God Invites

God Invites Us Isaiah 55:1-9

1. God welcomes, God Invites, God Includes all Humanity Unfaithful, Uncleanliness, Underserving

• Jesus said, “Come t me all who labor and are heavy laden, I give rest”

• Jesus says, “If you come to me I will never cast you out”

• Jesus says if you’re seeking searching, looking for something Jesus tells us He is the Bread of Life, If you come to me you shall not hunger and if you will believe in me you never thirst”

2. God offers and the King does the following: plenteous water and food and the dawning of new day. What would be our response to this great bounty?

• Our lord and king says :, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters!”

• In those days, a recently crowned king would celebrate his ascension to the throne by announcing that his royal subjects were released from all debts. They were given a fresh start. This was only the beginning.

• To celebrate the New king’s rule, he often called for a banquet. In villages, food was abundant and wine flowed freely. It was all designed to signal the dawning of a new day under the reign of a new king

• Here are some responses to the feast We might Joyfully Accept because of the good food

• Regretfully Declines Not Sure

3. Those who accept the invitation Joyfully the following is what we get.

• We get Free food! “You that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (v. 2). Free

• We get Free drinks Wine … without money and without price” (v. 2). Again, what’s not to like about this party?

• We get no entry fee To get into this party, all you need to do is show up at the door

• We get the gigantic welcome Come!” This word is used four times in the first three verses of the text. No one is turned away

4. Unfortunately there are those who will Regretfully Decline the invitation for some reason.

• Right now it is not convenient. It’s not the right time for me to be open about my faith;

• It’s difficult to offer forgiveness; it’s a challenge to do a fresh start

• It’s a real struggle to confess that I am unworthy; or get too religious?

• Some folks decline because you’re too busy right now to get serious about faith

• Everyone wants a piece of you, and there’s not enough “you” to go around. Everybody wants “your me time”

5. Then are those who are not sure about the invite

• Some of us like the idea — a lot. But we’re not sure.

• We’re saying to God, “Let me think about it for a while.” Much depends on circumstances.

• I am in the middle of things right now. I really thinking about it. I am not sure whether to say I am all in, or all out. I’m just not sure. “Got between 2 opinions”

6. Finally, God offers to the hearer, Food and wine without cost, then we have choices except, decline, or were not sure yet. Were welcome, Were Invited Were Loved

• Today’s text advises us to “seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near” (v. 6), to “return to the LORD … and to our God” (v. 7).

• If we accept, God will “have mercy” on us and will “abundantly pardon” God invites, welcomes

• Come, all you who are thirsty, Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,

and you will delight I will make an everlasting covenant with you, 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

• God knows what’s best for us! Amen