Let's open our Bibles to back
to Isaiah 55. Isaiah 55. Look back at verse 6. Verse 6
of Isaiah 55. Seek ye the Lord while he may
be found. Call ye upon him while he is
near. Let the wicked forsake his way
and let the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto
the Lord. and he will have mercy upon him. And to our God, for he will abundantly
pardon. Now the title of the message
this morning is taken from verse seven. A message for the wicked. A message for the wicked. I wonder what we think when we
hear that title, A Message for the Wicked. Maybe you say, well,
that's a good title, but that's not for me. That's a message for somebody
else. The word wicked, I look this
up, it means the guilty one. It means the condemned man. It means the one who is guilty
of sin. Is that you? Is that me? The prophet Isaiah, he said this,
he said, the prophet Isaiah, is me." This man was a prophet
of God and he said, woe is me. He said, I'm a man of unclean
lips. I dwell in the midst of a people
of unclean lips. And Samuel, David, listen to
the words of David. David said to Nathan, he said,
I have sinned against the Lord. That's David, David of whom God
said, Almighty God said this of David. He said, I have found
David, the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, a man who
will fulfill all of my will. In Job 9 we read, these are the
words of Job, he said, if I justify myself, my own mouth would condemn
me. If I say I'm perfect, I would
prove myself to be perverse. This is Job, Job of whom God
said to Satan, have you considered my servant Job? Paul in 1 Timothy 1, he declared
that he was not just a sinner, but that he was the chief of
sinners. Writing to the Romans, he said,
O wretched man that I am, I ask you again, is the message
for the wicked? Is that a message for you? Is that a message for me? Turn
to 1 John chapter 1. 1 John chapter 1. First John 1, look beginning
with verse 8. If we say that we have no sin,
that's what we say, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not
in us. If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness. If we say that we've not sinned,
we make him a liar, and the word is not in us. Again, consider
the words of Paul when he wrote this to Timothy. He said, this
is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. that Jesus
Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the
chief. Salvation, salvation for sinners. Call his name Jesus, for he shall
save his people. from their sin. I ask you again,
can you, can we take our place as a sinner before Him? Look back at verse 6 of Isaiah
55. What is this message for a wicked
man? I've got five or six points here,
I'll be brief, but the first is this. Seek ye the Lord while
he may be found. That's the message for a wicked
man. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. As a sinner, I
need him. I must have him. Scripture declares
this. Seek the Lord. That's instruction
from God's word to seek the Lord. And the promise is this, those
that seek, they'll find. Seek the Lord. Seek the Lord
thy God and thou shalt find him if thou seek him with all thy
heart and with all thy soul. In Mark 5, there was a woman. There was a woman who had an
issue of blood and she had suffered that ailment For 12 years, for
12 years she suffered from that same ailment. And scripture says
this, that she spent everything she had, everything she had trying
to get better. Scripture says she suffered many
things from many physicians. And what was the result of that?
She was nothing better. In fact, she only grew worse. She was in need, wasn't she?
This woman was in need. And one day, one day she heard
of the Lord Jesus Christ. No doubt she saw him because
one day she came into a large crowd and she said, if I could
just touch his garment, I could just touch his garment. She sought the Lord. Her money could not save her. Those many
physicians, they could not save her. But Christ could. The Lord Jesus Christ could.
There was a man named Zacchaeus. Most of us probably know that
story of Zacchaeus. Back just little ones, right?
Taught about Zacchaeus, that wee little man, right? That climbed
up into a tree. Well, God's Word declares that
Zacchaeus sought to see Jesus. He sought to see Him. He sought
to see who he was. And he could not for the press,
there was a large crowd that gathered. And they could not
see, he couldn't see him for the press because he was little
of stature. I ask you, did that hinder him? In Jeremiah 29, we read, ye shall
seek me and find me. when you search for me with all
your heart." You know, I don't know of any account in scripture
where a man or a woman truly sought the Lord and did not find
Him. Seek the Lord. That's the life
of a believer. Not just one time seeking Him,
we continually seek Him. Seek Him at all times. Seek Him
where He may be found. It could be, it could be that
as we've gathered here together this morning as a people, that
the Lord might be pleased to reveal Himself to us in mercy. He promised that. He said where
two or three are gathered in my name, I'll be in the midst
of you. Seek His pardon, seek His presence,
seek His salvation. And not just on Sunday mornings,
not just on an occasional Wednesday night, we just seek Him continually. Seek Him, Scripture says, seek
Him while He may be found. If He's pleased to reveal my
sin to me, if He's pleased to reveal it to me, my need, my
need of Him, my need of the Savior. I must have Him. I must seek
after Him. Don't seek religion. Don't seek
man. Seek the Lord. Seek the Lord. Well, back to our text, here's
the second point. He says, call ye upon Him. while he's near. God's word says,
whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Blind Bartimaeus, he called on
the Lord, didn't he? He continually called on him. There were men around that tried
to silence him. Try to tell him to just hold
it down and to be quiet. And the more they tried to silence
him, the louder he cried, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy
on me. I ask you, are you a sinner?
Are you in need? What's God's word say? Call on
him. Call on him. Just like Peter. Remember when
Peter began to walk on the water with our Lord? And what happened? He began to sink. And what did
he do? He cried out, Lord, save me. Lord, save me. The thief on the cross, he cried
out this, Lord, remember me. Remember me. Call on him while
he is near. I ask you, what happened? What
happened when these men called on the Lord? A man in need, crying
out for help, a man in need, calling on the Lord Jesus Christ
to save him. Blind Bartimaeus, he called on
him, didn't he? Again, he said, Jesus, thou son
of David, have mercy on me. And the Lord asked him, he said,
what would you have me to do? Bartimaeus, what would you have
me to do? What was his cry? That I might
receive my sight. Oh Lord, let me, let me see. And the Lord said to him, go
thy way. Thy faith hath made thee whole.
And immediately, immediately, he received his sight. Peter called on the Lord, Lord,
save me. As he was sinking in the water,
save me. And immediately, immediately,
the Lord reached forth his hand and he caught him. And he said
to him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? We
doubt, no, but is there ever a reason to truly doubt? The
thief on the cross. That thief, just a little bit
earlier, he had, just like the rest of that crowd there, he
had rebuked the Lord. He had said some really bad things. But something happened. The Lord opened his eyes and
at some point he looked at that other thief and he said, he said,
what's wrong with you? Don't you fear God? Don't you
fear God seeing that we're in the same condemnation? We're
going to die. And we, indeed, justly, we're
getting what we deserve here. We're receiving what we've earned. We're wicked. We're sinners. But this man, the Lord Jesus
Christ, he hath done nothing amiss. And he said, he said this,
he cried out unto Jesus. And he didn't just call him Jesus,
did he? He said, Lord, Master. Two words, remember me. called on the name of the Lord. And the Lord spoke to that thief,
and he said, verily I say unto thee, today, today thou shalt
be with me in paradise. Men get caught up about streets
of gold and crystal seas and all those things. And what truly,
what a glorious sight it will be. But this is why it's glorious. It's to be in the presence of
the Lord. It's to be with him. Today, shalt
thou be with me in paradise. There are those who will not
bow. There are those who will not
call on his name. They'll just refuse to. And our
Lord spoke of those folks. Turn to John chapter 5. John chapter 5. Look at verse
39. John 5.39, search the scriptures. For in them you think you have
eternal life, and they are they. These scriptures testify of me. They are they which testify of
me. And yet, you will not come to me. Huh? You will not come
to me that you might have life. Unwilling. Unwilling by nature
to confess I'm a sinner. Unwilling by nature to confess
my inability. Unwilling, unwilling to seek
the mercy of Almighty God. Unwilling to take our place as
a sinner and fall at his feet. and cast ourselves on Him. I ask you, has He revealed your
need of Him? Call on Him. Call on Him while
He is near. Call ye upon Him. Cry out for
help. Well, back to Isaiah 55, look
at verse 7 again. Here's my third point. Let the
wicked, let the wicked forsake his way
and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let the wicked forsake his way.
Leave it, leave it behind. Shall we continue in sin that
grace may abound? What was the answer? God forbid.
God forbid. Leave it behind. How shall we
that are dead to sin live any longer therein? Turn from it. Turn from the way of sin. Turn
from my own way. The way of my own choosing. But
truly nothing can turn me. but His grace. Nothing can turn
me but His mercy." Remember Zacchaeus after the Lord was pleased to
show mercy to him? What do we read about him? He said this, he said, Behold
Lord, half my goods I give to the poor. And if I've taken anything
from any man wrongfully, if I've taken it by false accusation,
I'll restore it to him fourfold. He was a changed man, wasn't
he? Turned from darkness to light. Turned from the power of Satan
unto Almighty God. Turned from my thoughts of salvation. Turned from my ways. Listen,
not by works of righteousness which we have done, But according
to his mercy, he saved us. How? By the washing of regeneration
and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. Let the wicked forsake
his way. Paul Wright wrote this to the
Corinthians. He said, if any man is in Christ, he's a new
creature. He's a new creature. Old things
are passed away. Behold, all things are become
new. Do you still have Isaiah 55?
Look again, verse seven. What's a wicked man to do? What
is a sinner to do? Here's the fourth point. Let
him return unto the Lord. Let him return unto the Lord.
You know man in the beginning. in creation. When man was created,
he was created upright. Man was created in the very image
of Almighty God. But he fell. He fell. He departed from God. And when he fell, we all fell. We fell in him. We fell with
him. Every man is tempted when he's
drawn away by his own lust and enticed. And when lust is conceived,
it bringeth forth sin. And sin, when it's finished,
bringeth forth death. Death. We have departed from
Him. We've departed from God. We have gone astray. We've turned
every man to what? His own way. But listen to these words, let
him return to the Lord. Let him return to the Lord. Spurgeon
once said this, I thought this was applied here. He said, I
do not come into this pulpit hoping that perhaps somebody
by their own free will will return to Christ. My hope lies in another
quarter. My hope lies in this, that my
master might lay hold of someone and say to them, you're mine. You're mine. I claim you for
myself. My hope arises from the freeness
of his grace. The freeness of the grace of
God and not from the freedom of man's will. Our Lord said
this, he said, no man cometh to the father but by me. In another place, our Lord said
this, no man can come to me. No man can come to me except
the father which has sent me draw him. Return, return to the Lord. Peter wrote, for ye were as sheep
going astray, but now are you returned to the shepherd and
bishop of your souls. I must be redeemed. I must be bought back. I must
be returned to the shepherd and bishop of my soul. Return, return, return to the
Lord. Return to the Lord from whom
we have departed. Return to the Lord of whom I
have sinned against." David said that. He said, against thee and
thee only have I sinned and done this evil, this wickedness in
thy sight. Return to him that can save me. The leper said this. He said,
Lord, if you will, you can make me whole. Do you still have Isaiah
55? Seven. Let him return to the
Lord and the Lord, here's the fifth point, he will have mercy
upon him and to our God. There's nothing, there is nothing
in ourselves to commend ourselves to the Lord. It's written, it's
by his mercy. His mercy, that He would receive
us. In Micah 7 verse 18 says this,
that He delights. Think about that. The Lord delights
to show mercy. Why wouldn't we cry out for it?
Jesus thou Son of David have mercy on me. It's by His mercy. That is a message for the wicked. That is a message for a sinner. To seek the Lord. Isn't that
good instruction? Seek the Lord. Call upon Him. Call upon Him while He's near.
Let the wicked forsake His way. Return. Return to the Lord. He'll have mercy. And then six,
last point here. He will abundantly abundantly. He will increase greatly. He will do exceedingly. What? Pardon, forgive, spare. Where sin abounded, grace did
much more. It abundantly abounded. God in Christ is gracious and
merciful, and he will abundantly pardon. Pardon me from original
sin all the way back there in Adam when he fell. Pardon me
from actual sin, that which courses through my being, through future
sin. He will abundantly pardon. I ask you, is that good news?
It's good news for a sinner, isn't it? I told you the title
when we began the message, a message for the wicked. And I ask you
this, what do you hear when you think, what do you think when
you hear that title? Would you say, ah, that's not
for me? Would you say, that's for somebody else? Or would you
say, that's for me? I am a sinner. I need Him. I must have Him. I'll go to Him. I'll go to Him. Are you in need of Him? Again,
is it a message for you? Listen to this command. Look
back at verse 1 of Isaiah 55. Verse 1. that thirsteth." What? Do what? Come ye. Come ye to
the waters. He that hath no money, I'm in
no condition to come to him. Good. He that hath no money,
come ye. Buy, eat ye. Come, buy wine and
milk without money and without price. What's a sinner to do? Come to him. Come to him. hold everyone that thirsteth
come to the waters. I know I've probably told you
all this story before, but I think it's very applicable. Years ago,
Adam and Carrie used to have a little thing there at their
house. They had pancake breakfast. Okay? Every so often, about once a
month, everybody would go down to Adam Carey's house and we
would eat pancakes and bacon and eggs and orange, I mean,
just the works. And on one of those Saturdays,
Adam had a fella named Chris there to put a roof on his garage. He was putting some shingles
on the garage. And Adam asked him several times. He said, Chris,
won't you come in and eat breakfast with us? And Chris's answer was
this, that's not for me. That's just for your family,
Adam. And Adam's pretty persistent. And he asked him again and again,
Chris, won't you come in? Won't you join us for breakfast?
And each time, each time his reply was, Thank you, but again,
that's for your family. And finally, Dale went out. And
he asked him again. He said, Chris, won't you come
in and eat breakfast with us? And Chris said, Dale, that's
for your family. That's not for me. And Dale looked
at him. I hope I always remember this.
He said, Chris, that's not the question. The question is, are
you hungry? The question is, do you like
pancakes? Chris took off his tool belt
and he come in and we all sat down and we ate breakfast together. Men get caught up in a lot of
questions. We're good about that, aren't we? Especially when it comes to salvation.
Did he die for me? Am I one of his elect? Here's the question. Are you
a sinner? Are you in need? Do you believe
him? Do you need him? I need him. I must have him. Are you thirsty? Then come. Come to Him. Blessed, blessed are they that
hunger and thirst after righteousness. Why is that? Because they shall
be filled. A message for the wicked, a message
for a sinner. Seek ye the Lord while he may
be found. Call ye upon him while he is
near. Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord." What will happen? Scripture says
he'll have mercy. He'll have mercy upon him and
to our God. for he will abundantly pardon. All right, I pray God will bless
his word.