Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. He who made the oceans,
the rivers, and brought the floodwaters of destruction upon the earth
asked a woman at a well in Samaria for a drink of water, not because
he was faint, but because it was his purpose to instruct her
about the need which she had that only he could supply. She
was totally ignorant of this water that he spoke of and could
only conceive of thirst being assuaged by the earthly water
she came to draw out of this well. Just like Nicodemus, she
did not have the capability in her flesh to have any comprehension
of the spiritual things of which the Lord Jesus spoke. The Lord,
in his merciful dealings with his children, first teaches them
of their own barrenness and the multitude and magnitude of their
sin. He pointed out her wicked ways
and the fact that even as he spoke, she was mired in moral
degradation. Most of the folks we come in
contact with day by day are convinced of the value of their religious
affiliations, and one only has to read the obituaries of men
to discover that it is rare to find someone described in those
columns who does not have some religious membership or connection.
The water pot which this woman brought to draw water out of
this well is typical of those things which men hold on to,
which are but poor substitutes for the truth of God. Many shall
perish by trusting in false Christs and doctrines of devils. However,
that deception which is often the most dangerous is that which
is closest to the truth. This woman held on to her water
pot until such time as the Lord was pleased to reveal Himself
unto her. When that occurred, she immediately left her water
pot because she had no need of it anymore. Some empty water
pots that need to be discarded are family religious affiliations. Most people wind up walking in
the religion of their mothers and fathers. This is not in itself
a bad thing, as long as man is not deceived into thinking that
it is according to his heritage that he is numbered among the
saints. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to
become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name,
which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man, but of God." Another empty water pot
that needs to be discarded is preacher worship. This exists
in some form among all types of denominations and groups.
It is especially prevalent among those who emphasize the teaching
of sound doctrine and practice. Any man who has been called and
equipped by God to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ
is prone to be lifted up with pride from time to time and to
forget that we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the
excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. It is natural
for the saints to rejoice in the fact that these gifts are
given to men and to give deference of some type to them, but it
is unhealthy and even leads to the destruction of some who think
that every word that drops from the mouth of a particular preacher
is to be received without scrutiny. Woe be to the preacher who encourages
such admiration and does not admonish his hearers to examine
the scriptures for themselves, and also to the listener who
walks upon this enchanted ground. Christ is the shepherd, and he
has made all of his children priests and kings in the earth.
There is no hierarchy nor chief seats marked out in the house
of God, even though the sons of Diocletes can be found from
time to time, along with those who boast that they are of Apollos
or Cephas. And then another empty water
pot that should be discarded is building worship. We should
be thankful if the Lord has provided us a physical facility in which
we can meet together, but we must never consider that it is
anything more than a convenience for our comfort and carries with
it no spiritual significance. Some collect funds to build such
facilities under the guise of encouraging men to give as though
this was some benefit to the Lord. Some form a greater attachment
to bricks and mortar than they do to the house, which is built
upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief cornerstone. This is an empty pot, to be sure. And then another empty water
pot that needs to be discarded is doctrine for its own sake.
Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of
Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit
of the living God, not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables
of the heart, who also hath made us able ministers of the New
Testament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter
killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. What difference does it
make when we can parrot doctrines in our sleep if our heart is
cold and we are not doers of the word as well as hearers?
Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father
which is in heaven. Have you cast off your water
pots of religion and fled to Christ? For a free CD containing
15 of these radio broadcasts, send an email to forthepoor at
windstream.net