The Great Invitation
Isaiah 1.18
(Isa 1:18) Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
In this first chapter of Isaiah, the prophet reveals God’s case against Judah and condemns the falsity of merely outward religion.
Our text this morning is the first verse of what is the beginning of the entreaty and warning concerning repentance and God’s judgment.
All of us have gotten invitations before. An invitation is divided up into many sections. What? When? Where? How you get there? Some even say what to bring.
The first division of any invitation is the invite itself. “You are invited”. Look at what God says, “COME”.
Now God has always been beckoning man to come to him. 1—Noah preached for 120 years while he built the ark, calling fallen man to come to God.
2—John the Baptist was used by God calling fallen man to come to repentance.
3—Jesus Christ invited man to come unto me.
Today, God is still inviting man to come to him. Come to the Lord. If you want to live eternally with Jesus Christ in heaven, then you need to respond to his invitation to COME to Him!
Do so today for there is no promise of tomorrow.
The second division of this great invitation is a specification of time. NOW.
God wants men to come now! Why is that? He wants you to answer the invitation right now. Make a decision NOW.
Proverbs 27.1 tells us that we have no promise of tomorrow—ELABORATE.
Secondly, You need to come to God now because life is uncertain. COMA—ELABORATE>
Thirdly, a person’s heart gets harder as they get older. Statistics show that it is much easier to reach a person before they are in their 20’s than it is to reach them as they get older.
(Psa 95:7) For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,
(Psa 95:8) Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
If you don’t know Christ as your savior, you need to COME and you need to do it NOW.
The third division of this great invitation is we see a conversation. “LET US REASON TOGETHER”
What is it that God wants to reason with you about?
First, He wants to reason about your lost condition. He wants to share with you just what your life looks like to him.
He wants to reason about coming judgment.
He wants to reason about his great love-John 3.16
He wants to reason about his great salvation--(Heb 2:3) How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
There is no escaping hell unless you know Christ as your Lord and Savior.
He wants to reason with you about your acceptance of Christ. He wants you to know just what it is he is giving you when you accept Christ as Savior.
John 1:12 KJV But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
The next division of this great invitation is a declaration, “SAITH THE LORD”.
He has the authority to speak. He has the authority to issue the invitation. He is the creator, if you accept his invitation He will be your redeemer and your sustainer.
The division of this invitation is a realization: “THOUGH YOUR SINS BE AS SCARLET”; “THOUGH THEY BE RED LIKE CRIMSON”
When you accept an invitation to go somewhere, you have to realize where you are going and if you are able to go there.
This invitation is no different. In order to accept God’s invitation, you must realize the place you are in and the place you are headed to.
Sin will deceive you: (Heb 3:13b “lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”)
Sin will blind you (1Jn 2:11 KJV But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.)
Sin will hinder you: (Heb 12:1 KJV Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,)
Sin will rob you: (Heb 3:18-19 KJV And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? (19) So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.)
Sin will damn your soul: (John 3:18 KJV He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.)
We now come to the purification: “THEY SHALL BE AS WHITE AS SNOW”
You will never be pure enough to enter into heaven on your own. You can’t be good enough on your own to get into heaven.
You must have the saving blood of Jesus Christ applied to your heart and soul to enter into heaven.
There is no other person who can provide this purification outside of Jesus. There is but one path that leads to heaven, and all other roads lead to hell.
You are not purified by reformation, (changing your ways), salvation is not through some 12 step program.
You are not purified by the law—the law merely points out your sins. Keeping the law won’t get you into heaven.
You are not purified by your works. Good works will not get you into heaven. You can never in 1,000 lifetimes do enough good to get you into heaven.
You can only be purified by the sinless blood of Jesus Christ.
The last division of this invitation is a transformation: “THEY SHALL BE AS WOOL”
I see three transformations of man in the Bible.
First, at the fall of man, he was transformed into a wicked sinner
Rom 5:12 KJV Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Second, by grace, we are transformed into a child of God—Our sins shall be made as wool.
John 1:12 KJV But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Ultimately, we are transformed into the likeness of Christ.
Php 3:21 KJV Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
God has extended this great invitation to all the world. Have you accepted God’s invitation?
IF you haven’t don’t delay, for today is the day of salvation and now is the accepted time.
Let us pray.
