NON-SEEKING FINDERS
Isaiah 65: 1
Sermon by:
Rev. H.A. Bergsma
Published by:
PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
OF THE
FREE REFORMED CHURCHES OF NORTH AMERICA
(October 2004)
LITURGY:
Psalter 170
Law of God
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 65: 1 – 10
Psalter 176
Congregational Prayer
Offering
Psalter 110
Sermon
Psalter 49
Thanksgiving Prayer
Psalter 398
Doxology: Psalter 413
Congregation of the Lord
God sometimes works beyond what we can imagine or hope for.
Take the matter of how some people become Christian.
They haven’t asked for it, neither have they sought for it, and yet, miracle of miracles, they meet up with the Lord Jesus Christ, and they become born-again Christians.
We have an example of such a thing in our text, - an Old Testament Bible text, Isaiah 65:1, “I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.”
First something about the translation.
According to Romans 10:20, we probably have to understand the verse this way, “I am manifest - or revealed - to them that did not ask for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.”
Let us consider this unusual statement by the following theme and division …
NON-SEEKING FINDERS
1. Rises from the Pleasure of God
2. Shows the Power of God
3. Explains the Purpose of God
Congregation,
In our text, God Himself is speaking.
Certainly, He uses the mouth of the prophet Isaiah; but it is after all God who is speaking through him. What’s happening?
Well, God is responding to the behaviour of Israel, and at the same time responding to the prayer of the prophet.
The behaviour of Israel has been dismal, too say the least; nothing but rebellion and wickedness, and along with it a large dose of pride … “We are the children of Abraham; we are the ones that have access to God!”
Then there was the prayer of the prophet.
It certainly was a moving prayer, full of pathetic pleas and supplications.
You can read of it in the previous chapter
Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,
Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.
Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?
Then God responds with saying something quite unusual, and requires great boldness of the prophet to articulate it, according to the Apostle Paul in Romans 10:20 … “But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.”
This means that God will be discovered by people who have not set out to find Him.
God indicates here that He is putting Himself up as available to people who have not asked for Him. And with those words God makes known that a new relationship is in the making with a people that are not of Israel.
In other words, God was about to do a mighty work among people who were not accustomed to Biblical religion.
He would reveal Himself and lift Himself up as the main attraction to a people who up till then have seen nothing attractive in religion.
In our text, God announces that He takes pleasure in a new thing.
He rejoices in the grace that He will be able to show to gentiles, while in the mean time, such grace is being rejected by the people of Israel.
In our text God says, as it were, “I’ll reveal myself to them who did not ask for me, and I will be found by non-seekers!”
No, God does not take pleasure in the death of rebellious people, such as the people of Israel were in the days of Isaiah.
But when such people continue to reject Him, there comes a time when He will take His pleasure elsewhere.
Congregation, the people of Israel discovered soon enough that God meant what He said … that He would withdraw His pleasure from them and focus it on others.
It happened already during the days of Isaiah, that they were cut off and led away into captivity.
If the people of Israel would not hear the Word of God, nor be impressed by His grace, then others will benefit from it.
If the light of the Gospel is not appreciated in one place, God will remove such light from that place and put it elsewhere, even in a place where it is not expected, nor asked for or sought after.
God takes pleasure in showing His grace, but if He is prevented from showing His grace in one place, He will go and show it elsewhere.
It is, after all, a pleasure of God to show people His grace and to see them discovering Him.
This is what can be read in other parts of the Bible as well.
To Israel of old already, God wanted to be known as “The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness and truth.” (Exodus 34:6)
And even when sin began to cloud-up the good relationship between the people of Israel and God, He could still say, “I the Lord change not; therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6)
God takes pleasure in being known and praised as “The God of our salvation” and as “The Lord to whom belongeth mercy.”
Even a prophet like Micah could sing of it, “Who is like unto Thee … He retaineth not His anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy.”
The Lord Jesus Himself once said something like, “I delight to do the will of my Father, and His will is that I go about to seek and to save the lost.”
Dear people! God takes pleasure in being found.
He rejoices to see men and women, boys and girls, discover Him, and find life with Him, It brings Him great satisfaction to grant repenting sinners the forgiveness of sins, and blessed salvation.
It is said that the angels rejoice when one sinner is converted.
But be sure that there is also joy with God Himself when this happens.
Our fathers used to say: “God is more ready to forgive sins than we are ready to confess sins.”
Therefore, let us never accuse God of unwillingness.
God is willing and able “to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20) It is His pleasure to do so.
In our text, God is, so to speak, looking forward to the time when great numbers will be added to the Church.
And I should be mentioned as well that God takes pleasure in how sinners come to Him.
He sees their feeble efforts, and He takes pleasure in springing His gracious salvation on them so that they say in wonder and surprise …
I sought the Lord and afterwards I knew.
He moved my soul to seek Him seeking me.
It was not I that found, O Savior true;
No, I was found, was found of Thee.
And so God says in our text, “I am found!”
You see, God is like the Father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
While you are yet a great way off, He sees you coming already, and He rejoices, because you were spiritually dead and have come to spiritual life, you were lost, and are found.
It is His pleasure to see prodigal sons and prodigal daughters return to the homestead, and when He sees them returning, He will be on the way to meet them.
Dear people! Perhaps some of you are struggling to be sincerely religious.
Let it encourage you to know that it is a pleasure to God to see your feeble attempts of coming to Him.
It is His pleasure to hear your prayers; to see you struggling with your faith and with your repentance, while in the mean time you feel that, from your end, you haven’t even begun to seek God sincerely enough yet.
Be encouraged, because God says in our text, “I am revealed to them that did not ask for me; I am found of them that sought me not.”
Perhaps till now you have been a non-seeker; perhaps till now have not asked for Him.
My friend, I may assure you that God in Heaven will be most pleased when non-seekers become seekers; when non-praying become praying people.
Have you never yet asked for Him? Then do it now, my friend, come and seek Him now!
Ask for Him; this is the time of grace; it is His good pleasure that you do so, because the Word of God says: “I am found of them that sought me not.”
Well, let me in the second place show you from our text not only the pleasure of God, but also The Power Of God.
Congregation, the power of God is to be found right in the very words of our text.
Remember, this is God Himself speaking … “I said, Behold me, behold me.”
This is the power of God by which we will eventually find Him.
Now, on various occasions during Gospel preaching, faith, and the activity of faith, will have been described to you. Well, here it is again; God says: “Behold me!”
This, congregation, is part of the activity of faith.
And this is what God wants of us … of all of us.
He even says it with much emphasis, “Behold me, behold me!”
But what does this mean to behold God?
Let me explain.
On various occasions of Gospel preaching you have had opportunity to hear of Jesus Christ and Him suffering and dying on the cross.
With such messages, God comes to you, and says to you time and again, “Behold me!”
In other words, He tells you to look in faith and reflection at the cross; and at the suffering Saviour as He is lifted up in the Gospel.
There, in Him, lies the power of God, which is the power to find Him.
Let me for a moment try to lift-up the suffering Saviour through the Gospel.
Let me try to show you how it was with Him a few hours before that dreadful scene when He was crucified.
Let me take you to the Garden of Gethsemane.
There you can behold His face, drawn with sorrow and flushed with bloody sweat.
Let me take you to the Judgment Hall of Pontius Pilate; there you can behold His face marked with anguish and blood, as it was crowned earlier already with a wreath of thorns.
Let me take you to Golgotha and to the cross.
There you can behold His face as it is wrenched and racked with pain due to crucifixion.
There you can behold the face of the Lord Jesus Christ, contorted by the violence of crucifixion and by the burning and grief and shame and horrors of hell, as His Father in Heaven abandoned Him.
But through it all the words of our text ring out to you and me – the words of the same Lord Jesus Christ, “Behold me, behold me!”
John the Baptist had already said it earlier, pointing to Jesus Christ, “Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world!”
A suicidal Judas Iscariot, distraught because he had betrayed the Lord, had to admit, “Behold, … innocent blood!”
A hand-wringing Pontius Pilate had to say, in weakness and fear for the Jews, “Behold the Man!” … all to no avail.
But the Lord Jesus could say, “Behold me, behold me”, and that, with saving power.
You see, people, as someone once said, “There is life in a look at the crucified One.”
The Lord Jesus Himself once said it, “And I, if I be lifted-up from the earth will draw all men unto me.”
Jesus Christ and Him crucified, has been, and will continue, to be the attracting power of God – the magnetism, if you will – to draw non-seekers and non-askers unto Himself.
Dear people! As the crucified Saviour is lifted up by the Gospel again; as the Saviour spreads out His nail-pierced hands to you, and says with the words of our text, “Behold me, behold me” what will your response be?
Let it not have to be said of you, as God had to say of Israel, “I have spread-out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people!”
May God be able to say of you, “I am revealed to them that did no ask for me; I am found of them that sought me not.”
The power of God is so great, my friend; all that He asks of you is to behold Him; all that He asks is that you look to Him.
Is this not enough to convince you how wonderful it is to find God?
The way of salvation is so clear in our text.
How could anyone possibly misunderstand it; how could anyone possibly ignore it!
Would you deny that one look that He asks of you?
Would you refuse Him that one look, He, who has gone to such lengths to make Himself a drawing power for sinners?
The Lord God says it so clearly, and you would do yourself great harm to try to squirm out from under the responsibility to respond.
He says, “Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.”
Now, you are not beyond the ends of the earth, and therefore, you are obliged to look.
This call to look to Jesus goes out to everyone listening, dear people, no matter who you might be.
This call goes out to Christian people and church-going people.
This call goes out to careless people, even to people who have not prayed a prayer in their life, and never had it in their mind to seek God or to ask for Him ... “Behold me, behold me!”
Well now, lastly, let me say something yet about how our text explains The Purpose Of God.
What is God’s purpose for you to behold Him?
It’s plain and simple … He wants you to behold Him in order that He might stir some great expectations of Him in you.
When you do as He says, and behold Him, as He was crucified, for instance, your eyes will begin to open up for Him and His great sacrifice.
This is what happened to a certain Hymn writer, who composed the Hymn … “When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of glory died.”
He saw something amazing.
This can happen to you too, and when it does, you will know that it is the Lord God who reveals Himself to you, and you may have the privilege of catching something of what lives in the heart of the Saviour Jesus Christ … “Love, so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”
When God reveals Himself to you in this way, my friend, you’ll find it hard to keep quiet about Him.
You will begin to talk to others about Him with the hope and prayer that others will be persuaded to behold Him as well.
You will begin to look for ways to persuade others to seek God, because if you, initially a non-seeker, has found God, how pleased God will be to be found by those who actually have set out to find Him.
You might even be moved to tell others what Jesus once said, “Seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you.”
Are there any here who do not yet know Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour?
Are there any here who have to admit that they have actually never bothered to ask for Jesus and have had no interest to seek Him?
The Word of the Gospel of Jesus Christ may still have a word for you.
God has said that He will reveal Himself to those who have not asked for Him, and that He will be found by those who have not sought Him.
As a servant of God, delivering you this word, I pray that such a thing may happen even to you, my friend.
With Biblical anticipation I urge you, even now, by way of the words of the text, “Behold Him, behold Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of sinners, … the Saviour even of non-seekers!”
He was once crucified, once risen from the dead, and now seated at the right hand of God the Father.
He has sent forth His Word and His Holy Spirit to open your understanding and to open your eyes.
Behold Him, look at Him … is He not worth to entrust yourself to Him?
Behold Him, look at Him … is He not the best answer to your need?
Dear people! What if you would let this opportunity pass in finding the Saviour?
What if you would never hear of Him again?
What if you never have the chance anymore to behold Him by invitation, and you come to die, having missed the opportunity … my friend, it would mean that you would die as a non Christian.
And non-Christians will not have a pleasant afterlife; in fact, non-Christians will have a terrible afterlife, an afterlife crushed under the load of sin, and with a gnawing conscience which might be plagued with words perhaps like … “Jesus Christ the Saviour was preached to me, He was held up in the Gospel for me, as Saviour of sin, but I did not want to look at Him or behold Him.”
This is why you are in church this hour, and why the Gospel Word is still entreating you to “Behold Him!”
The kindly face of Jesus Christ and His compassionate hands are still turned towards you in grace.