Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of commercials for Zion's Tour. The faith of the
Old Testament saints had the same source and foundation as
that of those called after the New Testament was made plain.
Yet they could not see it revealed, but rather confessed that they
looked for a city which hath a foundation, whose builder and
maker was God, but yet died not having seen that city. This is
why the Lord said that even though John the Baptist was the greatest
of all of the Old Testament prophets, yet the weakest of the New Testament
saints was greater than him. Those saints in the Old Testament
knew that Christ would come someday, but they died without knowing
the details of his coming and the finality and completeness
of his work. John the Baptizer was privileged
to see the beginning of the ministry of Christ and to behold him as
the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. Yet
John saw dimly and without certainty as to the scope and nature of
his redemptive work, since he died before the Lord displayed
the redemption of his people at Calvary, the empty tomb, and
his ascension back to the right hand of the Father. He was not
privileged to survey the finished work of Christ, which even the
most timid of God's saints in this gospel age can. The first
time the Lord used the word mystery in the New Testament Scriptures,
He is referring to His kingdom. And He said unto them, Unto you
it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God. But unto
them that are without, all these things are done in parables.
His kingdom is one which is not carnal, but rather one which
is established in spirit and truth. It cannot be discovered
by men. And when it was demanded of the
Pharisees when the kingdom of God should come, He answered
them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation.
It cannot be discerned or comprehended by any except those he is pleased
to reveal it to. But we speak the wisdom of God
in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before
the world unto our glory. The Jews were convinced that
they were the elect people of God by virtue of their descent
from Abraham. They considered that as such
they were the rightful heirs of his kingdom. But now once
in the end of the age it is pleased him to manifest the true Israel,
which was kept secret since the world began. The church of Jesus
Christ, for which he shed his precious blood, is that true
Israel. And to make all men see what
is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the
world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ,
to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in
heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom
of God. This mystery which has now been
revealed is that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of
the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the
gospel. Yet there is indeed, even yet,
a remnant of the elect among the descendants of their earthly
father, Abraham. Lest we should be lifted up with
pride or think that they are in some manner inferior to the
Gentiles, we are reminded, for I would not, brethren, that ye
should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your
own conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel
until the fullness of the Gentiles become in. And so all that be
true Israel shall be saved. where there is neither Greek
nor Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor
free, but Christ is all and in all, having made known unto us
the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he
hath purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness
of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him,
in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things, after
the counsel of His own will, that we should be to the praise
of His glory who first trusted in Christ. Now this is indeed
the revelation of that mystery, that the Lord would not only
call His children to Himself through the gospel, but that
He would dwell with them. whereof I made a minister according
to the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill
the word of God, even the mystery which hath been hid from ages
and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints,
to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory
of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope
of glory. The ultimate manifestation of
this mystery will yet be seen in the day of the resurrection
when Christ comes to claim his purchased possession. Behold,
I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we
shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, at the last trump, For the trumpet shall sound,
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed. For this corruptible must put
on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. Even
so come, Lord Jesus. Do you rejoice in the mystery
of the gospel? If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.