Seek The Lord

Amen.

Please take your Bibles and open them up once again to Isaiah chapter 55.

Isaiah 55 · chapter mention

Isaiah chapter 55. If you're using the pew Bibles there in front of you and the seat underneath the seat in front of you,

Isaiah 55 · chapter mention

you can find that passage on page 576.

And this is now week three that we have been in this incredible chapter of the Old Testament.

It's this invitation in Isaiah's prophecy to come and to feast on the goodness of God.

We're going to be in verses 6 and 7 of Isaiah 55 this morning.

So Isaiah 55 verses 6 and 7.

Isaiah 55:6

So please Bibles open. Look there with me as I read.

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.

Let's pray together once more.

Lord, we pray now as we have opened up your word and read your word and now as I stand to preach your word,

we pray, Father, for ears to hear that our hearts would be fertile soil for the truth of the gospel this morning.

Would you speak through me?

I pray this in Christ's name.

Amen.

Well, it's hard to believe that we are already past the midway point of November.

And as Charlie Brown says in his Thanksgiving special, we have another holiday to worry about.

Thanksgiving Day is upon us.

And I'll be honest, I haven't really given it as much thought as I used to.

When I was in college, I would look forward to coming home for Thanksgiving.

I think that I was probably hungrier back then.

I know that I had no money.

I was poorer then.

I had nothing to bring.

Didn't even know how to cook.

So nobody expected me to do anything whatsoever, which was good for me.

Because all I had to do was come home and eat.

And I could do that.

For a couple of days, I could come home and feast on home-cooked food.

There's turkey and dressing, macaroni and cheese, hams and yams, beans and greens, cakes and pies, bread and rolls.

And if I timed it just right, I could eat our own lunch, our own Thanksgiving dinner, and then make it to my friend's house for dinner as well.

Sometimes they would time it differently.

We'd have ours for lunch.

They'd have theirs for dinner.

Maybe we'd have ours on Thursday.

They'd have theirs on Friday.

So there's just enough margin where maybe I could feast twice if I was lucky.

So you didn't have to invite me twice to come over and feast for Thanksgiving.

I was ready to come and eat.

You see, most people don't approach Thanksgiving dinner reluctantly, do they?

And most people don't come dragging their feet to the table.

They don't come to the table half-heartedly dragging their feet.

Most people don't come wondering whether there's going to be enough food there to satisfy them.

They don't come wondering and asking, will I find something good to eat?

Now, see, I know I just made a huge mistake, didn't I?

Huge mistake.

Preachers aren't supposed to talk about food this early in the sermon, and we're all getting hungry now.

But there's no getting around it, church, because Isaiah 55 has been inviting us to come and to feast.

We've seen, haven't we, over the past three weeks, he's been inviting us, calling out to any who would listen,

not just hear, but listen diligently, to come and to feast.

And we've seen, haven't we, over the past few weeks, that although it's described in these terms of physical food,

and water, and milk, and bread, and wine, that the feast ultimately is God himself.

We're invited, broken, sinful, poor, and needy, to come and to satisfy our souls on the goodness of God.

To listen diligently to his word, and to hear, it says, that your soul may live.

Isaiah has been telling us over and over and over again, this is the big idea of Isaiah 55,

there is nothing more satisfying for your soul than God.

And he invites you to come and to feast.

He invites you and offers himself fully to you this morning, if you would just come and feast.

So the question that I want to ask this morning, and let these verses, verses 6 and 7 answer for us this morning,

is simply this.

How should we respond to an invitation like that?

How should we respond to an invitation like that?

Well, I'll tell you, we should respond like a poor, hungry college student coming home for Thanksgiving.

See, this is what our passage this morning shows us in verses 6 and 7.

It tells us exactly how we should respond to this invitation to come and feast.

And Isaiah says we should respond in three ways.

Three ways.

This will be our outline this morning if you're taking notes.

Three ways we should respond to this invitation.

Three ways we should respond to this invitation.

We should come urgently.

We should come totally.

And we should come confidently.

As our outline this morning, if you're writing it down,

three ways we should respond to this invitation.

Come urgently.

Come totally.

Come confidently.

First, Isaiah says we should come urgently.

In other words, do not drag your feet coming to this feast.

Come with urgency.

You know, there's a reason why from November 24th to November 28th last year,

do you know how many tickets state police issued?

10,126 speeding tickets were issued between November 24th and November 28th last year.

Why?

Because they knew people from all over the country would be booking it down the road

to get home and feast with urgency.

Well, Isaiah is telling us that's how we should respond to this invitation.

We should respond with urgency.

Why?

Well, two main reasons.

Because the feast is good and the time is short.

The feast is good and the time is short.

Look there to verse 6 again.

Isaiah 55, verse 6.

Isaiah 55:6

Isaiah, he gives this command for sinners to come,

to seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near.

And so the first thing that I think we should notice about this invitation

is this incredibly profound truth that the Lord may be sought.

The Lord may be found.

This is incredible.

The God of heaven and earth is near.

He may be called upon.

He can hear.

He wants to show us here that the feast is good.

You remember what Isaiah told us in verse 1,

this invitation to come everyone who thirsts.

Come to the waters.

He who has no money, come buy and eat.

Come buy wine and milk without money, without price.

You see, this incredible feast is available to any who would simply come.

The gospel is the good news that God has offered himself through Christ

to any who would come to him.

Anyone.

This invitation is extended out broadly to the weakest, the poorest, the lowless,

the weak, the lonely, those who are spiritually broke and hungry.

Any who would come and listen and trust can have their souls satisfied forever.

And they can feast on the goodness of God.

Through the gospel, the only one who is able to truly satisfy your soul says,

come on.

Come to me.

Come.

The table is set.

Dinner is ready.

Come and feast.

Stop spending your money on not bread and come feast your souls on me.

Well, how do we seek him?

How do we seek the Lord?

We're invited to seek the Lord.

How do we do that?

Isaiah says that our seeking is expressed in calling.

Our seeking is expressed in calling.

When I don't see one of my boys, I have three boys.

When I maybe have two of them with me and one of them slipped out of my sight,

what do I do?

I call out to them.

Where are you?

Come here.

I need you.

I call them by name.

I speak until I'm heard.

That's how I seek my child.

And if they're near enough, and if they're paying any attention,

he will listen and respond.

In the same way, Isaiah is telling us that we seek God primarily by calling out to him in prayer.

Not just with our words, but with our hearts seeking the Lord.

Isn't this what Jeremiah told the exiled Israelites as well?

He said, you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Church, this is incredible news for sinners.

It's just astounding.

Have we gotten over this fact that the God of all creation,

this God that no one has ever seen, no one can ever see, is near.

He is near.

He is near enough to hear.

He's near enough to respond to the cries of sinners.

And he may be found by those who call out and seek him.

But the bad news, the second reason we should respond with urgency here,

is that this offer has an expiration.

This is an invitation to come limited time only.

Some of you, I know, love Thanksgiving for the food,

but I also know some of you probably like it for the Black Friday sales, right?

And I can't wrap my mind around it because Black Friday seems like it gets longer every year.

November 1st, I started receiving emails saying Black Friday deals had begun.

That window keeps expanding, getting longer and longer.

But even still, once December 1st comes, that deal is off the table.

It's gone.

No longer available.

That sale is gone until next year, at least.

But see, they want you to feel that sense of urgency in your heart

so that you will come and you will spend your money while the deal is available.

They want you to know it is limited time only.

Well, did you know, in the same way, in the same way,

Isaiah is telling us we should respond with urgency to this invitation of God

because God has opened up this window,

he has extended this offer,

and he has the freedom to shut it anytime he wants.

It is a limited time offer.

One day, you don't know when, I don't know when,

either you will die or Christ will return.

Until one of those things happen,

friend, we have a window is open.

This invitation is extended.

But friend, the window in which we can call out to him,

in which sinners can seek the Lord when he is near enough to hear,

when he's lending his ear in mercy towards sinners,

that window is shutting,

and we don't know when.

Look again to verse 6.

What does he say?

He says,

You see, God has extended an invitation to you and to the whole world

to come, to listen, to come, to trust my son,

to come, have your sins forgiven,

come, have your souls satisfied,

but it is limited time only.

God has extended an invitation,

but the day has come when that invitation will no longer be available.

The doors to the wedding feast will be closed,

every seat will be filled,

and you will no longer be able to enter.

The day will come, we don't know when,

when the Lord will not be found by sinners,

when he will not be near enough to call upon.

There is an expiration date on this offer,

so we must respond to it with urgency.

And we don't know how long we have.

You know, we live in an incredibly unique period of history.

Have you ever thought about this?

There was eternity past before creation,

before any of us were here.

There's eternity future,

when all the redeemed will be with the Lord,

and all the wicked will be separated from his presence.

We live in this unique period of history of God's mercy to sinners.

You ever wonder how God can endure such evil in the world?

Men and women created in his image,

every one of them created to glorify him,

created to honor him,

delight in them,

who spit in his face every day.

You know that was us.

Every one of us,

apart from the grace of God,

apart from the mercy and the patience of God.

We were his enemies,

but he showed us mercy.

I'm grateful for the patience of the Lord.

He showed us mercy,

not because of works done by us,

but according to his own mercy.

I'm thankful for the patience of God with a sinner like me,

but friend,

that mercy and that patience towards sinners,

it has an expiration date.

It will not last forever.

Do not presume,

as Paul says in Romans,

on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience,

not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance,

but because of your hard and impenitent heart,

you are storing up wrath for yourself,

on the day of wrath,

when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

If you are not in Christ,

if you have never trusted Christ,

friend, run.

Don't walk.

Run to the table with urgency

while he may be found.

And friend, if we are in Christ, church,

we must share him with urgency.

We must share him with urgency.

As our lost friends and family members and coworkers and neighbors and connections

perish without the hope of the gospel,

we must share him with urgency.

We must share him urgently while he may be found.

Not just this second.

Isaiah says the second way we should respond to this invitation of God is to come totally.

To come totally.

Look there to verse 7 with me.

Isaiah says,

Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts.

Let him return to the Lord.

See, this is a call for total repentance.

Total repentance.

That's an unpopular word, isn't it?

It means stop sinning.

Which means you're a sinner.

Which means I'm a sinner.

And in order to feast on the goodness of God,

Isaiah says we need to repent of our sin.

We need to stop feasting on sin.

In order to turn to the Lord,

we must turn from our sin.

That is repentance.

It is to abandon it.

Isaiah says forsake it.

To leave it behind.

And to turn to the Lord.

Isaiah is telling us we can't feast on him

while we fill ourselves with the not-breads of our idols.

That's what verse 2 told us.

You remember last week.

Why do you spend your money on that which is not bread?

Why do you labor for that which does not satisfy?

He says listen diligently to me and eat with your soul.

Eat what is good and delight yourself in rich food.

This is what we're all prone to do.

C.S. Lewis, he says human history is the long, terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.

See, our sin, our idols, they promise satisfaction but they never deliver.

They promise to satisfy but they always fall short.

They cannot satisfy the hunger of our souls.

Only God can do that.

And so this call to forsake our wicked ways, to forsake our wicked thoughts,

that's a call to stop snacking on sin and to come feast on the Lord.

God demands total allegiance.

What does he say?

Love the Lord your God with what?

All your heart.

All your mind.

All your soul.

All your strength.

Isn't this what Jesus told his disciples?

He said if anyone would come, does that sound familiar?

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me.

For whoever would save his life would lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

John Piper, he gives this illustration of a married man in an affair.

He says it like this.

He says, you cannot seek God where he is not found in sin.

It would be like a man who leaves his wife, moves into his own apartment, has a regular sexual affair alongside his marriage,

and then gets on the phone and calls and seeks his wife.

And she says, have you forsaken this woman?

And he says, no, I can't.

And then she will rightly say, then you are not seeking me.

Your call is empty.

You will seek me and find me as your wife when you forsake her and all others for me alone, just like you vowed.

We must repent totally.

What does that look like?

Look there to verse 7 again.

Isaiah expresses this total repentance by calling the wicked to forsake in two ways here.

We must forsake our sinful ways and forsake our sinful thoughts.

You see that there in verse 7.

We must forsake our sinful ways.

That's our actions.

What we do.

This is the external, the visible.

What others can see and witness and say, man, yeah, that was wrong.

You really lost your temper in there, Jonathan.

You really shouldn't have said that, should you?

That was bad.

That was wrong.

That was sinful.

I saw that.

That was dishonest.

But Isaiah says, don't stop there because our visible sin, what others can see with their two eyes,

is almost always the fruit of invisible sin.

It's almost always deeper than we think.

It's internal.

It's always more.

See, murder flows downstream from anger.

Flows downstream from hatred.

Adultery flows downstream from lust, from dissatisfaction.

Thievery flows downstream from greed.

And yes, these are all heart issues.

They're issues of the heart, but they're also deeply connected with the mind.

Which is why Isaiah tells us we must also forsake our wicked thoughts.

Your thoughts are incredibly powerful.

Do you realize how powerful your thoughts are?

They are the director of your actions.

They're the steering wheel that influences the course, your path.

This wicked way that you're on is likely directed and steered by wicked thoughts.

If your thoughts are worldly, if your thoughts are wicked,

if your thoughts are conformed to the patterns of this world,

rather than transformed by the renewal of your mind,

it may not be today, it may not be tomorrow,

but friend, it will work itself out in your actions.

It will work itself out visibly.

Listen, I don't know what you're thinking most of the time.

Sometimes I can see it on your face.

Sometimes I can guess.

Make an educated guess.

But most of the time, your thoughts, they belong to you.

Right?

They're hidden.

They're internal.

They're private.

But not to God.

In the sight of God, your inner self, our hidden self,

the thoughts and the motives and the desires and the urges

that we try to keep hidden from everybody else around us

is as visible to God as any external action we take.

And if that's true, it's not enough simply to change your behavior.

Right?

It's not enough simply to forsake our wicked actions.

That might fool me.

That might fool other people.

That might impress one another.

But God is not fooled.

You must repent totally, inside and out, actions and thoughts.

The church, what sinful actions from the past week need to be repented of?

By name, need to be repented of?

The past month, the past year, the past hour.

And if you haven't acted outwardly in a sinful way,

though I'm sure you have,

what sinful thoughts need to be repented of?

Thoughts that no one else knows about?

Thoughts of anger or lust or pride?

What thoughts need to be forsaken that we might come to the Lord?

Totally.

Totally.

Have you come to Him?

Totally.

Because here's the thing, church.

We can either forsake our sin and turn to God,

or we forsake our God and turn to sin.

There is no middle ground.

There's no middle ground.

We either forsake our sin and turn to God,

or we are forsaking our God to turn to sin.

We cannot have it both ways.

Have you come to Him totally?

But you may wonder,

what will happen when I do?

What will happen when I do?

Isn't the presence of God the last place a sinner needs to go?

Isn't the presence of God a bad thing for sinners?

Why would I go there with my sin?

Shouldn't I clean myself up and then get to God?

Won't God turn me away or punish me

or make me feel guilty for my sin?

Friend, if that's how you're feeling this morning,

I have good news for you.

Third, we can come to Him confidently.

We can come to Him confidently.

Look there again to verse 7.

These are some of the most assuring words for sinners like you and like me.

What we will find when we come to the Lord

as broken and sinful as we are,

when we leave the comfort of our sin

and forsake the false security of our sin

and call upon the name of the Lord,

what will we find?

Verse 7.

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.

Church, we can come to the Lord confidently

because His heart is full of compassion towards sinners.

He is eager to pardon.

Not just to pardon,

but it says to pardon abundantly.

Let me ask you a question.

This is what I spent most of my time wrestling with this week

as I studied this passage.

What is the difference between pardon and abundant pardon?

Think about that.

What is the difference between pardon and abundant pardon?

And what is pardon?

Pardon is forgiveness.

It's a declaration.

You're treated like you're no longer guilty.

You're treated like you're innocent.

You are forgiven.

A criminal who knows that he's guilty,

who stands before the judge,

he should rejoice to hear the truth that he has been pardoned,

not guilty.

What difference does it make for that criminal

if he's pardoned or if he's abundantly pardoned?

Four differences and then we're done.

I had two,

but then I came up with two more

while I was whacking Miss Martha's bushes yesterday,

doing some yard work.

So we got four differences.

Then we're done.

First one is obvious.

This didn't take me long.

Abundant pardon is abundant

and pardon is not.

What's the difference between pardon and abundant pardon?

Well, abundant pardon is more.

It is abundant.

What happens the next day

when that guilty criminal goes out

and he breaks the law again?

And then again the next day?

And then again the next day?

And then again the next day?

And the next day?

And the next day?

And every day for the rest of his life

for such a wicked person,

for a repeat offender,

pardon is not enough

unless it is abundant pardon.

Friend, we are guilty.

Not just one time.

We are guilty of breaking the law of God

every single day.

But the gospel tells us

that God the judge

has decreed

abundant

pardon

for any

who would come

and turn from their sin

and trust

in the name of the Lord.

Overflowing pardon.

Infinite

pardon

for every broken law.

Every single sin.

Past,

present,

future.

for any

guilty sinner

who would simply come

and receive

what he is offering.

That is life changing grace

is it not?

That is

real freedom.

That means your sins

cannot rule you

anymore.

That means your

guilt

cannot

crush you

anymore.

If you have come

to Christ

for forgiveness

you will have it

and you will have it

abundantly

as far as the east

is from the west.

What does he say?

So far

have I removed

your sins

from you.

So what's the difference

between pardon

and abundant pardon?

It's infinite.

It's limitless.

It's abundant.

It's totally

effective

for all

time.

Friend,

our sin

and our guilt

cannot

outmeasure

his grace.

When we come

to the Lord

it is swept away

in a flood

of compassion

and pardon.

It's the difference

between a sip

of medicine

and life-saving

immunity

from every

sickness.

Second,

there's another

difference.

Infinite

everlasting

pardon like this

it cannot be

earned by

sinners.

Infinite

pardon

cannot be

earned

by sinners.

It must be

received.

We cannot

earn

this grace.

You know

if you were

just a little

bit guilty

just a little

bit guilty

maybe

a merciful

judge

would let

you get

out on

good

behavior

right?

But again

we are

abundantly

sinful

so we stand

in need

of total

abundant

pardon.

We need

total

forgiveness

that we

cannot

earn

but again

the gospel

tells us

that Christ

has.

Jesus

Christ

was the

only one

who has

ever

totally

obeyed

the law

of God.

He's the

only one

who is

totally

sinless.

He alone

earned

eternal

life.

He earned

it by

his perfect

obedience

and yet

he lived

in our

place.

He died

in our

place

in the

place of

sinners

so that

any who

trust in

him

can be

abundantly

pardoned

not on the

basis of our

goodness

on the

basis of

what we

have

earned

but on

the basis

of his

goodness.

The gospel

tells us

that he

was treated

as we

deserved

so that

any who

come to

him might

be treated

as he

deserved.

That's the

gospel.

Third

which is

why

salvation

like this

pardon

like this

that ought

to overflow

in praise

for God.

Amen?

Abundant

pardon

leads to

abundant

praise.

What did

Jesus tell

his disciples?

He who

is forgiven

little

loves

little.

There's a

connection

here.

There ought

to be.

That's the

aim of God

in the

gospel.

There's a

connection

between how

much we

are loved

and forgiven

and pardoned

and how

much praise

and love

and glory

go back

out toward

God.

If you're

starving

and someone

gives you a

crumb to

eat,

you might

say,

thanks.

Gee,

thanks.

I appreciate

it.

But if you're

starving

and a feast

is laid

before you,

plates upon

plates upon

plates,

you're invited

to come and

eat at no

cost to

yourself,

your heart

ought to

rejoice.

It ought to

overflow with

thanksgiving

and praise

and worship

as we're

satisfied in

what he's

providing.

He is

receiving

the glory.

That's the

aim of

abundant

pardon.

The greater

the pardon,

the greater

the worship.

Friend,

we have been

abundantly

pardoned.

And

fourth,

abundant

pardon.

shows us

God's

eagerness

to save.

Abundant

pardon shows

us God's

eagerness

to save.

Pardon

can come

from

reluctance.

Pardon,

simple pardon,

that can come

from uncertainty.

The judge

may roll

his eyes,

be on the

fence,

just let you

go this one

time,

but really

not care

too much.

But friend,

abundant

pardon,

that's the

overflow

of a

heart that

is eager

to save.

You can

forgive someone,

sure,

just move

on,

be done

with it,

but to

abundantly

forgive,

it requires

that your

heart be

bent,

not just

towards

justice,

but towards

love for

the one

who did

you wrong.

wrong.

We need

to see

that God

is not

just

willing

to save

sinners,

he is

eager

to save

sinners.

When

sinners

forsake

their wicked

way and

come to

God,

they don't

find anger,

they don't

find chastisement,

God does

not roll

his eyes

and reluctantly

forgive,

that's what

I would

do.

If somebody

messed up

and wronged

me as many

times as I've

wronged God,

that is

exactly what

I would

do.

But as

we'll see

next week,

his ways

are not

our ways,

his thoughts

are not

our thoughts,

he is

overflowing

with love

and compassion

and mercy

towards

sinners.

When sinners

come to

God,

they find

compassion

and pardon

in abundance,

they find

a feast

of forgiveness.

Too often,

I think,

we take

just such

a low

view

of God's

heart,

a low

view of

God's

grace,

of his

eagerness

to save.

We come

to the

Lord

guilty

with our

tail tucked

between our

legs,

and we

just imagine

him rolling

his eyes,

you again,

really?

That is

not the

heart of

God.

Those

who run

from God

in their

sin will

be punished,

but those

who run

from their

sin to

God

will be

pardoned.

Why?

Because that

is exactly

why Christ

came.

That is

exactly

why

Christ

came.

Thomas

Goodwin,

the old

Puritan,

he says

that Christ's

own joy,

I want you to

listen to

this.

Christ's

own joy,

comfort,

happiness,

and glory

are

increased

and

enlarged

by his

showing grace

and mercy

in pardoning,

relieving,

and comforting

his members

here on

earth.

Did you hear

that?

Christ's

own joy

joy is

tied to

our

finding

pardon

through

his

atoning

work.

Did you

catch that?

Christ's

joy is

bound up

with ours.

Why?

Because that

is precisely

what he

came to

do.

Nothing

would please

him more

than for

us to

come and

to make

use of

his

sacrifice,

to come

and to

find forgiveness

in him.

That's why

he came.

It honors

him.

It pleases

him.

It magnifies

his glory

for sinners

to find

refuge in

him.

That's why

he shed

his blood.

That's why

he came.

He came to

demonstrate

the heart

of God

towards

sinners.

He has

prepared

a feast

and it

pleases

him.

It honors

him when

we come

and eat

again

and again

and again

and say,

can I have

more?

Can I have

more?

Can I have

another helping

please?

Can I have

more?

And he

says,

come,

bring me

your plate.

Nothing

would make

me happier

than to

shower

abundant

pardon

on you.

Church,

God is

far more

eager to

show us

mercy

than we

are to

seek it.

But we

can come

to the

Lord with

confidence

because God

loves to

save

sinners.

sinners.

He loves

to forgive

sinners.

Should we

ever question

how eager

God is

to save

us,

to forgive

us,

to redeem

us totally,

to receive

us,

look constantly

to the

cross of

Christ.

Our God

the Son

died in

your place.

And remember

that because

he rose

from the

grave never

to die

again,

Hebrews tells

us that

he is

always able

to save

to the

uttermost

those who

draw near

to God

through him

since he

always lives

to make

intercession

for them.

So again

in Hebrews

says,

let us

then with

confidence

draw near

to the

throne of

grace

that we

may receive

mercy

and find

grace to

help in

time of

need.

if you

would

know

life

and joy

and peace

and satisfaction

would you

come to

Christ?

Would you

seek him

with all

of your

heart?

Would you

call upon

the name

of the

Lord and

know that

without

hesitation

you will

be saved?

a few

weeks ago

we

concluded

with the

parable of

the prodigal

son

and it

seems fitting

again

doesn't it

to end

our time

there

this morning

this sinful

son who

exchanged

his father

for what

his father

could give

him

he traded

the comfort

and the joy

of knowing

his father

for the

riches

and the

gifts

his father

could give

he got

his inheritance

and he

went on

his way

and he

spent

every

last dime

to the

point where

he was

so hungry

that he

just begged

to eat

whatever the

pigs were

eating

do you

remember how

the father

responded

when the

son returned

home

not a word

of guilt

not a word

of anger

not a word

of chastisement

what happened

the father

ran

to him

and rejoiced

that his son

was lost

but is now

found

he was

dead

but is

now

alive

and he

celebrated

with a

feast

so it

will be

with any

sinner

who forsakes

his wicked

way

and turns

to the

Lord

for forgiveness

so I close

with this

encouragement

church

as you

gather this

week with

family

and friends

around the

table

and fill

yourself to

the brim

with food

and drink

let it be

a pointer

to you

of this

feast

in Isaiah

Isaiah 55 · chapter mention

chapter 55

let it be

a reminder

to you

to come

to the

Lord

urgently

and totally

and confidently

and to

feast your

soul

on the

goodness

of God

let's pray

Lord

there is

nothing more

satisfying

than you

our souls

were made

to delight

in you

and though

we have

left you

and been

faithless

father

you have

been

faithful

and you

have sent

your son

so that

any

sinner

who calls

upon the

name

of Christ

will be

received

and pardoned

in abundance

Lord

we thank

you for

the good

news

of the

gospel

and we

ask

father

that you

would stir

our hearts

this week

remind us

of your

goodness

would you

draw our

souls to

you

we love

you

we pray

this in

Jesus name

amen