Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. Men are without excuse before
God. All men are completely accountable
for their own thoughts and actions, regardless of what they might
consider the cause of those thoughts and actions to be. We see in
John's Gospel the account of the Lord Jesus Christ being brought
before Pilate to be judged in a place called the Pavement.
It is fitting that the Lord Jesus should be judged by men in a
place made of many stones, for we read that he is the chief
cornerstone. The psalmist said, the stone
which the builders refused has become the headstone of the corner.
This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes.
Peter goes on to say, wherefore also it is contained in the scripture,
behold, I lay inside a chief cornerstone, elect, precious.
He that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore
which believe is precious, but unto them which be disobedient
the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made
the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,
even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient whereunto
also they were appointed. Jesus Christ is the rock of offense
or stone of division. The Lord Jesus said, and whosoever
shall fall on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever
it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. It is impossible
that a man can be indifferent to Christ. Either he will fall
upon his face and worship him or fall under the wrath of God.
Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none
other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be
saved. The Lord Jesus Christ stood in
this judgment hall, constructed by the hands of wicked men, according
to the predestined purpose of Almighty God. When Peter preached
on the day of Pentecost, he made reference to this very fact,
him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.
It was necessary to fulfill the purpose of God in the redemption
of his chosen people that he would be rejected by men and
put to death as a malefactor. He is despised and rejected of
men, a man of sorrows, unacquainted with grief. And we hid, as it
were, our faces from him. He was despised, and we esteemed
him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten
of God, and afflicted. Though all men, without exception,
are worthy of destruction for their sin and disregard of the
one sent by God, yet the Lord does manifest His mercy towards
the sons of God by obtaining their redemption and causing
them to repent of their wickedness and look upon this chief cornerstone
as precious. Man has no right to pass any
sort of judgment at all upon the One who rules in the heavens
and among the inhabitants of the earth. Yet here at this pavement
we see both Jews and Gentiles alike questioning and condemning
Him who is the fullness of the Godhead bodily. What arrogance
that any worm of the dust should think it in any wise proper to
judge the judge of all the earth! While it is clear that this examination
was a contrived one, which dared to put the Lord of all the earth
on trial, yet in the common preaching of our day men are called upon
to do the same thing, as if they had that right and ability to
continue to do so. We often hear men plead with
others to accept the Lord, or let the Lord in their heart,
or to otherwise make some sort of judgment on him whose way
is past finding out. The underlying notion behind
such preaching is that man is some sort of sovereign over his
own free will, and does indeed hold the Lord hostage until he
makes up his mind as to whether or not to allow the Lord, who
according to them is wringing his hands in hope that they will
choose him, to save him. The dire predicament that all
men are in by nature does not afford them either the position
nor the ability to make such a choice. All men are dead in
trespasses and sins and without hope. Men cannot and will not
choose the way of the Lord. It is the height of arrogance
for any potsherd of the earth to think that he might contend
or bargain with Him who has the power to destroy both soul and
body in hell. This is why the Lord said that
he had hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed
them unto babes. None shall be saved except that
man for whom the Lord Jesus Christ did obtain eternal redemption.
They are those who are made manifest by a broken and contrite heart,
which are made to see their own just destruction played out before
their very eyes and compelled to cast themselves upon the mercy
of the eternal judge. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest and causest to approach unto thee. If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.