The book of Isaiah is a book of prophecy. It speaks from many hundreds of years before Jesus. It describes how God always keeps his promises. God is faithful and true. That’s important to us. We need to know that God keeps his promises. Isaiah says that God has already been keeping his promises for many hundreds of years before Isaiah lived. God will go on keeping his promises. Jesus will come. It has been planned long ago. Jesus will return. It has been planned long ago. Do you struggle to believe that God will keep his promises to you? The Bible itself is evidence that God is completely true and consistent.
Isaiah tells us that there will be a huge feast. It will be a massive party. The Lord will prepare it on Mount Zion. This refers to Jerusalem. God has prepared a huge party for us. Jesus came to Jerusalem to be crucified. He took all of our sin, not just a part of it. He destroyed everything which separated us from God. His crucifixion opened the way for us to have peace with God. So what is the feast? In this life, it is the knowledge of God. In the life to come it will be far greater. We will enjoy the presence of God for ever. We will be full of joy as we live the life that God always intended. However, this does not mean that all people will be at that feast. There is an invitation. Jesus describes a wedding banquet in Matthew Chapter 22. A king prepares the banquet and tells the guests far in advance. Then, when the banquet is ready, he sends out the message calling the guests to come. Most of them refuse. They say that they are busy, or that they better things to do. Their daily lives are more important than this feast. They even mistreat his servants. So the master sends out invitations to different people. They are not important, and we would not expect to see them at a royal wedding. But still the banquet is not full, so the king calls more to come. These are the poorest people. The king gives each person the right clothes for this wedding. Guests who try to come in their own clothes are refused. What is the point? You can refuse the call to this banquet. God has prepared it at enormous cost. You are personally invited. Will you come?
Question 1: Are you excited about eternity? Why or why not?
Isaiah now explains what the Lord will do on that mountain. He says that there is a veil of sadness that covers all humanity. This is a deep grief that all humans feel. We know that we are mortal. We know that our bodies grow, decline, and fade. We know that our health will go and then we will die. We sense that every good thing is temporary. This is death. It feels like a curse. It reminds that we are powerless and it can even make our lives seem futile. Isaiah says that this curse will end. God will remove death in a single day. Jesus came out of the tomb at Easter. This resurrection was not only for him. It was for everyone. It was a sign that the power of sin was broken. With it, all the power of death was broken. That process of destruction and futility has been defeated and destroyed. Jesus says that we will rise with him. Each one of us could tell us stories about how death has affected us and those we love. Jesus shows us that death doesn’t have to have the last word.
Grief comes because of loss. We face acute sadness, loneliness or pain. Our hopes aren’t realised. Our relationships don’t work out. The things we worked for crumble. Death ends a relationship which meant a lot to us. We feel the loss acutely. We weep because our lives are broken. We feel small and ashamed. God says that this will end. Sometimes we build our lives on what is not God and not good. We make a plan or a relationship our goal. These things will be taken from us. But God offers us a place at his banquet. He tells to turn aside from worldly hopes and plans. He tells us to set our eyes on him. Jesus revealed himself to his disciples after his resurrection. He instructed them to tell people. And he gave them commands. When we trust Jesus, he will wipe every tear from our faces. In heaven we understand every pain, every struggle, every failure. We will be full of joy.
Question 2: Question: does God take away grief in this world, or in heaven? How does God change our grief and sadness?
Look at these two key words. ‘Trust’ and ‘salvation’. It is crucial to understand those two words. Trust means that you don’t rely on yourself. You rely completely on God. Jesus took away our sins and rose from the dead. He invites us to believe that he has taken away the power of death and sin. This is what trust means. You can’t trust two things. You can’t trust Jesus and your own good actions. If Jesus can save you, then no-one and nothing else can. Who do you trust? How can you trust Jesus? You can pause now, and think. Did Jesus come back from the dead? Can he bring me back from the dead? Do I trust him? Will I give my life to him completely? If the answer to these questions is yes, then you trust him. If the answer to these questions is no, or ‘not sure’, then you have not yet replied to the invitation. It is time to reply to the invitation of God. Without that reply, then death and sorrow will catch up with you. You will face the anger of God. But if you reply, God offers you a place at the feast of heaven. What is your reply? If you reply for the first time today, please speak to me or one of the leaders here at City Life Church. God bless you.
