Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. It is quite impossible
to scripturally consider that any man could gain a relationship
with God by the efforts and desires of his flesh, since the thoughts
and intents of the heart of man is only evil continually. It
would be easier for a man to add one cubit to his height than
that he could gain the privilege of calling God his Father through
any action or thought in his flesh. Thus we are left with
only two possibilities. One is that all men have Him
as their Father by virtue of His creation of them, The other
is that some are created as the sons of God and chosen in Christ
to enjoy that relationship by his free and sovereign election
before the foundation of the world. Christ destroys the first
option as he plainly tells the Pharisees that they are of their
father, the devil. This is the plain truth spoken
by the prophet of God. Now he could have meant that
they alone were of this parentage, yet the abundance of the scriptures
would indicate that he had reference to the fact that they were among
a greater multitude of those known as the reprobate in contrast
to those who are the elect of God. You have not chosen me,
but I have chosen you and ordained you, that ye should go and bring
forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever
ye ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. As it is
written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Reprobate
silver shall men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them.
If anyone can read these words and not tremble, then that man
has no fear of God, nor any evidence of actually being one of those
who have the privilege bestowed upon them of being a child of
God. Those who have been given a desire to be the children of
God by faith in Jesus Christ can but cast themselves upon
His mercy and wait as a leper before Him desiring to be healed.
They desire to be identified with Him to the exclusion of
all others. Such is the disposition of those who are the awakened
sons of God. The Pharisees became angry when
he properly identified their family tree, and they proved
their parentage by their rejection of him. He plainly said that
if they were the sons of God, then they would recognize him
as being from God. Peter declared this confession
of every one of those who have God for their father when he
said, Lord, thou hast the words of eternal life, and we believe
and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living
God. This is the very proof of sonship
and the evidence of that standing. Can anyone doubt the sonship
of that Ethiopian eunuch who confessed, I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God? The Pharisees, on the other hand,
could not and would not hear him. Thus he identified them
for what they are. Jesus answered them, I told you,
and ye believe not. The works that I do in my Father's
name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye
are not of my sheep. As I said unto you, my sheep
hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give unto
them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any
man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me
is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of
my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. This
is a doctrine that is dogmatically clear in the scriptures. Both
the cause and effect of true faith and the cause and effect
of unbelief are set forth in plain language. The only argument
that men can bring forth against this humbling truth is that of
a rejection of him who spoke it. And with all deceivableness
of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they receive
not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. For who
maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou
didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it,
why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? When a
man is taught this doctrine by the guiding hand of the Spirit
of God, and has it applied to his heart and soul by the same,
he cannot be lifted up with pride. Rather, he knows himself to be
a sinner, is humbled in the dust at the consideration that he
could possibly be called a child of God, having God as his Father. God is the Father of those whom
He has created and chosen in Christ, and not those who simply
think that He is their Father because of some action they have
taken. Ungodly men will rail against this truth because they
have not received the love of the truth. Those who have God
for their Father will tremble before Him, who is a consuming
fire. Those who have God for their
Father will believe that Christ is the righteousness of God,
apart from which they shall perish. Those who have God for their
Father will take delight in His law, and meditate therein, and
will love Him whom He has sent. Is He who ruleth in the heavens
and calleth His own sheep by name your Father? For a free
CD containing 15 of these radio broadcasts, send an email to
forthepoor at windstream.net.