Isa 5:1-7
What more could I do? Have you ever heard those words
Perhaps if you were able to secretly listen in to a couple of doctors discussing a terminal patient or a patient who died on the operating table you might hear one doctor remorsefully asking the question what more could I do?
Or you might even hear these words as family members speak of one of their children whose life is being destroyed by drugs and an immoral lifestyle. They might say I have bailed him out of jail over and over again, I'm taking care of their kids and bought them groceries I paid their light bill I've even paid their rent to make sure they didn't end up on the streets. What more could I do?
Or those words might be spoken by husband or a wife who has tried over and over to save their marriage they might say I have forgiven them over and over, I knew they were cheating on me I knew they were lying to me, but I wanted to make it work so I forgave them.
And with a broken heart you might hear them say what more could I do?
Sometimes when those words are spoken it's because we're genuinely searching out the matter to see if there's anything that remains, is there something still available? is there a resource? is there a treatment that we haven't tried? yet? Is there a doctor is there a rehab? is there a marriage counseling? is there something that I can do that hasn't been done yet?
what more could we do? what more could I do?
And then sometimes those words are spoken almost hypothetically (meaning) you don't really believe that there could possibly be anything else you could do, because you really believe that you've tried everything and it just makes you feel better just to hear yourself ask the question (what more could I do?
Well the truth is in most cases there is a little more that we could do, we could find new treatments, we could find better doctors, we could find a counselor, we could be more faithful to church, we could be more diligent to read God's word, we could pray more than just in emergencies, we could be faithful with our tithes and offerings, we could be more compassionate, we could be more merciful, we could be more understanding,
Hold onto your seats: We could eat better, we could exercise, we could watch a little less TV, and spend more time with the family.
We could pay better attention to posted speed limits.
If you're going to ask the question what more could I do (you'd better be prepared to hear an answer). And it might be something that you don't want to hear because the truth is many times there is more we could do but we have already decided how far we will go.
There's an invisible line that to cross it would cause pain, it would cost us more than we're willing to pay financially physically emotionally and spiritually.
Now back to our text :
The question is asked what more could i do? or what could have been done more?
Now if this would have been a man asking this question or a woman you would immediately begin to think of the possibilities that were not explored, or the opportunities that were not taking advantage of, or the resources that may have been ignored.
But this was not a man or a woman asking this question it was God.
And he asked it because he already knew the answer, he knew he had done all they could be done.
He didn't ask it because he wanted an answer from us to him (he asked it because he wanted us to answer it to ourselves.)
He asked it in the same way that He asked adam (Where are you?) He wanted adam to answer the question to himself.
The question to everyone of us here and every person that ever drew breath on God's green earth is this: What more could God have done?
To save you
To heal you
To deliver you
To set you free
To give you a life of abundant joy and peace.
And the answer must be (NOTHING).
There is nothing more that God could do or could have done.
There is nothing that God overlooked or left out, there is nothing that he left undone, there's nothing he could have added, there's nothing he forgot, there's nothing he left out.
He went as far as he could: He crossed every T and dotted every I.
Remember my frieind: We're not talking about a good man, or a doctor or a lawyer who in their own human ability, always leave something undone, or uncovered or unused (Simply because, we're human)
But we are talking about The Alpha and the Omega, The beginning and the end, The first and the last, He is the author and the finisher of our faith.
He is the Chief Cornerstone, He is the Good Shepherd who gives his life for the Sheep, He is the great high priest, He is the Lamb of God.
He is the lion of the tribe of Judah, He is Emmanuel God With Us, He is our hope He is our peace He is Our Redeemer, Our sanctifier, our baptizer our deliverer our healer, our mediator our door.
The way the truth the life the resurrection. He's the word made flesh, He's the True Vine. He is the king of kings and Lord of lords
And He is my savior and He is my friend.
Friend what more could God do to save you to heal you, to deliver you, to set you free, to give you everlasting life?
What more could He do to keep you and I from going to a devil's hell? What more could he do to make you love him and want to serve Him, He bankrupted heaven for you when he sent his only son to die on the cross for your sins,
and then he sent the Blessed Holy Spirit to live in us. To teach us, to guide us to comfort us, and to empower us.
What more could God do?
What is it that He didn't do to show you how much you loves you? What line is there in your mind that he didn't cross or that he failed to cross that leaves you feeling Justified to be rebellious?
Justified to lie to him and lie to yourself?
Justified to Rob him your love and your devotion? Justified to criticize his church? Justified to hold onto your anger your pride and your unforgiveness?
Justified to reject the one who created you and then died in your place for your sins to redeem you and give you eternal life?
The Holy Spirit brings the question to you today. Why are you still living to satisfy yourself? Why are you still rebelling against his love for you?
Why are you still producing wild grapes? why are you still letting lust control your life?
When you stand before the judgment bar of God you will have to answer this question (what more could God have done?) and you will have to answer nothing (You may have a thousand excuses for not serving God and not selling out to Jesus) But you don't have one single reason.
As you look into the eyes of the one who left heaven to die on the cross in your place and shed His blood for your sins You will have to answer this question: And you and I and every person ever born will have to say to God you did everything you could do.
I have no reason, I have no justification.
And Just like the Children of Israel in our text you will have to admit before God: It was me, it was self, it was stubbornness and pride and Rebellion.
It was my religious self-righteousness and hypocrisy, It was my lust and my desire for sin.
You can stand here today and say the devil made me do it and you can say I can't help it (and I will tell you you are right) it is the devil who has put the desire for sin in you (and I will even go the next Mile with you and agree that you can't help it).
That's the truth you can't help, (thats why you need a saviour) there's not one of us who does right naturally, sin works in your members making you a slave to its desires and lusts. But the good news is when Jesus died on the cross in your place he didn't just die to pay for your sins.
He died as your sinful self. (He who knew no sin was made sin for us why? That we might be made the righteousness of God in him.)
He didn't just die for the sinner He died as the sinner to put to death the man of sin the sin nature in you and me.
Is that all Pastor? I should say not.
Not only did He put to death the old sinner in you and me who loved to sin, He brought to life a Brand New Man created in righteousness unto righteousness.
2 Co 5:17 Therefore If any man be in Christ he is a new creature old things are passed away behold all things have become new.
What more could he do? Nothing He left nothing undone he left no stone unturned.
God Almighty stepped out of Heaven to the Earth He who lives outside of time stepped into time eternity became a seed and entered this world through the womb of a virgin. Then he was born and walked this Earth that he created for 331/2 years. Then He let them crucify him put a crown of thorns on his head spit on him drive Nails in his hands and his feet and a spear in his side.
Then He let them lay Him in a borrowed tomb and roll the Stone across the door.
And then He went into the Underworld the region of the Damned and for 3 days he fought the whole population of hell for our souls.
And he took the keys of death and Hell from the devil and (He busted into hell's prison and he kicked open the gates of hell and he led captivity captive.)
The Bible says he spoiled principalities and powers and he made a show of them openly triumphing over them in it.
Then on the third day he came back into his body Walked Out Of the tomb and for 40 days He walked the earth proving that He was alive and that even death hell and the grave couldn't hold him.
Then he commissioned His church to carry on his work, to go to Jerusalem and get the same power He had.
Then while they were standing there talking to him a cloud took him up out of their sight:
I ask you one more time what more could he do?
Really the question is today: What are you going to do?
What are you going to do with Jesus? there's only two answers. you're either going to accept him give him your life, follow after him love him and cherish him, or you're going to reject him.
Today is the day of salvation now is the accepted time.
This message today and this text was God saying to a rebellious self willed people (I Love you, Please wake up, please think about what I have done for you and return to me) Because if you don't trouble is coming.
I'm closing but I feel an urgency from the Holy Spirit to speak Prophetically now to a rebellious people, a people that still call their selves christians, but they're not producing the fruit of christianity, they're producing wild grapes.
They are really hypocrites: God says: I'm sending one last message before I bring judgement against this backslidden people and that message is (ask yourselves, and ask each other) what did i leave undone? where did i come up short?
did I not prove my love to you over and over?
I don't know about you: But Today I just want to give my life completely to the one who gave everything for me.
I don't think I'm the only one.
I beleive there's some people here who want Jesus to consume you, (You want the fire of God to consume you) You want the power of God on your life flowing through your life.
Where are you today: The ones who want to give him everything.
I know I haven't even really scratched the surface of what God has really done for us but now the question is what are you going to do for him?
How many would agree today that he deserves your best? how many would just lift your hands and your voices and tell God that you love him. tell God that you give him everything. Ask God to consume you. Ask him for his fire to consume your life.
Tell Him you want the Holy Spirit to possess you to come upon you to flow through you.
Tell him you realize today that He's done everything that he can do and now it's your turn and my turn.
