Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. The Lord Jesus continually
spoke of being sent by His Father to perform a specific work. I
must work the works of Him that sent me while it is day. The
night cometh when no man can work. As long as I am in the
world, I am the light of the world. He stood in the synagogue
at Nazareth and read the words of Isaiah. The Spirit of the
Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel
to the poor. He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight
to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach
the acceptable year of the Lord." He then closed the book and sat
down. As he expounded upon the sovereign
work of God to show mercy to the Gentiles, using Naaman the
Syrian and the widow of Sarepta, to whom the prophet Elijah was
sent, as examples, they became uneasy and soon erupted in anger
as they realized he was preaching the free grace of God apart from
the works of the flesh, and taking away any grounds upon which they
might glory. And all they in the synagogue,
when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose
up and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow
of the hill where their city was built, that they might cast
him down headlong. Later on he made a triumphal
entry into Jerusalem on a colt, the foal of an ass. In order
to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah, he once again declared the very
same truth which had angered the Jews as he cried out, He
that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent
me. And he that seeth me seeth him
that sent me. I am come a light into the world,
that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
He boldly declared his authority and equality with the Father.
This is the same thing he would later say to Philip after his
request to be shown the Father. Have I been so long time with
you, and yet thou hast not known me, Philip? He that hath seen
me hath seen the Father. And how sayest thou then, Show
us the Father? Did not Isaiah prophesy the same,
as he said, his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor,
the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace?
It is comforting to the minds of many who consider him as some
sort of secondary figure in the Godhead, yet he is clearly one
with the Father, being the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Men cannot
know or approach unto the Eternal God apart from knowing Him, nor
can any recognize His glory apart from worshiping Him as the Alpha
and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the
Last. The Lord startled many who claimed to be His disciples
when He told them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat
the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, ye have
no life in you. He further clarified his teaching,
which manifested the unbelief of many, as he said, it is the
spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing. The words
that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. The
Lord Jesus Christ came into the world clothed in the likeness
of sinful flesh to do the will of his father. He was sent by
the father and manifested the eternal life of the father. For
as the father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the son to
have life in himself. This is the commandment that
was given him, that he might give eternal life to all which
were given to him. And this is life eternal, that
they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
thou hast sent. This comprises the entire work
of Christ in the behalf of that people, which he loved with an
everlasting love. To this end, the Father has bestowed
upon the Son all power in heaven, earth, and hell. The Father loveth
the Son, and hath given all things into his hand, and hath given
him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of
man. The purpose for which Christ
came is that his people might be given life more abundantly.
Thus he declared the glories of this everlasting life as he
preached the gospel of the kingdom, and in no uncertain terms identified
those who have this life as those who believe on him, who declared
of himself, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth
on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whosoever
liveth and believeth in me shall never die. And we know that the
Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that
we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true,
even in his Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal
life, and this is the record that God hath given to us eternal
life, and this life is in his Son. This is the commandment
of Christ. Do you have life in Christ? For
a free CD containing 15 of these radio broadcasts, send an email
to forthepoor at windstream.net.