Come Thirsty People

We do not have the time to go through all the verses this morning but please join me as we look at a couple of them. Vs.1 says: “Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”

That is like a call from the food bank asking needy people to come and pickup their groceries. But when something is too good to be true it is really not. I am sure you know it wasn’t a call to get food for physical needs but instead it was a desperate call to get right with the Lord and fill ourselves with spiritual food for the soul. As I read that first verse a couple of times and vs 3, the thing that caught my attention the most was the word “come.” Come to the waters, come buy and eat and come listen to me that you may live. Our God has used the word “come” on a number of occasions and a majority of them if not all was a call to get closer to him. I don’t know if you are feeling it but there is deep compassion and love in the invitation to come. It is the love of a father calling his children. A love that is so deep, it is powerful enough to penetrate the most stubborn heart. A love that is so deep that is willing to forgive, a love so deep that it can save the most wretched soul. God loves you my friends.

“Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters.” As you can see this call is actually not for everyone. It is only for those who thirst. The invitation “come” is also a test of our faith. Those who are locked into the ways of the world may not have that thirst. In psalm 42, the psalmist says “As a deer thirsts for water, so my soul longs for you O God.” Instead of thirsting for worldly things, we must thirst and long for the Lord. If we seek him, we will find him. In John 7:37, Jesus said “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.” Here again, the call is only to the thirsty. I wonder if there is anyone here this morning that has a thirst for God and his righteousness? Our God wants you to befriend him.

The invitation “to come” is for those who have lost hope and need a loving God to take control of their lives. It is for those whose faith is weak and have a desire to get closer to the Lord. And yes, the call is also for those who may have come here this morning hungry and thirsty for living waters. Unfortunately, instead of seeking the Lord many people are very busy pursuing their life goals. In doing so it is quite possible to make it big in life but I am not sure it will get them to heaven because where ones treasure is there will their heart be also. Scripture puts it in perspective when it says “What does it profit a man or woman if they gain the whole world and lose their soul?

Now look at Vs 2. It says “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? There is a warning here especially for those who are wasting away their lives. Most Christians know what the word says but if we are only hearers and not doers of the word then we are only cheating ourselves. No one gets to heaven by luck. It all comes down to where we are in our relationship with God. To those who spend their money for what is not bread and labor for what does not satisfy, the Lord offers a much better way. He offers all the riches in heaven for free and the privilege of becoming an heir to his eternal kingdom.

There is a story in the bible in John ch 6 which is the miracle of the loaves and fish in which Jesus feeds more than 5000 people. The people had not seen anything like that before and free food was no brainer. That made them want to make Jesus their King. Long story short, Jesus got away from them and was later found on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. But some pursued and met him on the other side. To them and all those who are only earthly minded Jesus said “You seek me not because of the miracle but because you had a lot to eat; but do not labor for the food which perishes but for food which endures to everlasting life which the son of man will give you.” A few verses later He went on to say: “I am the bread of life. He or she who comes to me shall never hunger and he or she who believes in me shall never thirst.”