Invitation to the Party

Would invite you to take your Bibles and turn with me to the

Old Testament book of Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 55.

Isaiah 55 · chapter mention

Isaiah chapter 55. If you're looking in the red

Isaiah 55 · chapter mention

Bibles, you can find the page reference in the bulletin.

Isaiah 55 is probably one of the better known passages chapters

in Isaiah, certainly also one of the most loved passages in

Isaiah. It also forms the end of a

section that we've been looking at, chapters 40 through 55,

which means that next week we'll begin chapter 56, which 56 to 66

is the final last major section of Isaiah that we will be

entering into. Today we're looking at Isaiah

55. So please follow along as I read

to you God's Word. 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.

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. 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. Behold, I made him a witness to

the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.

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. 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. For my thoughts are not your

thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways

higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do

not return there, but water the earth, making it bring forth and

sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall

my word be that goes out from my mouth.

It shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that

which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I

sent it. For you shall go out and joy and

be LED forth in peace. The mountains and the hills

before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees

of the field shall clap their hands.

Instead of the thorn shall come up the Cypress.

Instead of the briar shall come up the Myrtle, and it shall make

a name for the Lord, an everlasting sign that shall not

be cut off. Let's pray together.

Father, we thank you for Your word, and we thank you

especially this morning for this part of your word.

We pray that you would prepare our hearts and our minds and be

at work through the Holy Spirit to take Your Word and press it

into US, form us, shape us into the people you desire us to be.

Help us to see the Lord Jesus Christ today, for we ask it in

His name. Amen. 1914 Just prior to when

World War One would begin, the famous British explorer Ernest

Shackleton put out an ad. He put out an invitation.

He was recruiting men for an Antarctic expedition and the the

ad that the invitation read something like this.

Men wanted for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter

cold, long months of complete darkness, safe return, doubtful

honor and recognition in case of success.

Thousands of men applied. Why?

Because the human heart responds to an opportunity of costly,

challenging adventure. People are willing to risk their

lives for excitement and glory and honor and recognition, a

chance to do something historical and great.

But these words that we've read here from Isaiah chapter 55 are

Isaiah 55 · chapter mention

a stark contrast to that mindset.

Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord places his own

advertisement. He he places his own invitation.

You've heard it echoed throughout the service.

And here it is in verse one. Come everyone who thirsts come

to the waters. And he who has no money come and

buy, eat, come, buy wine and milk without money and without

price. That's the invitation of the

Lord. But this adventure, it won't be

bitterly cold, it won't involve complete darkness.

It won't have uncertainty of outcome.

It won't result in the honour of those participating.

This opportunity will come with grace and freedom and life.

But unlike Shackleton's invitation, the invitation from

the Lord is often ignored. Many are called, but few

respond. People will show up and line up

for hardship that are hesitant and grace.

People will exhaust and and weary themselves pursuing things

that cannot satisfy, but they will resist the free,

fulfilling, satisfying grace of God.

Shackleford offered danger and uncertainty and possible great

cost and men rushed to show up. The Lord offers grace and

forgiveness, life and covenant love, and people drag their

feet. Isaiah 55 tells us about the

Lord's great adventure, or rather put his His great

invitation to the adventure, this invitation to a great

party, the greatest party, the the most glorious party, a party

involving not only all of God's people in history, but even the

creation itself. And we can imagine how

encouraging it must have been for God's people who were

sitting in exile in Babylon in the 6th century BC.

The the picture that the Lord gives them in Isaiah 55 was

meant to fill them with hope and encouragement and strength.

And the same is true for God's people today.

We're not in exile in the same way, but we are pilgrims who are

living in a foreign land. We are sinners who are living in

a fallen and broken world. And we too need to find hope and

encouragement and strength to live and persevere through the

trials and the troubles of life. So let's look at this chapter of

Isaiah and see a few things. First of all, let's look at the

invitation itself. Then we'll look at the basis of

the invitation, the response to the invitation, the efficacy of

the invitation, and the result of the invitation.

We'll finish by reflecting on what all this means for us

today. So first of all, the the

invitation itself. You can see that in the first

couple of verses, 4 times in the first 3 verses the Lord says

come, and in verse 2 he says, listen diligently to me.

And in verse three, he says, incline your ear and come to me.

This is the invitation. The invitation from the Lord is

to come to him to listen to him and incline your ear and come to

the Lord. And notice here we're told that

the invitation it, it comes without any cost.

Verse 1, he who has no money, come, buy and eat.

The invitation is given without money, without price, without

cost. The Lord's invitation is free.

You can't buy it, you can't earn it, and you can't work for it.

It's free and it is to be received without cost.

The great party of the Lord is free.

You only have to receive the invitation and come to the Lord.

And notice we're even given some some thoughts about what the

goods are at the party in verses 1 and 2.

Water and bread indicating the basic necessities of life are

provided. But but notice also it's not

just water and bread. It's also wine and and and milk

and rich food luxuries. Heaven is not just a place where

our bare necessities will be provided for us.

It is a place of great luxuries that will be enjoyed.

There is an alternative if you don't want to go to the party.

You can see the alternative to coming to the Lord, answering

the invitation and going to the party.

The beginning of verse 2. You end up with that that

doesn't satisfy. You end up with that which is

not satisfy, satisfying. It is empty, it is unfulfilled.

This is the invitation to the Lord's party.

Come to the Lord. He says His party provides

everything that we need and more and the alternative is not being

satisfied or fulfilled. Well, what's the basis for the

invitation? We see that in verses 3 through

5. Verse 3, the basis or the reason

for the invitation is the everlasting covenant that God

has with his people. That's what he says, the

covenant that is based on his steadfast sure love.

Some of you probably know that the word that is used there for

love is the Hebrew word has said that's a special word in the Old

Testament. It's it indicates God's special

covenant based love for his people.

This is why the Lord invites his people to the party, because He

has loved them from before the foundation of the world.

And He has demonstrated His love for His people first in the Old

Testament by establishing a covenant relationship with them,

giving them a covenant promise that he would be their God and

they would be His people. A covenant promise that He would

provide a Redeemer to save His people from his sins.

And He has demonstrated his love in the New Testament with the

arrival of that Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Jesus demonstrated the extent of his love by living the life that

we were supposed to live but don't, and then dying the death

that we deserve to die by being crucified on the cross, by

taking the wrath of God upon himself and paying for our sins

in full and crediting us with his righteousness.

This is the reason for our invitation.

God's everlasting covenant, his sure, his certain love for his

people. And notice here in verses four

and five this, this everlasting covenant, it's not just for

Israel. He says the nations will come.

Nations will come to be a part of God's people.

They will, they will come to be part of the party.

Not only is this an everlasting covenant, it is a global

covenant. This party, it will have people

from every nation and tribe and ethnicity and language.

Lord is clear as we look at verses 6 through 9, there must

be a response to the invitation. You can't earn it, you can't buy

it. It's free.

It comes to us without cost, but it has to be responded to.

And notice in verse 6, there's an urgency.

Seek the Lord while he can be found.

Come to the Lord while he is still near this invitation.

It doesn't last forever. There will come a time when the

invitation is no longer available, when the Lord won't

be near, He won't be found. And so we have here a reminder

and a warning to those who have not yet accepted the invitation,

who have not yet come to the Lord.

A day is coming when you will die or when the Lord will

return. And that day could be today, it

could be tomorrow, we don't know.

But when that moment arrives, it's too late to accept the

invitation. So the Lord says, seek the Lord

while he can be found, call on him, and come to him while he is

near. Notice the proper response to

the invitation, the beginning of verse 7.

Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his

thoughts. Let him return to the Lord,

accepting the invitation, coming to the Lord.

It involves a change in our ways and our thoughts.

When, when, when the when we accept the invitation, we are

not to stay the same. Our ways, our thoughts that he

says in verses 8 and 9 are not like God's ways.

Our ways and our thoughts are to become more and more like his

ways and thoughts. This is what repentance is all

about, that we we turn away from our ways and our thoughts that

are not according to what God wants and we and we turn to the

Lord. We return to the Lord forsaking

our wrong ways and thoughts and following his ways and thoughts.

And notice here the good news is, is that when we do that, the

end of verse 7, let him return to the Lord, that he may have

compassion on him and to our God, for He will abundantly

pardon when we return to the Lord.

He has compassion on us and he abundantly, abundantly pardons,

not partially pardons, not halfway pardons.

No, He abundantly pardons his people.

He treats His people with compassionate forgiveness.

This is the proper response to the Lord's invitation.

Come to him, listen to him, incline your ears to him, and

come to Him. And do so while the invitation

is available. Do so.

Do so by turning away from our our wrong ways and our wrong

thoughts. And as you do come to the Lord

and experience His compassion, His abundant part, and His

compassionate forgiveness, just to under score the the truth of

God's promise to us. In verses 10 and 11, He reminds

us of the efficacy of the invitation that he he reminds us

of, of the Lord's complete ability to accomplish His plan

and purposes. Look at what he says in verses

10 and 11. As the rain and the snow come

down from heaven, and do not return there, but water the

earth, making it bring forth, and sprouts giving seed to the

sower, bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out

from my mouth. It shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and shall

succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

The Lord's word shall not return empty.

It will accomplish what it purposes.

It shall succeed in its goal. He uses this illustration in

verse 10 from nature. The the idea of rain and and

snow coming down and covering the earth just like it did

yesterday. It doesn't go back up into the

sky, but it eventually melts and waters the earth, enabling

things to sprout forth in the spring and produce a bounty.

So too, with God's Word. It is efficacious.

It is effective. It will accomplish God's

purposes and produce a bounty. There is no worry that God won't

be able to get all of the invitations out.

There's no worry that He won't be able to provide for the

party. There's no worry that once an

invitation is accepted, the Lord will reject the one who comes to

the party. The invitation his His word.

It is efficacious. It accomplishes what He attends.

It accomplishes what He desires and wills.

Lastly, the result of the invitation or a description of

what the party's going to be like.

Look at verses 12 and 13. For you shall go out and joy,

and be LED forth in peace. The mountains and the hills

before you shall break forth into singing.

And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands, Instead

of the thorn shall come up the Cypress.

Instead of the briar shall come up the Myrtle, and it shall make

a name for the Lord, an everlasting sign that shall not

be cut off. Look at this wonderful

description of the party. There will be joy, there will be

peace, there will be singing, there'll be clapping of hands.

This is a picture of complete happiness, of utter contentment

and satisfaction and fulfillment.

We know from other places in the scripture for, for example,

towards the end of Revelation, in Revelation chapter 21, that

Revelation 21 · chapter mention

at the party in heaven there are no more tears.

There is no more death, there's no more mourning or grieving, no

crying, no more pain, because those things will have passed

away, and in their place will be joy and peace and singing and

happiness and satisfaction and unhindered love.

And notice the Lord says not only God's people will be at

peace and will rejoice, but he says the mountains, the hills

will break into singing, the trees of the field will clap

their hands. Verse 13, instead of thorns and

briars, there will be Cypress and Myrtle.

This is a picture of the curse being removed, being removed

from God's people, being removed from all of creation.

It reminds us of what Paul said in Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

For the creation was subjected, subjected to futility, not

willingly because of him who subjected it, not not willingly,

but because of him who subjected it, and hope that the creation

itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption, and

obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning

together in the pains of childbirth.

But the Lord reminds His people here that when we get to the

party, the curse will be, have, will be, have, will have been

removed for God's people and for all of creation.

This is the result of accepting the invitation, joy, peace,

singing, clapping for all of those at the party and even

creation itself. Well, what do we do with this

today? Three things.

The first take away is the obvious one.

Have you accepted the invitation?

Have you accepted the invitation to come to the Lord, to listen

to Him, to go to the party? If not, then remember the

urgency and the warning of Isaiah 55.

The Lord's invitation isn't offered forever.

There will come a time when it won't be available anymore.

Hear the call, hear the invitation, seek the Lord and

call on Him while he can be found and he is near.

Come to the Lord and put your hope and trust in Him.

Remember that this invitation is free there.

There is nothing that you can do to earn it or to buy it.

You just have to accept it by putting your faith in the host

of the party, the Lord Jesus Christ.

It's free for you because Jesus already paid for it.

He paid for it with his life, and by his death, he died so

that those who believe in him and come to Him get life

eternal. They get the rest that is theirs

at the party. Have you responded to the

invitation? Secondly, the efficacy of God's

work, the efficacy of God's work.

How encouraging it must have been for God's people that heard

Isaiah's words for the first time to hear about the efficacy

of God's work, of his plan. That his word, that his

promises, they never return empty.

They always accomplish what He is intending to do.

That when He said that he would rescue and redeem his people

from exile and bring them back to the promised land, He

fulfilled that because he said it.

And the efficacy of God's work is meant to encourage God's

people today as well. It's meant to fill us with

strength too. What has the Lord said in his

word? What has He promised to us?

He has promised that Jesus's work on the cross is sufficient

that it actually accomplished the redemption and salvation for

his people. Our salvation, our redemption,

our forgiveness of sins, our acceptance with God, our

entrance to the party, all of those are secured by the very

word of God. So when we have moments of worry

and doubt, how could that actually be true for me?

We come back to this wonderful truth, the Lord's work and

redemptive history, the Lord's work on the cross, the Lord's

work in our lives. It is efficacious, it is

effective, it accomplishes all that the Lord intends.

Can I just say that that this truth should be particularly

encouraging if you are a parent who has a child that's walked

away from the Lord. Those children are not beyond

the Lord's reach. As long as they are drawing

breath and the Lord hasn't returned, there is always hope

that they too will return to the Lord.

The efficacy of the Lord's work moves us to persevere in prayer

for our loved ones who have walked away from the Lord.

Thirdly and lastly, this description of the party should

fill us with hope. The description here in Isaiah

55, the description in other places of the Scripture, that's

meant to fill us with hope. It's meant to fill us with

strength as we read about the future party that we are going

to. It helps us to live in the

present. This world is filled with evil

and wickedness and injustice and sin and death.

We're living in a world that has been impacted by the fall in

every aspect of life and dealing what we have to deal with in

this world, in this life. It can discourage us.

It can disillusion us. It can depress us, and in those

moments, we should come back to what the scriptures tell us

about the future party that we are heading to.

Reflect on it, meditate on those descriptions and on those

truths. The reality of the future party

should give us hope and strength and perseverance in the present,

in the midst of our trials, our hardships, our challenges, and

our difficulties of this world. Have you responded to the

invitation? Are you encouraged by the

efficacy of God's work? Hope in the party?

Let's pray together. Father, it is easy to get

discouraged in this life. It is easy to feel weary and

burdened by our own sin and the sin of this world, the effects

of the fall in so many ways. We pray, Father, that through

your word, through the work of the Holy Spirit, you would fill

us with a hope, You would fill us with a strength that we might

persevere. That we too would remember that

great promise that you made to your people in the New Testament

through the apostle Paul. That the one who has begun a

good work in US is going to bring it to completion.

When we have moments of doubt that that could be true, when we

have moments of worry and anxiety, we pray that you would

bring us back to these wonderful truths.

That you would remind us about the party, That you would remind

us about your efficacious work. We thank you for your grace and

mercy to us and extending an invitation to come to the party.

We thank you for enabling us to respond to that invitation

through the work of Your Spirit. And we pray, Father, that you

would continue to be at work in US.

Fill us with the hope that we need, for we ask it in Jesus

name, Amen.