“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. 3 Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. 4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples. 5 Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.” - Isaiah 55:1-5, The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.

In the name of Christ Jesus, dear friends:

Last week I received a call from a tele-marketer. She offered me a free airline ticket to any destination in the United States if I agreed to a free trial membership. I have to confess that I didn’t even listen to the rest of her presentation because the initial offer raised some red flags in my mind. My first thought was: "How can any business survive by giving away free airline tickets?" I was skeptical to say the least, and politely ended the conversation. Generally speaking, if something appears to be free, there is going to be a catch. The costs may be hidden at first, but they will appear eventually.

A healthy dose of skepticism can sometimes be helpful in worldly matters, but the same principle does not necessarily apply when it comes to spiritual things. God’s Word challenges the idea that nothing is free. In fact, the Lord tells us that the only way to be saved is through the free salvation that comes from him. The offer may sound too good to be true, but in reality, it is both good and true. Through the words of the prophet Isaiah, God comes to us this morning and makes a generous offer. He tells us that . . .

This meal is free

This meal is for all

The opening verse tells us exactly what God has to offer: "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost." Did you notice what word is repeated four times in this verse alone? COME! God’s invitation is clear and continuous. Can there be any doubt that God wants us to sit at his table? God invites us to enjoy everything he has to offer.

Grocery stores publish weekly flyers with sale prices on certain items, but if you look at the fine print in those ads there are usually limits. You may only be able to buy a certain number of the sale item. You may have to purchase before a certain date to get the sale price. In contrast, God’s invitation is clear. God’s invitation is without limits. God’s invitation is free.

The table set before us is filled with many different things to enjoy. There is an abundance of drinks: water, wine or milk. We take all of these blessings for granted today. It is easy to go to the store and buy a gallon of milk or a bottle of wine or even bottled water. At the time of Isaiah, however, these things were not so easy to come by. Even water was considered a precious commodity. For the traveler in the hot desert, finding water could mean the difference between life and death. In contrast, there will never be a shortage at God’s table.

The drinks will be matched by an abundance of food. God’s table will be filled with "the richest of fare." Literally, this phrase means the "fat," the fat of the land. Only the best foods, only the richest foods will be served at the Lord’s banquet.

Before our stomachs start grumbling too much, it is important to remember what God is talking about here. The picture of the unending feast is just that, a picture. The bountiful banquet of food and drink symbolizes a much greater feast, a spiritual feast set out by the Lord.

Our God offers us freedom: freedom from sin, freedom from death, freedom from pain, peace with God forever and ever. And the most amazing part is the cost. Nothing. No catches. No gimmicks. It is a free gift from God with no strings attached. Who could ever turn down an offer like that?

Who could turn down an offer like that? Well, a lot of people could, and a lot of people have. The Old Testament Jews, God’s chosen people, ultimately rejected God and the freedom he promised. They deserted the true God to serve pieces of wood and stone. They chose to chase after their own sinful lusts and desires, and the choice cost them dearly.

When Isaiah wrote these words, most of Israel had already been destroyed and carried off into captivity. The tiny part that remained was in serious danger. Why did the Jews choose slavery and destruction over freedom and salvation? God’s question for Israel is basically the same: Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? How could the Israelites waste their time and energy chasing after the things that did not matter and let the truly important things slip away?

These questions are difficult to answer, but they are not limited to the Jews. It is really no different today. People still live their lives in pursuit of things that are not bread. They labor and toil to gain things that do not satisfy.

A couple of weeks ago, Mark Barton became a household name. He is the man who went on a killing spree in Atlanta that ended with the death of his wife, his two children, and nine other people. The massacre ended when Barton took his own life.

What was the reason for this senseless violence? What would lead a person to do something so terrible? The newspaper reported that Barton snapped because had lost over one hundred thousand dollars through Internet stock trading.

Barton gave his own reason for his terrible actions in a note that was later found by his wife’s body. "I wake up at night so afraid, so terrified that I couldn’t be that afraid while awake. It has taken its toll. I have come to hate this life and this system of things. I have come to have no hope."

Barton was a slave of the god called money. When he finally came to the realization that the pursuit of wealth could not satisfy his needs, it was too late. He had nothing left. He had no reason to live. He was afraid, and he had every right to be afraid because he was at odds with a just and holy God. He finally lashed out in despair because he had no hope.

It does not make sense to us when we see people who dedicate their lives to things that will mean nothing on the Last Day. As Christians, we may shake our heads at these people and wonder, "Why don’t they get it? This life is only temporary. What they really need is free. Eternal life costs nothing."

As Lutherans, we put extra emphasis on the free grace of God without any works of our own. But as long as this teaching is proclaimed, Satan will be working to destroy it. Right now, the devil is working feverishly on individual hearts to doubt God’s promises.

He might try to convince the sinner that free salvation is not enough. "Yes, Jesus died for your sins, but that can’t possibly be enough to make up for everything you have done wrong in your life."

And he encourages you to bargain with God. You promise that you will be a better Christian, or that you will stay on the straight and narrow in order to remove the unmovable burden of guilt you feel deep down side. And salvation slowly changes from a gift that is given into a deal that is made.

If that doesn’t work, Satan will try another approach. He might appeal to the sinful pride that grows so quickly within us. "Sure, God is good and God is great, but you are not so bad yourself. You are a hard-working honest person. You go to church. Maybe you even volunteer. This church is lucky to have you. God is lucky to have you." Before you know it, salvation isn’t something God gives. It is something God owes.

As long as the truth of God’s Word is proclaimed, Satan will never rest. If he can convince us to believe the lie that salvation is not free, then we are no different than the people we pity. We abandon the free grace of God for our own works, and our best efforts will never satisfy a just and holy God. When we chase after things that are not bread, our labor is spent in vain. The cold, hard truth is that if Satan wins the battle, souls will be lost forever.

So let me repeat the obvious. Salvation is free. It costs us nothing. That is wonderful news to our ears. But we must never forget that salvation did not come without a cost. Our sins demand payment, a huge payment that we could never make.

But that payment was made for us. The payment was made, as Peter says, "with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (I Pe 1:19). Our salvation cost Jesus his life. He shed his blood on the cross to give us freedom from sin and death. Jesus sacrificed his life for us so that we might have eternal life.

Now God sets the table of salvation before us. He reminds us today in his Word that this meal is free. He also tells us that the invitation is for all.

Isaiah writes: "I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David." God made a promise to send a Savior already back in the Garden of Eden in Genesis chapter three. He promised Adam and Eve that he would send the seed of the woman to crush the serpent’s head.

As history unfolded, this promise became more and more clear. When David became king over Israel, God promised to establish his throne forever. Since David’s dynasty survived for only one generation after him, it is clear that this prophecy was not about David’s royal line or an earthly kingdom.

Rather, this promise took on a spiritual meaning. The eternal covenant found its ultimate fulfillment in one of David’s descendants. A thousand years after David lived and died, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the town of David. God made good on his promise to David because he is the God of faithful love. Jesus came to earth and established a kingdom, a spiritual kingdom that exists to this very day, a kingdom that will last forever in heaven.

What did Jesus do on earth? "See, I have made you a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples" (4). Jesus was all of these things at different times in his ministry. He was a spiritual leader of the people. He was also a witness. He testified about God’s power and God’s love. He preached hardened sinners into hell, and comforted penitent sinners with the sweet hope of heaven.

Jesus’ ministry also made it clear that the invitation is for all people. Isaiah prophesied: "Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you." Normally we think of the apostle Paul as the first foreign missionary, but Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be a light to the Gentiles first. Jesus "summoned nations he did not know." His earthly ministry was not limited to the Jews, nor was he confined to the borders of Israel.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well about the living water of eternal life. He praised the faith of the Roman centurion when he healed his servant. He ministered to the woman from Tyre and drove the demon out of her daughter. Jesus’ example demonstrates that the table of salvation has been set for everyone. Salvation is not exclusive. Jesus offers the feast of salvation to all.

But we have every right to call ourselves children of God and sons of Abraham. In his love and mercy, God has opened the gates of heaven to all. By grace, we can call ourselves children of Abraham along with Isaac and Jacob and David and all other believers. We are members of God’s family through faith in his son.

You are probably familiar with the saying, "There is no such thing as a free lunch." In other words, nothing of value in this world comes without a price. This may or may not be true in regard to the things of this world. As far as spiritual matters are concerned, however, nothing could be farther from the truth.

Today God sets a marvelous feast before us in his Word. Because salvation comes from God alone, we know that these spiritual blessings will never run out. And the best part is this: The meal is free, and it is for all. Treasure God’s gift of free grace, today and every day. Amen.