Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. The scripture is quite
clear that the action of faith is the gift of God. 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. More
importantly, though, by the grace of God, we are made to understand
that the action of faith, while present in all of those who believe,
is not the actual basis or grounds of their justification. Rather,
the one who is the object of that faith is the justifier.
The sons of God believe that they are justified by Christ,
who is their salvation. The action of faith is wrought
in the sons of God by him who makes his people willing in the
day of his power. Just as Abraham believed God,
so too do all those who are called out of darkness and into the
glorious light of the gospel, which they are made to hear and
believe. Abraham was not justified by
the act of believing. Rather, he was justified by the
one in whom he believed. Belief in itself is of no real
value if the object of one's faith is misplaced. Thus the
preaching of the gospel is not about trying to get men to believe,
but rather the exaltation of him who is both just and the
justifier of those that believe. We must preach Jesus Christ and
Him crucified, for there is no other name under heaven given
among men whereby we must be saved. This is no open-ended
offer, but is the declaration that Jesus Christ came into the
world to save His people from their sins, and He has accomplished
that very work. But Christ, being come in high
priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say not of this building,
neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood,
he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us. The Lord healed the physical
ailments of ten lepers in a village on his way to Jerusalem. He sent
them to the priests as the Law of Moses required, where their
healing was made manifest. Only one out of the ten returned
to give him thanks, glorifying God for his deliverance. He was
a lowly Samaritan, which people were despised by the Jews. The
Lord recognized the singularity of his praise and thanksgiving,
which was not to be seen from the other nine. In this account,
we are taught the nature of true saving faith. We see the nine
receiving the blessing of healing of their natural bodies, which
no doubt they rejoiced in. Yet just like the carnal multitude
that followed the Lord for loaves and fishes, they were quite satisfied
to consume these blessings upon their own lusts and desires.
The Lord said, many are called, but few are chosen, in order
that he might teach the preciousness of his grace and the great privilege
it is to be called the sons of God. This one leper who returned
to give glory to the Lord recognized from whose hand his healing had
come. Perhaps the other nine just chalked it up to doing what
he told them to do. Many of those who, when asked
about the basis of their salvation, will tell us that they believed
when they were ten years old, or they can recount some time
and place when they gave their heart to the Lord. It is rare,
however, to find those who simply give glory to God for snatching
them as a brand from the burning, confessing that apart from His
mercy they would surely perish even now. This one leper recognized
that his healing was of a greater value than simply being set free
from leprosy, for he gave testimony that he was set free in mind
and heart as he worshiped at the footstool of Christ without
being told to do so. The work of the Spirit of God
in him prompted his response and filled his mouth with praises
and rejoicing to the one who had set him free. The Lord testified,
Thy faith hath made thee whole. The other nine evidently believed
that there was at least the possibility of their healing as they went
to the priest just like the Lord told them to. Their belief, however,
did not make them whole. Only the one who returned, glorifying
God, manifested that he did not simply believe, but that he recognized
the one from whose hand his healing came. The faith which made him
whole was Jesus Christ, who is the object of all saving faith,
in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will. that we should be to the praise
of His glory, who first trusted in Christ, in whom ye also trusted,
after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation, in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed
with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance,
until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of
His glory. Do you have this faith? For a free CD containing 15 of
these radio broadcasts, send an email to forthepoor at windstream.net