Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. The Lord demonstrates His
glory when He hides the truth from the wise and prudent, that
is, those who think themselves to have no need of God's wisdom,
because they are satisfied with their own. For it is written,
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing
the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the
scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made
foolish the wisdom of this world? The Lord will destroy the wise
men of the world according to their own corrupt hearts, which
will not seek Him. For after that, in the wisdom
of God, the world by wisdom, that is, the reason of natural
men, knew not God. It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. The preaching of the
gospel seems a quaint and rather useless endeavor to the natural
man, most especially to the moralistic religionists who consider that
practical teaching, moral platitudes, and psychological counseling
are of much greater value. They are completely opposed to
the clear and singular declaration of a sovereign God who has demonstrated
his particular love for his elect bride in purchasing her eternal
redemption by a sacrifice on Calvary. They much prefer, in
their own wisdom, a gospel, so called, which is an offer of
salvation, which all men are able to accept or reject. They
prefer this to the true gospel, which declares that the Lord
has an elect people, His sheep, which He will seek and save,
losing none of those whom the Father has given Him. In their
wisdom, they much prefer a God who must wait and see what men
will do. They find it to be unbalanced to declare the glory of Him who
says, I am the Lord, and there is none else. There is no God
beside me. I girded thee, though thou hast
not known me, that they may know from the rising of the sun and
from the west that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and
there is none else. I form the light and create darkness.
I make peace and create evil. I, the Lord, do all these things. In their wisdom, they think that
they can aid him toward his plans and overturn his purpose by their
own free will. Paul would preach no other gospel
than that which declares the finished work of Christ as the
hope of those who are saved. But we preach Christ crucified
unto the Jews, that is, those who love religion, a stumbling
block, and unto the Greeks foolishness. Paul did not declare Christ plus
some endeavor of man, nor did he give men any reason to hope
in anything less than the work of Christ wherein he hath obtained
eternal redemption. He has not made salvation merely
possible, but rather certain by that which He alone has performed
in the behalf of those sinners which He has loved with an everlasting
love, and will manifest in the earth as those who call upon
His name and believe on Him. The true and living God does
not appeal to either the intellect or the religious fancy of men,
nor does He ever endeavor to convince them through those means.
For that which they consider foolish is in reality much wiser
than either their intellect or their religious fancy. David
declared it in this fashion, but our God is in the heavens.
He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. He has no limitations
nor any parameters which he has left for men to decide upon.
He does not show mercy to the upright, but rather to sinners.
He does not call the righteous, but rather the ungodly. He does
not reward men according to their endeavors, but all of the blessings
which he bestows are given to Christ, who gives gifts according
to his sovereign pleasure. They are not received because
they accept Him, but rather because He accepts them. We love Him
because He first loved us. The strength of Christ was demonstrated
in his weakness as he poured out his soul unto death on the
behalf of those who had no strength, triumphing over all of his enemies.
And I looked, and there was none to help, and I wondered that
there was none to uphold. Therefore mine own arm brought
salvation unto me, and my fury it upheld me. And I will tread
down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury,
and I will bring down their strength to the earth. For when we were
yet without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly.
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure
for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth
his love toward us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us. Much more then, being now justified
by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Can there
be anything more absurd to the natural thinking of men than
this gospel? Who has known the mind of the
Lord, or who hath been his counselor? Do you consider yourself wise
or a fool for Christ's sake? For a free CD containing 15 of
these radio broadcasts, send an email to forthepoor at windstream.net.