Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. More than anything else,
the children of God desire to be found walking in faith and
resting in Christ, in complete obedience to his commands. Yet
as Paul says, for I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth
no good thing. For to will is present with me,
but how to perform that which is good, I find not. For the
good that I would, I do not, but the evil which I would not,
that I do. John recognizes the same tendency
in the sons of God and exhorts and encourages them with these
words, And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall
assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us,
God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved,
if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward
God. And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the
name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave
us commandment. The Lord has provided everything
which the children of God have need of, and even in their most
distressing hour gives them sustenance and help. There hath no temptation,
that is, trial, taken you, but such as is common to man. But
God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above
that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way
to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. The means whereby
the Lord will lift the sons of God out of despair is in His
work in them to cause them to think on those things which He
has done for them and is presently doing in their behalf. As Asaph
said, I will remember the works of the Lord. Surely I will remember
the wonders of old. David said the same thing in
describing similar exercises of the mind and heart. For the
enemy hath persecuted my soul. He hath smitten my life down
to the ground. He hath made me to dwell in darkness
as those that have been long dead. Therefore is my spirit
overwhelmed within me. My heart within me is desolate.
I remember the days of old. I meditate on all thy works.
I muse on the works of thy hands. I stretch forth my hands unto
thee. My soul thirsteth after thee, as in a thirsty land. The scriptures tell us that the
Lord Jesus Christ has been in all points tempted like as we
are, yet without sin. He has walked through the valley
of the shadow of death. He has been surrounded with the
counsel of the ungodly. He has been in the presence of
deceitful and bloody men. Yet He rested perfectly in Him
in whom His soul delighted. But do thou for me, O God the
Lord, for thy name's sake, because thy mercy is good, deliver thou
me, for I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within
me. Help me, O Lord my God, O save me according to thy mercy, that
they may know that this is thy hand, that thou, Lord, hast done
it. "'It is he who is able to ascend
into the hill of the Lord, "'for it is he that hath clean hands
and a pure heart, "'who hath not lifted up his soul into vanity,
"'nor sworn deceitfully. "'Thus when we think on those
things "'which are the wonders of old, "'we must think on Christ,
"'who is the fullness of the Godhead bodily, "'who being in
the form of God, "'thought it not robbery to be equal with
God, "'but made himself of no reputation, "'and took upon him
the form of a servant, "'and was made in the likeness of men.
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. There
is no more glorious work which has been performed in the heavens
or the earth than this one. It is indeed an ancient work,
for he is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. He
has neither beginning of days nor ending of life. And John
speaks of this eternal nature of his accomplishment as being
that of one slain from the foundation of the world. The redemptive
work of Christ has been manifested to the sons of men and the angelic
host in this day of salvation. But the certainty of his accomplishment
is as eternal as the purpose of God, the very purpose for
which the Lord created the world in all that is therein. For it
became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things, and
bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their
salvation perfect through sufferings. The prophets of old with a limited
understanding were nonetheless used by the Lord to glorify Christ
and His work in the behalf of His elect, of which salvation
the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied
of the grace which should come unto you, searching what or what
manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did
signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and
the glory that should follow. Can you see the glory of Christ?
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