Seek the Lord Today
Isaiah 55:6-13 (ESV) 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; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither 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 but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. 12 “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
1. Seek the Lord.
Isa. 55:6 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;
1.1. Seek the Lord while He may be found.
1.2. Let’s talk about Seeking the Lord in a world and life that tries to ignore that He exist.
1.3. One who seeks the Lord has come to the conclusion that there is another and better reality than the one we cast our eyes upon day to day.
1.4. Seek with care, enquire of through prayer and worship, to consult.
1.5. Is is said off Abraham:
Hebrews 11: Hebrews 11:9-10 (ESV) 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
1.6. Seek Him while he may be found indicates that this other reality has a timer count down for when mankind can seek to have their abode within it.
1.7. Man would like to like to think he has all the time in the world…
1.8. yet the timer is running out for each one of us in spite of our being aware if it or not.
2. We need to be calling upon Him.
“call upon him”
2.1. call–casting yourselves wholly on His mercy (Ro 10:13).
2.2. Stronger than “seek”; so “near” is more positive than “while He may be found”
Matthew 25:10 (ESV) And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.
2.3. Fortunately, we live in a day and time of an open door still.
2.4. It is a strange truth that God is always so near yet there are times when His nearness is more apparent than at other times.
2.5. Ela… just in a moment of time students in a regular chapel service at University all the sudden find themselves swept up in the alluring presence of God so that they don’t want to leave.
2.6. We have been allotted more than enough opportunities.
2.7. Ela… The Lord’s timing as the unbeliever walks into the room in just the knick of time for him to hear on the tell another call for salvation.
2.8. David said “Ps 61:1 from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I,”
2.9. Salvation is constantly calling out to us for us to return with our continual call to Him.
3. While it is still day.
“call upon him while he is near;”
John 9:4 (NKJV) 4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.
Psalms 145:18 (NKJV) The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.
Psalms 34:18 (NKJV) The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
3.1. Brokenness and contriteness are always essentials.
3.2. Contrite literally means: crushed
3.3. The Lord resist the proud.
4. Understand the ways of the Lord.
Isa 55:7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither 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.
4.1. The godless man should recognize his short comings and turn to the Lord.
4.2. The super abundant willingness of the Lord to pardon throughout history has and always will be one of the most astonishing aspects of the Nature of God.
4.3. So Holy and so Perfect yet so willing to take us in and forgive us, though we fall time and again.
5. The unrighteous man forsaking his thoughts.
Isa 55:7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him,
1 Timothy 4:15 (NKJV) Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.
Philippians 4:8-9 (NKJV) 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
5.1. Give yourself entirely.
5.2. The process of forsaking all that which has filled our head space for so long.
5.3. It takes some time in the beginning to decipher truth from all the falsehood and temporal that has been drilled into us.
5.4. The educated man forsaking all that he thought he knew.
5.5. Ela… the C.S. Lewis docudrama. It took so long for his conversion to settle in.
Philippians 3:7-8 (AMP) 7 But whatever former things I had that might have been gains to me, I have come to consider as [one combined] loss for Christ’s sake. 8 Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One),
5.6. The poor man forsaking all the notion that He has not the same opportunity as the one who seems well provided for.
6. Understand that His ways are different from yours.
6.1. His thoughts are so much different from what you sit around thinking about. Even the most pious oof thoughts do not compare to the thoughts of our Lord.
6.2. We only see part of the picture.
1 Corinthians 13:11-12 (NKJV) 11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
6.3. See in a mirror dimly:
6.3.1. See as an obscure thing, an enigma or like a riddle…
6.4. We only know in part: What part you may wonder… the part the Lord wants or needs you to know.
7. The Lord will and has accomplish/ed His part.
Isa 55:10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. 12 “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
7.1. As the snow falls and cannot be taken away.
7.2. As the seed of the earth and that of the Gospel continue to fall, die, sprout and produce more seed so the Lord’s plan will be accomplished.
7.3. The hearts of men, once barren of spirituality, shall be made, by the outpouring of the Spirit under Messiah, to bear fruits of righteousness (Isa 5:6; De 32:2; 2Sa 23:4; Ps 72:6).
7.4. returneth not–void; as in Isa 55:11; it returns not in the same shape, or without “accomplishing” the desired end.
7.5. bud—germinate.
7.6. Rain may to us seem lost when it falls on a desert, but it fulfills some purpose of God.
7.7. “So the gospel word falling on the hard heart; it sometimes works a change at last; and even if so, it leaves men without excuse.”
Conclusion:
Seek the Lord today for today is the day of salvation.
2 Corinthians 6:1-2 (ESV) 1 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
Isaiah prophesied a day of salvation in 49:8 .
The Apostle Paul proclaimed it to be here.
Let us not take the salvation lightly or this grace in vain.