GOD S THOUGHTS ARE NOT MAN S THOUGHTS ISAIAH 55:1-13

Transcription

1 1 GOD S THOUGHTS ARE NOT MAN S THOUGHTS ISAIAH 55:1-13

2 2 Text: GOD'S THOUGHTS ARE NOT MAN'S THOUGHTS Isaiah 55:1-13, 1. Hey, all who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come! Buy and eat! Come! Buy wine and milk without money and without cost! 2. Why pay money for something that will not nourish you? Why spend your hard-earned money on something that will not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is nourishing! Enjoy fine food! 3. Pay attention and come to me! Listen, so you can live! Then I will make an unconditional covenantal promise to you, just like the reliable covenantal promises I made to David. 4. Look, I made him a witness to nations, a ruler and commander of nations. 5. Look, you will summon nations you did not previously know; nations that did not previously know you will run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he bestows honor on you. 6. Seek the Lord while he makes himself available; call to him while he is nearby! 7. The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle and sinful people their plans. They should return to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, and to their God, for he will freely forgive them. 8. Indeed, my plans are not like your plans, and my deeds are not like your deeds,

3 for just as the sky is higher than the earth, so my deeds are superior to your deeds and my plans superior to your plans. 10. The rain and snow fall from the sky and do not return, but instead water the earth and make it produce and yield crops, and provide seed for the planter and food for those who must eat. 11. In the same way, the promise that I make does not return to me, having accomplished nothing. No, it is realized as I desire and is fulfilled as I intend. 12. Indeed you will go out with joy; you will be led along in peace; the mountains and hills will give a joyful shout before you, and all the trees in the field will clap their hands. 13. Evergreens will grow in place of thorn bushes, firs will grow in place of nettles; they will be a monument to the Lord, a permanent reminder that will remain. (NET) Introduction: Isaiah 55 is a beautiful picture of the blessings that can be ours through the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah wrote, Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given him for a

4 4 witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. (Isaiah 55:1-5) Recognizing the blessings that can be ours through Christ should cause us to quickly use the opportunity to get our lives right with God. Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:6-7) Salvation is such a wonderful thing; it can only be accomplished by the Mighty God of heaven and earth. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. (Isaiah 55:8-13)

5 5 Commentary: Water for the Thirsty Soul Isaiah 55:1-2, Hey, all who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come! Buy and eat! Come! Buy wine and milk without money and without cost! Why pay money for something that will not nourish you? Why spend your hard-earned money on something that will not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is nourishing! Enjoy fine food! (NET) The offer of salvation was that people could drink of the water of life. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17) The benefits that can be ours through Jesus are beyond our words or thoughts. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (1 Corinthians 2:9) Isaiah had already pictured salvation as water for a thirsty soul. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring. (Isaiah 44:3) The water of life is available to those who are willing to seek it. Again Isaiah said, When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. (Isaiah 41:17) The spiritual benefits that are offered through Christ are beyond number and beyond what we can

6 6 conceive. Salvation is without price; no amount of money can buy you an eternity with God. Salvation is free, but salvation is not unconditional. Salvation is for those who humble themselves and obey the will of God. It is strange that we devote so much of our time and energies to things that are perishable. If we would devote the same energies toward honoring God that we devote to material things, what a difference it would make in our lives and in our world. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. (Isaiah 55:2) The Sure Mercies of David Isaiah 55:3-5, Pay attention and come to me! Listen, so you can live! Then I will make an unconditional covenantal promise to you, just like the reliable covenantal promises I made to David. Look, I made him a witness to nations, a ruler and commander of nations. Look, you will summon nations you did not previously know; nations that did not previously know you will run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he bestows honor on you. (NET) God promised His mercies or His loving kindness toward us. These were mercies that He had promised to David. I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 89:1) Christ descended from David by physical birth; now it is through Him (Jesus) that we enjoy God s mercy. My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand

7 7 fast with him. (Psalm 89:28) In a statement that applied to both David and Jesus Isaiah wrote, Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. (Isaiah 55:4) In a special sense, God gave Jesus as a witness to the people. This promise of Jesus as a witness came to its fulfillment when He arose from the dead. Of Jesus it was said that He was, Declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. (Romans 1:4) Not only were the Jews invited to be Christians, but Gentiles from every nation are also called into God s kingdom. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. (Isaiah 55:5) God glorified Jesus, His Son, by giving Him glory among all nations. Paul also wrote about Jesus being glorified by God, The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. (Acts 3:13) The Powerful Word of God Isaiah 55:6-11, Seek the Lord while he makes himself available; call to him while he is nearby! The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle and sinful people their plans. They should return to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, and to their God, for he will freely forgive them. Indeed, my plans are not like your plans, and my deeds are not like your deeds, for just as the sky is higher than the earth, so my deeds are superior to your deeds and my plans superior to your plans. The rain and snow fall from

8 8 the sky and do not return, but instead water the earth and make it produce and yield crops, and provide seed for the planter and food for those who must eat. In the same way, the promise that I make does not return to me, having accomplished nothing. No, it is realized as I desire and is fulfilled as I intend. (NET) We have a limited opportunity to seek the Lord and know Him. Isaiah wrote, Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. (Isaiah 55:6) To find the Lord, it is necessary for man to seek Him and to be obedient to His will. God provided salvation; man must take the necessary steps in order to receive God s offer of eternal redemption. The only way that we could expect salvation would be to comply with the terms God sets forth for pardon. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:7) The thoughts and the ways of God are far superior to those of men. We are reminded that man is far inferior to God. The thoughts of God are as much higher than the thoughts of man as the heavens are higher than the earth! Isaiah wanted us to understand that God s plans always work. He used rain and snow for this illustration. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater." (Isaiah 55:10) Just as the Lord s plans always work, His word is even more powerful. The word of God will accomplish what the Lord expects it to accomplish. To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these

9 9 things? (2 Corinthians 2:15-16) The word of God is powerful; it will either save us or condemn us based on our relationship to it. Rejoice Because of Freedom Isaiah 55:12-13, Indeed you will go out with joy; you will be led along in peace; the mountains and hills will give a joyful shout before you, and all the trees in the field will clap their hands. Evergreens will grow in place of thorn bushes, firs will grow in place of nettles; they will be a monument to the Lord, a permanent reminder that will remain. (NET) The Jews who were set free from Babylonian captivity had reason to rejoice. Those who are set free from sin in Christ have reason for even greater joy and happiness. The picture is that when one is set free from sin the entire country rejoices. The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. (Isaiah 55:12) God s mercy changes things in the lives of those who are obedient. Thorns and briars were taken from our life and a fir tree or a myrtle tree is grown. The good that comes when a person is in Christ could never be listed or named. Conversion brings a beautiful change. Conclusion: Our minds must focus on the greatness of God. We must depend upon His promises and obey His will. To become a Christian you must hear the gospel (Romans 10:17), believe in Jesus (John 8:24), repent of sins (Acts 17:30), confess Christ as Lord (Acts

10 10 8:37), and be baptized to be saved. (1 Peter 3:21) Our devotion to God should cause us to forsake wicked ways and wicked thoughts and returned with all of our heart unto God.

11 11 Questions on Isaiah 55: Those who are are invited to come to the. Those who have no are to buy. They were to and and without and without!! 2. For what do people spend their hard earned money that