Oakbrook Evangelical Free Church

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Introduction:

The Great Invitation

Isaiah 55:1-3 We saw last week that God invites thirsty, bankrupt, frustrated people to come to him for water, milk and wine.

* Spiritual water for refreshment of dry and dead souls.
* Spiritual milk for the nourishment and strengthening of weak souls.
* Spiritual wine for the exhilaration and joy of sad and disheartened souls.

The Great Invitation - what the Bible calls faith

1. Come – if you are away from God, turn around in my mind and heart and come to him. Draw near to God in your heart.

2. Buy - If you draw near, then don’t be a spectator, buy in!

Actually make a heart transaction without money, but with faith.

3. Eat – if you draw near, if you become a participant and buy in, then start diving into Christ – drink the water and milk and eat the word.

Making a decision to become his apprentice!

Watching him to learn.

Moving toward going to work yourself!

Isaiah 55:3 “Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.” NIV

God holds out an awesome promise to you this morning.

If you will hear his voice and come to him he will make a covenant with you that is sure, and unshakable and full of never-failing hope.

If you are looking for something solid in life, something that doesn’t change or let you down, something that will make you happy and satisfy your soul for ever, God offers you in this verse (3) the unswerving love and unbreakable commitment that he has toward his own Son.

When you believe this, you will wrap your spiritual arms around the boulders of God’s grace and you become a strong tree against the gusts of Satan’s deceptions.

Now at this point each of us and every church face an very important question: will we take this awesome privilege of God’s covenant love and sit down with it to drink our water milk and wine and go no farther.

and enjoy God for ourselves. Or will we read on to verses 4 and 5 and really understand the new covenant God makes with us?

Will we be satisfied that God has made a covenant with us to give us eternal life? Or will we be dissatisfied until he has made a covenant of life with other from all the nations and peoples of the world?

Isaiah 55:4-5 “See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples. “Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.”” NIV

I. Two Purposes of God

1. GOD’S PURPOSE IS THAT UNKNOWN NATIONS BE CALLED.
Verse 5: “Behold, you shall call nations that you know not.”
God could see a lot farther than they could 2700 years ago. He could see tribes and peoples of Northern Europe and China and Africa and South America. And his purpose for the world would not be limited by the ignorance of his own people. “You will call nations that you know not.”

2. GOD’S PURPOSE IS THAT THE UNKNOWN PEOPLE COME.

Verse 5: “Behold, you shall call nations that you know not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you.”

God’s purpose is not merely world missions, but the SUCCESS of world missions. The nations will respond. They will run to you. Look at verse 11

Isaiah 55:11 “so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” NIV

The useless side of life is characterized by self-absorption, withdrawal from life tasks.

II. How Will God Accomplishing His Purposes?

1. Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples; a leader and commander for the peoples.

Who is this talking about?
It’s possible that it simply refers back to the life of king David 300 years earlier. He was a witness with his great poetry and he was a great leader and commander as king of Israel.

But if the connection between verses 4 and 5 is close, it then verse 4 looks toward a future work of witnessing and leading and commanding, not a merely past one.

What binds verses 4 and 5 close together is the reference to peoples and nations, and the point of the passage is that God aims to call them in. So both verses focus on the future and what God aims to do for the peoples of the world who don’t know God.

So verse 4 to refer not merely to the work of king David in the past but also to the Son of David in the future, namely, the Messiah prophesied in Isaiah 9:6 —

Jesus Christ, the Son of David—to be a witness to the peoples and a leader and commander to the peoples.

Jesus said in John 18:37, “For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth.”

Revelation 1:5 “Jesus is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the leader (Isaiah 55:4) of the kings of the earth.”

John 3:14 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,” NIV

John 12:32 “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.”” NIV

John 17:8 “For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.” NIV

Jesus is how the nations will be included in salvation. He speaks as a witness and he reigns as a leader and commander. So the answer is that the word and the power of Jesus will bring the nations to the banquet.

But how will this happen? Where do you and I fit in to God’s purpose to gather the nations? How does God aim to fulfill his purposes?

2. Those who have come will be sent to call the nations:

Those who have come to the water and the milk and wine of God’s promises, will be sent to call the nations:

55:5 “You will summon nations you know not” World Christians

Did you know that a team of 15 people have been at work in

Uzbekistan for at least 10 years? Do you know that someone

is working on translating the Bible into Turkmen?

Ethiopia, Native Americans, un-named women

Matthew 22:1-10

Romans 10:12-15 “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, “for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? “And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”” NIV

2 Kings 7:3-11(9) “Then they said to each other, “We’re not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.”” NIV

Have you eaten and been satisfied?

Are you keeping it to yourself?

When was the last time you invited someone?

We are the ones sent With Good News

It is so easy to merely focus on the activities of our day.

Faced with a continual question: What is God’s call on my life?

John 17:18 “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” NIV

Matthew 28:19-20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.””

John 1:41-42 “The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). “And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).” NIV

John 1:45-46 “Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” ““Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.” NIV

1 Peter 3:15 “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” NIV

Colossians 4:2-6 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. “Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

Applications:

* Those of us who have come to Christ have also been sent to tell others
* The simplest invitation is a report – this is what has happened
* The place to start is with your family and friends
* Requires preparation “be ready”
* All our goings and invitations must be built on a foundation of prayer.

TS: There is one last answer to the question how God means to gather the peoples to his banquet. It’s given in second part of verse 5.

3. Those who come will be transformed

“. . . and nations that knew you not shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.”

In essence this says that not only will the church invite the nations, but the church will be inviting.

Everyone is attracted to sweet smelling beauty!

Colossians 1:27 “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” NIV

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” NIV

Principle: The invitation of the church will be the most successful when the glory of God is most evident in the daily life of the church. When we let our light shine and when people see our good works, they will glorify our Father who is in heaven.

What is God doing in my life?

In what area is He working on me and my life?

Are we as a group of believers known as Oakbrook Church inviting?

How are we uninviting?

What can I do to make us more inviting?