Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. The scripture clearly reveals
that the Lord's mercy endureth forever, yea, even to all generations,
but at the same time He has quite plainly reserved the right to
show mercy to whom He will. It is quite common for men to
think that God's mercy somehow modifies all of His other attributes,
as if He is willing to be less than perfectly just in order
to be perfectly merciful. None of God's attributes in any
way modifies or changes anything He is or does, since He is perfect
in and of Himself. There is never any conflict in
his mind as to what his purpose is, nor is there any shadow of
turning with him. God does not react to anything,
but is the first cause of all events. And as the scripture
says, He declares the end from the beginning and from ancient
times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel
shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. Man is in quite
a dilemma since he has no ability to appease God or to atone for
his sin. Even if he could find some suitable
offering or payment to satisfy the justice of a holy God, yet
he could never enter into His presence in order to be able
to make that payment or offering. That man who has been quickened
by the Holy Ghost to see his hopeless condition is surely
overjoyed at the sound of the gospel which says that our Savior
has entered into that holy place in our behalf and has once and
for all made an atonement for our sin. He is our great high
priest. He did not arise as a priest
from the tribe of Aaron, for all of those priests had to offer
atonement for their own sins, as well as those of the people.
They also could not continue in this office because they were
mortals, and the grave always brought an end to their priesthood.
But our high priest came after the order of Melchizedek, which
had neither beginning of days nor end of life. The Lord Jesus
had no sin of his own and offered himself as a lamb without spot
and without blemish. He has entered in once into the
presence of God and ever liveth to make intercession for those
that come unto God by him. He is our forerunner. The term
forerunner literally means one who runs a race before us. Not
only did the Lord Jesus satisfy the curse of the law, which was
against us, by the offering of Himself to die, but He fulfilled
every jot and tittle of it in His perfect life, as He was in
all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. He has
gone to prepare a place for His people, because it has pleased
Him to bring them into His presence forever. He is our hope, for
the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better
hope did, by the which we draw nigh unto God. The Aaronic priest
could only remind men of sin, since the blood of bulls and
goats could never take sin away. But this man, after he had offered
one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of
God. What the law could not do, Jesus Christ has done. He has
not only offered himself for sin, but has now applied the
hope and expectation of those benefits which he has purchased
to the very conscience of his elect by the witness of the Spirit
of God in applying the gift of faith to them. He is our veil
breaker. The breaker has come up before
them. And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain
from the top to the bottom, and the earth did quake and the rocks
rent. The one who has the power to cause the earth to quake and
the rocks to burst has prevailed to tear down the wall of separation
between God and man. The true sons of God have never
been the objects of God's wrath, nor have they ever been destined
to destruction. They have, however, been separated
from him by their sin, estranged, as it were, and under the condemnation
which is assigned to sin. The soul that sinneth, it shall
die. They were without God in the world, without hope and lost
in sin and nature's night. The same veil that separated
all of mankind from the Father was the one which separated them
as well, and they could in no wise enter into that holy place,
nor could they see the mercy seat which he had prepared for
the atonement of their sin. But our Lord Jesus Christ has
rent that veil asunder, and he has not only offered himself
without spot to God in our behalf, but has opened the way for us
into the holiest place, where we might rejoice in the very
presence of the Father. For we have seen the Son, and
he who has seen the Son has seen the Father. 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. This is a sure and steadfast
hope. We look for no other, and we are content to rest in His
finished work. There remaineth therefore a rest
to the people of God. For he that is entered into His
rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from
His. Do you rest in Him? For a free
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forthepoor at windstream.net.