Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. But despair is a very empty feeling
and one which a man cannot deliver himself out of. If the Lord is
not pleased to deliver a man from utter despair, that man
will surely perish. Judas is a good example of a
man in the empty room of hell with no deliverer. All that he
could do was to destroy himself and then to endure an even greater
torment. How sad it is to look upon the
once great king Saul as he sits in the house of the witch of
Endor and contemplates the fact that he has been cast off from
being king of Israel. The Lord describes his own actions
in such seasons as these, because I have called and ye refused.
I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded. But ye have
said it not, all my counsel, and would none of my reproof.
I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your fear cometh.
When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as
a whirlwind. When distress and anguish cometh upon you, then
shall they call upon me, but I will not answer. They shall
seek me early, but they shall not find me. For they hated knowledge,
and did not choose the fear of the Lord. To be made mindful
that there is no source of help for man in himself is naturally
that which brings men to despair. Now it would appear to the natural
mind that such a state of despair is to be avoided at all costs.
This is exactly the purpose that man's natural religion serves
in his own mind. He can rest better at night if
he thinks that he is fulfilling some purpose which is greater
than the simple fulfillment of his own carnal desires. What
he cannot see is that those things which he counts as spiritual
are most often simply a device of his mind to label his carnal
pursuits as holy and good, because he has clothed himself in the
garments of religion of one type or another and gone about to
establish his own righteousness. To be awakened to the fact that
there is not one thing in this world that can befall us that
is of any consequence, nor can it prevent our service to Him
who has brought us, since our hope is Christ alone. For I reckon
that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us. The natural man
would be horrified to learn that he had been given a sentence
of death. Yet Paul rejoiced in it, saying, for me to live is
Christ, to die is gain. Our sentence of death is, number
one, currently being experienced. We're not waiting until some
future time for this to occur. But all of those who have been
made alive in Christ have also died in him. Paul said, knowing
this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin
might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. How
shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? There
is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the
law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made us free
from the law of sin and death. Number two, it is the source
of great freedom. Paul says that we should not trust ourselves
but in God which raiseth the dead. What a glorious revelation
to the freeborn sons of God when they are shown that He is their
Performer. All of their confidence is in Him who has never failed
in one jot or tittle to fulfill all righteousness in their behalf.
Number four, our sentence of death is a deliverance from the
fear of men. so that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and
I will not fear what man shall do unto me. When we have been
made to clearly see our standing with Christ, who can be against
us? What power on earth can overcome us? Even if these bodies in which
we currently reside are beaten, hanged, or burnt beyond recognition,
we are not moved. For we know that if our earthly
house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building
of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
And lastly, our sentence of death is a reminder of him who died
in our behalf. Remember the word that I said
unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord. If they
have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. We are called
to follow in his steps, but we are ever mindful that he endured
the curse of the law for us when we were unable to even recognize
the sin which separated us from him. Oh, the depths of his love
and mercy that such a one as he is should suffer and bleed
for such a wretched people as we are. For when we were yet
without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly.
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die. Yet peradventure
for a good man, some would even dare to die. But God commendeth
his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. Much more than being now justified
by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if,
when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death
of His Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
And not only so, but we also join in God through our Lord
Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Do
you feel your sentence of death? If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.