Easter (Isaiah 25:6-9)

“Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us”  (Is 25:9).  Amen.

There are times when you don’t want to eat.
 It could be a matter of busyness.  Due to the pressure of the day, you cannot take the time or find the time to sit down and fill up at the table.  And so you press on until there is a break, hurrying here and scurrying there.
 It could be an issue of laziness.  Because of the comfort of the couch, you cannot get up or get out a microwave burrito from the freezer.  And so you settle in until there is a commercial, wondering if someone else will zap it or waiting for someone else to nuke it.
And then there are occasions when you can’t wait to eat.
 It is your pick for a meal and you are starving.
 It is your choice of a restaurant and you are salivating.
(Either one of those options might include pizza.)
Because we have to eat regularly and like to eat frequently, God uses that image in his Word.  We consider one example today.  Enjoy the Lord’s Easter feast with a heap of promises and a hymn of praise.  We read from …

Isaiah 25:6-9

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus, the once Christ crucified, but now our living Lord,
It seems as if eating and celebrating often go together, don’t they?
 It might be something special in your life.  A birthday.  An anniversary.  That calls for cupcakes and candles.
 It might be something significant on the calendar.  Thanksgiving.  Christmas.  That comes with turkey and trimmings.
And now Easter.  We have Easter breakfast.  (Thank you to those who provided and prepared the morning meal.  I don’t know what smell is more noticeable—the pancakes or the lilies.)  Easter brunch.  Easter snack  (another shout out to chocolate!).  Easter supper.  You get the idea.  Easter and eating.
God represents his blessings to us like a beautiful banquet.  We receive and we rejoice.

Enjoy the Lord’s Easter Feast
1.  With a heap of promises  (6-8)
2.  With a hymn of praise  (9)

1.  With a heap of promises  (6-8)
We call them common table prayers because they are fairly well-known.  Before we fill our plates, we fold our hands:  “Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest.  And let these gifts to us be blessed.”  It is a reminder and a recognition that God gives and we get.  That is true of everything from him.  Enjoy the Lord’s Easter feast with a heap of promises.
As with any invitation to an important spread, there is certain information.  Such is the case.
 Where:  “On this mountain”  (Is 25:6).  That would call to mind Mt. Zion, where Jerusalem was located—where God was with his chosen nation.  That became code for God’s people.  We refer to it as the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints—God’s holy ones  (He 12:22). 
We are part of that select group as Jesus cleansed us from our sin with his death on the cross.  His blood paid the price to set us free  (Eph 1:7).
 Who:  “the LORD Almighty”  (Is 25:6).  He is One who is changeless in his kindness and compassion  (Ex 34:6).  But also the all-powerful One—in the heavens above and on the earth below.
This is the One who requests our presence.  He calls to us in his mercy and with his might.
 What:  “a feast of rich food … a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines”  (Is 25:6).  This is not warmed up macaroni and cheese with leftover chicken nuggets.  There may be a time and a place for that.  But not here.  And not now.   And he does not skimp because he is not stingy.  Only the best will do—topnotch meat, in cut and quantity, and top-shelf wine—in color and quality.  We might say filet mignon and red merlot.  (I am not sure if I am putting those together correctly or even pronouncing them exactly.)
This is the way the Lord depicts his blessings to us.  It is unlike how the devil would have us nibble on the junk food of greed or lust.  That poisons leaving regret.  Instead we have the most excellent of fare from the Lord—his complete forgiveness of us and his constant presence with us.  (Only we don’t have to concern ourselves with clogged arteries or high cholesterol.)  We dine on that every time we dig into his Word.  There is no better nourishment for our souls.
And this is not limited to a chosen few or a select number.  This feast is “for all peoples”  (Is 25:6).  He mentions “all nations … all faces … all the earth”  (Is 25:7,8).  There is no wondering:  “Does that include me?”  Yes.  We are his honored guests.  Enjoy God’s Easter feast.  Such is his grace.
But to enjoy the feast there must be the removal of things that prevent that.  A couple can’t relax if they have concerns about the babysitter—will there be some trouble?, or the parking space—will there be a ticket?.  And that is what the Lord Almighty does.
 “On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever”  (Is 25:7,8).  That is a reference to the practice of wearing a veil when mourning a death or a covering when confronted by a tragedy.  We might compare it to our custom of wearing black at a funeral.  Death’s icy grip reaches out to all—no matter the country or the culture.  Things like education and medicine or effort and exercise only delay it.  That is because sin brings with it death  (Ro 5:12; 1 Co 15:21).
But we are not ignorant of what God has done.  He has wiped death out.  It is just like when we gulp a handful of M&Ms.  It no longer exists.  That is why Easter is so essential.  Jesus died.  But Jesus rose.  The angel announced it to the women early that Sunday morning:  “Don’t be alarmed … You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified.  He has risen!  He is not here.  See the place where they laid him”  (Mk 16:6).  Because Jesus lives; we live  (Jn 14:19).  As Jesus once mentioned to Martha at her brother’s tomb:  “I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die”  (Jn 11:25,26).
Death will still touch us, but it will not triumph over us.  We can confidently quote the apostle Paul:  “Death has been swallowed up in victory”  (1 Co 15:54,55).  God gives us that victory  (1 Co 15:57).  Yes, death comes, but it is overcome.  It is not the end of life, but the entrance to life.  Because God loved the world in such a way and to such extent that he gave his Son, we have eternal life  (Jn 3:16).
 “The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces”  (Is 25:8).  We have felt that hot water rush down our faces and race down our checks when our hearts are breaking or aching.  Sometimes that is about all we can muster in some situations.
But like a father flicks away the waterworks that is what our Father in heaven does.  On the Last Day, Jesus will return and raise us up.  He will transform our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body  (Php 3:21).  Sin and all its effects will be eliminated.  There will be no more sadness or sorrow  (Re 7:17; 21:4).
 “He will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth”  (Is 25:8). Many might mention that we are the fools on April 1st—believing that Jesus is alive.  How many people do you know come back from the dead?  Jesus.  He removes our doubt and we can remark with Paul:  “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead”  (1 Co 15:20).
And so will we.  On Judgment Day, there will be no shame for trusting in Jesus.  We will be with him forever  (1 Thess 4:17).
How can we be so sure?  The Lord punctuates this with an exclamation mark:  “The LORD has spoken”  (Is 25:8).  In other words:  “Because I, the LORD, the LORD Almighty, the Sovereign LORD said so.”  And that is good enough.  He is the One who came up with it and carries it out.  Enjoy the Lord’s Easter feast with a heap of promises.  And when it comes from him, it is as good as done.
2.  With a hymn of praise  (9)
And then we follow up and finish with:  “O give thanks unto the Lord.  For he is good and his love endures forever”  (Ps 118:1).  We are grateful, thankful.  So on this day and every day.  Enjoy the Lord’s Easter feast with a hymn of praise.
We are not left speechless.  We join with anyone and everyone:  “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us.  This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation”  (Is 25:9).  With even more happiness than when a child hops up and down when he discovers his Easter basket and highlights it to his mom  (even though she was the one who hid it), we exclaim:  “Hey, look.  Our God.  Our Lord.  We looked for him with eagerness and he did not disappoint.  He rescued us.  We are safe and secure because the salvation that comes from him he grants and guarantees.  We echo the song of the psalmist:  “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it”  (Ps 118:24).  Today.  Tomorrow.  This coming Sunday.  The following week.  On earth.  For eternity.  Enjoy the Lord’s Easter Feast with a hymn of praise.
My guess is that if you haven’t stuck something in your stomach already, it will happen sometime soon.  When you do, think of this section of Scripture.  Enjoy the Lord’s Easter feast with a heap of promises.  It is like a buffet.  He gets rid of the guilt of sin and the threat of death.  And enjoy the Lord’s Easter feast with a hymn of praise.  We are blest with his gifts.  And we give thanks.  That is not foolish, but foolproof.  Happy eating and happy Easter.  Amen.

“This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation”  (Is 25:9).  Amen.


April 1, 2018