Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morse's For Zion's Poor. Time has no purpose or
meaning at all except in the realm of that which is created.
God is not affected by time, nor is He in any wise subject
to it. He has created time for the benefit of His creation,
which is finite, having sprung from Him who alone is eternal
and inhabiteth eternity. Eternity encompasses time, but
is in no wise measured or limited thereby. Thus we read, but, beloved,
be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord
as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. For a thousand
years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and
as a watch in the night. In contrast to that which is
eternal, the psalmist declares, we spend our years as a tale
that is told. Solomon said that which hath
been is now, and that which is to be hath already been, and
God requireth that which is past. Such thoughts leave us speechless.
and we must put our hands upon our mouth and be silent in all
before him, who orders time to march along according to the
dictates of his own will, as he would demonstrate his unfailing
purpose to his creation. As limited as our philosophy
of time might be, we find great consolation in the confession
of the psalmist who said, Thou art my God, my times are in thy
hand. My help cometh from the Lord,
which made heaven and earth. The Lord shall preserve thy going
out and thy coming in, from this time forth, and even for evermore. It is pleased the Lord to give
His children the privilege of seeing His salvation manifested
in the record of years, times, and seasons which He has appointed
to come to pass, and be able to enjoy it in the present time
of their own existence. Thus we see that there are no
insignificant times, but that all times are a set time ordained
by Him according to the good pleasure of His will. While time
itself has no bearing upon God, yet time is a precious commodity
which the sons of God are taught to value highly. So teach us
to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
This world is passing from us and us from the world in a very
rapid fashion. We are reminded throughout the
scriptures that it is appointed unto men once to die, but after
this the judgment. Paul exhorts the sons of God
to walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming
the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise,
but understanding what the will of the Lord is. Due diligence
in the use of the fleeting moments we have is to be wise in that
understanding. While it is true that there are
no insignificant times, the Scriptures do speak of a set time. This
set time is for the manifestation of God's work of salvation in
the establishment of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ in the
earth. God hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son,
whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made
the worlds. Behold, now is the accepted time.
Behold, now is the day of salvation. Neither is there salvation in
any other, for there is none other name under heaven given
among men whereby we must be saved. This is that set time
which was spoken prophetically by Isaiah, as the Lord declared
that he would manifest his redemptive work for that elect bride. In
the fulfilling of that set time, there were other set times which
were ordered to occur in the manifestation of that mediatorial
kingdom. Each of these events was necessary
for the set time spoken of by Isaiah to come to pass. Behold,
I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before
me, and the Lord, whom he seeks, shall suddenly come to his temple.
Even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in, behold, he
shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. Therefore the Lord himself
shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive
and bear a son, and thou shalt call his name Immanuel. For he
shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of a
dry ground. He hath no form nor comeliness,
and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire
him. Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge
of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and
slain. For as Jonas was three days and
three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of Man be three
days and three nights in the heart of the earth. "'All that
the Father giveth me shall come to me, "'and him that cometh
to me I will in no wise cast out. "'And this is the Father's
will which has sent me, "'that of all which he hath given me
I should lose nothing, "'but should raise it up again at the
last day. "'And if I go and prepare a place
for you, "'I will come again and receive you unto myself,
"'that where I am, there ye may be also.'" All of these prophecies
have their fulfillment in Christ, and we are reminded that our
times are in his hands. If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.