Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. In our society, a whole industry
has arisen around the enjoyment of the golden years, which are
supposedly entered into once a man has retired, having amassed
a nest egg which will allow him to enjoy this world as long as
he can in comfort and the pursuit of his earthly dreams. This industry
continually plays upon the fears of men that they might run short
of this world's goods and not be able to do what they want
to do. So in this scenario, a man's life consists of working hard
and saving his money in order to be able to spend his retirement
years in ease and comfort. The scriptures present quite
a different picture of man than this. Men do not have a soul,
rather they are a soul, which is currently residing in a temporary
house of clay, which is our present body. And the Lord formed man
of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life, and man became a living soul. Coupled with the
conventional wisdom of man having a soul is the notion that this
soul is somehow an eternal entity which must live on somewhere.
There is not one shred of evidence in the scripture for such an
idea, even though the vast majority of so-called Bible scholars routinely
accept this notion as fact, and generally those who question
it are deemed heretics. God alone is eternal and is the
sole inhabiter of eternity. Men are finite creatures in every
respect, by nature having a beginning and an end, as so ordered by
the Lord. The only way in which a man may
live forever is that he be given the gift of eternal life. This
is a gift which he has no ability to obtain, but is given to those
whom the Lord has chosen. These favored ones are distinguished
from those who perish by the fact that included in this gift
of eternal life is the gift of faith. And when the Gentiles
heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord.
And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And
I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. The writer of
Hebrews defines faith in this fashion. Now faith is the substance
of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The purpose
of the gift of faith is to comfort and sustain those to whom it
is given until they are brought to the ultimate enjoyment of
the things for which they were created to obtain. Sin has darkened
this world, and it is impossible that natural, corruptible flesh
and blood should ever inherit the kingdom of God. However,
it is not only possible, but rather certain, that those who
were created expressly for that kingdom shall occupy it as the
heirs and joint heirs with Christ. All of those who are privileged
to be the objects of His everlasting love and eternal redemption have
been fitted for their final home by the operation of the Spirit
in them. They are given faith in the One who gives them faith,
and do confess that they are strangers and pilgrims in this
world. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners,
but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household
of God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.
in whom all the building, fitly framed together, groweth into
an holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also are builted together
for habitation of God through the Spirit. Though hope is that
which is sweet, the realization of that for which he is hoped
for is even sweeter. Paul says that we hope for that
which we wait for, and that which the sons of God are waiting for
is the redemption of our body. Jesus Christ has obtained eternal
redemption for his elect by the giving of himself as a sin offering
for his own. He has taken their sins by amputation,
becoming sin for them, and giving them his righteousness by the
same act of amputation. He has stood as a condemned sinner
in their place, that they might stand with him fully clothed
in his righteousness as the heirs and joint heirs of his kingdom.
There is but one event which has yet to occur, for which the
creature groans and travails until it is manifested in its
fullest. This is the resurrection of that body for which Christ
shed his precious blood and suffered to redeem. Shall he not claim
and possess that which is his? He has purchased the body, which
is corrupt and subject unto death itself. Paul lamented this body
of death, asking, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver
me from the body of this death? And then answering his own question
with his glorious statement of faith and hope, I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. We would be of all men most miserable
if we were to be raised from the dead in this mortal corruptible
body and had to dwell in it through the ages to come. Rather, that
body which we long to be raised in is one which is most surely
ours, but is a spiritual, incorruptible body. For if we believe that
Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with him. Wherefore, comfort one another
with these words. If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.