Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. But darkness cannot exist
apart from Him who made it, according to the good pleasure of His will.
He has formed it in order to display the glory of His light,
which is both contrasted with and transcendent before it. In
the beginning, before which we have no knowledge, God did set
forth that creation which we can now see. Darkness was upon
the face of the deep. God then declared, Let there
be light, and there was light. John speaks to us of this light.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. The same was in the beginning
with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not
anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life
was the light of men. It is ever a wonder to me, in the
consideration of the natural creation, that light existed
on the first day, and was separated, that is, contrasted from the
darkness. Yet the sun as a star was not created until the fourth
day, which belies the scientific explanation that light emanates
from the sun. The sun receives its illumination
from him who is the light of the world. So we understand that
darkness was created by him to bring glory to his name as he
shines his light for in him is no darkness at all. He would
manifest the sons of God in the earth by separating them from
the darkness to which the reprobate have been appointed to inhabit.
If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness,
we lie and do not the truth. Then spake Jesus again unto them,
saying, I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall
not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. For God,
who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in
our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ. As the sons of God are appointed
to dwell in the light which no man can by his own power or understanding
ever approach unto, so too are the reprobate appointed to dwell
in that darkness which they delight in. And this is the condemnation
that light has come into the world. And men love darkness
rather than light because their deeds were evil. They have loved
the wages of unrighteousness. These are wells without water,
clouds that are carried with the tempest, to whom the midst
of darkness is reserved forever. There is indeed a great contrast
between those who are the sons of God and those who are not,
as God is pleased to manifest His work in those whom He has
loved with an everlasting love. For there is no difference between
the elect and the non-elect by nature. We are all born naturally
into darkness, and would continue to delight ourselves therein
apart from the grace of God, which makes us to differ from
another. And you hath he quickened who
were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past ye walked
according to the course of this world, and were by nature the
children of wrath, even as others. Peter describes that contrast
with these words, unto you therefore which believe he is precious,
but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders
disallowed, the same is 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, an holy nation,
a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of him
who hath called you out of darkness and 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.
Why was I made to hear thy voice and enter while there's room,
while thousands make a wretched choice and rather starve than
come? T'was the same love that spread
the feast which sweetly forced us in, else we had still refused
to taste and perished in our sin. The Lord told the Pharisees
that their hour had now come. The purpose for which they were
created was fast approaching, and they would act according
to the power of darkness, which they embraced according to their
own desire. This is that hour which Peter
declared, him being delivered by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God, ye have taken him by wicked hands and
crucified and slain. According to His good pleasure,
He sent forth His Son into this world and made the darkness for
this hour, that He might manifest His eternal purpose in redeeming
those whom He loved from the beginning, giving thanks unto
the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light, who hath delivered us from the power of
darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear
Son, in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness
of sins. Are you of the light or of the
darkness? For a free CD containing 15 of
these radio broadcasts, send an email to forthepoor at windstream.net.