Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. The natural man can see
everything about Jesus Christ that the born-again believer
can see except one thing. He cannot see the glory which
surrounds him. Religion can teach men the facts
concerning the person and work of Christ. It can even instill
in them a reverence and respect for the moral truths that he
set forth as he preached among men. They can learn the ways
of religion like they can learn anything else. They can be taught
to read the scriptures regularly, attend meetings, pray, speak
in tongues, get along with their spouses, be successful in business
or life in general, tithe and do all sorts of noble deeds,
and perform needful services. The emotions of men can be played
upon, which can cause them to make emotional commitments, to
follow prescribed paths and seek out experiences which have no
rational explanation. A natural fear of death can be
used to cause them to seek out some means to escape its clutches.
The fear of judgment can cause men to cry out for a remedy for
their certain doom when they are convinced of such by preachers
of fire and brimstone. But when the smoke of hell's
destruction clears and fractured emotions are brought under control,
such convictions seem to fade away as easily as they appeared. Church roles across this land
are filled with the names of people who at one time or another
responded to these emotional pleas, perhaps sincerely agreeing
with everything they were told. They walked down the aisle, joined
up, and maybe even had an ecstatic experience. And for a season,
perhaps even a lengthy one, they continued in this newfound way.
But the day came when the luster of their commitment wore off
and they found themselves involved in something for which they had
no heart. So like the sow that was washed, they return to their
wallowing in the mire. From time to time, they even
clean themselves up and return for another dose of religion.
Or there are others who, for one reason or another, are loathe
to completely abandon their commitments, who continue on going through
the motions of being faithful while their heart is cold and
indifferent to the things of God. The ways of religion become
so ingrained in them that they continue on without a clue as
to who the almighty God of glory really is. The Lord told Nicodemus
that a man would have to be transformed in his mind and heart, that is,
born again, in order to see the kingdom of heaven. This kingdom
is not one of flesh and blood, though countless numbers of Judaizers
and their followers have tried to make it so. This kingdom which
Christ has established in the earth and the heavens is one
which cannot be seen by the natural eyes of men. They need a revelation
in order to comprehend it. Peter testified that Jesus was
the Christ, the Son of the living God. The Lord said, Blessed art
thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood is not revealed unto
thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto
thee that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven,
and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Roman Catholics are convinced that the Lord was literally talking
about the man Peter. Hence, they build their convoluted
idea of apostolic succession in Popery. But I believe the
context of the passage would lead us to conclude that he was
saying the same thing to Peter that he said to Nicodemus. The
very basis upon which his church is built is the personal, individual
revelation of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Now this is
totally different than someone simply being taught some facts
or even admitting that these facts are true. The revelation
that men need is an unveiling of the absolute glory which surrounds
the one who is both Lord and Christ. A man can learn the facts
of his death, burial, and resurrection and forget them tomorrow. But
when the Lord opens that man's eyes to behold who Jesus Christ
really is, He burns an indelible impression upon the man, which
changes not only his perspective of himself, but makes him a lover
of the way of Christ. Let those of us who see pray
for those who see not. Perhaps the Lord of grace and
glory will show them, even as He has been gracious to reveal
Himself to us. And the hand of the Lord was
there upon me, and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the
plain, and I will talk with thee. Then I arose and went forth into
the plain, and behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, as the
glory which I saw by the river of Kibar, and I fell on my face."
Have you seen the glory of God revealed in the face of Jesus
Christ? For a free CD containing 15 of
these radio broadcasts, send an email to forthepoor at windstream.net.