God's Ways

Isaiah 55

Intro: Tammy decided to take the kids bowling on Tuesday, the plans were made to be there around 2pm. However when they arrived they realized the alley wouldn't open until 3pm.

Link: Sometimes, we make plans and our plans change, our ways don’t work out.

In life as a believer we too make plans, our churches make plans but they don’t always play out how we planned. This can cause us hardship, pain, anxiety, etc.

Lets begin by looking at:

Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.”

We hear this verse from time to time but rarely do we look at it in the context of where it sits in Scripture.

Example: My family and I love living out in the Nebraska area, however God has made it clear that He desires us to move to Vermont. I’ll share more about this in the S.S. hour. However we say, well, Isaiah 55:8 says, ““For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.”

Although its used a lot like this, and probably its used in a good way like this, I want to look at the verses around it to help us to get the big picture. Because there is more to this verse then what we typically quote.

Now as this verse is looked into within its context, we can quickly see that its:

1. talking to the Jews about their relationship to Him and His relationship to the Gentiles. However I want to point a few things out here for you to focus on this morning.

Before we do I want to make this point, “The entirety of the Scripture is there to elevate Jesus to a point where all mankind can see Him, who He is and what He’s done in order to allow them to have a relationship with Him.”

Isaiah 55:1–7 “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. 3 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you— The sure mercies of David. 4 Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, A leader and commander for the people. 5 Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, And nations who do not know you shall run to you, Because of the Lord your God, And the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you.” 6 Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”

Here we see the Gospel shown in the O.T. If we look at John we see that Christ tells us here too that he is the “Bread of Life & The Living Water.” John 6:35 “And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”

Isaiah is telling the reader here that the “Bread & Water” who is Jesus is FREE and it is what they need to be nourished.

Vs. 6 tells us to come to him while we can, Vs. 4 Listen, hear and your soul shall live.

We see again in the N.T. many verses such as Romans 10:13 “For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Isaiah 55:7 Tells if the wicked forsake their sin, return to the Lord, he’ll have mercy shown on him by God & be abundantly pardoned.

This applied to the original reader and it does today as well to the current reader.

Vs.8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

We can see that God’s ways and thoughts are so much higher then ours. I am glad for this and the main reason is what we see spelled out here.

Ill: Sarah our 6 year old daughter asked me this past week if adults still play and have fun. I said yes, but in different ways then kids. I said we don’t play like you do, that changed at some point in life. I said I don’t get or understand how that happened but it did and someday you’ll understand what I am saying now. I can tell you what though, I am sure glad that when I come to visit, Louie doesn’t say, Hay John, why don’t you come on over and play with my Ertil tractors and trucks on my mom and dads livingroom floor with me!

Just like my daughter doesn’t understand how exciting and pleasurable it can be to cut a piece of metal and weld it to another, we can’t understand Gods ways and that's ok. Any day I understand my God fully would mean I don’t need Him.

Vs. 10-13 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, 11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. 12 “For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, And instead of the brier 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.””

Vs. 10 God’s Word (Salvation) here is compared to as rain & snow and as a seed by the sower and as bread given to someone who is hungry. All 4 of these things we know are needed. They are a must in our lives and likewise God’s Word, his salvation message, mercy and pardon are essential for our souls, our friends, family and countryman's souls too or they’ll die.

Vs. 11 Water goes out and does what its to do, God’s Word is the same but even more important.

Vs.12-13 Just as we see here, nature will be happy, the curs someday will be reversed, the thorn will be gone. Jesus will rule on His throne forever and ever. A few questions to take away and think about:

WILL YOU BE THERE TOO?

Will Your neighbor be there too?

Will your family be there too?

Will your countrymen be there too?

Challenge: Take the Word of God out for others to hear, share the Gospel with them, let them know the mercy of God and his free pardon before its to late.

In my families situation with God moving us to Vermont, we can say, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.” Why? B/C we know that God wants to use us to let the folks in the VT, NH area know that they can be pardoned and have mercy shown on them but it must come through Christ.

Why does God move you around or your loved ones? B/C He wishes the Gospel to go out through those believers in the places he puts them.