Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. While there are many examples
of man's general hatred and disregard of those whom the Lord would
send, throughout the Scriptures there is none so vivid and fervently
pursued than the rebellion of man against that one prophet
which he has sent in the end of the age. He is that one whom
Stephen spoke of as the just one, of whom ye have now been
the betrayers and murderers. He spoke specifically to those
Jews which ultimately stoned him to death. Yet he speaks directly
to all who disregard his station as the Savior of sinners, and
that one who alone is the revelation of God to men. God, who at sundry
times and in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers
by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his
Son. whom he hath appointed heir of
all things, by whom also he made the worlds, who being the brightness
of his glory and the express image of his person, and upholding
all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself
purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty
on high. There are many who would pay
lip service to serving Him, yet they deny what He accomplished
on Calvary's cross. They would tell us that He made
salvation a possibility for all men by His sacrifice, yet the
Scriptures plainly tell us that He purged our sins and that He
obtained eternal redemption. Never once do the Scriptures
speak of His redemption as being open-ended or producing a possibility
for men to be saved by joining their faith to His work. This
is a figment of the imagination of men who would glory in their
free will and their own ability to produce faith according to
that free will. There can be no middle ground
on this matter. Either he paid the price for the sin of his
people and they are saved thereby or he did not. This is a matter
of right and wrong which is determined by him who said that he came
to save sinners and not just to make it possible for them
to be saved by their own power. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise
him. He hath put him to grief. When thou shalt make his soul
an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong
his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his
hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and he shall be
satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify
many, for he shall bear their iniquities. And we know that
all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the call according to his purpose. For whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
The blood of the only begotten Son of God has not been shed
in vain, nor can one sin for which he is atoned remain to
bring those for whom he died into condemnation. He has bought
that possession which was given to him from before the foundation
of the world. Religious men rebel at this plain
truth and go about to present his finished work as one which
is really not finished but depends upon the creature to make it
complete. They conclude that men are justified by the act
of believing and that they have power to persuade men to embrace
it and therein believe and consequently be saved. Yet the Lord laid the
axe to the root of this concept in the simple message that he
gave to Nicodemus. Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
John describes for us both the evidence and the origin of this
new birth, which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of
the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. The evidence
of this birth from above is the gift of faith, which is found
in all of those whom the Lord is pleased to call from darkness
to light. For by grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained
that we should walk in them. Their believing does not precipitate
the work of God to give them life, but rather their believing
is the work of God, which causes them to believe. Unto you, therefore,
which believe, he is precious. But unto them which be disobedient,
the stone which the builders disallowed, the same has made
the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,
even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient,
whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should
show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness
into his marvelous light, which in time past were not a people,
but are now the people of God, which had not obtained mercy,
but now have obtained mercy. Have you heard his word and believed? For a free CD containing 15 of
these radio broadcasts, send an email to forthepoor at windstream.net.