Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morse's For Zion's Poor. Every prophet that the
Lord raised up under the Old Covenant testified of the Lord
Jesus Christ in one way or another. John the Baptizer, being the
last of the Old Testament prophets, was unable to see him face to
face in the flesh, testifying, Behold the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world. John was chosen by the Lord to
baptize Jesus Christ in water to fulfill all righteousness.
Under the Levitical law, the sacrifice had to be prepared
by washing in water, and this baptism was that which symbolically
prepared the Lord to begin His ministry, as that one sent from
God to save His people from their sins. In performing that task,
it demonstrated his purpose to fulfill every prophecy and every
jot and tittle of the law, so that no accuser can be found
against those for whom Christ satisfied that law, and manifested
the fact that he came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill
it. To declare, I say, at this time
his righteousness, that he might be just, and the justifier of
him which believeth in Jesus. John's baptism of repentance
was indeed that which was but a foretaste of that baptism which
Jesus Christ himself would administer, which is testified of by John
when he said, I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance,
but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes
I am not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you with the
Holy Ghost and with fire. This is a far better baptism
than that which John administered. John occupies a place of great
preeminence among the Old Testament prophets, even as the Lord testified. But what went ye out to see,
a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet, for
this is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before
thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I
say unto you, among them that are born of women there hath
not risen a greater than John the Baptist. John is emblematic
of the closing of an era, and Christ is the ushering in of
the new. The greatest man, born of woman, under that old covenant,
even though he was ordained of God to be the forerunner of Christ,
must be buried with Moses on Mount Pisgah, looking into the
promised land, but not allowed to enter. For though John was
present to see the beginnings of the ministry of Christ in
the behalf of his people, he was not permitted to view him
hanging upon a cross, with his very last blood flowing from
his body, as a sacrifice for the sin of his elect. Nor was
he a witness of his resurrection, nor did he behold him ascending
into the heavens to sit at the right hand of the Father. Yet
those to whom the kingdom is given both have seen the error
of all things and witnessed the completion of the basis of his
redemptive work as he bled for their sins, rose for their justification,
and is coming back to redeem them in the day of the resurrection.
We are presently in no place of doubt as to the absolute finality
of that which Jesus Christ has performed. Those who have been
given New Testament faith in Christ look for no other but
Christ. They entertain no notion that there is salvation in any
other, but testify with Peter, this is the stone which is set
at naught of you builders, which has become the head of the corner.
Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none
other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved. The very least of the privileged
saints which have been made heirs of the new covenant can see far
more clearly than the greatest of those prophets of old, but
the best is yet to come. Now as clearly as we see with
undimmed vision of the finality of the work which Christ has
performed in the behalf of all those whose sin he bore, we yet
see through a glass darkly, but live in the light of that promise
that we shall see him face to face. The prospect we have is
not different from that which was given to the Old Testament
saints, for even Job testified, And though after my skin worms
destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God, whom I
shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another,
though my reins be consumed within me. Yet none of those Old Testament
saints ever saw the accomplishment of the basis of that redemption,
like those to whom such privilege has now been given. The best
is yet to come. Now, we would be remiss to speak
of John the Baptizer and not to consider the purpose of water
baptism in the New Testament, as it differs from that of John.
John's baptism was one of preparation, but that which the Lord commanded
his disciples to perform is one of completion. There is no sacramental
importance to this baptism, but it is merely that which is a
profession of one's faith in the person of Christ, even as
Peter described it. The like figure, whereunto even
baptism doth also now save us, not the putting away of the filth
of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Do you have the answer
of a good conscience toward God? If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.