Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. Peter was a man among men,
probably a large, bearded man who was a no-nonsense kind of
a guy. He said what he meant, meant what he said, carried a
sword to back it up. He was a bold man, not afraid
to take a risk or step out in faith. In fact, it was he who
proclaimed the faith which God gave him when he confessed to
the Lord, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Yet
it was this same Peter who cowardly denied the Lord when questioned
about his relationship to Him by a young maiden. Then after
a third denial, with an oath to boot, the Lord caught his
eye, the cock crowed, and Peter went out and wept bitter tears.
Bold and impetuous, Peter had said with utter confidence, Though
I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Now as the Savior
looks at him, he is reminded of his brash statement of a few
hours ago, and he experiences firsthand the painful truth that
Solomon wrote many years before. Pride goeth before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall. He weeps alone with a broken
heart, not only because of his sin of denial, but because he
knows himself to be unworthy to be called a follower of Jesus
Christ. Yet just as surely as the Lord had a purpose in Peter's
confession, he also had a purpose in his denial. And that which
he would work in Peter as a result of this denial was a work of
a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. As Mary and
Martha made their way to the tomb in the early hours of the
morning, they had no idea they would find the stone moved, let
alone discover an empty grave. Yet as the Lord always does,
he provided a messenger to give them the comfort and instruction
that they needed. They were not instructed to go
to the marketplace and broadcast this information, but rather
to tell the Lord's disciples, and particularly Peter. O broken-hearted
Peter! O Peter who felt himself to be
rightly cut off from the Lord's presence! Peter who was crushed
under a load of guilt! Unworthy Peter, denying Peter!
Yet the Lord singled him out because he knew that his child,
buried under a load of guilt and conviction, needed a special
word of encouragement. We cause ourselves the greatest
pain when we walk contrary to that which the Lord has taught
us. If we were children of the bondwoman or mere servants, we
would surely be cast off for our waywardness. Yet the Lord
purposes that all things should work together for the good of
His people, the sheep of His pasture. He has already prepared
the balm of restoration for us before we follow our impetuous
nature into the bramble patch of disobedience. He has sent
the messengers of peace before we have ever experienced the
unrest of separation from Him. The sweetness of His restoration
makes us wonder why we have ever strayed. The glory of His presence
and the delight of His fellowship makes us hunger for an obedient
heart. The affliction of the Lord's people is never a payment
for sin. The teaching that men should
do penance for their sin, or that somehow by the afflicting
of the body and spirit we will atone for our transgressions
and make ourselves pleasing in His sight, is nowhere to be found
in the scriptures. For by one offering He hath perfected
forever them that are sanctified. By His own blood He entered in
once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for
us. The affliction of the Lord's people is only for a short while.
If a man's heart is not changed by the new birth, no amount of
threats or fears will cause him to serve God. If a man dies outside
of the redemptive work of Christ, no amount of time or suffering
will afford him an entrance to heaven. The whole purpose of
affliction is to bring us to restoration, not to punish us
for our failure. For we which live are always
delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus
might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. The joy of being
restored to the fellowship of the Lord makes us forget the
sorrows encountered in our separation. When Peter stood on the day of
Pentecost, filled with power from on high, and preached the
gospel of redemption in Jesus Christ, he was no longer mired
down with the sorrows of his denial. God had done his perfect
work of restoration in Peter. He had taught Peter a valuable
lesson which he could not forget. He now was fitted to feed the
sheep of God. I will extol thee, O Lord, for
thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over
me. O Lord my God, I cried unto thee,
and thou hast healed me. O Lord, thou hast brought up
my soul from the grave, thou hast kept me alive, that I should
not go down to the pit. Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints
of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
For his anger endureth but a moment, in his favor is life. Weeping
may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. For a
free CD containing 15 of these radio broadcasts, send an email
to forthepoor at windstream.net.