The title of my message today
is The Perfect Message. And my text is in Matthew 5,
verse 48, just one verse, Matthew 5, 48. Be ye therefore perfect, Even as your father, which is
in heaven, is perfect. Just so no one gets anxious at
my title, I'm not talking about how a man or myself presents
a message perfectly. That's not going to happen. I
have doubts that I will even deliver it as good as someone
else would deliver it. I'm talking about a message that presents
to you as faulty as the presentation might be, but that which is presented
in the message, the subject of the message, is that perfection
of Scripture. Both the source and object of
perfection, as well as the demand for perfection. I want to show
from Scripture what it says is perfect. I will give away the
punchline up front. What is perfect is Jesus Christ,
or that is God is perfect. As we read in the text I have
read, I think that it was Earl that one time said that in order
to see something that is crooked, you have to lay something straight
down beside it. This is especially true in scripture.
Just what is perfection as it pertains to scripture? I think
we would all agree here that the only place we're going to
see perfection is in the scripture, because that is where God speaks
to us through his spirit to show us these things. The Bible begins
with, in the beginning, God. There was no one else but God,
and if anything else exists, it is because he created it.
Since he is creator of all things, you will agree with this if you
believe him. Since he is creator of all things,
then it stands to scriptural reasoning that whatever he says
is perfect is perfect. Our passage tells us to be perfect
as the father in heaven is perfect. So I think that's a good place
to start. How is the father in heaven perfect? Let's see what God says in his
word about perfection. The perfection of God, the perfection
demanded of God, the perfect substitute, and the perfected
saints. So it says in our text to God's
people to be perfect as their father is perfect. I know this
is said to his people because it says even as your father.
So Jesus Christ who is speaking here is talking of those who
are the sons of God specifically. But we can say sons and daughters
of God. So what does the scripture tell
us about God and his perfections? In short, everything about God
is perfect. But let's mention a few specifics. His will, Romans 12 and verse
two. and be not conformed to this
world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind
that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect
will of God. God's will is perfect, or that
is His choice. That is what the will means here,
is choice. What God chooses is perfect and
right. I mentioned the last time that
we were here that there are some who say of God in Romans 9 where
it says, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated, that some
say that that means God loves Esau less. But God's choice is
not imperfect. Loving someone less means they
are not completely loved as someone else might be, if this is what
you say about that passage. The perfection I am talking about,
which is the perfection of God, is complete and perfect. So if
he loves someone, he loves them completely and perfectly. If
he hates someone, he hates them completely and perfectly. There
is no middle ground with God. Middle ground is not perfection,
it is perversion. The word perfect, as it pertains
to God, means complete. So if God chooses to love you,
you can count on him loving you completely. If God hates you,
you can count on him hating you completely. It's just the way
it is. So his choice or his will is
being perfect, he carries out that choice in his purpose. So
what else is the perfection of God? His way, Joe. Turn with me, if you would, to
2 Samuel 22. 2 Samuel 22. And verses 31 through 33. 2 Samuel
2 verses 31 through 33. As for God, His way is perfect. The word
of the Lord is tried. He is a buckler to all them that
trust in him. For who is God? Save the Lord. And who is a rock? Save our God. God is my strength and power,
and he maketh my way perfect. This passage tells us His path,
that is direction or course of life is perfect. His word refines
us or purges us, you can say. I like how it says it in verse
32, for who is God save the Lord? That is Jehovah. God Almighty
is Jehovah. Jehovah is Jesus Christ. Jesus
Christ is God. I know we have all heard of those
who talk about someone as being their rock. Well, the scripture
here says that Christ is the rock. That boulder which cannot
be moved. That is big enough to hide us
in the cliff of the rock. That place which was designed
to put me and keep me safe from what? The judgment of God. This rock, just as we read Paul
saying in the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 10.4, that the
rock that followed the children of Israel in the wilderness was
Christ. Jesus Christ was literally, actually
a rock. Here it tells us he is, but of
course this is talking about that place of safety for those
who are his. He is that unmovable rock. His
way is set in stone, you might say. If Christ is your rock,
what does it say here? He it is that will make my way
perfect. He will put me on his way, Joe,
thereby making me perfect in him. So his way involves his
work. So we have next, his work. Deuteronomy 32 and verse four
says, he is the rock. His work is perfect. For all
His ways are judgment, a God of truth and without iniquity. Just and right is He. Everything
you see going on around you or everything you do not see going
on, whichever the case might be, that is God working. It's all perfect. Everything
we read in Scripture that has taken place is His working and
His works are complete. Whether it be his working out
mercy and grace upon a Pharisee like Paul the Apostle, who was
slaughtering the church of God and wasting it, or whether it
be to raise up a Pharaoh just to kill him so that he might
show his mighty power. Whether it be bringing a flood
on the earth to kill every breathing thing on earth except for that
which was in the ark, that is his perfect work. His work is
part of his judgments. So next we have judgments. We
also see in this verse in Deuteronomy 32 forward that his judgments
are all perfect. The almighty God will not use
unjust weights and balances. They are in fact an abomination
to him. He judges based on his character,
which is perfect. And the scripture says he is
right. The scripture is what God says.
That is the words in the scripture are what he breathed to men to
write down. So he is right because he says
he is right. He demands that we use weights
and balances that are just. You have weights or measures
that makes one, you could have weights or measures that makes
things look one way when they're really another. That's an abomination
to God. Deuteronomy 25 verse 15 says,
but thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and
just measure shalt thou have, that thy days may be lengthened
in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Hear what God
says to us in Proverbs 17 and 15. He that justifieth the wicked,
that is, to make someone right when they are wicked. and he
that condemneth the just, that is, those who condemn someone
who is right. What does it say? Even they both
are an abomination to the Lord. To do this is to use unjust weights
and balances. In no way will God do this, and
if anyone else does it, it is an abomination in his eyes. This
is why God made Christ to be sin for us. It's because sin
earned the wage of death and that had to be paid to someone.
That someone was Jesus Christ for those for whom he perfectly
chose in Christ. So from this we can now go on
to perfection demanded of God. Romans 7 and 12 says, wherefore
the law was holy and the commandment holy and just and good. This tells me the law of God
is perfect. The whole law of God is that
of total submission and obedience to God. Every single minute of
the day and night, 24 hours a day, you can say from conception to
death. No wavering. You do not get a
second chance just because you are sorry. He demands that you
keep the whole law fully and completely forever. The law of
God is not evil. The law of God is not meant to
be mean to man. It is holy, just, and good. The law does what the perfect
God intended for it to do, kill. Because of this law, there is
something else that is demanded just of necessity, a perfect
heart. 1 Kings 8 and 61 says, let your
heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God to walk in his
statues and to keep his commandments as at this day. Not only do we
see because the law of God being just, holy, and good, knowing
that should tell us it necessitates that we have a perfect heart
in order to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. But the verse in 1 Kings tells
us in order to keep His commandments, we must have a perfect heart.
A heart that always looks to God in obedience, loving Him
and nothing else. What else does it demand? Perfect
stand or walk. In Genesis 17 and verse one,
it says, and when Abram was 90 years old and nine, the Lord
appeared to Abram and said unto him, I am the almighty God. Walk before me and be thou perfect. Our text tells us this. The law
is perfect and must be adhered to continuously. And not only
that, you must love it to be so. So you must have a heart
that is perfect to love it. In having a perfect heart, it
will cause you to walk perfectly. But we have a problem, don't
we? The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? Whether you
believe it or not, or whether you know it or not, the heart
you were born with in Adam, this very heart that was just described,
it is so deceitful that it allows you to commit sins you were not
even aware of. We all have a skillfully deceitful
heart. Hear what Psalms 19 and 12 says. Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults. I like what Greg Elmquist said
about this. This is not talking about those
secret sins that only you and the Lord knows about. This is
talking about those sins which even you yourself do not know
about. Those sins that condemn you before a perfect God. But
there are some that God made a choice to show pity. That is
to be gracious to. That one whom I spoke about the
last time we were here, that I was here, that said, Jacob
have I loved, but Esau have I hated. God is perfect. He does not love
someone less. He is too perfect to love someone
halfway. No, it says he hated Esau, and
he does. But there is an amazing thing
here. He perfectly loved someone. Jacob, that thief, Jacob. I'm glad God has some Jacobs.
Those for whom he has perfect love for. What he, that is, what
God demanded, God would provide. He did this in his only begotten
son in perfection. So next we have the perfect substitute. In Leviticus 22 and 24 we read,
ye shall not offer unto the Lord that which is bruised or crushed
or broken or cut, neither shall you make any offering thereof
in your land. God is perfect and anything offered
to God must be perfect. That is why we cannot do anything
for ourselves. First of all, we are already
dead. I've said that many times in Romans. Where do you find
anywhere that they offered unto God an animal that was dead?
In fact, they touched a dead animal and they were unclean.
I believe it's what it says until the evening, at least in one
place that I read. But it certainly never says anywhere
that a dead animal was offered at any time. We are dead animals. God does not want death, he wants
blood. The life is in the blood. If
an animal is dead, then there will be no blood. But Jesus Christ
was spotless. He knew no sin, the scripture
says. Why? Because he was God. It amazes
my mind when I think about that, that Jesus Christ is God. That's
why I always say, Jesus Christ is God. That's just amazing to
me. I know maybe it doesn't hit everyone like that, but God being
offended by man, We have committed capital crimes against God, yet
this God who was offended came down himself to take our place,
making a way for us to be with him. So this perfect sacrifice
had to be made or had to be completed, and it would, which brings us
to a perfect day. Proverbs 4 and 18 we read. But
the path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more
and more unto the perfect day. Now this is in the Old Testament,
and I believe it points to that day when Jesus Christ would hang
on that tree. And we today look back at that
perfect day when he did hang on that tree. But this also,
I think, believe can be talking about that day when we shall
see him as he is. And we will all then be really
perfect then. But the day he had purpose to
hang on that tree made sin for us in that he perfected forever
them that are his. Hebrews 10 and verse 14 says,
for by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Him and his sacrifice making
his people perfect brings us to perfect peace. Those perfected
now have perfect peace because he is perfect peace. Isaiah 26
three says, thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is
stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee. He is that one whose
mind is stayed on God and trusteth God with all his heart, mind,
soul, and strength. Perfect peace is what he is.
For the work that he was set forth to do, which would bring
peace for his people to God. Not only would God be at peace
with them, but in time they would come to be at peace with God.
Meaning there would come that time when they would not fight
against God and rebel continuously against him. He is that one that
came down and was peace itself. Ephesians 2.14 says, for he is
our peace. Isaiah 9.6 says he is the prince
of peace. Romans 5.1 says, therefore being
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ. And then Colossians 1.20 says,
having made peace through the blood of his cross. This all
really just ties together. His being perfect peace make
him perfectly what? Perfect beauty. Ezekiel 16 and
14 we read, and thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy
beauty, for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put
upon thee, saith the Lord God. His beauty is what his people
are clothed with, that is his righteousness. To his people
there is no other beauty that will do. To God there is no other
beauty that will do. But it was he who when he came,
his beauty was here for all to behold. But what happened? We esteemed him not. But he is
an unmovable rock so that he would not be deterred from what
he was come to do. Psalm 50 verses 1 and 2 reads,
the mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken and called the earth
from the rising of the sun into the going down thereof. Out of
Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. So this perfect
beauty is housed in what? A perfect tabernacle. Hebrews
9 verses 11 and 12 reads, But Christ being come in high priest
of good things to come by greater and more perfect tabernacle,
not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building.
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood
he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us. His body was the perfect tabernacle. the perfect place that was set
apart by God, for God, and to God. This tabernacle was God. Not only was he that perfect
tabernacle that was on that cross, whom shed his blood, but there
was also a perfect raising. Luke 12 and verse 32 says, this
is Christ speaking, and he said unto them, go ye and tell that
fox, behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow,
and the third day I shall be perfected. He died being made
sin for us, but he arose to life eternal. It was a perfect raising. That kind of raising that perfected
forever some people, again in Hebrews 10. For by one offering
he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. He was able
to die the perfect death. A death that would satisfy God
completely. Not dying for eternity, but one
time. Never to die again, rather raising
to life eternal and those whom he has perfected were raised
with him. I don't feel most of the time
that I am raised with him in life, but I know it is so because
God has said so in his word. If he says it, then it's true. By his grace, I will reckon it
to be so. Romans 6, 9 says, knowing that
Christ being raised from the dead doth no more, death hath
no more dominion over him. Acts 2.24 says, whom God hath
raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was
not possible that he should beholden of it. So him raising to eternal
life and raising us with him, it brings us to the perfect one
coming. 1 Corinthians 13 and 10 says,
but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in
part shall be done away. He will return one day. that
perfect one who has done all things right, so that where he
is, that we might be with him in perfection. As we heard before,
he will return a second time without sin into salvation. It
will be in perfect salvation when he returns to gather his
people unto himself. Oh, that one time that we will
be enabled to glorify the Son of God, how he deserves to be
honored and glorified and worshiped. I look forward to that day. And
that brings me to my last point. His perfection results in perfected
saints. Perfected by Christ. The people
of God are perfected by the one who is perfect. If you are to
be perfect, it will only be in Jesus Christ. He is made unto
us in 1 Corinthians 1.30, it says, but of him are ye in Christ
Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and
sanctification and redemption. These are all perfections of
God, which has placed us in Christ, who has been made unto us these
things. We are clothed with the holy
garments of God in Christ, so that when God sees us, he sees
his son. made so by Jesus Christ himself,
again Hebrews 10, for by one offering he hath perfected forever
them that are sanctified. We see in all these verses that
it is God that is doing all the works. If we do any works at
all that are God worthy, it is because it is he who has given
it to us. All this being done by Jesus
Christ on that cross perfecting those that are his. We are enabled
by him to know this perfection and what he does for us in time.
We are given by God that which he has told us we must have. We are given a new heart, a heart
that can love God, that will look to God, that will obey God,
that will serve God. It is he that works in us both
to will and to do of his good pleasure, that is perfect pleasure. He does this by making us perfectly
whole. Matthew 14 and 36 says, and besought
him that they might only touch the hem of his garment, and as
many as touched were made perfectly whole. If you come into contact
with Jesus Christ, by his grace you will be made perfectly whole. He by his power gives us that
perfect faith. Hebrews 12.2 says, looking unto
Jesus, the author and finisher of faith. This faith, which is
the faith of Jesus Christ himself, is that which is the gift of
God that is given to his people. The very perfected faith that
Christ had to come to that appointed hour and die the sinner's death,
so that they might be made the righteousness of God in him is
the very faith he gives us. What does this kind of faith
result in? Believing and works for God.
Fruits to perfection. We've looked at that passage
about the seed and the sower. That new heart given by God and
God alone. That heart takes in the word
of God and it brings forth fruit to perfection. It causes us to
believe God through that God-given perfect faith which is in Christ. This faith which is perfect,
the scripture says, is made perfect in obedience, or that is words.
In other words, true faith given by God has some results. That
faith results in an individual believing God and obeying God,
both. James 2.22 says, seest thou how
faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? This passage speaking of Abraham
when he offered up his son, he believed God and it worked in
him by the grace of God to perform works unto God by offering up
his son because he believed God would raise him up again. This
work making the faith he was given perfect. Now we are often
put through things just as Abraham was. I'm not talking about God
asking us to kill one of our children. But those things for
which this world, they may look at it at a time when they would
just say enough is enough. I'm not gonna do this anymore.
This is what they do when trials come because of the gospel. That
is those trials that come within and those that come from without.
They will not endure it. Scripture says they went out
from us because they were not of us. But what does scripture
tell us about God's strength? We went through the book of Job
and we've seen how God will take his people through things so
that they may be forced to look to him for their strength. in
2 Corinthians 12, 9, and this is where Paul had the thorn in
the flesh and he asked God to take it from him. And this is
God's response, and Paul's response from that. 2 Corinthians 12,
9, it says, and he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for
thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly,
therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power
of Christ may rest upon me. God takes us through these things
on purpose. It is the perfection of God to
do this. What he does causes us, forces
us to look to him for everything. Do we do this perfectly? We do
in the new man. But we do have this old nature
which is never going to bow down to God. But by his grace and
his perfect gifts, we are enabled in some measure to do this. But
we also know one other thing, and that is that God joins his
people together in perfection. 1 Corinthians 1 and 10 says,
now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be
no divisions among you, but that ye be perfectly joined together
in the same mind and in the same judgment. We are to be joined
together in perfect unity. Again, we know that in this life
we have this old nature. So there will be that which is
not perfect because it is tainted with sin. But Jesus Christ has
made a perfect union with us and God. John 17, 23 says, I
in them and thou in me, that they may be perfect in one. And that the world may know that
thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me. He has put his church together
perfectly, joining them all together. Ephesians 4.16 says, from whom
the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which is
every joint supply, according to the effectual working in the
measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the
edifying of itself in love. This is saying that God has fit
his body together perfectly. Every part is in the place it
should be placed. And each part given by God supplies
the need where it is joined together, causing it to be united into
one. Every part working by measure
that he has given, causing it to be edified in love. So now
back to our text. Be ye therefore perfect, even
as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. How is it that you
and I will be perfect? I'm not perfect in and of myself.
I cannot make myself perfect. Death is not completeness, or
that is perfect. There is only one who can make
me perfect, or you perfect. There is nothing about the sovereign
God of scripture, the God who is my God. There is nothing about
him that is not perfect. He is perfect in who He is, in
His choice, in His way, in His work, in His judgments. He demands
perfection, perfection in obedience, in heart, in walk. He provides
the perfection in His Son as the substitute, who was perfect
in His obedience to the cross, perfect in His heart to love
the Lord with all His heart, perfect in His walk in obedience
to God's perfect law. He perfectly joins His people
to Himself, and they are made perfect in Him. He perfectly
makes them whole, clothing them with His perfect righteousness. Because of His perfection in
all these things, He is our perfect salvation. He is, in fact, our
only salvation because there is no perfection outside of Him. Every good gift and every perfect
gift comes down from the father of lights, the scripture says.
If you have a gift that does not come from him, then it is
a perverted gift. Anything not of God is perverted. So how can you know if you have
been given these perfect gifts? Where do you look to? In the
bad times? In the good times? In the boring
times? What is it or who is it that
you look to? Jesus Christ is perfection. Only
in Him will perfection be found. So if you are to be perfect,
you must be found in Him. To be found in Him is all up
to God's perfections. His will, His work, His way,
His judgment. He is that unmovable rock on
which I stand. That rock which is perfection,
which is my perfection, My shield, my buckler, His perfection is
what saves me. Where do you stand? If this is
the perfection you talk to with your friends and family, if this
is the perfection that a man stands up and preaches, no matter
what his message title might be, if he is preaching this perfection,
then it is that perfect message, because preaching Him is where
perfection is found. Amen. Oh dear Lord God, by your perfections,
dear Lord, show us your way, dear Lord. All these things we
ask in Christ's name, amen.