Filled With Emptiness

Filled With Emptiness Isa 55:1-

An invitation is given to the thirsty, I like that, Max Lucado titled one of his books, "Come Thirsty" If you are thirsty spiritually God has a refreshing drink for you. The prophet extends it to "EVERYONE" probably the most quoted verse in the Bible John 3:16 uses the word "WHOSOEVER" I'm glad I'm a "WHOSOEVER". PRAISE THE LORD.

Come, come to the waters, even if you have no money, buy and eat. Suggest a need an emptiness inside.

He asks in the next verse, "Why do you spend what you have for what does not satisfy?" That's the Gordon Unauthorized version of course. A need you have all of this but still not satisfied.

A friend of mine before he was saved tells how he used to go to rock concerts and how he could hardly wait for that Friday night, then finally it would come, he would have a great time, the music blaring, watching them gyrate all over the stage, and scream and holler till he was hoarse, and then.... the lights came back on the band would leave, and he was left feeling just as empty as before.

I. Some are full of knowledge but do not Know the Truth

Paul tells us this would happen in 2 Timothy3:7 Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

There is so much to learn out there, so much knowledge,

Paul tells us again in the Love Chapter that "Knowledge passeth away."

Bro. Noel Scott told in one of his messages on this chapter that when he was attending the university at Kansas City, That it would take 14 years to take every course the university offered but by then all that you had learned would have been outdated because they had changed it all.

You can spend hours learning so much on the internet you might not have had the chance to ever have learned years ago

The government has tried to make it so easy to go to college with grants, student aid, and loans,

Constantly learning but never coming to the ONE TRUTH.

II. Some are full of Things but don't have the One Thing they need

Peter had this problem; when Jesus was telling him what things he must suffer, Peter did not want it to be so.

Mar 8:33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

Other's have this problem Jesus in his parable about the sower who went out to sow some fell on the way side, some on stony ground, some among thorns, and other on good ground. Jesus later when he was explaining this parable to his disciples tells us what those "THORNS" were

Mar 4:19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

Mary in her worship at her aunt Elizabeth’s cried,

Luk 1:53 He hath filled the hungry with good ; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

The poet put it this way;

One by one he took them from me

everything I valued most

Until I was empty handed

all my glittering toys were lost

And I walked earth's lonely highway

In my rags and poverty

until I heard his voice entreating

lift your empty hands to me

Empty hands I lifted heavenward

and he filled them with the store

of his own transistent riches

until my hands could hold no more

later then I comprehended

with my mind all slow and dull

God could not fill with his riches

hands that were al ready full

Ps. 27:4 ONE THING have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in his temple.

III. Some are full of religion but don't have Salvation.

Jesus said blessed are they who do hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.

I read recently of Jilla a young lady from Iran. Jilla in the sixth grade became a "Baseige" "Baseige is a girl who is dedicated to Islam, completely involved, almost military style worship."

In school Jilla would take a microphone and sing mournfully as in a funeral service for Mohammed's grandson Hussein who died several thousand years ago. Then they would begin to hit themselves, Jilla because she was leading and holding the microphone would hit herself harder often till she would bleed. She wore a special card that she earned for memorizing the entire Koran, She would pray five times from early morning until late at night, and bow 400 times in four directions, she did this so much that her knees would hurt when she woke up in the mornings. She would also hit herself in the head with her hand in rituals and ceremonies. Probably the cause of her migraine headaches.

When she was young she would kneel on her mat and say her prayers, when she would finish and pick up her mat there would be money under there she thought Allah had done this later she found out it was her parents. Jilla says she didn't want money she wanted the truth, she would plead and pray to Allah, she would do all of these things and yet here heart had no peace, she was unhappy,

Latter her sister coming home from college brought a movie of "Luke" with her some one had given her. Jilla, home alone, went in a room and begin to watch it, she burst into tears, there was a prayer at the end, Jilla would rewind and replay that prayer she did this six times, she could tell this was what she was searching for, this was the answer. She began forl the first time in her life to have peace.

This world knows so much about religion, you can talk to nearly any one on the street and they know something about religion, but how many have and know about real true saving faith in Jesus Christ, that will change your life for good.

John 7:37 Jesus cries , If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

If any man thirst come everyone that thirsts, Isaiah says in an earlier scripture;

Isa 44:3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground:

I don't want to be filled with emptiness, knowledge, things, religion, I want to be filled with the "One Thing" needful.