Seek the Lord While He May be Found!
Special song: How could you say no to this Man
I turned 60 this past week! Wow!
I remember when I was little and I thought 20 years old was really old! Lol!
I remember when I was 40 and my work hired a bunch of 20 somethings and I overheard them talking about “the old guy” and then I realized they were talking about me! Hey!!!
Now I’m 60! I know some of you are thinking, you’re just a baby! Lol!
So as you get older you start thinking, weird, I have probably crossed that point where I have less days left than days that have passed for me.
How do I know? Well, just guesstimating. In the United States the average life expectancy is about 80 years old! A few years more for women and a few years less for men. Plus, I probably have a few health things that might bring it down a little more too. So if I can hope to expect 70 to 75 years, then wow, that’s coming up fast! Eek! So make the most of the time you have left, because you don’t know how much time you might have left the further along you get!
So where does that take us? It takes us to Isaiah 55!
Isaiah 55
“Ho! Every one 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.
2 “Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And delight yourself in abundance.
Isn’t it weird what we occupy our time with? We know there are important things in life but instead, we waste our time doing things that just don't matter!
God wants a relationship with you. He’s begging for you to gather under His wings, but what do we do instead, we ignore Him and we turn to our wicked ways.
God is like saying, “come here, I have free food, good food, come and eat!”
But what do we do? Naw, I think I’ll go eat at this really bad restaurant over here that failed all of the health inspections and several people got sick and died. What is wrong with us?
3 “Incline your ear and come to Me.
Listen, that you may live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
According to the faithful mercies shown to David.
4 “Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
A leader and commander for the peoples.
5 “Behold, you will call a nation you do not know,
And a nation which knows you not will run to you,
Because of the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel;
For He has glorified you.”
God wants to make a win-win covenant with you, He wants to make a deal where you’ll win and win big!, but no, we want to say, naw, I like losing everything and going broke instead! LIke what?
God wants to give us a great leader (Jesus), but instead, naw, we want to follow all of the worst leaders ever to our doom and destruction! What is wrong with us!
God wants to give us all of this good stuff and give us great blessings and a great life and what do we respond with? Nope, no thanks, we’ll take the worst! What is wrong with us?
If that’s you, turn it around! Think about the direction you’re heading and realize there’s a much better option before it’s too late and you’ll eternally regret your decisions!
6 Seek the Lord while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
And let him return to the Lord,
And He will have compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
There’s a hymn by Fannie Crosby (a prolific hymn writer) called Pass Me Not:
Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
Hear my humble cry,
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Refrain:
Savior, Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
For a long time I hated that hymn because I couldn’t see what it meant for Jesus to pass saving anyone. But in retrospect I don’t believe that’s what it’s about. I believe it comes from verse 6 of Isaiah 55 where it talks about Seek the Lord while He may be found!
Now “while” is a time word which means you won’t always be able to seek the Lord and be saved! How is this possible? Well, right now, we’re thinking about Jesus and we’re talking about Jesus and His salvation and I can even encourage you to trust in Jesus for your salvation, which I really hope you do. However, it’s up to you to make that decision, I can’t make it for you! And of course, I hope you will make a decision this very moment to trust in Jesus and be saved!
However, in a little while, the service will end, we will go our way, and you will go your way. We won’t be thinking about Jesus or the Bible, who knows what we will be doing. But know this that window of opportunity that is open right now, won’t be open for many in just a bit. Right now, you’re considering Jesus and you’re considering what a great deal this deal God has for you. He has his arms open wide, He has free food on the table, He has the best leader lined up, He has the best blessings lined up, and you’re really thinking about that deal right now. But you say, naw, not now, maybe later. Ya know there may not be a later. I hope you won’t wait but will turn to Jesus right now, this very minute and not put it off. I can’t make, you tho, it’s up to you of course!
The bible says let the wicked forsake his way! What does that mean? It means stop being wicked and turn to Jesus. In a word, repent! If you see you’re headed in the wrong direction, stop going in that direction!!! Surely, it’s that easy but many never figure it out and just double down and go harder in the wrong direction! Do be that person!
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
12 “For you will go out with joy
And be led forth with peace;
The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
13 “Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up,
And instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up,
And it will be a memorial to the Lord,
For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off.”
God gave you His holy Word to help guide you into all righteousness. The Bible is a school teacher! You’ve heard that when you’re born you don’t have an instruction manual. That’s not entirely true. The Bible is the best instruction manual for your life. The bible teaches you how to live, the bible informs you about God and his great love for you, and even in the Bible it tells you how to be saved by trusting in Jesus! God has given you His great Word as a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path. Still many reject God and reject His Word. Even tho they see the Benefit, they have hang up that prevent them from letting go and letting God have His wonderful way! If that’s you, you’ve been losing all of your life, what have you got to lose by turning to Him and living His way! It’s the best way! It’s the way of life everlasting which will not be cut off!
Last week Norman talked about Mark 4, the Parable of the sower. Where some seed fell on various ground types. Some were choked out, some had no root, some got scorched by the sun, the devil tries to take it away. It’s a metaphor about how the world and the devil will try to distract you from making a decision for Christ to be saved. Sadly we know for most people the seed won’t get to grow and will die. The road is wide that leads to destruction. But there are few seeds that “get it” and spring up and thrive! Yay! For those few! They found that narrow road, they found that good fertile ground! I hope each of you are those that are like that blessed seed that doesn’t let the world or the devil keep you from “getting it”!
Seek the Lord while He may be found. Right now you know the window of opportunity is open. Later, you’ll be off doing who knows what but you’ll probably not be thinking about God, or Jesus, or the Bible and that unbeknownst to you, that door of opportunity will have vanished! Isn’t that a weird thought? For some, you may have a few more opportunities to turn to the Lord, but why chance it? And then when all of the opportunities are spent and it’s too late, what then? There’ll be no more opportunities and you will have missed the best deal ever, the best opportunity ever, and instead taken the worst of the worst deal ever.
Please, hear my humble cry. Do not let the Lord pass you by without calling on Him.
Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved!
Please take a moment and pray to the Lord that you know He went to the Cross to pay for the sins you have committed and that you put your trust in Him to be your Savior.
What does it mean to seek the Lord while He may be found?
Now is the time, today is the day of salvation!
Bonus:
Kum by ya, my Lord! (Come by here, my Lord!) Same idea where we want to Seek the Lord while He may be found.
