Isaiah 1:18-20 - I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

you have a Bible with you would you find a Isaiah chapter 1 verse 18 on behalf of our staff we want to wish you a Merry Christmas we're thankful that you're a part of the church we're glad that you made it service tonight that you made this an important part of your Christmas week and I'd like to remind you of a couple of things that I think are important specifically to Christmas or maybe you don't know them at all and today will be the first time that you really considered them we've entitled the message this evening I'm dreaming of a white Christmas with all the rewriting of songs I went back to another song they should just leave alone but it was written by a songwriter from his heart a many many years ago actually but it was a cry from his heart to be back in the snow he wasn't he was out in Palm Springs in the desert and I really think it kind of goes along with a cry from the Lord to our hearts tonight that he would like to do nothing more than to bring you into a relationship with him that takes away your sin that takes away the separation that removes the things that can be a barrier into your life Irving Berlin wrote the song white Christmas he reminisced in it about a old fashioned kind of Christmas with snow on the ground according to the Guinness World Book of Records the version that Bing Crosby sang is the single greatest selling single in history it has sold over 60 million copies wish I'd written it the story is told that he was with his wife Irving Berlin was in the nineteen 1940 in LaQuinta at the La Quinta hotel which at least in the 40s was kind of the hangout for all the Hollywood types and he it was 82 degrees and he wanted it to be snowing and he longed for his home back east the song has been recorded by everyone it seems every year somebody puts it out since 1941 all of the songs together all the recordings together have sold a little over 110 million copies so it's certainly a song that most of us are aware of the Bing Crosby version I think has been in in in publications since 1949 I think when the long-playing album came out and it's been that remake it every year the sentiment that drove the song though was interesting if you've been to the desert it's not very pretty in the winter necessarily but it's beautiful if it would be covered in snow and it never is but that was kind of his heart that the the white fluffy snow could cover the barren ground and and then the lack of flowers and the gloom of winter could be covered by this beautiful white kind of refreshing new snow if you live in Southern California got to drive a couple hours to see it usually if you live back east you see it way too much there's nothing in the middle yet in some ways I guess Christmas is like that it is God's way of renewing and Reed regaining what we lost the havoc of sin that took place years ago I can only imagine if you read through the book of Genesis how nice it must have been how blessed it must have been for Adam and Eve early on in the garden with God that they talked with God everything was provided for them there was there was joy and and there was happiness and there was good relationship and then somehow you know all of that became quickly tinted and tainted by sin overwhelmed with sorrow death soon followed the man finds himself like that we're all sinners the Bible makes that pretty clear if you if you you're not ask a friend they'll tell you but it has tainted our lives and yet God in his great love determined not to lose his creation to sin and death his solution which was in place long before he made us was to send His Son Jesus to redeem us and that he would bring us back to himself that he would remove this punishment that a righteous God would demand of man in his sin death he would pay to himself that we could then find ourselves in a relationship with God because he would have gone to the cross to pay for our sins the book of Isaiah is and has been written and was written 700 years or so before Jesus came upon the scene and it looked forward with great anticipation for Christmas for the day of his birth in fact the book of Isaiah unlike any other book in the Bible is it's kind of a miniature Bible there are 66 chapters in this book there are 66 books in the Bible the first 39 chapters of the book of Isaiah speak about the judgment of God against sin there are 39 Old Testament books which speak about man's plight as well the last 27 books of the Book of Isaiah or chapters speak about the coming Messiah the hope of his coming interestingly enough there are 27 New Testament books which talk about the grace of God and the goodness of God and the hope that the Messiah would bring so when we read here in verse 18 come now and let us reason together says the Lord though your sins are like scarlet they can be as white as snow and though they are red like crimson they can be as wool if you're willing and obedient you can eat the good of the land but if you refuse and rebell you will be devoured by the sword and for the mouth of the Lord has spoken we read in Isaiah chapter 40 that there are good tidings coming so go up to the house my mountains Isiah will write bring good tidings lift up your voice say to the cities of Judah behold your God is coming and indeed Christmas says he came his reward we read is with him his work goes before him he will feed his flock like a shepherd gathered the Lambs in his arms carry them in his bosom gently lead those who are with young the promise of a savior to come here in chapter 1 the Lord in speaking through Isaiah speaks to his people they are religious they are chosen they are his own in many ways but yet this generation has gone far read away and far removing themselves from any kind of relationship with God at all in fact this generation to him Isaiah would speak was not at all like the past generations who worshiped God this generation had no relationship with God at all I'll tell you what they did have that had church services and sacrifices and regular prayer days and feast days they went through all of the motions they showed up at the right time they stood up when they needed to and raised their hands when they should and left when it was time but they had no relationship with God it was non-existent it was a shallow it was hypocritical and yet the Lord says to this religious bunch of folks come on let's reason together consider your dilemma your sins are are red like scarlet but I have a solution for you I can make them as white as snow I think that this message of Isaiah's to his generation 700 years before the promised Messiah would come is certainly apropos for our generation today for our nation it could use the the message and for the world in which we live let's get beyond the decorations and the pageantry and look at again where we stand with God tonight many people today I'm pretty religious they're proud of their spirituality you wonder what kind of difference that might make in their lives this generation to whom God spoke these three verses was very proud of their spirituality of their of their condition in life they were the Jews and yet the Lord says to them we should reason together because at some point in your life your religion isn't gonna save you or help you makes you comfortable kind of like hamburgers you know you can always eat a hamburger feel better well at least I can it's not exactly nutritious and so your religion it really doesn't bring you to God it doesn't establish your hope for the future it doesn't get you into heaven and the Lord in very clear terms if you'll read this chapter just as the first chapter will say to these people I'm so tired of you showing up every week with all of your religious trappings I really am or it wears me out I don't need it but then he invites them to examine where they stood so maybe tonight is the time for you to acknowledge that there's a relationship with God that he wants to have that you don't have and it's not based upon you so much as what he's done for you because that's what Christmas is all about I heard someone say on television the other night Christmas is just like a normal day at the office you do all the work and the fat guy in the suit gets all the credit I thought that was kind of interesting so let's take it one step further he did all the work he just wants your life eternal life through faith in his son and he invites you to come and consider where you stand well look at verse 18 because the first step in all of this is is God's invitation for you to come come now he sends out the invitation I don't know if you've ever heard of an office party or a family get-together and you weren't invited and how that makes you feel you should have been there at least you think so well you'll be glad to know that when it comes to Christmas God makes the first move and you're invited you're on the VIP list he wants you in the front row which none of you seem to be off few of you parents forced to sit in the front row with the kid God wants to have you come that's his heart that's his desire he would like you to come he makes the first move what happened when Adam and Eve sinned it was fine until the day they did and then something happened they became aware of their failure they sewed some fig leaves together to try to cover their nakedness and yet when the Lord came into the garden layer they hid anyway consciously aware that they were separated from God that there was sin in their life it's a pretty apt picture of man who's been running ever since hiding from God who keeps running after them you're gonna get away unless you want to because God's heart is to redeem he sent his son to save his his desires that all men would never be lost but all would be saying that I would come to a saving knowledge of his son so no know that for yourself tonight first that God's heart toward you as he wants you in your and you're invited your treasured by him he longs to give you life his grace is at the ready his arms are open wide we read in in Galatians chapter 4 that when the fullness of time came when everything was set God sent forth his son he was born of a woman he was born under the law he came to redeem those who were under the law that we could be adopted as his sons and daughters that we could have his spirit within us crying Abba Father that's God's plan he makes the first move in God's timing Jesus was sent he's completely man born of a woman he's completely God sent his son he was under the law which we couldn't keep that's why he came he could keep it he's God or we're not he came to redeem us and every promise that you will read in the Old Testament fulfills that sense of his desire to give you life he wants you to be his kids the word redeem is a pretty strong word in Hebrew it means to buy back or a port to pay a price as a ransom and it must have been music to the ears of 60 million slaves under the Roman Empire on the days of Jesus he came to bring us out the word adoption comes from two greek words put together one means Sun and the other means position God sends his son so you could stand in his place as God's Son he could bring you in he could make you his own and when he does something happens with him God sends his spirit to live within you and in your heart you begin to cry out for God the word Abba is an Aramaic diminutive word that means Abba means daddy literally not father dad cry of of love and dependency and Isaiah points out that Jesus invites us to come first so you know sometimes people go well you know I found the Lord no he didn't he wasn't lost you were he found you when he went to little Zacchaeus his house there in Luke chapter 19 and he met with Zacchaeus and he shared the good news with him and Zacchaeus opened his heart and received Christ into his life Jesus stood on the porch of that house and said today salvation has come to this house he's a son of Abraham for the Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost that's that's his heart he wants to find you and maybe that's why you're here today i got has been hunting you down and it's about time you give him your life because let's face it without him you're not being able to handle it very well and you're not very prepared for what comes next which is a meeting with god one on what abba father when god begins to work you'll notice the Bible tells us that he knocks on every door he seeks to have dinner with you to have fellowship with you that he he comes knocking if you will he comes looking for you he comes to find you there's a scripture in Isaiah that talks about seek the Lord while he may be found and call upon him while he is near there's times when God just kind of gets your heart and your attention and he wants to speak to you wants to bring you in Paul knew that when he wrote to the Ephesians he said why we were dead in our trespasses God made us alive in Christ so God's heart is to find you that's the way he is there's a story in Luke chapter 15 I believe where the Lord said if you have a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray or you lose to them you you leave the ninety-nine and you go looking for the one that was lost and when you find him you put them on your shoulders and you care and you invite everyone to come over and rejoice with you because you were lost but now you're found and the Lord said that's the kind of joy you'll find in heaven over one sinner that repents so look at verse 18 again God says to the nation - to his people - you into it to me come now come he's come looking for you and I'll tell you what Christmas at that is at its core is the absolute declaration that God has come looking for you second of all verse 18 says let us reason together God not only comes looking for you he asks of you a rational response to your condition I love the the fact that God would actually say to a sinful man or to a sinful woman let's talk this thing through let's look at you let's look at me let's look at what you can do and what I can do let's decide whether this is gonna work out or not and what we should do to get you from where you are to where I am come lo little let us reason together consider me and I love the fact that God calls us to listen and to reason and then not just emotionally responds you know our emotions can just go up one minute and down the next he wants to deal with you in truth and in reality to think things through there's a lot of people that say there have faith but they're no more than just emotional people and the minute things go wrong they don't know where to turn they have no foundation for their hope they'll tell you to not ask questions don't try to figure things out all you have to do is believe well that's ridiculous when God doesn't call you to do that either he wants you to consider your sinfulness and his promise considered the fact that he made a promise seven hundred years earlier to send his son to die in 700 years later he showed up and he died and he rose and he offers life the veracity of the Scriptures the fact that they are are true from one generation to the next thing is written you can go back and verify as much as has been promised and fulfilled has yet to be fulfilled is to give you a rationale and a reason to believe God wants your faith to be genuine and based upon understanding look we don't understand everything that God is doing Isaiah says in chapter 55 same book my thoughts are not your thoughts my way is beyond your finding out however there are things we can do have got about God and he has made them clear to us so your faith has to be reasonable based on God's promises invested in his track record of being a hundred percent right all of the time sustained when you get saved by a subjective experience of truth as the Holy Spirit moves into your hearts to teach you for 11 chapters Paul in writing the book of Romans will say here's what you should know about God and for 11 chapters they'll beat you over the head with theology with doctrines with deep kind of important things to learn about God but it isn't until you get to chapter 12 verse 1 that he then says to us look since you know all of these things now present your body a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God because that should be your reasonable service and don't be conformed to this world let your mind be renewed prove those things that are right that you know it might know it is that perfect will of God but it was all about know at first then believe what you know and I think for us that should be the same for us you should become convinced of the truth so that you might then believe in Jesus and you'll consider him how gracious of a God do we serve that would send His only Son to die that's Christmas he puts his love on display he calls upon us to trust in him as justice cries for the sword mercy invites us to the confort stable let's have a meeting let's talk about where you're headed and what the result of a life like that going to lead you know when the Lord said in Isaiah st. since we're sticking into this book how can a woman forget her nursing's child how could she not have compassion on the son of her womb even if she forgets the Lord said I would never forget you that's God's heart we read in lamentations that the Lord said to Israel deep in sin I don't want to cast you off forever I will show you mercy and a multitude of compassion I don't inflict willingly I don't want to grieve the children of men he came to give life so come let's consider God whom God has done for you my heart yearns for him he would say in Jeremiah I want to have mercy upon him so God offers this generation in us a complete pardon so let's settle our differences you got into sin I got solutions you have bondage I can set you free you need life I have life so come he calls the hip meeting he asks of you consideration though your sins verse 18 are like scarlet they can be white as snow though they are red like crimson they can be as wool in the discussion God's answer to you and to me is that he will redeem us consider this offer from the Lord this invitation to sinners I think if you understood that God is only out to save that you wouldn't refuse anything he has to say when you read in revelation 3:20 he stands at the door and knocks and If any man would hear that and open the door he will come in suffer with him give us a life we read that Jesus wants to be invited you wants us to be able to be in fellowship with him but our condition as we reason together is with the Lord is pretty grim our sins in his eyes are like crimson by the word crimson means double died it's a word that talks about permeating a fabric that you know it can't be removed Israel had no way out their sin was unforgivable had God not paid the price there was nothing they could have done to write the books scarlet is just a similar word that means deep-seated it's interesting that the scarlet crimson dyes that came from the scarlet worm specious the female is an interesting kind of thing that history sets out before us in nature because a crimson worm if you will when it is ready to get birth to her young will attach to her body to the the sole of a tree or the base of a tree as you say the trunk of a tree and so permanently that she'll never leave there and when the eggs are deposited her body protects the larva until they're hatched and this new life begin but as the mother dies this crimson fluid flows out of her body it stains the wood that's what they used to extract us to make crimson dyes and closed in those days if you will what a picture you know Jesus comes he dies on a cross he sheds his blood so that he might make you clean in fact if you go to Psalm I think 22 the Lord said I'm a worm and no man as he laments over being hung on a cross and left alone to die abandoned it seems by the father so that he might pay a price for us he says I'm a reproach I'm despised by all people the word worm there is the exact same word as the word crimson here he came to pour out his life so let's reason together I have a way out of your dilemma I can bring snowfall have forgiveness I can make the landscape wide again it's what David wrote in Psalm 51 I think purge me with hyssop I can be clean wash me I can be whiter than snow look here's the dilemma you're a sinner and he's holy you can't work your way out of the problem but he can offer the solution religion has a different take on it they say this you can work your way out of this just do better straighten up fly right well I'd be great if the wages of sin wasn't death but the minute you sin you die spiritually you're gonna die physically now what now we have to turn to God's grace Christmas celebrates the birth of the Messiah the savior of the world Jesus Christ so named because he was going to come to do one thing save his people from their sin that's God's solution the name Jesus or Yeshua it means God is salvation that's why he came that's his purpose so here we are celebrating Christmas but from God's protective perspective it's huge it's an invitation from God to have you sit and talk to him about your life and his solution his love and your dilemma your predicament and his Redemption and his grace and His mercy is condition conditional it is dependent on two requirements at least what we read here in verse 19 and 20 and the two requirements are fairly straightforward one is you have to be willing to agree with him that this is the path you're going to need to do for life and number two that willingness is gonna have to be exhibited through obedience which brings us to our third and last point and this is it God gives you a choice he invites you to come he wants you to honestly look at your dilemma and his promises he wants you to compare those look at the history look at God's Word look at the fulfillment be convinced that he is indeed right and then he wants you to make a decision if you are willing and you are obedient we read in verse 18 19 you're gonna eat the good of the land if you rebel and you refuse you're gonna be devoured and you can count on it because the Lord has said so if you compare the if of verse 19 to the but of verse 20 the causes that are there it's exactly the choice that we have to make and that's a choice - by the way you'll find throughout the scriptures when God was ready to take the children visit unto the land of promise and Deuteronomy 31 of the last things out of Moses mouth to the people before he died was look I'm setting before you today life and death good and evil I'm telling you to love the Lord and walk in his ways and keep his Commandments you can multiply and you can live in the Lord will bless you but if your heart turns away and you just walk away then then you have to deal with a judgment of God but make a good choice Joshua would ask the people to make the same choice choose you this day who are gonna serve it as for me and my house we're gonna serve the Lord you see the bottom line to salvation is it now falls upon you God hasn't made the invitation he's provided the way he's given you enough evidence to believe and then he puts the ball in your court and says now are you gonna believe or not you can walk out of here tonight angry I'll believe well that's fine not gonna have to answer to me I have no idea about you but God knows everything about you but you should know that his heart is to say his willingness is to forgive he's provided all that's necessary so if you're not willing you can't hardly blame him when he is more than willing to give you life and notice at the end of verse twenty ten to drive on that thought he says God's Word spoken to the Lord religion is unacceptable but so is a life of sin and you can cover up a lot of sin by church-going and song singing and and cursed miss caroling but let's be reasonable is your hope tonight in Jesus Christ is he the hope of your life you see the Lord of your life or you just go through the motions you show up at church every once in a while you always make Christmas and Easter that makes you a American Christian you gotta choose and to him it's there's no there's no religious you know persuasion that's gonna impress them he wants a relationship with you the amazing thing to me is that God gave you the power to make a choice he opens your eyes to see so you can clearly choose if you read the story about the the prodigal son which I'm sure you know the story of the you know when he became of age he he made a choice it was a bad one he said to us is that I know you got an inheritance for me I'd like it early and the father so it's really not the way we do things well no I'd like it early and the father gave it to him he went out into the world and he blew his his you know his money on righteous living and then wasting it in the way that you know a lot of people do get caught up in the world everything has to offer I only need to find out you have nothing to show for but he made another decision later on in life he sat eating food with the pigs not exactly a kosher thing for a Jew to do and he said you know my service my father's servants eat better and live better than I do I I know I can't ever be his son anymore I burned that bridge but maybe I can go home and just go to work for him my life would improve tremendously I'm not worthy to be called his son but I'd like to be a hired servant and he went home only to find his father searching the fields every day with his eyes from a distance away hoping he'd come home the boy made another choice he made the wrong choice now he's gonna make the right one and when he arrived home he found that the Lord and and in this case the father was more than willing to receive him to himself he my son which was lost has been found that was his heart Christmas is about that you make a list of it christmas is coming to your senses Christmas is reasoning together with God Christmas is agreeing that your sins are like crimson in his eyes permanently damaged you from inside out there's no repair unless you get a new heart and a fresh start and someone to pay the the debt that sin requires and then if you call upon his name and you place your hand in his hand you can receive life because that's what God wants for you it all comes back to ot are you willing to receive him or not because tonight God is dreaming for you of a rata white Christmas so that your heart could be clean and pure with him it's the best offer gone it's the best president of the tree that one will last forever and you won't have to return and you can't afford it amen father thank you tonight as we sit together for the love that you've shown us the goodness that you've extended to us but there's really nothing else that we could do but realize that God you loved your creation you you've come and invite us to come to you you you ask us to be honest with our appraisal of who we are and who you are what we have what we need and what you've promised to provide and then with all of the information that we could then make a clear choice to obey to embrace to follow after you to be convinced of your love or to just decide it isn't true at all and walk away but it seems to me lawyer that the evidence is so overwhelming that you're the only true God and your word fulfill tonight you can decide to give Jesus your life no one can make that decision for you but you should know that God would like to make that a part of your relationship with him that he shows you who is and then he gives you the opportunity to agree I'm sorry I am a sinner you are a savior I do need life I've messed up my life pretty good there's if I look back over to my choices and the things that I've made there's no way I'm gonna make this work and I want to go to heaven I want to be acceptable in your sight one day and the wages of sin is death and like I see it in my own life thank you Lord that you sent your son that Christmas is here that Jesus was sent for free people that for the most part not want anything to do with him and yet Eve he gave his loss so that you could have the opportunity to have life but now it falls on your shoulders it falls to you what are you gonna do with him come now let us reason together though your sins are as scarlet can make you white as snow and if you're willing then we'll do that and if you're not I can't help you and Jesus said to the Pharisees you know only the sick need a doctor but you say you're well so you don't need my health come let us reason together it's a night I pray that for you that discussion between you and God might bring you to relinquish your life to him because he's waiting with open arms to give you his life there's no one is looking around tonight would you if you are desiring now to make a relationship with God real would you raise your hand I'd like to pray for you God bless you alright you can put it back down god bless you as well in you it's an important decision you know because it really does lay up on your heart and lay it your door the Lord still knocking he knocks as loudly at your door as the next persons he gives all of us an equal opportunity are you gonna do that tonight are you gonna let this Christmas be the Christmas that Jesus is able to claim your heart and to and to fill you with the spirit and to give you life anyone else before we pray [Music] all right god bless so we're gonna pray and then we're gonna sing and you're gonna be dismissed for those of you that are raised your hand or or those of you that should have and now are wishing you had no time you know like the present but afterwards when we dismiss if you'll come up and talk to one of the pastors up front we'll we'll get you started with some Bible studies so that you can walk around and tell people this is what God promised to do for me rather than saying this is what the pastor said just gonna help you much if it's not in his word so father we lift up these tonight that have raised their hands and God that you've spoken to that you've called to this place that that this was the year that they were ready to hear and listen this is a time but they were open to you and receive from you life the Father that you might give to them that that outpouring of your spirit that assurance within of your word that you will wash them clean and make them new and may they just be so different tomorrow than they are today because you've moved in now into their hearts you've brought real life thank you Lord that the the Crimson sinned that the power of sin the stain of sin the power of sin over us can be removed by your spirit and we can begin to have victories so we lift up our new brothers and sisters thank you Lord for making this Christmas it's so important to them and we rejoice with them that they have now found life with you so blessed man we pray in Jesus name

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Length: 39min 29sec (2369 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 07 2020