Accept the Invitation
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
One day the church treasurer went to the pastor with the bad news that they couldn’t make the mortgage payment or pay the utilities. So the pastor spoke to his congregation on Sunday morning.
“We need an extra large offering this morning.” Then he added an incentive, “We will honor the person who gives the largest offering by inviting him or her to pick out three hymns for the service.”
They passed the plate, and the church was very generous. There was one envelope that was stuffed with $1,000 cash! The Pastor was excited because the offering was more than enough to pay the bills.
He asked the big giver of $1,000 to identify themselves so they could pick out the three hymns for the service.
A quiet little lady sitting in the back corner shyly stood, and the pastor invited her to the front. Telling her how generous her gift was, he also invited her to select three hymns.
Her eyes brightened as she looked over the congregation, pointed to the three handsomest men in the sanctuary, and said, “I’ll take him and him and him.”
She didn’t understand the invitation.
Today I want to tell you about a need this church has; it’s not a need to pay the mortgage or electricity. I’m thankful that our church is faithful to give tithes and offerings. It’s a different kind of need. It’s a need to fulfill a vision for this year.
We want to put this church on the map in our town. We can do that if we let people know that this is a place they can find a Home, Family, and Acceptance.
Our VISION scripture for 2023 is Ephesians 2:19-22
19 You Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens with everyone else who belongs to the family of God.
20 You are like a building with the apostles and prophets as the foundation and with Christ as the most important stone.
21 Christ is the one who holds the building together and makes it grow into a holy temple for the Lord.
22 And you are part of that building Christ has built as a place for God’s own Spirit to live.
This is the good news of the gospel! We are no longer strangers, but we are part of a family! Through Christ, God has brought us in, and it building His church through us. The church is not so much a building, it’s a family. The Holy Spirit is dwelling in our hearts, and we are called to bring this good news of acceptance to a world that is lost and hurting.
We’ve talked about how Christ has given us a home - a permanent place in Him. Our Salvation is secure. We know that we are part of a family - because of God’s grace and mercy we have been given a new name.
Today we are going to talk about being accepted by God.
Too often we are told we don’t belong.
In the airport they have these special lounges. Now, if you’ve spent any time in the airport then you know they aren’t places of comfort or luxury. Most of the time, you have to wipe down the seat before you can even sit down. They just aren’t great places to hang out. BUT if you are part of a special club, they you can enter one of they lounges. Listen to the description of one of these lounges:
“Within our Lounges eligible Members can escape into luxury before flying, enjoy food and drink from award-winning chefs and top mixologists, and get away from it all in thoughtfully curated spaces designed for work or relaxation.”
Let’s go to the airport! It sounds like a vacation. But not everyone is invited. It’s only for ELIGIBLE MEMBERS! If you’re not a member, then you don’t belong.
But it’s no just airport lounges that tell us we don’t belong to their club. It’s all kinds of places! I can’t even partake of the store discounts at Dillions without being a card carrying member.
God isn’t running a club were some people don’t belong. He has given an open invitation to EVERYONE who would trust in Christ for their Salvation. I’m telling you today, YOU BELONG HERE. You’re invited. You’re accepted by God just as you are RIGHT NOW.
Let’s look at a passage of scripture that gives one of the greatest invitations in the Bible.
1 I am Isaiah, the son of Amoz. And this is the message that I was given about Judah and Jerusalem when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were the kings of Judah:
2 The Lord has said, “Listen, heaven and earth! The children I raised have turned against me.
The people were in open rebellion against the Lord
3 Oxen and donkeys know who owns and feeds them, but my people won’t ever learn.”
They refused to acknowledge God and, spiritually, they were dumber than the farm animals around them.
4 Israel, you are a sinful nation loaded down with guilt. You are wicked and corrupt and have turned from the Lord, the holy God of Israel.
They had forsaken the Lord and had provoked Him to anger.
5 Why be punished more? Why not give up your sin? Your head is badly bruised, and you are weak all over.
They had refused to respond to the Lord’s attempts at correction.
6 From your head to your toes there isn’t a healthy spot. Bruises, cuts, and open sores go without care or oil to ease the pain.
They were sick spiritually and they desperately needed help.
7 Your country lies in ruins; your towns are in ashes. Foreigners and strangers take and destroy your land while you watch.
8 Enemies surround Jerusalem, alone like a hut in a vineyard or in a cucumber field.
Violence filled the whole land.
9 Zion would have disappeared like Sodom and Gomorrah, if the Lord All-Powerful had not let a few of its people survive.
10 You are no better than the leaders and people of Sodom and Gomorrah! So listen to the Lord God:
In many ways, they had become as vile as ancient Sodom and Gomorrah.
11 “Your sacrifices mean nothing to me. I am sick of your offerings of rams and choice cattle; I don’t like the blood of bulls or lambs or goats.
12 “Who asked you to bring all this when you come to worship me? Stay out of my temple!
13 Your sacrifices are worthless, and incense is disgusting. I can’t stand the evil you do on your New Moon Festivals or on your Sabbaths and other times of worship.
14 I hate your New Moon Festivals and all others as well. They are a heavy burden I am tired of carrying.
15 “No matter how much you pray, I won’t listen. You are too violent.
Their religious services were an abomination to the Lord because they meant nothing. They were RELIGIOUS but not RELATIONAL.
The prophet Isaiah ministered during a turbulent time in Israel’s history. The nation had abandoned the way of the Lord and they were living in open sin and idolatry.
These verses leading up to our main verse of acceptance show that they were living in rebellion and sin.
In this first chapter of Isaiah we see a revelation of the Character of God. These people had been blessed by the Lord in many ways. They were living in prosperity but they were not seeking the Lord.
In the good times it seems as though people forget about their need for God. And that’s exactly what we see in this scene of the scripture.
In spite of giving these people what they deserve, we see God is seeking His people and INVITING them to make things right with Him.
This is such a massive truth we find over and over throughout the pages of the Bible.
PEOPLE, we, do not seek the Lord until we are first sought BY the Lord. We are loved before we love.
19 We love because God loved us first.
God always makes the first move. He did for the people in Isaiah’s day and He is still doing it today. How else would we come to Christ?
Remember before we come to Him we are like dead people!
1 In the past you were dead because you sinned and fought against God.
Isn’t that why Jesus came to us? We didn’t come to Him, He came seeking us first!
10 The Son of Man came to look for and to save people who are lost.”
We can find ourselves in the first chapter of Isaiah we can find ourselves. Far from God. Worshipping Him out of obligation. No better than the worst sinners.
Were’s our hope? What’s the good news in this chapter. Were can we find our acceptance?
Let’s look at this INCREDIBLE verse in chapter one.
18 I, the Lord, invite you to come and talk it over. Your sins are scarlet red, but they will be whiter than snow or wool.
Wow, God is, has, and will forever be merciful. He is worthy of all our praise and worship because we don’t deserve this kind of love. Look at the second chance, doesn’t it give you hope?
In your mind, you can go to all the places where you’ve failed. Where’s you’ve sinned and fallen flat on your face. Depression can set in if you think on your past mistakes. You might have served God your whole life and then made a massive mistake that you’ve never forgiven yourself for. You might be thinking of things that you’re doing right NOW that the Holy Spirit is convicting you of in this ver moment.
Here’s the good news. God is saying, come with me, let’s talk. Let me take all your sins that make you dirty and allow me to wash you white as snow.
Those things don’t have to hold you anymore. You are ACCEPTED.
They Lord loves you and desires you. It’s nothing that we’ve done to deserve this kind of love, it’s only because of His grace and mercy for our fallen condition.
Come to Him today to be accepted. You won’t be rejected or denied. All are welcome.
The blessing in this verse is the fact that this invitation still stands! God knows all about the sins in your life and mine. He knows how far down into the cesspool of sin we have sunk. He knows that we are wicked, evil and utterly depraved. Yet, He loves us, in spite of our sinful condition and He calls us to come to Him.
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Everyone who hears this should say, “Come!” If you are thirsty, come! If you want life-giving water, come and take it. It’s free!
Have you accepted His invitation to come? Are you still holding onto the past or have you accepted His complete forgiveness?
28 If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest.
God understood Israel’s condition better than they did. They thought they were doing all right. They were playing on both sides of the fence and they were happy. But, God knew that they were in deep trouble, so He reached out to them to call them home.
The same is true in our lives as well. God knows our condition better than we do. You take that lost sinner. He thinks he is doing his own thing and living his life by his own terms. He does not realize that he is nothing but a pawn in the devil’s hand. He is being driven from sin to sin by forces that he cannot control.
1 In the past you were dead because you sinned and fought against God.
2 You followed the ways of this world and obeyed the devil. He rules the world, and his spirit has power over everyone who doesn’t obey God.
3 Once we were also ruled by the selfish desires of our bodies and minds. We had made God angry, and we were going to be punished like everyone else.
God knows the TRUE nature of our hearts and He’s moved to do something to correct the brokenness.
6 Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful.
7 No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person.
8 But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.
When Jesus died on the cross, the door of salvation was opened, and now God invited all those trapped in sin to come.
Let’s read verse 19 together today because it reveals another truth we need to know about God’s acceptance.
18 I, the Lord, invite you to come and talk it over. Your sins are scarlet red, but they will be whiter than snow or wool.
19 If you willingly obey me, the best crops in the land will be yours.
You might say, what do crops have to do with me? Well, remember this is a picture of God’s nature. It’s reveals a truth that can be applied to our lives today.
Verse 19 is important because it tells us that when God invites us, He expects us to ACCEPT Him. That’s why obedience is mentioned.
When God calls us we must move to Him immediately. There may not be another minute in our lives. We aren’t guaranteed anything. In fact, if we keep on running away from God and living in sin, then we can be assured of destruction.
God could see what Israel could not see. He could see where their rebellion and sin was leading them. He could see the judgment that was about to fall upon them. He could see their condition and their condemnation! On the basis of what He could see, He presses them to make a change in their loves now.
It’s the same for those who are not right with God today. All they can see is the next step that lies before them. All they can feel is the pleasure of their sins. All they can think about is the here and now. They give no thought to what is awaiting them down the road.
If they could see down the road, what they would see would terrify them. If they could see what lies just around a few more bends in the road, they would repent of their sins and run to Jesus for cleansing.
Those who have not accepted Christ would see an eternity in Hell. They would see themselves in a place of eternal torment, where they will forever be separated from family, friends, please, hope and God. They would see themselves damned, doomed and destroyed in Hell.
8 and with a flaming fire. Our Lord Jesus will punish anyone who doesn’t know God and won’t obey his message.
9 Their punishment will be eternal destruction, and they will be kept far from the presence of our Lord and his glorious strength.
God knows how bad it is going to get. He knows the pain and suffering that is coming. He knows about the judgment that is about to fall, so He calls people to come to Him. He calls them to come now, without delay, because He knows that delay is dangerous.
Why do we play with sin? I am convinced it’s because we forget about or can’t see the consequences of that sin. Our lives and even the lives of others hang in the balance.
God accepts us, but He requires us to listen to His voice. He wants us to follow Him. He gave the highest price for our souls. Why can’t we live our lives as living sacrifices to Him?
Is He worthy? YES!
Here’s the last thought I will leave with you today.
There’s a phrase in verse 18 that’s really important:
18 I, the Lord, invite you to come and talk it over. Your sins are scarlet red, but they will be whiter than snow or wool.
It says, “I invite you to come and talk it over.” Another version says it like this: “Come now, let us reason together.”
The phrase “let us reason together” is legal terminology. It means “let’s settle this matter before a court of law; let’s try our case in court”.
In verses 1-17 the Lord has brought all these charges against the people and now He is giving them a chance to defend themselves. But they can’t, they are guilty as charged.
The phrase, “come now” is an invitation for these people to walk with the Lord. He is not asking them to DEBATE Him. He is asking them to agree with Him.
He is offering them a chance to settle their case out of court. If they will be reasonable and honor their covenant with the Lord, He will drop the charges and restore them to a place of fellowship. If they will repent of their sins and change their ways, God will receive them and restore them.
This is an intimate invitation to Israel to change their ways and to get in line with God. He is saying, “Let’s walk together, and we can work this thing out.” That is grace!
God’s invitation to follow Him is still an intimate thing! God does not call groups to come to Him; He calls individuals to come to Him. His call is personal, individual and intimate. When He calls, He always points out the areas of disagreement and He invites the sinner to come to a place of agreement with God. That is the very nature of Holy Spirit conviction.
My father-in-law and I used to go to church together. Sometimes after church we’d eat lunch and He’d say something like: “man, oh man, that preacher was reading my mail today”. He was saying it seemed like the preacher had some inside information about his life because it hit him right in the heart.
That is the Holy Ghost of God trying to get your attention. I don’t know anything about you at all and what’s going through your mind; but God does! And He extends an intimate invitation to you to come to His way of thinking. He is offering you and chance to settle your case out of court. You see, if your case ever goes to trial before Him, you will lose.
11 I saw a great white throne with someone sitting on it. Earth and heaven tried to run away, but there was no place for them to go.
12 I also saw all the dead people standing in front of that throne. Every one of them was there, no matter who they had once been. Several books were opened, and then the book of life was opened. The dead were judged by what those books said they had done.
13 The sea gave up the dead people who were in it, and death and its kingdom also gave up their dead. Then everyone was judged by what they had done.
14 Afterwards, death and its kingdom were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 Anyone whose name wasn’t written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
God is calling today. No person who has ever come to Christ has regretted receiving His cleansing forgiveness. It sets us free!
Jesus is inviting you today. Will you accept the invitation?