Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. The cities of this world
have all been indwelt by wicked men, and the concentration of
their populations has encouraged that innate wickedness, which
we see as the Lord destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Lot was rescued from this destruction because he was just. He was just
not because of his morality, but because of the one who is
the justifier of his elect. There was nothing upright in
Lot's conduct in the ensuing days, and nothing commendable
about his sin. Yet the Lord meant his actions
for good, as his incestuous liaison produced offspring from which
the lineage of Christ is traced. In this the Lord would show us
that there is no good thing in men. All of their righteousness
is that which is imputed to them by the Redeemer. While we find
no recommendation in the scriptures for city dwelling, yet the Lord
is pleased to call His sheep even while they are in the midst
of these ungodly habitations. One of these cities which has
prominent reference made in the New Testament is the city of
Antioch. It is mentioned 18 times. The
Lord had people in that city, both Jew and Gentile, whom he
would call out of darkness and into the light. Thus he was pleased
to send messengers, that is, gospel preachers, to declare
the unsearchable riches of Christ, that they might hear and believe
and flee from that city, that is, this evil world and its ensuing
destruction, even as the saints of old. When many believers were
scattered in the days following the stoning of Stephen, some
of them went to the city of Antioch. At the first, they, being Jews,
only preached to the Jews of that city. One of those men was
Nicholas, who was a native of Antioch who had become a Jewish
proselyte, who had moved to Jerusalem where he heard and believed the
gospel, and was one of the seven who were appointed as the first
servants of the church there. The Lord raised up many who believed
the gospel of the glory of Jesus Christ. And upon hearing of their
faith, the church at Jerusalem sent Barnabas to bear witness
of them and to them. While he was there, the Lord
caused many of the Jews to believe. In time, Barnabas left Antioch
in search of Paul, and finding him brought him back to Antioch.
They both assembled with these believers for a year, and the
scripture notes that it was here at Antioch that those who confessed
to being the followers of Christ were first called Christians.
And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch, and
the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. This name,
though probably bestowed upon them in a derisive way by the
unbelievers in the city, was actually quite a mark of honor,
for it indicates that they were openly confessing those things
that they believed and walked in obedience to those precepts.
We sadly point out that this name has come to mean very little
in the present day, since it is applied to men in such a general
way as to signify nothing, and most claiming to be such can
produce little evidence in support of it. I know thy works, that
thou hast the name that thou livest, and art dead. These Christians
in Antioch sent monetary gifts for the relief of the suffering
brethren in Jerusalem, demonstrating their willingness to bear one
another's burdens. It was here in Antioch that the
Lord was pleased to move among the people to send Barnabas and
Saul, not yet called Paul, into the work which He had called
them to do in carrying the gospel to the island of Cyprus. When
they returned to Antioch, they went to the synagogue, as was
their custom as Jews, on the Sabbath, that is, the seventh
day of the week, and while there declared the unsearchable riches
of the crucified and risen Christ. Few of the Jews desired to hear
of this man, yet many of the Gentiles who gathered on the
fringes of that assembly desired to hear more of these things.
Thus Saul and Barnabas spoke to them on the following Sabbath,
and the multitude of the Jews made a mockery of them. But nearly
the whole city turned out to listen to this message. Here
we read one of the most glorious and incontrovertible passages
in the Scriptures, which declares the sovereign electing grace
of God in appointing His people unto salvation. And when the
Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of
the Lord, and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was
published throughout all the region. All of these things happened
in Antioch under the glory of our blessed God and Savior. Have
you believed and fled to Christ for refuge? He is the Savior
of souls. For a free CD containing 15 of
these radio broadcasts, send an email to forthepoor at windstream.net.