Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. The radio and TV airwaves are
full of religious shysters, charlatans, and beggars who promise the gullible
riches and other blessings for sowing their tithes and offerings
into these various ministries of greed. Some are not as intent
on gain as others, but nonetheless seek to stir up their hearers
to perform this work or that, and to gain their assurance from
their decisions and effort. They find a ready audience since
men by nature have an innate attraction to religious endeavor
and need little encouragement to value such enterprise, even
if they are not ready to personally engage in it. Some merely consider
its value from afar but are nonetheless convinced that such endeavors
are the key to the blessing from God. This notion basically arises
out of the consideration of men that God is altogether such a
one as themselves. Because when they knew God, they
glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain
in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing
themselves to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of
the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible
man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. By
nature, men consider that they have some value to God which
arises out of their own characters rather than their worth being
that which he is pleased to determine and grant according to his own
purpose. This is why the natural man recalls that the notion that
God has made some vessels under honor and some under dishonor.
Paul knew man's rebellious nature to the notion of God's absolute
sovereignty when he said, Those who place great value in
religion reject the notion that there is not one thing that men
can do to influence God or change the course which He has ordained.
Rather than taking great comfort in the truth that our God is
in the heavens, He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased, they
can only rail against such a concept and busily go about to build
their houses and kingdoms, convinced that they can steer God which
way they please or at least gain His favor by their own decisions,
prayers, and actions. The Pharisees were convinced
that God was very pleased with their obedience and sacrifice,
and proudly carried out their religious duties openly for all
to see. That man who has been called
to believe the promises of God revealed in the gospel of Christ
must of necessity cast all of his care upon the Lord. He has
been convinced of his own worthiness of destruction, and knows that
apart from the mercy of God, he shall surely perish. He confesses
with Job, though he slay me, yet will I trust him. He has
no confidence in the flesh, as David confessed. When I consider
thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars
which thou hast ordained, what is man that thou art mindful
of him, and the son of man that thou visitest him? The foolish
are those who speak of their service and cannot believe what
they are doing or avoiding is not valuable. It is impossible
for them to consider that their deeds of righteousness, which
they esteem so highly, are yet as dung inside of God. Yet those
who are the objects of His grace have no consideration at all
of the worth of those good deeds to which they are ordained by
the Spirit of God to perform. They see them as the mere bestowal
of God's mercy and favor and not a function of their effort.
The man who thinks that he can somehow gain God's favor, whether
temporal or eternal, by the works of his own hands is a foolish
man. Paul described the salvation of God's people in this fashion,
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according
to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and
renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly through
Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by his grace,
we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
This is the total end of human endeavor. There can be no mixture
of labor and mercy, or works and grace. All of the blessings
of God's anointed ones are theirs according to His grace and mercy,
and are in no wise predicated upon their endeavors. That man
who by the grace of God has been given ears to hear and eyes to
behold crucified Christ has ceased from his labor. There is no weariness
to the quickened sons of God, for they have been shown not
only the way to the city, but by the abundant mercy and grace
of God, have been given an entrance into it by no effort of their
own. So then it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy,
that no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are
ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness
and sanctification and redemption. that according as it is written,
he that gloryeth, let him glory in the Lord. What do you glory
in? If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.