The PERFECT Restoration (Spurgeon)

You all know how God did, for a time, cast off his ancient people. Both Israel and Judah, after long provocation of Jehovah, were carried away captive into the land of their enemies. God forsook his temple, and that glorious sanctuary was laid in ruins. The whole land was given up to be the prey of the cruel foe, and the inhabitants themselves were carried into captivity beyond the rivers of Babylon, and sorely were they afflicted. They had greatly sinned, and heavy was their punishment. But now, by the mouth of the prophet Zechariah, God talks to them of mercy; and, as a choice note in the message of mercy, he says that he will restore them to their old estate, and they shall be as though he had never cast them off. It is a wonderful promise; I pray that it may sound like heavenly music in the ear of many a backslider.
In commencing my sermon, I draw your attention to the preceding clause of the verse: "I have mercy upon them." Learn from this that the only terms upon which God can deal with guilty men are terms of mercy: "I have mercy upon them." Therefore, my friend, if you would be saved, do not try to deal with God upon the footing of justice. If you do, you will have first to say that you have never sinned, and that will be a lie. You will not be able to prove that assertion; your lips, your eyes, your heart, your hands, your whole conduct, will all be witnesses against you, and you must admit that you have sinned. It may be that you will then try to find some excuse for your sin. You say, perhaps, that you could not help it. But you might have helped it; you ought to have helped it. Or, possibly, you will try to make out that your sin is very little. But your conscience knows that it is not little; if any one sin has been little, - and I do not think that is possible, - you have added so many other evils to these grains of sin that you cannot count them, and your transgressions are multiplied upon you. No, you will never make out a good case if you appeal to God's justice; for justice will try you, and condemn you, and cast you off. God will not deal with you on those terms. Confess that you are guilty; ask him for his mercy's sake to pass over your guilt, plead with him for his dear Son's sake to blot it out, and he will yield to such pleading as that, and he will deal with you in the way of mercy.