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.”
What about you my friends? Have you tasted the bread of life? Taste and see that the Lord is good. His words are sweeter than honey; more precious than silver and more costly than gold. Unfortunately, like those people in the miracle, our human nature is to seek things that satisfy our needs for the here and now. Some even think that they can take the here and now with them to the grave. The ancient Egyptians placed their worldly treasures in the coffins of the deceased to help them on their journey into the afterlife. Yet, the scriptures say the very opposite is true. We are told not accumulate treasures on earth but instead lay up our treasures in heaven where moth or rust cannot destroy it.
Treasures are not necessarily things of monetary value. It can be pure thoughts, holy living and a pursuit of things that are divine and everlasting. Is why in verse 2 of our reading today it says “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? There is a different kind of food that will take us to eternity. Jesus is the bread of life and the living water. My friends, you will never know deep inner peace and how much the Lord loves you until you come and drink of him. Yes, spiritual food is indeed free to us but remember Jesus had to lay down his life for us so that it comes to us free.
vs 6 & 7, it says: “Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.” To me this implies that there is coming a time when the Lord may not be found. A time when he may not be near. Again, there is another story in the bible about the beggar Lazarus and the rich man. You can read about it in Luke ch.16. The rich man lavished himself with the things of the world. He had no regard for a beggar like Lazarus. He never had time or the heart to know God either. Both of them died. Lazarus went to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man could see Lazarus from a place called Hades where he was tormented day and night. It was only then he realized the beggars fingers were of greater value than all his earthly riches. He says: “Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue because I am in agony in this fire.”
Abraham says, sorry my son, (showing affection even to the sinner) it is too late now because there is a great chasm between us so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from you to us. I am sure you get the picture. There is coming a time when it will be too late to repent. Too late to come to the waters. Too late to say sorry. Too late to realize that this world was not made to last forever. Tomorrow is not promised to us. Today is the day of salvation and we are to seek the Lord while he may still be found and call upon him while he is still near.
I want to say this lovingly but for all those who are casual about their faith, I ask that you get right with the Lord as quickly as you can. I believe we are living in a day and age when it is expedient to get right with God because his coming is at the very doors. There is a beautiful song entitled “Midnight Cry.” I am not sure if you are familiar with it. The lyrics go like this:
“I hear the sound of a mighty rushing wind, and it is closer now than it has ever been. I can almost hear the trumpet as Gabriel sounds the call and at the midnight cry, we will be going home.”
Yes, it is time to go home and soon and very soon, the doors will be shut and a great chasm will separate good and evil, heaven and hell. I know I have said this before, but for those who decide to wait until midnight usually die at half past eleven! It is great to come to Church and fellowship but there comes a time when we must to take our eyes of the world and look up to heaven. So long as we are conformed to this world we will continue to seek the pleasures of the world and in so doing we will be spending money on that which is not bread and laboring for things that do not satisfy.
Do not set your heart on earthly things my friends. Instead, strive for what is spiritual, invisible and eternal. Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and then everything else will be added unto you. At the very end of the bible, at the close of the written word of God (Rev 22:7) the Lord says “let him who thirsts come and drink of the waters of life freely.” Have you ever been thru a drive thru restaurant and be told that the one ahead of you has already paid for your food? That is exactly what Jesus has done for us. He has paid the price and gone ahead of us and hopes we will follow him.
Perhaps you find yourself to be unworthy. We all are and I am too. But through his blood, the price is paid in full and all our sins are washed away. If you have not received the Lord into your heart, I ask that you come. Remember the invitation is to come – which means you are not asked to bring anything with you– just come as you are. Come hungry. Come thirsty. But Come. Life in its fullest is waiting for you but you must come. Come to the waters you thirsty people and seek him while he can still be found. To God be the glory. Amen.
