Keith Battle - RSVP

The subject I’ve chosen for this weekend is RSVP. All right, RSVP. Respond to RSVP whenever you receive an invitation to attend an event. The fact that you received the invitation is an indication of your value. Somebody typed in the chat, «Not everyone is invited.» Just the fact that you were invited speaks of your worth. Whenever there is a tag to the invitation in RSVP, that means there’s a request for reply. Please reply. Yeah. An RSVP attached to an invitation communicates not only that the sender values the recipient, but it is also an indication that the event has value because I don’t need you to RSVP for something unimportant. The fact that I need you to respond shows that you are important, and what I’m inviting you to is important. An RSVP is always time-sensitive. Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. The word «while» indicates that this is an evaporating opportunity. Time is of the essence; you’re running out of time. I’ve sent you this invitation because I love you enough to invite you to something that the Bible says is free, and it’s not free because it’s cheap; it’s free because it’s priceless. His love and salvation are not for sale, but it’s a window—a window of time. In Isaiah chapter 55, God sends an invitation to the people He loves through the prophet Isaiah, and He says, «I want you to understand that I love you, and I’m giving you this invitation.» And here’s the only requirement: Verse one—you just have to be thirsty. If you’re thirsty, I have something for you. If you’re hungry, I have something for you. You’re eating, but you’re eating things that do not satisfy you. You’re consuming things that give you no satisfaction; they don’t fill you up. But I’ve got something for you. As we walk through this passage, I want you to see something. He says, first of all, «Come to the waters,» and you can have whatever you want. You can have wine or milk. Wine represents pleasure, and milk represents nourishment. You can have these things as long as you’re thirsty; I will provide them for you. You can drink. In verse one, this is all talking about the Word because when you get down to verse two, he asks, «Why do you spend your money on food that does not give you strength?» He says in verse two, «Listen to me, and you will eat what is good.» Listen, and you will eat. If he’s connecting eating to listening, then he must not be talking about meat, starch, and fruits and vegetables; he must be referring to something that he says. What he’s talking about is His Word. When we get down to verse 11, it will not come back to Him void. So he’s saying, if you learn how to listen, listening is like eating. No wonder people say, «I come to church to be fed.» When you listen to the Word, you’re eating the Word. That’s why Job says, «I want your Word more than my necessary bread.» I’m eating. Does anybody understand how important it is to be spiritually fed? You’re listening and you’re eating. You’re listening and you’re eating, and watch this: in verse one, you’re drinking the Word. He says you can get milk and wine. In verse two, you’re eating. This is very interesting because it reveals that whether we’re drinking or eating, whether we can only handle liquid or we can handle meat, is based on our maturity. What I love about God is that He has a menu for every level. If you’re at a novice level in your faith, you’re drinking milk. 1 Peter 2:2 says the sincere milk of the Word. But if you’ve grown in your faith, He has something for you. Hebrews 5:12 says you’re ready for solid food, and you should be teaching someone else right now. What I love about God is that He has a meal for every level you might be on in your spiritual journey. He says, «Listen to me, listen to me, listen to me.» There are two commands: «Come» and «Listen.» Over and over again in verses one, two, and three, he repeats, «Come to me and listen. Come to me and listen. Come to me with your ears wide open. Come to me and listen. Be attentive. Be intentive. Come to me. Come to me.» The invitation is to me, and don’t get it twisted—there’s no satisfaction anywhere else. «Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.» But it all starts when you come to me. I know it sounds trite to just come to the Lord, but we carry so much weight, so many burdens, and so much pressure. We need to come to the Lord so we can receive the partnership Pastor Page talked about last week, along with a strategic plan to handle what we’re carrying. Come to me, He says. Come to me and listen. Come to me and listen.