Now, I believe that I value every word in the Bible. I cherish the writings of Moses. Christ said he wrote of me. I cherish the writings of the
psalmist and all the prophets and the apostles, because this
is the Word of God, verbally inspired, Word of God. Let me show you two Scriptures,
one in 2 Timothy chapter 3. 2 Timothy chapter 3, which declares
that in verse 16, that all Scripture, all Scripture is given by inspiration
of God. That word is God-breathed. All
Scripture is God-breathed. And it's profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God might be perfect, mature, truly, truly
furnished unto all good works. All Scripture is God-breathed.
Now, 1 Peter, here's another Scripture. 1 Peter. 2 Peter,
chapter 1. 2 Peter, chapter 1. Verse 20, the Apostle Peter says
in 2 Peter 2, 2 Peter 1 verse 20, knowing this, first, that
no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation.
It all stands together. For the prophecy, the Scripture,
came not in old time by the will of man, But holy men of God spake
as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." Write the word. God,
in sundry times and different manners, spake to our fathers
by these prophets. And these prophets wrote the
scriptures and the apostles as God breathed into them the words
and the message. But my text today, Isaiah 55,
that's where we are this morning, Isaiah 55, my text is not God
speaking by the mouth of a prophet or the pen of a prophet. It's
God speaking Himself. Isaiah 55, all of these words
and verses, is the Lord, saith the Lord, saith the Lord." This
is God speaking. Spurgeon called this, this chapter,
Spurgeon called it God's own gospel call. God calls. God's own gospel call. He said
this about this chapter that I'm looking at today. Charles
Spurgeon said, we need to really forget about the prophet Isaiah. And think only of Jehovah who
speaks. This is Jehovah speaking. What
does God say? This is what God says. Really,
it's not essential that I preach at all, but just read these words
from the mouth of our God. But there are some things about
these words that need to be said. help us to understand what the
Lord is saying here. Now, verse 1, let's go verse
by verse through, try to get through seven verses. He says,
hope, hope, attention, everyone that thirsteth, come to the waters. Now, if you'll read the Scriptures
carefully, you'll find this is always true. Every call, every
call of God has a condition. Every call, every promise has
a condition. Let me illustrate. For example,
our Lord said in Matthew 11, come to me, all ye that labor
and are heavy laden, come to me, I'll give you rest. Rest
is for the laboring. Rest is for the weary. So if
you're weary, heavy laden, come to me. I'll give you rest." Listen,
in John 7, verse 37, he said this. Don't turn to it. On the
last day of the Feast, the people had been to Jerusalem to the
special Feast of the Tabernacles, or Feast of the First Fruit,
some great religious feast. They'd come from everywhere,
everywhere, for this feast of three days. They'd listen to
the Pharisees. Offered the sacrifices, had done
all these things. Now they were packing up, going
home. And on the last day, when the fire was being put out on
the altar, it was all over, the people were going home with nothing. Nothing. Our Lord stood on that
last day, and He cried with a loud voice, a loud voice, and He said,
If any man thirsts, Let him come to me, and out of his belly shall
flow rivers of living water. This he spake of the Spirit,
which they that believe on him should receive." The Spirit? Living water? To whom? If you're
thirsty. If you're really thirsty, come.
"...and out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water."
Listen to this. If we confess our sins, He's
faithful and just to forgive us. Forgiveness is for the confessor. He that covereth his sins shall
not prosper, but whoso confesseth his sins and forsaketh them shall
find mercy. There's a condition. Our Lord
said, I didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
The well do not need the physician, but they that are sick. Here's
an oft-quoted scripture. You hear people say, well, the
Bible says, whosoever will may come. Really, the Bible doesn't
say that. No, really it doesn't. Let's
see what it does say. In Revelation 22, 17, it says,
And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. This Holy Spirit and
the Bride, the Church, they say, Come. And let them that heareth
say, Come. Listen. And let him that is a
thirst come. There's the end. It's always
a condition. And whosoever will, let him take
the water of life. See, this is an invitation extended,
a command. The Spirit and the bride say,
come, come to Christ. Let him that hear it say, come
to Christ. And whosoever is a thirst, let him take the water of life.
It's a condition. Are you thirsty? Am I thirsty? Thirsty to be found in Him? Paul
was. He said, Oh, that I may win Christ
and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness. Are you
and I thirsty for knowledge, knowledge of the mysteries of
God? Paul was. He said, Oh, that I may know
Him and the power of His resurrection. Are you thirsty for life everlasting?
Paul was. He said, if by any means I might
attain to the resurrection of the dead. And that's what this verse is
saying here. Oh! Hey! Let me interrupt you a minute. Everyone that's thirsty, everyone that's thirsty, come
to the water. There's water for the thirsty.
Well, someone says, I'm not thirsty, then you're not addressed. The people who are dressed here
are those that are thirsty. He's able to save to the uttermost
them that come to God by him. Now watch this next line. And
he that hath no money, again there's a condition. Nothing
to offer. No money. Come! Come ye, ye who
are thirsty and you who have nothing to bring. No money. Come, buy and eat. They come by my wine and milk
without money and without price. This means the grace of God,
the mercy of God is free. One old Puritan said, the banquet
of mercy is served up by one host, the Lord. He prepared the
meal, he prepared the place, and he served the table. I read
an old writer years ago, pastor in London. Over there in England, Australia,
they have tea. Now, if I come to your house
and you serve tea, you usually just serve a cup of tea or a
cup of coffee. But they eat tea. In other words,
you don't ever serve tea without cookies and cake and sandwiches. And tea is really the meal. The
evening meal is tea. That's the evening meal. You
go to a house, they don't eat supper, they have tea. They serve
tea. And this widow lady in the church invited the pastor, this
old writer I'm reading, invited him to come to her house for
tea. Come and have tea with me. Well, he said this. He said,
I knew she was very poor. Very, very poor. She had nothing.
So I just went in the kitchen and gathered together some cakes
and cookies and thought I'd take them along. And he said, I came
in the house with my little sack with cookies and cakes and goodies. And he said she greeted me and
put my hat up and I sat down and I held out my little bag
and I said, I brought some goodies for tea. She opened him up and
looked at him, closed him up and dropped him back in his lap.
She said, I didn't invite you to bring tea, I invited you to
have tea. And that's what our Lord is in
here. He said, you come, you come,
but don't you bring anything. Listen, oh, if you're thirsty,
come to the waters. They're flowing free, come to
the banquet, come to the table, even have no money. Come and
buy and eat, yea, come buy wine and milk, and don't bring anything,
no works, no deeds, no promises, no resolutions, no vows, nothing. Augustus' top lady said it well,
in my hands no price I bring, simply to the cross of Christ.
I claim. Isaac Watts says, let not conscience
make you linger, nor a fitness fondly dream. All the fitness
he requires is what? To feel your need in him. You
know what you need to come to God for mercy? You need a need. That's all. You need a need. That's all. Come without money,
without price. Come. It's free. And then the question is asked
in verse 2. Why do you spend money for that
which is not bread? Why do you spend your labor for
that which doesn't satisfy? Now listen carefully to me. Why
do you spend your money, and I think of all the folks that
are supporting these religious organizations and television
preachers and causes. They spend their money, lots
of it, their time, their strength, their reading, their efforts
on that which is not bread, that which does not satisfy. That
which does not satisfy hunger does not satisfy the heart, it
does not satisfy the soul, it does not satisfy the need. Why
do you spend all of this effort and money and time and reading
on that which does not bring peace or joy or rest or assurance
or comfort or hope? It just keeps you stirred up,
keeps you bringing more, bringing more, bringing more, doing more,
striving to do more. Turn to Isaiah 45. Listen to
this. Same thing as asked here. You see, false religion is not
bread, it's chaff, which the wind driveth away. Isaiah 45. False religion doesn't give peace.
I know, I was in it. Some of you were too. It doesn't
give you peace, comfort, or rest. False religion just makes you
thirst more and more and more. It's like Christ said, He that
drinketh of this well shall thirst again, but whosoever drinketh
of the water that I shall give him will never thirst, because
the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of living
water. False religion has you coming
to something. True religion and true faith
gives you that something within. False religion has you paying
and serving and working and striving and coming to them. They have
to give it. True salvation, Christ said,
it shall be in him a well of water springing up into life
eternal. And you don't have to come to
a place. The person's with you, wherever you are, in every place.
Listen to Isaiah 45, verse 20. Now, assemble yourselves and
come. Get together. Draw near. Everybody
listen to me. You that are escaped of the nations,
they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image,
and they pray to a God that cannot save. That's a description of our whole
world, praying to a God that cannot hear, praying to a God
that cannot say, praying to a God that has no power. He can't deliver. He can't do anything without our
permission or without our helping him do it. And here in our text,
he said, why are you doing this? Much ado about nothing. All this
fervor and spending your money and your time for that which
is not bread, it doesn't satisfy. And you labor for that which
never satisfies. Hearken, now watch this, hearken
diligently unto me. Do like the prodigal son who
was sitting on the railing of the pig pen, eating the husk
that the swine had left. He came to himself. He said,
why am I doing this? Why am I doing this? There's
enough in my father's house. The servants in my father's house
have plenty to eat. Why am I here? I'm going to rise
and go to my father. I'm going to leave the pigpen
and leave the husk and leave the swine and leave the bread
that never satisfies. I'm going to my father. I'm going
to say to my father, I know I'm not worthy to be called a son.
I've sinned against you and against heaven. Just make me a servant."
The Lord, the Father, wrapped his arm around him, kissed him,
and says, kill the fatted calf. Hearken unto me, come to me,
listen. Hearken and eat that which is good. Feed upon Christ the bread of
life, the water of life. Let your soul delight itself
in fullness, not in husk, in fullness. Why do you do it? Why do you do it? Why do you
waste your time and effort for that which does not satisfy?
Pray to a God that cannot save. Hearken unto me. Eat that which
is good. Feed on the word of life. Delight yourself in fullness.
Listen, in Christ dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. You are complete in Him. Feed
on Him. Salvation is not a ritual. Salvation
is not a play. Salvation is not a profession.
Salvation is in a relationship with a living person who dwells
within. That's right. Now verse 3, here
are two clear precepts and two clear promises. Now listen, two
clear precepts and two promises. Now we're talking to the thirsty
and the hungry, to the needy. Here are two clear precepts.
Number one, incline your ear. Lean over. Incline your ear. This is not inclining your ear. This is inclining your ear. That's
what it says. Lean over now. Listen. Hear me. That's the first preset. Incline your ear. Second is this. And come to me. Incline your ear. Is that asking
too much of me? I'm the thirsty. He's got the
water. I'm the hungry. He has the bread.
I'm the weary, he has the rest. I'm the lost and the sinner. He's the father, the forgiver.
So he says, listen to me, listen to me and come to me. I hear the promises. And he says, lean over now and
listen and come to me and your soul shall live. and your soul
shall live. And I'll make with you an everlasting
covenant, like I made with Noah, like I made with Abraham, like
I made with Jacob, the covenant I made with David. You listen
and you come, and I'll make with you an everlasting covenant,
even the sure mercies of David." Do you know, now, this David
here is the son of David, the sure mercies of the son of David. It's the mercies that King David
enjoyed, and by which he was refreshed, and by which he lived. But these mercies are the sure
mercies of the son of David. That's who we're talking about.
Do you know the last words that David spoke on this earth? A
man's last words are generally revered. They're usually held in great
esteem. In fact, actually, if I were
to die this afternoon, this is the last message I have preached
here, it would be circulated to all my friends everywhere,
they'd want to hear the last message that I brought, wouldn't
they? You cherish last words. You know
the last words of David. I think last words are admissible
in court. Used to be anyway. I read that
somewhere. The last words of a man were admissible in court. Because they figured when a man's
dying, he's going to tell the truth. David's last words. Scripture says, these are the
last words of David. He said, although it be not so
with my house, God hath made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things and sure, and this is all my desire and
all my salvation. And that's what he's saying here
to you. Lean over and listen to him. And you come to me and
I'll make with you an everlasting covenant. I'll make with you
same covenant I made with David, I'll make with you. If you listen
to me and come to me. Even the sure mercies of David. Now, let's review just a moment. He says, are you thirsty? Come. Don't bring anything, it's free.
Why do you waste your time, your money, and efforts on that which
is never satisfying? Never, never comfort or give
rest. Lean over and listen to me now.
Hear me. Hear me with your heart, hear
with attention, hear with expectancy, hear with intent, and then come
to me. Not physically, this is not a
physical coming. Brother Man, why don't you, like
many preachers at the end of the service, stand down there
and invite people to come to you? I don't want you to come
to me. I can't help you. I don't want you to come to the
front. There's nothing down here. I
want you to come to Him. And that's not a physical coming.
That's not a physical move. That's not moving your hands
or your feet or your head or anything. It's a move of the
heart. people over in numbers that were
bitten by the fire serpents and were dying, God told them, look. What kind of look? Look from
the heart. A blind man can look. But he can't see. He didn't say,
see. He said, look. He didn't say, understand. He
said, look. Come to me." It's not a physical
coming. It's not coming to a place. It's
not coming to a profession. It's not coming to one of his
servants. It's coming to him. And he said, if you do, you'll
live. Your soul will live. Your body
will lie in the grave someday, but your soul will live. If this
tabernacle be folded up and laid aside, I have a building, a house
not made with hands, eternal in the heaven. And I'll make with you a covenant.
That's a contract. That's an agreement. And God's
agreements and contracts are never broken. Men break theirs,
but not God. That's a will and a testament.
A covenant is a testament. And a testament is enforced after
a man dies. If I will what I have to one
of my sons or my daughters, my daughter or my sons, if I will
it, I've got to die. And when I die, it's theirs.
Well, Christ made a covenant. He willed us life, and He died,
and it's ours. And He lives to see that it's
carried out. I'll make a covenant, the sure
mercies of David. I'll show you what they are.
Turn to Acts 13. Here are those sure mercies. Now, let's look over here a minute. And we're not talking about King
David, we're talking about the King of Kings, son of David.
Acts 13, 34. Now listen. And as concerning that he raised
him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption,
he said on this wise, I'll give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith also in another
psalm, thou shalt not suffer thy holy one to seek corruption.
For David, after he had served his own generation by the will
of God, fell on sleep, and he was laid unto his fathers. He
saw corruption." Oh, we're not talking about that David, are
we? He saw corruption. He was buried. We're talking
about the sure mercies of the son of David, read on. But he
whom God raised again saw no corruption, so be it known unto
you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man, this David,
is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that
believe are justified from all things from which you could not
be justified by the law of Moses." Those are the sure mercies of
David. His blood, his righteousness,
his obedience, his death give us justification, sanctification,
redemption, and they're sure. There's sure mercies. There's
a verse over here in Romans that's going to take me a minute to
find it, but over here in Romans, chapter 4, I want you to turn
over there a minute, verse 16. Sure mercies. Sure mercies. Now, this thing of salvation
is by faith, by faith, by the grace of God through Christ.
And there's a reason why it's by faith and through grace, by
grace through faith. Listen. Therefore it is of faith,
Romans 4, 16, that it might be by grace to the end, to the results,
to the goal, that the promise might be sure to all to see. Sure mercies, sure promise. Not to that only which is of
the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who
is the father of us all." I'll tell you why salvation has to
be by grace, that it might be sure. If it were by works, you'd never
be sure. Have I done enough works? Have
I given enough? Have I labored enough? Have I
witnessed enough? Have I believed enough? No, it's
by grace that it might be sure. I'll give you. Now, let me give
you this and I'll close. Verse 4, Behold, I have given
him, who is this him? Son of David, the sure mercies
of Christ. I've given Christ for a witness
to the people. God who spoke to our fathers
with the prophets as in these last days spoken to us by his
Son. He's the witness. I've given him a leader. He leads
me beside still waters. He leads me in paths of righteousness.
He restores my soul. He's my leader. He's my priest. He's my advocate. He's my mediator.
He's my leader. God gave Him to me as my witness,
prophet, as my leader, my priest. He leads me to God. He restores
my soul. And He gives Him as a commander.
a king to reign over us. King of kings, Lord of lords.
All right, verse 5. Behold, and he's going to call
a nation that thou knowest not. That's talking about other than
Israel. He's going to call Gentiles, nations that knew not thee. You
know, back in the Old Testament, you have Israel, but that's a
type of spiritual Israel, a church. Every believer is an Israelite
now. And the Israelites had nothing to do with the Gentiles. But
all the way through the Old Testament, our Lord has promised a people
out of every nation. Behold, this is the Old Testament
here saying, Behold, thou shalt call a nation thou knowest not.
In other words, it appears you have no other nation but Israel.
And it knew not thee. And watch this, and they'll run
to you. They'll come willingly. They'll run to you. Thy people
shall be willing in the day of thy power. They'll run to you
because of the Lord thy God. Because God will move their hearts
to come. God will send the gospel to them. Israel is blinded, in part, till
the time of the Gentiles is complete. But they'll run, oh, these every
tribe, kindred, nation, tongue unto heaven. They'll run to Christ
because of the Lord thy God. And for the Holy One of Israel,
for He had glorified thee. Now watch this. Seek ye the Lord. It's talking
to me now. Henry Mahan, you seek the Lord. Seek ye the Lord is you seek
the Lord. You. What is it to seek the Lord? Would you give me a minute? What
is it to seek the Lord? You know, if a man really wants
something, he'll seek it. If he really wants it, he'll
put his mind to it, put his effort by it. If he really wants something,
he'll seek it. Well, to seek the Lord is three
or four things. Listen. First, it's to discover
that by nature I don't have the Lord. A man doesn't seek what
he already has. He seeks what he knows he doesn't
have. See that? First, I discover that I don't
know Him. I don't have Him. My sins have
separated me and God. So I want to know the Lord. Secondly,
it's really to desire a living union. I really want Him. It's
not a fad. It's not a fancy. I really do. I'm serious. I want to know God. Thirdly, it's a willingness to
know Him and come to Him on His terms. Now, that's so important. On His terms. Isn't that right?
His terms are faith, Christ, redemption, the blood. That's
right. It's on His terms. I'm willing
to come on His terms. That's to seek the Lord. It's a willingness to part with
whatever hinders my coming to Him, or comes between me and
Him. You see, is that clear? That's
what it is to seek the Lord. It's very simple. You seek the
Lord like seeking anything. Do I need it? I don't have it. I don't seek it if I already
have it, but I don't have it, so I seek it. Secondly, It's
to desire it, really and truly, I want to know Him. Thirdly,
it's to come to Him on His terms. I don't dictate the terms, He
does. It's in His Word. Fourthly, it's
to be willing to part with anything that stands between me and Him. Now watch, this is important,
verse 7. And He says, "...seek Him while
He may be found, call on Him while He is near." Let the wicked
forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts." Now, I know
people, a lot of people who read this and preach from it, they
say, that's talking about forsaking the way of the world. Well, it's
the way of the world, alright, but it's the way of false religion.
That's what he's talking about here. It's not our way, it's
Christ's. He's the way. That's what this
is talking about here. Let a man forsake his false religion,
his way, and let him come God's way, who is Christ. That's what
that is. Let a man forsake his way. For
my way is not your way. You know, Moses, when he was
in the tent of Tabernacle, he said, Lord, I've got a threefold
request. The very first request was this, show me your way. Show
me your way, the way of life, the way of redemption, the way
to God. So this first let the wicked, and the wicked is the
man who doesn't know God, the ungodly is to be without God,
so let him forsake his way, and let him forsake his thoughts.
Well, Naaman stood out there before the little house of the
servant of God and said, I thought I thought he'd come out to me
and touch my brow and say some words and I'd be healed. That's
what I thought. Well, your thoughts are not my
thoughts. There's a way that seems... Listen
to this. This is quoted in the Bible several
times. There's a way that seemeth right
to man, and the end is the way of death. So forsake that way. Forsake that way. Well, this
is the tradition. This is the custom. Forsake that
way. Seek His way. Let a man forsake
his way and his thoughts and let him return to the Lord. That's
what that's saying. Verse 8 said, And God said in
verse 7, I'll abundantly pardon you. Abundantly pardon you. For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, and my ways are not your ways. The gospel to a lot
of people is foolishness. But to them who are called, it's
the power of God. Incline your ear, come to me.
Hear, and your soul shall live. And I'll make with you a covenant,
even the sure mercies of David. Seek the Lord while he may be
found. Call on him. Call on him. call on all right
that's the singer closing he'll not think it's number one hundred