Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. The Lord has made it plain
that he is the one who shows mercy according to his sovereign
pleasure, and that those who are brought to call upon him
do so because he is pleased to show this mercy unto them. For
he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,
but of God that showeth mercy. This mercy is demonstrated in
the earth as he is pleased to call his sheep unto himself.
Quite often we hear men speak of this call as if it is a general
invitation, which can be accepted or rejected according to the
whims of men. Yet it is quite clear from the
scriptures that this call is a summons to appear that shall
achieve exactly what he determines for it to accomplish. For as
the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth
not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth
in bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the
eater. So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth.
It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that
which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto
I sent it. Peter declared as much on the
day of Pentecost when he said, He clearly defined the particular
number of those to whom the promise of God is given as those whom
the Lord our God shall call. Not one more and not one less.
How glorious to consider the absolute nature of His promise
to give the Holy Spirit to that number. As we read the Scriptures,
we see this number referred to as His Remnant, His Bride, His
Elect, His Chosen, and those who are ordained unto eternal
life, just to name a few. The Lord Jesus often referred
to them in a loving fashion as his sheep. He said he would call
them by name, which denies the notion of a general call, and
they would hear his voice. But he that entereth in by the
door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth, and
the sheep hear his voice, and he calleth his own sheep by name. and leadeth them out. And when
he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them. And the
sheep follow him, for they know his voice. And a stranger will
they not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the
voice of strangers. To listen to modern evangelism
is to come away with the concept that Christ died in order to
rescue all men from a burning hell, if they will just listen
and follow a few simple steps designed to give them an entrance
into the realms of heaven and eternal bliss. Along the way,
those that take advantage of this offer of salvation from
the Lord can expect to reap a bountiful harvest of pleasures and earthly
blessings which will surely make them happy and fulfilled. However,
when we are given eyes to behold the glorious redemption wrought
by Christ in the behalf of His elect, we are caused to see that
this redemption is brought about completely according to the Lord's
design, and it is His purpose in it to present His bride to
the Father as a chaste virgin without spot or blemish. She
is but a blessed recipient of all of His blessings, which He
has determined to bestow upon her, having purchased such blessings
with His own blood and given them to her without any effort
on her part. Thus he gives to his chosen a
summons, that is, an effectual call, which they must answer.
And Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. And they called
the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise, he
calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment,
rose and came to Jesus. His calling is for a particular
purpose, and he will see to it that this purpose is fulfilled.
The sons of God are not delivered from bondage only to remain therein.
Thus Paul reminds the Thessalonians that the sons of God are not
set free from uncleanness only to embrace the same. The calling
of the sons of God is unto holiness, that is, to be set apart unto
Christ. We are not called to be fornicators, idolaters, whoremongers,
adulterers, thieves, or drunkards. And such were some of you, but
ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name
of the Lord Jesus by the Spirit of our God. While we at one time
gladly embraced such things, we have now renounced them in
the name of Christ our Lord. And they that are Christ have
crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live
in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Have you received
His summons? Have you abandoned all hope of
finding pleasure in religion or the lusts of your flesh? Christ
is the Redeemer and the Deliverer of those that sat in darkness.
For a free CD containing 15 of these radio broadcasts, send
an email to forthepoor at windstream.net.