"A FEAST OF FAT THINGS"
“A FEAST OF FAT THINGS”
Isaiah 25
Sunday, January 12, 2014, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Isaiah 25:1: “O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you. I will praise your name; for you have done wonderful things. Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.”
As each New Year unfolds, we come before the Lord in joyful expectation looking forward to the future. As we trust the Lord and walk confidently in his love for us, his proven faithfulness and truth, life is a great adventure which we drink like an elixir.
However, there are many who are restless, depressed and struggling with health, finances, family, marriages, careers, relationships, disappointments, etc.
Isaiah 25:4: “You have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.”
It is our custom to make New Year’s resolutions, change our unproductive ways and seek the Lord to align our lives with His great love and grace.
In verse 3, this song first offers praise for judgment which destroys the false city. The false city for us represents the world systems, government leaders, politicians, doctrines, etc. who can talk a good talk, but cannot deliver us into this place called “happy”, nor can they deliver us out of bondage, fear, poverty, sickness, or distress.
Often when people are dis-content with their lives and most often dissatisfied themselves, they begin to drift, looking for greener pastures, making changes that are of their own lust; and ambitions: a new job; a new spouse; a new city; a new church; a trip; diet program; new beginnings---something, anything that will kick-start a new and more satisfying life. They are looking for the living water of everlasting love, the joy unspeakable and the peace of God which passes all understanding.
This joy unspeakable can only be found in the glorious liberty of the Kingdom of God through the name and Blood of Jesus.
1 John4:16-17: “God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment; because as he is, so are we in this world.”
When we comprehend the grace of God that the God who is love dwells in us and we in him, it will give us peace and satisfaction of spirit in the day when it will be most needed. We do not have to fear as we see the darkness of the world getting darker and we know our God of faithfulness and truth will surely judge all of the evil and wickedness in the world. He always has. He does. He will again. Happy are they who have the boldness before the God of love whom they know intimately and personally and are able to stand before His righteousness without fear or dread. In the love of God, we know he is our friend. Just as you are for your children and want them to be blessed with all heavenly and earthly blessings. So, God’s love is greater than our love. His desire is that we be blessed with all heavenly and earthly blessings. He doesn’t have favorite children.
We have this boldness towards Christ because of our conformity to him. Love and grace have conformed us to Him. It prevents the presence of fear. Faith is the opposite of fear. So far as Faith and Love prevails, fear ceases.
There is a difference in the fear of God and being afraid of Him. I fear God in a Holy awe of Him. I fear Him in absolute respect of His Holy Sovereignty. Such fear is consistent with love. I am not afraid of Him. Being afraid of God arises from a sense of guilt and so fear may be rendered dread. Fear has torment. 1 John 4:18: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts our fear; because fear has torment. He that fears has not been made perfect in love.”
We cannot but love so good a God, who loved us when were both unloving and unlovely. The divine love stamped love upon our souls.
This love also demands of us to love the unloving and unlovely. “We love because he first loved us”. If a man say, I love God, and hate my brother, he is a liar; for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?”
The eye affects the heart; things unseen do not catch the mind, and thereby the heart. The member of Christ has much of God visible in him. How then shall the hater of a visible image of God pretend to love the invisible God himself? We must love God supremely. When this Great Grace of Love abides is us and we in Him, then we are not co-dependent on another’s failure to love us perfectly. We refuse to be offended. We are no longer victims of intended malice, greed, abuse, neglect, abandonment, unreasonable demands, etc. Will people do you wrong? You bet!!! Just because they are people.
The only way we empower people to hurt us is if we love them more than we love God; and we are loving them through our soul and not through the Love of God that indwells us.
The Lord’s great Love for us wipes away all tears. We will break forth into song. Our enemies will finally be overcome and cast out. Our enemies are those things which have power over us to cause us pain. Isa. 25:3-5: “Therefore shall the strong people glorify you…(Vs. 5) “You shall bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud; the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low.”
As we follow after the Lord in Love, Faith, and trusting in His proven faithfulness and truth, those who have walked up on our backs will walk upon them no more and the cup that made us tremble will be put in the hands of our tormenters. The “strangers” are the oppressors whether personally or nationally.
Isa. 25:6: “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.”
This is the mountain of the Lord. This is Mt. Zion. This is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and His glorious church who shall walk in all that he died for! He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces. A feast of fat things is symbolic of all of the goodness, richness, and fullness of life.
Isa. 25:7-9: “He will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over the nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from the earth; for the Lord has spoken it. 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.”
Those who truly believe that God will act and bring His plans to fruition into our lives and into history are walking in the realm of perfect love and peace. To the eye of faith; the downfall of the enemies of God’s people has already happened. The theme of the blessings of God’s people is in contrast to the fate in store for such as through Pride reject the Love of God. God’s people are declared to be drawn from all peoples, attending the Feast of the banquet table of the Lord.
Not only will sorrow be permanently removed from the scene, but death itself. The final defeat of death is the ultimate salvation of God’s people. God will lay low all human pride which opposes itself to God’s plans and God’s people.
Isa. 25:10: “In this mountain shall the hand of the Lord rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.”
This Mountain is the hope of all the afflicted. It is where God reigns in the now. It is the realm from which the scepter (rod) of his strength, faithfulness and truth is stretched forth. The mercy-seat of the Most Holy Place is the throne of grace from which all New Life issues. We all should be desiring more revelation of Christ that we might reveal His Great Love and Grace to a hurting and dying world: more Glory; more miracles, healings, signs, wonders, salvations, deliverances! Yes! But more important More Faith, Hope and Love that we might be dispensers of His Grace. This is the “key” to all New Life.
This week I received a copy of prophecy given by Stanley Frodshams in 1965. Brother Frodsham travelled with Smith Wigglesworth. I had been pondering the Book of Jude all week, but knew that Jude was an exhortation to counter certain heresies which were rising inside the churches. The false teachings were evidently of an antinomian character. Men of this persuasion viewed all matter as evil, and everything of a spiritual nature as good. They therefore cultivated their own spiritual lives, while allowing their flesh to do just as it liked, as if they had no responsibility for its misdeeds; with the result that they were guilty of blatant immorality of all kinds.
In Houston, Texas and in the world, there is any kind of wind of doctrine that you would like floating around. Jude states the Faith is in danger; by “the Faith’ he means primarily the whole body of the truths of the Gospel. Faithful Christians must always defend these truths vigorously against dilution or perversion. The Gospel truths are immutable. The only immutable truths Christians have are in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The chief enemies of the truth, from the earliest days of the church, were men who wormed their way in though inwardly opposed to the gospel and all it implied, men destined for condemnation, not salvation. Such false brethren in Jude’s time were characterized by immorality.
As I was pondering the condition of the Church-at-large and how Antinomianism has crept in to many churches, I received this prophecy. This is only a short excerpt from that prophecy, but I may share more of it in the evening service:
"When I visit My
people in mighty revival power it is to prepare them for the darkness that lies
ahead. With the glory shall come great darkness. For the glory is to prepare My
people for that darkness. I will enable My people to go through because of a
mighty visitation of My Spirit. Take heed to yourselves lest you be puffed up
and think that you have already arrived. Many shall be puffed up in that hour
as in the days of old. For many then did receive My message, but they did not
continue in it. Did I not anoint Jehu? And yet the things I desired were not
accomplished in his life.
Listen to the messengers that I will send, but do not hold any man's personality in admiration.
For many whom I shall anoint mightily with signs and miracles and wonders shall
become lifted up and put upon a pedestal, but they shall fall by the wayside. I
do not do this willingly, for I have made provision that they might stand. I
call many into this ministry and equip them, but remember many shall fall in that hour.
For Babylon
shall not stand. They
shall be like bright lights, and the people shall delight in their ministries,
but they shall be taken over by deceiving spirits and lead many of My people
astray.
Hearken diligently concerning these things, for in the last days shall come seducing spirits. (1 Timothy
4: 1) They shall turn many of the anointed ones away. Many shall fall
through diverse lusts, and because sin abounds in their lives. But, if you will
seek Me diligently, I will put My Spirit within you. When one shall turn to the
right hand or one shall turn to the left hand, you shall not turn with them.
My people must be diligently warned concerning the days
that lie ahead. Many shall turn after seducing and deceiving spirits.
Many already are in the midst of the body seducing My people. It is those that
do righteous that are righteous. Many cover their sins by their great theology
and their great theological ways. But I warn you of
seducing spirits who instruct My people in an evil way.
Many of these I shall anoint, that they may purify and sift My people,
for I would have a holy people. Many shall come with seducing spirits and hold
out lustful enticements. You will find, that after I evicted My people again, the way shall become more and
more narrow, and few there are that shall walk therein. Be not deceived, it is
the way of the righteous that is My way. For though Satan will come as an angel
of light, hearken not unto him.
For those that perform miracles and speak not
righteousness are not of Me. Those that have
large crowds that follow them, but speak not of purifying and holiness are not
of Me. I warn you, with great intensity, that I am going to judge My house, and
have a Church without spot or wrinkle when I come. I desire to open your eyes
and give you spiritual understanding that you may not be deceived, but may walk
in uprightness of heart before Me, loving righteousness and hating and
despising every evil way. Look unto Me and I will make you to perceive with the
eyes of the Spirit the things that lurk in darkness. They are not visible to
the human eye. Let Me lead you in this way, that you may precede the powers of
darkness and battle against them. It is not a battle against flesh and blood,
for if you battle in that way you will accomplish nothing.”
The Coming Glory and
Deceiving Spirits a Prophecy given at
Elim Summer Bible Camp - New York
in the Summer 1965
By Stanley Frodshams who had travelled with Smith Wigglesworth
We are ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We will be held accountable to defend these truths. I don’t believe it will be an excuse that our government does not approve of the message of the gospel. Nor that we cannot preach the gospel for fear of being politically offensive. I don’t think that will fly in Heaven. Jude wrote to those who were sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ and called. That would be us.
We must get about our Father’s business. My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me. These are great crisis-hours. Let the church of Jesus Christ of Nazareth arise.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.