The great invitation

 

LIMAVADY BAPTIST CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 12 MAY 2024 pm MR BEN DALY

ISAIAH 55

Years ago in Mexico a father put up a post on Facebook inviting people in his village to his 15 year old daughter’s coming of age party.  Someone shared the post and suddenly thousands of people responded to say they were coming to the party.  They were coming to this corner of Mexico.  Aeroplane companies were using this invite in their advertisements.  They put on flights just so people could attend.  The father said “we never intended to send the invitation to so many, just those in our small village.”  It became a worldwide invitation.  They simply wanted to hold a traditional party, they never meant it to be an invitation to everyone.  Tonight we have an invitation to everyone.  This is the great invitation and it is open to all and sundry to respond to it.  The suffering servant that Isaiah wrote about 700 years before the coming of Jesus is giving us a great invitation.  To what he has done at Calvary.  The invitation requires an urgent response.  In the opening 3 verses of Isaiah 55 we have the invitation to come – “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 Daivd.” Who is the invitation to?  Those who are hungry and thirsty.  Those who are thirsting for more in life.  The world cannot truly satisfy.   The invitation is to someone who acknowledges they are poor and needy.  They have nothing to bring to the table but God’s invite is in the world today.  We value what people can bring.  We invite them to our social events based on what they can given.  But that is not the basis of this invitation.  Those who are thirsty, those who are hungry, those who are poor, those who are needy – they are the ideal candidates to hear this invitation.  Matthew 5 “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.”  It is for those who are hungry and poor.  It is also for the self sufficient.  Those who think they can bring their money and buy salvation.  There are those in society who believe that if they just have the next car, were better at their sport, had a wife or husband but none of these will satisfy.  So why do you keep on trying?  Why do you spend your money on that which will never satisfy?  It may taste good for a season but not for long.  It is like the market seller laying out his goods on the table and at the end of the day with his earnings buying bread.  It does not satisfy long term.  Everyone is invited.  We fall into 2 categories tonight – the poor or the self sufficient.  You are invited tonight.  You are hearing the word to come.  What are you invited to?  “Come ye to the waters”  If you are thirsty tonight you can come to the living waters which satisfy.  We might not appreciate the imagery used here as we live in a society with too much water at times but in the time when this invitation was written the people lived in the scorching heat of the desert.  We are invited to drink of living water tonight.  Water in the bible is an image of life.  Jesus said in John 7 verse 37 “If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”  He told the Samaritan woman you are being invited to experience life, fullness satisfied.  But we not only invited to experience satisfaction but joy also.  “Buy wine and milk without money and without price.”  Wine is a picture of joy in the bible.  We are invited to experience lasting joy that is only found in Jesus.  Milk provides strength.  You will experience power and strength in your life.  Lasting joy.  Satisfaction in the gospel.  Have you picked up that it is without money?  You are perhaps sceptical – it is too good to be true.  Where is the catch?  There is none.  You cannot buy this.  You can bring nothing to the table because of Isaiah 53.  It was all paid 2000 years ago.  Jesus paid the price for your sin and mine.  Jesus paid it all.  The free offer is extended and there is no catch.  We are simply invited.  This is God’s riches at Christ’s expense.  We receive all of the riches of God as laid out in Isaiah 55 verse 1.  It gives us so much in him.  Not just saved from hell we are invited to the richest fare – to drink and enjoy and be satisfied all at no cost to us.  Can you trust this great invitation?  It is based on God’s word – verse 3 “I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.”  In the Old Testament there were the Abrahamic, the Mosaic and the Davidic covenants.  Here he appeals to God’s mercy as displayed in his covenant to David.  2 Samuel 7 tells us that one of David’s descendants would come and be given a throne that would last forever.  Can we trust it?  Will it happen?  Yes. In Matthew and Luke’s gospel we are told that there was one who came out of David’s line.  The angel appeared to Mary and said “He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”  That was partly fulfilled in the first coming of Jesus but will be fully fulfilled in the second coming of Jesus.  God’s word can be trusted.  Thousands of years passed before Jesus appeared on the scene and thousands of years have passed since then and he will appear once more.  The covenant has been established by Jesus.  He has saved his people from their sins.  We can rely on his great invitation secured by what he has done 2000 years ago.  He took the penalty for our sins so that this invitation could be extended to you and I.  It is an invitation based on God’s word.  This great invitation requires an urgent response from each of us – verses 6 and 7 “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.”  Every invitation requires an RSVP.  Yes I will come or no I cannot come.  Maybe we make an excuse for not coming.  This invitation is no different.  It requires each of us to respond.  You cannot stand in the middle.  There is no such a thing as sitting on the fence.  You have to make a decision about what you are going to do with this invitation.  There are 4 things to do – seek the Lord, call on him, forsake your wicked way and turn to the Lord.  They will change the course of your life and importantly the course of your eternity.  You need to acknowledge you have nothing and that you need a Saviour.  You need to call out for mercy and grace to be given, for salvation to be given to you.  To say “I want to accept this invitation, I want to receive Christ for myself, I want to experience life, joy and happiness.”  Turn to him, trust in him, forsake your way of going.  Turn around, do the full uturn.  Turn to the Lord who is gracious and merciful.  If you do that God will pardon you, forgive you.  Verse 7 “he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon.”  Romans 10 verse 13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  He will pardon you.  Notice that within this great invitation there is an urgency.  There is a deadline attached to the invitation.  Verse 6 “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near.”  It does not say to us when the day is that you have to respond on.  Not told how long we have got.  “Behold now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.”  Tonight you are able to come, to respond.  Tomorrow may be too late.  Tonight is the only certainty that you have.  The opportunity is open.  It will not always be so, it will not always remain open.  The Lord is gracious, compassionate.  The evidence is that you are hearing this great invitation.  Will you come before it is too late?  Before the RSVP deadlines has been breached?  Will you seek him while he may be found?  We are promised “where 2 or 3 are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst.”  He is gracious and he will abundantly pardon.  Will you come?  He offers you real life, satisfying joy, an eternity with Christ which is far better.  Will you come to the Saviour this evening?