Come Now and let Us Reason Together
Isaiah 1:18 - 20
Intro:
You will find here in the text a choice -- it is a reasonable choice presented from the Lord
* the willing and obedient - eat the good of the land - though you have sinned and your sins are as scarlet - I will make them as white as wool.
*Those who refuse and rebel against My Word - You shall be devoured by the sword
That has been God’s call since the beginning of time
* In God’s Call you will always find :
- warning and welcome
- wonder and woe
Adam & Eve - Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil
Noah - Build an Ark and Survive
Abraham - Sodom and Gomorrah
Man’s Purpose is for worship and obedience to God
*we were made for fellowship and relationship
* Because He loves us - He gave us choices
Moses spoke God’s Word in Deut Ch 30:19
* God has set before us Life & Death , blessings and cursings - His will is for us to choose life
God is a calling God who calls to us
* in the secrets of adultery
* in the chains of addiction
* even in His loathing of our abomination
Many of us were in those situations when we heard His call
* we were so low in life - we could sit on a peice of paper and swing our legs
We heard His call and went from miry clay to a solid rock
God’s Call is
I. A call to Salvation
The Call of God to the sinner is simple - follow me
* forsake mother, brother, sister, father, work, friends , your life that seemed to mean so much and follow me
It takes faith
*Peter, Andrew, James, & John - left the call of the sea and their nets to answer the call of the Master
*Matthew left the call of profit to answer the call of the Prophet, Priest, and King
* Abraham left his hometown, his friends, his property, and went after a city whose builder and maker is God
The Price of the Call is Great, but the Reward of the Call is Greater still
* Every Instruction for the work you will do is already written for you in the Word of God
* Every ounce of Strength that is needed is already provided by the Spirit of God
* Every bit of Increase is already promised by the Lord Himself
You simply have to accept the Call
A. Salvation will fulfill your need for substenance
Isaiah 55:1 - "Ho, every one that thirsteth , come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money ; come ye , buy , and eat: yea come , buy wine and milk without money and without price."
Come to Christ - Come to Waters that will never run dry
* Come to eat of the Eternal Bread from Heaven
* Come and partake of the Wine of His Spirit
Do it all because the price has already been paid by the Redeemer.
B. Salvation will fulfill your need for rest
Jesus called for us in Matt. 11: 28 - "Come unto me , all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest
God’s Call is a
II. Call in the Storm
The Air Traffic Controller calls out to the airplane in the storm
The Lighthouse calls to the ship in the storm
The Weather Bureau calls out to the public in the storm
But there is only One who can call to you in the storms of Life
He is able to speak to the wind and the waves- His call will calm the storms themselves
In the Storm you will find:
* strain, sadness, and scandal
* shame , shock, and sordidness
But when you answer the call of the Master of the Storm , you will find:
* safety , satisfaction, and serenity
* shelter, solitude, and stability
-He is able to walk into the den of lions and emerge without a nibble
- He is able to walk into the fiery furnace and not even smell like smoke
- He is able to walk with you to victory around the walls of Jericho
- He is able to walk with you onto the battlefield to face the giant
- He is able to walk on the water
He is able to Master the storms
Don’t tell God about your storm, tell the storm about your God
Listen for His call in the midst of your storm
Lastly
God’s Call is
III. A Call to the Sheep
John 10 : 27 "My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish."
Matthew 25: 33 "And He shall set the sheep on His right hand , but the goats on the left."
Sheep love the Shepherd - they stay close to His voice * when they hear His call there is:
- safety
- serenity
Goats are different - they will hang out with sheep but they have different attitudes
* they are hardheaded and stubborn
* they spend a lot of time headbutting
-- they are argumentative,pushy,rude
Jesus says the sheep and goats will hang out together in the church until the last days when they will be seperated
There are still a lot of goats butting today:
- I would help at the church - but
-I would pay tithes - but
- I would come to church faithfully - but
Sheep are led to green pasture - but Goats don’t care what they eat
* if they can swallow it - they will eat it
Goats refuse to be fenced in - you always find them where they aren’t supposed to be
* on the car
* in the neighbor’s yard
You can’t keep goats in:
* Sunday School, Sunday Evening Service, or Discipleship training classes
Goats have a Burger King Mentality - they always want it their way
But the calling of God is for Sheep
1 Peter 2:21- For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps
1 Peter 2:25 - For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
He said " My Sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me...."
God’s call today is this " Come now and Let Us Reason Together"
Can You Hear God Calling To You?
End
