Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. The salvation which the Lord
Jesus Christ came into the world to procure has nothing at all
to do with man's choices or decisions. That salvation is totally secured
and provided by His hand, completely apart from any action or ratification
on the part of men. When the Lord Jesus Christ came
into the world, He came for one purpose. As the angel told Joseph,
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name
Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. He declared
as much in John 6 and manifested his purpose in his prayer in
Gethsemane's garden. These words spake Jesus and lifted
up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour has come, glorify
thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee, as thou hast given
him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to
as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that
they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the
earth. I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do."
He made it abundantly clear that he was specifically concerned
with that particular people that he came into the world to save.
As he continued with his prayer, I pray for them. I pray not for
the world, but for them which thou hast given me. For they
are thine, and all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am
glorified in them. It is abundantly clear in the
scripture record that Jesus Christ has obtained eternal redemption
for His people. He has justified them with His
blood, thereby delivering them from the condemnation of the
law, much more than being justified by His blood which shall be saved
from wrath through Him. All that the elect sons of God
have ever needed, He has supplied. The predominant teaching of many
who claim to preach the gospel that has covered the world in
darkness and confusion in the present day is a message that
assures men that they will be received by God if they will
only choose Him and cooperate with His precepts. It is in most
ways no different than trying to persuade men to follow any
other religion. Its precepts are built on the
notion that men have the right and the ability to choose God
whenever they please. The psalmist said, So the hope
of God's children is not in anything of their own doing. not their choice, not their obedience,
not their willingness, nor their conformity to certain creeds,
but rather their hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood
and righteousness. He is their righteousness eternally.
God has loved his people from before the foundation of the
world. They have always been approved in his sight because
they have always been seen in the righteousness of Christ.
For thou hast possessed my reins, thou hast covered me in my mother's
womb. I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully
made, marvelous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right
well. My substance was not hid from thee when I was made in
secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect, and in thy
book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned,
when as yet there was none of them. He is their righteousness
temporally, not temporarily. He has become their righteousness
in the temporal world in which we live. But when the fullness
of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made
under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that
we might receive the adoption of sons. He has justified His
elect according to the law which it pleased Him to subject them
to. He is now both just and the justifier. He is pleased to reveal
Himself to those whom He has thus justified by His work on
their behalf. He does that through the quickening
work of the Spirit of God, which enables them to hear the proclamation
of the gospel, which He is pleased to send according to His mercy.
He is their righteousness finally. We look for no other standard
whereby we might find acceptance with Him, except that which He
has provided without our participation. Through the ages to come, the
saints of God shall glorify His name, and the testimony shall
ring out forever that He is our righteousness. And I heard a
great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God
is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be
his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall
be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there
be any more pain, for the former things are passed away. And he
that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
And he said unto me, Write, for these things are true and faithful.
And he saith unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning
and the end. I will give unto him that is
a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that
overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his God,
and he shall be my soul. For a free CD containing 15 of
these radio broadcasts, Send an email to forthepoor at windstream
dot net.