The Call of Salvation – part 4
Isaiah 55:1-13 (10-13)
August 25, 2024
In John chapter 4 we read a story about Jesus approaching a Samaritan woman as she came to draw water from a well.
John 4:7-14 “There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? “You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
You know the story of that woman.
• Aside from being a despised Samaritan…
• She had been married 5 times and was presently shacking up with a man.
• This woman was a social outcast
She was the walking music video to the old country music song,
“Looking for love in all the wrong places”
And on this day Jesus did the unthinkable, even to her.
He approached her, He spoke to her, and He offered her salvation.
On another day Jesus was invited to the home of a Pharisee
• A woman of poor reputation approached Him and began to wet His feet with
her tears and dry them with her hair.
The Pharisee watching the scene was shocked:
Luke 7:39 “Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.”
But Jesus looked at this woman and said:
Luke 7:48 “Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.”
In another place we’re told of a woman who was caught in adultery,
• In the very act and she deserved to be stoned.
After Jesus silenced here accusers He said:
John 8:10-11 “Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”
There was another day
When Jesus was simply out and about among the people:
Luke 5:27-32 “After that He went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him. And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them. The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
Or we could talk about the other famous tax collector Jesus approached:
Luke 19:5-10 “When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
None of those are unfamiliar stories to us.
They are just the fact about who Jesus was.
Jesus Christ came to save sinners.
He came to extend God’s call of salvation
Even to those the world deemed unworthy of such a gift.
THAT IS THE VERY CALL OF SALVATION
We are studying here in the book of Isaiah.
It is God’s call to His wayward people.
• They have been described as a barren woman.
• They have been likened to an adulterous woman.
• But despite their shame and their sin God is calling them to salvation.
#1 GOD’S CALL IS AN ABUNDANT CALL
Isaiah 55:1-3a
• He offered water to the thirsty.
• He offered wine and milk to those without money.
• He offered life to those who had squandered every opportunity.
And He told those whom He called to “delight yourself in abundance”
#2 GOD’S CALL IS AN ANTICIPATED CALL
Isaiah 55:3-5
God’s promise here to Israel is that when they trust in the descendant of David then God will fulfill the promise He made to David.
Salvation is what your heart has longed for whether you realize it or not.
God promised to fulfill that promise when Israel returns to Christ.
#3 GOD’S CALL IS AN AVAILABLE CALL
Isaiah 55:6-7
You must seek God “while He may be found”
You must call on Him “while He is near”
But the glorious reality here is that if you are hearing this call
Then your time is available.
#4 GOD’S CALL IS AN ADAMANT CALL
Isaiah 55:7-9
If we are to respond to this call
And receive the glorious offer of abundant salvation
THEN REPENTANCE IS REQUIRED.
“Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts…”
• You must abandon your way of thinking.
• You must realize that you and God do not think the same.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” Declares the LORD”
But rest assured that His thoughts and His ways are higher and better.
So He calls us to change our thinking and change our ways,
But He will not change His.
Change yours and adopt His!
ANSWER HIS CALL!
And that has been the point so far in this chapter.
Tonight we move on to the 5th reality of God’s call to salvation.
#5 GOD’S CALL IS AN AUTHORITATIVE CALL
Isaiah 55:10-11
These are familiar verses to most of us,
Indeed they get quoted a lot.
They are great verses to remind us of
The power and authority of the word of God.
We understand the basic analogy of Isaiah here.
• Just like rain and snow water the earth and they cause the earth to bear and sprout.
• In absolute like manner God’s word, when it comes, also produces the exact effect that God intended.
This is a reality that warrants some contemplation this evening.
For while this verse is quoted often,
I’m not sure it is fully comprehended.
LET ME TELL YOU WHAT I MEAN.
We rightly quote that God’s word “will not return to Me empty”.
AND WE BELIEVE THAT.
So let’s fix a scenario in our minds and apply that truth.
We know that the context of the statement is the call of God to salvation.
That is the context in which this statement is made.
So let’s apply it to an evangelistic situation.
• You approach a lost person
• And you do so with the only genuine weapon you have to win their heart to salvation.
• You approach them with the gospel message.
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”
So we’re going to do exactly what the Bible teaches.
• We’re going to throw the gospel at them!
• We’re going to quote Scripture to them!
Take the Roman road for example:
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 10:9-10 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
Romans 10:13 “for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”
There’s nothing wrong with that.
And we tell them all about the person and work of Jesus
And show them that they must call upon the Lord.
HOWEVER
After hearing that detailed and accurate gospel presentation,
This person walks away without calling on the name of Christ.
And my question is:
WHAT HAPPENED?
• Did God’s word not work?
• Did the promise of Isaiah 55:10-11 not hold true?
• You preached the gospel,
• They heard the gospel,
• The gospel is the power of God for salvation,
• But they were not saved.
The gospel was poured out like water from heaven,
But the ground on which it was poured did not “bear and sprout”.
DID GOD’S WORD FAIL?
Now, you know the answer to that question is “No”.
You know that has to be right answer.
But force yourself to think a little deeper and ask yourself
WHY THAT IS THE RIGHT ANSWER?
Furthermore how do you explain that?
Even though you claim God’s word did not fail,
This person did not get saved.
Now, certainly SOME might explain it like this:
Well, IT DID WORK, but not every rain immediately produces a crop.
It might still take time.
• Maybe the full effect of that gospel presentation will be realized later.
• Maybe you’re just sowing the seed.
• Maybe at another time in life it will bear the intended fruit.
And I’m ok with that explanation, for surely that does in fact happen.
We see people who hear the gospel many times
And only later do they actually repent and trust in Christ.
But that still doesn’t escape the problem.
For even if some respond later
We all know that there are some who never respond at all.
What about them?
Did God’s word fail on them?
Was God’s word fruitless in their life?
They heard the gospel, they rejected the gospel,
They died and went to hell.
How does one explain that?
To this some would say, “Well the gospel was powerful enough to save, but their rejection nullified it.”
Perhaps they even quote the warning listed in Hebrews 6
• About the man who is fully enlightened to the truth of the gospel
• But then falls away and crucifies to himself the Lord all over again.
Hebrews 6:7-8 “For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.”
So perhaps they simply say,
• Well they didn’t get saved but that’s not the fault of God’s word.
• God’s word did its job, they just didn’t receive it.
Or maybe you want to go and quote the parable of the sower
And talk about that hardened soil that just wouldn’t accept the seed.
• Maybe you want to blame it on the devil who took that seed away.
• Maybe you blame it on the bedrock just below the soil that wouldn’t let that seed take root.
• Maybe you blame it on the weeds that choked out the word and left that ground unfruitful.
And again you say God’s word is powerful
It’s just that there were other circumstances
That kept it from accomplishing its purpose.
BUT IF YOU DO THAT
You just stripped the gospel of the power it clearly claims
And you removed the promise God clearly articulated in Isaiah 55.
• If you take that approach then Satan has the power to thwart God’s word.
• If you take that approach then rocks in life that represent our hardships have
the power to undermine God’s word.
• If you take that approach then idolatrous weeds have the ability to thwart
God’s purposes in His word.
You just gave the will of man more power than the will of God.
You just gave the purpose of man veto power over the purposes of God.
And this verse says nothing to that end.
(10-11) “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; 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.”
• Do you see any clauses there?
• Do you see any conditions stated based on human acceptance?
• Do you see any hint that maybe the success God boasts of is only partial success?
NO, NOT AT ALL.
THIS IS AN EMPHATIC STATEMENT BY GOD.
SO AGAIN,
If they don’t believe and they are lost, and they go to hell, DID GOD’S WORD FAIL?
Did something or someone thwart it?
DO YOU SEE THE DILEMMA?
• We know that God’s word never returns empty.
• We know that God’s word always accomplishes its desire.
• We know that God’s word always succeeds in its mission.
SO HOW DO WE EXPLAIN
That not everyone who hears the gospel gets saved?
This is why you must adopt REFORMED THEOLOGY:
THE MISSION OF GOD’S WORD IS CLEARLY
NOT TO SAVE EVERYONE WHO HEARS IT.
If you say that it is, then Isaiah 55:10-11 cannot be true,
For not all who hear it believe it.
BUT GOD’S WORD DOES ALWAYS SUCCEED
Sometimes the purpose of God’s word
Is to condemn or even to solidify judgment.
Think back to Isaiah’s commissioning:
Isaiah 6:8-12 “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’ “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.” Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered, “Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant, Houses are without people And the land is utterly desolate, “The LORD has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.”
God told him to go and to preach the word, but what was the effect that God decreed would happen?
• Isaiah would render people insensitive, deaf, and blind.
His ministry was not going to lead to the salvation of men,
His ministry was going to lead to the condemnation of men.
Isaiah surely picked up on this for he asked, “How long?”
And God told him, “Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant, Houses are without people And the land is utterly desolate, “The LORD has removed men far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.”
Did God’s word succeed in that mission?
Yes! Perfectly!
Think to a little later in Isaiah’s ministry.
TURN TO: ISAIAH 28
Remember how Isaiah preached to them in the first 8 verses, and then in verse 9 the people started mocking?
“To whom would he teach knowledge…”
• Remember how they made that mocking response to his preaching?
Well do you remember what they were told?
(11) “Indeed, He will speak to this people through stammering lips and a foreign tongue…”
God is going to continue speaking to this people.
But He’s going to speak to them in a language they cannot understand.
What is the purpose of that?
Judgment.
They will be held accountable for the word which they heard,
But because it is given in a manner they cannot understand
There is no chance they will respond to it.
GOD’S WORD SUCCEEDS IN JUDGMENT.
We see it in the New Testament.
• Actually when Jesus gave that parable of the sower to the crowd.
• Jesus told a farming story and then dismissed the crowd with no explanation.
• He didn’t tell them at all what it meant.
Matthew 13:10-15 “And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. “For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. “In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’”
Jesus spoke to them which made them accountable.
But He spoke in a parable
So they would not understand.
TURN TO: MATTHEW 11
It begins with John the Baptist in confusion and Jesus works to encourage the faith of John.
But then Jesus asks the crowd about John.
(READ 7-15)
• Jesus revealed that John was the forerunner,
• Which of course would make Jesus the Messiah
• And then Jesus says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
In other words He says, “Do you catch what I’m saying?”
They didn’t.
Then Jesus began to explain why they didn’t hear.
(READ 16-19)
• They were selfish people not willing to hear what God had to say.
• Not willing to depart from their thoughts to hear from God.
So Jesus pronounced judgment.
(READ 20-24)
And all of that makes sense.
• They heard the truth,
• They rejected the truth,
• And Jesus pronounced judgment.
BUT AGAIN WE MIGHT ASK:
SO DID THE WORD OF JESUS FAIL?
(READ 25-27)
Why did the people not understand?
God had hidden His word from them.
Why?
Because it pleased God to do so.
• It is God’s prerogative to do what He will.
• And in this case He used His word to harden hearts not save them.
Now, here is where it gets interesting.
LOOK AT THE VERY NEXT VERSE.
You’d think after such a revelation Jesus would stop preaching.
I mean, “If God is hardening hearts, why keep offering salvation?”
(READ 28-30)
Immediately following the revelation that God is hardening hearts
Jesus issues His most famous invitation ever recorded.
Why would He do this?
Because Jesus knew that God’s word never returns void.
It saves whom it is meant to save
And it hardens whom it is meant to harden.
And so again I remind you that Isaiah 55:10-11 is about
GOD’S EFFECTUAL CALL.
He is calling sinners to salvation
And it will be 100% effective for everyone God has chosen.
John 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”
• God’s call is an authoritative call.
• God’s call is an effectual call.
• God’s call is a successful call.
And this FIRST comes to us as another confirmation
To the man struggling to abandon his thoughts in favor of God’s.
Isaiah told sinners they have to abandon their thoughts.
Should we remind ourselves the trouble their thoughts produced?
• (2) “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for
what does not satisfy?”
That is the summation of what their thoughts produced.
• It left them spending all their resources and ending up empty.
• Their thoughts and their ways were futile.
• Man’s thoughts and man’s ways often fail.
But God’s thoughts and God’s ways are better and higher and here we learn that His thoughts and His ways NEVER FAIL.
All those whom He has chosen to save will be saved.
Now, let me bring that home to you here this evening.
I have told you repeatedly that there is an ongoing universal call.
• It is constantly being proclaimed.
• Namely that if a man will repent and trust in Christ he will be saved.
• And tonight I offer that one to you yet again.
If you will turn from your sin, your thoughts, and your ways, and trust in Christ, I can 100% assure you that He will save you.
• He will abundantly pardon you.
• He will give you abundant life.
• He will give you living water.
• He will feed you with the bread of heaven.
• He will save you.
That is valid, that is real, it is available.
BUT LET ME TELL YOU WHAT ELSE I KNOW.
If you are one of God’s chosen, you absolutely will come.
If tonight God has chosen to save you, you are coming.
How do I know that?
(10-11) “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; 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.”
God’s word never fails.
God’s call is an authoritative call.
Romans 11:25-29 “For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.” “THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.” From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
This will bear out for all eternity.
Revelation 7:9-12 “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
This call works.
• That promise of every nation tribe and tongue surrounding the throne
• Could not possibly be true if God’s call was not authoritative.
Otherwise God would just be up in heaven
Crossing His fingers hoping it worked.
NO, HIS CALL IS AUTHORITATIVE.
And I’m telling you tonight.
1. Come to Jesus Christ and submit your life to Him.
2. If God has determined to save you tonight, then you will.
THAT IS THE TRUTH.
God will save those whom He determined to save.
Be one of them!
#6 GOD’S CALL IS AN ATTRACTIVE CALL
Isaiah 55:12-13
So you’ve read the gospel account
And you are familiar with the warnings.
• You’ve read how Christ asks tax collectors to leave their business.
• You’ve read how Christ asks fishermen to leave their nets.
• You’ve read how sinners are told to go and sin no more.
• You’ve read about how men will hate you for following Christ.
• You’ve read how many were even martyred for His name’s sake.
And you wonder if this salvation He offers is really worth it?
HERE IS GOD’S PROMISE.
(12-13) “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. “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.”
If you want the simple explanation
It is once again a reference to that Millennial Reign of Christ that God was talking about back in verses 3-5.
• When Christ returns to reign then the curse will be reversed.
• The wolf will dwell with the lamb.
• The bear will eat straw like the ox.
• The child will play with the cobra.
And the two main realities
That will be realized by all in that kingdom are stated in verse 12
• “you will go out with joy”
• You will be “led forth with peace”
HOW MANY THINGS IN THIS LIFE EVER GAVE YOU JOY?
I don’t mean momentary happiness.
I mean unceasing, abiding joy regardless of circumstances.
• Can you think of a single purchase that ever gave unending joy?
• Can you think of a single activity that ever gave unending joy?
OR HOW ABOUT PEACE?
• The absence of worry or fear or anxiety.
• The absence of condemnation and dread.
• The absence of conviction and sorrow.
What on this earth ever produced that for you?
You and I know that there is nothing on this earth
That can produce those things.
We get momentary happiness.
We get momentary confidence.
But true abiding joy and peace?
This earth knows nothing of them.
I wonder how much they would be worth to you?
What would you give to have joy of such magnitude that even circumstances couldn’t take it away?
What would you give to have peace of such depth that even circumstances couldn’t take it away?
THAT IS WHAT GOD IS PROMISING.
Joy in the suffering and peace in the storm.
And then a day when the suffering and the storm are removed.
A day when:
“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.”
Do you know why?
Romans 8:18-22 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”
• Creation remembers life before the fall.
• Creation groans today striving to get back to that place.
BUT ON THIS DAY:
• After Israel answers the call…
• After Christ returns to rule the world…
• After the curse is removed by Him…
• Creation is going to burst forth like you can’t imagine…
(13) “Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up, And instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up,”
“No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground.
He comes to make His blessing known far as the curse is found.”
This is what God is promising.
This is what God is offering.
It is a better life, not a worse one.
And God stakes His reputation on it.
“And it will be a memorial to the LORD, For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off.”
It is “a memorial” and a “sign” both to point to the salvation of God.
Both to be for His glory.
HE’S GOING TO DO IT.
THIS SALVATION IS WORTH IT.
SO HERE WE ARE AGAIN O SINNER.
Christ has died and given Himself to God as a propitiation for sin that sinners might be saved.
That salvation is not for the elite, it is for the broken and the outcast.
• It is for the barren and the rejected.
• It is for the thirsty and the hungry.
• It is for the mess-ups and failures.
And because of what Christ did on the cross the call is going out!
• Are you thirsty? Come!
• Are you hungry? Come!
• Are you tired of failure? Come!
This call is an abundant call offering you ABUNDANT life.
And now, while the call is going forth, respond to it!
Seek Him while He may be found for this an available call to you tonight.
Just know that it is an ADAMANT call.
• You must forsake your thoughts and adopt His.
• You must forsake your ways and follow His.
But it is worth it for all who do.
No one who calls on Him is disappointed!
The joy and the peace are worth it.
It is an ATTRACTIVE call.
And as we said, it is an AUTHORITATIVE call.
• If you are His, you are coming.
• But I would also say, if you want to be, then come on.
He will save all who come
And those whom He has determined to save will come.
That is God’s call of salvation.
Answer it!
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
