January 2014 ~ Ricki L. Heard

My church has Watch Night service on New Year's Eve at 10pm... after at least an hour if devotion, praise, worship and testimony, five preachers each give a five minute sermonette! This is the manuscript from mine. Idk if the recordings caught all of it, but, here goes! I hope it blesses someone.

"What is your aspiration in life? Beyonce would say that her aspiration in life is to be happy!!!

Galations 1:10 says, "For am I now seeking the approval of man or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a slave of Christ."

In FIVE minutes I want to preach to you 'the Gospel According to Beyoncé.' Stay with me...

According to Sister Beyoncé Carter, in her newest song, Pretty Hurts, perfection is a disease of a nation. See, perfection, by it's very nature is based on a standard. Based on what society has already decided about what is good, you already have something in mind when I say the perfect house, car, school, job. You have for yourself some kind of standard. Now having standards of perfection is not a bad thing... within reason. But, I'd like to take Beyonce's side here and suggest that perfection becomes cancerous to us because instead of simply having standards that we use to become better, look better and feel better. We find standards of things that we see as perfect and we look to them and duplicate them, hoping to be feel perfect, look perfect and become perfect. The problem with that is that we have a totally warped sense of perfection. Instead of looking at the only One that is perfect in an attempt to be better, we look at what we think is better in an attempt to be perfect.

I have 3 things to say and then imma sit down.
1) Perfection is a people problem.
2) Jesus is the standard of perfection.
3) Looking like everyone else may please man, but it will not please God!

Let's stand in Paul's shoes... I like Paul. And let's ask the question from Galations 1:10, am I now seeking the approval of man or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a slave of Christ.

Beyoncé says in this song that we're tryna fix something, but we can't fix what we can't see... It's the soul that needs surgery. We're constantly trying to perform surgery with first aid kits and we're trying to put band-aids on bullet holes... I wanna speak to your soul right now.

You can't put on make up to cover up a heart issue. You cannot use protection to fix a daddy issue. Just like you cannot take a drink or a smoke to get over anger issues. The world says that these things are perfect, God says not so!!!

I need a few people that may have struggled with confidence and self-esteem, or perfectionism and individuality. But you're going to go into 2014 knowing that you are fulfilled in Christ, your confidence is in Christ, your sufficiency is in Christ, and your strength is in Christ.

I need a couple ladies that realized tonight that MAC, SEPHORA, and ULTA can not put something on you that God has already put in you.

I need some guys that realize that a fitted cap and a pair of Jays or a three piece suit and some Tom Fords are not going to make an Image that you were already made in. Cuz you are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God.

I need a couple people that can say for 2014 that the more you look like CHRIST, the more you are becoming the standard of perfection.

Beyoncé, in the last few seconds of this song asks us the question, "Are you happy with Yourself?" I need a few people that can say the less I compare myself to others and the more I compare myself to Christ, yes. The less I try to please people and the more I try to please Christ, yes. The less I respond to my feelings and the more I follow my convictions, yes.

Don't forget.
1) Perfection is a people problem.
2) Jesus is the standard of perfection.
3) Looking like everyone else may please man, but it will not please God!

That is the Gospel According to Beyoncé!"

Happy New Year!!!