Jeff Scott - Between the Now and the Not Yet - Isaiah 55:6-13

I'm going to invite you to open Isaiah 55:6 and go all the way to the end and then we'll set that the backstage for what is going on. In this particular text man, his thoughts turn to the Lord that he may have compassion on him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon. He's a very familiar and difficult situations in our life for my thoughts. Are not your thoughts, neither are your ways. My ways just to clarify the Lord. First thing first, the heavens are higher than the earth. So are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As to rain in the snow, come down from heaven. What are the Earth making a break?

Words, which I sent it. Will you still have the thorn? So come up the Cypress and Myrtle name for the Lord of everlasting sign. That shall not be cut off. Isaiah 55:6, through 13. good morning to keep your, you're Your finger there. We're going to go through these versus one of the time and there are four things that I would like to bring out to you this morning. But I got my message is between the now and the not yet. We are living in the now. How do we, how do you make a follower of Jesus lived? And the not yet the context of Isaiah 55. Let me take you back a few hundred years from the writing of them. After Solomon's, death numbers of elements.

Project building project of defending the nation.

Has the expanded, the kingdom. And the people.

instead of looking to the advisors of his father,

the young man who How is complex with him and then gave him the advice to tighten the screws so to speak and make it harder on the people and put them for the speak. And the people who rebelled and comes back with Solomon and all the sudden he comes back and he takes the northern tribes who leave their loyalty. And so this happened at 9:30 BC Israel. The northern kingdom is part of Israel, the nation of Israel.

In their existence before they were carried off into captivity. They were 19 Kings, 9, different families represented, It wasn't one Godly king among the northern kingdom.

They immediately went into a Dollar Tree under jeroboam.

Checked out all the levite who becomes very idolatrous but yet God hasn't given up on. 721. Patrick Lee the nation of Assyria came and led the northern kingdom into captivity in the Assyrians. One of their main goal was to create a loyalty to the Assyrian Empire and they would break any family, religious connection that they have conquered Israel in captivity, Northern tribes, In the book of Isaiah.

And you will return to the very land that you've been taken from. And this is very important in history because God promised Abraham that Israel This Promise of the remnant and this return to the land is all wrapped up in the servant language should have a capital f, capital A the coming promised Messiah, Jesus himself.

There has been a disconnect from everything that they know, family, land, all their social structure, while you're in captivity live between the And the not yet. So this is the context in which we find ourselves this morning and the not yet. Just think of our history. What happened globally in the last 3 years, look at all the changes that have transpired social changes that have taken place overseas of all the stuff that's happening around us. What are we to do? Not encourage us to live in the now looking forward to the night to look at four ways that we are encouraged to live between now. And then the first points I have this morning at 6 and 7 and it's this, recognized the predicament of man Recognize the predicament of man is here and prophesying to the nation of Israel. He's telling them to remember, got you to where you're at or long suffering or they may be found, let the wicked forsake his way. And the unrighteous man, his thoughts, let them return to the Lord that he may have compassion on him into our God for he will abundantly pardon. Here's a nation in captivity due to their own wrongdoing, continues to your ways, and your thoughts and your desires. But yet, I haven't given I'm still here for you. Here's what I'm asking you to do through the prophet. Isaiah, are you saying here's what you need to do? Three things.

Seek the Lord call upon him. Thirdly Return of the Lord, each one of these come with a descriptor. So seek the Lord while he may be found, there is a point in time where you can so move away from God. But God says, I'm going to leave you to your own devices. He's already started this with the pain. I'm going to let you and let you reap the repercussions.

God gave them over you. Haven't gone too far for him while he is near. giving them, hope he's telling them how to live in their current situation in the and then it calls them to return to the Lord, because God is compassionate and he will pardon Willing and ready to purchase and to restore. And this is the promise, was that Isaiah keeps bringing in the entire book of Isaiah to the nation of Israel. The idea of repentance Turn from your wicked ways and your wicked thoughts returned to me a call upon me return to me and I will abundantly pardon, there's this idea, wrapped up in here. A restoration, lucky, unrighteous man, his thoughts. The word Israel in their desperate situation. You know what they want?

Get in trouble.

You need to see me. You need to call upon me your hearts need to return to me. You need to forsake, your thoughts, and your ways and learn to live in the now, not in the not yet. That's coming, it will come, but you will have to learn to live in the now. How do we do that? Israel has encouraged to repent to turn back to the Lord. God is more concerned about the affections of our heart that he has about the actions that we bring out. If he has our affections that, our actions are Behavior. God is longing to restore Israel? Israel is learning to live. You see, Israel did not need to be out of their captivity. That's the not yet that's coming, but it's not yet. Israel needed to be rescued from themselves.

As followers of Jesus Christians. Who have been redeemed? We have to admit.

The motto that you read. It sounds very familiar. This morning Andrew gave a broken Church. Full of broken people. All in need of God's grace. This is what we say.

Original sin. Each one of us has original sin and every part of our human Constitution, we are broken as broken can be. Our ways and our thoughts.

We are broken people. What we still need, most is exactly what his real name. You. And I need to be rescued from ourselves from our own sin and God through his servant. Jesus provides that opportunity.

Let me read a portion this morning from a book that I recently read called Dangerous calling by dr. Paul Tripp, I think it really will help explain

Are we willing to get to the point where we are willing to admit the, I messed up that without God's grace. The only place that I would be myself, let me read this to you. Hit me between the eyes with this book is actually written to pasteurize then and hard workers applicable for us today. It doesn't matter who you are. You are at the same time, a person in the middle and its ability, Capable of giving way to disastrous things you are capable of losing your way. You are capable of ungodly, attitudes, and dark desires. You has not been completely delivered from Pride. Anger, bitterness. These are places where you are.

Fire force.

You cannot always Minister isn't Ambassador. There are times when you live with the attitude of a king rather than one called to represent the king. You do not always love God. You do not always love your neighbor as yourself.

There are moments when you love your little kingdom of one more than your love and pleasure more than you love Redemption. there are times when Pride hinder you unkind unapproachable, there are times when you want everything to be about you. There are times when you are irritated by the very people, you are called to love. You're not proud of all your thoughts. Don't want others to share. All your words, you do things in private moments that you would not want seen in public.

These things are true of me as well. And they give evidence to the fact that we are in desperate need of ministry. Ourselves, will you proclaim the message of Grace, are a deeply in need of Grace ourselves? We have not arrived. We are not moved Beyond a moment-by-moment need for Grace, we are not yet out of danger. We are not free from the war of our hearts. Still rages. We still fall and we are tempted to think That because we buy in the pulse assessment of our spiritual condition. Because we are all tempted to be self-sufficient of the think that we are independently righteous. We are all connected to an overinflated. We all tend to want to have our righteousness recognized and confirmed we all want to be seen right temperature. We all want to be looked up to an esteemed and a word. We are still susceptible definition of ourselves. Form by Carnival mirrors that are in every person's life. Remember, don't mirror that you look into to know yourself will ever show you you with the clarity and the accuracy of the mirror of God's word. Is that not a description of where each and every one of us are I know it is as me. Let me give you an illustration. I love playing golf.

Honestly, I'm not very good at it. How many of you understand Gulf to me about seven or eight months ago? And if I'm honest it almost happened to me yesterday. As I was playing golf. You have various types of holes that you play part 3.

Are for pork chops, to get it in the cop car 550k. But if you're two over, that's a double bogey. And that adds up. When you think about these professional golfers, that are golfing in the 60s. Okay, to 18 holes. I've done that and nine holes But you're not supposed to do that night, you know, it's a, it's a frustrating game and honestly golf brings out for me. It's it's the thing that I do that recharges me like nothing else. Also brings out the worst part of my Brokenness about 7-8 months ago. Start on the First Tee. Beautiful drive down the Fairway, second shot. It goes straight to the tree line. Okay, take out my wed. Go to the green, and I kept it short, and leave myself a 30-foot talked, for a double bogey. Fortunately enough.

Some of my God most of us play like me. So we have a double bogey, bro, you can't get worse than that. Kind of keeps the game. Moving starting the first of all second hole, one par 5 hardest hole on the course, I hit the ball into the right tree line. Second shot, I hit the ball zig zag over to the left side under the tree line. Third shot hit a tree went straight down. I still 250 yards out on a par 5 to get a part. I have to hit it, 250 yards in on it once he has to say and I got a double bogey. So point, my competitive juices are in there and I'm going home. What do I play? This stupid game. This is a game. I love to hate. So I'll come to number 3 that's over a pond. I get up. Hit the ball before it goes in the. So I'm dropping this over and over again.

I should have put my clubs away in the trunk of my car and gone home, but I can plan and my broken nose. Kept coming out more and more. So, get the whole number 10. I'm in the woods, have to take a penalty shot, my driver cover back on and it doesn't go in the bag in the bag, slam it in the bag. I mean, I am honestly, I am I my broken. This is just losing out. You know, if I get the number 11, I'm in the tree line again, except over the green, I ended up with another double, bogey at that point, you know, I am about talking to my buddies, they're not talk to me, they're probably miserable because I am in it. I mean, I'm just my Brokenness is just spilling out everywhere at this point. There were a couple times for my clubs. Is hitting the ball after I hit the ball, I tip the ground real hard.

Sliced it into the woods. I put my head cover back on stuck. My club nicely in the bag. I looked at my buddies and I took guy, it's obvious, I'm not going to play good today and I'm making the rounds and my sim is all out in the open. I just need to go home. My sanctification is more important than the golf game, and my Brokenness just sold out everywhere in the things that I love the most, you see?

You're broken. And we're in need of God's grace. We're still not yet. We are redeemed because you're broken course. It may come out as you're driving down the road. Okay, get out even on the way here, this morning driving down the road.

I look at my wife and I said the gas pedal on the right. If you push it down, the car will go. Okay, there's Brooklyn broken. That's right. You must get to the place where we accept the fact that we haven't arrived. We are living between the now and the, not yet. So how do we live between the first thing is, we must realize that we're broken people understand your predicament. That's what the encouragement was to the people of Israel. The second thing that I'd like you to look at this morning, the second way to live between the now and then this is the encouragement, Isaiah was giving to the nation of Israel, understand the particularity of God. The word particularly means the uniqueness of who got is, but understand who got his and his phone is turned in his greatness. Will looking for 6 again all the way down through verse 9, the Lord, while he may be found near. Let the wicked forsake his way making note of that word and the rent, unrighteous, man, just thought that he may have compassion on him. I'm looking for Sade My thoughts go back to man starts. Abandon your thoughts. My thoughts are not your thoughts your way. There's that word ways, my ways.

Declares the Lord, praise the heavens are higher than the us or my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts. And your thoughts. Here's the nation of Israel in captivity. Are broken and they're still trying to do it their way here. We are 2023. You and I are broken and we keep trying to do it our way understand who got his God is very unique. He's one of a kind wholly, other self-sufficient in need of nobody and yes she chose He delighted in creating us and delighted to send his son Jesus to die on our behalf because he Delights and US worshipping him and US. Enjoy, Israel is in captivity for the Rebellion. Their idolatry their violation of the Covenant treaty I got they want to possess the promised, the not yet without living in the now. God said, repent call return wife and look at what God tells us in this text alone about himself. He may be found She's Got A Million Miles Away. He's got a concept that you cannot reach. He is very near and ever

God is near. How often do we lean into who he is? He is compassionate. He will abundantly. Pardon his ways are not our ways. Just thoughts are not our thoughts.

You see, the wicked Israel. Wanted to embrace their ways and their thought. But yet embraced the not yet and have it now. Gus's. There's a process here. I'm available. I am near I am. So, I am all you need come to me. Let's walk through this, in God's higher than the earth show. My ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. And he's basically, I look at where your ways and your thoughts. You I got you into captivity, my ways. My thoughts, speak of my Brokenness, and they get me in trouble. I need the Lord, I need Grace that we talked about God is telling Israel here now, see where my wise and my thoughts will take, you repent, turn call upon my return to the Lord. Come in and join me. And I will show you where my ways and my thoughts will carry you in the moving Force the night yet. And belief in God is not about what is logical. God is above our limited human logic. We are finite beings. Kind of figure out an infinite. God. That's why we need to be dependent upon him. And what he offers to us. The first thing that I would like you to look at this morning of how to live between the now and the. Not yet, it's 11. And that's to see the purposefulness of God to work. The purposefulness.

Praise the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there. But what are the Earth making it bring forth and Sprout, giving seat to the store and my word. P that goes out for my mouth. It shall not return to me, empty, but it rain and snow. What are they do? They come from the sky? God provide. What is it due? And water? Is the earth? Brings about its fruit provides for us? Snowmelt. It's amazing to me is this is the time you have to Spring to come out. I've been there and just shoosh Brook out of the mountain. What is it? It's the snow melt off for Mount Hermon that even in the hottest month in providing what God intended it to the Earth.

Is it allowed to take root? And it gives bread to the eater and loving them and caring for them. That's the oldest race of at the illustration is God's word, my word. What is it say here? My word that goes out of my mouth shall not return to be empty. The word of God. The Bible is our most valuable resource for living in the. Now, as we look forward to the not get the source of God's word is not a bunch of men who wrote ancient text, hundreds of thousands of years ago, it is God inspired God breathed Out product and cared about it's enough that he put it form that's in multiple languages around the globe because he loves us and he wants us to have it and we can Thrive from it. Look at the purpose of God's word says, it will not return empty. It will accomplish that which God has purposed it, she'll succeed, and the town. That it was designed for.

I'm probably about 15 years ago. I was out of the conference out in Colorado, Denver area. Speaking at a counseling conference, remember, I was in this thing out over the Flames towards the Rocky Mountains and you can see the clouds building over the Rocky Mountains and coming down on the high plains there in Colorado and You Can See For Miles but you can see this huge cloudburst that's coming and you could just see the moisture that is dropping along, its way. It's a cloudburst when I was out there. They were actually that happened when they caught a happen with her Converse or kind of Hit and Miss thunderstorms on the summertime, you know, where it needs to rain in calling for thunderstorms, but it is Charlottesville.

Is it beneficial to a degree and filling up the reservoirs? A lot of that water runs off because of moisture all at once. In Israel, in the rift valley where the Jordan River flows out of Mount Hermon end of the Sea of Galilee,

Is the most arid dry hot spot on the planet. It is, it is a 1300 ft below sea level at the Dead Sea of Galilee, okay, they don't get a lot of rain at that Park, they get two inches of rain year-round in that area of Israel. But yet, if you drive along the Jordan River today in the rift valley, you will see Wheatfields cornfield date. Palm trees all kinds of produce as being grown. How are they doing it? They have mastered the art of drip irrigation They have a warrant and scientifically proven this plant. And this weather in this soil, with these temperatures, need a drop here, a drop there, and I dropped here. Drip irrigation, they're saving their water. And these plants are flourishing in a very dry areas land. Because they've learned the art of drip, irrigation God's word, it's not something that you sit down, and you read once, and you say, I read it and you check it out for hours a day, get you through typical average reader, that's a lot of reading.

The daily intake of God's word will have much more of an impact and bring about its intended result day after day. Week after week, month after month, year after year, I began this spiritual rhythm in my life over four decades ago. And it's the one thing that I can turn back to. I've got all kinds of academic degrees, I wouldn't trade my reading of God's word for all of those combined. It's the daily sitting at the feet of Jesus and taking God's word that drip irrigation where this broken heart. The prince for me and accomplish what God desired to accomplish in my life.

The poor thing that I would like you to look at this morning, the fourth way to live between the now and the not yet. If you anticipate the promise transformation looking for is 12 + 13. I think instead of the thorn shall come up to Cypress instead of the Briar she'll come up the Myrtle and it shall make a name for the Lord of everlasting sign that she will not be cut off. and we reach through that more like, What is that talking about? These are miraculous descriptions that I say, is giving us their language here to go. Back to the Exodus. Delivering, the people of Israel, out of bondage to the Egyptian this idea of going out and and the piece that's coming up for Four Hundred Years of bondage. Isaiah returns to this language, to the people that were in captivity to Assyria and says you shall be led forth with joy and you should go out with peace. Just telling them there's a Time coming it's not yet but the time is coming when God will. Once again bring you out with joy and you will go out in peace and we do know from Biblical history, Cyrus King of Persia. Course I'm serious health of the Babylons. Elonian, the Babylonians fell to the Persians and then Cyrus King of Persia allows the Israelites to return. I just started my reading today, the book of Ezra and the Book of Ezra is them going back to rebuild the Temple. 70 years of captivity. This is Deliverance, language is giving, but I'm giving you a glimpse of the coming coming, but we also have your creation language.

Have any of you heard Hills a mountain sing? I haven't God says it will happen this miraculous event that's going to happen. Pretty sure the field will clap their hands.

The scripture tells us that when somebody comes to faith in Christ in heaven, Creation language is here, but there's also a new creation.

Look at this. The Thorn shall come up. The Cypress. The Briar Hill come up the Myrtle. Remember When

And are you somehow work the Earth by the sweat of your brow? And I will still be weeds and thistles and Thorns. Okay. This is this is what is talking about here. There's going to come a time when there will be no longer be. The Forum will not be there in a few to Cypress. The Briar will not be there. What a beautiful myrtle tree will come up. She's painting this picture that endure them now because they're not yet is coming. But he's improving time to repent and turn to me. Call up on me. I've done these things will come to be.

This is these are the signs of an Everlasting Covenant that he has made and we happened to be here in the New Testament time. The church who have been included in graph put in to this wonderful thing that God has done, redeeming all of mankind.

4 things to love. I'll try to live in it between the night. Yet is understand your predicament. Understand. The particularity of who got is understand the purpose of the word. and understand and anticipate the product information that God wants to bring about in your life, but what God wants to bring about Culture. The radical transformation of people following Jesus and becoming like Jesus is the greatest testimony that we can give our world that is seeking that they're chasing after their ways and their thoughts. God offers so much more In conclusion this morning between the now and the not yet. There are two things that I want to bring out one is if you would never surrender your heart and your affection. The person of Jesus Christ in his work that he finished. You need Redemption. There are people here this morning. That would love to talk to you about that. But if you are a follower of Christ, is there an ongoing transformation? Going on in your life. I just turned 60. I need that transformation. Just as much today. As I did, when I was 20. It's an ongoing. It never ends until we're in the presence of Jesus.

The big idea this morning is that God's grace through. Jesus Christ is ready to rescue to redeem and to transform My question to you this morning as well as you healed, your all to him this morning. Would you join me in prayer?

Father, thank you for your goodness. Your greatness, your grace and reaching down.

When I'm deserving people Lord, I am so undeserving. Pride arrogance, jealousy greed. All those things. Father, personally, I still wrestle with and I know my brothers and sisters here this morning. Also wrestled with those things were. We're we're broken people. We need you, we're in need of being rescued. Redeemed is transformed, original sin, still resides in us and it's an ongoing battle for us. Father, we know that it's been paid for and the person of Jesus

Ford. I pray that we would live between the now and they're not yet or we know that our world is heading and directions, that are not pleasing to you, that are heartbreaking to us as certainty that you are in control. Nothing happens apart from your Sovereign Providence.

Or we are now in this moment Florida's we anticipate. What's the good things that are coming or do you establish something up your kingdom here? Eternity in your presence. Lord, we're looking forward to that but right now it would be asked if you would help us be all that, you desire us to be. For the glory of Jesus Christ. The crazy things in his name. Amen.