Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. But the utter unrestrained propensity
for wickedness in men has been fully demonstrated in the earth,
when men with cruel and wicked hands crucified the spotless
Lamb of God according to the determinate counsel and foreknowledge
of God. None eye did pity him. Men schemed
to put him to death, even as the Lord related in the parable
of the man who planted a vineyard. They who were supposed to be
men of integrity hired liars to defame him and testify against
him, even as they did later against his apostles. They conspired
to destroy him because they knew that he was the antithesis of
their treasured religion, and they desired their own righteousness
above the true worship of God. Paul clearly states that when
men knew God, they glorified him not as God. Neither were
thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their
foolish heart was darkened. Because that which may be known
of God is manifest in them, for God hath showed it unto them.
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world
are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,
even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. There are some today who try
to tell us that the reason that many men perish in their sins
is simply because they haven't been told about it. As if it
is true that we could save them all if we could just somehow
preach the gospel to all of them. They usually use this line of
thought as a premise to gather funds in order to be able to
send men into the earth in order to dispense the sufficient knowledge
which would surely rescue them. The fact is that the problem
that men have with embracing Christ as Lord has nothing at
all to do with what they know. According to Paul, all men know
Him, but they do not glorify Him as God. Sunday schools and
Bible colleges spew out thousands who can tell you in no uncertain
terms who He is, some even in great detail. They know Him,
but they do not necessarily love Him nor follow Him. Religious
leaders of all stripes know him. They generally, whatever their
religion is, speak about how great a prophet and example that
he was. Even the Hindu holy man, Gandhi,
praised him for his peaceable nature and excellent example
of non-violence. That which Christ came to do
in the earth was not hidden from the eyes of men. He displayed
himself for all to see, even those in regions of darkness
who have never even heard his name spoken yet know him, according
to Paul. Yet the truth is that even though
men may know him, yet they do not fall down and worship him
in spirit and truth, because their problem is not one of a
lack of knowledge. The need of sinful men is not
anything that can be supplied by any other man, nor applied
through the intellect they may possess. The Lord said to Nicodemus,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God. This is not an operation that
can be brought about by man in any fashion, but is the work
of God alone. Men take great pride in what
they know. There have been probably more
arguments and fights over the years over what men claim to
know than any other thing. You can get a group of religious
men together and before long they'll be railing against one
another over what they know. Is it any wonder that Paul spoke
to the early Christians saying, knowledge puffeth up? And if
any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing
yet as he ought to know. So no man can boast in what he
knows, nor can any man ever say that he did not know that Jesus
Christ is sent from God. They may rebel against that knowledge,
they may ignore it at their own peril, or they may even confuse
their knowledge of him with being one of his followers. Religious
men are convinced that their own understandings of him will
be sufficient when he comes to claim his own. Yet he was quite
clear that those who are his sheep not only know him, but
hear his voice and come when he calls, and not according to
their own whim. He said that a man is not his
follower who does not do what he says. And why call ye me,
Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh
to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you
to whom he is like. He is like a man which built
a house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock.
And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that
house, and could not shake it, for it was founded upon a rock.
But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without
a foundation built a house upon the earth. against which the
stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell, and the
ruin of that house was great. Upon what foundation is your
hope resting? Behold the sure foundation stone
which God in Zion lays to build our heavenly hopes upon and his
eternal praise. Christ is that foundation. If
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