Keion Henderson - A Strategy for the Unperfect

I want to talk today on this subject: a strategy for the imperfect. Now, I know that those of you who are in the social media world will listen to me say «a strategy for the imperfect,» and your linguistic and English skills will come into play, leading you to think, «Well, Pastor, 'unperfect' isn’t a word.» I’m very clear that it isn’t a word; I only use it as a semantic twist to be adjacent to the subject matter of our series, «Unstuck.» I understand that the word is «imperfect,» but for the sake of our conversation, if you’ll indulge me, I want to talk about the strategy for the imperfect.

I want to begin by defining the word «strategy.» Strategy is a grand scheme or design; it 's intended to pursue a predetermined aim. See, in order to have a strategy, you need to know where you desire to end up. You must have some semblance of knowledge about how you want the story to conclude. Thus, you implement a strategy to achieve the goal that was predetermined before you pursued it.

It is no mistake that the Bible is the best-selling book in the history of the world. The last time I checked, the book behind it that sold the most copies is «The Purpose Driven Life» by Pastor Rick Warren from Saddleback Church. If my numbers serve me correctly-and I believe they do- the Bible is the best-selling book of all time. No book ever comes close. The Bible has been sold in a multiplicity of languages and countries, in a variety of translations, whether it’s the New King James Version, the King James Version, the New Living Translation, the NIV, or the Message Bible. Regardless of which one you read, it’s been translated and sold over and over again, and yet it is the most misunderstood book in the world. It is the most distributed and the most misunderstood.

When I look at the Bible, I must ask myself, «What 's the purpose of it, Lawrence? What is the purpose of the Bible?» Its reputation has been marred, just like the text; some people look at the Bible and are uninterested in what it has to say, Pastor Hammond. However, when I analyze Scripture and reflect on the knowledge I have accumulated from authors, commentary writers, and spiritual leaders, I am of the opinion that the singular most important purpose of the Bible is for God to reveal Himself to us through His written word. I have Scripture to back that up: John 1:1 states, «In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and, more importantly, the Word was God.» He wants to use the Word, the Logos, to reveal Himself to us so that when we look in the Bible, we are actually looking at Him. The Bible says, «It is in Him that we live, it is in Him that we move, it is in Him that we have our being.» No wonder our grandmothers said, «You have to get in the Word,» because certain things do not happen until you engage with it. Any man who is in Christ is a new creature; he’s talking about being in Christ.

When I examine the Bible, I perceive that it is imperative-or at least a necessity in my view-and I can support it through my imagination that He wants us to see Him in the Scripture. The Old Testament often talks about something called the tabernacle. When we look at the tabernacle, we can see God in many ways. We see Him through His salvific measures. Even in the Old Testament, you have the table of showbread, which has 12 loaves of bread on it. We know that correlates to the 12 tribes of Israel. We have the lampstand that has seven branches on it; we know that seven is God 's number of completion. The golden lampstand is hammered out of one piece of gold. The writer tells us that it is hammered out of one piece of gold because God is not separate; He is one: one Lord, one faith, one baptism.

We see Him in many different places: in the mercy seat, in the Ark of the Covenant, which is inlaid with gold and overlaid with wood — gold representing divinity and wood representing humanity. It is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All of these different aspects demonstrate that God wants to reveal Himself in the Bible. Despite all this proof, there is still skepticism. My message today is birthed out of concern for those who feel there is no place for them in the church or in organized religion.