Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. Every blade of grass, every grain
of sand, and every creature under the sun exists solely to fulfill
the purpose of the Sovereign God who created them out of nothing.
Just as surely as the orbits of the planets about the sun
are marked out with precision, and the bounds of the sea are
set so that it cannot pass, so too is every event under the
sun, ordered to occur in its timely fashion, fulfill that
exact same purpose. Thus we read the words of the
Lord Jesus, For the poor always ye have with you, but me ye have
not always. He has ordained that in every
age there should be men who are lacking in the riches of this
world, and has chosen them to represent the inhabitants of
His kingdom. Each time we see those who are
begging for bread, unwashed and unkempt, in debt, with no means
to pay their obligations, we should be reminded that the inhabitants
of Zion are likened unto them. Hath not God chosen the poor
of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which
He hath promised to them that love Him? The poor are seldom
truly pitied, and quite often despised by those who have an
abundance of this world's goods. They are looked upon as slackers
and irresponsible by those who are convinced that they have
gained their own good fortune by their own effort, education,
and tugging of their bootstraps, rather than the favor of God
who creates one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor as
it hath pleased Him. In this they are much like those
Jews whom Paul says, for they being ignorant of God's righteousness
and going about to establish their own righteousness, have
not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. The
Lord would demonstrate that the way into the kingdom of heaven
is not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according
to His mercy He saved us. In keeping with this very principle,
the Lord declared, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent,
and hast revealed them unto babes. The sons of God are like unto
the poor because they are without power. When we were yet without
strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely
for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good
man some would even dare to die. But God commended His love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
The sons of God are likened to the poor because they have no
one, apart from the Lord, who truly pities their plight or
who will be their advocate. My little children, these things
write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have
an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. They
are like unto the poor, because they have nothing with which
to pay their enormous debt. For the wages of sin is death.
The sons of God are likened to the poor because they cannot
make provision for themselves. Thus the Lord says, I will satisfy
her poor with bread. This is a promise which is totally
without conditions. It is the Lord's purpose to provide
everything that the sons of God stand in need of. To this end
He has ordered all things to occur in the earth for their
benefit and does so provide them with His abundant grace. The
question might be asked, why are the rich not mentioned here?
The reason is that there are no rich men in the kingdom of
heaven. This is a kingdom which is specifically given to the
destitute. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. These are those who know that
they have nothing wherewith to pay that which they owe, seeing
a mountain of debt which overwhelms them and leaves them in a hopeless
condition. This is not a kingdom for those who find themselves
to be faithful or those who have overcome their sin or are able
to perform deeds of righteousness. This is not a kingdom for those
who expect to recount their triumphs before the Lord and bask in their
victories. This is a kingdom for the outcasts
and failures of the world and not its model citizens. As the
Lord said to the Pharisees, Verily I say unto you that the publicans
and harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. This kingdom
which the Lord Jesus describes is not prepared for those who
are in possession of anything which would fit them for its
citizenship or give them reason to boast in themselves. The Lord
has designed this world for the purpose of manifesting the glory
of His grace in the redemption of sinners through the blood
sacrifice of His only begotten Son. He has come into the world
to seek and to save that which is lost. Something cannot be
lost unless one has ownership of it. So too has the Lord declared
His intention to redeem that people which He has loved with
an everlasting love, saving them from sure destruction. To this
end, He has declared His intention to seek them out and to provide
everything which they might need to bring them out of darkness
and into the light. The promises of God are yea and
amen. He is ever faithful to His own. If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at 4the4 at windstream dot net.