Watchman Radio Hour

David Shultz: Welcome to the Watchman Radio Hour. Coming to you from Portland, Oregon, here in the beautiful Northwest. This is David Shultz, your announcer. The Watchman Radio Hour is a production of Watchman Radio Ministries International, an evangelistic ministry reaching out to the peoples of the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. And now here's our speaker, Alex Dodson, to bring you this week's message from God's word.

Alex Dodson: For our scripture reading today, let us turn to Matthew chapter 5, and we'll begin reading in verse 14. Let us hear the word of God. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Our Father in heaven, we do thank you for your word. We thank you for the Bible that you've given to us. We thank you that it's your infallible word and that we can put our full confidence in everything that it says. And now, O Father, as we come to study your word, we pray that you will send forth your Holy Spirit in great convicting power. In Christ's name we pray, amen.

We, as a nation, cannot forsake the vision that our forefathers brought to this land. We can try, we can turn our backs on God, but we will not get away with it. God sends his warning judgments upon us, even if we don't recognize or acknowledge them. Yet he sends his judgment upon us to warn us. Great calamities fall on a nation that rejects its God.

We think we can get away with rejecting the God of our forefathers. We think we can go our own way and make our own laws and get away from the laws of God. We may think that, but we will not succeed. Our nation sinks in immorality of all kinds, and we think we're doing okay. We don't really need God. This kind of thinking and this path will lead to destruction. We must wake up and turn back and recapture the vision of our forefathers.

Our text for today is Matthew chapter 5 and verses 14 through 16, which I'll read again: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Our forefathers had a definite vision for the nation. But today, we've lost that vision. We've turned away from the hearts of our fathers, and we've sought out another way. Our hearts are far from God as a people, and we need to repent. Let us see, in the first place, that Christians are to be the light to the world. We're to let our light shine. As a city on a hill, as a light on a lampstand, we're not to hide that light. We are to let it shine that God may be glorified.

John A. Broadus wrote, "Here, Christians are the light of the world, the source of spiritual light to it. As the sun is a natural light, they are the light by means of which the world, the mass of mankind, may see the things of religion, may see the truth about God and his sense. Anything that gives light will be observed, and Christians as being the light of the world cannot escape observation if they would."

Broadus goes on to write, "A city that is set on a hill or mountain cannot be hid. Being thus seen distinctly on all sides and from a distance, the thought plainly is that Christians occupy of necessity a conspicuous position and must be seen." And Matthew Henry puts it, writes this way: "As the lights of the world, they are illustrious and conspicuous and have many eyes upon them. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid."

He goes on to write, "The churches are the candlesticks, the golden candlesticks in which these lights are placed, that their lights may be diffused. And the gospel is so strong a light and carries it with it so much of its own evidence that, like a city on a hill, it cannot be hid. It cannot but appear to be from God to all those who do not willfully shut their eyes against it. It will give light to all that are in the house, to all that will draw near to it and come where it is."

And Martin Lloyd-Jones writes, "We are to be like a city that is set on a hill, and a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. In other words, if we are truly Christian, we cannot be hid. Put in a different way, the contrast between us and others is something which is to be quite self-evident and perfectly obvious. But our Lord does not leave it at that. He presses it still further. He asks us, in effect, to imagine a man lighting a light and then putting it under a bushel instead of putting it on a candlestick."

Now, in the past, commentators have spent a good deal of their time in defining what is meant by a bushel, sometimes with amusing results. To me, the important thing is that it covers the light, and it does not matter very much what it is as long as it does that. What our Lord is saying is that it is a ridiculous and contradictory procedure. The whole purpose of lighting a light is that it may give light. And for a foolish man to cover it with something which prevents that quality from manifesting itself is, we are all agreed, utterly ridiculous.

Yes, but remember that our Lord is speaking about us. There is obviously a danger, or at least a temptation, that the Christian may behave in this completely ridiculous and futile manner. And that is why he emphasizes the matter in this way. He seems to be saying, "I have made you something that is meant to be like a light, like a city set upon a hill which cannot be hid. Are you deliberately concealing it? Well, if you are, apart from anything else, it's something which is completely ridiculous and foolish."

And then he goes on to write, "The true Christian cannot be hid. He cannot escape notice. A man truly living and functioning as a Christian will stand out. The true Christian does not even desire to hide his light. The next time I find myself with any sort of tendency to cover over the fact that I am a Christian, in order maybe to ingratiate myself with somebody else or to avoid persecution, I am just to think of the man lighting his candle and then covering it with a bushel."

And then let us see that our good works shine before men. We let our light shine when we live a godly life. Men will see it, and they will glorify God. It's not that we do this to show off. We do it as we live the Christian life before God. And when we do that, men cannot help but see it. John Broadus says, "As the lamp which is not hidden but set on the stand shines for all that are in the house, so let your light shine before men in order that they may see."

And then he writes, "The passage teaches us to desire and design that men may see, because thus the higher object will be secured: the glorifying of God." And then he says, "Ostentation of good works, which Jesus afterwards so severely condemns, would be flaunting the lamp at the door instead of simply setting it on its appropriate stand."

David Brown says this: "A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Nor can it be supposed to have been so built except to be seen by many eyes. Neither do men light a candle or lamp and put it under a bushel or a dry measure, but on a candlestick. Rather, under the bushel but on the lampstand. The article is inserted in both cases to express the familiarity of everyone with those household utensils. And it giveth light, shineth, unto all that are in the house."

"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. As nobody lights a lamp only to cover it up but places it so conspicuously as to give light to all who need light, so Christians, being the light of the world, instead of hiding their light, are so to hold it forth before men that they may see what a life the disciples of Christ lead, and seeing this, may glorify their Father for so redeeming, transforming, and ennobling earth's sinful children and opening to themselves the way to like redemption and transformation."

John Calvin says this: "He subjoins two comparisons. A city placed on a mountain cannot be concealed, and a candle, when it has been lighted, is not usually concealed. This means that they ought to live in such a manner as if the eyes of all were upon them. And certainly the more eminent a person is, the more injury he does by a bad example if he acts improperly."

"Christ therefore informs the apostles that they must be more careful to live a devout and holy life than unknown persons of the common rank, because the eyes of all are directed to them as to lighted candles, and that they must not be endured if their devotion and uprightness of conduct do not correspond to the doctrine of which they are ministers."

As we live our lives for Christ, the world will see. We don't have to show off or flaunt ourselves. All we have to do is to live in the presence of God and our lives will shine. Let us see, in the second place, that our Christian forefathers planted a nation here to be a light to the world. They came to these shores to make a beachhead for the kingdom of God. Their purpose for coming to America was not totally secular as some historians might make us believe today. They came with a higher purpose. They came to advance the kingdom of God.

The Pilgrims who came in 1620 came for a Christian purpose. William Bradford wrote in 1650: "Of these hundred or so of persons who came over first, more than half died the first general sickness. Of those that remained, some were too old to have children. Nevertheless, in those 30 years, there have sprung up from that stock over 160 persons, now living in this year 1650. And of the old stock itself, nearly 30 persons still survive. Let the Lord have the praise, who is the high preserver of men."

These Pilgrims came over on the Mayflower to establish a settlement in America. The leadership and driving force of this group of Pilgrims were Christians. They were from a specific church that began in England, had gone to Holland because of persecution, and then a body of them came to America. Before stepping on shore, they drew up what is now called the Mayflower Compact. In that document, they stated their purpose for coming to these shores.

Among other things, they said, "Having undertaken for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia." They had undertaken their voyage to America for the glory of God, not for the glory of man. They also came here specifically to advance the kingdom of God.

This can be even more clearly seen in the Constitution of the New England Confederation, formed in 1643, consisting of New Plymouth, New Haven, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. The opening words state their purpose for coming to America in these words: "Whereas we all came to these parts of America with one and the same end and aim, namely, to advance the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ and to enjoy the liberties of the gospel thereof with purities and peace, and for preserving and propagating the truth and liberties of the gospel." These early settlers came to these shores to begin a civilization based on the teachings of the Bible with God as their king. They came to advance the kingdom of God.

They were a Christian people. They saw a vision of establishing a new nation based upon godly principles, a nation that would acknowledge God above all and live for his glory. They came to spread righteousness in the land. They sought first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and their vision was for a nation and a people who would honor God in their lives.

And then let us see that they came to begin a nation that would shine its light to the world and to posterity. They came to shine forth the light of righteousness, Christian righteousness. This can be seen in the writings of those first people who came across. John Winthrop was the founder in 1630 and first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, being elected 12 consecutive times. He was a successful lawyer and a strong Puritan leader.

Oliver Cromwell pleaded with him to join the revolution in England, but John Winthrop declined the offer, deciding rather to leave England for religious freedom. In 1630, John Winthrop landed in Massachusetts Bay with 700 people and 11 ships, beginning a migration that lasted 16 years, in which more than 20,000 Puritans came to New England. These were a Christian people coming to a new land to live the Christian life in freedom.

At about the time of the beginning of this migration, John Winthrop wrote "A Model of Christian Charity," which was essentially a statement of their covenant with God to begin their voyage and settlement in a new land. Among other things, Winthrop wrote this: "We are a company professing ourselves fellow members of Christ, and thus we ought to account ourselves knit together by this bond of love."

"For the work we have in hand, it is by mutual consent through a special overruling providence and a more than an ordinary approbation of the churches of Christ to seek out a place of cohabitation and censorship under a due form of government, both civil and ecclesiastical. Thus stands the cause between God and us. We are entered into covenant with him for this work. We have taken out a commission. The Lord hath given us leave to draw our own articles. If the Lord shall please to hear us and bring us in peace to the place we desire, then hath he ratified this covenant and sealed our commission and will expect a strict performance of the articles."

"Now, the only way to avoid shipwreck and to provide for our posterity is to follow the counsel of Micah: to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God. For this end, we must be knit together in this work as one man." And then Winthrop goes on to show their goals to live righteously and honorably before God and each other.

He wrote, "We must hold a familiar commerce together in each other in all meekness, gentleness, patience, and liberality. We must delight in each other, make one another's condition our own, rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in this work as members of the same body. So shall we keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace."

And then Winthrop writes how the world and the people of the future will look upon them and their work. He says, "We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies, when he shall make us a praise and glory that men of succeeding plantation shall say, 'The Lord make it like that of New England.'" Next, Winthrop points out that all will be looking at them, and the example they will make in this new land as a group of Christian settlers.

And he also issues a warning. He writes, "For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us, so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword through the world." Winthrop set the tone for the future of the nation. If the people were faithful to their God in this covenant, they would be a righteous example for all to look upon and praise God.

However, if they were unfaithful to their God, then God would withdraw his blessing and the world would look down upon them. And surely this not only applied to Winthrop's generation, but even unto us today as their descendants. If we remain faithful to our God, God's blessings will be upon us. But if we forsake him, his blessings will be withdrawn, and we will be looked down upon by the world.

William Bradford, the Pilgrim, saw their settlement also as a light for the rest of the nation to see, and he wrote: "Thus out of small beginnings, greater things have grown by his hand, who made all things out of nothing and gives being to all things that are. And as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light enkindled here has shone to many, yea, in a sense to our whole nation. Let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise." Our forefathers were shining lights, and we need to look back on that light and learn from it.

And then let us see, in the third place, recapturing the vision of our forefathers, recognizing our need for repentance. We need to recognize God's judgment upon us and humble ourselves before him. We have not carried on the light of our forefathers. Rather, we as a nation have rejected that light. We are turning away from God and his moral law, and we need to repent as a people.

In Isaiah 66:2 it says, "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." Today, we need a people who will humble themselves before God, be sorry for their sins, and tremble at his word. Only a national spiritual revival will bring such a thing to pass, and it's for this that we must pray.

And then recapturing the hearts of our fathers. In Luke 1:17 it says of John the Baptist, "And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children." This can be understood as the hearts of the fathers being given to the children. That's what we need today. We need to recapture the hearts of our fathers. We need to recapture their vision for this nation. It was a godly vision, and we've lost it, but it's not too late to catch that vision again.

John Winthrop wrote, "I will ever walk humbly before my God, and meekly, mildly, and gently towards all men. To give myself, my life, my wits, my health, my wealth, to the service of my God and Savior. Teach me, O Lord, to put my trust in thee. Then shall I be like Mount Zion that cannot be moved." Let us then humble ourselves before our God and give ourselves to him anew and afresh.

William Bradford wrote of the Pilgrims as they landed in America, having found a good haven and being brought safely inside of land: "They fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven, who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean and delivered them from all the perils and miseries of it, again to set their feet upon the firm and stable earth, their proper element."

And then Bradford went on to write, "What then could now sustain them but the spirit of God and his grace? Ought not the children of their fathers rightly to say, 'Our fathers were Englishmen who came over the great ocean and were ready to perish in this wilderness. But they cried unto the Lord, and he heard their voice and looked on their adversity. Let them therefore praise the Lord, because he is good and his mercy endures forever.'"

Our forefathers honored God, and he blessed them. Today, we need to return to the hearts of our fathers and honor their God once again. And when we do that as a people, we will be blessed. Today, where are you? Where is your heart? Do you know God? Are you living for him? Maybe you've been living in rebellion against him and have not acknowledged him as you should have. Then you need to repent at once and turn to Jesus Christ and receive him as your Lord and your Savior. That's a beginning. And by so doing, you will be recapturing the hearts of our fathers, for they also knew the Lord and followed him.

Our Father in heaven, we thank you for our forefathers who were shining lights in this world, who acknowledged you and followed you and sought you. And yet, O Lord, today our nation has turned our backs on you, has turned against you. But, O Lord, I pray that you will restore the hearts of the fathers to the children.

I pray, O Lord, that you would restore the hearts of the fathers to their descendants who live here today in this land, this land that they came to so many years ago to make a beachhead for the kingdom of God. Now this nation is rejecting you, it seems. But we pray, O Lord, that things will turn around. We pray that your mercy will be upon us and that you will send another great awakening, that you will send another great revival to this land to wake people up, to turn them from their sin and to turn them back to you. We ask for this and we pray for this. In Christ's name we pray, amen.

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David Shultz: We hope this week's broadcast has been a blessing to you. If you have any questions about Mr. Dodson's message, please write us. You may email us at info@watchmanradio.org. Our mailing address is Watchman Radio Ministries International, Post Office Box 13251, Portland, Oregon, 97213. That's Watchman Radio Ministries International, Post Office Box 13251, Portland, Oregon, 97213.

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For David Shultz and Alex Dodson, we thank you for listening, and we hope you'll join us again next week at this same time. Until then, may God richly bless you.