The Great Invitation (Isaiah 54:1-55:13)
The sermon outline can be found in the ministry guide.
It is traditionally known as “the deathless sermon”, because of its enduring impact on modern missions. Preached by a pastor named William Carey in Nottingham, England on 30 May 1792, the sermon prompted the formation of the Baptist Missionary Society. Soon afterwards, the society would go on to commission Carey himself as one of its first missionaries. Carey served faithfully in India for more than 40 years and has come to be regarded as the “father of modern missions”.
Surprisingly, given its significance, copies of the sermon no longer exist. So, we do not have much information about what Carey actually said. But what we do know is that he preached on Isaiah 54:2-3. We also know that the sermon had two main points: expect great things; attempt great things. The church in Carey’s day had become rather passive about making Jesus known. Carey was seeking to stir up zeal among Christians for the gospel, especially in the area of missions. These six words, “expect great things; attempt great things”, continue to challenge us today: How will we respond to the gracious God who has promised to do great things for His people? How will we respond to His great invitation to come to Him?
The Lord saves, so be encouraged and come to Him.
Last week, we heard about how the Servant of the Lord would suffer and die to save sinners like us. Isaiah 54 and 55 challenge us to listen to good news of the Servant. These chapters conclude the second major section of Isaiah’s prophecy, from Isaiah 40 to 55. Known as the “book of comfort”, this section begins and ends with the Lord speaking comfort to his people. These chapters were originally written to rebellious Israel, whom God has sent into exile because of their sin. But there is comfort and hope to be found in the Servant of the Lord. Idols — whatever we trust and worship in the place of God — have no power to save. Again and again, Isaiah reminds us that it is the Lord alone who saves. The call to look to the Lord reaches a climax in the great invitation of Isaiah 54 and 55. This is the big idea of our passage: The Lord saves, so be encouraged and come to Him.
We’ll unpack this in two points: (1) Be encouraged, for the Lord saves. Like Israel, we might be so burdened by our cares, anxieties, disappointments, and failures that we lose sight of the greatness of God and His salvation. So, Isaiah encourages the fearful, the weary, and the downcast by showing us the amazing blessings of the Servant’s saving work. Such good news calls for a response. Hence, (2) Come to the Lord who saves. Listen and live. Turn away from our own ways and trust in Him.
Be encouraged, for the Lord saves (Isa 54:1-17)
Sin has consequences. God judged rebellious Israel and sent the disobedient nation into exile to Babylon. Broken and defeated, the Israelites have lost everything. They are far from home and far from God. Israel was supposed to be God’s servant, a light for the nations. But instead of blessing the world, Israel became just like the world. The people of Israel were supposed to be as many as the sand of the seashore, but now only a remnant remained. Their sin has separated them from the holy God. Their relationship with God was ruined, just like their capital city Jerusalem. And the temple, which once stood for God’s glorious presence, has been destroyed.
Do we see ourselves in Israel’s story? God made us in His image, for His glory. But we have all turned aside to live for ourselves. We have followed our own ways, chasing after our own desires and goals, seeking our own glory. We face God’s judgement because we have all sinned and fallen short of His glory. What hope is there for sinners? Thanks to the Servant of the Lord, the floodgates of God’s mercy have opened wide, pouring forth a vast and gracious tide. God will make all things new. Therefore, do not lose heart. Be encouraged, for the Lord saves. Isaiah 54 speaks of how God will create a new family, a new relationship, and a new city.
A new family (Isa 54:1-3)
After God rescued Israel in the Exodus, Moses led the people in song. King David sang psalms praising God for His deliverance. Saved people are singing people. We sing, because the Lord saves. Having been redeemed, how can we not offer up to our Redeemer a sacrifice of praise with lips declaring His glory? So, sing because God turns our fruitlessness into fruitfulness. Israel is likened to a childless woman. Israel was supposed to bear fruit for God, to bless the nations of the earth. But how can this be if Israel is barren?
The language here recalls the story of Israel’s founding father Abraham and his wife Sarah in Genesis. God promised to make Abraham into a great nation to bless all the families of the earth. But how will this barren couple, who were already past the child-bearing age, produce the promised offspring? They tried to take matters into their own hands but made a mess of things. But their faithlessness did not undermine God’s faithfulness. Similarly, Israel’s sin will not void God’s promises. God has kept his word in the past and he will keep it again. Where sin increased, God’s grace abounds all the more.
Newlywed couples usually start out in a smaller home. But as children come along, they move to a bigger home with more room. This is what’s happening in Isaiah 54:2. God tells Israel to get a larger tent to prepare for growth. He will make Israel abundantly fruitful. God will multiply his people and cause them to fill the earth, blessing the world. The promised seed will possess the nations (Isa 54:3). This alludes to Psalm 2:8 about God’s chosen King, “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” So, an offspring of Israel — a promised King — will rule in righteousness for the good of all peoples. In Him, God will bless the nations, who will become a part of God’s people.
God is a missionary. From the beginning, His plan has been to gather the nations through Abraham’s offspring. God raised up his Servant “as a light for the nations, that (his) salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isa. 49:6). The Servant saves people from every nation, tribe and tongue. He will create a new spiritual family comprising all peoples. William Carey was right to apply these verses to missions.
Now, in the fullness of time, Israel’s promised offspring has come. Jesus is both the promised Servant of the Lord as well as the Son of Abraham. He is the true Israel of God. All the nations will be blessed through faith in him. If we are in Christ, God adopts us into His spiritual family, comprising all who trust in Jesus. It is a “great multitude that no one can number” (Rev. 7:9).
Some of us know the sadness of not being able to have children of our own. Do these verses promise biological children to the childless? I do not think so, because the focus here is on God’s saving plan, fulfilled in Christ. Nevertheless, there is true comfort here for us. We are reminded of how our hope is not ultimately found in an earthly family, but in the promised Son, Jesus Christ, who joins us to God’s family. Jesus says we will receive brothers, sisters, mothers and children now through the gospel. Therefore, we can sing because God has adopted us in Christ to be His children. We are no longer spiritual orphans, for we now have a Heavenly Father who loves us. We have spiritual brothers and sisters. We also have spiritual children whom we nurture and grow in the faith. At our Members’ Meeting today, we as a church family have the joy of affirming nine brothers and sisters for membership. Praise God!
Yet, growth can be uncomfortable. As new members join, there might be more faces we do not recognise. The church might feel less familiar to us. Level 3 will get more crowded. The coffee will run out sooner. May God help us to be patient and to persevere in love for one another — for both the newer and longer-time members. I pray God will give us relational wisdom and stamina to be hospitable and build new friendships, even as we deepen existing relationships. May God prepare our hearts for growth. He gives the growth, so let us not become proud or resentful.
Knowing God’s heart for the nations, let us be eager to make Him known. May God also help us to be more aware of those around us who need to hear the gospel.
A new relationship (Isa 54:4-10)
Here, Isaiah moves from the image of family to marriage. Because the Servant has suffered and died, sinners are brought back to God in a new, reconciled relationship. Israel’s sins have estranged her from the holy God. Isaiah 59:2 says, “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.”Israel is likened to an unfaithful spouse who has strayed from God to idols. This is the shame of (Israel’s) youth (Isa 54:4). Sin is spiritual adultery; it breaks faith with God. But God remains faithful, despite His people’s faithlessness. He will remove wayward Israel’s disgrace and reproach.
God is still Israel’s husband. Look at Isaiah 54:5. He is their sovereign Maker and the God of the whole earth, who created and gave them life. He is the LORD of hosts, who rescued them from Egypt and made a covenant with them. He is the Holy One, who is high and lifted up. He is also their Redeemer, who will rescue them again. So, Israel need not fear (Isa 54:4), for God has not forsaken His people whom He loves. Look at Isaiah 54:6-8. The exile is not final, for God will gather His people back to Himself with great compassion. It is a brief separation, not a permanent divorce.
True hope does not depend on our merit or performance. It is founded upon the unchanging character of God.
True hope does not depend on our merit or performance. It is founded upon the unchanging character of God. He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. He forgives sin but will by no means clear the guilty. But how can God forgive faithless sinners without compromising His holiness? As we heard from Isaiah 52-53 last week, the Servant of the LORD died for sinners, bearing God’s judgement as a sacrificial substitute. He was “pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace” (Isa 53:5). The LORD laid on the Servant the guilt and shame of sinners like us. He died the death we should have died. Because of the Servant’s faithfulness, our faithlessness is forgiven if we trust in Him.
Look at Isaiah 54: 9-10. In Noah’s day, God made a covenant to never again destroy the earth with a flood. The rainbow was the sign of that covenant, symbolising how God had hung up His warrior’s bow. This foreshadowed a time when God’s anger would fully and finally be turned aside from sinners. That time has come, for Jesus has drunk the cup of God’s wrath against sin. He has completely satisfied the demands of divine justice. The righteous God will not and cannot punish the same sins twice. Therefore, we are fully forgiven in Christ. God is just to no longer count our sins against us. In Christ, we are right with God. Nothing can change that. Beloved, we can be sure of salvation because we can be sure of Christ. In Him, we are joined to God in a covenant of peace that can never be broken. God is no longer angry with us. Our trials are not punishment from a wrathful God, but the discipline of a loving Father. So, fear not.
A new city (Isa 54:11-17)
In the 5th century, Augustine wrote about how two cities have been in the process of building since the beginning of history. Both cities are built on love, but these loves are opposed. The City of Man is built on the love of self; the City of God is built on the love of God. Jerusalem in the Old Testament was supposed to be God’s dwelling place — a city on a hill displaying God’s glory; a worship-magnet attracting the nations to praise the true God. However, the city became corrupt, and so God sent the Babylonians to destroy it. But God promises to build a new and better city, for His glory.
Look at Isaiah 54:11-12. The new city will be made out of precious stones. This recalls the precious stones on the breastpiece of Israel’s high priests, which they would wear when praying for the people. This city represents the redeemed and renewed people of God, who will be God’s precious possession, radiant and glorious. The different stones show how God’s people will be beautiful in their unity amid diversity. They shall be one because they are all taught by the LORD. The unity of God’s people is grounded in His truth. Unlike old covenant Israel, where only some had genuine faith in God, the new city is made up of believers only. As it says in Jeremiah 31, what is distinctive about the new covenant community is that they shall all know the Lord. God is their God and they are His people. Look at Isaiah 54:13-17. God is the city’s provider and protector. His people will enjoy the safety of His peace and righteousness. No enemy can ultimately defeat them because the LORD will vindicate His people. The world may revile and reject them, but they shall be right in God’s sight.
God is building a new city through His Servant. Even now, Jesus is gathering to Himself a people who know and trust Him. Hebrews 12:22 says Christians have “come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem”. The church, God’s redeemed people, is the new covenant city of God. God intends to display His glory through us. We are to be a city on a hill — proclaiming Christ and reflecting his love and holiness to the world. We will still be afflicted and storm-tossed (Isa 54:11) while we live as pilgrims in the wilderness of this fallen world. Because we are not yet home, we will face temptations, trials, opposition, and setbacks. But fear not. Jesus has promised to build His church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Sin and death shall be defeated. Press on, for our citizenship is safe in heaven. From it we await our Saviour.
Amid toil and tribulation
And tumult of her war
We wait the consummation
Of peace forevermore;
Till, with the vision glorious,
Our longing eyes are blest,
And the great church victorious
Shall be the church at rest.
When Jesus returns, the holy city, new Jerusalem, will come down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Then, the glory of our new family, our new relationship, and our new city will be fully revealed. God will dwell with us as our God, and we shall be His people. Behold the wonderful blessings of the gospel! This is strong encouragement for us to come to the Lord who saves.
Come to the Lord who saves (Isa 55:1-13)
Hear the Lord’s great invitation to us in Isaiah 55:1: “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” Do we realise our need for life-giving water from the Lord? Without it, we will perish. But if we come to the Lord, He lavishes us with wine and milk, to strengthen our souls with His joy and strength.
The Lord invites us to come empty-handed — to see our own spiritual poverty. We are undeserving. There is nothing good in us that merits God’s favour. We cannot earn salvation through self-effort or self-righteousness. We come to the Lord with nothing except our guilt and shame. Nothing in our hands we bring; simply to the cross of Christ we cling. Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven… Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matt. 5:3, 6).
Salvation is free, but it is not cheap. We buy without money and price because Jesus has paid it all. The infinite cost of our redemption has been borne by the infinitely worthy Servant who laid down His life for us. So, stop wasting our time, money, and energy on our idols. See Isaiah 55:2. Why give ourselves to that which does not satisfy, to that which cannot save? Why seek for joy and security in worldly things that will surely pass away? Can our abilities, achievements, experiences, relationships, health and wealth truly satisfy us? Singaporeans know a good deal, especially when it comes to food. So, why settle for junk food, when we can have a free, all-you-can-eat buffet of the best food imaginable? The Lord invites us to his feast to eat what is good, and delight (ourselves) in rich food.
Do not presume on God’s patience, thinking we can keep putting Him off until a “better time”. Do not wait until we are less busy or until we have sorted out our lives. Now is the favourable time, now is the day of salvation.
What does it mean to come to the Lord? Look at Isaiah 55:2-3. Notice the threefold call to listen and live: Listen diligently…Incline your ear… hear, that your soul may live (Isa 55:3). If we listen to the Lord, He will establish an everlasting covenant relationship with us through His promised King. God shows steadfast love and faithfulness to David, by keeping His promise to establish one of David’s descendants as king forever. Jesus, David’s greater son, is this promised King. Look at Isaiah 55:4-5. God has exalted His Son, Jesus. He is the light of the world, who calls all peoples to follow Him. Therefore, come now to King Jesus. Isaiah 55:6 urges us to seek the LORD while he may be found. The great invitation to come to Him will not last forever. So, come without delay. Do not presume on God’s patience, thinking we can keep putting Him off until a “better time”. Do not wait until we are less busy or until we have sorted out our lives. Now is the favourable time, now is the day of salvation. What are you waiting for?
To come to the Lord also means to turn and trust. Look at Isaiah 55:7-9. God calls us to repent of our ways of living and thinking, which have not glorified God. Do we imagine God to be like us? Sinful man tends to make gods in his own image. Our idols reveal what we treasure, what we want, or what we fear. But the true God is not like us; He is high and lifted up. His ways and his thoughts are not like ours. There is an infinite gulf between us and the holy God. He is holy, holy, holy. We are not. Yet, this God is not far from us. He who dwells in the high and holy place also draws near to “revive the spirit of the lowly” (Isa 57:15). Therefore, return to the LORD for we can be sure of His compassion. He will not turn us away, if we turn to Him humbly by faith. God will abundantly pardon.
So, do not let our sins keep us away from God. Though our sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Turn and trust that God is gracious and merciful. We can be sure of this because He has given His Son for us and for our salvation. We know the Son by listening to His word. Look at Isaiah 55:10-11. We can trust in the power of God’s word to give us life. Like the rain and snow that water the earth, God’s word will not fail to accomplish God’s life-giving purpose. God has spoken His saving word through His Servant. Will we listen?
These verses in Isaiah encourage us to trust in the power of God’s word to do God’s work. May God’s word continue to be the foundation for our life and ministry. So, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching” (2 Tim. 4:2). Because God’s word will not fail, our labour in the Lord will not be in vain. In God’s way and in God’s time, His word will bear fruit. So, do not lose heart. Press on in faith and faithfulness. May God grant us all a humble, prayerful boldness that expects great things from God and attempts great things for God.
Beloved, God is making all things new. Look at Isaiah 55:12. All of creation will break forth into singing, joining God’s redeemed people in song. Our passage begins and ends with singing.There will be great rejoicing. Isaiah looks forward to a greater redemption, in which God’s people will be saved from sin and death, saved into joy and peace.
Look at Isaiah 55:13. This present world, with all of its pain and brokenness, is passing away. God will create a new heavens and new earth where He will dwell forever with His redeemed, transformed people. The curse of sin, represented by the thorn and brier, will give way to blessing and life. The new creation is the everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. God will be glorified. The fame of God’s name will spread.
Even now, this is already happening. So, come to the Lord who saves. All who trust in Jesus will receive forgiveness and new life. In Christ alone, we are a new creation. But the fulfilment of these promises has not yet come in its fulness. So, we wait patiently for the Lord, longing for the day when he will swallow up death forever. Then, God will “wipe away every tear from (our)eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away (Rev. 21:4). Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!