Repent and Return to God

Trevor S. Ferguson

May 18, 2013

Isaiah 55:1-3, 6-9

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.
² Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
³ Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

⁶ Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith 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.

INTRODUCTION

Jamaica is often described as a very religious country. According to the 2011 census approximately 75% of persons living in Jamaica report having a religious affiliation. Despite this however, Jamaica remains a country plagued by crime and corruption which has stifled growth and productivity over many decades. The ‘disconnect’ between expressed religious affiliation seen in these statistics and sinful behavior reported daily in our news media suggest that despite a claim of religious affiliation many person are disconnected from God. Some of these persons attend church services but have never come into a true relationship with God. Others have had encounters with God, whether through exposure to Sunday school or to religious education in schools, or to religious activity in their communities, but have never made a commitment to God. Still others have had real experiences and previous commitment to God, but currently find themselves in a backslidden state.      

The word of God comes to us today, through the prophet Isaiah, and calls us to repentance and a return to God.

EXPOSITION

Let us look a bit more closely at the scripture.

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.

Here the prophet extends a call to everyone that has recognized that their current status in life does not result in satisfaction. Despite involvement in numerous activities – music, parties, television, movies, sexual exploits, and such like- persons still find that life is empty and they are longing for something that will quench the deep thirst inside. Some have sought after money and wealth but are still empty; some have sought power and influence, but still can’t find satisfaction.  Others have been caught up in crime and illegal activity – but despite the hard exterior, there is still a deep longing on the inside. The call goes out to you today – Come to the waters! Come to the fountain that is filled with blood that flows from Emmanuel’s vein; Come to the well, that is filled with water; the well that will never run dry.  

We recall the words of Jesus to the woman of Samaria:

Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Jesus also said in St John7: “… If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

In this text He was speaking of the Holy Ghost which those who believe on Him should receive.

Isaiah also had a vision of this as he proclaimed in Isaiah 28 - For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

The offer that God extends to you today is an offer that you cannot find in any store! An offer that you cannot find in any activity! The prophet says “… buy wine and milk without money and without price”!

Verse two of the passage in Isaiah 55 points to the folly current practice by many persons:

Why do you spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which does not satisfy?

Many of the activities that people are engaging in today are worthless. This includes even some so-called religious activities, because we say we are serving God with our mouths but our hearts and actions are far from him. The prophet therefore challenges us - Hearken diligently unto God, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. He further encourages us - Incline your ear, and come unto God: hear, and your soul shall live; God will make an everlasting covenant with you, a covenant like the one He made with David.

God is a God unto His word. If you put your trust He will surely grant you the peace and contentment that you are seeking for. Moreover, in addition to the benefits of peace and contentment in this life, He gives to us the hope of eternal life in heaven. As Paul tells us in 1^st Corinthians 15 – If it were in this life only that we have a hope in Christ Jesus we would be of all men most miserable. But now we have a hope in Jesus Christ, that one day He will come again; the dead in Christ shall be raised up, and those who are alive  and in Christ will be transformed to a new life with an incorruptible body. After this dramatic rapture of the saints, we will dwell in the presence of Christ forever.

This brings us though to the fact that we have a limited time to access the grace of God. One of these days the dispensation of grace will close and will usher in the return of Christ. The prophet therefore warns us in verses 6 and 7 - Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD.

The call goes out to all today: REPENT AND RETURN TO THE LORD!

If you are in sin and you choose to continue on your current path, are heading straight for destruction. Your destination is a lake that burns with fire and brimstone; a place of great anguish, deep despair, and total separation from God. The bible says that there ‘their worms dieth not and the fire is not quenched.

But this does not have to be anyone’s destination. The prophet tells us that for the man who returns to God ‘He will have mercy upon him; and … He will abundantly pardon. So I say again: REPENT AND RETURN TO GOD!

Some may say that a good God would not close the door of mercy and allow person to suffer in hell fire for eternity; but the prophet reminds us that God ways are not our ways, and his thoughts are not our thoughts. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God’s ways higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. God is wiser than every philosopher and all the great thinkers from all ages. Try as we might, we can’t speak and call the earth into order, and we can’t create a universe with planets, and stars, plants, and animals and people. When it’s all said and done, only God is God, and we are subject to him. The bible tells us that every knee shall bow and every tongue must confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. I therefore suggest to you, It is better to bow willingly now, than to be forced to bow later. Look again at the words of the prophet - For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, … So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. God words will surely come to pass. If He said it, He will do it. He will accomplish His will.

CONCLUSION

The call goes out to all today - Put your trust in God. Repent and return to the Lord. The prophet says that though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red as crimson, they shall be as wool.

The way of salvation is clear and simple. It is the same as was given on the day of Pentecost two thousand years ago: Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. … The promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

REPENT AND RETURN TO THE LORD!