I kinda went along with that
first message, didn't I? Will you open your Bibles with
me to Psalm 138. Psalm 138. I've titled this message,
The Lord Will Perfect. The Lord Will Make Perfect. That is what he requires, and
that is what he does. He makes all things perfect. Paul said in Philippians chapter
three, he said, I've not yet apprehended that which has apprehended
me, and I've not yet been made perfect, but this one thing I
do, one thing I do, press towards the mark for the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus. He's the perfect one. If I can be found in Him, not
having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that
righteousness, which is by the perfection, the faith and the
faithfulness of the Lord Jesus Christ, then I'll be made as
He is. So you have your Bibles open
to Psalm 138. Look with me, if you will, to verse 8 and I want us to consider
this verse first as it relates to Christ and second as it relates
to you and me found in Christ. The Lord will perfect that which
concerneth me. Now who is the me spoken of here? Well, let's look first at the
Lord Jesus when he said, the Lord will perfect that which
concerneth me. What was it that concerned the
Lord Jesus Christ more than anything else? What was it that the Lord
Jesus Christ depended on his father to perfect? Well, as I quoted in the first
hour from John chapter 4, when the Lord came back and spoke
to the disciples from Sychar, he said, I have meat to eat that
you know not of, for my meat, my meat is to do the will of
the father and to finish his work. That's what the Lord Jesus Christ
depended on the Father to perfect. The Lord will perfect that which
concerneth me. What was he concerned with more
than anything else? The glory of his heavenly Father. The glory of his heavenly Father.
And here he's declaring his faith in knowing that the Father will
perfect, make perfect, that which he is concerned with most, the
glory of his Father. The Lord Jesus first recorded
words in the scriptures when he was 12 years old, left in
Jerusalem by Mary and Joseph, said, did you not know that I
must be about my father's business? And then his last recorded words
from Calvary's cross was, it is finished. Father, into thy
hands I commend my spirit. I have finished the work that
you gave me to do. I have perfected justice and
righteousness by the sacrifice of myself and by my obedience
unto death. And Father, I'm dependent on
you to perfect that which concerns me the most. It is written in
the volume of the book of me, for lo, I have come to do thy
will, O God. That was what the Lord Jesus
Christ was concerned with more than anything else, doing the
Father's will perfectly. You and I have never been able
to say anything that we've ever done was done perfectly. Never. And that's what God requires.
And so the Lord saying here the Lord will perfect that which
concern it may turn to me to John Chapter 17. John Chapter
17. You know this is. Our Lords. High priestly prayer. He is interceding
on behalf of his church. We have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one, and he ever liveth to make
intercession for us. And so the things that he's praying
here in John 17 is his petition to the Father on behalf of his
church. And look what he says in verse
one. These words spake Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven
and said, Father, the hour is come. Everything in time and
in eternity culminates at the cross. The hour is now come. The purpose for everything is
now at hand. Glorify thy son that thy son
also may glorify thee. That's what concerneth me more
than anything else, is the glory of my Father. And Father, I've
finished the work that you gave me to do, and now my hour has
come to go to the cross and bear in my body upon that tree the
sins of God's people. As thou hast given him, the Son,
power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as
many as thou hast given him. Father, you've given me all power
in heaven and in earth has been given unto me. They have no power. When we were yet without strength,
without any ability to save ourselves, Christ died for the ungodly. And now he's praying to the Father. He said, Father, you've given
me the power to give eternal life to all that thou has given
me. Everyone that you gave me in
the covenant of grace, written in the Lamb's book of life before
the foundation of the world, Lord, I'm about to redeem them
and give to them eternal life. And this is life eternal. Look
at verse three, that they might know thee the only true God and
Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. That's the purpose of it all.
People say, well, what's the purpose of my life? What is the
purpose of my life? To know God. to know God. This is life. And this is life
eternal, that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus
Christ whom thou hast sent. That's why Paul said again in
Philippians chapter 3, I'm not yet apprehended. He said, oh,
but I might know him, that I might know him the power of his resurrection,
the fellowship of his suffering. That's my, it's my only to know
that when he died, I died, I fellowshiped in the suffering of Christ. And
when he was raised from the dead victory over death, hell, sin,
and Satan, I was raised in him. That's my hope. He is my hope.
Look at verse four, I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished
the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify
thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with
thee before the world was. Lord, receive me back into glory
to take my rightful place at the right hand of the majesty
on high. For I have finished the work. You have perfected that which
concerneth me. What concerned the Lord Jesus
Christ more than anything else? The glory of his father. That's what concerned him. And his own honor and his own
glory depended upon the success of his work. And so he's calling
out to his Heavenly Father, and he's saying, Father, perfect
that which concerneth me. Make the work that I'm doing
for your glory. Glorify me and honor me. Make
it successful. And he did. He did. Would the
father accept what he did? If it was perfect, he would.
And that's the only thing that God accepts is that which is
perfect. And so the Lord Jesus is saying.
Father, perfect that which concerneth me. Would the father be satisfied? with what the Lord Jesus Christ
did on Calvary's cross? To put away the sins of his people?
To satisfy the demands of God's justice and wrath? Would he be
satisfied? He said he was. He said in Isaiah
chapter 53, I will see the travail of his soul and I shall be satisfied. So here our Lord is praying,
Father, perfect that which concerneth me. What concerns me? What concerns
me is that you'll be glorified and honored. What concerns me
is that my work will be successful and that it will be satisfying
to you. And the evidence that we have
is that God gave him a name that is above every name. so that
at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess.
He was satisfied and he perfected, he perfected. He sat down at
the right hand of the majesty on high. He took his rightful
place as a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek and
he reigns sovereign in glory, interceding on behalf of his
people. Would God suffer His Holy One
to see corruption? No. No, the answer of this prayer
is seen in the Resurrection, when the Lord said, Lord, perfect
that which concerneth me. Perfect that which concerneth
me. What was He concerned with? Being
victorious over the grave. And the Resurrection proves that. The resurrection proves that
the Father was completely satisfied and perfected that which concerned
the Lord Jesus Christ. Would the four beasts and the
24 elders, would they be seen at the throne of God singing
hallelujah, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts? Yes,
if the Lord, if the Father answers this prayer, Father perfect that
which concerneth me. I'm concerned with your glory
and with my glory. I'm concerned with the success
of this work. Would the Lord Jesus Christ come
riding as the book of Revelation shows him on that white horse
with his name written upon his thigh, King of kings and Lord
of lords? If his work is successful, he
will. If it was perfected, he would. Oh Lord, perfect that which concerneth
me. It was our Lord's prayer. It
was our Lord's prayer. And he was concerned with the
salvation of his people. Lord, perfect that which concerneth
me. Perfect the atoning of my people
by my shed blood. Would his shed blood be sufficient
to save all of his people? If the father was pleased with
it, he would perfect that which concerneth
me. For by one offering, he hath
perfected forever them which are sanctified. The Lord Jesus
Christ is calling out to His Heavenly Father to perfect that
which He is concerned with. What was He concerned with? He
was concerned with the glory of His Father. He was concerned
with His own rightful place in glory for His own honor. He was concerned with the salvation
of His people. And look at, go back with me
to our text. Look what he says in this. The
Lord will perfect that which concerneth me. Thy mercy, O Lord,
endureth forever. Forsake not the works of thine
own hands, or thine own works. Forsake not the works of thine
own hands. Lord, this is God's work. It's
not our work. We're not making any, what are
we gonna do to make perfect that which concerns, what is it that
concerns us? Well, if this promise is for
us, then what concerns me is the forgiveness of my sin and
the salvation of my immortal soul. That's what concerns me
more than anything else. We know that when the Lord When
the Lord is pleased to call one of his lost sheep to himself,
all the spiritual becomes much more important than the temporal.
The forgiveness of their sin is much more important than any
success that they might have in this world. Did the Lord leave any of his
children in Egypt? No. No, he said, I'll leave the
99 and I'll go find that one lost sheep. Scripture says when
the children of Israel came out of Egypt, not a hoof was left
behind. Every one of them came out. And
so the Lord made successful and perfect that which concerns the
Lord Jesus Christ. Will any of the sons of God not
be brought to glory? No. Will his bride be forsaken? No. Will one grain of wheat get
blown away with the chaff? No. No. No, why? Because the father perfected
that which concerned the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh Lord, perfect
that which concerneth me. In Luke chapter 13, verse 32,
the scripture says, and the third day, the Lord Jesus is answering,
he said, and the third day, all things shall be perfected. He's
talking about the resurrection. The resurrection of the Lord
Jesus Christ, perfected everything. It is the answer to this prayer,
oh Lord. Oh Lord, perfect that which concerneth
me. Secondly, this prayer is the
believer's prayer. It is our prayer. Notice that it's in the past
tense. The Lord will perfect that which
concerneth me. He will perfect that which concerneth
me. If we're found in Christ, then we're perfect in him. As
he is, so are we in this world. And yet we're still in this body
of flesh and we long for that day, as Paul said in the latter
part of Philippians chapter three, when this vile body shall be
made incorruptible. Turn with me to that passage,
Philippians chapter three. Look at verse 12, not as though
I had already attained, either were already perfect, but I follow
after if that I may apprehend that for which I also am apprehended
of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself
to have apprehended, Not yet been perfect yet, not in my experience. In faith, I'm made perfect. You know when faith is made perfect?
Faith is made perfect when it's not needed anymore. That's when
our faith is gonna be made perfect. Right now, our faith is mixed
with unbelief, isn't it? Every child of God can say, Lord,
I believe. Help thou mine unbelief. But
there will come a day when we will no longer have to have faith.
Our faith will be our experience. It'll be what we see. It'll be
what we hear. It'll be perfect and it'll be
made perfect. And that's what Paul's saying.
I'm not yet apprehended. I've not yet been made perfect. But this one thing, this one
thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching
forth to those things which are before, I press towards the mark
for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. He's
the perfect one. And if I can see him, I can have
hope that in him, I'll be perfect. Let us therefore, as many as
be perfect, As many as are in Christ, perfect
in Him, and long for that day when they shall be made perfect.
Lord, perfect that things which concerneth me. Let us therefore,
as many as be perfect, be thus minded, for if in anything you
be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even that unto you. He'll
reveal that. He's gonna finish the work that
he started. Nevertheless, whereto we have
already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind
the same thing. Brethren, be followers together
of me, and mark them that walk as you have us, for an example. encourage one another. We're in this together, that's
what he's saying. We walk all looking to Christ,
remind one another that Christ is our life and that we're to
look to him. For many walk, of whom I have
told you often, verse 18, and tell you, even weeping, that
they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction,
whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame,
and who mind earthly things. They that are of the flesh do
mind the things of the flesh. And that's all they can see.
That's all they live for, is fleshly things. For our conversation
is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ. Our conversation is in him. We're
looking for him, waiting for him, longing for that day when
we too shall be made perfect without sin. Who, look at this next verse,
verse 21, who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned
like unto his glorious body according to the working whereby he is
able even to subdue all things unto himself. Oh, what a day
that'll be. When this corruptible is made
incorruptible and this mortal is made immortal. and these vile
bodies shall be made in the likeness of his glorious body. There's
our hope. That's what, that's the prayer.
And the hope that we have that he will perfect those things
which concerns us is that he has perfected those things which
concern Christ. He made his work perfect. Paul said in Philippians chapter
1 verse 6, I am confident of this very thing that he which
began a good work in you, he that began a good work in you
will perform or perfect it in the day of his coming. The gifts of God are without
repentance. What God starts, he finishes.
What hope we have. And so this is the believer's
prayer. Look back with me. This is our confidence. This
is our confidence that the Lord will perfect that which concerneth
us. Genesis chapter 26, Isaac is
praying. He said, I sojourn in this land. The Lord said, the Lord tells
Isaac, he said, sojourn in this land and I will be with thee
and I will bless thee for unto thee and thy seed and I will
give all these countries and I will perform the oath that
I made with your father. the Lord will perfect that covenant
promise that he made in eternity past, confirmed it to Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, confirmed it by the finished work, the successful
atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, perform that, perfect
that, which concerneth me. Turn back with me if you will
to Deuteronomy chapter nine. Deuteronomy chapter nine. Look at verse five. Not for thy
righteousness or for the uprightness of thy heart dost thou go to
possess their land, But for the wickedness of these nations,
the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that
he may perform or perfect the word which the Lord swear unto
thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and unto Jacob. Oh, what was Abraham looking
for? He was looking for a city which hath foundations, whose
builder and maker was God. And if he wasn't looking for
that city, the scripture says, he would have gone back. He would
have gone back to where he came from. And what do we say? Lord, perfect that which concerneth
me. Lord, keep me. And don't do it for my righteousness
sake. I would not have any hope that
God would perfect that which concerneth me if his perfecting
it had something to do with me. I wouldn't have any hope. Turn to me to Psalm 119. Here's our hope, brother. People say, well, you know, is
it a presumptuous to believe that you're saved? Is it presumptuous
to believe God? Is it? No, it's faith to believe
God. And here's what the Lord says.
Look at verse 106. I have sworn and I will perform
it. I will keep my righteous judgments.
I've sworn it. I've committed it and I will
perform it. I'll not forget the work of my hand. I'll not forget
the perfection that was accomplished by my son. And for whom it was
accomplished. And I will put into the hearts
of those. That Christ died for this prayer, Lord. Perfect. In me, that which concerneth
me. Notice in our text in verse eight, the Lord has to do it. You and
I can't perfect it. If the Lord's going to Danish,
if he's going to make us perfect, then he's going to have to be
one to do it. We can't. You know, every man-made religion
in this world starts with man, continues with man, and ends
with man. And the gospel of God's free grace and the perfect work
of Christ is the only message of salvation that gives to him
all the glory. So he says here, the Lord will
perfect it. The Lord's gonna have to do it.
Lord, you're gonna have to keep me. You're gonna have to present
me faultless. You're gonna have to redeem me.
You're gonna have to atone for me. You're gonna have to shine
the light of your grace and glory in my heart in the face of Christ. You're gonna have to give me
faith. I can't drum that up. You're going to have to work
repentance in me? The Lord will perfect that which
concerneth me. And this word will doesn't just
speak to future tense. We've not yet, as we saw in Philippians
chapter three, we've not yet attained and we're not yet made
perfect, but we long for that day when this vile body should
be made in the likeness of his body. Not only is it a future
event, But it's a certain event. He didn't say, well, you know,
I'll give it a shot or I'll work with you on it. You know, we'll
make this a joint effort. No, the Lord will perfect that
which concerneth me. That's my hope. The hope of my
salvation is that he's caused me to look to Christ and he's
gonna make perfect what he started. He's gonna finish the work, that's
my hope. And my need is that which concerneth
me. When the Lord's pleased to speak
to his children, he makes them to be the center, no one else,
no one else. When that publican smote himself
upon the breast and would not so much as even look up, he cried,
Lord, have mercy upon me, the sinner. I'm the sinner, this
is for me. We're not trying to apply this
to everybody else or anybody else, this is for me. Lord, I'm
the sinner. And the Lord said, which one
of these men went back to his house justified, the publican? The Pharisee, the publican went
home, didn't he? He wouldn't justify. Paul, this
is a faithful saying worthy of all acceptation. Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners. And Paul said, of whom I am chief
and chief. No one's in need of grace any more than I am. And every
believer believes that about themselves. Lord, perfect that
which concerneth me. Thy mercy, Lord, if you're gonna
perfect that which concerneth me, you're gonna have to do it
by mercy. You're not gonna be able to look to me for any grounds
for your perfection. You're gonna have to be merciful
towards me. Thy mercy endureth forever. Lord,
your mercy is going to have to keep me all the way, all the
way. I'm going to always be dependent
upon your mercy. I can never, never come before
God on any other grounds than his mercy and his grace. Notice the last phrase. Oh, Lord. Thy mercy endureth
forever. Forsake not the works of thy
hands. Lord, I'm the work of your hand.
You've started a work in me, don't forsake me. Don't leave
me to myself. The worst thing that God could
do for any one of us would be to leave us to ourselves. That's
our prayer. What a glorious prayer this is.
What a confident prayer it is. The Lord. Will. He will. Perfect that which concerneth
me. Did he perfect that which concerned
Christ? Yes. What is it that concerned
Christ, the glory of God and the salvation of God's people?
Was that made perfect in Christ? Yes, yes. Will he perfect that
which concerneth me? Yes. How? By his mercy. Why? He will not forsake the
works of his hands. He forsook the Lord Jesus Christ
on Calvary's cross. My God, my God. Why hast thou
forsaken me?" Why did God forsake the Lord Jesus Christ? One simple
reason. He saw sin on Him, and His eyes
are too pure to look upon iniquity. And so the sky was blackened,
and God the Son was cut off for the first time in all of eternity
from God the Father because He bore our sin in His body. Why does God not forsake His
people? Because He sees no sin on them. He sees no sin on them. He said, I've separated your
sin from you as far as the east is from the west. I've buried
them in the depths of the sea, sewn them up in a bag. I remember
them no more. They're covered by the blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ. What great hope we have. This
is God's promise. Faith is just believing God.
The confidence and the and the assurance of our salvation comes
by faith. The Lord. Will make perfect. That which
concerns me. Why? Because his mercy endure
forever and he will not forsake. The works of his own hands. Our merciful Heavenly Father,
we pray that you bless your word. Increase our faith. Give us hope
in Christ. Thank you for not forsaking him.
We're not for perfecting him. Thank you for not forsaking us.
For Christ's sake, amen. 2131 number 31. Let's stand together. In the spiral handbook number
31. Repeat the second or the last
two lines in each verse.