Trust God, only He Saves (Isaiah 25)

Isaiah 25:1-12

"On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food (fatness) for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. ⁷ On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; ⁸ he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people's disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.⁹ In that day they will say, 'Surely this is our God; we trusted in him (waited for him), and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him (waited for him); let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation'" (Isa 25:6-9, NIV).

From shattered silence to joy is the sharp contrast of Isaiah 24 and 25. Isaiah 25 forms the response to the announcement of the destruction of the earth city (Isa 24:10). In Isaiah judgment and destruction (Isa 24:1, 3) are never God's intended last words. Rather, it paves the way for hope and redemption (Isa 25:9). From the silence of the shattered city (Isa 24:8) comes the joy of a feast where the host is the Lord (Isa 25:6).

1. The song (1-5): Thanksgiving for God's faithfulness. Joy in the Lord. Individual praise: his supernatural acts.
2. The banquet (6-8): Announcement that God's purpose in the destruction of the earth is her redemption from death.
3. The festivities (9-12): Joy that comes from being delivered from their enemies, typified by Moab. Communal praise: his saving acts.

The Resurrection in Your Life (Luke 24, Acts 1-2)

As Christians we understand the death of Jesus, that Jesus died for our sins. But often we may not understand or know how to apply the resurrection of Christ to our own lives. In his book, The Resurrection in Your life, Mike McKinley, author and pastor of Sterling Park Baptist Church, explains how the resurrection profoundly affected and completely transformed the lives of the first Christians as recorded in Luke 24 and Acts 1-2. The book expounds on the power of the resurrection by the work of the Holy Spirit through the proclamation of the gospel. Just as it did in the first church in the first century, it is able to do so today as well.

The author explains the text of Scripture about the resurrection in a way that is easy to read and understand.

The Resurrection in Your Life is based on 10 sermons that the author had preached.

The Resurrection Changes Everything (Luke 24 outline)

Luke 24:1-53; Key Verses: Lk 24:32

They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

• What the resurrection is: A historical fact.
• Why the resurrection is credible: It was based on eyewitness accounts.
• How the resurrection changes the world. The Resurrection is:

1. Life transforming: It changes not only your life, but the world.
2. Scripture clarifying: It elucidates, illuminates and clarifies the Bible.
3. Paradigm shattering: It shatters your strongly held assumptions.
4. King establishing: Finally, you have a worthy king.

Jesus In All The Scriptures

Luke 24:1-53 (Read Lk 24:25-32, 44-48); Key Verse: Lk 24:27, 44

"And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

Change the world. In the movie trailer of The Son of God, Jesus meets Peter, got into his fishing boat and helped him experience a miraculous catch of fish. Surprised, Peter asked, "How did this happen?" Then Jesus called him to be his disciple and said, "Come with me." Peter asked, "What are we going to do?" Jesus said matter of factly, "Change the world."

Indeed, Jesus changed world history. How was this possible? Secular historians (and not just Christian historians) say there is a reason. Within a few centuries world history changed from a pagan society based on classical Greco-Roman culture to Christianity. It was because of the resurrection of Christ. This sermon will consider how the resurrection changes the world.

18) The Beginning (Mark 15:37-16:7)

"The resurrection was as inconceivable for the 1st disciples, as impossible for them to believe, as it is for many of us today. The people of Jesus' day were not predisposed to believe in resurrection any more than we are." 216

"If you can't dance and you long to dance, in the resurrection you'll dance perfectly. If you're lonely, in the resurrection you will have perfect love. If you're empty, in the resurrection you will be fully satisfied." 223

Intro: In every messianic movement in Israel, the messianic leader was killed and the movement collapsed. But after Jesus' death, Christianity spread through the entire Roman empire in 300 years. What caused the explosive growth in Christianity after its founder's death?