An Invitation to His Presence
Rend the Heavens (FBC) • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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An Invitation to His Presence
Isaiah 55:1-5
INTRODUCTION
Separation - how far away can two things be separated.
46.5 billion light years is as far as we have been able see from earth.
That is 93 billion light years from one side to the other.
Universe is larger than this- it’s only what we can observe.
What if there i another universe beyond this one?
Even if there is not another- is the space beyond the universe infinite?
Rich man and Lazarus- There is a great separation from heaven and hell.
Sin separates us from God.
We need Jesus
“Rend the Heavens” - a picture of God taking away the separation between man and God. God reaching down to us and offering us something better than what our sin has caused in this earth.
1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.
4 Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.
5 Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.
3 Provisions That Come with God’s Pursuit
3 Provisions That Come with God’s Pursuit
1. Opportunity (1)
1. Opportunity (1)
1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Moses- calling to join God in bringing His people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land.
Here:
Salvation for All- This chapter switches from talking to Israel to addressing the whole world. (uses masculine plural instead of feminine singular)
The problem is not thirst. The problem is in failure to come and have thirst satisfied.
All men have a thirst for God.
Invitation for all to come join the feast.
ILL- New Mexico changed our perspective of water-
Some homes you have to haul water.
We had water with carbon-dioxide in it.
Nothing compared to Malawi.- hauling water.
What you think you are thirsting for could be wrong. Spiritual over physical.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
ILL- Woman at the Well
13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,
14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
“without money, without price”- Free Gift
Opportunity is for all now-
Section in Isaiah starting in chapter 40-54 is written to Israel. Chapter 55 is for everyone.
What truly matters has been available all along.
This is an opportunity for all- offered to all - all can afford it.
No one is too far gone.
All sin separates us from God yet no sin is too big to keep us from forgiveness.
2. Meaning (2-3)
2. Meaning (2-3)
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.
God’s calling brings meaning.
Moses’ calling gave meaning to his meaningless life of tending the flock of his father-in-law.
Isaiah in chapter 6 (last week)- “Here i am send me.”
Meaning beyond paying bills. Meaning beyond taking care of family.
Eternal meaning.
Spiritual fulfillment - not happiness
Don't look to wrong places for satisfaction. Don't look at working a job to get material things when you desire spiritual satisfaction.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.
2a- physical will not satisfy- Don’t look to more money as answer to your problems.
2020 showed us that this world is not our home.
Our souls long for something greater than this.
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.
2b-3 - "everlasting covenant"- shows he is speaking of spiritual food here.
Our Meaning Comes from the Word of God
“not bread”= cannot satisfy your hunger.
32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
“listen diligently to me”- our food comes from the Word of God.
-rich food= solid food that satisfies
ILL- Too many kids are happy with chicken nuggets and fries.
Why, when they can have steak, seafood, cajun etc.
We get satisfied with being weak spirituality =milk.
11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,
13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.
14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Milk= predigested food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.
Listen/ hear= not just the sound- respond to what he is asking-
ILL- Dad whistling when it was time to come home.
3. Leadership (4-5)
3. Leadership (4-5)
4 Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.
5 Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.
ILL- Our confidence in government
After 9/11- Trust in government went up to 60%- highest in 30 years.
Continually fail to as low as 10% during Obama administration.
Currently sits at around 22%
Love for David becomes a promise for everyone, not just Israel.- blessing to all people.
13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.
16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”
this covenant is fulfilled in the coming of the Messiah, Jesus.
Immanuel- God with us (Rend the Heavens)
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
All earthly leaders have faults.
Even David had major failures.
Bathsheba
“Nations… shall run to you.”
Because God glorified. - Not because they deserved it.
Blessed are nations who run toward Jesus.
Where are you looking for leadership?
Who are you allowing to lead you?
Physical governments cannot satisfy.
Leadership can be forced or earned.
We submit out of fear or we submit out of love.
God is pursuing a relationship with us based on love.
He created us to have a relationship.
He continues to pursue us to have a relationship.
Everyone will eventually submit to Jesus’ leadership.
One day every knee will bow and tongue confess.
But that will be a day of judgment, not salvation.
We either surrender to his pursuit or we will be judged when we are forced.
ILL— Chasing David- he is too fast. But I last a lot longer than him. I just keep chasing him until he realizes it isn’t worth it anymore.
God is pursuing you. It is time to surrender.
Our distance from God is up to us.
CONCLUSION
How far are you from God?
How far are you from God?
Only as far as we allow him to be.
Sin is what separates.
God wants to change the separation.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Our choice of what we are separated from.
Separated from God.
Separated from our sin which means to be with God.
Are you ready to surrender and choose God’s presence?
Are you ready to surrender and choose God’s presence?