Watchman Radio Hour

David Shuldt: Welcome to the Watchman Radio hour. Coming to you from Portland, Oregon, here in the beautiful Northwest. This is David Shuldt, 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: God has a plan for Israel. Romans 11 clearly tells us that one day there's going to be a great conversion of the Jews to Christ. They will come to Christ as a people. And Israel will become a Christian nation. We believe that. And we're looking forward to that, and we are praying for that. Now some say the temple will be rebuilt. Some even say that the sacrifices will be reestablished as memorials to the cross. However, this is not what Isaiah prophesied. There's no need for a rebuilt temple or reestablishment of sacrifices. Jesus Christ is the ultimate sacrifice, and he fulfilled all the Old Testament sacrifices.

His sacrifice was once and for all time final. In Hebrews 10 11 through 14 it says day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties again and again. He offers the same sacrifices which can never take away sins, but when this priest talking about Christ had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. And since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he is made perfect forever those who are being made holy. In 70 AD the temple was destroyed and it's never been rebuilt.

There's no need to rebuild it. A new temple is already in progress, and it will cover the whole world. It is the temple of Jesus Christ, and its worshippers are worldwide. No longer do people have to go to Jerusalem to worship God. They can worship him anywhere in the world. It is the church of Jesus Christ that is the new temple, and it is worldwide. Jesus told the woman at the well that this would be the case. In John 4 verse 21 says Jesus declared to the woman, believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. And but yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship him in spirit and in truth. No longer do we need to go to a mountain in Samaria or to a mountain in Jerusalem to worship God. A new temple has been established, and it is worldwide. Anywhere in the world people can worship God.

Wherever the church is in the world there is the temple of God. Isaiah was prophesying about a worldwide temple, and our text for today is Isaiah 56 and verses three through eight. Let us hear the word of God. Lone Let no foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, The Lord will surely exclude me from his people. And let not any eunuch complain, I am only a dry tree. For this is what the Lord says to the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and holds fast to my covenant, to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters.

I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off. And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve him, to love the name of the Lord and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant, these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. The sovereign Lord declares, he who gathers the exiles of Israel, I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered.

Our Father in heaven, we thank you for the Bible that you have 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. Now, oh Father, as we come to study your word today, we pray that you would send forth your holy spirit in great power. And we ask these things in Christ's name. Amen. The Lord will establish a worldwide temple. This is Isaiah's prophecy. Wherever the church of Jesus Christ is in the world there is the temple of God. People wherever there are in the world from whatever nation they come from can worship at that temple.

It is a spiritual temple. It is this temple of Jesus Christ. Let us see in the first place that foreigners and eunuchs will be welcome in the new temple. Again verse three says, Let no foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, The Lord will surely exclude me from his people. And let not any eunuch complain, I'm only a dry tree. For this is what the Lord says to the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and holds fast to my covenant, to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters.

I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off. And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve him, to love the name of the Lord, to worship him, to keep his Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant. In the Old Testament they were excluded from the temple. Eunuchs were not allowed in the temple. Deuteronomy 23:1 says no one has been masculine who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord. John Calvin writes according to the law eunuchs could not be received into the Hebrew nation.

Foreigners could not be citizens of Israel. They could not go into the temple. In Ephesians 2 12 and 13 it says remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. Calvin writes by calling them foreigners and eunuchs he describes under both classes all who appear to be unworthy of being reckoned by God in the number of his people.

The Gentiles were entirely shut out from his kingdom. Paul says you were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel. You were strangers to the covenants of promise. You had no hope and without God in the world. But now by Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been made nigh by the blood of Christ. Calvin writes the prophet addresses persons who were despised and reproached. There were certain people who could not enter the temple in the Old Testament, and they were excluded. But after Christ came things changed. All who follow Christ will be in the new temple.

All who follow the Lord and keep his word will not be excluded from the new temple. They are the ones who keep the Sabbath and are obedient to his word. Calvin again writes with the keeping of the Sabbath he connects obedience and adherence to the covenant. And hence we may readily infer that when he spoke hitherto about the Sabbath he had in view not an idol ceremony, but perfect holiness. Keeping the Sabbath is mentioned again in verse six. Calvin writes, Whosoever should keep my Sabbath. He again mentions the Sabbath, and we have said that under this word is included the whole worship of God.

It's not that we are saved by keeping the Sabbath. It means that if we know the Lord we will want to be obedient to his commands. The Sabbath keeping is an indication of obedience and devotion to the Lord. This held true in the Old Testament and still does today. No one will be excluded from this new temple for being a eunuch or a foreigner. Ed Young writes, no personal disabilities will exclude one from God's kingdom. All who follow Christ will be welcome into this new temple. They are the ones who follow and obey the Lord.

Young writes, What is required is the same thing that is required of all who would come to God, a heart of obedience. And commenting on verse five Young writes, the words house and walls have the same significance as house in Psalm 23:6 namely, they refer to the household or family of God. The thought is that what the eunuch receives from God is better than what sons and daughters could give. The new temple is God's church. It's God's household. And wherever the church is there is the temple of God. In Ephesians 2:19 it says, Consequently you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God 's household built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself is the chief cornerstone.

In him this whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his spirit. It's a spiritual temple. The old temple is gone forever. The new temple is gone. Come and be a part of that new temple. Come to Christ and know him. All who do are part of God's new temple. The new temple will be for all nations. All nations, all peoples it says in verse seven. These I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.

Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar. For my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. The temple will be greatly expanded. It will be worldwide. Calvin writes, The Lord now admits without distinction those whom he previously forbade. And indeed he sets aside this distinction when we who were the children of strangers were brought by him into the temple. That is into his church, which is not confined as formerly within those narrow limits of Judea, but is extended through the whole world. And he goes on to write thus by an extraordinary privilege such as the rest of the nations were not permitted to enjoy.

A temple was built among them, but now the distinction has been removed. This temple has been enlarged to such a decree degree that it extends to every part of the whole world. For all nations have been called to to the worship of God. And the Grace and Truth Study Bible says the church becomes the house of prayer, fulfilling the role of the Jerusalem temple. The multinational body of Christ consists of those who are bound to the Lord. The New Testament describes the church as God's household, God's building, God's temple. 1 Timothy 3:15 says, If I am delayed you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

This worldwide temple will have spiritual sacrifices. In John 4:21 Jesus declared to the woman at the well, Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. For they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth.

No need to go to Jerusalem to worship God and offer sacrifices. God will be worshiped anywhere and everywhere to offer yourselves in view of God's mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual worship. In Hebrews 13:15 it says through Jesus therefore let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Malachi 1:11 it says, My name will be great among the nations from the rising to the setting of the sun in every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name because my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord Almighty.

Calvin writes, Their burnt offerings and sacrifices shall be acceptable by the word sacrifices he means such spiritual worship of God as is enjoined in the gospel, for the prophet spoke in accordance with what was customary in his time. When the worship of God was wrapped up in a variety of ceremonies, but now instead of sacrifices we offer to God praises, thanksgivings, good works, and finally ourselves. Matthew Pool Matthew Pool wrote to signify that in the New Testament when the Gentiles should be called all other sacrifices should cease, except that a prayer and such like spiritual services, which also is confirmed from the nature of the thing for saying sacrifices were confined to the temple at Jerusalem, and it was impossible that all nations should resort thither to offer up Levitical sacrifices such time and manner as God appointed.

It was necessary upon supposition of the general conversion of the Gentiles that that way of worship should be abolished in such a way prescribed as they were capable of practicing. All kinds of people from all over the world will come to this worldwide temple to worship the Lord with spiritual sacrifices. A mountain of the Lord this mountain of the Lord will cover the whole earth. People from all nations will come to God's holy mountain. Matthew Henry writes, The church is God's holy hill on which he has set his king. And in bringing them to Zion's hill he brings them to be subjects to Zion's king as well as worshippers in Zion's holy mount holy temple.

In the New Testament the church becomes the holy mountain. Matthew Pool writes to my holy mountain former the Gentiles neither had any desire to come thither nor were were admitted there. But now I will incline their hearts to come and I will give them admission and free liberty to come into my church. Oswald writes reminding us that the redeemed servants of the Lord have a mission to draw all the world to the holy mountain. The Grace and Truth Study Bible says the church becomes the house of prayer, fulfilling the role of the Jerusalem temple. In Isaiah 2 2 and 3 it says this, In the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains.

It will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths. The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. In Zechariah chapter eight and verse 20 it says, This is what the Lord Almighty says, Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, and the inhabitants from one city will go to another and say, Let us go at once to entreat the Lord and seek the Lord Almighty.

I myself am going, and many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him. This is what the Lord Almighty says, In those days 10 men from all languages and nations will take hold of one Jew by the edge of his robe and say, Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you. This passage refers to a worldwide temple to which people will come. People from all over the world will come to worship the Lord. And this will happen in the gospel age, and it's the church he's talking about.

The Messiah will come and he will rule all over the world in the hearts of the people. In Zechariah 9 9 and 10 it says, Rejoice greatly, oh daughter of Zion. Shout, daughter of Jerusalem. See, your king comes to you, righteous donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war horses from Jerusalem. And the battle bow will be broken, and he will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the earth. Now Jesus came and he fulfilled this prophecy. Not only did he ride into Jerusalem on a foal of a donkey just as it says, but he but he sent forth the once he ascended into heaven he sent forth the gospel into all the world and will rule in the hearts of all who receive him.

And he is ruling right now from heaven, and he's sending forth the gospel, and his rule will increase. God's holy mountain will cover the whole earth. People everywhere will know the Lord. For it says in Isaiah 11 9, They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Do you know the Lord? Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you come to him? We invite you to come to him now. Let us see in the third place that a great gathering will come.

Verse eight says the sovereign Lord declares, He who gathers the exiles of Israel I will gather still others to them or to him besides those already gathered. The gathering has already begun. Not only would the Jews return from the exile, but in the future many others from all over the world would come to know the Lord. And speaking of the Messiah, Isaiah 49:6 says he says, It is too small a thing that you for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.

And Jesus himself said in John 10 16, I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also, and they too will listen to my voice. And there shall be one flock and one shepherd. Not only would the Jews come to Christ, but many others from all over the world would come to him. A great gathering would come. Calvin writes to gather the outcast of Israel. Thus he promises that he will assemble them, but not them only, but that he will add to them various peoples that the church may be very numerously increased and multiplied.

More gathering will come. God's vision for the future is a worldwide revival. In Isaiah 45:22 it says, Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked. Before me every knee will bow, and by me every tongue will swear. All the ends of the earth will come to me. Calvin writes still more, Will I gather upon him his gather? For he appears to me to have in view what he said in the former verse that the temple would be open to all peoples.

And he means that he will yet add many others to the Jews who have been gathered. Philippians 2 9 and 11 talking about Christ says therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every name every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. That's God's vision, that every tongue will confess Christ. The mission of Jesus is an all-encompassing mission to reach the whole world with the gospel and to bring all peoples.

Zephaniah 3 9 and 10 says, Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder. From the rivers of Cush my worshippers, my scattered peoples will bring me offerings. That means from all over the world people will bring him offerings. Matthew Henry writes, though some of the Gentiles have come over now and then into the church, that shall not serve as some may think to answer the extent of those these promises. No, there's still more and more to be brought in.

I will gather others to him besides these. These are but the first fruits in comparison with the harvest that shall be gathered for Christ in the nations of the earth. When the fullness of the Gentiles shall come in. There's more yet to come. God is building his temple, and it is not full yet. But what about you today? Do you know Christ? Is he your Lord? Is he your savior? Have you come to the foot of the cross and receive forgiveness now to come to Christ and receive him as your Lord and savior? Pray with me this prayer of commitment.

Dear Lord Jesus, I confess that I have sinned in your sight. And I come to the foot of the cross now, and I receive your forgiveness. I know that you died on the cross and shed your blood for my sins. And I come now to receive you, and I accept you as my savior. And I will serve you as my Lord. Oh Father in heaven, we pray for those who prayed this prayer today, that you will anoint them with your spirit, enable them to follow you as their Lord. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

David Shuldt: We hope this week's podcast 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. You may listen to this broadcast at any time on the internet at www.oneplace.com. In the list of ministries just select the Watchman Radio hour. This week's program and previous programs are always available there for listening. Our web address is www.watchmanradio.org. That's w a t c h m e n radio.org.

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