TEXT: Isaiah 1:18-20
TIME & PLACE: 13/04/08 ELBC
SUBJ: GODS
PROPOSITION
THEME: YIELDING
TO GODS PROPOSITION
P/S: E.P. CAN
YIELD TO GODS PROPOSITION
T/S: BY
UNDERSTANDING 4 ASPECTS CONCERNING
IT AS SET
INTRO: You
have probably heard me quote this verse I have read this morning on more than
one occasion since I have been here. This verse has always been very special to
me. I am sure that somewhere or somehow I had read or came across it or it was
even quoted to me before the time I received Christ. The reason I say that was
because on the night that I was saved this verse echoed through my head as
nothing else could. I was confronted with a Holy God and was asked to come and
reason together with Him. (Let me say
this I am glad I did)
Now I understand completely that
this passage in context is God talking through the Prophet Isaiah to His people
pleading with them to come back to a relationship with Him. However I also feel
that the truth of this verse and an application can be transferred to the
believer today. God speaks many times to lost and saved alike to “come and let them reason together.”
I want to this morning look into 3 verses in the midst of this chapter that
stand alone as God is pleading for someone to hear Him and “reason
together”.
Now I don’t know the
situation of each and every individual in here this morning, but the Lord does.
I don’t necessarily want to say that this morning’s message will be
that of salvation, although it is definitely contained within these verses we
will look at. I also don’t necessarily want to say that the message is
for saved folk either, but it is in there. I just want us individually as I
preach to look at what it is that God may be saying to each and every one of us
out of this passage of Scripture.
I want to briefly this morning take
3 verses out of chapter One of Isaiah and see what all of us in here this
morning can get from it. I realize this message may be a bit different than the
exegetical type that I do, however I feel we can glean something from this
passage this morning for all. To get us into the thought of what is transpiring
I want to cover some aspects of the chapter leading up to these 3 verses. First
I notice ...
* The REBELLION vs2-3
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have
nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. 1:3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but
* The REVOLT vs4-6
Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers,
children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked
the Holy One of
* The RUINS vs7-8
Your country is desolate, your cities
are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence,
and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. 1:8 And the daughter of
* The RULERS vs10-11
Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of
* The REBUKE vs12-17
When ye come to appear before me, who hath required
this at your hand, to tread my courts? 1:13 Bring no more vain oblations;
incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away
with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. 1:14 Your new moons and your
appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a
trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. 1:15 And
when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea,
when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
1:16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before
mine eyes; cease to do evil; 1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the
oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Which leads us to the one I want
to look at more closely this morning ... The REASONING vs18-20 God now tells
them that He wants to REASON with them to discuss in total what He is willing
to do if they (we) are willing to listen. With that being said I want to Preach
on this thought this morning ...”A PROPOSITION FROM GOD” God
proposes a “deal” If I can use that terminology. His desire is to
REPAIR and RESTORE what has become REVILED. I want to look a little more
closely at The WHAT, The WHY, The WHEN and The WHO of
this Proposition that God gives them ... (US) today. First I see
...
I.
THE
URGENCY OF IT vs18a
“Come now”
A. BECAUSE OF TURNING
B. BECAUSE OF TIMING
C. BECAUSE OF TROUBLES
Note:
God in His infinite mercy sees us where we are at. He knows all that we have
done to get to where we are at. He reminded me Feb27, 1993 of just about as
much stuff as I could possibly handle that night. But the main thing that
echoed through my mind and heart that night was the URGENCY at which God was
trying to get my attention. I truly had come to the realization that the
running and the games were over It was time to turn before the real troubles
came.
Appl:
Let me ask you this ... has there been a time in your life where there was an
urgency to get saved? If not today God may be urging you to come NOW! If you
are saved He may be urging you to get some things out of your life and have a fresh
walk with Him. Either way ... don’t wait ... come NOW.
II.
THE
UNDERTAKING OF IT vs18b
“let us reason together”
A. IT’S DONE BY A
CONVERSATION “reason together”
B. IT’S DONE BY A
COMPARISON
Sins
Color (scarlet/Crimson) - Snow/Wools Cleanness
Note:
I think it interesting that this is the same color of Christ robe they placed
on Him before He was crucified bearing our SINS.
Mat
27:28 And
they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.
C. IT’S DONE BY A
COMMITMENT
Note:
Listen one of the hardest things to do is come clean and “reason”
with God. Most of us are just like Adam.... ”we hid ourselves” We
run, we hide and we try and explain to ourselves that everything is ok when it
really isn’t. The problem is we won’t look at it the way God sees
it. I am afraid sometimes in my own life I don’t want to see it the same
way God does. Listen it ain’t just the sinner that needs to Undertake
some reasoning, but also the Saint.
Appl:
When is the last time you and God had a pointed Conversation and He Compared
the sins in your life and asked you to commit them to Him so He can take care
of them and not you?
III.
THE
ULTIMATUM OF IT vs19-20a
A. WILLING and OBEDIENT
“ye shall eat the good”
B. REFUSE and REBEL
“ye shall be devoured”
Note: God gives us a very simple yet
profound Ultimatum in His Proposition. I am reminded of another place in
Scripture where the Prophet Elijah posed an Ultimatum ... 1Ki
18:21 And
Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two
opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but
if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. There are several others that have done so as
well on behalf of God in the Scriptures Moses, Joshua and other Prophets.
Appl: Is God giving you an Ultimatum today possibly.
Maybe it’s to be saved like it was for me on that night many years ago or
maybe it’s today to quit being “halt” between two opinions ...
which one is it?
IV.
THE
UNIQUENESS OF IT vs20b
“for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it”
Note: Listen, I think one of the
sweetest things about this whole verse that has always been dear to me ... God
is wanting and willing to speak to those of us who
have failed Him and forsook Him. That’s Unique, I on the other hand many
times will just ignore someone who has slighted me ... God doesn’t. His
whole goal is to Redeem us and Restore us to what he
wants us to be ... His children. I will never until the day I die forget the
Uniqueness of that night when God took time to “reason” with me. It
was Urgent, it was an Undertaking, he gave me an Ultimatum and it was so Unique because no one else could have done it as He did.
Appl: Does God possibly want to
“reason” with you and you just keep putting Him off? Running to and
fro and staying busy and not taking the time to see what it is that He wants to
propose to you. That may be the reason some of us don’t read our Bibles ...
because we know God wants to “reason” with us out of it. Could be
we might all just need to hear “what thus saith the Lord”