Don't Forget Christmas

It's on page 742 if you're using a church Bible.

And Isaiah 55, we're going to look at half of Isaiah 55 this morning, and then on the

second of January, as we start into a new year, we're going to look at the second part.

So we're going to go to verses, to verse 5, and the first reading is Isaiah 55, starting

at verse 1, page 742.

Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters, and you who have no money, come, buy

and eat.

Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labour on what does not satisfy?

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest affair.

Give ear and come to me.

Hear me, that your soul may live.

I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.

See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples.

Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten

to you because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with

splendour.

Keep your finger in Isaiah 55, and then turn to John's Gospel, chapter 6, which is on page

1070.

John chapter 6, it's on page 1070, starting at verse 25 through to 40.

John 6 · chapter mention

Verse 25.

When they found Jesus on the other side of the lake, they asked him, Rabbi, when did you

get here?

Jesus answered, I tell you the truth, you are looking for me not because you saw the miraculous

signs, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.

Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son

of Man will give you, on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.

Then they asked him, what must we do to do the works God requires?

Jesus answered, the work of God is this, to believe in the one he has sent.

So they asked him, what miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe

you?

What will you do?

Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert, as it is written, he gave them bread from heaven

to eat.

Jesus said to them, I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from

heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.

For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

Sir, they said, from now on give us this bread.

Then Jesus declared, I am the bread of life.

He who comes to me will never go hungry.

He who believes in me will never be thirsty.

But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive

away.

For I have come down from heaven not to do my will, but to do the will of him who sent

me.

And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given

me, but raise them up on the last day.

For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal

life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

Well, let's pray together.

Our Father, we thank you for the food and drink that we have had already today.

But we come now to you, to the true food, asking that you would fill us and satisfy us, that

your Holy Spirit would be present amongst us, enabling us to comprehend your word, but also

that it would work in our lives, changing us and transforming us, helping us to see that

you are the hope for this world.

That Christ is the true gift, the only gift that really satisfies.

So please help us all, we ask in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, there are notes going around, but the title I have given to this first part of Isaiah

55 is Christmas, Hope for the Hopeless.

Two years ago we were sitting on the brink of economic meltdown.

Financial institutions were closing, banks were calling in their debts, panic set in, the

markets got nervous, and the world as we know it went into recession.

If we were unaware of what that meant, last week's budget has made it very personal and

real.

The other Tuesday our finance minister, Brian Lenehan, stood up in the door and he gave a very

brave and determined budget speech.

Let me quote to you.

This has been a traumatic and worrying time for the citizens of our country.

They are concerned that we had to seek external support to help us with our economic and financial

difficulties.

They are worried about the impact of this momentous and difficult decision on their lives.

Yet, in fact, even in the most intractable and complex crisis, there are clear signs of

hope.

And then he concludes.

We have been through a tumultuous two years.

Today's budget is our first step in ensuring that we get back firmly on our own feet.

We can emerge from this dark time as a stronger and fitter economy.

There is every reason to be confident about the future of this economy and this country if

we only have confidence in ourselves.

Fighting talk, we might say.

Big promises.

Can they deliver?

Well, we'll all have to wait and see.

But without a doubt we can say that the people of our nation are desperate for hope.

It is dark times.

It is difficult times.

And people are desperate for hope.

I want you to imagine the doll tomorrow morning.

Brian Cowan has just delivered his speech, which has been followed by members of the opposition.

And then the proceedings are interrupted by a voice up in the balcony.

And at first everybody tries to ignore it, but then they are captured by its message.

Come, all you who are thirsty.

Come to the waters.

You who have no money.

Come, buy and eat.

Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

Could you imagine?

I'm sure they struggle to comprehend what's going on.

But the message they would see is clear.

It's a message of hope.

It talks of restoration.

It's promising something good.

In fact, we know it is a message of salvation.

Isaiah, the prophet, who lived 750 years before the birth of Christ,

was called by God.

And he was called to speak into a nation that was quite literally without hope.

He spoke to a people who were living in darkness.

After years of turning and running from God, they were now in exile,

overpowered and run by another nation, Babylon.

Babylon.

We've heard of the four-year recovery plan.

Isaiah 55 is God's recovery plan.

Not just for Israel, who are in Babylon,

but for us and for the world in which we live.

It's a recovery plan that's become a reality through the birth of Jesus Christ,

the long-awaited Messiah,

the rescuing ruler who comes to offer hope to the world.

His recovery plan can be seen in three steps.

The first step is one of invitation.

Look at verse 1.

Come, all you who are thirsty.

Come to the waters.

Come on.

Come and buy and eat.

Come and buy your wine and milk.

Now we'll see what we are invited to in a minute,

but let's not miss the extent of this invitation.

This is an invitation that is to everyone.

Come, all you who are thirsty.

But in particular, it's an invitation to those who are broken and weak.

It's to those who have nothing and who are desperately in need.

I love getting invites to celebrations,

but there is nothing worse than being the only person who doesn't get that invite,

being left out.

Well, here is an invitation.

God's invitation to the nation.

It's open.

It's not exclusive.

It's to all.

And if anything, it favours the most needy.

It reaches out to those who think themselves beyond recovery,

and it says to those people especially,

you can come.

But what are we invited to?

Well, it's not so much what we are invited to,

but who we are invited to.

Look at the middle of verse 2.

It says,

Listen.

Listen to me.

Verse 3.

Give ear and come to me.

Hear me.

Who is this me that they are invited to?

Well, keep your finger, please, in Isaiah 55,

and go to John's Gospel,

chapter 1,

and verse 1.

This me is an invite to come to the Lord Jesus.

Chapter 1, verse 1 says,

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

Then in verse 14,

The Word became flesh,

and made his dwelling among us.

The Word that spoke,

and offered the invitation,

the invitation to come,

that Word that spoke,

came into the world

to become like one of us.

Christ came into the world,

and invited us to come,

and to receive from him.

Flick over a bit further

to chapter 7

of John's Gospel.

Chapter 7, verse 37.

It says,

On the last day,

verse 37,

of the last and greatest day

of the feast.

The feast here

is known as the Feast of Tabernacles,

or booths.

It was an eight-day feast,

eight days of celebration,

when the people of Israel,

literally,

went camping in their back garden.

They would set up tents,

and everybody would move into their tents,

and they would live in these tents

for eight days

to remind themselves

of the great escape from Egypt,

and how God provided for them

all the way through the wilderness.

And one of the great events

through that wilderness journey

was when Moses took his staff

and he hit the rock

because they had no water,

they were thirsty,

and water flowed from it.

And so Jesus says,

verse 37,

On the last and greatest day

of this feast,

Jesus stood up

and said in a loud voice,

If anyone is thirsty,

let him come to me

and drink.

You see,

this message

in Isaiah 55,

to come and listen

to me,

is the invite

of the Lord Jesus

to come to me,

to come to him.

And I'm sure

we're all going to get

lots of invites

this Christmas

to people's houses

and to various parties.

Well, we must not forget

that Christmas

is the ultimate invitation.

It is an invite

to the world

to say to people,

come to Jesus.

Because Jesus

has come into the world

for you

and for me,

for the nations,

and he wants us

to come to him.

Listen,

listen to me.

Give ear

and come

to me.

But what

and why

is this invitation

so special?

Well,

the second step

after invitation

is salvation.

salvation.

It is an invitation

to salvation.

Look at the end

of verse 1

of Isaiah 55.

It says,

You who have no money,

come buy and eat.

Come buy wine

and milk

without money

and without cost.

The end of verse 2.

And your soul

will delight

in the richest

of fair.

prayer.

This is an invitation

to a feast.

To drink

and to eat

till you have your fill.

And whenever we come

across this

in the scriptures,

whenever there's an invitation

to drink

and to eat,

it's always a metaphor

for life

and for salvation.

Again,

look at the way

in which Jesus

takes these very images,

these very ideas,

and takes these words

to offer salvation

to people.

Go back to

John's Gospel,

chapter 4.

These are very

well-known stories.

The first one

in John's Gospel,

chapter 4,

is the woman

at the well.

Jesus is thirsty

and he's been asking

for a drink

and her dialogue

is there.

And then in verse 13,

Jesus answered,

everyone who drinks

this water

will be thirsty again.

But whoever drinks

the water I give him

will never thirst.

Indeed,

the water I give him

will become in him

a spring of water

welling up

to eternal life.

The invitation,

you see,

is Jesus to say,

come to me,

come and drink,

because what I give you

is true salvation.

Have a look at

chapter 6,

verse 32.

This is after the feeding

of the 5,000.

So he likens

the water

as salvation.

He likens

the bread

as salvation.

Verse 32,

chapter 6,

Jesus said to them,

I tell you the truth,

it is not Moses

who has given you

the bread for heaven,

but it is my Father

who gives you

the true bread

from heaven.

For the bread of God

is he

who comes down

from heaven

and gives life

to the world.

Sir,

they said,

from now on

give us this bread.

Jesus answered,

I am

the bread of life.

He who comes to me

will never go hungry.

He who believes

in me

will never

be thirsty.

Can we see

how this is an invitation

to come to Christ?

An invitation

to salvation,

to find life

in all its fullness.

But let's notice

from Isaiah 55

two things

about this salvation.

First,

it's free.

In verse 1

of 55

it says,

you who have

no money

got nothing

in your wallets,

in your bank accounts,

come buy and eat

without money

and without cost.

Now we know

fine well

that if we're going

to enjoy Christmas

as the world says,

we've got to

spend our money.

As much as

our purse

strings

have tightened,

we've all got to

part with our cash

to get what we want.

The saying is true,

there is nothing free.

except

God's offer

of salvation.

That

is free.

We can't

offer anything

for God's salvation.

We can't

negotiate

on the price.

We can't

bargain with him

because there

is no price

because

Jesus has

paid

the price.

He paid

the price

with his own

life

on the cross.

And so

Jesus has

made this gift

freely available

to all

who will

come to him

and receive

the life

that he

has to give.

So it's free

but it's also

fulfilling.

Look at verse 2.

He asks the question

and it's a searching

question,

why spend money

on what is not

bread

and your labor

on what does

not satisfy?

one commentator

has helped

me

pointed out

that when

Israel went

into exile

they were not

only moving

physically

from Judah

to Babylon

they were

moving away

spiritually.

They were moving

away from God

and in an attempt

to fill the void

to fill the gut

they immersed

themselves into

the culture

that was in Babylon.

they filled

themselves with

the religion

that they found

there.

They filled

themselves with

the gods

that were there.

They just

imbibed the

whole culture

but it left

them empty

and unfulfilled

and so these

are the words

that are being

spoken into

these unfulfilled

unsatisfied

people.

And I think

it's just so

true of our

own nation

and perhaps

in our own

lives.

We try to

find our

satisfaction

and our

fulfilment

outside of

God.

Outside of

Christ.

And in the

recession and

in the

struggles

people will

say if only

I had a bit

more money.

If only I

could get

another job

that was a

little bit

more stable.

If only we

could get out

of this

recession.

If only I

could get

this.

If only I

could have

that.

You fill in

the gap for

yourself.

If only I

could have.

Then everything

would be so

much better.

But whatever

we turn to,

whatever we

fill our

lives with,

this is a

reminder to

say that it

will never

truly satisfy.

Look at the

end of verse

two.

Listen.

Listen to

me.

Eat what

is good

and your

soul will

delight in

the richest

affair.

Give ear and

come to

me.

Hear me

that your

soul may

live.

As much

as there is

a recession,

we do see

people going

mad, buying

this, that

and the

other.

People will

be getting

these gifts

and that

gift.

They'll be

eating far

too much,

drinking far

too much.

The days

will go by

and then

people will

be looking

for more

food and

more things.

Presents

will break,

there'll be

more things

that they'll

want in life.

But it

never truly

satisfies.

The reminder

of Christmas

is to say

that the

ultimate

Christmas

promise,

the ultimate

gift,

is that we

will never

thirst again,

we will

never go

hungry,

because we

have everything

that we

need in

Christ.

It's a big

searching

question.

Why spend

money on

what is not

bread?

Why give

our lives

to things

that are

never going

to truly

satisfy?

Come to

Christ,

because in

him we have

everything that

we need.

Let me read

to you a

quote.

There is a

Narnia film

coming out in

the cinemas.

This is a

quote from

The Silver

Chair.

Jill, the

character, has

just entered

into Narnia,

and she's

incredibly

thirsty.

She hears

the sound

of a stream,

and she

makes her

way to

the stream,

and as she

gets to

the stream,

she's

confronted

with Aslan,

the lion.

Are you

thirsty?

said the

lion.

I'm dying

of thirst,

said Jill.

Then drink,

said the

lion.

May I?

Could I?

Would you

mind going

away while I

do?

said Jill.

The lion

answered this

only by a

look and a

very low

growl,

and as

Jill gazed

at its

motionless

bulk,

she realised

that she

might as

well have

asked the

whole mountain

to move

aside for

her convenience.

The delicious

rippling noise

of the

stream was

driving her

nearly frantic.

Will you

promise not

to do

anything to

me if I

do come?

said Jill.

I make

no promise,

said the

lion.

Jill was

so thirsty

now that,

without noticing

it, she

had come a

step nearer.

Do you

eat girls?

she said.

I have

swallowed up

girls and

boys, women

and men, kings

and emperors,

cities and

realms, said

the lion.

It didn't say

this as if it

were boasting,

nor as if it

were sorry, nor

as if it were

angry.

It just said

it.

I daren't

come and

drink, said

Jill.

Then you

will die

of thirst,

said the

lion.

Oh dear,

said Jill,

coming another

step nearer.

I suppose I

must go and

look for

another stream

then.

There is

no other

stream,

said the

lion.

It's a

question to

ask us

all, where

will we

go to

find life?

What do

you pursue

to quench

your thirst?

What do

you want to

fill your

life with?

What do

other people

want to

fill their

life with?

There is

only one

stream that

we are

invited to,

that is the

stream of

Jesus Christ.

And Christmas

is that

invitation for

us to come

and drink of

that salvation.

And what

Jesus offers,

we will find

nowhere else.

Come is the

invitation,

to come to

Christ,

to come and

find his

salvation.

salvation.

But there's

one more

step in

this process,

because it's

not just a

recovery for

us individually,

this is to

be a recovery

plan for the

whole world.

The third

step I've

called

transformation,

verse 3.

Give ear and

come to

me.

Hear me

that your

soul may

live, and

I will make

an everlasting

covenant with

you, my

faithful or

steadfast love

promised to

David.

David, of

course, was the

greatest king

that Israel ever

had.

But the

mention of

David, we

should know,

was always

synonymous with

the expectation

of a coming

Messiah.

To mention

David, who

had been all

those years

ago, was a

promise that

God was going

to raise up a

new king, a

new kind of

leader.

So to those

who were in

exile at the

time, this

message to

come, to

come to the

king, was

one of hope

and peace and

restoration.

A king who

was going to

deliver everything

that God had

promised, pure

salvation.

And we know

that David was

a great leader

because it was

only under

David that the

whole nation

was ever united.

We also know

that he was a

great commander.

Look at verse

four.

See, I have

made him a

witness to the

peoples, a

leader and

commander of

the peoples.

The greatest

victories that

Israel had were

always under

David.

He was the

greatest leader,

the greatest

king that they

had ever known.

king.

And now it's

pointing forward

to a different

kind of king, a

new king, a

new messiah that

is going to

come.

The ultimate

leader, the

ultimate commander

who would be the

Lord Jesus

Christ.

The one who

would win the

greatest victory

on the cross.

The one who

would win the

victory over sin

and death.

death as he

took the

penalty, as he

defeated the

grave and rose

victoriously.

Here was the

greatest commander,

the greatest king

who came.

And here was the

greatest king who

would unite people

from all nations

and make them one

under his

lordship.

And so it's

saying to these

people here,

there is a

king and I

have made him a

witness to

people, a

leader and a

commander of the

people.

And when we

come to this

king, when we

accept his

invitation, when

we receive his

salvation, our

lives are

completely and

utterly transformed.

Look at the

end of verse

5 to see this

transformation.

The end of

verse 5 says,

for he has

endowed you

with splendour.

He has

beautified you

with splendour.

You see, the

salvation that

Christ brings is

nothing less than

absolute beauty.

Without Christ,

we are an

absolute mess.

But with

Christ in our

lives, we

are something

beautiful.

Look at the

contrast from

verse 1.

They were

thirsty, they

were hungry,

there was no

money, they

were unfulfilled,

unsatisfied, there

was nothing.

Now in verse 5,

it's completely

reversed.

They are

satisfied and

now they are

covered in

splendour.

From

paupers to

princes and

princesses, they

have now become

children of the

king.

They have been

given, as it

says at the

end of verse 2,

the richest

affair.

You see, the

salvation that

comes from

Jesus Christ,

our Messiah,

our king, is

full, it's

complete, it's

satisfying, it's

everything that we

need, and he

utterly changes us

and transforms us,

not bringing just

forgiveness, but

totally transforming

our lives so

that we are

something beautiful,

something that

God changes us

and makes us a

new creation, a

new kind of

people.

But there's a

whole reason for

this transformation,

there's a whole

reason for this

change, and we

see that at the

beginning of verse

5.

He says,

Surely you will

summon nations

you know not,

and nations that

do not know you

will hasten to

you.

Nations are going

to run to you.

You see, God's

plan for the

people of Israel

was that they

would be a

magnet, like a

people pulling the

surrounding nations

towards them to

draw them towards

God's salvation.

They were to be a

nation that was to

be the envy of all

the other nations,

so that as people

looked in on

Israel, they would

see what they had

from God, and they

would also want it.

They would want

this God too.

They were to be a

beautiful and

attractive nation

that had been so

transformed and so

changed that nations

that they didn't

know would come

running towards

them to get the

salvation that God

had.

Well, Christmas

reminds us.

that the King

has come, that

Jesus is the

beautiful one.

He is so

attractive.

He is the

sinless one, the

perfect one.

He is God's

Son, the God

Man, Jesus

Christ.

And the salvation

and the life that

he offers, as he

comes into the

world, he is like

the magnet.

He is the one who

draws people to

himself.

But the point I

think in these

verses here in

verse 5, is that

if we have

received the

salvation of

Jesus, we

become people who

are beautiful and

in turn our

lives are to

become an

attraction.

Our lives are to

be an attraction.

Growing up as a

kid, and I know

Kirsty always

laughs at this, but

we didn't have a

lot of money.

And I always found

myself wishing and

wanting the gifts that

all the other kids

have.

As they got on their

brand new BMX and I

hopped around to my

space hopper, I

wished that I had

what they had.

They always had the

best toys, the

better gifts.

They were the

envy.

I wanted what

they had.

And when we come

to see what

Christmas truly has

to offer, when we

come to see Christ

in all his beauty

and all his

wonder, when we

see the true

gift, when we

have the true

gift, others

will be wanting

what we have.

They will see in

us a life that

has been changed

and transformed,

a life that has

become beautiful,

a life that has

become so

attractive.

Do you see there

in verse 5?

Nations that you

do not know will

run to you.

People will come

to us.

They will see us

as a community of

people that have

been changed.

And they will be

drawn in by the

love.

They will be drawn

in by the forgiveness,

by the way in which

people repent towards

one another.

they will be

attracted because

Christ has changed

us.

You see, our

nation is desperate

for hope.

We long for the

new year.

We long for a new

election, a new

government, someone

or something who's

going to make it all

better, to make it

all go away.

We long for the

good old days of

Charlie McCreevey,

the Santa Claus of

budgets, who gave

presents beyond our

wildest dreams.

But we all know now

that it wasn't

without cost.

We're having to pay

for it.

And the reality was

it never filled,

it never satisfied,

satisfied.

It has left people

hungry and thirsty.

They have delved

in to try and find

what's satisfied,

and it never

delivered.

In Christmas, we

have the greatest

invitation, an

invitation to take

the greatest gift,

the gift of Jesus

Christ, the ultimate

King who offers

pure salvation, a

gift that is so

beautiful and so

attractive that if we

would only open it,

if we would learn

to enjoy it, if we

would learn to be

thirsty and hungry,

and only be

satisfied by Christ,

then people will

see within us an

attraction, they

will see Christ, and

they will be drawn

to him.

And the reality is,

is what we're

saying is that because

of Christ, because of

our message, because

of our lives, we

bring the message of

hope to the

hopeless world.

We have got

something to say to

people.

May God give us the

courage and the

strength to live out

this hope and to

speak his hope to a

needy world.

let's pray together.

Amen.

We thank you, Father

God, that you did

send your son,

that you didn't wait

for an invitation from

us, but that you

took the initiative,

and that you

entered into our

world, into all its

mess and all its

darkness, into its

sin.

And you came like

one of us and

invited us to come

to you.

forgive us for the

times where we

reject that invitation

when we run from

you, where we go

chasing our own

dreams and our own

ideas.

Turn our hearts that

we would ever run to

you, that we would

always find everything

that we need in you,

that you would create a

genuine thirst and

hunger within us,

create a thirst and a

hunger within this

community, that

draws them and has

them running to

Christ, that they

will never find or

never rest until they

do come to you.

We pray, Father, that

you would help us to

enjoy you, to know

you, and we pray that

you would give us

courage to speak the

hope that only Christ

can bring into a

hopeless and needy

world.

We pray these things

in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.