Turn in your Bible again to your bookmark, Isaiah 55. Isaiah 55 is one of those special, special chapters in the book of Isaiah. I'm taking the title or the message from what is said in verse 6, Isaiah 55 at verse 6. Seek ye the Lord. Now this is addressed to people who are in need. Everyone that's thirsty, he says in verse one. Oh, everyone that's thirsty, come ye to the waters. He that hath no money, come ye buy and eat. Yea, come buy wine and milk without money, without price. You thirsty?

Seek the Lord. Seek the Lord. Seek the Lord while he may be found. And call upon him while he is near. And then forsake everything but Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ. So I'm taking the title for the message from what is said in verse 6. Seek ye the Lord. Now this is God's personal command unto you who believe the gospel. Seek ye the Lord. And notice it's capital L-O-R-D. Lord, Jehovah, God who is God. Seek Him who is God. Seek him in whom is all of salvation, and he will be found of those that seek him. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. You remember Romans 10 verse 13. So seek ye the Lord while he may be found.

We find the Lord Jesus Christ. This Lord, our Lord and God, while He was manifest in the flesh, ministering among sinners, had the same message, didn't He? We read that in Matthew chapter 6. What did He say? But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. We didn't read this, but in Matthew 7, don't turn, let me just read it to you. In Matthew 7, the Lord said this, And it shall be given you.

Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh, receiveth. And he that seeketh, findeth. To him that knocketh, it shall be opened. Keep seeking, keep asking, keep coming, keep knocking. coming to the Lord, and he will have mercy. He will have mercy. In Jeremiah 29, 13, Jeremiah says, and you shall seek me, the Lord says to the prophet Jeremiah, you shall seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.

Remember we studied in Hebrews 11, without faith it's impossible to please God. Those that come to him must come to him and diligently seek him and he will have mercy. He will have mercy upon us. Without faith it's impossible to please God. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him. It's a right good thing to seek the Lord. When? All the time. All the time. Seek him. Seek him in whom is all of salvation.

Now, that word seek, I looked it up and it means to pursue after. Pursue after. diligently pursue after the Lord. It means to inquire of Him. It means to follow Him in your heart. in your mind, in your soul. This is the heart's desire that the Lord gives to His people.

By nature, we don't have any desire to seek the Lord. It's only as the Lord is pleased to teach us and show us our need of Him that He causes us to seek the Lord, to seek the Lord, seek after Him. This is why we're gathered here this evening In his name, he said, where two or three are gathered in my name, I'm in the midst of them. This is why we're gathered here in his name, to seek the Lord, to preach his gospel, to hear his word, and to worship him in spirit and in truth. That's why we're here this evening, seeking the Lord, seeking to hear a word from him, seeking to worship him in spirit and in truth. Our Lord instructs us to come unto Him and learn of Him, and we shall find rest for our soul.

You remember Matthew 11, 28? He said, all you that are laboring and heavy laden, He said, come unto Me and I'll give you rest. Now this coming to the Lord and seeking the Lord is not some isolated experience. We continually come to the Lord. We're continually seeking the Lord, seeking to know more of him, more of his will, more of his truth, more of his mercies in Christ Jesus.

Now, I wanna begin back at verse four. Verse three tells us, incline your ear, Isaiah 55, three, incline your ear. He keeps, saying, here, here and come, here and come, incline your ear and come unto me. Would you listen to the Lord? And your soul shall live.

And I'll make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Now this is talking about the greater David, the Lord Jesus Christ, David. Son of Jesse was a mighty king in Israel, but he's a type, a personal type of the king of kings, the Lord Jesus Christ. And everything that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have is certain and sure. All the promises of God in Christ are yes, and in him, amen. Everlasting covenant, covenant mercies we have in Christ Jesus. The Lord Jesus Christ is called the great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.

Now look at verse 4 again. Behold, I've given Him for witness to the people, a leader and a commander to the people. The Lord Jesus Christ, we're told here, to behold Him. To behold him. Now that word behold, it reminds me of one of my favorite scriptures in Isaiah. Turn back to Isaiah 42. Behold him. Isaiah 42 verse one.

Behold, I've given him. Boy, what a gift. The Lord God Almighty gave unto his church the Lord Jesus Christ. He's called the surety of the everlasting covenant. Behold him, Isaiah 42 verse 1. You remember this? Behold my servant, my elect. Whom I uphold, my elect, in whom my soul delighted, I put my spirit upon Him.

He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentile. He shall bring forth a just salvation unto His elect among the Gentiles. He shall not fail, verse 4, He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He hath set judgment in the earth, and the isles shall wait for His law. So behold, the Lord Jesus Christ, the covenant of the the surety of the everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and is sure, this is all my hope and all my salvation.

God said, I've given him. Think what God gave. God so loved his creation, his people, that he gave his only begotten son. Behold, I've given him. He gave him as a sacrifice for our sin. I've given him for witness to the people. The people. He's God's prophet. He's a witness. What does a witness do? He tells what he knows. A witness tells the truth. The Lord Jesus Christ is a faithful witness to the covenant of God. He's that prophet that God said would come. Behold, I've given him for witness to the people. I've given him as a leader. What do the lost sheep need? A leader. The Lord Jesus Christ is called our good shepherd, the great shepherd. As David said, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

But what I've given him for witness to the people, a leader. Boy, what a leader. What a leader. And he's a commander too. This one who is the prophet, priest, and king, He is the commander of all things. He's in charge. That's what a commander does. The commander is in charge. The Lord Jesus Christ is in charge of all things. The Father loveth His Son, hath given all things into His hand. He's in charge. In charge of all things.

We're told here by God-given inspiration to behold the Lord Jesus Christ. He is God's true prophet, son of God. Remember, the Lord said to Moses, I will raise them up a prophet from among the brethren like unto thee. I'll put my words in his mouth and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. The Lord Jesus Christ is God's true prophet, true witness, witness. In John 18 verse 37, Christ is the true witness to reveal unto us the way of salvation. Our Lord said to Pilate, when Pilate said, are you a king? And this is what the Lord replied.

To this end was I born, for this cause came out into the world that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice. What does he bear witness to? The truth. Who is the truth? Christ himself is the way, the truth, and the life. So he is the witness that I need. He's the prophet I need to tell me the way of salvation. And then the sheep need a leader, don't they? The Lord Jesus Christ is the chief shepherd, the great shepherd, the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep.

He never leads us astray. He's the leader. He always leads us as our good shepherd. He always leads us in the way of truth, righteousness, life, and peace. He leads us out of darkness into his marvelous light. Remember Paul writes, we're translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear son. He's the leader that we need. He's the witness that we need. He's the leader that we need.

And then I like this third thing he says, he's the commander. He's the commander. We call our president of the United States, we call him, what do we call him? He's known as the commander in chief, right? He's the commander. Now, I guess among men we can say he is a commander, he's the president.

But the king's heart's in the hand of the Lord, and he turns it with us whoever he will. Who is the chief commander, the chief executive? The Lord Jesus Christ has all power over all flesh, and he should give eternal life to as many as the father had given to him. The Lord Jesus Christ is our commander, all powerful, wise, victorious. Christ is our Lord and king and captain of our salvation. who has never lost a battle. Wouldn't you like a leader like that, and a commander like that, that wins every fight? That wins every battle? That has dominion over all things from everlasting to everlasting?

He has complete dominion over all his enemies, they're going to bow at his footstool. and acknowledge that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Remember Psalm 110, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make all thine enemies bow before your throne. Every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

You see what He's saying here? We have an everlasting covenant through the Lord Jesus Christ, the blood of the covenant, Sure are mercies in David, sure are mercies, sure are salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. God said, take a look at this. Behold, I've given him for witness to the people. He's a leader to his people and he's a commander.

He does according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of this earth. And you know what? No one can stay his hand or stand him. Lord God Almighty, what doest thou? He has all power in heaven and earth. We studied, remember, when we closed our study in the book of Matthew, our Lord, risen from the dead, victorious, told His disciples before He ascended to glory, He said, go and preach the gospel knowing this, I have all power in heaven and earth. He has all power in heaven and earth over all creatures, over all things. He is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Thanks being to God who has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now look at verse 5, Isaiah 55 verse 5.

Behold, again he said, behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not. Now, this may be the Lord instructing Isaiah. The Lord has a people out of every tribe, kindred, and nation. Behold, thou shalt call a nation, or I will call a nation, that Isaiah, you don't know anything about. Isaiah knew about Israel, didn't he? But he didn't know about that Gentile nation, God having elect among the Gentiles, that thou knowest not a nation that knew not thee.

They'll run. They'll run unto thee. That is unto the gospel because, because of the Lord thy God, because for, because the Holy One of Israel, for is the word because for he has glorified thee. Isn't this tremendous? Tremendous verse. The Lord will call out His own, His elect, He will call them out. Turn back to Isaiah 43. Remember this verse? Isaiah 43, verse five. Isaiah 43 at verse five.

Fear not, I'm with thee. I'll bring thy seed from the east and gather thee from the west. I'll say to the north, give up to the south, keep not back. Bring my sons from far and my daughters from the ends of the earth. Everyone that is called by my name, for I have created him for my glory. I have formed him. Yea, I have made him. Bring him forth. Thou shalt call.

He's going to call his people to himself. Our Lord has intimate. and eternal knowledge of all his people. You know, you remember reading about the good shepherd in John chapter 10. He said, I know my sheep by name. And he calls them out. How long has he known his people by name? From all eternity. He has known his people personally, individually. He's known your name. He knows your name because you belong to him.

Paul writes this in 2 Timothy 2.19, the foundation of God standeth sure having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his. He named us before our mom and dad named us. He wrote our name, he wrote our name in the land book of life. We were named from eternity. Mom and dad just, they picked a name, but it was a name that God had already chosen. Isn't that something? Oh, it's amazing, isn't it? The foundation of God standeth sure, having his seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his.

How can it be said thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not? That is a foreign people referring to the Lord's elect among the Gentiles. He said, I knew them not, or Isaiah knew them not in an open and public way before their calling and conversion.

As we studied on Sunday from Revelation 5, there's a remnant according to the election of grace. You remember our message from Romans 11? Out of every tribe, kindred, nation, tongue, and people, He's going to call out His elect from all the earth. God is no respecter of person. God has an elect everywhere.

At one time we were without God, without hope, and without Christ. but by his grace he calls us because we belong to him. Every sinner, because of our fallen and sinful nature, would dwell in spiritual darkness, loving to have it so, with no knowledge of the true and living God and the gospel of God, until God is pleased to cross our path with the gospel and call us to himself. and make us new creatures in Christ Jesus. That's what he does. He calls us out of darkness, translates us into the king of God's dear son that we might show forth the praises of him who called us. And he makes us willing in the day of his power.

Thou shalt call a nation. Now this call of God, the old timers used to talk about what they called a general call. And then they talk about that irresistible effectual call to the elect. There is a general call that goes out to all men everywhere, the call of creation, and the call of creation, the call of conscience, the call of providence and different things. But there is that irresistible effectual call of God the Holy Spirit to the heart of the sinner that quickens him and makes him alive and gives him faith to believe the Lord Jesus Christ. That's an effectual gospel call, irresistible gospel call. We know it's a personal call.

We read through the gospels and he called out Matthew one day, didn't he? Matthew was sitting at his receipt of customs. He was a publican, a tax collector. And the Lord walked up in front of his His workstation there said, Matthew, follow me. What happened? Matthew closed up his books, shut down the shop, and followed the Lord Jesus Christ.

How about Zacchaeus, another publican, chief of the publicans up that sycamore tree? They said he was short of stature and he climbed up that tree so he could get a glimpse of the Lord Jesus Christ walking through that crowd. And the Lord walked right under that tree and stopped. Zacchaeus!

How did he know his name? He'd known his sheep from eternity. Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must abide at thy house. You're a son of Abraham. All those people were natural sons of Abraham, but Zacchaeus was one of those special, spiritual sons of Abraham.

So it's a personal call. He calls his own sheep by name. It's a powerful call. It makes him willing in the day of his power. And it's a perpetual call. The Lord continues to call us unto himself every time we hear the gospel. He calls us to himself. Come unto me, all you that labor heavy laden, I'll give you rest. Come to me.

This call in Scripture is called a holy calling. God who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, purpose of grace. It's called a heavenly calling. It's called a high calling. High calling. A holy calling, a heavenly calling. This is that irresistible call of God to the heart of his elect with the word of truth, blessed by the power of God the Holy Spirit of his own will beget he us with the word of truth. It says there, nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because Because there's a reason, because of the Lord thy God. Because of the Lord thy God.

He's always the first cause in salvation, isn't He? He's the Alpha, the Omega, He's the author and finisher of faith. The Lord is the first cause of salvation. What's the second cause of salvation? The Lord is the second cause of salvation. What's the third cause of salvation? He's the third cause of salvation. The fourth, the fifth, the sixth, right on and on and on, et cetera, et cetera. He's the alpha, the omega of all our salvation. He's the first cause. He's loved us with an everlasting love. It's not of him that willeth, but of him that runneth, but rather God that shows mercy. It's not of him that willeth or of him that runneth, but of God that shows mercy. It's because of His grace, God is gracious to us, gracious to His people.

Because of His choice, He said, you didn't choose me, I've chosen you. Because of His foreordination, as many as were ordained to eternal life believe. Because of the power of His gospel, Paul said, I'm unashamed of the gospel of Christ. It's the power of God and the salvation. You see, we run to the Lord because of Him. You got the message, because of the Lord thy God. And then secondly, he says, because he's the holy one of Israel. He's the holy one of Israel. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only one that can make us righteous in God's sight. One time when we're running from him, now by his grace, we run to him.

The Holy One, I was talking to one of the men working out here trimming up this tree. I think it was Monday afternoon. And he was asking me some questions about what we do here and what we believe here. And I made the statement, I said, how good you have to be to stand before God justified. And he goes, I said, as good as God. He said, well, how can that be?

I said, only in Christ. You see, the believers, the Lord Jesus Christ has made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. That's the only way that a sinner can be justified before God is to be found in Christ. That's why Paul said, I count everything else as solitarsis. He thought all those things counted something for him. A Pharisee, kept the law, a Hebrew of Hebrews, but when he met the Lord, he said, I count everything lost, dung, and ruined, that I may win Christ and be found in Him. Not having that law, righteousness of my own, but that which is through the faithfulness of Christ, the righteousness which is of God, by the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We run to Him because He is the Lord thy God. We run to Him because He draws us. How does He irresistibly draw us? He makes Himself irresistible. He makes Himself altogether lovely. He's the holy one of Israel. He's the only one that can make us righteous before God. Blessed is that man to whom the Lord imputes righteousness without works. And then thirdly, he says there, for the Father has glorified the Son, and the Son has glorified the Father, for He hath glorified thee. Now here's the bottom line.

In all that God does, you know this is so. In all that God does, in creation, In providence, in salvation, it's all to the praise of the glory of His grace. It's all about His glory, isn't it? God forbid, Paul said in Galatians 6, 14, that I should glory save in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. So we run to Him because He's the Lord thy God, has all power.

He's the Holy One of Israel. He's the one we need, and He has been glorified. You remember He prayed in John 17, Father, I've glorified thee on the earth. I've finished the work you gave me to do. It's all about His glory, isn't it? To the praise and the glory of His grace, He chose us. To the praise and the glory of His grace, He redeemed us. To the praise and the glory of His grace, He regenerated us and made us new creatures in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 6, now seek ye the Lord. You seek the Lord. Take this personal. This is God's message to you. You seek the Lord. He says, seek ye the Lord. He's not asking you. He's the commander. He's commanding you to seek the Lord. Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. Seek the Lord. Because of his holy and heavenly high calling, believers are delighted to seek after the Lord and call upon him while he is near. This is the believer's lifelong pursuit, aim, and desire. to win Christ and be found in him, to you who believe he is precious.

Seek ye the Lord. All spiritual blessings are found in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why it says, seek ye the Lord. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. We're to seek him, call upon him while he is near, while he is found. Where is the Lord found?

In his word. In His Word. We're reading it. The Lord is found in His Word. The Lord is found in the preaching of the Gospel. The Lord is found among His people. He said, where two or three are gathered together in My Name, I'm in the midst of them. You mean the Lord is here with us right now? Where two or three are gathered in My name, I'm in the midst of them.

Well, I don't see Him. I don't feel Him. He didn't ask you to feel His presence. He said, believe My Word. I'm with you always, even to the end of the earth. We seek Him in His Word, don't we? We seek Him in the preaching of the Gospel. Find somebody, find some Gospel preacher, that's preaching the truth of God's sovereign saving grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. As my dear pastor used to say, Pastor Mahan, he said, find somebody preaching the gospel and camp there. Camp there. Set up your camp. Camp right there. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he's near.

I've never read in Scripture One time. And I've been looking into this for more than 40 years. 40 years or longer. I've never read in Scripture one time where the Lord turned away a mercy beggar. Not one. You can't find it. It's not there. You can't find one sinner that's sincerely seeking the Lord Jesus Christ that He turned away.

Now those Pharisees, Now that's another story. They came to criticize him and to ruin his character. But you take the example of the leper. The leper who was full of leprosy came and worshipped the Lord and said, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. This man was covered with leprosy. He wasn't even supposed to be in public. And he wasn't supposed to be touched by anyone.

And he said to the Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. The Lord reached forth his hand and touched him. And he said, I will, be thou clean. And immediately, his leprosy was cleansed. So I'm going to seek mercy where mercy is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Another example is blind Bartimaeus, sat by the highwayside, begging, blind, couldn't see. about the Lord Jesus coming through. He said, Thou Son of David, have mercy upon me. And the Lord stood still. He said, what do you need, Bartimaeus? I'm blind. I can't see. Oh, the Lord said, be it unto you. Your faith hath made you whole. The Lord healed him, didn't He?

As a matter of spiritual fact, the Lord calls upon us to come to him for mercy, grace to help in time of need. He said, come to me, all ye that labor heavy laden. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Listen to this scripture.

This is quoted in Acts chapter 2 when Peter preached at Pentecost, but it's given from Joel chapter 2. And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered or saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call. The remnant, according to the election of grace, he shall call.

Well, I've used up all my time, but we'll come back next week and look at the rest of this. Let the wicked, verse 7, forsake his way. There is a way that seems right unto men. The end of that way is death. So let's forsake our way and the unrighteous man, our way and our thoughts. Our thoughts left to ourselves are always wrong. They're wrong about God and they're wrong about us. We think too highly of ourselves and too low of God. So, but the wicked forsake his way, the unrighteous man his thought, let him turn to the Lord or return to the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon. I remember reading in the book of Nehemiah, chapter 9, verse 17, where it says, Thou art a God ready to pardon. He's ready to pardon. For He will abundantly pardon, not just barely get by, but abundantly pardon His people.