Perry.
Inspirational Messages
By Dr. James Perry
Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done!
Be You Perfect
