BUSTEDYou don’t have to be perfect to be perfected

BE A HISTORY MAKER

Do you want to be remembered?

Do you want to make a difference?

Do you want people to respect you?

Think of some “great” people...

GREAT PEOPLEYOUR ROLE MODELS

Who are people you think are great?

In Music

In Sports

In Culture

In Teachers

In Life

TELL ME MORE...

Do you consider them a role model?

Do you know their name or names?

Do you know their age or ages?

How about talents or famous moments or quotes?

What are their statistics?

THE GREATNESS LIE

How did they become great?

The world’s lie is that you need to “be” great to “become” great

Who watches American Idol?

The world believes in instant success

Secret: you need to “become” great, not “be” great

“BECOMING” VS “BEING”

What’s the difference?

Becoming is a process, being is a state

“Becoming” happens slowly, slower than you see

“Being” means you are in the process of “becoming”.

If you stop “becoming”, you will cease to “be”

BE HUH WHAT?

I “am” a drummer

Some may say I’m a good drummer, maybe not great

How did I get to this point?

I started drumming! I sat down and hit things

I wasn’t very good at first

I “became” a good drummer over time

LIKE IT OR NOT, YOU ARE “BECOMING”

You are in the process of becoming.

What are you becoming?

Decide if you want control over what you will be.

If you don’t work on becoming something, you’ll become what the world makes you.

“BECOMING”MEANS “FOLLOWING”

I’m going hiking, up a big mountain

Will you “be coming”? or will you follow me?

“To become” actually means “to follow”

One way to become great is to (process)follow someone who is great (state)

Christians are in the process of following Christ

JESUS AS A ROLE MODEL

Christians consider Jesus to be divine

Jews and Muslims regard Jesus as a prophet

Most religions regard Jesus as a great teacher

History bears witness that something big happened

Jesus is a role model for role models!

HOW DO YOU FOLLOW?

Matthew 4:18-20

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,”

Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him.

DON’T WAIT UNTIL YOU’RE PERFECT

Secret: you’ll be waiting a long time!

You don't need to have good grades

You don't need to be holy or righteous

You don't need to be beautiful or perfect

You don't even have to smell good!

BUT MY FAMILY SUCKS

Matthew 1:5-6,16

Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth

Obed the father of Jesse, the father of King David

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife (Bathsheba)

HOW DOES THE WORLDVIEW THESE PEOPLE?

You think you’re family tree is messed up?

What does this genealogy mean?

How did others view these people?

You decide! I picked names I think reflect how the world would see some of these people.

RAHAB THE “PRO”

Rahab was a prositute working in Jericho

She harbored spies and enemies of the state

She lied to the authorities

She was seeking to protect her family

She had faith in God...

RUTH THE “ALIEN”

She was a moabite woman... a minority!

She was a mooch off the system, a migrant worker

She was an illegal alien in the land

She bore a son for her mother-in-law

She did this because of her love for her mom-in-law

She had faith in God...

KING DAVID THE “CON”

Do you think Bill Clinton or George Bush is bad?

They got nothing on King David...

2 Samuel 11:2-17

David kills off his top military leader Uriah to get at his wife Bathsheba!

David was said to have the heart of God!

MARY THE “VIRGIN”

Jesus didn’t have the best home life either

His mom got pregnant out of wedlock

He was born in a barn

His dad was thinking of running off

His dad was a carpenter (construction worker)

He was on the run for his early life...

BUT I’M FROM MIDDLETOWN!

There’s a Middletown in the Bible!

John 1:45-46

Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote — Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.

SO WHAT’S THE POINT?

Your upbringing does not dictate who you can be.

Your circumstances don’t dictate who you can be.

Your failures do not dictate who you can be.

You don’t need to be perfect to become great.

Well behaved & adjusted people rarely make history.

Flawed people are the ones remembered in the Bible.

SOME VERSES IF YOUDON’T BELIEVE ME...

Romans 3:23For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Romans 3:22Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

If you believe, if you have faith... you follow

But it takes faith to follow. How much?

JUST A PINCH OF FAITH

Matthew 17:20

I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there” and it will move.

Nothing will be impossible for you.

Sounds like greatness to me!

FOLLOWING IS IMMEDIATE

Matthew 4:21-22

Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets.

Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

FOLLOWING IS IMMEDIATE

Following immediately in faith is tough

You may need to...

Leave your job

Leave your possessions

Leave your parents

Leave your friends

WILL YOU FOLLOW?

Jesus is walking by, as you are living your life.

He’s calling to you tonight.

He makes a simple statement... “Come, Follow Me”

What is your answer?

What will be your response?

WILL YOU FOLLOW?