Your joy, my thirst; Your life, my peace.

Easter Message

Come, everyone who thirsts!

(Isaiah 55:1-13, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, April 20, 2014)

[55:1] “Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.The Bible ends with an invitation similar to that which Isaiah gave to the world many centuries before the resurrection of Jesus Christ. See Revelation 22:17. God is not keeping you out of His kingdom. His church has been sending out messengers for many centuries calling people to come to Him. He has free gifts for you—wine that stands for His Son's blood, the milk of the Word for your soul, and fresh springs of water from on high. But none of that will be attractive to people who are not thirsty. Do you long for a life beyond conflict and depression? Do you want to know a love that will never let you go—a true affection that you would never want to run away from?

[2] Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
[3] Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
[4] Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
[5] Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,
and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.You need to feel a hunger in your soul for something better. Otherwise you will spend all that you have on food that perishes and you will still be unsatisfied. But how could Isaiah's hearers in the eighth century before the birth of Christ eat this good food? They could take in the Word of God, believe, and come to the Lord. This is still true today. This is the way for the thirsty to drink and find more life. That life comes through the covenant love of God for a new David. He has risen from the dead as a witness, a leader, and a commander for all the people groups of the earth.

[6] “Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
[7] let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.What should you do if you are here today and you are thirsty for a fuller life? Do what millions before you have done with great success. Seek God. Call upon His Name in worship. Turn away from sin. Turn toward Jesus. In Him you will find full compassion and abundant pardon.

[8] For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
[9] For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

The success of the Lord's gift to you is not based on your coming up with a way that you can have peace with God. This is the Lord's eternal plan. He approves of His own mercy. It is better and higher than anything of your invention. It is still the best even if the world decides it is old.

[10] “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
[11] so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.Right now, you need to receive His Word. Take in His plan. Drink and eat His gift. He is giving this same gift that He offers to you today to many people all over the earth! He will not be stopped. His Word is so powerful and it has met you here right now. He is a Suitor who will not be put off any more. God wants you.

[12] “For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
[13] Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the LORD,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”What does He have in His hand? Eternal life. He has a life with the greatest joy and peace even in the journey. He has a land where everything sings and where the trees of the field clap their hands. He has a country where useless brambles have been replaced with stately and majestic boughs—a place with a Name upon it that will never fade. The dying world only has death.

All history has been speedily moving toward a grand conclusion since the resurrection of Jesus. The Man who accomplished our salvation with His death on the cross has now appeared for us as the first citizen of a new world. Those who trust in Him have become His beloved family. They have a solid hope that will never be taken away from them. Even if they suffer now for a brief time, they know that the coming land of resurrection glory is theirs forever.

Don't be on the wrong side of history. History is moving toward Jesus. Don't miss the way of the future. The life to come is a life of holy service in the King of the Resurrection. Live in the present to your fullest potential. Follow the Man who is presently the King over the entire kingdom of God. His resurrection from the dead is a sign that shall not be cut off.

Put the Word to Work: Do not reject a caricature of Christianity. The true faith that has inspired millions is about a new world that is worthy of your every endeavor.

Your joy, my thirst.

Your life, my peace.