Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. One of the more puzzling
and trying aspects of the Christian walk is that God is not always
pleased to allow us to enjoy the fullness of his presence.
He does from time to time throw back the curtain and allow us
to walk with him in the garden in the cool of the day, but he
is not pleased to enable us to continue that closeness at all
times. It is this very fact that reminds us of his absolute sovereignty.
He would not have us to assume that we can have fellowship with
him any time we so choose. He alone is the one who determines
when he will reveal himself and allow us to feast upon the fat
things of his banquet table. But those times of blessings
are so sweet that even a crumb that falls from his table is
like a feast to that man who hungers for him. This is one
of the reasons that he has given us his promise and has bestowed
upon us the gift of faith. Whenever it pleases the Lord
to hide Himself from us, He yet does so not to utterly forsake
us nor cast us off, for He has given us these great and precious
promises which are set forth in the gospel upon which all
of our hopes are built. We are encouraged by Isaiah's
words, Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth
the voice of His servant, that walketh in darkness and hath
no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon
his God. This is the same sentiment expressed
by Peter when he said, It is impossible for those of us who
are still clothed in this corruptible flesh to always know by our experience
that we are the sons of God. That man who never doubts his
own inclusion in the number of God's elect is probably ignorant
of the fact that salvation is of the Lord, and is not a product
of his free will and ability to say a prayer. Neither is he
well acquainted with his own sinful and corrupt heart of flesh,
which despises the way of God even when he is born again. If
our salvation was in any way dependent upon our ability to
believe, obey, or trust Him, we would all have no hope. Or
if we were saved because we always felt that way, then we would
surely despair. The modern-day soul winners instruct
men to just believe and never doubt. Yet true faith often says,
Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief. They tell men that
they must believe that Christ died for their sins. But how
can a man be instructed to believe something that may not be true?
We are quite convinced that Christ died to absolutely atone for
the sins of his elect people, and shall lose none of those
whose redemption he has purchased with his own blood. We cannot
be certain at all times that we are of that number, nor can
we know that someone else is. But by the grace of God he is
pleased to give us reason to hope in his mercy, because he
has made the promises of the gospel to appear to us as apples
of gold and pictures of silver. He has put within his children
the same mind that he put within Job when he said, though he slay
me, yet will I trust in him. Our hope is built on nothing
less than Jesus' blood and righteousness, but it is built on nothing more
either. So the bride of Christ cannot help but long after him
and to desire his presence because the operation of the quickening
power of the Holy Ghost awakens her from the deadness of her
sin and makes her alive in him who she gladly owns as her Lord.
His love for her is greater than she can imagine, even though
she often feels as though He has forsaken her. Yet she can
do nothing else but seek Him, and with strong yearnings desire
to tell Him of her love. From time to time He knocks upon
her door, enters in and sucks with her in such a way that she
is overwhelmed, but then He is often gone as quickly as He came.
This is so in order that she does not think that He is her
servant. The Lord will teach His children that He is sovereign.
When He walks upon the earth, He stooped to serve them. Yet
he does not now occupy such a role, but is seated at the right hand
of the Father from whence he shall come in flaming fire. This
is so that she does not think that it is in the power of the
flesh to enjoy his blessings. Our flesh will whisper to us
that we can earn his favor by our supposed obedience or religious
service, but he will not allow his people to trust in themselves.
He does this so that she does not grow complacent. Someone
has said familiarity breeds contempt. When we think of something as
commonplace, the value of it diminishes in our eyes. That
man who is in a dry and thirsty land appreciates a cup of water
far more than the man who dwells beside a mountain stream. He
does this so that she does not trust in her experience rather
than his promise. Modern evangelism teaches men
that their experience is their salvation. The Bible teaches
us that our salvation is Christ himself, which hope we have as
an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth
into that within the veil. Even Jesus made a high priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek. For a free CD containing 15 of
these radio broadcasts, Send an email to forthepoor at windstream
dot net.