Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. The writer of Hebrews speaks
about some who heard the word preached but were no better off
by it. For unto us was the gospel preached
as well as unto them, but the word preached did not profit
them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. We can
conclude from this that the gospel preaching, per se, is of no profit
in and of itself to those under its sound, if there is not an
accompanying work of the Spirit of God attending it and granting
the gift of faith whereby a man might both hear it and believe
it. Paul speaks to the Romans of this very scenario. For whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then
shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how
shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And
how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except
they be sent? In the present day, the skill
of oration is very often mistaken for the gift of preaching, even
as an appointment by a committee is sometimes confused with being
sent by God. When God is pleased to send His
Word, it will accomplish the desired task to which He directs
it. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish
that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto
I send it. The preaching of the gospel is never in vain, even
if it appears that none receive it. Now thanks be unto God, which
always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest
the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are
unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in
them that perish. To the one we are the savour
of death unto death, and to the other the savour of life unto
life. And who is sufficient for these things? The primary purpose
of preaching is not to produce results which men can see or
count, but is rather to magnify the glory of God in the manifestation
of Christ's redemptive work in the behalf of wicked sinners.
Whenever the gospel is sent by God, this will always be the
central theme of that preaching. And when it falls on ears prepared
by God to hear it, men will believe, even as Luke records for us in
the book of Acts. 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. Faith must have
a beginning, yet one would be in error to conclude that the
initial hearing of the gospel by one who is ordained to eternal
life comprises the sum total of his belief in it. True faith
is not temporary, nor is it confined to certain times and experiences
which mark the beginning of belief upon Christ. Rather, it is an
operation which is begun and carried out in the sons of God
over a lifetime by the power of the Spirit of God. This operation
produces a condition which Paul describes as knowing the grace
of God in truth. The hour cometh, and now is,
when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit
and truth. For the Father seeketh such to
worship Him. God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must
worship Him in spirit and truth. That worship which the Lord described
to the Samaritan woman is not that which can be learned by
following religious traditions. Rather, this sort of worship
is that which is the result of the Lord seeking out His people
and causing them to worship Him, by making known to them His presence.
Instead of being taught by men to repeat various shibboleths
and liturgies, the work of the Spirit in His people causes them
to be taught by God Himself. When a man knows the grace of
God in truth, he will hunger after that truth. He will seek
it out and count its value above rubies and gold. The Bereans
are an example of those who buy the truth and sell it not. When
a man knows the grace of God in truth, he will hunger after
the grace of that truth. Paul said that he was in doubt
about the Galatians' faith, since many of them had seemingly turned
away from the grace which Paul clearly preached and were going
back to religious tradition and law-keeping. There can be no
mixture of grace and works in the minds of those who have fled
for refuge to Christ. The law is not of faith, and
if a man has known the grace of God in truth, how can he return
to the beggarly elements of a fleshly religion? If a man has ever taught
the true condition of his natural heart by the revelation of the
Spirit, then he will have no confidence therein, and will
despair of any sort of salvation which is not owing one hundred
percent to the grace of God. It is only then that he can be
said to know the grace of God in truth. To know the grace of
God in truth is to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ without
pretense. The affectations of religion
with all of its external pomp and show cannot be that unfeigned
faith of which Paul speaks. It is also to confess a hope
in Christ without presumption or boasting, even as Paul declared,
but by the grace of God, I am what I am. Do you rejoice in
the grace of God in truth, or are you satisfied with freewill
religion? If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.