Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. But the Lord of glory has revealed
himself as the first cause of all things. See now that I, even
I, am he, and there is no God with me. I kill and I make alive,
I wound and I heal. Neither is there any that can
deliver out of my hand. It never ceases to amaze me that
there are some who are reluctant to declare this very basic truth
about the living God, who himself delights in recounting his design
and predestination of all events. As he says, I am the Lord, and
there is none else. There is no God beside me. I
girded thee, though thou hast not known me, that they may know
from the rising of the sun and from the west that there is none
beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none
else. I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create
evil. I the Lord do all these things.
He has revealed himself to be a jealous God. He delights in
his own glory, saying, I will not give my glory unto another.
So if he who made the world out of nothing declares, remember
the former things of old, for I am God, and there is none else.
I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the
beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done,
saying, my counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure,
calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executes
my counsel from a far country. Yea, I have spoken it. I will
also bring it to pass. I have purposed it. I will also
do it. Why should the plot sherds of
the earth not fall upon their faces and gladly proclaim his
glorious character in the ordination and execution of all that comes
to pass? There is no logical reason that men should not with
one accord fall on their faces and declare his absolute glory.
Nothing can transpire in this world except it be according
to him who doeth according to his will in the army of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his
hand or say unto him, what doest thou? Yet because of the hardness
of their hearts, they despise this one who is the God of all
gods and prefer a more manageable quasi God that they can manipulate
and direct according to their own desires and supposed free
will. One who loves everybody but can
only do a limited amount to help them and really wouldn't hurt
a flea if he could avoid it. This quasi-God has power to do
just about anything except to invade the space of man's sovereign
free will. He can change events, but he
cannot ordain their outcome, except in the most extreme cases,
and then only in a limited fashion. Need I say that this is no God
at all, but is one like Baal, Dagon, and all the other imposters
which men embrace, rather than the one true and living God who
needs none, nor asks permission to do as he pleases? Who can
stand before him? Our God is in the heavens. He
hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. The wise of this world
mistakenly and confusedly say that men cannot be held accountable
by God for something which they are predisposed to do. Yet they
will in most cases freely admit that men in general are predisposed
to sin by their own nature, and believe that each man is nonetheless
accountable for his actions. Else why would we have laws,
jails, and police departments? The real issue is that men would
rather submit to their own predestination, that is, the operation of their
free will, than to the one who alone ordains all things according
to his own will. They say, we will not have this
man to rule over us, but they will gladly submit themselves
to their own flesh, even though they be led to destruction by
it. The truth is that apart from the predestined purpose of God,
of all mercy, to save his elect from these deceptions, none would
be able to deliver himself, and all would likewise perish. None
would ever be saved apart from this predestined purpose of God.
God does indeed ordain and predetermine all things that come to pass,
yet he does not do so haphazardly, since he is the God of order.
For God is not the author of confusion. Therefore we see that
he ordains both the cause and the effect. As Paul expressed,
Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever
a man soweth, that shall he also reap. This principle cannot be
overturned any more than the orbits of the planets around
the sun. It is not overturned even in the case of the elect
children of God. Apart from Christ becoming their substitute, even
they must of necessity, according to the principle of God's decree,
reap the reward of their iniquity. Yet He is the justifier of His
own. For we are His workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained
that we should walk in them. But we are bound to give thanks
always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the Spirit and belief of the truth. Wherefore, as by one man
sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed
upon all men, for that all have sinned. For the invisible things
of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power
and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.