Watchman Radio Hour

Announcer: Welcome to the Watchman Radio Hour, coming to you from Portland, Oregon, here in the beautiful Northwest. This is David Scholty, 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: The Jewish people had been taken into captivity to Babylon. The temple and city of Jerusalem had been destroyed, yet God promised that one day they would return to their homeland. He promised that their exile would last 70 years. We read in the book of Jeremiah chapter 25, verse 11 and 12, it says, "This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the King of Babylon 70 years.

"But when the 70 years are fulfilled, I will punish the King of Babylon and his nation. The land of the Babylonians for their guilt, declares the Lord, and will make it desolate forever. I will bring upon that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations." And then in Jeremiah 29, 10 through 14, it says, "This is what the Lord says, when 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. And then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. And I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back to this place from which I carried you into exile."

And then in Daniel 9, one and two, it says, "In the first year of Darius, son of Xerxes, a Mede by descent, who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom. In the first year of his reign, I Daniel understood from the scriptures, according to the word of the Lord, given to Jeremiah the prophet that the desolation of Jerusalem would last 70 years." God raised up Cyrus to deliver the Jewish people and send them back to their homeland. Darius was either another name for Cyrus or a co-ruler with Cyrus.

And Ezra one, one through four, it says, "In the first year of Cyrus, King of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord, spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus, King of Persia, to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing. And this is what Cyrus, King of Persia, says, 'The Lord, the God of Heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.

"'Anyone of his people among you may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord and the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. And the people of any place where survivors may now be living are to provide him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.'" That day would come. They would go back to their homeland and rebuild the city and rebuild the temple.

And Isaiah 55, 12 and 13, which is our text for today, it says, "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace. The mountains and hills will be burst into song before you. And all the trees of the field will clap their hands instead of the thorn bush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briars the Myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord's renown for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed."

God's people will be delivered. Our Father in Heaven, we thank you for the Bible that you have given to us. We thank you that it is your infallible word and that we can put our full confidence in everything it says. And now, oh Father, as we come to study your word today, we pray that you will send forth your Holy Spirit in great power and open our hearts to your word. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.

God's people would be delivered. God does deliver his people. The fact that he delivered his people in the Old Testament gives us the assurance that he will continue to deliver his people now. God keeps his promises. He will deliver you from your sins and give you eternal life when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. And we invite you to come to him now.

Now let us see in the first place, a glorious deliverance will come. Verses 12 and 13 again says, "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song before you. And all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thorn bush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briars the Myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord's renown for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed."

All nature will rejoice when they go out. Isaiah 45, 23 says, "Sing for joy, oh heavens, for the Lord has done this. Shout aloud, oh earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forest, and all you trees. For the Lord has redeemed Jacob. He displays his glory in Israel." Then Isaiah 49, 13 says, "Shout for joy, oh heavens, rejoice, oh earth, burst into song, oh mountains, for the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones."

It will be a time of great blessing as they return to their homeland. It will be a glorious time. John Calvin wrote, "Instead of the bramble shall come up the fir tree, he still extols the power of God, which would be visible in the restoration of the people. For he shows that the change will be such that they shall have an easy road to return. They will come out rejoicing. Better times will be ahead. They will be delivered."

Now God sends revivals in such a way, nations fall into sin, they get away from God. Yet God does not forsake them. God sends judgment on nations, yet if they repent and turn to him, better times will come. Our own nation has fallen into great sins. We need to be mourning over our sins. We need to look up to God to send a revival of this nation.

In Isaiah 32, verse 13 and following, it says, "Yes, mourn for all houses of merriment and for this city of revelry. The fortress will be abandoned, the noisy city deserted. Citadel and watch tower will become a wasteland forever. The delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks, 'til the spirit is poured on us from on high. And the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest.

"The Lord's justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the fertile field. The fruit of that righteousness will be peace, its effect will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. And though hail flattens the forest and the city is level completely, how blessed you will be sowing your seed by every stream, and letting your cattle and donkeys range free."

God's judgments are falling on us right now in various ways because of our great sins. Yet if we will only look up to him and mourn over our sins, better times will come. God will pour out his spirit on this land and restore it. And let us pray to that end. Now let us see in the second place that God will keep his promise. He promised to deliver them.

Through Jeremiah, as we read, his promise was that they would be in exile 70 years. And when that time is up, deliverance would come. Isaiah promises that that time will come and they will be delivered, and it would come through Cyrus, the Persian King, and that time did come. It's history. It came and they were delivered. We must believe the promises of God.

Now let us see in the third place that there was set up a memorial for the whole world to see. Verse 13 says, "Instead of the thorn bush will grow the pine tree. Instead of briars the Myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord's renown for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed." An everlasting monument will be set up, set up forever, not a monument that declares that God keeps his promises.

Matthew Poole writes, "It shall be to the Lord for a name. This wonderful change shall bring much honor to that God by whom it is wrought for an everlasting sign, for a monument or evident glorious token of God's infinite power and faithfulness and love to his people unto all succeeding generations that shall not be cut off, which shall never be abolished, but shall always live and flourish in the minds and mouths of men."

Calvin writes, "And shall be to Jehovah for a name. On this account he adds that it shall be a perpetual sign, that is a monument, and as we commonly say, a memorial." A great monument was set up when God delivered his people from exile and brought them back to their homeland. Remember the monument. It assures us that God keeps his promises. God is faithful and will not forsake his people.

There's a declaration that God will deliver his. It's a declaration that God will deliver his people. Geneva Bible note 13, two says, "Of God's deliverance and that he will never forsake his church." God promised, and he delivered. God promises not to forsake his people today. He promised to build his church and protect it.

In Matthew 16, 18, it says, "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it." Satan and all his forces have tried and continued to try to stop the church and the progress of the gospel. He has tried hard, but he will not succeed. God has set up a memorial to show us that God will always deliver his church.

The Reformation shows us that God does not forsake his church. The gospel had almost been lost and the Bible discarded, but God raised up the reformers. Martin Luther, John Calvin, and others to deliver his church, and things did change. The gospel continued in purity, the Bible was proclaimed and continues to be proclaimed because of the Reformation.

Martin Luther in his great hymn writes, "A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing. Our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing. For still our ancient foe does seek to work us woe. His craft and power are great and armed with cruel hate. On earth is not his equal." And then he writes, "Did we in our own strength confide? Our striving would be losing. Were not the right man on our side, the man of God's own choosing, thus ask who that may be?

"Christ Jesus, it is he. Lord Sebaoth his name, from age to age the same. And he must win the battle." And then he writes, "And though this world with devils filled, should threaten to undo us. We will not fear for God has willed his truth to triumph through us. The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him. His rage we can endure for low his doom is sure. One little word shall fail him."

And then he writes, "That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them abideth. The spirit and the gift are ours through him who with us sideth. Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also. The body they may kill, God's truth abideth still. His kingdom is forever."

God will yet preserve his church. His word will not fail. Just as sure as the Jews in the Old Testament church were delivered from Babylon, God will yet preserve and deliver his church. This points ultimately to the Messiah and his deliverance. Matthew Henry writes, "But without doubt it looks further. This shall be for an everlasting sign, that is the redemption of the Jews out of Babylon shall be a ratification of those promises that relate to gospel times."

And Calvin writes, "The prophet begins with a departure from Babylon and includes that whole conditions of the church 'til Christ has manifested to the world." This deliverance from Babylon led to the coming of the Messiah. The Jewish people returned to their homeland, Jerusalem and the temple were rebuilt to await the coming of the Messiah. He came to that city and he came to that temple, that same temple to accomplish our redemption.

And once he came, he died for our sins. The gospel went to the Jews first and then to all the world and continues to go out even to this day. God sends revivals. Just as sure as God delivered the Jews from exile long ago, he still visits his people, he still visits his people in extraordinary ways in times of revival.

William Hetherington in his preface to the book, "The Revival of Religion," stated a definition of revival, "An unusual manifestation of the power of the grace of God in convincing and converting careless sinners, and in quickening and increasing the faith and piety of believers." Revivals bring conversions to the unsaved and revives Christians.

John Bonar in his same book says of a revival, "It meets directly the atheistical spirit of the world. It draws the world's attention and declares there is a God to whom you're responsible." He writes, "There is much atheism which admits the existence of a God. There is even a boasting of a God which denies the only living and true God. But a time of revival meets this deepest atheism and sends it back astonished and confounded to its native darkness.

"It repeats with invincible power the voice which came from glorious Sinai. 'Hear, oh Israel, the Lord our God is one God.' Over every meeting of awakened souls, there's written with the finger of the living God, inflaming letters, 'The Lord is in this place,' and men knew it not. 'How dreadful is this place? This is not other than the house of God.' Arguments will often fail to convince. No form of reason is so conclusive that a form of reason may not be found to oppose it.

"But let the proud reasoner who would deny the soul and dispute God out of this world, come into the midst of those who are dealing directly with this God. Let him mingle with that deep solemn and impressed company who now feel that the favor of this God is life, and his wrath worse than death. Let him mingle with those who joy in God through Jesus Christ, and he will know better than by a thousand arguments that verily there is a God.

"Yea, that it is no vain thing to draw near to him. And so falling down will confess that God is in the midst of his people of a truth." When the word of God comes in power, even the so-called atheist will pay attention and be convinced. First Corinthians 14, 24 and 25 says, "But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare.

"So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, 'God is really among you.'" Bonar also talks about unbelief among a people, and how true revival indicates eradicates unbelief and brings it to an end. He writes, "A revival of true religion meets the infidelity which lurks so deeply and spreads with such deadly power in a time of decay. Nothing tends so much to produce and confirm such infidelity as the inconsistent lives of professed Christians.

"These live so much as if they did not believe the truth of the Christianity they profess, that those who wish it to be untrue can and do with the most unhappy success, quote their lives as an answer to their profession, and a denial of their principles. The best way to meet such infidelity therefore is to show that wherever Christianity is understood and felt, it is a living and a sanctifying principle."

And then he goes on to say, "It does not do what it ought to do," says the careless unbeliever. "Even in those who profess it." And goes away as if he had advanced an invincible argument against the truth of Christianity. There are many ways of answering such a caviler, but without going farther, his cavil is forever put to shame when Christianity does accomplish what it professes.

When it reaches the soul, when it writes it with a holy love of God, when it calls to new joys and hopes in Christ, and when it raises it above the gross and groveling pleasures where once it sought and found its delight. They say, "No soul." As the rejecter of the gospel would argue, "The best answer to this is a company of fellow creatures deeply concerned for the salvation of their immortal souls. Feeling the body and time to be nothing, the soul and eternity to be all."

They say, "No Christ." The best answer to this is a multitude of fellow sinners seeking Christ. None able to rest 'til they find him, and when they have found him rejoicing in him as the pearl of great price, for which they have willingly sold all. And then they say, "No reality in things divine." The best answer to this is just a multitude of rational and intelligent beings under the deep and lively impression of divine things, feeling that these realities all else condemn, shadowy and passing.

Or if our churches and meetings were filled with such worshipers, infidelity would hide her head ashamed. It would not dare to degrade rational, responsible, and mortal man to the rank of beasts that perish. God promises to send revivals. We must believe his promises. We must call on him to pour out his spirit in great power in our generation.

Again in Isaiah 32, verse 13 through 15 in the Geneva Bible, it says, "Upon the land of my people shall grow thorns and briars. Yet upon all the houses of joy in the city rejoicing, because the palace shall be forsaken, and the noise of the city shall be left. The tower and fortress shall be dens forever, and the delight of wild asses and a pasture for flocks until the spirit be poured upon us from above, and the wilderness become a fruitful field, and the plenteous field be counted as a forest." But what about you?