Come to the Feast: Christ, Covenant, and Hope

Devotional

Day 1: Come Without Money, Come Thirsty

Isaiah’s words ring like a marketplace vendor’s cry: “Come, buy wine and milk without money!” Exiled Israelites heard this while starving in foreign lands. God called them to abandon empty labor and receive free nourishment. Milk and wine – symbols of settled prosperity – became promises for displaced people. [43:36]

God’s invitation exposes our misplaced efforts. Like Israelites seeking security in idols, we chase careers, relationships, or comforts that leave us hungry. Jesus offers Himself as the feast that truly satisfies, paid for by His own blood.

You’ve labored for broken cisterns. Hear God’s call to stop paying with empty rituals and receive His free gift. What thirst drives you to leaky wells when living water stands ready?

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
(Isaiah 55:1, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to reveal one “purchase” you’ve tried making with works instead of receiving grace.
Challenge: Write down three things you’ve strived to earn from God, then cross them out with “Paid in full.”

Day 2: Why Labor for Empty Bread?

God confronts His people: “Why spend money on what isn’t bread?” They’d traded covenant faithfulness for Assyrian alliances and Canaanite idols. Exile proved their “bargains” left them bankrupt. Yet God’s question wasn’t condemnation – it was a lover’s plea. [51:47]

Idols demand everything but nourish nothing. Like the Israelites, we mortgage peace to anxiety, sacrifice time to mindless scrolling, or barter integrity for approval. Jesus redirects: “Eat what is good – My broken body given for you.”

What empty calories fill your schedule today? Name one “transaction” where you’re paying more than you gain. When will you let Christ convert your famine into feast?

“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.”
(Isaiah 55:2, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one idol you’ve “funded” this week. Thank Jesus for covering its debt.
Challenge: Cancel one non-essential task today to sit with Isaiah 55:2 for five minutes.

Day 3: David’s Throne, Christ’s Covenant

God promised an everlasting covenant through “my steadfast love for David.” But David’s tomb remained occupied for centuries. Peter preached the fulfillment: “David died, but the Messiah lives!” Jesus’ resurrection validated Him as the true feast-host and eternal king. [59:22]

Ancient Jews longed for David’s political restoration. God gave better – a crucified Savior reigning through mercy. Our feast isn’t in Jerusalem’s ruins but Christ’s unshakable kingdom.

You seek stability in elections, finances, or health. How might viewing Jesus as your active ruler change today’s anxieties? Where do you need His scepter of grace to govern?

“And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’”
(Acts 13:32-33, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for three specific ways He’s ruled with mercy in your life this month.
Challenge: Text one person: “Remember today – Christ is on the throne.”

Day 4: Feasting on Righteousness and Peace

The feast’s menu surprises: justification, peace, hope. Romans 5 declares rebels become royalty through Christ. Scarlet sins bleach white; enemies dine as honored guests. This isn’t metaphorical catering – it’s legal reality for those in Jesus. [01:04:51]

We often snack on condemnation crumbs. But God serves filet mignon: “No condemnation!” (Romans 8:1). Your seat at the table was secured by Christ’s empty tomb, not your spotless record.

When guilt whispers “You don’t belong,” taste your true identity. Which lie about your standing will you replace with Romans 5:1 today?

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
(Romans 5:1-2, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one sin you’ve let define you, then thank Jesus for His definitive “Paid.”
Challenge: Set a phone reminder: “3 PM – Justified. Romans 5:1.”

Day 5: The Lamb’s Unending Supper

John saw the ultimate celebration: the Lamb’s wedding feast. No cleanup crew needed – this party never ends. Martyrs, missionaries, and misfits share the table, robes whitened by Christ’s blood. The invitation still echoes: “Come, thirsty ones!” [01:15:48]

Earthly weddings foreshadow this joy. Arguments over seating charts and burnt entrees vanish here. Jesus’ bride – once scarred, now radiant – feasts eternally.

Your toughest day is a single note in heaven’s symphony. How might living as an already-invited guest change your interactions today?

“And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God.’”
(Revelation 19:9, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to make you bold in inviting others to His feast this week.
Challenge: Share a meal with someone today, consciously reflecting on Christ’s eternal table.

Sermon Summary

We stand before an open table called by the Lord, who cries out four times, come. We place ourselves in the exile and poverty that Isaiah’s people experienced so that we grasp how astonishing the invitation sounds: come to the waters, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. We see the contrast between a world that produces milk and wine only in peace and prosperity and the reality of siege and displacement, and we hear the urgent question, why do you spend your money for that which is not bread? We recognize how easily people chase substitutes for God: security, idols, political promises, or religious activity that never truly satisfies.

We listen to the insistence to listen, to incline our ear and receive what is good. We identify the feast’s menu: not mere food but the person and work who fulfills the Davidic promise. We hold fast to the gospel’s logic: God makes an everlasting covenant, grounded in steadfast love, and that covenant culminates in Jesus Christ. Christ embodies the feast. He brings justification so that God declares us righteous; he effects reconciliation so that God treats us as friends rather than enemies; he secures hope that will not disappoint. We feast now on these gifts as a foretaste and live in the in-between of already and not yet, rejoicing in what God has given and expecting the final consummation.

We confess that we bring nothing but hunger and debt, yet God bids us enter freely. We receive the wedding imagery as covenantal intimacy: the marriage supper of the Lamb pictures both celebration and purifying love that prepares the bride. We commit to send the invitation outward because the covenantal feast intends that nations who did not know God will run to him. We anticipate the final word, come Lord Jesus, and we live as a people who feast in the present while longing for the full and final feast when Christ returns to consummate his reign.

Key Takeaways

1. Come freely to God’s feast God issues an open market cry that overturns usual economies: the feast costs us nothing because God pays the price. Receiving this gift reshapes our posture from bargaining for favor to sitting down and receiving grace, which exposes both our poverty and God’s abundance. We must keep returning to the table to unlearn self-sufficiency and to be formed by the free gospel. [43:36]
2. Idols never satisfy lasting hunger The question why do you spend your money for that which is not bread confronts every substitute that promises life but yields fleeting comfort. True repentance names what we love more than God and redirects desire toward what actually nourishes the soul. This discipline frees us from hidden labors that exhaust us without ever filling us. [50:42]
3. Christ is the feast’s true menu The feast’s “rich food” points to the person and work of Christ, who secures justification, reconciliation, and hope for his people. Feasting on Christ means feasting on declared righteousness, restored relationship, and a hope anchored in God’s unchanging plan. This feast changes our identity and grounds our perseverance amid daily weakness. [64:26]
4. The wedding feast demands covenantal hope The marriage supper of the Lamb portrays celebration and sanctifying love that prepares a holy bride for eternal fellowship with Christ. That image urges us toward holiness not as moral performance but as response to covenant love that purifies and presents. The invitation remains global and urgent, calling us to both receive and to invite others. [75:48]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[42:57] - Gathering and encouragement
[43:09] - Reading Isaiah 55
[43:36] - The marketlike invitation
[46:41] - Exile as the setting
[50:20] - Grace explained and questioned
[55:49] - The rich food described
[57:08] - Everlasting covenant with David
[63:34] - Feast of Christ and benefits
[75:48] - Marriage supper of the Lamb
[77:53] - Final invitation and benediction

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Isaiah 55:1-5 (ESV)
1 Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. 4 Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. 5 Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.

Observation Questions

In Isaiah 55:1, God repeats the word "come" four times. What does this repetition emphasize about His invitation?
The invitation in Isaiah 55:1-2 is directed at those who "have no money" and "labor for that which does not satisfy." What does this reveal about the audience God is calling? [43:36]
Verse 2 asks, "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread?" What substitutes for God are contrasted with the "rich food" He offers? [50:42]
How does the mention of David’s covenant in verse 3 connect to the ultimate fulfillment in Jesus? [57:08]

Interpretation Questions

Why does God contrast the imagery of exile (poverty, displacement) with a feast of "wine and milk"? What does this teach about His character? [49:35]
The invitation is free but calls people to "buy without money." How does this paradox highlight the gospel’s logic of grace? [43:36]
The sermon states, "Christ is the feast’s true menu." How does Isaiah 55 point to Jesus as the fulfillment of the "everlasting covenant" and "rich food"? [01:04:26]
Revelation 19:9 describes the "marriage supper of the Lamb." How does this future feast shape our understanding of God’s present invitation? [01:15:48]

Application Questions

"Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread?" What substitutes (e.g., security, approval, success) do you turn to instead of Christ when feeling spiritually hungry? How can you redirect your desires this week? [50:42]
The feast is free, yet we often try to "bargain for favor" with God. Where do you struggle to receive grace without self-reliance? What practical step can you take to "sit down and receive" this week? [43:36]
The invitation to the feast is meant to be shared with "nations who did not know God." Who in your life needs to hear this invitation? How can you extend it in word or action? [01:15:48]
The sermon says we live in the "in-between of already and not yet." How does this tension affect your daily hope? What habit could help you rejoice in Christ’s gifts now while longing for His return?
The "marriage supper of the Lamb" includes purification. What area of your life needs Christ’s sanctifying love to prepare you for eternal fellowship with Him? [01:15:25]
Isaiah 55:5 says nations will "run to God" because He has glorified His people. How does your life reflect God’s glory in a way that draws others to Him?

Sermon Clips

It's free because Jesus paid it all. He paid the greatest price. And so, the invitation to come to join the feast which God has prepared is completely free and is for each and every one of us here. And the feast is a great feast which celebrates Jesus Christ. It celebrates his ascending onto the throne and reigning in power. It celebrates who he is and what he has done and we're invited. [01:02:56] (34 seconds) #JesusPaidItAll

And we are slaves, powerless and dead in our sins. Just like the people in Isaiah's day. They were in exile because they had turned away from God. They were under his discipline and punishment. We come to party with no money, with no standing, with no invitation. But what was God's invitation? What is God's invitation? It's come. Come by without money. The offer of the gospel to come into God's feast is completely free. [01:02:06] (41 seconds) #ComeWithoutMoney

Have you ever passed by a party that was going on and you looked inside and you said, wow, that looks like a great party. You kind of peeked in and said, wow, look at the good food they have. But you were not invited to that party at all. I certainly wouldn't and I don't think anybody here would have the guts to just walk into the party and say, hey guys, I'm here for the party. You gotta have an invitation. [01:00:52] (24 seconds) #YoureInvitedToGrace

We were at war, an unwinnable war, but we have peace with God by the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross. What does that mean? That means God is for you. He has brought you into peace with him, into reconciled relationship with him out of his great love. God is not against you. He is working all things for our ultimate good which is to dwell with him forever that he might be glorified. [01:09:41] (34 seconds) #PeaceWithGod

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