Easter
Sunrise
April 5, 2015
Isaiah 25:6-9
“Happiness
is…Easter!”
The
one thing most people want is happiness. Our expressions at Easter indicate
that Easter is supposed to be a happy time. Expressed in the words, “Easter
joy”; or “Happy Easter”. It is a time of
rejoicing not because of our happy circumstances but because of what God has
done for us in the Resurrection. True,
Christians are happy regardless of the hardships, handicaps and misfortunes
they may be experiencing. Their joy is based on God’s victory, which they can
share.
Easter
is happy because…
It is a feast--v. 6 Isaiah tells us:
"And in this mountain shall the Lord
of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the
lees of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined."
There
is nothing sectarian about God. "All peoples" are to get the benefit
of God's conquest of evil, including death.
This must have been a shocking and revolutionary message for the nation of
Israel. Israel's enemies are among
"all peoples"! And yet,
"all peoples" are brought to the Lord. "ALL PEOPLES" receive the blessings
of God!
By
these words, we see all sorts of people benefiting from God's gracious act. God
is concerned with the salvation of all people.
"God so loved the world…that
He gave His only begotten Son." God desires all people to live forever
with Him. God wishes all people to repent and come to Him. He does not desire the loss of one single
soul.
In
the Old Testament, a feast is symbolic of the conclusion of God's salvation.
It's a celebration at the conclusion of a job well done. God has conquered all evil powers, including
death. Now comes the victory dinner.
After a difficult or heavy job is done people like to celebrate a little.
Easter is God's celebration!
God
provides and prepares for this celebration. Believers in Christ are God's
invited guests. You are here this morning because God has invited you. You are here today because this is the feast
of victory of our God. In the Holy Communion God comes to us offering His gifts
of salvation.
In
that meal, especially you and I celebrate His victory over death in the
resurrection of His own Son. This is why
we celebrate Communion on Easter and on Sunday, which is the day in which Jesus
rose from the dead. We celebrate with a feast, which has been prepared and
furnished by God.
It is a victory--v. 7 Isaiah continues:
"And He will destroy in this
mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the Vail that is spread
over all nations."
We
are victorious because Christ is victorious. God's promise to defeat death has
been fulfilled. God promised the
covering that was cast over all people and spread over all the
nations. Death is what is common to each
of us - for it is the result of sin.
In
overcoming sin for us, Jesus has also overcome death! Death no longer can rob us of that joy that
Jesus has planned for us. Death has lost its sting! Death has lost its punch!
Death is no match for God! Thanks be to Jesus who has overcome death for us!
It is salvation--v. 9 Isaiah concludes:
"And it shall be in that day Lo,
this is our God: we have waited for Him and He will save us; this is the LORD:
we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."
A
Christian's happiness does not depend on his/her well-being in this world. A
person can be oppressed, persecuted, and defeated but can still be happy. How is this so? Because of Jesus. Because of
Easter. The reason is the source of one's joy.
Our joy finds its focus in Christ. Because we are Easter people, we can
rejoice because God has defeated our worst enemy, He has defeated death!
God
has provided a banquet for each of us.
You are invited and the fare is only the best. Come to the banquet. He
is the host. You are His guest! Come -for all things are now ready!
__________
Words –720
Passive
Sentences –7%
Readability
– 79.9
Reading
Level -5.0
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