Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. The Lord set forth His
dominion over His creation, saying, For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For
as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher
than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. That such
a one as this should be mindful of man must ever cause us to
be astounded. A mere creature of a span, a
piece of dust, insignificant in and of himself, Yet the Lord
of glory is purposed to make him the object of his everlasting
love and electing grace. Such condescension on his part,
not simply to reciprocate love to a creature who loves him,
but to manifest that love to those who are rebels against
him, enemies in their minds according to their wicked works. 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. We love Him because He first
loved us. The word water appears in the
Bible 396 times. We are most especially interested
in it as the Lord referred to Himself as that living water.
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall
never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in
him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. We
say with the woman of Samaria, Sir, give me this water that
I thirst not. Then we read of the flood of
waters which covered the earth in the days of Noah. The Lord
alone made Noah to differ from all those hapless souls who perished
in that flood, some of which were cursing God, while others
simply perished in their ignorance as transgressors of the commandments
of God, happy with their religion of one type or another, until
the rain began to fall and the fountains of the deep were opened.
Another notable occurrence which involved the same orders was
when the Lord parted the Red Sea, delivering the Israelites
and destroying the Egyptians. Once again, we see that they
were only made to differ from these Hamites because of the
grace of God. For thou art an holy people unto
the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God hath chosen
thee to be a special people unto himself above all people that
are upon the face of the earth. When the Israelites were crossing
the Jordan River into the promised land, the Lord caused the waters
of the Jordan to stand up as a heap, and they crossed over
on dry land. In this the Lord would demonstrate
that it is not by might nor by power that the promise of God
is visited upon His people, but by His Spirit's operation. Elijah,
the prince of prophets, along with his understudy and successor,
Elisha, both parted the waters of Jordan in a demonstration
of the Lord's power upon his word. And who can forget the
answer of the Lord by fire upon Mount Carmel, as it licked up
the waters which were in the trench surrounding the Sod and
Offering, as he demonstrated that he alone is the God of all
gods, having the prophets of Baal in derision. Was this not
a foreshadow of His utter triumph over all principalities and powers,
which He manifested upon Mount Calvary and the Garden Tomb,
blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against
us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing
it to His cross? And having spoiled principalities
and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over
them in it. When the Lord Jesus embarked upon His ministry among
men, He sought out a man clothed in camel hair and eating locusts
and wild honey, who was immersing men in water. The Lord used this
water to demonstrate His humility in being baptized unto repentance
in the behalf of all those whom the Father had given unto Him.
And lo, a voice from heaven sang, This is my beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased. God, who at sundry times and
in divers 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, and by whom also
he made the worlds. He turned the water into wine
in Cana, to make glad the heart of man. He gave living water
to an unworthy and sinful woman in Samaria. He calmed the raging
water and calmed the fears of his troubled disciples. Yet it
was by the cruel stroke of men that he was pleased to bring
forth healing and forgiveness of sin. But one of the soldiers
with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came thereout blood
and water. Rock of ages, cleft for me, let
me hide myself in thee. Let the water and the blood from
thy ribbon side which flowed be of sin the double cure. Cleanse
me from its guilt and power. Have you been washed in this
water? For a free CD containing 15 of these radio broadcasts,
send an email to forthepoor at windstream.net.