It was very early this morning. Before 5am I woke up and heard this scripture in my heart:
Isaiah 55: 6
6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
This is a familiar passage or scripture but I had forgotten all of the powerful verses around it in the chapter Isaiah 55. As I read the chapter this morning, I was excited to prepare this message and share with you what I believe the Holy Spirit is speaking to us today:
Let’s turn together to Isaiah 55 and see what God wants to tell us today:
Isaiah 55
1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
**As I read this passage I immediately see Jesus in Samaria at the well. He is speaking to the woman at the well.
John 4:5-14
5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
***The first point of the Message today: You cannot satisfy the desire of your soul with anything that you are able to buy, create or provide.
Look again at the question in verse #2
2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
A battery cannot recharge itself. It must be connected to something with a greater source of power. You cannot work yourself to fulfilment and you cannot rest, relax and vacation yourself to mental peace and joy.
Isaiah 28:11-12
11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
Lets hear it from Jesus himself:
John 7:37-44
37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
40 Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.
41 Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee?
42 Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?
43 So there was a division among the people because of him.
44 And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him.
***The first point of the Message today: You cannot satisfy the desire of your soul with anything that you are able to buy, create or provide.
**Lets return to Isaiah 55 verse 3
3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.
***What are the sure mercies of David? To understand the sure mercies of David we have to go back and see when God gave them to him. We see this in the book of 2nd Samuel the 7th Chapter:
This chapter opens with the King David sitting in his house towards the end of his life and the bible says that the Lord has given him rest from all his enemies. He had spend a lot of his life fighting. He thinks to himself, I live in a house made of cedar wood but the Ark of the Covent of God is in a tent. The prophet Nathan says to him at first, go and build God a house/temple…But that night God corrects the prophet and says go back and tell David he is not allowed to build the house for the Ark of God but his son will. Lets pick up the story here in verse 12 of 2nd Samuel 7:12
12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
17 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.
***This prophetic word from the Lord spoken by the prophet Nathan establishes the “Sure Mercies of David” meaning God was not going to remove his mercy from David and his descendants serving the Lord and leading his people.
Jump with me to Acts 13. Here we see Paul the Apostle preaching to the Jew in Antioch in the synagogue. Lets jump into Paul’s message in verse #30 of Acts 13
Acts 13:30
30 But God raised him from the dead:
31 And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.
32 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.
35 Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
***The first point of the Message today: You cannot satisfy the desire of your soul with anything that you are able to buy, create or provide.
***The 2nd point of the Message today: Through Christ Jesus we have an eternal mercy and grace of God for our souls.
You may ask the question How do we obtain this? Look at verse #3 of Isaiah 55. It is a 3 step process: 3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
***Point #3: Actions to obtain mercy: Incline your ear, come to Jesus, hear what he is saying.
Lets Continue in Isaiah 55:5
5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.
6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
**I want to pause here for point #4 of the Message: The invitation for eternal life through Christ Jesus is not always available.
John 6:41-44
41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Luke 19:41-44
41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
Romans Chapter 1 speaks of God actually allowing those that continue in sin and continue to reject his grace and mercy. God gives them over to a reprobate mind to continue to do those things. Look at Romans 1:28-32
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
***Point #4 of the Message: The invitation for eternal life through Christ Jesus is not always available.
If you feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit today in any part of the service: Communion, Worship, Offering, Preaching. Thank God that he is calling you, that he is drawing you that his mercy and grace are available to you. Thank God that is he treating you like his child which you are. Look at Hebrews 12:6-11
Hebrews 12:6-11
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
**Can we all just say a big Thank you Jesus for your Correction in my Life!**
***The first point of the Message today: You cannot satisfy the desire of your soul with anything that you are able to buy, create or provide.
***The 2nd point of the Message today: Through Christ Jesus we have an eternal mercy and grace of God for our souls.
***Point #3: Actions to obtain mercy: Incline your ear, come to Jesus, hear what he is saying. (seek the Lord while he may be found)
***Point #4 of the Message: The invitation for eternal life through Christ Jesus is not always available.
Lets Continue in Isaiah 55:7
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith 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.
1 Corinthians 2:7-10
7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
**Point #5 of the message today: We cannot understand everything God is doing in our lives, and through our lives but we can trust it is for good.
Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Romans 8:28
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Philippians 1:6
6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
In Closing lets go back to Isaiah 55:10
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh 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 goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
*** I want you to see the word of God is like rain and snow that water the earth and cause it to produce fruit; it is sown into the hearts of Mankind and will return a harvest. Keep in mind the parable of the Sower
Matthew 13:1-9
1 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Matthew 18:18-20
King James Version
18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
***The first point of the Message today: You cannot satisfy the desire of your soul with anything that you are able to buy, create or provide.
***The 2nd point of the Message today: Through Christ Jesus we have an eternal mercy and grace of God for our souls.
***Point #3: Actions to obtain mercy: Incline your ear, come to Jesus, hear what he is saying. (seek the Lord while he may be found)
***Point #4 of the Message: The invitation for eternal life through Christ Jesus is not always available.
**Point #5 of the message today: We cannot understand everything God is doing in our lives, and through our lives but we can trust it is for good.
**Point #6, The Joyful Conclusion: Our lives will be full of Joy as a result of the seed of the Word of God growing in our hearts.
12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir 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.
Numbers 6:24-26
24 The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.