Thank you for listening to the media ministry of the Puritan Reformed Presbyterian Church in San Diego, California. If you are blessed by what you hear and would like to help keep our little church going as a ministry partner with your cheerful gifts, please listen for instructions at the end of this message. Beloved, we open our Bibles this morning to Isaiah 55. And I'm going to be reading for you verses 10 and 11. Isaiah 55 verses 10 and 11. And let me share. I've been thinking about this a lot because I've been hearing on the Christian radio something that kind of runs almost like a spot regularly. And you're hearing different people say things about God's word and why it's so wonderful to keep giving attention to it and keep hearing the teaching and the reading and the preaching of it. you know, particularly in this case on the station, on the benefit of that. And this verse is one of those verses. Verse 11 is one of those that are quoted. There's different people speaking. In this case, a lady says, refers to verse 11 as a motivation to keep studying God's Bible and give whatever time you can to His Word. And I want to encourage you today. This is just another of many different motivations for us to study and meditate on God's Word. and to believe it and live it and be expectant about what it says. Sometimes there are great delays in what we're waiting for for the Lord, especially as we're waiting for the return of Jesus Christ on the last great day. That's what we're here today. We're waiting on the Lord coming to his word. And sometimes I think we can be tempted, if not consciously exactly, we can tend to just kind of maybe not expect much from it, you know, or not expect much from it in our lives. And I hope that this word will encourage us today about God's word to come to it expectantly, waiting on it as long as it takes, because God's word does not come back to him void. it is not empty and so it will not be empty in what it does in you as you give yourself to it and what he does through you as you give yourself to it and what he commands here now the word of the lord isaiah 55 verses 10 and 11 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void. but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. I'd like to read that once more for us. For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth in bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Now, there's a part of verse 11 that we're focusing on today, but really it's the negative side of what's said positively, and that's really even more what we want to look at. The last part says, God's word will accomplish what he pleases. It will prosper according to why he sent it. which is the positive side of saying, it will not return unto me void. Notice return ultimately unto who? Him. He's speaking of himself. It will not return unto me void. What I send my word out to do, it will be effectual. It will have its work in my people's lives. It will accomplish in and for them what I have purposed it to do. Thus saith the Lord. With that in view, I think back to what we've considered once or twice as a wonderful insight. Adriel Sanchez, in his article in April's Table Talk Magazine with Ligonier Ministry, he gives a devotion. And one of the things he does is he looks at Psalm 130, and he gives us this really helpful insight. Two times the psalmist says, I will wait for the Lord as they who wait for the morning, as they who wait for the morning, or as watchmen for the morning. And you can think of those such as in military who are on post, and they're to watch and make sure everything's safe until the next folks come in to take over and they can go. But what he points out that I think is just excellent for us is, what are watchmen when they're waiting for the morning? it could almost go right over our head. They absolutely, certainly expect the morning is coming, and it will come. Right? They're not wondering, hoping, oh, I don't know, even though the sun has come up every other day, maybe not this day. No, of course it will rise, just like every day. So as they wait for the morning, they wait for it with certainty. So we are to wait for the Lord. And beloved, certainly the sun will rise, and the sun will certainly rise with healing in his wings. So in verse 10, God gives, just as this is so certain by your observation, so you can trust my word. Similarly, Mrs. Lemon has pointed out recently, I think in her Wednesday studies in Jeremiah, just as the stars, right, and the moons in heaven, they all, all the seasons, all these things that are fixed and you can see and observe, it's always the same. Why? Because he set it up that way in Genesis. As a testimony, ultimately, so can you trust. My everlasting love, my everlasting covenant, my word. So in verse 10, we have this promise. As the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth in bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater. You know, there are times of famine, but it is always true that the Lord comes back and brings about what we need. We're going through our dry season, but every winter we have lots of rain and a lovely, beautiful green. I always joke to my friends back east, we don't have a white winter, we have a green winter. But we have a green winter. Every year, we have a green winter. Every year, we have rain, right? And that's kind of what he's saying. Just as you see, every year, the seasons are sure, because I fixed them in Genesis at the creation of the world. These seasons are sure. These things come back. It is cyclical. The farmer doesn't go out and say, maybe I'll wait till next year. No, every year, the farmer goes, you've got to eat, frankly. But the goal is, why would you waste your time sowing the seed, cultivating the crop, if you think there'll be nothing that comes of it? And so God is saying, you don't need to fear that what I say is true for you, and what I will do in and through you with the word, that it won't have its effect. Though you sow in tears, you will reap in joy. It will happen. This is helpful for us because we're often called upon to wait, right, and delay for delayed gratification. And our faith can wane, and may He increase our faith today, just as that is the case. He gives this illustration. The seasons always come back. They always produce. There's always a crop, a harvest. And this is always certain from God. So also is his word most certain through redemptive history until the last day and throughout all your days along the way. What God has said in his holy scriptures is not pointless. but will accomplish his purpose in and for his people for himself. I give that to you as the main idea here in the text. What God has said in his holy scriptures is not pointless, but it will accomplish his purpose in and for his people for himself. And again, notice it's for him. He does not disappoint himself. He won't disappoint himself. It's ultimately for him. It's ultimately for his glory. Therefore, you who have been redeemed for your chief end to glorify and enjoy him, he won't disappoint you. He won't disappoint you through life and ultimately that promise of eternal life in the new heavens and earth. You will not be disappointed. It will not come back void to him and he will bring you to him by his word. The emphasis today of our text is that the word that God speaks will accomplish what he seeks. They are not empty words with no truth or no force in them. So, verse 11 says, his word will not return void. Verse 11 again, so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void. But it will, it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the things whereto I sent it. It will not return void. This is helpful to remind ourselves, but it even goes on to positively say the opposite. It will produce. It won't come back void. That word for the Hebrew is empty. My word will not come back empty. So we're not to take his name in vain. In the same Hebrew, empty. With nothing in it. It's just a shell. It's not real. There's nothing in it. It's just packaging. It's just paper. You open it up, there's nothing inside. He's saying it's not. You open it up and it's full of juice and seeds and life. His word will not come back empty. The preaching of His Word. Boy, do you think this is not something that really encourages your preacher? Really encourages your elders? When we need to bring the Word to people's lives? It often doesn't look like it's taking any effect. And, you know, we can be concerned about that in our own lives. Don't you struggle with this. Is this making any difference? You've got to trust His Word will not come back void. You've got to keep going to the Word, making sure you know what it says, and trusting. believing. It will not come back void. They are not empty words. It will not come back empty. He does really mean it, and He will really do it. And His purpose is to cause His people to return, persevere, and ultimately prosper. Isaiah remembers, like all the prophets, it's much about God's judgment. It's much about God's dispersion of his people into foreign lands, under captivity by foreign lands. It's much about letting Israel and the temple all eventually be destroyed. which would make you think God has given up on us and he's never coming back. But it's not the point. The prophets always come back around and say, when this brings you to repentance, you will be restored. And he always gives promises in that, ultimately of the final, complete restoration where there won't have to be this cyclical problem anymore in the Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. in His resurrection, His death, burial, resurrection, His ascension, and in His return. That's always in there. And as Isaiah is near the end here, remember Isaiah 53 is about the suffering servant who will take on our sins He'll make the exchange. He takes on our sins, we get his righteousness and holiness. And that's what this is all based on. So we're always being taught by God that you need to repent, you need to be restored. And that there is ultimate hope that that can still happen through the Lord Jesus Christ. And in the end, the Lord Jesus Christ will redeem all things through his people. He redeemed the world and it will not be groaning anymore. All these things are true. None of this is empty words. None of this is not gonna happen. Always for the repentance. Always for your restoration. Ultimately, by the coming of the Redeemer and the resurrection. These things are sure. God's word and all his words are sure. They will not, not happen. They are not, not happening. Watch the seasons of life and history. Such as I was, as you know, taking a class at seminary this week, auditing, but I did my best to read as much as I could and it was well worth it and it was wonderful. Thanks for your patience with me as I kind of get everything done this month as well as a later class for credit at the end of the month. I was sitting up there and I stayed real late one night just to get a lot of reading done and I was sitting outside and it's pretty hot during the day in Escondido but once the sun sets it's it was really refreshing and cool and there was just a lovely breeze and for a little while the sprinklers came on they spooked me at first. Okay, I'm not gonna get away, but they you know, and then they've missed of the air and then but I just couldn't stop hearing and I was thinking I think of some of the Psalms that talk about the leaves almost clapping their hands into the Lord and I mean you just heard the applause of the leaves I was almost gonna bring you a sermon on that listen to the leaves Maybe that's still coming, but it was just encouraging me to hear. Yeah, the scriptures say the Lord is everywhere He's doing things even the leaves besides the rocks are praising him. But of course, what did I think of in in the Gospels? Jesus says Watch for the Holy Spirit. You don't see his work, but you see the leaves rustling. Just like you see the leaves rustling on the trees, you know when you see the work of the Holy Spirit. Look for it in terms of evangelism. Don't give up and trust and pray that there'll be times where you see the leaves rustling in people's lives nearby. But pray for it for yourselves and for us as a church that we'd see the Holy Spirit blowing through and that we trust that he is, because he's with his people to bear more of his fruit by his living waters. Watch the seasons of life, watch the seasons of history, and see that it is all absolutely happening just as God has said, such as the prophecies of Daniel, in world history and its governments, until the coming of Jesus Christ and His return. Christ, the Word, surely returns. His work on the cross for you was not empty of its salvific effect. His work in the resurrection and the ascension is not empty of its effect, that your lives are now hid with him in heaven. And he will bring to you the new heavens and the new earth on the last great day. He will raise your bodies from the dead. These are not empty words. It will return to the Lord in full. and in for you. Joshua 1 verse 8 The book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein. For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous. And then thou shalt have good success. Trust that. It isn't going to be according to what the world says. It may not exclude certain things. But trust that as you give yourself to God's law, meditating on it, living it, it will prosper you. Psalm 119 verses 89 to 90. Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled. in heaven. Well, it's not going to come back void from heaven, because it's already settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations. Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. Psalm 119, verse 130, The entrance of thy words giveth light. Trust that. Those are not empty words. The more you give yourself to God's Word and He lets it enter into you, the more He gives you light. It giveth understanding unto the simple. Psalm 148, verses 7 to 8. Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and vapor, stormy wind, fulfilling His Word. Now remember, one of the messages we had in the study of Revelation years ago is witnessed by the weather. The wars, the rumor of wars, and the weather, and difficult weather, it's all from Christ, who has opened the seals as last opportunities for people to repent before his second coming. I mean, all of it is exactly what He says He's going to do with it. And it's happening and He's doing it. And so here, remember, God points in verse 10 of our text in Isaiah 55, just like the rain and the snow, they come, you can count on it every season, they produce every season. So my word will come and it will produce. And so see here in Psalm 148, it even says, fire, hail, snow and vapor, fulfilling His word. fulfills His word. That's the very emphasis to lead into verse 11 of our text. You can know just as the snow and the rain fulfill and produce, so my word will fulfill and produce. Mark 13 verse 31, the Lord Jesus says to you, heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. So beloved, what are you best to spend your time with? Things that last or things that won't last? This isn't to say we can't enjoy things Adiaphora. This isn't to say I can't go enjoy a bike ride around the bay with family. But the point of it is, so much of things in this life, they won't last. Make sure you're giving yourself to your words. So we did have a devotion on our bike ride. Give yourself to God's word. Jesus says, heaven and earth are gonna pass away, but my words won't. they are going to do what they say they're going to do. Hebrews 4, Hebrews 4 verse 12, For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Give your heart to God's Word. Open the Word of God, and open your heart to the Word of God, and it will do something in you. That's what it says it will do. Come to the Lord expecting it, and understand that it isn't always going to be, boom, immediately, it's going to be a developing collective thing. I heard a pastor on the radio yesterday say, related to sanctification, I believe, you know, We do need to try to exercise more. And he says, you know, and he's making the application ultimately of sanctification. But he says, you know, if you do one push-up and then you go and you look in the mirror, you don't really see any effect yet. But don't give up on that. Do another push-up. Next day, do a couple more push-ups. Next week, you're doing more push-ups. Next thing you know, you go and look in the mirror. It did something. But why? Over time, same with the Word. You've got to trust. Don't think, oh, that one reading of the Word, I don't see much happening. Keep reading the Word. Keep exercising thyself unto godliness. Keep going and trusting. Every time I'm giving myself to the Word, it is not empty, and it isn't empty for my life. My life won't be empty, and it's not empty in its promises and what God says He's going to do for Himself in and through me with it. So we've been studying often about the benefit of God's Word recently, sometimes in sermons, but most recently in the shorter catechisms, 89 and 90, especially the preaching of it and how it is effectual to the salvation of his elect. In particular, the reading of it and the preaching of it, the idea that it convinces and it converts and it builds up in holiness and comfort. It's a guaranteed thing. The Spirit of God does it, but then we remember we looked at last week how we have to approach it, right? First of all, with attentiveness, diligence, preparation, prayer, receiving it with faith and love, laying it up with our hearts, and practicing it in our lives. But we need to trust that it will be effectual unto our salvation, working out our salvation with fear and trembling, trusting that the Word says it's God who works in us, both to will and do of His good pleasure. Like those things are not empty. Let it be your motivation. God's Word is not empty. God's Word will not come back void. It will produce fruit in you. It will produce His purposes in you for Him, which are good. Let it motivate you, first of all, to read God's Word. Let it motivate you to believe God's Word. And may it motivate you to obey God's Word. With this, God's Word is not empty. It will not come back void. It will produce its fruit. Let it motivate you to read God's Word, such as 1 Timothy 2, excuse me, I believe 2 Timothy 2, 15. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. May it motivate you again to read God's word as you remember to pray. Psalm 119 verse 18, Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. Expecting they're there to be seen. Expecting they're there to do their work in you. Let it motivate you to believe God's word, to read God's word, and to believe God's word. Such as John 7 verse 38. He that believes on me, Jesus says, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. And that's the promise also, of course, of the comforting Holy Spirit in your lives. But believe Him, believe what He says. As the scripture says, you believe on me, and out of you shall flow rivers of living water. That's not empty. That's gonna produce, that's gonna water the seed and produce fruit. Read God's word, believe God's word, such as Hebrews 13, 5. Believe Hebrews 13, verse 5. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." The whole verse, let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as you have. But why? Because you know this is not empty of its truth and meaning for your life and what it will produce. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. The Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the God of gods, the first and the last, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Read God's Word. Believe God's Word. Obey God's Word. Luke 6, 47 to 48, for instance, Jesus says, Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like. He is like a man which built a house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house and could not shake it, for it was founded upon a rock." Now notice what he's emphasizing there is the doing of his word. It isn't empty. It's rock solid truth. And as you are led to come to the rock that is higher than you and trust on him and build your house upon him, your life upon him, your home life upon him, and as the house of God upon him, you will be able to weather the storms. That is not an empty promise to you. It's not void. It will produce in you that kind of a house in life. Galatians 6, 9, And let us not be weary in well-doing, For in due season we shall reap if we faint not. Draw that scripture to mind often when you feel like giving up, because you're fainting from trying to do what you know the Word says, and you're struggling to see how there's going to be any fruit from it. Don't be weary of it. Keep on reaping, you'll faint. Keep on sowing and working, cultivating, you'll reap if you faint not. And ultimately all these things are in the ultimate promise of heaven and the new heavens and the new earth. This does though include all areas of your life and all areas of church life. Beloved, trust what God's Word said. It is not empty. May we continue to do the work of being the church. May we continue to do the work of being the church, which if you'll forgive me, to bring in another Jay Mason study from at seminary this week. What is it ultimately to be the church? A witness for Jesus Christ. Trust that as you give your witness in your lives, as you share the gospel with people, and it sometimes feels as if nothing's ever gonna happen or is happening, so you're tempted to stop trying, or you're intimidated to try again. You say to yourself, the word of God will not come back void. I'm gonna share another tract. I'm gonna share another piece of scripture in a conversation. I'm gonna leave a little pebble in someone's shoe. I'm gonna trust that shoe might find its way into the house of the Lord. Whatever God is using it for, it will accomplish its plan. Keep being people of the Word. Keep sharing the Word. And trust it will not come back void, including in your own lives, beloved. Start there with your own devotions. Fill yourself with God's Word. And as you'll see in the bulletin insert today, there are some great promises about that in Proverbs. Would you turn with me to Proverbs chapter 3? The bulletin insert you can go back to later if you haven't read it yet. It goes over these verses in three sections. But notice the promise of God's Word. Proverbs chapter 3. I'm going to read for us verses 1 through 8. My son, forget not my law, but let thine heart keep my commandments. For length of days, and long life, and peace shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee, bind them upon thy neck. write them upon the table of thine heart, so shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes, fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel and marrow to thy bones. It's full of life, you see, the word of life. It's full of life. It isn't empty. It won't be empty. May your response be Psalm 119 verse 11. Well then, thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee. Trusting John 11, 25 to 26, Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. But then he does say at the end, he asked the question, believeth thou this? Beloved, do you believe? Will you read? Will you obey? Against your feelings, against your impulses, against worldly advice and influence, against what the devil wants to say to you, which is empty and full of lies. Will you read, believe, and obey against how things often appear walking in faith, not by sight. When the adversary advises, did God really say? You answer with Paul's words from Romans 3 verse 4, Let God be true, but every man a liar, as it is written. God promised Noah there would be a flood, and there was. And God then later said He would replenish the earth, and He did. And then God said He will never flood the entire earth again, and so He hasn't, and so He won't. Trust that every time you have your devotions, every time you go to your group Bible studies, every time, especially you attend worship on the Lord's Day, God's Word will have its immediate benefit in you, for you, and its cumulative progress and provision, it will produce what He sends it to produce for Him and His glory. Proverbs 30 verse 5, Every word of God is pure. He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him. Don't put your trust in what man says, but what God has said. Such as what he says in Psalm 103, 15 to 16, As for man, his days are as grass, flower as a flower of the field so he flourisheth for the wind passeth over it and it is gone and the place thereof shall know it no more but as God has also said in Isaiah 40 verse 8 the grass withereth the flower fadeth but the word of our God shall stand forever. And I appreciate as I, a number of years ago, was listening through a church history class from a professor at Covenant Theological Seminary. Every time he ended his class, he closed with Isaiah 40 verse 8, all through church history, the grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever. Read, believe, and obey all God says in his scripture, praying, trusting all his promises, for God's word is never empty words. And that is the message for you this morning, beloved. God's word is never empty words. God's word is never empty words. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth, it shall not return unto me void. But it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. God's word is never empty words. There's going to be times where you have to do what you know the Word of God says in your relationships, in your jobs, in your studies, in the marketplace. There's going to be times where you're tempted to think to do something else, but you motivate and you act on this truth. God's Word is never empty words. You read His Word. You believe His Word. And you act on His Word in your life by that guarantee. God's Word is never empty words. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, You are the Word, the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Resurrection. Help us to read, Believe and live your word, trusting it is full of life and it will produce life. It is never empty. It is never void. It will come back to you, accomplishing your purposes, and especially your purposes to bring repentance, restoration, reconciliation, and resurrection in the life of your people. Lord, let us hear, and believe, and obey, by Your power, for Your glory, and for our good, and a witness to the world. We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, and all Your people of the word said, Amen. Thanks again for listening to the media ministry of the Puritan Reformed Presbyterian Church in San Diego, California. If you are blessed by our sermons and would like to help keep our little church going as a ministry partner with your cheerful gifts, please click on the Give button at the top of any of our sermon audio pages to support us with your online donation. 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