Sermon #15001 Miscellaneous Sermons
Title: “Perfect In Christ”
Text: Colossians
1:28
Subject: Perfection
In Christ
Date: Sunday Evening—May 26, 2002
Tape # X-3a
Readings: Lindsay
Campbell—Ron Wood
Introduction:
I want us to go back to
Colossians 1 tonight. This great, instructive chapter is all about our great
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ and God’s great salvation in him. The Apostle
Paul seems to be almost at a loss for words when he describes what a great God
and Savior our Lord Jesus Christ is. Over and over again in this chapter he
uses the word “all” to describe him. Now “all” is a very little
word; but it describes very big things.
V. 16—All things were
created by him.
All things were
created for him.
V. 17—He is before all
things.
By him all things
consist.
V. 18—God the Father has
given him preeminence in all things.
V. 19—All fulness dwells in
him.
V- 20—All things shall be
reconciled to God by him.
In the light of these
things, it is not at all surprising to read in verse 28 that this great,
all-glorious Christ was the constant, fresh, untiring theme of Paul’s
preaching.
(Colossians 1:28)
"Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all
wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus."
In this verse the Apostle Paul tells us that the aim
and purpose of his preaching was that those to whom he preached might be
brought into a saving union with Christ and that they might be made perfect in
him, that he might at last present them before the bar of God as trophies of
his free, saving grace, “perfect in Christ.” Did you catch those words -
“perfect in Christ?” That is the title of my message this evening and
the subject I want to address as we endeavor to worship God our Savior—“Perfect
In Christ.” What a subject!
Roll those words over in your mind. What do we
really know about perfection? I doubt that any mortal mind is capable of
grasping the idea of perfection any more than it can grasp the idea of
eternity. When we begin to think about eternity, without beginning, without
end, without limitation, without progress, without regress, without change we
are lost in trying to comprehend its meaning. Finite creatures simply cannot
form any real understanding of that which is infinite.
As I began to think about preaching to you on this
subject, as I began to think about perfection, I quickly realized that I was in
waters way over my head. Who can grasp the real meaning of that
word—“Perfection?”
To be
perfect is to be without fault, without flaw, without sin, without blemish,
entire, complete, wanting nothing! We cannot understand it.
Perfection is altogether foreign to our race. Indeed, perfection is foreign to
this world. But there are some things plainly taught in the Word of God about
perfection.
1. God is
perfect.
1 John 1:5 "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and
declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all."
God is perfect in everything, in all his immense,
holy, infinite Being. In all his attributes and in all his works the eternal
God is perfect. Look at the Lord God from any point of view. He is altogether
without spot or blemish. No man speaking honestly can say he has found any
fault, not even the slightest imperfection, in God. Look at his majesty.
His glory is unsurpassed. Consider his power. He possess
omnipotence. He is omnipotence! Think of his wisdom. He knows all
things, from the most minute to the most immense. He comprehends all secrets.
He holds all knowledge. He understands all things at once in his infinite mind.
He is omniscient. Yes, God is perfect.
2. The
world, as God originally made it, was perfect.
Genesis 1:31 "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and
the morning were the sixth day."
3. The
revelation of God in Holy Scripture is perfect.
2 Timothy
3:16-17 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness: (17) That
the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."
This blessed Book, the Bible, is the very Word of
God. And it is perfect. It is the perfect revelation of God’s mind, will, and
purpose. It is perfectly true. It is perfectly free from all error. It
perfectly reveals everything necessary for man to know. It is a perfect guide
to eternal bliss, and a perfect warning of eternal damnation. This blessed Book
is, in its entirety, our perfect rule of faith and practice.
Here is another thing revealed in the Word
of God about perfection...
4. The
holy, perfect Lord God will never receive, accept, or approve of anything short
of perfection.
Leviticus
22:21 "And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of
peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish his
vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be
accepted; there shall be no blemish therein."
The God of glory requires perfection. The God of
heaven demands perfection. He will not accept any man’s person, work, service,
or sacrifice unless that man, his work, his service, and his sacrifice are
altogether perfect. Perfection is absolutely necessary for all who hope to
enter heaven.
5. But no
man can ever render perfection unto God.
There is no man living (no mere man who ever has or ever shall live) who is perfect, can make himself perfect, or even imagine what perfection is. We cannot even think a perfect thought, much less do a perfect work!
Psalms 14:2-3 "The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men,
to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. (3) They
are all gone aside, they are all together
become filthy: there is none that
doeth good, no, not one."
Ecclesiastes
7:20 "For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth
not."
Are we therefore without hope? Must we forever
perish under the wrath of God? No! Blessed be God there is hope for sinners
such as we are in Christ.
6. The Lord
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the God-man, the sinners’ Substitute takes
fallen, depraved, sinful, hell-deserving men and women like us and makes them
perfect in the sight of God!
As a man, as my Substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ
rendered unto God that perfection which God requires of me. As my Substitute
and legal Representative before God, Christ rendered unto God for me...
·
A
Perfect Life of Righteousness.
·
A
Perfect Work of Obedience.
·
A
Perfect Sacrifice of Atonement.
And that which he has done for me he has done for
every believing sinner in this world. If you believe on the Son of God, that
perfection which is in him is yours, yours right now, and yours forever!
Proposition: In Christ all the children of God have
obtained such perfection that we are right now “meet to be partakers of the
inheritance of he saints in light” and “complete in him.”
Divisions: Let me show you four
things in our text. - "Whom we preach, warning every
man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man
perfect in Christ Jesus."
1.
The
constant theme of Paul’s preaching was the Person and work of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
2.
All
the people of God are in Christ.
3.
Every
person who is in Christ is perfect in him.
4.
This
blessed truth should have a positive and practical influence upon our lives.
I. The constant theme of Paul’s preaching was the
Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul’s preaching was full of life because his
preaching was full of Christ. He did not preach theories and opinions. He did
not simply offer advice and options to sinners. He preached a Person – “Whom we preach!” Do you
see that? Paul knew that the only hope for sinners is in a Person. He
understood that the only comfort for believers is a Person. Paul was not in
love with orthodoxy, purity, morality, or religion. He was in love with a
Person. He knew, loved, worshipped, preached, and served a Person - the Lord
Jesus Christ. He wanted all who heard him to...
·
Know
a Person.
·
Trust
a Person.
·
Obey
a Person.
·
Walk
with a Person.
·
And
Love a person.
Paul wanted to see men and women livingly and
lovingly united, wed, and married to a Person. That is the object of all true
preaching. That is not preaching, in
the biblical sense of the Word, which merely instructs men in doctrine, or in
morality, or even in righteousness. That is preaching which points
sinners to, uplifts, describes, and displays a Person. That alone is preaching
which declares the beauties and glories of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior
of the world!
II. All the people of God are in Christ.
Every sinner who is saved by the grace of God, every
sinner who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ is in Christ. We are “accepted
in the Beloved.” We are “members of his body, of his flesh, and of his
bones.” We are “partakers of Christ.” The people of God, all of
them, are one with Christ. We are as
really, and truly, and immutably united with the Lord Jesus Christ as his
humanity is united with his deity!
A. We are
in Christ by divine election.
Before the world was made God freely and sovereignly chose a people to be his own. And the eternal Persons of the holy Trinity entered into a covenant of salvation, a solemn agreement and compact of grace, securing by Divine oath the salvation of that elect multitude.
Ephesians
1:3-6 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ: (4) According as he
hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be
holy and without blame before him in love:
(5) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ
to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, (6) To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made
us accepted in the beloved."
2
Thessalonians 2:13-14 "But we are bound to give
thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath
from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit
and belief of the truth: (14) Whereunto
he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ."
B. We are
in Christ by a legal purchase.
Acts 20:28 "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock,
over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of
God, which he hath purchased with his own blood."
Galatians 3:13 "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being
made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:"
Titus 2:14 "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all
iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good
works."
Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, has purchased us from the offended justice of God by satisfying
the justice of God for us! As our Representative and
Substitute he died in our place; and we died in him. All who were ransomed by
his blood are his forever.
C. We are in Christ by the new birth, the graft of
grace.
The only way you can get
in Christ is to be grafted into him (Rom. 11:24).
·
A graft requires two cuts. First a cut must be made
in the original tree. That is what happened at Calvary. Then a cut must be made
in the branch to be grafted. That is what happens in the new birth.
D. We are in Christ by a living union of faith.
Faith is the fruit of our being grafted into Christ. Faith in Christ does not affect God’s decree. We were in Christ from eternity. But faith in Christ brings us into a real, living, knowledgeable union with our Savior. And faith entitles us to all privileges of the children of God.
Galatians 3:26 "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ
Jesus."
Though we were in Christ from eternity by God’s
decree of election and adoption, and in him by legal purchase as purchased
sheep are in the hands of the shepherd, our knowledge and enjoyment of this
blessed union and its benefits and privileges begins the moment we believe on
the Son of God, and not before. It is faith in Christ that apprehends the
blessedness of salvation by Christ. We read our names in the Lamb’s Book of
Life only by faith in the Lamb!
2 Timothy
1:9-10 "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according
to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in
Christ Jesus before the world began, (10)
But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who
hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through
the gospel:"
Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen."
III. Be sure you get this third
statement. This is the heart of my text and the heart of my message. Every
person who is in Christ is perfect in him.
My soul, what a statement! Can this be true? The
majesty of our text deserves an angel’s tongue to declare it. Believers are,
everyone of them, perfect in Christ, absolutely, immutably everlastingly
perfect! There sits a new born child of God among us. Regenerated just
recently. Perhaps there is one here who has just now been quickened by the
Spirit of God, one who has just now trusted the Lord Jesus Christ. You may have
been a drunk, a dopehead, an adulterer, a fornicator, a blasphemer last night;
but now, in Christ, if truly you trust the Son of God, you are perfect in him.
Can you grasp this glorious fact?
(2
Corinthians 5:17) "Therefore if
any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed
away; behold, all things are become new."
A. I
realize that this is a fact that is very much contrary to our daily experience.
Though perfect in Christ, we are full of sin in ourselves. When Paul says we are perfect in Christ, he is not talking about our view of ourselves. He is talking about God’s view of us!
1. My knowledge of myself compels me to
disclaim all personal righteousness, godliness, and holiness.
Romans
7:18 “I know that in me, (that is in my flesh),
dwelleth no good thing.”
Romans 7:24 "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the
body of this death?"
2. Yet, in spite of our many, countless sins,
the people of God are in Christ perfect in the sight of God.
·
Washed
in His Blood.
·
Robed
with His Righteousness.
·
United
to His Person.
·
Sanctified
by His Grace.
3. The Lord God sees no blemish in his people.
He says, “Behold, thou art all fair, my love, my dove, my undefiled.” Looking at his church, from the crown of her head to the soles of her feet, he sees no spot, or blemish, or infirmity in her. He sees us in Christ as he sees Christ himself. “And in him is no sin.”
Jeremiah 23:6 "In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell
safely: and this is his name whereby
he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."
Jeremiah 33:16 "In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall
dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith
she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness."
B. Some of
you are still drudging along in bondage simply because you have not grasped
fully the fact that our justification in Christ is a complete justification.
It is a great fault of the preachers of our day that the believer’s complete redemption, justification and sanctification in Christ is not fully and faithfully preached. Oh, may God graciously fix this truth in our hearts.—Our entire standing before God, the whole of our acceptance before God is Christ! And in Christ we are perfect!
C. Our
perfection in Christ is real and true.
·
Positional
Perfection (1 John 3:5)
(1
John 3:5) "And ye know that he was
manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin."
·
Imputed
Perfection (2 Cor. 5:21)
(2
Corinthians 5:21) "For he hath
made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him."
·
Imparted
Perfection (1 John 3:9; 2 Pet. 1:4)
(2
Peter 1:4) "Whereby are given unto
us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers
of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world
through lust."
(1
John 3:9) "Whosoever is born of
God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin,
because he is born of God."
·
Immutable
Perfection (Heb. 13:8; 1 John 2:1-2)
(Hebrews
13:8) "Jesus Christ the same
yesterday, and to day, and for ever."
(1
John 2:1-2) "My little children,
these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the
propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the
whole world."
IV. Such a blessed, glorious, gracious truth as
this should have a profound, positive, practical influence upon our lives.
There are many who say, “Don’t preach that! That is antinomianism. That kind of preaching will lead people to sin.” I am fully aware that it is impossible to faithfully and fully preach free, complete, absolute redemption, justification and sanctification in Christ without being charged with antinomianism, without being called a promoter of licentiousness. That is exactly what happened when Paul preached this doctrine.
Romans 3:8 "And not rather, (as
we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil,
that good may come? whose damnation is just."
If Paul was accused of that horrible evil by those
who despised the gospel of God’s free grace, I count it an honor to have the
same accusation hurled at me. Such charges will not deter me from proclaiming
the truth of God. If this doctrine becomes to any man an excuse for sin, that
man is reprobate. But I will not rob God’s children of their daily bread
because some reprobate tries to steal it for himself.
Yet, I deny that any doctrine of Holy Scripture
leads men and women into sin. Divine truth leads people into obedience,
devotion, and consecration to Christ. If the Lord Jesus Christ has
made us perfect before God...
A. We ought
to have a deep, abiding peace and assurance before God.
I wonder if we will ever learn that “Christ is
all.” Everything is wrapped up in Christ. If we could always see our
perfection in Christ we would always be happy and content. And we ought to be!
I address you all, everyone of you who truly trust the Lord Jesus Christ. You
are perfect in Christ right now! Nothing is lacking! You are complete in him!
Why should you be worried? Why should you be downcast? Why should you be sad?
Paul knew this truth. It gave him peace in the
prospect of immediate death.
2 Timothy 1:12 "For the which cause I also suffer these things:
nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am
persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against
that day."
2 Timothy
4:6-8 "For I am now ready to be offered, and
the time of my departure is at hand. (7) I
have fought a good fight, I have finished my
course, I have kept the faith: (8) Henceforth
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also
that love his appearing."
Illustration: John Gill’s Deathbed
Confession—In a letter to his nephew just before he died Gill wrote, “I
depend wholly and alone upon the free, sovereign, unchangeable love of God, the
firm and everlasting covenant of grace, and my interests in the Persons of the
sacred Trinity for my whole salvation; and not upon any righteousness of my
own; nor on anything in me, or done by me under the influences of the Holy
Spirit; not upon any services of mine, which I have been assisted to perform
for the good of the church do I depend, but upon my interest in the Persons of
the Trinity; the free grace of God, and the blessings of grace streaming to me
through the blood and righteousness of Christ, as the ground of my hope. These
are no new things to me, but what I have been long acquainted with; what I can live
and die by. I apprehend that I shall not be long here; but this you may tell to
any of my friends.” To one of his friends standing by he said, “I have nothing
to make me uneasy.” Then he quoted a part of one of Watts’ hymns in honor of
that Redeemer whom he trusted.
“He raised me from the
depths of sin,-
The gates of gaping hell;
And fixed my standing more
secure
Than ‘twas before I fell!”
B. How we
ought to consecrate ourselves to God!
Romans 12:1-2 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2) 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."
C. We ought
to highly esteem one another in Christ, for Christ’s sake.
Philippians
2:1-3 "If there
be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any
fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, (2) Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love,
being of one accord, of one mind. (3) Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let
each esteem other better than themselves."
D. This
blessed fact ought to inspire us with confident hope regarding the future.
1. Regarding Judgment Day
Jeremiah 50:20 "In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the
iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there
shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I
will pardon them whom I reserve."
2. Regarding Our Heavenly Inheritance
Romans 8:17 "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs
with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him,
that we may be also glorified together."
Application:
1. If ever we get hold of this blessed truth of grace, we
will enter into rest.—Christ is our
Sabbath!
2. Sinner, if you will this moment believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, this glorious perfection is yours forever! God help you to
believe!