Sermon/Thoughts on Isaiah 55
Elgin, Illinois
August 8, 1909
Previously unpublished. Incomplete.
The 55th chapter of Isaiah: “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread?” [Verses 1, 2.] 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 1
Can we answer that question? All the indulgences which are tearing down the human being that God has created, false, poisonous things that are put in their lips, just consider it: tearing themselves to pieces, working against God, enfeebling the mind that it cannot discern sacred things. You cannot afford it. 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 2
“Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not?” [Verse 2.] Now, your soul and your body are to go in harmony, and whatever light there is in the Word of God that shall give you instruction in regard to keeping yourselves in the very best condition of life and health, it is your duty to follow, to cut off everything in the line of indulgences and not eat of those things that satisfy not. There are things that create an appetite—tobacco, tobacco-smoking, and the taking of intoxicating liquors—poison, poison, the whole of it is. And yet here we tear ourselves to pieces, many do, and then complain against God, what He makes us suffer so for. 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 3
You just be obedient children to God and keep His law and you will find that you will have strength of body and muscle and clearness of brain to distinguish between right and wrong, between truth and error; and what we want is a living daily experience in the knowledge of the will and ways of God. And when we have this, let me tell you, there will be very many less places that have not been worked than there are now. 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 4
We see places where we know, as we look, that they should be worked—every place has not been worked. Everyone that hath the knowledge of the truth is to appreciate it and to so express it in character, in words, in walks, that others shall take knowledge of you that you have been with Jesus, and you have learned of Him that walked the earth in sorrow and humbleness of mind, and yet with gladness of spirit because He could be a living example to all that became acquainted with Him. And what we want is the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We want to follow on that we may know Him, that His going forth is prepared as the morning. 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 5
Here the thirsty are called: verse 1. What is the only price? Obedience to the will of the benefactor. “Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not,” that which is weakening the physical strength so that you cannot appreciate the spiritual? 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 6
We want now to awake. We have got but a little time now. Satan is working with all the deceivableness of unrighteousness to make people depart from the truth, but we cannot afford it. It is the truth we want on every point, and we want to live the truth, to speak the truth in love, and we want every day to see someone that we can help and bless. 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 7
We are God’s family; we are redeemed by one Saviour. It is one life that is given to save every one of you who is before me today, and therefore should we not have a living interest in those that are perishing all around us and cannot discern between righteousness and error which is death? 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 8
We want life, life-giving principles. We want to live it in the home. We want to carry it with us wherever we go. We want to save every penny that is possible to be saved from needless indulgences. What for? Why, that these publications can be obtained. Light can be sent to those in foreign countries and far-off nations that we have been trying to educate through the various means of our publications and of our sending missionaries. All this takes money, and you should have your contributions in your houses, your contribution boxes, and teach your children, in the place of spending their means for indulgences which they do not need, to put it in their boxes and contribute, so that the truth may be carried to those that know it not. 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 9
Verse 2. “Eat ye that which is good.” That is so that you may reason from cause to effect that it will produce no injury to brain, bone or muscle, and then you will have clear discernment to understand the truth in its beauty and in its force and your prospect for eternal life you may make yourself. You are making your prospect every day either for or against the truth. 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 10
Now may the Lord help us to understand our physical system is ours to keep in excellent condition, that we shall not fail nor be discouraged, that we shall not lose our life untimely through selfish indulgences. 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 11
We want to remember we are laborers together, together with God. Well now, if He employs us in this world, we must walk to the point. “Hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.” Now that is spiritually. You are to know what is truth. You are to know out of the Word what God has given you that you may cherish it, that you may love it, that you may obey it. Why? Because you have a soul to save, and you have other souls to save when you understand how to save your own soul by obedience to the commandments of God. 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 12
Verse 2. Why? Because you are feeding on the Word of life and angels are right around you to make the due impression upon the human heart. The angels of God are in this meeting today. It is the angels of God that are trying to make impressions upon human mind whenever discourses are given. 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 13
“Let your soul delight itself in fatness.” Your soul; yes, it is eating and drinking and dressing, that you can accomplish a work that no one outside of your family can accomplish, and God helps. “Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear and your soul shall live.” Now here is a promise that you are to bring to God when you comply with the conditions: “And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.” [Verse 3.] Now you study the Word and you will understand what that means. 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 14
Verses 4, 5. “And nations,” now mark these words, “that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.” 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 15
He hath opened your understanding. It is the Bible that is our educator. We are to study the Word faithfully and carry it out explicitly. 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 16
(Repetition of verse 5.) Now we have had an opportunity to see it when we were in our large camp meeting at Washington; there they came from foreign countries—nice, intelligent looking people to be introduced to the workers, and we were very thankful to speak with them. They came to get all that we have and carry it away, and I thank the Lord our God they had something to carry. 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 17
Verses 6, 7. “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found,” etc. Will we do it? or will we seek our own convenience and follow our own inclination and do what we please with our means and not be laborers together with God? Gad has entrusted means in your hands, and how in the world can the people have the truth unless every one of us shall have a spirit of sacrifice? 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 18
Verse 7. “Abundantly pardon.” Verses 8, 9. 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 19
Through sanctification of the truth of God right in this Word your will understand it yourself, and will be brought into that position that you will see that you can reach many souls that cannot understand. Why? Because they have been delving all their lives to obtain something in this life that they think will bring them high recognition in the world. Well now, what does God offer us? That life which measures with the life of God, that life which is immortal. Isn’t that enough? Will you not put your whole mind and soul into the subject? What shall I do that I may obtain that transfer that God alone can given to the kingdom of heaven and there rest from every temptation of Satan, for he cannot reach me there? Satan himself will be destroyed ere long. The great battle is going on; it is walking all the time to the point. 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 20
Now seek ye the Lord while He may be found. Verses 7-11. “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: ... it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it,” if you will let it. If you let it, it will do that. Why, we have an eternal truth presented to us if we will give our services to our Redeemer. And where are your children? Are you educating them for just such a life? God help us! 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 21
Verses 11, 12. That will be the representation that is made upon your minds; from the very tress that you see around you, you understand more about God. You understand more about your Creator. When persons come and urge my advice whether they shall make their home in the city, my voice says, In the country. In the country—go to work in the country. Till the soil, do anything, but do not mingle in the congested cities unless you have a work to do for those that are already there and a message that you can bear. You may do your best, and then you may have schools, you may have sanitariums. Then letters will come to me: “Sister White, now after our schools have done their work for these students, how shall we get them connected with the higher education of the world?” Who wants it? Tell me who wants it? Verse 11. What was that? Why, He gave you Christ, He gave His only begotten Son that humanity might grasp divinity in Jesus Christ. You take Christ in your soul and then you will find you have wisdom; you need not take them to the world to get something of the world to finish their education. No, indeed; the Bible, the precious Bible—study it and then teach them to carry it out in their life. “For ye shall go out with joy,” etc. Verse 12. Now this is the written word and these are figures that you are to apply and you are to understand what it means. 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 22
Verse 13. There is where the beauty of it is. “Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment.” Chapter 56:1. We do not have half the judgment we might have. Educate yourself in judgment. Every one of you, put to the tax every capacity that you have in view of the transfer that you are to make to the higher court, that there you shall walk by the side of Christ to get the higher education. That is the only higher education that you can obtain. He carries you with the Book in the hand, and He shows you the meaning of the words of the Book that you do not comprehend, and there, with the tree of life on either side and the path where He leads you, there are the trees for the healing of the nations, where they shall pluck and eat and find no difficulty in taking care of the food that they shall eat. 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 23
Chapter 55:13; 56:1, 2. You are to remember that God spoke about what day you were to keep. You need not be at all at any loss as to what day it is. “Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God,” and there He has given you His holiness that He has put upon that Sabbath if you would observe it. [Exodus 20:9, 10.] 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 24
[Isaiah 56] Verses 2-5. “I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off,” if they will comply with the conditions. Why, they can be the very highest missionaries that are in our world, and they can have sons and daughters that they shall take into their very houses to take care of what needs their care, that need the education from them, and here the Lord takes hold to bring us a knowledge of every line that we can follow on to know the Lord and to do His will so as not to [incomplete]. 24LtMs, Ms 131, 1909, par. 25