A Word On The Word: It Gets The Job Done

A WORD ON THE WORD: IT GETS THE JOB DONE

ISAIAH 55: 1-13

SEPTEMBER 19, 2004

INTRODUCTION: “Olympic Gold is modest reward for some” by Kathleen Nelson of the St. Louis Post – Dispatch Posted Sat. Sept. 18, 2004.

TRANSITION THOUGHT: This interesting article speaks to two real issues. The primary thought is that the US rowing team got it done! The other issue is that of obscurity in the midst of great accomplishment. You may not have every heard of the name Dan Beery anyway. The real point of it all is even if you don’t know the name, regardless if you ever heard the press or watched the news and or Olympics in Athens, Dan Beery and US Men’s Eight won the Gold medal in rowing for the first time in 40 years. They got it done. The truth is, you may not know God or His word, but our text for today teaches us one of the greatest truths we need to know. The truth is God and His word are not impotent they are omnipotent!

THESIS SENTENCE: GOD’S WORD ACCOMPLISHES WHAT GOD DESIRES IT TOO!

I. GETTING IT DONE IS THE INVITATION VV. 1-5

A. THE INVITATION IS TO COME V. 1

B. THE INVITATION IS TO THE THIRSTY V. 1

C. THE INVITATION IS TO THE POOR V. 1

D. THE INVITATION IS TO WHAT SUSTAINS V. 2

E. THE INVITATION IS TO WHAT SATISFIES V. 2

F. THE INVITATION IS TO HEAR V. 2 & 3

G. THE INVITATION IS TO LIVE V. 3

H. THE INVITATION IS A GOD THING V. 5

ILLUSTRATION: If you use an alarm clock to wake you up in the morning, you know what a snooze button is. When the alarm goes off, you can hit the snooze button and get nine more minutes of sleep. There are two problems with the snooze button: (1) If we continue to hit the button, we may end up being late for something—after all, we set the stupid alarm for a reason! (2) If we keep on hitting the snooze button, we may get so used to the sound of the alarm that we may not hear it at all. Today, God’s alarm clock is going off. It is set to music—not the buzzer. When we sing this invitation song, this is your cue to make your appointment with God. Don’t hit the snooze button! You may end up being too late…or you may get so used to the invitation song, that you don’t hear God calling you at all. --Illustration adapted from an object lesson written by Charles Kirkpatrick Contributed by: Jason Duncan

TRUTH: OUR GOD IS ALWAYS THE INITIATOR AND INVITES US TO HIMSELF!

QUESTION: DID YOU KNOW YOU ARE INVITED TO GOD’S BLESSING!

II. GETTING IT DONE IS THE RESPONSE VV. 6-7

A. THE RESPONSE IS TO SEEK V. 6

B. THE RESPONSE IS TO CALL V. 6

C. THE RESPONSE IS TO REPENT V. 7

1. TURN FROM WICKEDNESS/ ACTIONS

2. TURN FROM EVIL/ THOUGHTS

D. THE RESPONSE IS TO THE LORD V. 7

E. THE RESPONSE IS TO MERCY V. 7

F. THE RESPONSE IS TO PARDON V. 7

ILLUSTRATION: WHY WORSHIP?

We need to let go of our intellectual idea of worship and realize there is more to worship than a sermon; we have to let go of our evangelistic notion of worship and reckon with the fact that worship is not primarily directed toward the sinners who need to be converted; we must let go of our entertainment expectations and remind ourselves that we are not in church to watch a Christian variety show. We have gathered together in worship to be met by God the Almighty. God, the Creator of the Universe, the One who sustains our lives, our Redeemer and King, is present through proclamation and remembrance. He wants to communicate to us, to penetrate our inner self, to take up residence within us. And, as we go through the experience of meeting with him in this mystical moment of public worship, we are to respond. But response is not just singing a hymn, not just saying a creed, not just saying a prayer. Response, from the very beginning of worship to the end, must be a powerful inner experience of actually being in the presence of God. When we sing a hymn or say a confession or prayer, we are not singing or saying words, but expressing a feeling, bringing our souls, truly responding and communicating to the living and active presence of a loving and merciful God.

SOURCE: Robert Webber. Worship Is a Verb: Eight Principles for Transforming Worship. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1998. pg 114. Contributed by Darren Ethier

TRUTH: OUR GOD ALWAYS CALLS US TO RESPOND TO HIS INVITATION!