Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. It is very common to hear
some who fancy themselves preachers say such things as God gives
every man a chance to be saved, as if salvation is something
that a man could cause to occur by an act of his own will. Salvation
is not by chance, nor is it something that a man who is dead in trespasses
and sins can enter into or have any comprehension of apart from
divine intervention in awakening him to life. When a man has been
convinced by the Spirit of God of the absolute barrenness of
his own soul and the inability of his heart to seek out and
embrace spiritual things, then that man can begin to have some
comprehension of the necessity of God's mercy being poured out
upon him to make him able to believe the gospel. The fact
that God has chosen to save some of Adam's benighted race will
seem to that man a glorious thing, and he will rejoice in the mercy
of a sovereign God. In time he will come to see that
it is God who enables a man to cry out for mercy. It is this
same God who will keep him from falling away, though he finds
himself in times of trial, doubt, and confusion, which is common
to all of those who are the blood-bought sons of God. God is unchangeable
in His person and His purpose. Whatever He undertakes to do,
He accomplishes completely. The Scripture plainly teaches
that He chose a people that He would save before the world's
foundations were laid. Their election to be the recipients
of redemption was not their salvation, but was only the setting of them
apart to be redeemed by the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Election
is not salvation, but is unto salvation. Election was a necessity
for them to be marked out as the ones for whom Jesus Christ
would shed His precious blood. But let no one ever consider
that they were redeemed by anything other than the blood and righteousness
of our blessed Lord, which was poured out in time at a place
called Calvary. He bought back his own possession
from the law's condemnation. He not only completely justified
them by his death and imputed righteousness, but he has declared
that he will keep them until the very end, that they may be
presented faultless before the Father. In the fact that Noah
found grace in the eyes of the Lord, we learn these lessons.
The work of the Lord Jesus Christ seems senseless to the world,
but those who know themselves in need of a Savior gladly embrace
the provision He has made for their redemption. The Lord told
Noah to build an ark according to His exact specifications.
No man could comprehend the necessity of such a vessel. It had never
even rained upon the earth up to that time. So I am sure Noah
was the laughingstock of the community as he toiled in its
construction. Until a man knows himself to
be lost, he cannot possibly desire a way to be saved. This was a
vessel which was specifically designed for a particular number
of inhabitants. A certain number of each animal
which the Lord intended to preserve and a select group of humans
were the ones intended to dwell in it and to be delivered by
it. Grace is the only difference between those who perished in
the flood and those who rode to safety in the ark. Jesus Christ
came into the world to save his people. He shall see of the travail
of his soul and be satisfied. He is our ark of safety. There
were provisions laid up in store for those in the ark. The Lord
didn't just tell Noah to bring the animals and his family into
the ark, but He also directed that Noah should put up food
for all who were to be in the ark. The Lord could have caused
them all to fall asleep and not wake up until the flood had receded,
but they would have been ignorant of the unfolding of His deliverance.
The same God who elected his sons also calls them in time
that they may rejoice in the knowledge of the redemptive work
of Christ. For whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that
he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom
he did predestinate, them he also called, and whom he called,
them he also justified, and whom he justified, them he also glorified. The Lord shut the inhabitants
of the ark in and secured their safety. This event has intrigued
me for some time. In my mind's eye, I can see the
hand of the Lord closing the door which He designed. Had He
not closed it, perhaps it would have come open, and the floodwaters
could have overwhelmed the ark. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
I am the door of the sheep. And this is the Father's will
which has sent me, that of all which He hath given me, I should
lose nothing, but I should raise it up again at the last day.
Have you entered in by the door of the sheep, or do you seek
to come unto God by some other way? Christ is the only way. For a free CD containing 15 of
these radio broadcasts, send an email to forthepoor at windstream.net.