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Cheap But Not Free |
Isaiah 55
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© John Ewing Roberts |
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INTRODUCTION The actor Robert Duvall has made a film which has drawn high praise from circumspect critics and ordinary people who just like good movies. Apostle tells the story of a holiness preacher named "Sonny," a man with great flaws, but a man of great faith, a man who capable of doing something terrible or something wonderful. We hear Sonny Dewey, a. k. a. the Apostle E. F., preaching in a presentation which is sympathetic to his holiness tradition. In one sermon on grace he repeats a wonderful old line aout the grace of God revealed in the love of Jesus on the cross: "It's free," he trumpets, "but it's not cheap!" A Southern Baptist Old Testament teacher and popular preacher of the last generation, Clyde Francisco, would agree with Sonny's proclamation that "it's cheap, but not free!" He summarized Isaiah 55 under the heading Amazing Grace. ...the redemptive work of the Servant is offered to the world. It is free for the asking. It cannot be bought with money or deeds, but there are some conditions attached to it...requirements that (one) can meet, rich or poor. (1) The recipient must be willing to listen to God. (2) (A person) must come to God seeking help, rather than waiting for God to do it all. (3) (One) must desire to change (one's) sinful ways. If persons will do this, the salvation is theirs, guaranteed by the asurance of the everlasting word of the God who works in mysterious ways... (Review and Expositor, edited by Frank Staff, The Book of Isaiah, "Isaiah and the Christian Proclamation," Clyde T. Francisco, Fall, 1969, Vol. LXV, No. 4, pp. 480-481) (emphasis added) A CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS Isaiah 55 is about God's amazing grace, a grace which is free but not cheap. The grace offered here is deliverance from exile, a call to accept the grace of freedom, "an urgent appeal to the exiles to abandon the security they felt in Babylon and to undertake the difficult but glorious journey" God planned for them. The prophet functioned somewhat as a recruiting officer in the Lord's army, trying to enlist volunteers...Those who volunteered were promised spiritual sustenance more satisfying than the food and drink Babylon had to offer (vv. 1-2), an everlasting covenant patterned after that made with David (vv. 3-4), spiritual leadership ...(v. 5), mercy and pardon (vv. 6-7),. an assurance based on the dependability of God's way and God's word (vv. 8-11), and a joyful return to the Land of Prmise (vv. 12-13). (Review and Expositor, edited by R. Alan Culpepper, Isaiah, "Doing It God's Way," Page H. Kelley, Spring 1991, Vol. 88, No. 2, p. 175) Now I am going to stop preaching for a while and present three volunteers, three people of grace. Call them "living illustrations," if you will, although they would in modesty and humility prefer not to be so designated. All three of them are spending their energies on that which satisfies, to use the language of Isaiah 55. All three are volunteers of grace. All three are involved in something wonderful that you need to know about. I have asked Bill Butler to tell you what he has agreed to do for the net three years, Rachel Tanner to tell you what she did the last several days, and William Chin to tell you what he has been led to start doing next Sunday. [At this point Bill Butler spoke of his plans to work as a Director of the Alliance of Baptists for the next three years; Rachel Tanner spoke of the youth program she initiated for the Alliance of Baptists' Convocation and the immersion experience into the world of the homeless in Washington, D. C., March 12-14; William Chin spoke of the Cantonese worship service he will begin to lead on Sunday, March 22.] AN INVITATION TO A BANQUET Isaiah not only calls for volunteers of grace such as Bill, Rachel and William; he also issues an invitation to a banquet. The opening verses take us to a Middle Eastern market place where water sellers peddled the necessity of life by the drink..."you that have no money, come, buy and eat!" "At times someone wishing to show generosity might buy the entire stock of a water-seller and order that it be given without charge to anyone who is thirsty." (Studying Adult Life and Work Lessons, April-June 1983, "Invitation to Life," Herschel H. Hobbs, p.70) This seldom happened, perhaps about as often as a vendr at Camden Yards would shout out, "Free drinks! Forget about money! Free drinks for everyone!" Note well that what is given away "for free," the food and drink, is not cheap stuff. It is not just the bare necessity of water; the menu moves up to milk and wine, bread and the best food of all, delightful, sumptuous banquet fare. It is neither left overs nor subsistence food for the poor. Water, yes, but milk and wine. Bread, yes, but rich food to delight in, "good food that fattens up the soul" (TLB), "the fat of the land," (NEB), "the best food of all" (TEV) (v. 2) This is the same sort of banquet mentioned in Proverbs 9: 1-6, a feast for simple people who want to wise up with some help from God. Wisdom has built her house, with its seven columns. She has prepared the meat and set out the wine. Her feast is ready. She has sent her servant women to announce her invitation from the highest hills; "Everyone who is ignorant or foolish is invited! All of you are welcome to my meat and wine. If you want to live give up your foolishness and let understanding guide your steps." (CEV) Jesus knew these texts from Isaiah 55 and Proverbs 9; he seems to echo them in John 6: 32-35 and 7: 37: Then Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it was my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always." On the last day of the feast, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, `Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water.'" AN INVITATION TO LIFE A banquet with the bread of heaven and living water, a banquet of life, eternal life! This is wonderful, especially since the invitation includes you and me. In the final verses of the last chapter of the last book of the Bible, Jesus says: The Spirit and the bride say, "Come."And let everyone who hears say, "Come." And let everyone who is thirsty come.Let everyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift. (Revelation 22: 17) It's free but it's not cheap. "Come to me and listen to my words, hear me and you shall have life...(v. 3) Jesus said, "I am come that they may have life, and have it abundantly." (John 10: 10) It's free, but it's not cheap. The costly love, the sacrificial love, the love of the One who died on the cross to bring us to God, that costly, precious love is free, but not cheap.... "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3: 16, KJV) It's free, but it's not cheap, for "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 3: 23, KJV) COMMANDS We dare not ignore such free grace. To get our attention Isaiah 55 is full of imperatives, God's commands to take action, and to do what he bids now, not later. "Come to the waters...come, buy and eat...come, buy wine and milk without money and without price...Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food...Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live...See...See,you shall call nations that you do not know...Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near." (emphases added) The urgency of the imperatives rests on the foundation of a God who supplies our needs and who expects us to respond appropriately to what he offers freely but not cheaply. "My Shepherd will supply my need; Jehovah is his name...The sure provision of our God attends us all our days...and when we leave behind our Babylons, when we turn away from exile and alienation and turn in repentance toward God his house will be our abode, and join in the great procession of those who have discovered that all our work can be praise. There we will find a settled rest while others go and come; no more a stranger, nor a guest, but like a child at home." (vv. 1-2) (Wesley L. Frbis, editor, Baptist Hymnal [Nashville: Convention Press] 1991, Isaac Watts, "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need," No. 68) There is no higher destiny than to be a witness to the peoples and lead them to acknowledge the saving power of God (vv. 3-5) Seize the opportunity at once or lose it forever (vv. 6-9) God is faithful and God's word never fails (vv. 10-11) (Kelley, op. cit.) |