[0:00] Let's now turn to God's Word and turn to the book of Isaiah, the prophet Isaiah in chapter 55. Isaiah 55.
[0:15] Let's hear the Word of God. O, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. And he that hath no money, come ye buy and eat.
[0:31] Ye come by 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?
[0:43] 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.
[0:55] 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 witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.
[1:09] Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run up unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel, for he hath glorified thee.
[1:25] 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. Let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
[1:43] 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.
[1:56] 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.
[2:11] So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return to me void, but shall accomplish that which I please. It shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
[2:24] For you 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.
[2:37] Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree. Instead of the briar 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.
[2:49] Amen. We could praise to God as always for his holy, his perfect word. Let's again join in singing to God. And we can sing this time from Psalm 49.
[3:03] Psalm 49 in verses 6 down to verse 10. A psalm, of course, that's very graphic.
[3:13] We could say very clear as to the reality of dying without knowing a saviour. But also a psalm which is beautifully clear as to the reality of a wonder what it is to die whilst knowing your saviour.
[3:26] Psalm 49 verses 6 to 10. Whoever they be that in their wealth their confidence to pitch. And boast themselves because they are become exceeding rich. Yet none of these his brother can redeem by any way.
[3:39] Nor can he unto God for him sufficient ransom pay. Psalm 49 verses 6 to 10. To God's praise. Psalm 49 in verses 6 to 10.
[4:16] Psalm 49 in verses 6 to 10.
[4:46] Psalm 49 in verses 6 to 10.
[5:16] Psalm 49 in verses 6 to 10.
[5:46] To the thirsty and cold. Let's turn for a short time back to the chapter we had.
[5:58] Isaiah chapter 55. Isaiah 55. I can turn again and read the first few verses of the chapter of our text this evening.
[6:09] I'm partaking in the whole chapter. Isaiah 55. Isaiah 55. Isaiah 55. O everyone at first. Come ye to the first. Come ye to the water. Come ye to the water. And he that hath no money. Come ye buy and eat.
[6:21] Ye come by wine and milk. Without money. And without price. And so on. down to the end of the chapter. Down to the end of the chapter.
[6:32] I went to town a few weeks ago and I see the markets on Saturday are back in Stornoway. And I want you to imagine with me you're running town Saturday morning and you're at the market.
[6:43] Well you're not. You're at a car park. You're walking through the market up into town to get something. And you're doing the thing I'm sure we all do. We're trying to avoid the eyes of those behind the market stalls.
[6:54] You're thinking I don't want to buy anything off you. I'll keep walking. I won't catch your eye. I'll get in. Go home. Fine. You go in town. It's fine. You get your bits and pieces. Walking back to your car.
[7:06] Past the market. Set up. You almost made it. The last minute. You catch that person's eye. It's that person who was shouting at you to come and see what we're trying to sell you.
[7:18] You're thinking I have to go over now. I've caught that eye. I can't walk past them. I go up and see what it is they're selling. And they're asking you to come and see. They're telling you what they're selling you will change your life.
[7:29] You're thinking okay what is it? What's the catch? What are you selling? And they tell you that the product they have for you, the thing they're selling you from their market stall, will transform you. It will change everything that you are, everything that you have.
[7:43] If you take it from them, it's yours. It will transform your life. It will also transform your eternity. You say, aha, okay.
[7:55] How much is it? What's the catch? What are you wanting? They say, it's free. It's totally free. Just take it. It's yours. Take it. Go. It's been bought for you. And you're thinking, what's the catch?
[8:07] What do I have to do? The guy tells you, I've told you. Take it and go. It's yours. A silly example of that may well be. But I think we'd all agree we'd be silly, at least not to take the offer they're giving you and see yourself, whether the product they have, the offer they have given you, is worth its time or not.
[8:28] Now this might be a silly example, but this is actually the example that we have in this chapter. As we come to Isaiah 55, we are coming to, as aware, a marketplace. You might think, well, where's a marketplace?
[8:39] A marketplace is in the first few words of the chapter. Isaiah is using marketplace language. He's using words and tones that was used in the marketplace.
[8:51] And we'll see later on, actually, words and tones that the shepherds used to call their sheep. And we'll get to that as we go through the chapter. Just for some context for us, Isaiah 53, Isaiah 54, starting Isaiah 50, really, we see this building up of God through the prophet, telling the people of Isaiah's day, telling the children of his children as Isaiah is prophesying to them, telling them that the Messiah was going to come.
[9:19] Now we arrive in Isaiah 55, and we see the reality of what's going to happen when the Messiah does, in fact, come.
[9:30] Again and again, the coming servant of the Lord. One is coming, a saviour is coming, who will save his people. And again and again, we see that being reminded to us again and again and again.
[9:41] And here we hit chapter 55, and it stops. Isaiah starts chapter 55 with this cry. It begins with an invitation.
[9:52] That's our first point, the invitation that we have in this chapter. See, the first few words of Isaiah 55, they are an invitation, but also they are a command.
[10:04] It's a kind invitation, but also a clear command from God to all who are listening to him. And Isaiah's day, we also all here this evening, as we hear God's word, this is a clear command to us as we sit here in North Tolstain.
[10:22] The command, of course, we see here starts with this phrase, and actually the King James Version here has this phrase translated well. This first word we have here, that word doesn't actually appear anywhere in the text in the Hebrew.
[10:36] It's there to capture the fact that what's being said, it's being shouted out. As it were, what's being said here, it could almost always be said, it's in capitals.
[10:47] The first sentence here, it's in capital letters. It's the strongest wording possible in the Hebrew, but as I could have used, he's shouting out this first verse. Everyone, listen to me.
[11:00] Oh, everyone at first, please listen. This is the desperate tone of the one in the marketplace. This is the call that people will stop what they're doing and come and listen to him.
[11:18] This is the same tone that we know is used in the Psalms, talk about the shepherd calling out to the sheep. This is the shepherd calling out in the moor, shouting out for sheep to come and to listen to him.
[11:30] Even as we heard this morning, it's the same idea. This chapter begins with a command. If Isaiah the prophet, as it were, shouting in our faces, even this evening, saying, stop what you're doing.
[11:43] Stop and listen to what's being said. As it were, we can go as far to say that this is equivalent of, hey, hey, stop, listen to what's being said.
[11:56] Now, not one of us, I'm sure, enjoys being told to stop talking and listen. That's a bit rude. It's a bit forward, isn't it? Of course, Isaiah is not being rude here, but he is being desperate.
[12:08] He is desperately crying out to those passing by. Because what he has to say to them is so important that they stop what they're doing and listen to him. That counts for us this evening.
[12:22] How often have you come here? How often have you heard the same message? How many people have you seen up here week in and week out? And we get so used to hearing it all. So used to hearing the same thing, perhaps, you're thinking.
[12:32] It's the same message you all have for me. The truth is, you're right. This is all we have for you. Because every week our job is to point you towards Christ, the one who will and who is ready and who's done all the work so that you would be saved.
[12:46] So for a short time, a very short time this evening, as we come to look at this chapter, let's listen together as we hear the command of Isaiah. To hear what God's saying to us through his word and through the prophet. What is so important that Isaiah tells us to stop to listen?
[13:01] What commands that respect? What commands that reality for us? The truth is, we have the perfect time tonight to stop for a while and to listen.
[13:15] So what's the message? What's the message that Isaiah is so desperate for the people to hear? What's so necessary for those passing by him in his day? What message do they have to hear from the prophet?
[13:28] It's that simple instruction. Simple instruction we have in the second half of verse 1. Come. Come. Ho. Listen up. Stop and listen. Everyone at firsts and come ye to the waters.
[13:43] He have no money. Come ye buy and eat. Come by wine and milk without money and without price. The instruction is to come. Come everyone who is hungry.
[13:56] Everyone who is thirsty. Through the prophet, God is speaking his word to his people on Isaiah's day.
[14:08] Through his living word this evening, he speaks the same thing to us. The command is unchanged. The command is still going out to his people this evening. To all those who listen. To all those who are here. Come.
[14:21] Everyone who is hungry. Everyone who is thirsty. Again, I don't know many faces here. If not most faces. And this is good. I don't know where you stand. For a short time this evening, I have no idea where you stand before the Lord.
[14:36] And only you know that. Because the reality is, as we look at this text, we must ask some pretty pressing and pretty personal questions. And only you know the answer to these questions.
[14:47] I do ask, as we go through this text, and ask these clear, personal, probing questions, you would ask these questions to yourself. First of all, as we come to this text, as we come to this first verse, as we come to the clear instruction to come, everyone who hungers and everyone who thirsts, the question has to be, is this you this evening?
[15:06] Are you sitting here just now and you're thinking, yep, that's me. Are you finding no real satisfaction in anything you've done or are doing or hope to do in life?
[15:20] Do you have that underlying sense of surely there must be more to life? That niggling thought in the back of your mind. You wake up. You live your life. You go home again.
[15:31] You perhaps go to work. You perhaps went to work for years. You're thinking, what's the point? What's the point? What's the point? Why am I just going through the motions day by day for no real reason?
[15:45] Back of your mind, that hunger, that thirst, that questioning of what's it all about? Surely there's more to life than this. Surely. You've tried everything the world has to give you.
[15:59] You've tried to distract your hunger. You've tried to distract yourself by eating and drinking everything you possibly find. And still you're thinking, I'm not full.
[16:10] I'm not happy. There's still surely more to life. That question of why never leaves you. Perhaps you're tired.
[16:21] Perhaps you're here this evening. And you're in desperate need of refreshing. Desperate need of renewing. Because of a hunger of a thirst, you're worn down. And you're thinking, you're just exhausted.
[16:34] You've tried it all. You've been there. You've done everything you possibly do. And still you're wondering, why? You're exhausted. You're looking for somewhere to stop and to rest for a while.
[16:44] You've not found that place yet. Looking, as I were here this morning, for that cool, clear stream to sit beside and to gather your thoughts and to see why you're really here. To see what it all means.
[16:58] And you haven't found the time yet to stop and to ask these questions. You're wandering around starving. You're wandering around without food, without drink.
[17:09] You're wandering around parched. Thinking, why am I here? What's it all about? Looking for something, for anything, to fill you up.
[17:23] If this is hitting anywhere in your mind just now, if you're thinking, even deep down, and perhaps you said this morning, perhaps you're very good at putting a good show on things. Perhaps you can sound the part.
[17:34] Perhaps you can look the part. You can dress the part. Perhaps you can wow anyone with your knowledge of this or knowledge of that. If deep down this evening you're saying, yeah, that's me. I'm needing something.
[17:46] I know that there's something missing. I know that there's more to life. I know that there's something else. Then this call is for you. This invitation is for you.
[17:58] The invitation to come. It's for those who are hungry. And for those that are thirsty, as you see in that first verse. Now, perhaps you're listening to all that.
[18:08] You're thinking, that's ten minutes of my life. I won't get back. You know, who are you up there to sit and to stand and to tell me what you think about my life? Who are you to stand up there to tell me that I'm hungry, that I'm thirsty, that my life's not happy?
[18:21] I am happy. Life's great. I've had a good life. I've done everything I want to do. I've got all the money I need, perhaps, and perhaps not. I've had a good family, a happy family. I'm happy on my own. I've had a good job.
[18:32] I'm content. I'm okay. You're telling me I'm hungry. You're telling me I'm thirsty. That's not the case for me. You're telling me I need something else this evening.
[18:44] Well, I don't. Perhaps you're thinking that. There's something along these lines. But through this, my friends, bring the word of God before you this evening, as you have in front of you.
[18:57] We come with this word open and we tell you that for all your excuses and for all your prideful arrogance, the truth is that you still desperately need the gift that God has given you.
[19:09] You might think it's not for you. But I assure you, many, if not most of the Christians here this evening also said the same thing once. It's not for me. I'm too young.
[19:19] I'm too young. Life's okay. Jesus and Christianity and all that stuff is for those who have a hard time in life. For those old folks who are just getting on a bit.
[19:31] It's good for them. I'm too young yet for it. I'm too happy for it. I don't need that help. The truth is, and you know this to be truth deep down, it is for you. See, the gift of God we have in this verse is for those who know they have no money.
[19:48] It's for those who know they are helpless. It's for those who know they are hopeless. It's for those who know they have nothing to offer God. We see that. But also it's for those who think they have something.
[20:00] It's for those who think they can somehow come and offer the money to get the promises God gives them. And we see that in the second half of verse 1. This curious phrase. Come, those who have no money.
[20:11] Come, yes, but what? Come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money, without price. Come, buy without money, without price. The image being used here is the reality.
[20:25] It's being saying to you, take all your self-importance. Take all your pride and all your arrogance. Take it and come and see that you need the gift as much as the person beside you who you think really needs it.
[20:37] We all need it together, friends. We're all desperate in need of the gift that we're given in these verses. We're all in the same hopeless situation. We all need the gift.
[20:49] Those of us who know we need it and those of us who think we don't, the truth is we're both in the same sinking boat together. Without a saviour, we both end up in the same situation.
[21:00] Hopeless and helpless. Take it all and come to the one who's offering you the gift. The question is, what are you being called to?
[21:13] If we're saying this call is for everyone who is here this evening, for those of us who need help and those of us who think we don't, if we're saying the call is for everyone, what is the call to? What is Isaiah, or who, we should say, is Isaiah offering this call to?
[21:27] Well, we know, of course, the call is to come to Jesus. It's to come to the one that promised Messiah in the previous chapters, the one who the Lord was sending. It's to come to him. We'll see this, of course, more later on.
[21:39] It's to come to the one who, in John 7, who tells us that he is the living water. The one who, in John 7, tells us all who are thirsty to come to him and to drink.
[21:51] That's the one we're called to this evening. To the one who has done all that needs to be done to satisfy your tired, weary souls. You'll find it nowhere else but in Jesus.
[22:03] It's to that Jesus. It's to that gift, that saviour, who has purchased it for you. It's to that you're called to come this evening. Who's been called to come?
[22:20] Is it just the poor through our guns of no hope and no help? Who is Jesus for this evening? It's for rich, the poor. Those who think they have it and those who know they don't.
[22:33] Those who feel helpless and those who think they can help themselves. It's for all of us. To have excuses we've managed to concoct over many years, which they mean nothing at the end of the day. And you know that as much as I do.
[22:45] The call to come is issued to all who are listening. And all are able to hear that call this evening. This call is plain, it's simple, it's been said in your hearing. Come to the gift.
[22:57] It's been offered to you. Come, take the gift of Jesus. Who can respond to the call? Who can respond to the gift of Isaiah in this verse?
[23:08] Is it the call only going out to those here this evening who know their Bibles inside out? Is it the call going out to those who are already living a decent life and trying their best?
[23:21] Is that the call? Is the gospel come and try your best, then Jesus might save you. Is the gospel come and do your best, and maybe if you try hard enough and go to church often enough, yes, then maybe you might be good enough to be saved.
[23:34] Is that the gospel? Is that the call we have here? Is it the gospel call only going out to those who have faithfully attended churches, whose parents and grandparents perhaps even attended this building before you?
[23:46] Who is the gospel for this evening? Who is the call going out to this evening? Imagine you're out in the moor. You're out for a walk.
[23:59] Even out in the, we'll make a local, even out in the Trivor, you're going for a walk in Trivor, you've gone a bit too far over the rocks. You've fallen. You think you've broken your leg. You think, well, I'm in trouble.
[24:09] I can't get home. Do you drag yourself home and clean yourself up first, then call for help? Of course you don't. Of course you don't. Imagine you're out at sea, perhaps, and your boat's going down.
[24:24] Do you call for emergency services? Do you call for help? As the helicopter comes up to you, as your boat's going under, you say, I can't grab your hand because my hand's so full of cuts and so dirty and so bruised.
[24:35] I can't touch your nice, clean hand as the rescuer comes to rescue you. Of course you don't. These silly examples mean nothing because the reality is we all need help.
[24:47] The offer to come, that's an invitation. The offer is not to those who have their lives sorted, no, it's to those who don't. Who the Christ died for, as we heard this morning, he died for sinners.
[24:58] And who are the sinners here this evening? Who's the sinners? Well, it's you, and it's me, and we know that to be true. Christ came for sinners, which you and I certainly qualify.
[25:14] The offer, we said, it's a kind, gentle offer. It's an invitation, but also it's a command. The word being used here to come, it's a command word, it's an instruction, it's a demand, it's a clear demand, grammatically, but also within the context.
[25:30] This is God telling you to come. Gently, but firmly telling you, you must come to Jesus. You must come and take the gift that's being offered to you.
[25:44] Come to the one who knows you, who made you, who has done all that needs to be done for you to come and receive the great gift which has been purchased by his precious blood for those who come to him.
[25:56] It's a loving, gentle command, but a command all the same. And as we read this together, this is the command being read and spoken in our hearing. This is a solemn command.
[26:08] This is an instruction from the living God this very moment to all of us. As we hear these verses together, everyone who hungers, everyone who thirsts, we must come to Jesus. Come to the gift, come to the one who has done all so that you may be saved.
[26:22] If only you would come. It's a simple but essential call of God this evening. Whoever you are, whoever your story is, whatever excuses you've managed to make over the years, how silly we can get.
[26:40] I remember, and I remember my my granny telling me the game as a wee girl she used to play was, well, the minister isn't talking to me because he hasn't looked at me yet. We all play that game.
[26:51] The truth is, dear friends, I've got contacts in and I can't see half you as it is anyway so don't even begin to play that game. The truth is, it's not me you have to answer to. I'll come, I'll go. It's not anyone who stands here you answer to.
[27:02] We'll all come and we'll all go. At the end of the day, it's not anyone else but the Lord who knows you and who made you we all must one day answer to. Stop the excuses.
[27:14] Stop the games. And come and take the offer that's been given to you. It's for you. Take it. So the offer is clear. We have a strange change of tone we could say in verse 2.
[27:29] Verse 2 begins with a question. Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not? And so on.
[27:41] Just as verse 1 begins with a clear command, a clear invitation, verse 2 begins with a question that's just as strongly worded as verse 1. simple, it's plain, it's clear.
[27:54] And who's being questioned in verse 2? It's those who are passing by. As Isaiah offers the gift he's offering, as those passing by, he is asking them, why are you spending your money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not?
[28:11] It's a question that's being asked to us this evening as we come to these verses. The question is why. Well, why what? Why in the light of a great gospel offer we've heard in verse 1, why are you still wasting your time and your energy for things which will not save you, which will not help you, which will not satisfy you?
[28:28] Why are you still wasting your time? We've heard that the gift is for you to take it. Eternal life is there. It's been purchased for you by the precious blood of Christ.
[28:40] And yet you still waste your time for things which are not bread. Wasting your money and your energy for things which will not satisfy you. How simple and how direct the question Isaiah asks.
[28:53] How simple and how direct the question that God asks through Isaiah. See, we can pull the wool over the eyes of those around us and perhaps even for a time we can pull the wool over our own eyes.
[29:04] We can convince ourselves that everything is fine. Everything's fine. If I just keep going to church, keep taking the boxes, no problems, no worries. God will let me in at the end of the days and it's all fine. Well, he won't.
[29:16] I mean, you know he won't. The question is given to you this evening. Why are you still wasting your time? Why are you still, as it were, wasting your life? When it comes down to God, there is nothing we can do to fool him, to show him otherwise he knows who and what we are.
[29:32] Now that is great comfort for us as Christians. But for those of us who have yet to not know Jesus, that's a great worry for us. God cuts you to the heart of the problem in this verse.
[29:44] You're spending your hard-earned money, as it were, your time, spending and wasting your life, we could say. Wasting your time, wasting your money for things which will not save you, things which will not satisfy you.
[29:57] Now, in God's gracious love towards all those who he calls to come, it's never just a problem on its own.
[30:08] He always gives a solution straight after. Do we have that solution here? The call, the question is clear. Why are you wasting your life? But what's the solution, he says? What's the end of verse 2 going on to verse 3?
[30:22] Hearken diligently unto me and eat ye that which is good. Let your soul delight itself in fatness. Listen to me, God is saying.
[30:35] Listen to me. Hearken diligently unto me. Listen clearly and carefully to me. Stop listening to yourself. Stop following your own desires. Instead, stop and listen to what's being said to you by the Lord your God.
[30:48] As he offers us all this evening. As he offers us through his word the wonder of food and of drink. As he offers us life. In verse 3.
[31:01] Incline your ear again. Listen to me. And come unto me. Hear and your soul shall live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you and so on.
[31:11] We'll cover that in a second. Incline your ear to me. Come unto me. Hear and your soul shall live. Dear friends, this is the clearest presentation of the gospel we have in these verses. Do you recall this evening?
[31:25] There's no song, no dance, there's no great handshake, there's no secret ceremony. No. What does it mean to come to Christ? Come to Christ. Listen to the gospel call as it's given to us in these verses. Come to the one who's been offered to you just now.
[31:37] The one who has done all so that you would be saved. This question should cut to the very core of who we are. Why do you waste your time?
[31:51] 50 years perhaps, 60 years, I'll be gone. In 100 years, I'm sure most of us will be gone. A few hundred years, this building will be rubble, I'm sure, and new buildings built over it.
[32:02] We all know how quickly things pass over. That's not news to any of us. The truth is, and we're reminded in these verses, how quickly life does pass over.
[32:14] If we're spending our short life on things which will not save us, the question is, why? God's given us a great life. He's given us life itself. He's given us the chance, even this evening, to come around His Word together and to hear what's being said to us.
[32:28] Incline your ear. Come unto me. Hear, and your soul shall live. It cannot get any more plain than that for us, friends. Listen and live. Listen to the good news He's given you, and live.
[32:42] That's the beautiful simplicity of the Gospel. It's not do this and do that and live. No, it's come, listen to the good news and live. Come and eat and drink.
[32:55] Take from the ever-living fountain of life that Osi is only found in Christ. Drink from it and live. The question we have to ask ourselves this evening, dear friends, what are you spending your time on?
[33:12] What, as a way, are you spending your life on? If it's not spent in the presence of your Saviour, if it's not spent in the presence of a one who has done all that needs to be done for salvation, you're wasting your life.
[33:28] There's no joy in saying that. It's a solemn, hard thing to say, but it's the truth we have in God's Word. Our prayer is, before you close your eyes tonight and sleep, before you start this new week, our prayer is you would come to know and to know truly for yourself what it is to have this great gift in your life.
[33:48] To know what it is to drink from the water he gives, the water of life. To come and to eat and to drink and to know what it is to have your soul truly alive. Come and take the free gift of Jesus this evening to your friends.
[34:03] Come and listen to the God who knows you, who made you, who's provided a Saviour for all who will come to him. That brings us very briefly onto our final few words here in verses 3 down to the end of verse 5 or verse 6.
[34:20] We see the promise. At the end of verse 3 we have a strange digression. We can see the end of verse 3. Here your soul shall live and I will make an everlasting covenant with you even the sure mercies of David.
[34:37] Why of a sudden are we being, why is David entered the text? Why is God referring to David? What are the sure mercies of David? What does God promise to David?
[34:50] He promises to us. What does God promise to David? He promises to all those who come to believe and to love Jesus. Come to me your soul shall live and I will make an everlasting covenant with you even the sure mercies of David.
[35:05] What's the promise that God gave to King David? What's the wonderful promise? The promise to your friends is that a Saviour would come from him. From his line a Saviour the Saviour would come.
[35:19] a king like himself in some ways but greater a king who would not fail who would not falter a king who would fulfil perfectly all that needed to be fulfilled for righteousness sake a king who would come and reign and rule forever the promise of God to David the promise of a Saviour.
[35:39] We have the wonderful words in Luke chapter 1 Luke 1 31 down to verse 33 we see the angel speaking to Mary Luke 1 31 33 the angel says Behold you will conceive in your womb and bear a son you shall call his name Jesus he will be great will be called the son of the most high the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever of his kingdom will be no end dear friend God has fulfilled that promise he made to David it's fulfilled in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ fully God fully man who is our Saviour who is our good shepherd who is the king who reigns and rules forever and forever the sure mercies of David is promised to us the king who would come from David is promised to all who will come and serve and worship him he will be our king our
[36:44] Saviour the promise of Jesus the promise of the coming Saviour dear friends it has been fulfilled God has kept his promise we have the great privileged position which those in Isaiah's day did not have Isaiah's day they had to trust this promise would one day be fulfilled they're still waiting for the Saviour to come he has come dear friends we have a privilege that Isaiah himself did not have he saw in part yes God gave him visions yes he saw vaguely what was ahead yes he saw types and he saw shadows yes but we see the full reality of our risen king our risen saviour dear friends we are in such a privileged position we have no excuse no excuse we have in front of us the finished word of God we see the promise fulfilled in Jesus clearly fulfilled that leader who would come in verse five and who would call nations call people to himself dear friends as we come to conclusion this evening we come to the solemn but beautiful words of verse six as Isaiah again cries out to the crowd and tells them pleads with them this evening as God through his word cries out to you and to me seek the
[38:23] Lord while he may be found and call you upon him while he is near dear friends when is the Lord to be found where is he to be found when is he near again we are not a cult there are no special rituals no special songs or dances the truth is that we believe in the Lord who is the Lord of heaven and earth the Lord is present with us this at a moment the Lord is where his people are gathered together we know that yes but the Lord is also present he will hear your prayer for forgiveness don't waste your time it's a wonderful thing we see at the end of this chapter is the Lord our God the one who knows and who loves his people the Lord our God is the one who transforms death to life destruction to life we see the beautiful imagery even the last verse of our chapter here reforms once where destruction and pain once what do we see we see the fire we see the vitality we see life never ending that green tree which never dies back to the briar the thorns of the briar the misery of the briar that gives us nothing the myrtle tree comes up friends that's the testimony of the
[39:46] Christian here don't be fooled for a second the Christians here we know well that we in of ourselves are no better are no different to anyone else what separates the Christians from those here who are not Christians what makes us different it's not our superior knowledge it's not our wisdom or giftedness no it's one difference between us that we know and trust in our risen saviour we love the one who has given us life dear friends the words of these verses of verse 13 speaks true for our life was a mess perhaps where once our life was nothing but thorns where once our future our understanding was nothing but thorns and briars and where once nothing made sense where once there was destruction where once there was darkness where once there was pain and misery Christians here will be glad to tell you if you only ask us that now there's life and yes hard times come yes the
[40:50] Christian life is not easy life it's a life we know we know and love and serve our saviour dear friends this evening take the free gift don't waste another evening said in the morning we'll say it again just now we can get too comfortable can't we too comfortable in our routines too comfortable coming to this building this beautiful building too comfortable thinking this is all just part of our week and we can crack on the week this is real this is real and this is serious and we know of it to be the case do not waste your time this evening take the free gift take the gift of life listen to God so that your soul may live let's bow our heads in a word of prayer Lord our God we come again before you we thank you for your word thank you for the promise we find even in these verses this evening Lord that you have made provision and to the finished work of your son and for all who are his
[41:53] Lord that you will save them so we heard this morning that the shepherd goes out and he calls out to his sheep and the sheep will hear him we do ask that the case even this evening would see of some even this place come to know and to serve and to love Jesus for the first time ask even for some this evening Lord that you'd work that wonderful powerful work in your lives you would remove from them the briars and thorns in their heart or give them that new life that's only found in Jesus those who are hungry and thirsty Lord we ask you to refresh them with the refreshment only found in the living pure waters that come from our Saviour the one who is the water of life we ask we come to sing our final item of praise we do so of joy in our hearts as we come to sing of the truth the wonderful truth of redemption that you're the God who changes darkness to light you're the God who takes the dead and gives us life as God always sings through Christ precious name
[42:58] Amen let's conclude this evening by singing to God's praise from Psalm 51 Psalm 51 verses 6 down to verse 10 of the psalm again great words of salvation and of the wonderful work of God and the life of his people Psalm 51 verse 6 Behold thou in the inward parts with truth delighted art and wisdom thou shalt make me know within the hidden part do thou with hyssop sprinkle me I shall be cleansed so ye wash thou me and then I shall be whiter than the snow Psalm 51 verses 6 to 10 to God's praise month BEHOLE BEHOLE The Lord has made thee ever parts, with truth denied it are, and with the match that make me know, with a hidden heart.
[44:19] If thou with this soft springing, I shall be cleansed so.
[44:36] The Lord shall be and the high sky, with white landless snow.
[44:54] Of gladness and of joyfulness, make me to hear the voice.
[45:12] That solely steady bones which thou hast broken, rejoice.
[45:28] All my equity is brought out, my face hide from my sin.
[45:48] Give it a clear heart, glory, and I spread me with him.
[46:07] If after prayer, just please leave, I have a back door, as usual. Let's close in a word of prayer. Lord God, again, God before us, we ask you the rest of this evening, to begin this new week.
[46:19] We begin this new week, Lord, thanking you for the great gift you've given us of today, a day to be under your word. We ask that you'd help us to be doers, not just hearers of the word. Help us to be revived in our souls and to be rejuvenated through it.
[46:31] We ask again, even this week, that any who as of yet do not know the wonder of what it is to know Jesus, their own personal saviour, would by the end of this week, Lord, know that for themselves. We would know him, we would love him, we would serve him.
[46:44] So we could welcome him into the body of your people. So we could welcome him into the family. Lord, give us wisdom this week to serve you well. Help us to walk before you humbly. I ask all these things in and through and for Christ's precious name's sake.
[46:57] Amen.