Bristol Road Baptist Church

28th December 2008 AM

Coming and Going (1)

Isaiah 55

We stand at the threshold of the New Year. To guide us we have the

Prophet Isaiah this morning – and Our Lord’s words in Matthew 11 tonight.
Both passages share our theme “Coming and Going”
---

In Chapter 55, Isaiah will show us how the invitation of the “market trader”
applies to our lives today and tomorrow. He will then set out for us a
number of fundamental principles about God’s dealings with us, and then,
finally, he will celebrate our joyful expectation of the future with God.

I can’t get my head around the extremes of economic crisis in our modern
world in which in the States an interest rate of 0% can be mooted – and in
Zimbabwe a rate of inflation of 231,000,000%. What I do see is a world
much larger than that in which Isaiah spoke – but guilty of the same sin –
setting value on what is not real.
A vast interlocking global system where folks are:

“Spending money on that which is not bread

And labouring for that which does not satisfy”

whether by sheer poverty – or by misguided ideas of what is worth living

for.

Beneath the “credit crisis” is a moral crisis – and as we enter 2009 we do

so with trepidation for what lies ahead.

Against a background of financial disaster and moral bankruptcy – Isaiah

sees the Lord setting out His stall in the market place:

“Come, all you who are thirsty,

come to the waters; Coming
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
2
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 of fare.
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He goes on to explain how this is possible – and then comes to his

triumphant applause for the transformation that God will work in our future
with Him:
12
You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace; Going
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
13
Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the LORD’s renown,
for an everlasting sign,
which will not be destroyed.”

Here is our structure:

• Invitation 1-3
• Penitence 6,7
• Honour 8,9
• Certainty 10,11
• Transformation 12,13

And underscoring all of that is the conquering wonder of the Messiah:

Vv 3-5 “an everlasting covenant … my faithful love promised to

David”

So – in prospect of all that lies before us as individuals and as a Church we

begin as the Lord sets out His market stall before us –

Invitation vv1-3

Some folks are very good at spotting a bargain. This is the time of year
for bargains – although I can’t imagine queuing at 2 in the morning to be
first to buy a clutch of handbags in a West End store! In an attempt to
seize profit from the jaws of recession the sales are on again. Spend –
spend – spend! And some go home with things they wouldn’t otherwise
have thought of buying.
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That is not the situation that Isaiah describes. He depicts God as a market
trader setting out wares and inviting purchasers:

“Come, all you who are thirsty,

come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
S
come, buy and eat! ALE
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.

This stall is selling essentials of good quality: “Thirsty? Come buy wine
and milk!”

He rebukes the potential buyers for spending their money on that which
does not satisfy. And that is indeed a very modern condition. The greed
that is at the root cause of the present financial crisis involves trading in
“virtual” goods – certainly

“spending money on that which is not bread…and that which

satisfies not…”

So God sets up His stall and has a SALE too.

But the goods have already been paid for – and so no money is needed!

But this is not a “handout” or a “soup kitchen” – it is a transaction – and

someone else has paid the price!

This is
GRAC
But this is also for THE SOUL
2
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 of fare.
3
Give ear and come to me;
hear me, that your soul may live.

There is a deeper need that God Himself addresses – the need of the SOUL

And the heart of that SOLUTION FOR THE SOUL lies in the covenant of
David
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THE MESSIAH.

The passage now goes on to set out the means of that transaction:

1. Penitence vv 6,7
6
Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
7
Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

In the world of the marketplace a limit is set – buy by that time or lose the
sale.

God also sets a TIME and CONDITION for His gracious work.

The time:
6
Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.

The condition:
7
Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.

And the result:

Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

2. Honour vv 8,9
8
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.
9
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
We have to recognise His greatness
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And see our own smallness

Only man in his arrogance thinks he can approach God as an equal!!

Only man thinks that he can bargain with God – when God’s way is the way
of underserved GRACE

3. Certainty vv 10,11

And thirdly we are presented with a picture of the CERTAINTY OF GOD’S

WAY:
10
As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
In the natural world there is a FORCE at work that cannot be controlled –
there is a certainty about the ways of God that can be seen in the forces of
nature.
It will accomplish what I desire…

I may put up my umbrella to deflect the rain – but it falls still – and waters
the ground – and produces its desired effect.

What can I possibly do that will restrain the Almighty in the ordering of His
grace and providence? Nothing!

So, finally Isaiah turns from COMING to GOING

He declares the TRANSFORMATION that results when we TURN TO GOD in

need, penitence, recognition of His nature, and understand His power:

Transformation vv 12,13
12
You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
 PAGE 6

will burst into song before you,

and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
13
Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the LORD’s renown,
for an everlasting sign,
which will not be destroyed.”

There are TWO PARTS to this delightful prospect of God changing our
future:

PROGRESS
&
TRANSFORMATION

To the accompaniment of a celebrating creation (Romans 8:19-21)

We GO OUT
We are LED FORTH

We Go with God!

And as we do a TRANSFORMATION TAKES PLACE:

13
Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.

The word rendered “thornbush” could easily be “nettle” - that ubiquitous

weed of occupied places

But the process, as we have seen for ourselves recently, is not an

overnight miracle.

Those of you who knew the Church Garden in its former state will realise
that something has happened – but it is only a beginning:

Terry & Chris’ work is just a beginning

No planting for two years!

And consider the plans for our building – they are

just a reflection of that TRANSFORMATION that
God works in the HEART of HIS PEOPLE.
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So, in conclusion we need to look over what Isaiah has said.

He begins with an INVITATION and ends with a TRANSFORMATION

If we want to have a part in the great life-changing work of God’s grace we

must RESPOND to His Invitation

It is COMING and then GOING:

“If we want our future to be

transformed then our present must
respond to God’s invitation.
Those who COME in answer to His call
– GO out with joy and certainty!”

And part of that is recognising what

God is offering – what His conditions
are – and how he expects us to
respond to Him and to His work of
Grace.

God sets out His stall:

“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.
12
You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
13
Instead of the thornbush will grow
the pine tree,
and instead of briers the myrtle will
grow.
This will be for the LORD’s renown,
for an everlasting sign,
which will not be destroyed.”
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