Come and Be Satisfied

Come and Be Satisfied

Isaiah 55

Prayer

 

Introduction of Isaiah:

Isaiah is a powerful prophetic work!

Isaiah spoke a prophetic word to God’s people of both judgment and hope. Israel had fallen prey to worldliness. And this wordiness manifested itself in idol worship and abandonment of God’s purposes.

 

We find in this portion of Isaiah the heart of God.

God’s heart is for those who have turned away from him.

God’s heart is for the prodigal (stinky, filthy, and empty stomached)

To come home! To come and experience the riches of God’s love again!

 

The Call to Come and Be Satisfied in the things of God!

 

1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.

3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

4 Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.

5 Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.

6  “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;

7  let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

12 “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the Lord, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

 

Many applications are found in the words of the prophet

 

1. Invitation to Come!
   • Story: There is nothing like a satisfying meal. We love that feeling of being satisfied, don’t we? The memory of my mother’s cooking when I was young will always point me back to the goodness of God.
   • It is amazing in itself the blessing of flavors and food. Maybe you have never thought about how God designed those flavors. God designed the sweetness of pumpkin pie. He knew you would enjoy it! It speaks of his design!
   • Verse 1-3: What a picture for us in the first couple of verses of this passage.
   • An invitation to those who are thirsty and hungry. To come and eat at no cost.
   • This theme of the eating and the banquet is found throughout scripture because it has importance for our spiritual journey.
   • PARABLE OF THE BANQUETS—We think of the parable of the banquet. Many are given the invitation to come and partake in this great feast but many make excuses and refuse.
   • We see this same invitation here in this passage… will you come to Him or maybe you have to much on your plate already…

 

QUESTION: What are you filling your plate with?

• Are you satisfying your hunger with the things of this world?
• Have you filled your plate with things that are tasty and sweet to the taste but rot your belly?
• MORE PLAINLY: Are you finding your purpose, pleasure, and satisfaction in God?

 

When we are spiritually satisfied with the Lord, we will find great comfort in his promises and plans. For his word never returns void.

• Do you feel an emptiness? Is there a void there?
• The Lord is calling to you… Come!

 

Psalm 107:8-9—Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind. For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

 

Revelation 3:20— Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

 

Jesus is standing at the door. He desires for you to come to him.

Jesus wants you to experience his love and mercy.

He wants to come in and fill up the plates and cups.

To show you just how good he really is.

Transition Statement: This reminds me of another story in scripture.

 

Summarize The woman at the well. Jesus was thirsty.

• Jesus asked a promiscuous Samaritan woman at the well for a drink.
• She was very confused why he as a Jew would ever want something passed from her hands. Jesus wanted to show her what he has for her:

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: Woman at the Well Story

John 4:10-15–Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

 

What Christ offers us… no riches in the world could add up to.

If you knew the gift of God… You would seek him and receive living water. You won’t grow thirsty anymore.

What he has invited us to in Him is a fulfillment that has no comparison.

You can’t find it on sale this Black Friday.

Because it has already been bought and paid for in full.

 

Jesus offers life…for free!

• What a beautiful image for us. Come and eat your fill and leave your purse or wallet behind. You are not paying for this!
• Jesus paid the tab and waited for the tables. Cleaned up our mess and left us with a full belly.

 

Ephesians 2:8-9–For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. 

 

Transition Statement: But, like the woman at the well, we fall prey to the temporary gathering of goods and sometimes an exchange of goods that includes our very soul.

 

2. We need to hunger and thirst for righteousness!

• We desire in our flesh the very things that will not satisfy.
• We need to find satisfaction in the Lord.

 

Matthew 5:6—“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

 

Proverbs 2:3-5—Yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

 

• Isn’t it amazing the lengths in which people will go in order to chase silver… is it wild the effort that many will go into searching for the treasures of this earth?
• STAT: Read statistics this week that 60% of Americans with paid vacation time will not use all of their vacation time within a given year.
• Many of us are so in pursuit of wealth that we bring our work while at home, stay late, and come in early.
• Hard work is good but what is the pursuit of your life?!?

 

• We so often are willing to surrender the things of importance for the things of worldly gain.
• We are exhausted by the pursuit of wealth and like Isaiah says “why are you spending your money on things that you don’t need?”

 

• DETROIT MISSION TRIP STORY— What is the Gameboy in your life? What is the thing you think you need that you don’t? Everyone loves a good gift, but what truly stands forever?
• ERBER STORY— It’s all gonna burn one day? You will not take this with you. But the word of God stands forever. And his love stands forever. Come! He wants to give you living water that won’t run dry.

 

COMPLAINT BACK

But I don’t hunger for the things of God.

But I try and then I fall back into the same routine

Look at what is on your plate

 

QUOTE: If you have no appetite for the things of God it is probably because you have been filling your stomach with the things of the world.

• Pursue him like you have pursued the ways of this world.
• The more you dig in the better and better it gets.
• He wants to meet with you.

 

Isaiah 55:6-9–6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

 

3. His ways are always higher!

• Notice the issue of the unrighteous… our thoughts.
• The Lord’s thoughts are not our thoughts.
• The Lord’s ways are not our ways.
• How often do we forget our limited view and understanding?
• The human heart and mind can be filled with questions for God: Why? When? How?… We desire answers from God for what is happening. We desire to know what his plan is. We want to know what is going to happen next.
• STORY OF ELLIOT GIVE ME INSTRUCTIONS: Do you trust me? Let me tell you, and I know what I am doing. I have been doing it for quite a long time. Sometimes you just have to trust me.

 

• We see in this passage both Jesus’ desire for us to seek him and his desire for us to trust him.
• We need not enter the courts of the Lord with this plan to counsel him on how to do his job better.

 

Job 38:2-11—Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: 2  “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? 3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?Tell me, if you understand. 5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? 6 On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—7 while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? 8 “Who shut up the sea behind doors
when it burst forth from the womb, 9 when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness,10 when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, 11 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’?

• God goes on in chapters 38 and 39 to just list out his qualifications over and over again of why he is God… and Job is not?

Job 40:3-5–3 Then Job answered the Lord: 4 “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. 5 I spoke once, but I have no answer—twice, but I will say no more.”

• In the sight of God’s power, sovereignty, and strength… We can only stand in awe and humble ourselves.
• We are called to seek the Lord but often, we go looking for a God that is made in our image!
• QUOTE: If your god never disagrees with you, you might just be worshiping an idealized version of yourself.
• If you read something in scripture and you think you have a better word… If you hear a message, instead of standing on the conviction, you just write off the pastor as a grump…

 

Isaiah 40:13-15–Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket and are accounted as the dust on the scales.

• I believe many people have a very small pathetic view of God.
• They think they can add to him. We even think that God is lucky to have me on his team.
• It is so dangerous when we start thinking that we know better than God.
• How big of a problem is this really for all of us?
• The winds and the waves begin to storm around us. And, like Peter, we begin to doubt. But when we cry out, he holds us.

 

• It is far more freeing to realize that God has got things under control. To trust in his faithfulness and goodness.

 

Proverbs 3:5-6—Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

 

4. We can trust that the Lord will accomplish all

 

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

 

• This verse is usually where I go after I feel I have totally botched a sermon. I remember a friend used to say, “The word of God never returns void.”
• Really it means… despite us… God is going to remain faithful.
• Despite my failings and shortcomings… He is never giving up.
• Just as the rain falls to the ground and waters the earth and brings forth food for the farmer to harvest.
• God works out everything in its season.
• God is not done with you.
• Your story is not finished.
• And he has already written the ending.
• He will restore all things.
• He will make all things new.
• He will come for his bride.

 

Conclusion

 

We are giving in the conclusion of the Bible a beautiful picture of the greatest feast. This is the point where Jesus will feast with his bride the church.

 

Contextually marriage worked differently in ancient culture.

1. A legal contract is built between two families.
2. The dowry is paid for the bride.
3. Then the groom would come at night with his friends in parade to retrieve his bride and her maids would join in this parade. They would have a great marriage feast in celebration of this betrothal.

 

This connects to our faith.

1. The legal contract is us accepting Christ.
2. The dowry is the payment made by Christ to save us
3. And in Revelation, we hear the story of the feast.

 

Revelation 19:6-9–6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns.7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

• You have been given an invitation to this great feast.
• He has everything in this life and the next you could ever need.
• He wants you to be found in Him.
• He gave has made you pure by his blood.
• He desires for you to come to the table and feast with him.
• To be satisfied.
  • PRAYER