May the Lord be pleased to bless
us together this evening as we meditate in His word. Let's turn
to the prophecy of Jeremiah, chapter 33, and we'll read verses
10 and 11. The prophecy of Jeremiah, chapter
33, and reading verses 10 and 11. Thus saith the Lord. Again, there shall be heard in
this place which ye say shall be desolate without man and without
beast, even in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem
that are desolate without man and without inhabitant and without
beast, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice
of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. The voice of them
that shall say, praise the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good,
for His mercy endureth forever. And of them that shall bring
the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord, for I
will cause to return the captivity of the land as at the first saith
the Lord. These words of Jeremiah must
have been so encouraging to Judah and Israel. The Lord had already
years ago told them that they would return. They would go into
captivity. They would spend 70 years there,
but they would return. But now they were in the midst
of this situation. No doubt their sight was blinded
and they'd forgotten. And God, in His amazing love,
sent Jeremiah to prophesy such a word to remind Judah and Israel
of those things which had been spoken and to inform them that
they would come to pass. Now, perhaps we can imagine that
here were these people in Babylon And it was many miles away from
Jerusalem where they'd been. In actual fact, it was probably
about 900 miles and probably about four months to get from
Babylon to Jerusalem. And you can find that out by
Ezra when he journeyed from Babylon to Jerusalem. So it's no short
journey. And it's not surprising, therefore,
that there were these people captive in Babylon and perhaps
had virtually given up any hope of being ever found back in their
own land and blessed with the ability to worship in the way
that they had been used to. And therefore, the Lord, in His
wonderful mercy, sent Jeremiah to encourage them. They didn't
deserve it. They turn their back upon God
and walk contrary to his ways. They please themselves. My friends,
we're no better today. We walk contrary to God. We please
ourselves. We do our own thing. How condescending
that God should look upon us. How condescending that God should
look upon Judah and Israel at this time. And therefore, the
word comes very clearly. Thus saith the Lord. Thus saith
the Lord. And if the Lord speaks to you
and me in this way, thus saith the Lord, it does come from God. It's not the word of man. It
comes from God. And what does He tell them? He
tells them this. Again. Again. Once more. that shall be heard in this place
which ye say shall be desolate without man and without beast
even the cities of Judah and Jerusalem you see he's reminding
them that they're saying that these places are desolate and
there's no hope that are desolate without man and without inhabitant
and without beast now he's telling them that's what they're saying
but then what is the Lord saying? thus saith the Lord the voice
of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and
the voice of the bride. The voice of them that shall
say, Praise the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for his
mercy endureth for ever. And of them that shall bring
the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord, for I
will cause to return the captivity of the land as at the first saith
the Lord. that was the word of God by Jeremiah
to Judah and to Israel in their time of captivity when they were
downhearted and as we know they hung their harps on the willows
and they weren't able to sing the songs of Zion, understandably
so, but the Lord graciously had not forgotten them. You think
of that, the Lord hasn't forgotten us. That's very humbling, isn't
it? Very humbling to think the Lord
hasn't turned away from us. He hasn't said, well, you must
get on with it. You brought yourself in this
situation. You walk contrary to me and I'm walking contrary
to you. We have a God who is very different from us, a God
who is so kind, a God who is so gracious. And why does he
do these things? for his great name's sake. So
that his name may be lifted up and honored and glorified. Naturally
speaking to Judah and Israel to return all those many, many
miles across that difficult terrain and come again to Jerusalem would
have appeared virtually an impossibility. The things which are impossible
with man are possible with God. Faith laughs at impossibilities
and says it shall be done. Now bless God that here was Jeremiah,
a man of faith, a man commanded by God to declare his message,
the Lord's message in the Lord's message. And my friends, as you
read through the prophecy of Jeremiah, you will know that
it wasn't all plain sailing and it wasn't all easy. In actual
fact, there were many hard things that Jeremiah had to speak to
the people, but there were also some good things that he was
commanded to speak to the people. It's good also today when we
realize and find that maybe those hard things which are spoken,
which we don't really want to receive, But what a blessing
if God gives us grace to receive them so that we come into that
position, just like David was when he was under condemnation
and before Nathan the prophet and the spirit of God spoke through
Nathan the prophet and said, Thou art the man. Don't look
anywhere else. Thou art the man. And isn't it
good when the word of God speaks to our heart? We don't have to
look all round. We know. who the Word of God
is directed at. Thou art the man. Oh, bless God,
when that occurs, because what does it prove? It proves the
Lord is mindful of us. Yes, poor old David had a lot
to learn, didn't he? But it had a wonderfully good
effect upon him. And so it will upon you and me when the Spirit
of God comes and convicts us. David was convicted. Yes, he
thought he hidden his sin. He thought he got away with it.
My friend, you and I can never get away with sin. God always notes it. God always
sees it. And therefore, as David was brought
to that position to then come and to confess his sin. confess
his sin. And we're thankful for the word
of God, which tells us if we confess our sin, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Yes, there is forgiveness with
God. Man, perhaps, would not forgive.
My friends, God forgives. And what a wonderful blessing
that is. And may we know, each one of us, the wonderful favour
then of forgiveness and so to be encouraged tonight. The Lord still speaks and the
Lord still remembers his people in the same way as he remembered
Israel and Judah all those years ago. And they made a conclusion
They'd come to that position and said, again there shall be
heard in this place, etc, etc. And what did they say? They didn't
believe it. But what was to come to pass
and what did come to pass. This is a wonderful thing in
the Word of God. We have so many accounts of God's Word and God's
work coming to pass. Man cannot stop God's Word coming
to pass. They may try and resist it. They may try and stop it. They
may try all their natural efforts, but no one can stand against
the work and the power of Almighty God. Now, may that be an encouragement
to us, because here was this testimony spoken from Jeremiah
to these people to tell them that although they were now far
away and they thought that there would be desolation and there
wouldn't be any change. He tells them this, the wonderful
picture then. What a change. The voice of joy
and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the
voice of the bride. Because when this was written,
when this was spoken, Jerusalem was desolation. The walls were
broken down. The temple had been burned and
destroyed. It was a real place of misery. And yet, you see, here was the
promise of God. It was the faithful God declaring
what he would do and what would come to pass and what a change.
What a change. Joy, the voice of joy. There was no joy at that moment.
It was sorrow and sadness. the prophecy of the Lord spoke
and said there will be the voice of joy and the voice of gladness
and that is so with regards to the true living Church of God
perhaps we may feel in ourselves desolate perhaps we may feel
there's no hope of any building up we may almost have given up
any hope Well, never give up hope. Remember, we worship today
the same God that restored Judah and Israel to Jerusalem and to
the surrounding areas. God was with them. They had a
long journey to make back. But when the time came, as you
may know, The king of Babylon instructed them and encouraged
them and helped them to go back to Jerusalem and to rebuild the
place. It's amazing, isn't it? You see,
the Lord God has the hearts of all men in his hands. And when
the time came, the appointed time to once again visit his
church, once again to build the walls of Jerusalem, then the
Lord appeared. The Lord appeared at the appointed
time, at the prophesied time, the Lord never comes before his
time, but he never comes too late. And so the time came The
time came when Judah and Israel did return. It wasn't an easy
journey. As I've told you already, some
900 miles and some many days of hard tramping across difficult
terrain. And I think we can categorize
that in a spiritual way as to the Church of God in this way. If we walked against the way
of God, and it's easy to do that, and we walked in a wrong way,
and then we may think, well, now I'll change, and I'll alter
my way, and now I'll go back. And you may not find it quite
as easy as you thought. In actual fact, you may find
it quite hard. You might find it very hard. You may not find it's an easy
journey. Because no doubt, Israel, when they were returning. Their
conscience must have smitten them. Realizing that had they
obeyed. The gracious words of the prophets,
they would not have been in that condition. And that makes it
very painful as we endeavor to come back, to return, to realize
how we've offended God. How we've offended God. Now,
it is a blessing when the Holy Spirit shows to us that we have
offended God. And that will change our condition
and change our position. because we won't come back then
with our head held high. We will come back, but our head
will hang down in shame because of the hardness and the rebellion
of our heart. And yet, it'll be like the publican,
you know, the publican was a good man, And he hung down his head and
he smote upon his breast and he said, God, be merciful to
me, a sinner. But, you know, we're told, I tell you, this
man went down to his house justified rather than the other. It's a
good thing when the power of the Holy Spirit brings us before
God because the publican was standing before God to hang down
our head and not come with a proud heart and a a proud way. Yes, we're told, humble yourselves
under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due
time, casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. And that's a wonderful thought,
isn't it? To think that this God, who we have perhaps disdained,
perhaps we've thought little about, Perhaps we've gone against. Perhaps we've spoken against.
Perhaps we've said, I will never follow the Lord. I will never
go this way. And we may think, therefore,
that we've sinned against light and knowledge. Well, Israel were
no different. But God was merciful. And so
to us today, may we be thankful that in the Lord's goodness,
he's recorded details like this in the word of God. You know,
sometimes perhaps we pass over prophecies like Jeremiah and
Ezekiel. Well, it's very foolish to do
so, because although they're not easy to understand, there
are some glorious parts in it which are so encouraging The
Living Church of God. So don't pass over these books,
as I hope you may be found reading through the Bible again. Always
be encouraged to read through the Bible. Never jump over books
and think, well, I'll give that one a miss. My friends read the
Bible. from cover to cover again and
again, you will find it very edifying. You will find it very
profitable. You will find it very instructive.
And to the true church of God, who are spiritually alive and
hungering and thirsting for the things of God, then there's nothing
better than the word of God. And so may we all be blessed
as we read the word of God, be blessed as we read such parts
of God's word as Jeremiah and Ezekiel and therefore have some
gracious anticipation of the Lord's favour toward us. If he
has caused us to look again, look again. Yes, what a mercy
when God gives us grace to look again, And so he did to Israel and Jerusalem. And here was the prospect set
before them. And it was a good prospect. And
it's the same prospect set before the living church of God, the
living church of God. Thus saith the Lord again shall
be heard in this place the voice of joy and the voice of gladness. Well, if the Lord favours your
soul and my soul and brings us into a wealthy place, there will
be the voice of joy and there will be the voice of gladness. Joy because the Lord has not
dealt with us as our sins deserve and gladness because of his amazing
mercy toward us. And because we found that instead
of being left as David was in his life in that horrible pit. We know also the experience that
David tells us. I waited patiently for the Lord
and he inclined unto me and heard my cry. I'm brought me up also
out of the horrible pit, out of the Maori clay and set my
feet upon a rock and establish my goings and put a new song
in my heart, even praise unto my God. Many shall say to me,
glad what a blessing that is. If the Lord, therefore, sees
us in a horrible pit, which we got ourselves into. And yet David
got himself into a horrible pit. But the Lord heard his cry. My
friends, the Lord today hears the cry of his people and brings
them up out of the pit. And it's only God that can, that
God does. And therefore, when that happens,
the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, glad to know the
Lord has remembered us. The Lord has heard our cry. The
Lord has heard our prayer. Perhaps we think he never will.
Pray on. Never give up. Never give up. Pray on. The Lord waits to be
gracious. The Lord has an appointed time
to favour Zion. The Lord has an appointed time
to bless our souls. And that time is the right time. And we know, as David tells us,
as for God, his way is perfect. His way is perfect. His timing
is perfect, because what does it produce? Honor and glory to
our God. And so may you and I be blessed
with a situation like this and we're able to acknowledge and
come into the path of these words. Again, there shall be heard in
this place the voice of joy and the voice of gladness. The voice
of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. Well, I'm sure
we can see the wonderful analogy here as spelled out so clearly
in the Song of Solomon. The bride, the church of God,
the bridegroom, the heavenly bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ. And to think the Lord then comes
and grants to us the wonderful blessing of hearing his voice. Because there you see will be
heard the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. There
will be that conversation. That conversation between your
soul and the saviour. You will come. to him. You will
pour out your heart before him in prayer. You'll realize there's
nowhere else to go. Thou has the words of eternal
life. And therefore you come humbly
and yet boldly. As we are encouraged to come
boldly unto the throne of grace that we may find help in time
of need, the voice of The bride, your voice speaking unto the
heavenly bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, does he hear? Yes, he does. My friends, he
waits to be gracious. He may not always speak the words
that you perhaps are anticipating, the words that perhaps you think
you need, but the Lord will speak. You will hear his voice. Because the Lord Jesus tells
us, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me
and I give unto them eternal life. Now, that's the gracious
words of the heavenly bridegroom. That's the gracious words of
the heavenly shepherd. Yes, my sheep hear my voice without
any doubt that we hear the voice of the Saviour, directing us
and encouraging us in the way that we should go and revealing
to us that our hope is resting upon what He has done, so that
we have no hope in ourselves. We come to the end of everything
and we find, I have to say, no help in self I find, yet after
sort it well. We find this in me that is in
my flesh. Well, it's no good thing. I understand
what the Apostle Paul said. Yes, there I am. A wretched,
helpless sinner, dependent upon the mercy of the Lord. And therefore,
as we come like that, we can believe and God gives faith to
believe the Lord will speak. We will hear his voice. My sheep
do indeed. hear my voice. The Lord knows
you, if you're one of his sheep. He's watching over you. He's
watching where you're going. He's watching what you're doing.
He knows what he's doing, where he's leading you. He's leading
you in this path and that path. You're not being left to yourself. And in that path, that path,
you hear the voice of the bridegroom. You know, that was such a a wonderful
voice to the Church of God in the Song of Solomon. The bride
said, let me hear thy voice. Oh, is that your cry tonight?
Let me hear thy voice. The voice of the bridegroom. Well, the Lord has encouraged
us in so many ways. Seek and you shall find. Yes. The Lord will come in his appointed
way and he will speak. He will speak words of encouragement.
He will speak words of comfort. It may be that we've needed words
of correction, just like David did. But you see, David was indeed
blessed, wasn't he? David was blessed and therefore
he was able to write that 51st Psalm, which is so appropriate. to really all the Church of God.
And we shouldn't think that we haven't got that we're not that
bad. No, when the Lord works in our
heart, we should know how bad we are. And as David asked, he
said, wash me throughly. from mine iniquity and cleanse
me from my sin. And you know, at one time we
may have done sins which we thought were unimportant, negligible,
we might have thought, cast them aside, no concern. But when the
Spirit of God works, He shows the exceeding sinfulness of sin. And He shows to us that one sin
condemns us to eternal burnings in hell. and therefore how we
need to be cleansed, how we need to be washed. And that's what
David desired. And he said, for I acknowledge
my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. You see, you
and I need grace to come and confess our transgressions. It's
not easy to seek forgiveness. It's not easy to seek forgiveness
naturally. If we've offended somebody to
go and say, I'm sorry for what I've said and what I've done.
It's not easy. My friends, also, it's not easy
to come to our God and acknowledge, yes, I've been disobedient. I walk contrary. I turn my back. Lord, have mercy. Forgive my
sins. But as David tells us, against
thee the only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight,
that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and be clear
when thou judgest. And then he goes on and he tells
us, behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts. That means
right inside our heart. It's not just an outward effect.
You see, we can fool people. People might think there's a
wonderful person. Look how good a beautiful life
he lives and everything else. God looks in our heart. He sees
the den of iniquity there. He sees the sins which rise up
there again and again. And those are the sins which
you and I have to come and confess before God and to seek forgiveness
for. Because that's why he says, behold,
thou desires truth in the inward parts in our heart. No one else
sees. Are you ashamed sometimes of
the sins of your heart? You realize, therefore, how you
need this cleansing in your heart. Well, what does the Lord say?
It will come that time when we'll hear the voice of the bridegroom,
the heavenly bridegroom speaking to us to encourage us. Yes, he
spoke to David, he encouraged David. And David therefore came
and said, create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right
spirit within me. Often we have a wrong spirit,
don't we? We think we've got a right spirit, but we find we've
got a wrong spirit. We find we've got some pride
tucked in there somewhere. We find that we want some acknowledgement
ourselves. We don't realize that God needs
all the glory. And so what a favor it is to
be blessed with a situation like this, to pray that God will create
in me a clean heart, O God, renew a right spirit within me. What
is it? It's really the voice of the
bridegroom speaking to us and directing us to our need. Yes, the Lord Jesus does speak
to us in a variety of ways. And perhaps we might sometimes
think, well, of course, it's only wonderful words of encouragement.
So it is very often. But sometimes there are those
words that the Lord speaks to us to direct us in our path,
perhaps to put us back on the right track. We may have been
wandering away. We do wander away, left to ourselves. But blessed be God when he takes
control of us. The bride of Christ, You know,
she wandered away, didn't she? Yes, she got in bed and she was
very comfortable. And when the Lord came and called
her, she didn't want to get out of bed. It was just too much
effort. She was very comfortable. You see, when the Lord comes,
the Lord speaks, we can't say, well, I don't think this is a
convenient time. No, you and I are called to obey
God. And the bride of Christ, she
suffered. She suffered. Because when she thought she
would get out of bed and go and find her beloved, the Lord had
gone. The Lord had gone. The Lord doesn't
come at our beck and call. My friends, the Lord calls. And
when the Lord calls, we are, we are to go to him. We are to
follow him. We're not to think, well, now
I don't think I can. I've got this to do. I've got
this to say. No, no, no, no. My friends, the Lord is God.
Oh, that you and I might have high views of God to always bow
down before him. Then you see that we recognize
we've heard the voice of the bridegroom speaking to us, and
it has a good effect, not perhaps initially, but it does have a
good effect, because what does it produce? Joy and gladness
to think the Lord God. has been gracious to us. The
Lord God has been mindful of us and not dealt with us as our
sins deserve. And so, David, as he goes on,
he asks for this restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. I wonder if that's so in any
of our cases. Perhaps we've, as it were, lost
the joy of our salvation. If that is so, it's a suitable
word, isn't it? A prayer. A prayer from none
less than David. He knew his need. What a blessing
it is when the Spirit of God directs us to our need so that
we come down with such a request as this. Restore unto me the
joy of thy salvation, the joy of thy salvation. You know, if
you've partaken of that and have rejoiced in it, and now it seems
to have disappeared, in which case, my friends, you will need
a prayer like this, a prayer like this. And what is it? It's
the voice of the heavenly bridegroom speaking to you. Isn't that amazing? Hasn't left your side, hasn't
turned your way. And Then the David goes on to say,
Oh, Lord, open now my lips. And my mouth shall show forth
thy praise, there must always be a good outcome. And there must always be a good
outcome of the honor and glory of God. And so, he says, for
their desire is not sacrifice, else would I give it. Their delight
is not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit, a broken and a contrite heart. Oh God, thou would not
despise. Well, it's very humbling when
the Lord comes and speaks to us in this way and humbles us
so that we are humbled before the Lord, the voice of joy and
the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice
of the bride. And in that situation, as David
tells us, deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God. They are God
of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. And when that spirit of God comes
and directs us to what the heavenly bridegroom has done in saving
our soul, in redeeming our soul, in dying for us, such an unworthy
sinner doesn't deserve anything to think the great God. Yes,
the second person in the Trinity, the blessed Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ, has so wonderfully condescended to come and to die
to take away our sins, to cleanse us from all our iniquity, all
our sins, every sin, every sin washed in the precious blood
of the Savior, so that we hear those words spoken on our behalf. It is finished. The work that
was given to the blessed son He finished the work and that
work was the salvation of our souls. Well, bless God then tonight,
the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. And that
shall say. Praise the Lord of hosts. Is there not much cause to praise
the Lord of hosts here was Jeremiah speaking to Judah and Israel
in their situation, directing them to what would happen. And
he comes and says, then, praise the Lord of hosts, for the Lord
is good. How does that react to your heart
tonight? Can you say the Lord is good? I was remember, I'm
sure most of you do. Our dear friend Philip Mercer.
Whenever you met him, I think almost 100 percent, you met him
and he would say, the Lord is good. And he knew it and he said
it, and it's good if you and I are blessed with the same desire
to come and say, as we realize what God has done for us. The Lord is good. Well, can we
say that tonight, all of us? Can we say the Lord is good? And he goes on for his mercy
endureth forever. Now, ponder that. As that relates
to you, it relates to me. His mercy, his mercy has endured. Toward us. Isn't it wonderful? We haven't been cut off as a
cumbra of the ground. It's been no fruit to be cut
off. No, the Lord hasn't cut us off. Because his mercy endures forever. Is that true in your life? Can
you agree with that? And you say, well, it's amazing,
isn't it? But it's true, he hasn't dealt
with me as my sins deserve. Oh, his great love, his love
toward me. His loving time past forbids
me to think he'll leave me at last in trouble to sink. If you and I have had a touch
of the blessed love of the Lord, that is evidence of his eternal
love toward us, which we will never lose. His mercy endureth forever. And of them that shall bring
the sacrifice or praise into the house of the Lord. Now, we
shouldn't just pass over a word like this because here was the
appropriate place that the sacrifices of thanksgiving were to be brought
into the house of the Lord. And it's no less today. The sacrifice
of praise is to be brought into the house of the Lord, is to
be brought before the Church of God, so that the Lord's name
is honored and glorified. And we should never forget that
it is a sacrifice of praise. And always, of course, a sacrifice
has a cost toward it. And of course, we have a cost
toward it to our own flesh. But nonetheless, a little out
of our flesh to see the blessing which God has done of his great
goodness and favor in not casting us off and in showing to us in
some perhaps small measure that he's laid out his life. to redeem
our soul. Is that not reason to bring the
sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord? And you see,
the Lord then concludes these words with this wonderful statement,
for I will cause to return the captivity. Perhaps we've been
captive in captivity. The Lord knows. I don't know.
The Lord knows. But what a mercy if such a promise
is true. on your behalf and my behalf,
for I will cause to return the captivity of the land as at the
first, saith the Lord. The Lord can bring about a gracious
return. He can take away that captivity.
We may have been captive for a long time, as we spoke this
morning, bound with chains. And God comes and sets us free. Oh, there's a wonderful freedom.
Because we are then free in Christ. That's the secret. Free in Christ. That means we're not relying
on ourselves. We're looking for the saviour.
We're looking to his great and glorious finished work. And our
hearts go up to him in praise and adoration for all that he's
done. And we can then understand As
a statement is this by the grace of God, the voice of joy, the
voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, the voice
of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, praise the Lord
of hosts for the Lord is good, for his mercy endures forever
and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into
the house of the Lord. For I will cause to return the
captivity of the land as at the first saith the Lord. Amen.