Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. One of the greatest blessings
that the children of God have is the promise of the Lord to
hold us in the palm of His hand and to preserve us until the
very end. He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us. If
He is for us, then nothing can separate us from His love and
care. We are preserved and kept by His power until the day of
judgment and shall be found faultless before Him. These are promises
without conditions. There is, however, a twofold
error that often arises in the consideration of this very promise
that threatens to overthrow the blessedness of it to the sons
of God. There are some who believe and teach that salvation is something
that a man can get by his own free will and in his own time,
and then once he has obtained it by believing, he can never
lose it, regardless of perseverance. Then there are those who teach
that some are elected to eternal salvation and that they will
be preserved unto that salvation even if they don't believe or
persevere. Both concepts are in error because they fail to
recognize that God has ordained the salvation of His children
to take place in them as well as outside of them. Of course
there are others who teach that the blood-bought sons of God
can lose the salvation which God has given them. This concept
totally denies the basic premise of salvation which we began our
discussion with and flies in the face of God's promise and
is an absolute error. The sons of God are elected and
predestined to be saved in time as well as eternity. They are
elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification
of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten
us again unto a lively hope. They are chosen not simply to
be ultimately saved in eternity, but they are chosen to be obedient
and to be given hope in this life as well. None merit God's
favor by being obedient, but the fact that they are God's
children is manifested as He works obedience in them. The
certainty of their eternal salvation is evidenced by the work which
God has both begun and continues to do in His children. But we
are bound to give thanks all the way to God for you, brethren,
beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth, whereunto He called you by our gospel to the obtaining
of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. All of the blessings
which accrue to the sons of God do so because of His grace. He
purchased for them a present hope as well as redemption. For
by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves.
It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
The pathway which the sons of God tread is marked out and ordered
by the Lord, and is designed for their benefit and His glory.
The sons of God not only are preserved by His grace, but they
persevere by the same. They shall not only taste of
the glories of the world to come, but shall have rejoicing in that
glory begun below. They are privileged not just
to be named the sons of God in eternity, but also to be called
as the sons of God in the present time, who had saved us and called
us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began. The sons of God have been called
unto his fellowship. God is faithful by whom ye were
called unto the fellowship of his Son. They have been called
unto peace. And let the peace of God rule
in your hearts, to the which ye also are called. They have
been called unto liberty. For brethren, ye have been called
unto liberty. They've been called unto hope.
There's one body and one spirit, even as you're called in one
hope of your calling. The sons of God have been called
unto holiness, for God has not called us unto uncleanness, but
unto holiness. They've been called unto light,
that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called
you out of darkness into his marvelous light. The sons of
God have been called to follow in his steps, for even here unto
were ye called, that ye should follow his steps. They are called
to glory and virtue, according as His divine power hath called
us to glory and virtue. They are called unto His kingdom,
that ye should walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto
His kingdom. They are called unto the obtaining
of glory. He called you to the obtaining
of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. And finally, they have
been called unto eternal life. Fight the good fight, lay hold
on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called. For a free CD
containing 15 of these radio broadcasts, send an email to
forthepoor at windstream.net.