Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morse's For Zion's Tour. Following traditions is
one of the mechanisms that many use to combat their fear of the
unknown. This is especially true when
it comes to religion. By and large, families continue
on in the religious traditions, or non-traditions, of their fathers
and mothers. There is great likelihood that
a person will remain in the religion that they are raised in because
they are largely comfortable with it, even if they don't necessarily
agree with its precepts or practice it faithfully. This concept generally
explains, in my opinion, why people go to McDonald's to eat.
They are pretty certain that the food is not going to be really
good or healthy, but they know exactly what they are going to
get. Some people will lament the lack of appeal of the foods
they eat, but then continue to eat the same things because they
are afraid to try something new. This thought of the unknown makes
them uncomfortable. Each time that the Lord told
his disciples of the fact that he was going to be leaving them,
they were very perplexed, even to the point where Peter rebuked
him. They supposed right up until the end that he was going to
establish a physical earthly kingdom which would overthrow
their political oppressors and raise them to a place of prominence.
This was never his purpose, nor did any of the Old Testament
prophecies ever indicate that such was the case, once he revealed
the spiritual nature of his kingdom and the fact that it was not
one which could be gained by flesh and blood. Mary was comforted
by his physical presence when she saw him in the garden, but
he told her it was not his purpose to remain with her physically,
nor for her to expect to receive comfort in this fashion. I am
sure this frightened her, and she had mixed feelings as she
arose to go and tell the disciples the message that he gave her.
Men can easily go through the motions of religion by clinging
to forms and traditions. Those who bow at the shrine of
free will don't know the difference between form and substance. One
of the greatest hoaxes that Satan has ever foisted upon the human
race was to convince them that it is possible for them to enter
the kingdom of heaven by the exercise of their free will.
This error has led many religious men to trust in their own faith
and ability, to exercise that faith in order to gain favor
with God. This teaching is a useful instrument
that Satan employs in the sowing of tares among the wheat. The
gospel has been reduced to a mere formula, which any man may utilize
by praying a form prayer and making a decision for Christ.
Those who delight in religious tradition mistake form for substance. Those who confuse outward adherence
to creeds with serving God in spirit and truth are part of
the same host. These are those who depend on
being able to trace their lineage back to the apostles and are
sure that all of their practices are spelled out in the scriptures.
They can determine who's in the kingdom of God by whether or
not they agree with their own doctrine and practice. Those
who are proud of their doctrine and legal correctness prefer
form over substance. Most of these folks are suspicious
of those who speak about feeling and desiring the presence of
God. They have a rational explanation for all things and desire for
all things to be done decently and in order, as long as they
are the ones to define it. They love the reading of the
law and the lash of duty laid upon the backs of sluggards.
Those who know themselves to be but sinners find no useful
form and seek only substance. When a man is convinced of his
depravity by the Holy Ghost, he cannot be satisfied by all
of the assurances offered by men in their traditions or formulas
and plans of salvation. He cannot be satisfied with anything
less than the witness of the Spirit of God and the hope of
redemption applied by the same. Here is his desire. Pity a helpless
sinner, Lord, who would believe Thy gracious word, but own my
heart with shame and grief, a sink of sin and unbelief. Lord, in
Thy house I read there's room, and venturing hard, behold, I
come. But can there, tell me, can there be amongst Thy children
room for me? I eat the bread and drink the
wine, but, oh, my soul wants more than thine. I faint unless
I feed on thee, and drink the blood as shed for me. For sinners,
Lord, thou cam'st to bleed, and I am a sinner, vile indeed. Lord,
I believe thy grace is free. Oh, magnify that grace in me. He that hath the Son hath life,
and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.