In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

Time is running out. Every minute we move one minute closer to the end of our time of grace. Meanwhile, many people are in denial. There is a message in gray hair and wrinkles: "you are not going to live in this world forever." This might sound depressing, but it really shouldn't be. After all, we wouldn't want to live in this sinful world forever anyway, would we? The ultimate purpose of life is not fame and fortune here on earth. God has something better planned for us. Heaven is better than this sinful world by far! But to get there, we need to know the Savior. And that's why it says here: "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near." This life is our "time of grace." This life is the only opportunity we have to be converted to saving faith in Jesus Christ. So then,

1. God's power is in this "Gospel Invitation."

These words form what we call a "Gospel Invitation." God Himself invites us to seek Him and find Him. And God's very words carry the power to respond. God's creative power is in this "Gospel Invitation." It was also a "Gospel Invitation" when our Savior said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Mt 11:28). It sounds so simple! Just "come to Jesus!" But, by nature, we can't. Jesus Himself said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him" (Jn 6:44). So, our Savior says, "Come to me," but He also says, "No one can come to me" unless he is empowered by God to come.

There are three basic points here. First: we do not have the spiritual power to come to Christ, or decide to believe in him. Second: our Savior speaks the gospel invitation, "Come to me." And third: God works through His Word to empower people to respond in faith, to believe. God's power comes to us through the very words of the "Gospel Invitation." God's Gospel words carry God's power.

God has decided that this is how he wants it. Scripture says that God decided to save people through the preaching of the Gospel (1 Cor 1:21). Scripture says that "Faith comes from hearing the message" of the Gospel (Rom 10:17). God's power is in the Gospel. That's why the inspired Apostle Paul wrote, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" (Rom 1:16). God's power is in the Gospel. And God's power is in this "Gospel Invitation." "Seek the LORD while he may be found!"

Do you remember how God created the world? He used His powerful Word! He just said, "Let there be..." and it was! Do you remember how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead? He said, "Lazarus, come out!" Lazarus did not have the power to rise. He could not raise himself. But when Jesus said, "Lazarus, come out" the words of Christ carried the power to bring about a miracle. Lazarus came to life! He was dead, and then he was alive again! In a similar way, God's power is in this "Gospel Invitation." One minute, people are unbelievers, dead in trespasses in sins, and the next minute, the LORD is able to call them to faith through His powerful Word. It's a miracle every time someone is brought to faith. It ought to impress us as much as when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus did not get the credit for rising to life, Jesus did! Jesus did the work of bringing him back to life. In the very same way, we do not get the credit for being brought to faith. God gets the credit. He performed the miracle of bringing us to faith.

Usually, we credit this work to the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity. God's Word says, "No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit." If you are a believer today, you have the Holy Spirit to thank for that. In the Third Article of the Creed, we confess, "I believe that I cannot (by my own reason or strength) by my own thinking or choosing, believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to Him, but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel." And here, God is calling people through a "Gospel Invitation." And God's power is in these words.

But it says, "Seek the Lord while he may be found." Time is running out. Perhaps, we will die soon. Perhaps Judgment Day will come soon. Scripture says (2 Cor 6:2) "Now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation!" Tomorrow could be too late! Perhaps, the Gospel itself will be taken away! It has happened that people neglected the Gospel to such an extent that they lost it. If we were to lose the Gospel, there would be no conversions here anymore. Without the Gospel, no one can be converted or believe! The Gospel is a passing rain shower. If we do not gladly hear and learn it, if we do not treasure it and take it to heart, God could very well just give it to someone else. But no one appreciates the Gospel without hearing the Law first. So, get ready. Here comes the Law!

2. God commands us to forsake every sin.

We read, "Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts." Do you recognize sinful patterns in your life? If you tend to think only of yourself, your wants, your desires, that is a sinful way to live. Forsake that way! It's the wrong way! Do you speak God's name in vain or use filthy language? If so, you are guilty of sin. Forsake that way! Do you worship God regularly? Do you always gladly hear and learn God's Word? If not, then you have sinned. It's not okay with God to sin. Repent of every sin, before it's too late. And that includes sinful thoughts! If you ever had greed, hatred, or lust in your heart, you sinned! God commands us to forsake every sin.

Don't look around to see somebody else. Don't think that this part of the sermon must be talking about that "other person." God wants this message directed to you, friend. The Law accuses every single one of us of sin. We are all sinners, guilty of God's everlasting punishment. Not a one of us deserves to go to heaven! Not a one of us has been good enough to earn heaven by our own good works. We deserve God's temporal and eternal punishment.

That is where the Law leads us. It shows us our sin, and our terrible predicament. If you really don't know very much about God's Word at all, you might conclude, "Well, I'm a pretty good person." But if you really know God's Word, you know better! We are sinners, and we deserve condemnation from God. God also works through the Law, but he does not work faith through the Law. No, God works sorrow, and contrition, and repentance. God leads us to despair of ourselves and our own works. He works through the Law, smashing down sin's fortresses. God uses his Law as a hammer that breaks down hard hearts. If you have reached the point now where you are willing to admit that you are a sinner, then we can proceed to the good news.

3. God empowers us to accept His pardon.

God has had mercy on us all. He sent His Son to redeem us and win our forgiveness. Because of what Jesus did, you are pardoned by God. Jesus lived the perfect life that we have not lived. And then He received our sins... In chapter 53 of this very book of Isaiah, it says: "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." (53:5-6). Jesus died as the full payment and sacrifice for all of our sins. His resurrection assures us that we are completely forgiven. We are, in fact, pardoned through Christ.

But the only ones who receive the benefits of this verdict are believers in Jesus. All others reject God's pardon, and perish. And yes, it is possible to reject a pardon, as crazy as that sounds... Way back in 1830, a man by the name of Wilson was sentenced to be hanged for robbery and murder. President Andrew Jackson pardoned him. This should have been great news for Mr. Wilson, but he refused the pardon. This presented a legal question with no precedent in the United States. The attorney general said the law was silent on the point. The president called on the Supreme Court to decide the point at once because the sheriff needed to know whether to hang Wilson or set him free. Chief Justice John Marshall handed down the decision that a pardon depends on its acceptance by the person implicated. It is hardly to be expected that a man under sentence of death would refuse a pardon, but if it is refused, it is no longer valid. And so, Wilson was hanged. Whose fault was it that he died? No one can be blamed except Wilson himself.

The atonement of Christ provided for the salvation of the entire world. Jesus won a pardon for everyone! But that pardon from God is only received and accepted by those who believe in Jesus. If people do not believe, they end up in "The Wilson predicament." They have been pardoned, but since they refuse to accept it, it does them no good.

How thankful we should be that God has empowered us to accept His pardon! Faith is a gift from God. We have only God to thank for it. But then, let us really thank him. Let us not just mouth the words, but show it in our words and actions. Let us return to worship our Savior often, and discard the usual lame excuses. Let us dedicate our lives to him. After all, we owe him our very lives! We have been pardoned by God! Thanks and praise be to God forever! Amen.