#154 THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST IS ALWAYS READY 9-18-26

“All things are ready; come to the feast.” Those words have a beautiful ring to them. The table is prepared. The invitation has gone out. The feast is waiting. The old song captured the heart of the gospel: everything necessary has been made ready by God. We are not invited to prepare the meal. We are invited to come and partake.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The gospel does not begin with what we can do for God. It begins with what God has done for us through Christ. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The sacrifice has been made. The blood has been shed. Christ has been raised. The invitation stands.

I think about David’s invitation to Mephibosheth. David said, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of Jonathan your father” (2 Samuel 9:7). Mephibosheth had nothing to offer the king. Yet David brought him to his table. He was invited because of another. That is a wonderful picture of grace. We come to God because of Christ. We have no righteousness of our own to boast about, but we can be received because of the righteousness and sacrifice of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9).

IF YOU ARE THIRSTY, COME

God still cries out to thirsty souls: “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters” (Isaiah 55:1). Jesus stood and said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37). The invitation is wonderfully simple. Thirsty? Come. Empty? Come. Weary? Come. Sin-burdened? Come. Hungry for something that this world cannot provide? Come.

The world offers plenty of drinks that never satisfy. Pleasure cannot satisfy the soul. Money cannot satisfy the soul. Recognition cannot satisfy the soul. Religion without Christ cannot satisfy the soul. Jeremiah described forsaking God as leaving “the fountain of living waters” to make broken cisterns that could hold no water (Jeremiah 2:13). We keep drinking from empty wells while Christ stands offering living water.

YOU WILL FIND SUSTENANCE

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger” (John 6:35). Christ doesn’t merely rescue us from something. He gives us something to live on. He becomes our spiritual nourishment.

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). God feeds the soul through His truth. His promises sustain us when circumstances become difficult. His presence strengthens us when we feel weak. His people encourage us when we become weary. “Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31).

Come to the table. There is sustenance here.

YOU WILL FIND STRENGTH

Some people are trying to follow Christ while attempting to live entirely on their own strength. That will eventually exhaust us. Paul learned to say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). He also heard Christ say, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The gospel doesn’t tell weak people to pretend they’re strong. It tells weak people where strength is found.

“Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).

YOU WILL FIND SATISFACTION

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). There is a satisfaction in knowing God that nothing else can duplicate. Augustine famously expressed the truth that our hearts remain restless until they rest in God. The Bible says it even more simply: “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness” (Psalm 63:5).

Christ doesn’t merely make life tolerable. He gives life meaning, purpose, hope, and fellowship with God.

YOU WILL FIND SALVATION

And here is the greatest invitation of all. “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth!” (Isaiah 45:22). Jesus came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Peter declared, “Nor is there salvation in any other” (Acts 4:12).

The gospel feast is ready.

The water is flowing.

The bread is on the table.

The invitation has been sent.

Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ reigns. And Christ still says, “Come.”

“Let the one who is thirsty come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).

Don’t stand outside the feast admiring the table. Come.

There is sustenance for your hunger.

There is strength for your weakness.

There is satisfaction for your soul.

And there is salvation in Jesus Christ.

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Father, thank You for preparing everything we need in Christ. Give us humble hearts to accept Your invitation, hungry souls that desire Your righteousness, and trusting faith to come to Jesus and remain with Him. Amen.

BDD