Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. Religion is one of the greatest
sources of deception in the world. This is especially true of the
modern-day belief system loosely called Christianity, which cloaks
itself in Bible verses, morality, and good deeds galore, closely
resembling the truth of God and genuine godliness, all the while
denying the power thereof. The sons of God can find no great
pleasure in hearing of the deeds and exploits of men, nor can
they find any delight in the lash of the law, which only serves
to remind them of their impotence. Rather, they find their source
of greatest delight in being reminded of that which Christ
has performed in their behalf. They rejoice in the unfolding
of His majesty and glory, and never tire of the exaltation
of His holy and matchless name. The men of religion feel it their
duty to spy out the liberty of the sons of God, and will be
constantly binding men with duties and exaltations to performance
which neither they nor their fathers could bear. Religious
followers will take great delight in the performance of these duties
and bask in the enjoyment of reveling in the mighty deeds
they are executing and the contemplation of meriting the favor of God,
as they fulfill the conditions which they suppose will result
in their blessing. Most would never actually say
that they can earn the favor of God, but they testify it by
their own practice and delight in their service and the hopeful
rewards thereof. The sons of God feel themselves
to be strangers in this religious world, which engages its hearers
with the unfolding of the secrets of prophecy, but little if any
consideration of the absolute prophet. There is much talk of
Christ dying on the cross, but little if any understanding of
what Christ actually accomplished upon that cross as He obtained
eternal redemption for His elect. It is upon this point that the
genuine delight of the sons of God is discovered. It is this
that Paul testified was his only source of glory. But God forbid
that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world.
If a man should miss the accomplishment of Christ on Calvary's cross,
then he has missed the gospel and has no message of hope for
sinners at all. The work of Christ as a sin substitute
for His people is the hinge upon which all of the redemption of
the sons of God turns. It is vitally important that
the hope of those who confess Christ rests completely and solely
upon the finished work of Christ. Well did Top Lady write, Nothing
in my hand I bring, Simply to the cross I cling, Naked come
to thee for dress, Helpless look to thee for grace, Foul I to
the fountain fly, Wash me, Savior, or I die. As did Edwin Mode,
who wrote, My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus' blood
and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest
frame, But wholly lean on Jesus' name. Sadly, both of these hymns
are sung by multitudes who pay lip service to trusting the work
of Christ alone, while in reality trusting in their own supposed
decision to believe in Him or their willingness to let Him
into their hearts by faith. Many who claim to trust Christ
don't believe that He actually accomplished their redemption
on Calvary. Rather, they think that He only made it possible
for them and everyone else in the world to be saved if they
can just be persuaded by hook or crook to believe in Him. Such
a mindset is to deny the work of Christ. If, as they say, He
made salvation a possibility for all men, and the decision
of men is the deciding factor of their salvation, then Christ
is not the Savior, but merely a facilitator. Men would save
themselves by their faith. Either Christ saved all for whom
He died, or He tried to save all and failed, because some
didn't let Him accomplish what He intended to do. The pleasure
of the sons of God is to rejoice in the mighty and great works
of God. He created the world to display the glory of His grace
in the redemption of a people which He loved and gave to Christ
from the beginning. He has unfolded all of history
for the purpose of bringing Christ into the world, born of a virgin.
clothed in the likeness of human flesh, making him an offering
for sin, whereby he would deliver his people by his own entrance
into the holy place once and for all, having obtained their
eternal redemption. He, having triumphed over death
in his resurrection, has now ascended back to the Father where
he ever lives to make intercession for them. He presently causes
all things to work together for the good of those who are the
called according to his purpose, and does work in them both to
will and to do of his good pleasure. He shall descend from heaven
with a shout to gather those who belong to him, and so shall
we ever be with the Lord. Through the ages to come, it
shall be our continued pleasure to rejoice in his great works.
And I beheld and I heard the voice of many saying with a loud
voice, worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power and
riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessings. If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.