Address—C.E. Lunden
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I would just like to make a few remarks on the subject of perfection. Now I know this may raise a smile with some because.
We know in ourselves by nature there's no perfection, but I do believe that scripture teaches perfection in a certain sense. And there are two scriptures I'd like to call attention to. You know, I worked with a man. I met a man on the train once who said that he didn't send. I worked with another man. I worked with a man once who.
Said he didn't sin but.
Being in the building lines that he put a lock in upside down and I asked him what that was and he said it was just an error.
And so on. Men will be deceived, you see, by Satan, and they use scripture wrongly.
So there's no such thing as human perfection here.
But there is such a thing as perfection in the sense in which Scripture teaches it. And I think we should be clear as to the subject of perfection because there are doctrines about us that really bring men into ******* because they're not happy in their souls when they feel that they are not doing anything wrong.
We have to be in the exercise of soul continually before God.
Not that we're occupied always with evil or that wrongdoing which might be in our lives. We should be occupied with Christ, but we have to be alert continually as to the attacks of the enemy upon us. Now, the first passage I'd like to turn to briefly, and I'm not going to take long.
Is in Philippians Philippians, the third chapter?
10th verse The apostle says the apostle Paul, Philippians 3 and 10. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead, not as though I had already attained either were already perfect.
But I follow after.
If that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended but this one thing I do for getting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Let us therefore as many as be perfect, be thus minded, and if in anything He may he be otherwise minded. God shall reveal even this unto you.
Now what is the apostle Speaking of when he first he says he is not perfect, but then he also says as many as are perfect?
Well, you see in Philippians it's it's really the wilderness and it's Christian experience down here.
And there is such a thing as perfection in the sense of Christian experience.
That is, the Apostle has set before us his own path.
He doesn't even look around to see if someone is running as fast as he is. He's not occupied with anything except that one object before him. That's what he calls perfection.
Philippians here in the wilderness, if there is going to be perfection in that sense.
We have one object before our hearts to preserve us as we pass through this wilderness, and to enjoy Christ along the way. Now he says, if if anyone be otherwise minded, God should reveal even this unto you.
Now I'm going to turn to another passage in Hebrews where we have perfection again, and that's really what I had before me.
Hebrews.
The 5th.
The 6th chapter of Hebrews. Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection.
Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and so on.
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Now going on to the end of the chapter.
The 13th verse we'll read from the 11Th verse.
And we desire that everyone of you to show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope under the end that she be not slothful, but followers of and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife, wherein God willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of.
Immutability of his counsel confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things.
In which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation.
Who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hopes set before us. Which hope we have is an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast. In which enter into that within the veil, whether the forerunner is for us entered. Even Jesus made an high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Now here we have perfection in connection with.
The object also.
Of the soul. It's also a wilderness book, but in just a little different sense.
And here we have the truth brought right down to the Gospel level at the end of this chapter, the man fleeing for refugees.
But it's connected with perfection as the chapters introduced with perfection.
Now in the previous chapter we have perfection mentioned and that's maturity I suppose.
And there is such a thing as.
The Spirit of God maturing us all, and the things of God, I believe.
But here it's just a little different thought.
Now his first speaks of all of those things that occupied the believer when he first was saved, but now he says, let's go on to perfection. And beloved, what's the book of Hebrews about?
Why? It's about the one who was once down here, but now he's in the highest place.
He's seated up there and he's there interceding for us. Christ, in fact, is Jesus. It's Jesus in Hebrews. It's the blood of Jesus, not the blood of Christ. Perhaps once, but it's his person that's before us in Hebrews.
The person of Christ.
And why is he up there? He's a man up there. What is he doing? It's taking up your cause and mine.
He's taking up our car so we can go on happily through this world and be preserved. He's our great high priest to maintain us in happy relationship with God. That's his present work.
Well then, what's perfection?
Here the perfection in Hebrews, beloved, is for our hearts and minds to be set upon that person.
And heavenly things. Hebrew speaks of the better things.
Now, better than what? Better than these earthly things around us? Yes, but that's not the point in Hebrews.
The point in Hebrews is to leave all that which belongs to earth or religion.
The religion of the flesh, Just leave it, set it aside. As long as you and I are attached to anything in a religious way that belongs to this earth, we still haven't shaken off the grave clothes.
And so there isn't perfection.
But now going to the end of the chapter because I want to be brief.
I'm sure there are others who have something to say.
In the end of the chapter, I'm going to be brief about it. Here's a man who is fleeing for refuge.
A man is fleeing for refuge.
A very simple picture, isn't it?
And God wants to give strong consolation.
Now, there may be some on there this afternoon that's fleeing for refuge. They're not yet clear in their souls. They're not at rest. They're fleeing for refuge. You know, there's a, there's an illustration in the Old Testament of a man. The Spirit of God gives us that record of how God had provided 3 cities of refuge.
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Children of Israel.
And later on, when the land was established, he provided three more cities of refuge.
And a man who was in trouble because he had slain someone, not willingly, but perhaps the axe head came off of the axe, we'll say, and it struck someone. He could easily flee to a city of refuge and be safe if he ran.
And can't you just picture a man who had not intended to kill anyone, but as he was hewing a tree, the axe had fell off of the hell of the axe, and it struck his neighbor.
And in order that the Avenger doesn't take him, he runs to the city of refuge. What a beautiful picture.
I'll take a moment to tell them a story. I was visiting the Indians in Canada.
And I came into a little village with my wife. We drove in and.
We noticed the unions were seemed to be afraid of us.
They didn't greet us as we'd expected and so we didn't want to disturb them and we started to turn around and go out and an elderly woman came out and she said are you with the redcoats? I said no.
She said. What's your purpose here? To tell you about the Lord Jesus?
Oh, she says, will you come back tomorrow? I said, why not today? Oh, she said. My boy has killed someone and he's hidden in the woods and I want you to talk to him.
So we came back the next day.
And.
Here were all the Indians in a big circle.
In a green grassy place.
And here was this boy he had been hunting with another boy.
And in some way he had mistaken this boy for the game that he was after, and he shot the boy and he didn't mean to do it.
And I had the opportunity of telling him about that lovely story in the Old Testament.
About one who hadn't intended to kill anyone.
But he had a city of refuge to go so no one would kill him.
But I said, You know, my dear boy, I said, you and I are sinners.
And we really deserve to die, but there's one who has taken our place and all we need to do is flee to him for refuge.
It was a lovely occasion with this group of Indian people, dear people, They were to tell them the story of Jesus and a refuge. Now that's what we have here. But we have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge. Now God wants to assure our hearts this afternoon, dear ones, that we have strong consolation.
And our hope is steadfast. Who have fled for refuge.
And.
This is perfection and I'll tell you why.
Notice this part of the verse.
18th verse.
We might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold. Notice that to lay hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul.
Both sure and steadfast. And which entered into that within the veil?
Now in this chapter we have two things that God assures us by.
That we have a strong refuge in consolation.
One is himself.
God has worn by himself.
He can't swear by anything high, or can he? Or his word will say.
But then also he's given an oath on top of that. Now you'll get the oath in the next chapter.
In the 21St verse.
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For those priests I should say the 7th chapter in the 21St verse. For those priests were made without an oath, but this with an oath by him that said unto him, the Lord swear, and will not repent. Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. So we have then God's own word.
And then an oath.
And who does the oath have to do with? Why is the Forerunner that centered? That's the last verse of our chapter, the Forerunner who was entered.
Is sworn by an oath that we have a strong consolation.
And so this we picture this man.
Or you say, well, I can't attain to perfection. No, you can't, but you can enjoy it.
How just what we have here. Like the man who threw himself across the threshold.
And once he has thrown himself across the threshold of that city of refuge, he has a strong consolation. He has God's word, and he has that high priest who's already entered.
The brother once said to me that.
I believe it's in a meeting, he said. I believe the meaning of this passage is like this, he said. I used to operate a sailing ship.
And we used to fish in the northern waters.
And he said sometimes when we went into the harbor, it was between the rocks and if the wind was up, we couldn't get in.
So we'd send a little boat in with a man with a line and he'd fasten the line to a rock and then we would guide the ship in, he said. That's what this means.
There's a man, beloved, who has gone online. Jesus. The most precious name that's ever been on human lips. Jesus.
He's on high.
Now God is sworn with an oath. Will it ever change?
No, God is sworn beside that He's given us his precious word. We have a strong consolation.
Who have fled for our refuge. That's perfection in Hebrews to have the heart fixed on that one who is already in the in the highest place. God is sitting there a man.