Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. There is a people whom the Lord
is determined to save out of the mass of humanity. There is
no doubt about either the number of those people, the degree of
their deliverance, nor of the absolute certainty and duration
of their salvation. The number of them is one which
is determined solely by Him. As many as were ordained to eternal
life believed, blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causest
to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts. This
number can neither be increased nor diminished by anything which
men have within their power to perform. These are totally dependent
upon Him and are the trophies of His sovereign grace, with
nothing to glory in but that grace. The degree of their deliverance
is complete and total. It lacks in nothing, nor does
it wait for any part of their salvation to be completed by
any action of their own. This is demonstrated in the revelation
given to Joseph just prior to the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name
Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. This
is neither a partial salvation, nor one which depends upon the
actions of men. But this man, because he continueth
ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood, wherefore he is able to save
them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever
liveth to make intercession for them. The word uttermost simply
means completely, perfectly, and utterly without fail. This
salvation which Christ has procured for the sons of God is described
as eternal, which does not refer primarily to its longevity, but
rather to the absolute degree of it, even as there is no shadow
of turning with him who is the author of it, who is himself
eternal. And God said unto Moses, I am
that I am. The absolute certainty and duration
of this salvation of the elect is that which Peter declares
in contrast to those who reject Christ. This is the stone which
was set at naught of you builders, which has become the head of
the corner. Religious men will always pay lip service to a form
of worship. yet will consistently despise
the absolute sovereignty of God to do as He will with His own
creation, since this overturns their concepts of the freedom
of their own wills and their ability to approach unto Him
accordingly when and if they desire. Peter said that there
is no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved. God's
people must be saved by Christ because they despair of salvation
through any other means than the glorious substitutionary
work of Him who gave Himself as an exact and complete payment
for their sin debt, imputing His righteousness to them while
taking upon Himself their sin. They must be saved by Him who
has determined to save them, but our God is in the heavens.
He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased. They must be saved because
He is a mighty Savior. Who is this that cometh from
Edom, with thy garments from Basra? This that is glorious
in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength,
I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. This is no weak
deity who must wait upon the decisions of men, but rather
one who has power to save, and uses it according to his divine
purpose, mercy, and grace. Who could be saved otherwise?
They must be saved, because his love for them is greater than
any condemnation, accuser, or enemy. For I am persuaded that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor
depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. It
is an amazing thing to consider that just such a message as I
have declared here was commonplace just 200 years ago, when the
unmistakable strains of God's free and sovereign grace rang
from the multitudes of pulpits across this land. Yet this message
is, in large part, strangely silent today, as the vast majority
of those who profess to believe in Christ are either strangers
to the clear message of the gospel, or sit in utter defiance of it,
preferring to heap to themselves teachers having itching ears,
desiring to be scratched by humanistic preaching, which declares neither
the utter depravity of men nor the absolute sovereign purpose
of God to save whom he will. God has not left himself without
a witness in the earth, however, as he is yet awakening his people
and causing them to fall before his feet to seek his mercy. While
the multitudes of men, satisfied with their religious observances,
programs, and endeavors, go on oblivious and unconcerned that
the glory of the blessed God is trampled upon by the purveyors
of freewillism. For he will finish the work and
cut it short in righteousness, because a short work will the
Lord make upon the earth. Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling
stone and rock of offense, and whosoever believeth on him shall
not be ashamed. Those who believe must be saved. If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.