ENJOY THE LORD’S BANQUET (Outline)
July 10, 2011 -
Pentecost 4 -
ISAIAH 25:6-9
INTRO: Most people enjoy eating at a free banquet or feast. Very often food and celebrations go quite well together. Too often we think about our next meal even before being finished with our current meal. Our loving Lord uses earthly examples to connect us with that which is spiritual. There is much more to our lives than earthly banquets. "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (ROMANS 14:17). Today we study how the believer is able to enjoy the Lord’s banquet offering of “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”. This is God’s grace freely given to us by faith (gift of Holy Spirit).
ENJOY THE LORD’S BANQUET.
I. It is a feast for salvation. II. It is our reason to rejoice.
I. THE LORD’S BANQUET IS A FEAST FOR SALVATION
A. Verse 6. The Lord Almighty is the Lord God Jehovah who makes and keeps every promise.
1. “On this mountain” refers to two things. The first mountain is Jerusalem and Mt. Zion.
2. The second “mountain” also means heaven. Both descriptions fit these verses very well.
3. This banquet was not an ordinary meal in daily living. This banquet is a victory meal.
B. Verse 7. This is the reason for the victory banquet: Death is swallowed up forever. Celebrate.
1. Verse 8. Notice that it is the Sovereign Lord who gives the victory for all people.
2. There are not more tears or disgrace. “On this mountain” clearly describes heaven.
C. Verse 8c. “The Lord has spoken”. These are not Isaiah’s words. These are the Lord’s words.
D. “The Lord has spoken” are the greatest words of encouragement and blessing that any believer can hear. Yet, so many, too many, find such words offensive. God’s word as revealed in the Holy Scriptures provides eternal salvation for everyone who believes. The fact is the Lord God Almighty wants all people to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. We may wonder why so many do not partake of the free banquet the heavenly Father graciously provides. "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come"(MATTHEW 22:2, 3). People reject God’s salvation feast.
E. How sad that any would refuse the free gift of eternal salvation. Such are the hearts of all mankind from birth. God’s grace saves us in spite of our own sinful nature. How thankful and blessed we truly are. Jesus miraculously fed a crowd of over 5,000 people. They followed Jesus hoping he would continue to provide them with free food. Our society is much the same today when it looks for someone else to provide everything for them for free. Jesus taught the crowd that any earthly food pales in comparison to the eternal food of his word. "This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever" (JOHN 6:58). Jesus referred to himself as the bread that came down from heaven. After hearing these words many left, rejecting Jesus.
F. The Lord through the prophet Isaiah wants to make the connection between that which we enjoy on earth with the eternal. The Lord uses comparison after comparison to direct our thoughts and attention to the fact that spiritual blessing far outweigh everything earthly. "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (1 PETER 1:18, 19). All of the gold or silver in the entire universe will not pay for one single sin. One precious drop of Jesus’ blood cleanses our souls to become as white as snow. God’s word is our feast of salvation.
ENJOY THE LORD’S BANQUET. This is a feast for salvation for all mankind, especially believers.
II. GOD’S BANQUET IS OUR REASON TO REJOICE
A. Verse 8c. “The Lord has spoken”. There were many false prophets during the time of Isaiah.
1. Man’s words and wisdom never stand up to the truth and power of the word of the Lord.
2. Many listened to the words of false prophets that did not offer an eternal banquet.
B. Verse 9a. In the day of deliverance Israel would once recognize the power of God to save them.
1. Isaiah had pronounced the Lord’s judgment against nations and Israel (see chapters 13-24).
2. Verse 9b. Following judgment is deliverance. Those who trust in the Lord know his love.
C. Verse 9c. Deliverance from defeat into victory = rejoice and be glad in the Lord’s salvation.
D. “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us.” There are no more powerful words than these for our lives. Trust in God is easy to say but a bit harder to do. Today’s society teaches self-reliance. Each person trying hard enough can make a good life for himself. Sometimes we are also tempted to put a little bit too much trust and confidence in our own wisdom. We do our projects with careful planning expecting great results. We trust in ourselves to know the best. Our trust in the Lord is replaced with sinful, human pride. "This is what the LORD says: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD’" (JEREMIAH 17:5).
E. Another common character of our civilization is to think that money solves every problem. Often our lives focus on getting money for present pleasures. At other times we strive to store up wealth for our future security. Our loving Lord wants us to focus on eternity. "Command those who are rich in this pre-sent world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment"(1 TIMOTHY 6:17). “Wealth…is so uncertain.” This is not the message of the world in which we live. It is all the more important for each of us to remember the simple truth “God…richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment".
F. Our loving Lord, our heavenly Father, graciously gives us an eternal feast to enjoy. We do not de-serve God’s mercy and grace. We cannot earn God’s favor. Yet, the Lord God Almighty still provides. We have many, many reasons to rejoice because of God’s goodness shown to each one of us. "(As God’s servants we are) sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything" (2 CORINTHIANS 6:10). We may have nothing according to the world’s standards. God has given us everything eternal. We may seem to be poor in the eyes of the world. We share the gospel of Christ which makes everyone rich. We sorrow over our sins. We rejoice in forgiveness.
CONC: ENJOY THE LORD’S BANQUET. Our loving Lord God Almighty uses this earthly description to help us better understand the depth of the meaning of eternal salvation. The word of God is our feast of salvation. Knowing God and his word gives us reason to rejoice. We are no longer God’s enemies but his children. We no longer live in the dark but dwell in the light of salvation. All of this is ours by the grace of God. "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand" (PSALM 16:11). God has shown us the path of life here on earth. We rejoice in his gift of salvation for us. We will finally, perfectly rejoice at the Lord’s table in heaven. May each of us always be filled with joy as we ENJOY THE LORD’S BANQUET.
Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
PENTECOST 4 rdgs: EXODUS 19:2-8; ROMANS 5:6-11; MATTHEW 9:35-10:8; (PSALM 100)
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