Enjoy the Promised Blessing

Introduction

Is. 55:6-11 ““Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;

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.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares 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.

“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,

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.”

What blessings are we talking about?

- look at Isaiah 54:13-14 “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you.”

To enjoy the blessings of the Lord, what must we do?

I believe God provides 2 action plans that build upon each other that lead into 1 promise of enjoying the blessings of the Lord.

Through Isaiah, God compassionately called the surviving remnant of Israel to spiritual renewal. As part of that renewal, they would have to thoroughly abandon their sinful lifestyles and return to Him to receive the forgiveness the Messiah made possible. They would have to “seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6).

Seek the Lord (vs. 6-7)

Those who seek the Lord are those who are searching to know God more.

Now was not the time for Israel to drag its feet. There would be a window of opportunity and no room for delay. With the instruction to “seek the Lord while He may be found,” Isaiah stressed the urgency and seriousness of God’s summons. The prophet Amos communicated the same sense of urgency, repeatedly issuing the Lord’s appeal to “seek me and live” (Amos 5:4–7, 14–15). Dedicating our lives to the pursuit of God is a matter of life and death. If we procrastinate, the opportunity to respond to His invitation may run out.

(Proverbs 1:24–28, NLT) - “I called you so often, but you wouldn’t come. I reached out to you, but you paid no attention. You ignored my advice and rejected the correction I offered. So I will laugh when you are in trouble! I will mock you when disaster overtakes you—when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone, and anguish and distress overwhelm you. When they cry for help, I will not answer. Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me”

The command is accompanied by another command and a promise: “Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon” (Isaiah 55:7).

While we still have time, before it’s too late, we must seek the Lord. God graciously promises to be found: “You will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29, ESV). Over and over throughout the Bible, God calls His people to repent, return to Him, and seek the Lord while He may be found

Trust the Lord (vs. 8-9)

In this brief first-person declaration from God (“declares the Lord”), he explains in two verbless clauses why it is necessary for people to trust the Lord.

The thoughts of an Almighty God who has created the world, controls the history of nations, and plans what will happen to each person have a world perspective that is beyond the realm of human comprehension.

Trusting the Lord is denying our own thoughts and perceptions and opinions. Trusting the Lord is realizing how different our thoughts are from Him.

Just how different are God’s thoughts and ways from those of people on earth? In 55:9 the contrast between God and mankind is compared to the distance between the heavens and the earth. Such a comparison might make one wonder if there is anything that is similar between the thoughts of God and the common man. There are some similarities between the righteous believer who reads or hears about God’s thoughts and ways and attempts to live a life consistent with God’s instructions. Nevertheless, even with these few similarities with the righteous, it is not hard to accept the idea that God’s plans and purposes are exceedingly higher than anything the smartest righteous person has ever thought or imagined.

Promise of the Lord ( vs. 10-11)

Now the prophet puts the focus on the absolute reliability of everything that God says or plans. Specifically, in the immediate context God is assuring the audience about the availability of forgiveness to all who come to him and repent (cf. 55:7). God’s promise that He will respond with compassion to all who seek Him and trust Him.

Both rain and God’s word are intended to have an impact on the earth and the people who live there. The rain causes the flowers to bud, crops to grow and produce fruit and seeds, but the ultimate purpose of all of this activity is to provide food for people to eat. So God’s word has the function of producing fruit in people and feeding them on something that is more important than mere bread.

But the central comparison is that just as rain cannot fall on the earth without fulfilling the role God gave it, so God’s words cannot fall from God’s mouth in heaven without fulfilling the role God gave them on earth.

God does not make impotent threats or empty promises; when he talks people should listen because what he predicts is exactly what will happen.

Closing

Who in here is seeking the Lord? Are you searching to know God? --- As the school year is starting, this is a vital time to seek the Lord. If you determine to seek the Lord this school year, God will make Himself evident in so many ways. Your relationship with Christ will deepen.

Who in here is trusting the Lord? Are you fully relying/leaning on Jesus? --- A new school year will bring new challenges. If you will fully trust the Lord with every problem, every unknown, every good thing, every friendship, every relationship. If you will trust Jesus for every area of your life, you will see the promise of Isaiah 55 - “His Word will not return empty, it shall accomplish that which the Lord purposes.”

I also want to offer to everyone in this room --- Have you ever the intentional moment where you call upon the Lord to forgive your sins and save you? The message we read in Isaiah today was a message to sinful people calling them to repent. God calls us to repent.

If you have never had an intentional moment where you bow to Jesus and ask Him to remove the sin in your life and save you, would you come forward during the alter call and talk with me? Or if you’re more familiar with one of our leaders in the back, would you go and talk with them?