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Isaiah 25:1-12

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  1. Isaiah 25 is really telling us of a feast that is like no other feast. It's the banquet

  2. ! It's the banquet to which all other banquets point. It's a feast that doesn't take place

  3. ! In your home or in a restaurant or a function hall because it's much much bigger than that.

  4. It is a feast that I hope will make our mouths water this morning. Just thinking about it.

  5. It's a feast that costs more than you can ever imagine. And it's a feast in which you

  6. can only participate in if you're on the guest list. And so that's what I want to think of.

  7. I want to think about four headings this morning. The preparation for the feast, the feast itself,

  8. the guest list, and the final bill. Let's look at the preparations for the feast. Look at

  9. Isaiah 25. And we're into a new section that runs from Isaiah 24 to 27. And it's often referred

  10. to as the apocalypse of Isaiah. Sometimes when you and I hear that word, we think Hollywood,

  11. don't we? Apocalypse. And we think of buildings burning and bloody battles and things blowing

  12. up and monsters. But the word apocalypse really just means an unveiling. It means a revealing

  13. revelation. In fact, the Greek word is used for the title of the last page of the Bible.

  14. And it comes from the Greek word apocalypsis. So that's where we get the word apocalypse.

  15. It's just revelation, a revealing, an unveiling. So here in Isaiah 24 to 27, you have Isaiah's

  16. apocalypse. And that's Isaiah's revelation. And in fact, as you read these chapters, which

  17. I hope you will, it mirrors a lot of what we find in the last book of the Bible. Lots

  18. of the themes of Isaiah 24 to 27 are picked up in the book of Revelation. Isaiah 24 begins,

  19. doesn't it, in the most sober of fashions. Can you see that? Look down at verse 1 of chapter

  20. 24. Behold, the Lord will empty the earth and make it desert. He'll twist its surface and

  21. scatter its inhabitants. Look down at verse 23. The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly

  22. plundered, for the Lord has spoken his word. Do you see, the Lord is going to lay waste the

  23. earth and devastate it. He will ruin it. He will scatter its inhabitants. And the earth will

  24. be laid completely waste and totally plundered because the Lord has spoken his word. And

  25. if you've been with us during this series on Isaiah, you might have sensed, well, this

  26. is where everything is going. In chapters 13 to 23, you've got the 10 oracles, those 10

  27. messages for Judah and the neighbouring cities and nations. Oracles of judgment. And people

  28. are trusting in anything but God. And here's where it all leads. It leads to utter devastation.

  29. To utter destruction throughout the world. And if you work your way through chapter 4, which

  30. we're not going to do this morning, it is very chilling reading. There's no joy left.

  31. In Isaiah 25, 24, there's gloom. There's gloom in the world because people have lived their

  32. lives apart from God. They've lived their lives away from God and the consequences of judgment

  33. and devastation. And we've seen that again and again and again. But Isaiah won't just leave

  34. it there. There is a glimmer of hope. Look at verses 14 to 16 of Isaiah 24. Verse 14 to 16.

  35. They lift up their voices and they sing for joy. Over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the

  36. west. Therefore in the east, give glory to God. In the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name

  37. of the Lord the God of Israel. From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise.

  38. Of glory to the righteous one. But I say, I waste away. I waste away. Woe is me. For the

  39. traitors are betrayed. With betrayal the traitors are betrayed.

  40. So the question is, in verse 14 of Isaiah 24, is who are they? Who are these people who are

  41. raising their voices? And it appears as you read through Isaiah that there is a remnant.

  42. There is a small part of the people of Judah that Isaiah keeps coming back to. A remnant,

  43. a small group of people who have kept trusting in the Lord. And there is a sense here that

  44. they are spread out throughout the globe from the east to the west. And Isaiah says they

  45. are singing. And the title of the piece that they are singing is glory to the righteous one.

  46. Now, we don't get to that particular song. But I would want to suggest to you, in verse

  47. 25 and 26, we get some of the words, we get some of the lyrics of that song from Isaiah

  48. himself, who breaks out. Look at Isaiah 25 verses 1 and 2. He says,

    Isaiah 25:1

  49. Oh Lord, you are my God. I will exalt you. I will praise your name for you have done wonderful

  50. things. Plans formed of old, faithful and sure. For you have made the city a heap. The fortified

  51. city a ruin. The foreigner's palace is a city or more. It will never be rebuilt.

  52. Just let it be, it's one again. Isaiah praises this covenant God who he says is his God. He

  53. is the personal God. He's not just our God, but is he your God? Individually. And the reason

  54. for praising God is because of his rescue for his people. That just as God had promised

  55. to bring his people out of Egypt to the promised land, so now God is going to bring his people

  56. through a ruined world, through devastation. Represented here as the city. And he'll bring

  57. them to the ultimate promised land. And God had acted on behalf of his people with every

  58. imaginable act of faithfulness. And in doing so he's performed marvellous deeds and marvellous

  59. things that could never have been achieved naturally. Isaiah goes on in the song to speak

  60. of how God was a refuge to the people. A refuge to the people from the shelter, from the storm.

  61. He was a shelter. He was a shade from the heat. And nothing is going to stop this God from

  62. achieving what he planned long ago. And the end result is that the song of his enemies will

  63. be completely silent. They will sing no more. Because as you know you only sing when you're

  64. winning. While those who like Isaiah will sing. And they will sing a song that will never be

  65. silenced. Because God has done marvellous things in preparation. The question is in preparation

  66. for what? And when we come to verses 6-8 we see that God has been preparing for a feast.

  67. So let's look at the feast. Verses 6-8. Verses 6-8 almost comes as a surprise. I don't think

  68. you would be expecting them if you've just read the first five verses. But in fact verses

  69. 6-8 is the heart of the chapter. In Isaiah 25 verse 6. On this mountain the Lord of hosts

    Isaiah 25:6

  70. will make for all the peoples a feast of rich food. A feast of well aged wine. Of rich food

  71. full of marrow. Of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering

  72. that's cast over all the peoples. The veil that's spread over all the nations. He will

  73. swallow up death forever. And the Lord God will wipe away all tears from their faces. And

  74. the reproach of his people he'll take away from all the earth. For the Lord has spoken.

  75. Here is what the Lord Almighty is preparing for his people. It is a feast. It is the most

  76. magnificent banquet. I don't know what the most amazing meal you've ever had was. Where

  77. was it? Where's the most amazing meal you've ever had? Think about that for a minute. Maybe

  78. it was in a home. Maybe it was in a restaurant. Maybe it was at a wedding reception. And it

  79. depends doesn't it? As you think about that most amazing meal you've ever had, you're not

  80. just talking about the meal. But you're talking about the context and the setting and the guests.

  81. When you talk about that most amazing meal that you've ever had, you think about the context.

  82. You're not just talking about the food. But you can have eaten the greatest meal with your

  83. best friends in the most wonderful home or restaurant. And yet this meal, God promises,

  84. this trumps it. It will far surpass any restaurant you could ever go to. And Isaiah says, here there

  85. is food beyond your wildest imagination. That the wine will be aged to absolute perfection.

  86. And at that table, you will feast. It's a picture, isn't it, of a world made perfect where you

  87. will enjoy God's presence for the full. A world where there will be total provision and plenty

  88. and satisfaction. And it is all represented by this lavish feast. But that is not all Isaiah

  89. says here. Because he says, actually no one will leave this feast. No one ever needs to get

  90. up from the table, as it were. There will never be a time when the host will say, okay, that's

  91. it. Time for you to go home. And the reason for that, Isaiah says, is that death itself is

  92. on the menu. Death itself is going to be there on the dessert table. And God is going to swallow

  93. up death itself. Death will be literally consumed by God. The shroud of pain and sorrow, Isaiah says,

  94. it will be removed. And God will and can wipe away all tears. And he will vindicate all those

  95. who belong to him. It is the most wonderful image of a life that is to come. It is a wonderful

  96. image of a new creation that has elements of this creation. But it is greater. It is better.

  97. It is more colourful. It is more vibrant. So it's the most amazing feast. But Isaiah shows

  98. that if you want to be part of this banquet, you've got to know that there's a guest list.

  99. Look at verse 6-8. Now initially when you look at verse 6-8 and you think about the guest list,

  100. it might appear that there is one. You may have noticed the alls. Can you see that in verse 6-8?

  101. On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast

  102. of well-eared wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow

  103. up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over

  104. all nations. He will swallow up death forever. And the Lord God will wipe tears away from all

  105. faces. And the reproach of all his people he will take away from all the earth, for the

  106. Lord has spoken. You should notice the alls, pretty basic, vital hands, like I said, that

  107. you keep noticing the repetition. And so you should be asking, what's the deal with all

  108. the alls? Well there's two things that we need to think about. First of all, Isaiah's audience

  109. would be in absolute shock. That the invitation to eat with God is offered so widely here. And

  110. the reason they would have been in shock is because they would have remembered that after

  111. the Exodus, when they reached Mount Sinai, the 70 elders, the 70 leaders of Israel went

  112. up on the mountain. And we're told that in Exodus 24 verse 11 they beheld God and the elders,

    Exodus 24:11

  113. they ate and they drank with God. They ate in the presence of God. But it was only the

  114. leaders. The people were warned, don't even go close to the mountain or it will kill you.

  115. Or more accurately, God will kill you. So the people, they were terrified of God's presence.

  116. Because God said, if you come near, you will die, I'm too holy. They were terrified by God's

  117. presence. Because God in their mind was dangerous. But now Isaiah says, folks, there is a day coming

  118. when everyone will eat. All will eat. The second thing we need to notice about the alls comes

  119. in the context of Isaiah 25. When we read the word all, our immediate reaction is to think,

  120. well, that means all, right? Doesn't it? All means all. All means all without exception.

  121. But to rip these verses out and think that somehow everyone in the end will all be okay.

  122. Everyone will eat with God is, well, it does untold damage. And that's not what Isaiah is

  123. talking about. We are told who the all are. Look at verse 9. Who are the all? Verse 9.

  124. It will be said on that day, behold, this is our God. This is our God. We have waited for him.

  125. That he might save us. This is the Lord. We have waited for him. Let us be glad and rejoice

  126. in his salvation. So who are the all? Who are they? It turns out that the people who are on the

  127. grace list for the feast are those who have waited for the Lord, which means trusted for him.

  128. That means hoped for him. That means relied upon him. They are those who have banked all their lives

  129. on God. They are people who have trusted in God. Whom God has saved. They are people whom God has

  130. rescued. They are people who have not tried to save themselves. Can you see that in verse 9?

  131. What have they done? They have waited for the Lord. They have not tried to save themselves.

  132. They have not trusted in their own abilities. They have not said, by my own strength, I will

  133. get to God. By my reputation, I will get to God. Or my status. No. These are people who have

  134. waited in confidence for what the Lord would do and they rejoice when he does it. And in that

  135. beautiful context, this truth Isaiah is telling us, that the remnant of people, this little

  136. group of people that have remained true to the Lord, who have trusted God, they will come

  137. from every nation. This feast will be the ultimate international banquet of those who trusted in God.

  138. God. That will be those from Cameroon to India, from Poland to Somalia, from Hungary to Brazil,

  139. they will all be there. Every country in the world, God will gather those people who have trusted

  140. in him, who have relied upon him, who have banked on him, and they will feast with him. And they

  141. are the ones who are on the guest list. And there is a sobering truth, isn't there? There

  142. is a sobering truth for those who have not waited on the Lord. For those who have not lived

  143. their lives relying, depending on the Lord. There is a sobering truth. Because on that day

  144. they will come to the doorman and they will give their name. And the reply will be, your name

  145. is not on the list. And so you are not coming in. Sorry man. Sorry sir. You have not relied

  146. on him. You have not trusted in him. And these are the people that Isaiah describes in verses

  147. 10 to 12. Let me read you those verses. For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain,

  148. and Moab, or better, but Moab, shall be trampled down in his place. As straw is trampled in

  149. a dunghill. And he will spread out his hands in the midst of it. That's the person of Moab.

  150. And he will swim. He will spread his hands out to swim. But the Lord will lay low his pompous

  151. pride together with the skill of his hands. And the high fortifications of his walls he will

  152. bring down. He will lay low. He will cast it to the ground, to the dust. You see at the start

  153. of verse 10, God's hand will rest pastorally and lovingly and caringly upon Zion. Upon Zion though,

  154. upon Moab though is his foot. Do you remember old wrestling? Wrestling used to be on Saturday

  155. afternoons on ITV or if you're a bit younger, kind of WWF or WWE or whatever it's called,

  156. isn't it? And one of the things that would happen was the person who was winning occasionally

  157. would put his foot on the neck of the person. And they would put their neck on the person.

  158. Of course it's all stage, sorry to ruin it. But that is what would happen, isn't it? It

  159. was a sign of absolute triumph. That the person was laid low. And the victor would put his foot

  160. on the neck to show his victory. That's the picture in Isaiah 25.10. Lovingly his hand

  161. is upon Zion. His foot is on Moab's neck. And that wouldn't seem to be fair. But as you

  162. look a little bit more, it's a little bit more involved than that. It's the enemy of Israel.

  163. It's the enemy of God's people. What's the problem? What have we seen? What's been the

  164. problem in all these cities that we've looked at? Nations over the Isaiah 13 to 23. It's

  165. this unceasing attitude of pride and self-grande. It's not where they come from, not at all.

  166. Pride is the ultimate thing that keeps people off the guest list. Pride is the ultimate thing

  167. that keeps people coming to the Lord Jesus in heaven and dependence. It keeps people from

  168. coming to this feast of all feasts. Because pride is what? It's about trusting yourself instead

  169. of God. And pride is the way of self-salvation. And you can do that religiously. You can do

  170. that in church. You can keep the rules. You can turn up when you want. You can follow

  171. the regulations. And you hope that maybe God will accept you by your performance. But that

  172. is basically the way of every other religion. Here are the rules. You keep them and God will

  173. accept you. That is the way of pride. But it's possible to go the way of pride in an irreligious

  174. way as well. Where you have no rules. You live as you please. You figure out, don't you?

  175. As our culture says, all you have to do is be true to yourself. My way is best. God's word

  176. says something. But actually, no, I'm in charge. I will go my way. And both the religious

  177. way and the irreligious way of self-salvation are parts of pride. It's the same thing.

  178. And they will keep your name off the guest list for the banquet. And I don't think any

  179. of us here, if we're honest this morning, want to be off the guest list for this banquet.

  180. It's worse than that. There is, isn't there, one of the most graphic pictures. I don't

  181. know whether you picked it up. The ESV has sanitised it a little bit. There's one of the

  182. most graphic pictures of judgment here. So if you look at verse 10, Moab is trampled

  183. down in his place. And a straw is trampled down in a dunghill. I don't need to tell you

  184. what it's done. Here's the right. So look at verse 11. And he will spread out his hands

  185. in the middle of it. As a swimmer spreads his hands out to swim. It's revolting. It's

  186. absolutely revolting. It's stomach-turning. Isaiah portrays the Moabites here as swimming

  187. in sewage. And that's a polite way of putting it. He says, that's your choice. That is your

  188. choice. Come to the banquet or swim in your own sewage. That's your choice. It's very,

  189. very stark. That's the alternative to the banquet. This ultimate feast, it's the swim

  190. in the sewer of your own efforts. Are you willing to recognise that? Your own efforts, they are

  191. the sewer. And to swim and to get out, well, it's absolutely in vain. That is the destination

  192. of all those who refuse to trust in the Lord. The Lord who saves. Isaiah shows us the preparation.

  193. He shows us the feast. He shows us the guest list, which brings us lastly to the bill. Because

  194. every great menu has a bill, doesn't it? Sometimes your host ends up paying the bill for yourself.

  195. You know when you go to the bar, isn't it, and somebody orders the drinks and everybody

  196. kind of checks their wallet, isn't it, before somebody says, oh no, I'll pay. There's a breath

  197. of relief. You breathe a sigh of relief. You go to the restaurant and the person brings

  198. the bill, the waitress brings the bill and puts it in the middle of the table. But here,

  199. the bill is brought to the table and it's handed out, but there's no price on it. There's

  200. no price on it. In fact, here is how Isaiah sends out the invitations to the banquet later

  201. on in the book of Isaiah. In chapter 55, he says, come everyone who thirsts, come to the

  202. waters. And you who have no money, come by and eat, come by wine and milk, without money

  203. and without cost. Why do you spend your money on bread which doesn't satisfy? Why do you labour

  204. for that which does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me. And eat what is good. Delight yourself

  205. in the richest of food. And it looks like, doesn't it, as you read through Isaiah and you

  206. see that in Isaiah 55, that the participation in this feast, it is free. Or at least it's

  207. free for you and I. It's free for you. It's free for me. But it still came at a cost, isn't

  208. it, for someone? Let's wind the tape forward to Luke chapter 9. We're told in Luke chapter

    Luke 9 chapter mention Luke 9 chapter mention

  209. 9 that King Herod is asking questions about who this man Jesus is. And the answer given

  210. by the disciples is that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the anointed King. He is the Messiah.

  211. And interestingly, in Luke's Gospel, it's at that point that Luke introduces the well-known

  212. story of the feeding of the 5,000. And Luke tells us that the crowds were following Jesus.

  213. And Luke tells us that Jesus welcomed them. It's the language of a host in Luke 9. And

  214. when the disciples tell Jesus, Jesus, it's the end of the day. You should really be sending

  215. the people home. They haven't got the means to take care of the people. We haven't got

  216. the sheer ability to feed this amount. Jesus says, no, you are going to feed the crowd.

  217. The disciples object. They say, we've got five loaves and two fish. There are 5,000 men

  218. here, which probably means there were about 20,000 people in the crowd that day. And Jesus

  219. says to them, have them sit down in groups of 50. Groups of 50. And the word sit there

  220. could easily be translated as recline, which is probably better. So what we're being given

  221. is not just some afternoon picnic. This was to be a banquet. They would sit back. And they

  222. would enjoy the food with Jesus as the host. And Jesus is setting this up because he wants

  223. to prove to them, for them to understand that he is the Messiah. That he is giving them a

  224. glimpse of what the Messiah is going to do on that great day. One day he will host the banquet.

  225. And there in Luke 9 is a taste of the messianic banquet. Jesus decides right now I'm going

  226. to reveal myself as the Messiah and I will do it through catering. It's the most amazing

  227. thing in the world. The anointed king is going to show that he is king by catering for the

  228. people. And of course, the feeding of the 5,000 men was not the full deal or 20,000 people.

  229. It's a lot, isn't it? But 20,000 people is not like all of God's people as Isaiah 25 promises.

  230. The people that Jesus found in Luke 9, they will go away and they will be hungry again. But

  231. it is a foretaste. It is a picture of the real thing. And here is how Luke tells us what

  232. Jesus did on that day. Let me read it to you from Luke chapter 9 and verse 16. He says this.

    Luke 9 chapter mention

  233. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing

  234. over them. And then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the

  235. crowd. Now let's wind the tape just on a little bit more. Let's wind it on to the night before

  236. Jesus' death. And here is how Luke, the same writer, describes what Jesus did with the disciples

  237. in the upper room that night. Jesus took bread and gave thanks, said a blessing. And he gave

  238. it to them and said, this is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Do you see

  239. those four things? Taking, thanking, breaking, giving. Do you get that? Taking, thanking,

  240. breaking, giving. It's the same words that Jesus uses in the feeding of the 5,000 as he does

  241. at the Lord's Supper. And that is not by accident. It's the same words in the same order because

  242. Luke wants you and I to make the connection. That Jesus is announcing himself as the Messiah

  243. who's going to host one day God's great banquet. But the way that he's going to make that great

  244. banquet possible is by his death. That is going to come the day after the Lord's Supper.

  245. You see, this feast is free to us only because the final bill has been paid by someone else.

  246. And it was paid by Jesus. The feast cost the host his life. So Jesus the next day would go

  247. to the cross. And he would bear the judgment that you and I deserve for our sins that separates

  248. us from God. It was the sin, wasn't it, that kept Israelites off the mountain after the exodus.

  249. It was sin that will prevent you and I ever coming close to this banquet table.

  250. It's the sin that says, if you do not have this sin dealt with, your name will not be on the guest list.

  251. But you see, Jesus takes the punishment for that sin. So that all who trust in him for salvation

  252. will find that their names are on the guest list. The final bill for the banquet is not paid in pennies.

  253. And it's not paid in pounds. The final bill is paid in blood. And Jesus gives his blood as the final payment.

  254. Jesus sacrifices even to death to enable you and I to come to the table. To the messianic banquet

  255. of which he is the host.

  256. There's a novel and a film called The Beth's Feast. Some of you will have seen it or read it.

  257. The story is told of an 18th century Danish nun.

  258. Of a woman who has lost its way.

  259. Sorry, I've messed that up.

  260. There's a Christian community in Denmark.

  261. And the Christian community has become pretty joyless.

  262. Pretty lifeless.

  263. It's become very legalistic in this community.

  264. And very much rules orientated.

  265. But Beth is a refugee.

  266. And she comes to live in that community from Paris.

  267. With her two sisters in this Danish village.

  268. For 12 years.

  269. Beth serves as a housekeeper.

  270. Learning how to prepare humble food.

  271. And then she wins 10,000 francs in the lottery.

  272. And she asks the community

  273. Whether she can prepare a banquet.

  274. A feast for the whole community.

  275. And then they agree.

  276. She serves up course after course

  277. Of the most exquisite food.

  278. And it climaxes in the dish of baby quail.

  279. And the visiting general exclaimed at the meal

  280. That he'd only tasted food like this

  281. At the famous Café Anglais in Paris.

  282. And as the meal unfolds

  283. The community rediscovers joy.

  284. Foods are ended.

  285. And sins are confessed.

  286. And the evening ends with the community

  287. Hand in hand around the village fountain.

  288. Singing the old songs of faith.

  289. And while that is going on

  290. The two sisters go looking for Babette

  291. In the chaos of the kitchen.

  292. And with a far away look in her eyes

  293. Babette says

  294. You know I was once that cook

  295. In the Café Anglais.

  296. The sisters say

  297. You know Babette

  298. We will all remember this evening

  299. When you've gone back to Paris.

  300. But Babette would never return to Paris.

  301. Because she'd spent every last franc

  302. On that feast.

  303. She'd spent it all.

  304. So that they could come to the feast.

  305. Jesus did not give

  306. 10,000 francs

  307. To host the banquet.

  308. He gave his life.

  309. He shed his blood.

  310. The only innocent person

  311. In the history of the human race

  312. Who did not deserve to die

  313. Died.

  314. But you see

  315. As a result of all the other promises

  316. Of Isaiah 25

  317. They're going to come true.

  318. Jesus wants you to understand

  319. This morning.

  320. Isaiah wants you to understand

  321. Here is the place

  322. Where it ends

  323. Happily ever after.

  324. Here is the place

  325. Because Jesus

  326. Not only died

  327. But he rose again

  328. And he defeated death.

  329. And so it is

  330. That the Apostle Paul

  331. Quotes from Isaiah 25

  332. And 1 Corinthians 15

  333. That in the light of Jesus' resurrection

  334. He says

  335. When the perishable

  336. Has clothed itself

  337. With imperishable

  338. The mortal

  339. With immortality

  340. Then the saying

  341. That is written

  342. Will come true

  343. Death has been

  344. Swallowed up in victory

  345. Where oh death

  346. Is your victory

  347. Where oh death

  348. Is your sting

  349. The sting of death

  350. Is sin

  351. And the power of sin

  352. Is the Lord

  353. But thanks be to God

  354. He gives us

  355. The victory

  356. Through our Lord Jesus Christ

  357. That by Jesus' resurrection

  358. Death has been

  359. Swallowed up in victory

  360. Jesus has eaten it up

  361. And we don't need

  362. To fear it anymore

  363. That death

  364. Was on the menu

  365. But God

  366. Has swallowed it up

  367. Through Jesus Christ

  368. And then at the end

  369. Of the Bible

  370. In the Apocalypse of John

  371. He rejoices

  372. In the language

  373. Of the Apocalypse of Isaiah

  374. That because of

  375. The victory of Jesus

  376. There is going to be

  377. A great wedding supper

  378. On the Lamb

  379. In Revelation 19.19

  380. And at this wedding

  381. Unlike any other wedding

  382. That you or I

  383. Have been to

  384. There will be

  385. All dry eyes

  386. In the house

  387. Because God

  388. Will wipe every tear

  389. From their eyes

  390. That everything

  391. Isaiah predicted

  392. Will come true

  393. Everything will be

  394. Made true

  395. At the Messianic banquet

  396. And that banquet

  397. We get a glimpse of

  398. Every time

  399. We come to the Lord's

  400. Supper

  401. That's why we're

  402. Having the Lord's

  403. Supper this morning

  404. Every time

  405. That we come

  406. To this table

  407. We eat the bread

  408. And we drink the cup

  409. And one of the things

  410. We are saying

  411. As we come to the

  412. Lord's table

  413. Is I'm getting ready

  414. For the final banquet

  415. I'm getting ready

  416. Jesus says

  417. This sign

  418. Is a sign

  419. Of the banquet

  420. Of the future

  421. Where we will eat

  422. Of the finest foods

  423. And we will drink

  424. On the most wonderful

  425. White

  426. And it's a banquet

  427. That points

  428. To a world

  429. That is perfect

  430. A world

  431. Where every need

  432. Will be fulfilled

  433. Where you and I

  434. Will be satisfied

  435. In every way

  436. As we eat of the bread

  437. Now

  438. And as we drink

  439. Of the cup

  440. It's as if we are

  441. Saying to God

  442. And one another

  443. As we pass the cup

  444. Of the bread

  445. To one another

  446. You know

  447. You know

  448. No matter what the

  449. Struggles are in my life

  450. And there are many

  451. No matter what the

  452. Struggles are in my life

  453. Right now

  454. No matter what the

  455. Stresses are right now

  456. One day

  457. One day we will live

  458. Happily ever after

  459. And we know

  460. That our needs

  461. Are going to be fulfilled

  462. We talk about

  463. The feast

  464. Don't we

  465. It looks so

  466. Insignificant

  467. Doesn't it

  468. A little bit of bread

  469. And a mouthful

  470. Of wine

  471. But to share

  472. In this meal

  473. To share in this meal

  474. Is to share in the

  475. Messiah

  476. Banquet

  477. But your name

  478. Needs to be on the

  479. Guest list

  480. It's not a guest list

  481. For this meal

  482. And then a different

  483. Meal

  484. And a different

  485. Guest list

  486. For Messiah

  487. Banquet

  488. It's the same

  489. It is for those

  490. Who trust in the

  491. Lord

  492. It's for those

  493. Who bank their

  494. Light on him

  495. It is for those

  496. Who recognise

  497. That Jesus

  498. Is the host

  499. At this meal

  500. And that he

  501. Is the one

  502. Who gave up

  503. Everything

  504. To share this

  505. Meal with us

  506. This morning

  507. And so we

  508. Can share this

  509. Meal

  510. And if you're

  511. Still wondering

  512. Is my name

  513. On the guest list

  514. Well at this time

  515. Have you

  516. Given up your

  517. Life to the

  518. Lord Jesus

  519. Christ

  520. We want this

  521. Morning to be

  522. Meaningful to you

  523. And we would

  524. Ask if you

  525. Recognise your

  526. Name is not

  527. On the guest list

  528. Don't eat of the

  529. Bread and drink of

  530. The wine

  531. It's not for you

  532. But come to the

  533. Host

  534. Come to the

  535. Lord Jesus

  536. Christ

  537. The one who

  538. Says you

  539. Come unto me

  540. All of you

  541. Who are weary

  542. And heavy

  543. Laid

  544. Come and I

  545. Will give you

  546. Rest

  547. And say

  548. Jesus I

  549. Want to be on

  550. That guest list

  551. I want to

  552. Follow you

  553. Luke tells us

  554. That on the

  555. Night

  556. As he shared

  557. This meal

  558. The Lord Jesus

  559. Cooked the bread

  560. And he said

  561. I have

  562. Earnestly

  563. Desired to

  564. Eat this

  565. With you

  566. Before I

  567. Suffer

  568. If I tell you

  569. I will not

  570. Eat of it

  571. Until the

  572. Kingdom of

  573. God

  574. Is fulfilled

  575. And he

  576. Took the

  577. Cup

  578. And when

  579. He

  580. Gave

  581. Thanks

  582. He

  583. Said

  584. When he

  585. Took the

  586. Bread

  587. And he

  588. Gave

  589. Thanks

  590. And said

  591. Divide it

  592. Amongst

  593. Yourselves

  594. For I

  595. Tell you

  596. That from

  597. Now on

  598. I will

  599. Not

  600. Drink of

  601. The

  602. Fruit of

  603. The

  604. Vine

  605. Until

  606. The

  607. Kingdom

  608. Of

  609. God

  610. Camps

  611. In other

  612. words

  613. Jesus

  614. Says

  615. To the

  616. disciples

  617. He

  618. Says

  619. The

  620. Next

  621. Time

  622. I

  623. Eat

  624. This

  625. Meal

  626. I

  627. Will

  628. Be

  629. At

  630. The

  631. Banquet

  632. To

  633. So

  634. As a

  635. Taste

  636. And as

  637. A glimpse

  638. Of

  639. That day

  640. And that

  641. Great

  642. Reality

  643. We

  644. Come

  645. To

  646. The

  647. Lord's

  648. Table