NOW THAT’S FAT
Isaiah 25: 6-9
“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. 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. He will swallow up death in victory: and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it. And it shall be said 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.”
Subject: NOW THAT’S PHAT
Kids, I discovered a new in your “Teen Dictionary”. In actuality, I discovered that it’s an old word but it has been given a new spelling and acronym but it has the same overall meaning. For you more seasoned people in the audience, you grown-ups, I discovered that this old word has replaced words in our dictionary. What was once GROOVY and HIP to us, is now simply PHAT to our youth.
Kids -- let me tell you something else I discovered. You see, this new word that you use fat spelled PHAT, is what some youth would say means pretty, hot and tempting. I’m I right? But, watch this. I took the liberty not to listen to you, but I took the liberty to look it up on the Encarta Dictionary for myself and discover that, your definition is not the definition at all. [I got the proof up here if any of you want to see it -- so that you can dispel this myth].
You see -- According to the Encarta World English Dictionary, PHAT means: excellent, you know like man those are some PHAT beats; it also means impressive you know like that was a PHAT game that Sacramento Kings played last night. It can also mean difficult to achieve.
I said of all that to get you to understanding that all of this pretty, hot and tempting stuff is not even the case. That is just something that little Tyrone and Pookie them made up. And, instead of you going to the dictionary to find out for yourself you listened and started repeating what you had heard -- but know you know the truth.
Watch this -- I also took the liberty to look up fat spelled FAT in the dictionary and discovered that it also means: The most desirable part of something, abounding in desirable elements, it can mean RICH, or having an abundant supply, plenty and lucrative.
Which leads me to believe that correlation between PHAT and FAT is that both words are used to describe everything good. So parents if you hear your kids saying things like, oh now that’s PHAT to describe a sports car. Or if you hear them saying things like -- man where did you get that PHAT outfit, or that’s a PHAT hairstyle or those are some PHAT shoes. In the classroom -- one might have some PHAT Ideas. Plain and simple if it is good and you like it then -- IT’S PHAT.
Stay with me -- I’m goanna get theological in a minute! Let me put some BIBLE with this.
This new word, FAT, is so new that you can imagine my surprise when I came across it in scripture. Yes, you heard me kids the same FAT that you use today is found in the Bible. The bible records the use of the word FAT as an adjective to describe the good things of life. Listen.
“And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make until all people a feast of fat things...”
When I read Isaiah 25: 6, I couldn’t help but laugh at the parallel, the similarities. FAT THINGS…the good things of the earth. FAT MEAT…. FAT DRINK…A FEAST OF FAT THINGS.
While you youth and young adults were out busy reinventing a word, God had already archived original meaning in the prophecies of Isaiah.
Bare with me for a moment -- I got to get theological again and tell you a little bit about the Major Prophet known as Isaiah. Isaiah was one of the foremost of the Hebrew prophets. We know very little about his personal history aside from the fact that he was married to a woman who was called a “prophetess”. He began as chief prophet of Judah “in the year that King Uzziah died” and retained his prophet status for fifty years, through the reign of King Ahaz, King Hezekiah and possibly King Manassah.
Kids you might to realize it now, but you have a purpose for living. And, no the purpose is not to be the Gameboy champion of the World or to ride your scooters, but it is a purpose from the Lord.
Isaiah’s primary purpose for living was to keep the Israelites from becoming entangled with Assyrian idolatry -- his main purpose was to stop them from worshipping false gods.
While Isaiah had some success during the reign of King Hezekiah, his mission was not an easy one. Why, because just like what happens with kids today, the children of Israelites were easily influenced by what other people where doing and saying. The pretty, hot and tempting thing is a perfect example.
Just like many children today -- it didn’t take much to get the children of Israel sidetracked from the One True and Living God.
You know what, the children of Israel were just like you and I. One minute we shout “hallelujah” and pray to God when we are in trouble with hearts full of zeal, and the next minute we are off and running down a path that will lead to distraction or even destruction. And that’s just how the Israelites ended up captivities of Assyria. Judah, who should have been a light to the lost, was now only a flicker in the shadows of a heathen nation at war with Egypt. Assyria and Egypt, the two world powers of that particular time frame was at the center stage.
Then comes Isaiah on the scene to share his vision from the Lord. He declares the imminent destruction of both world powers. Isaiah declared that the Lord would invite the survivors to THE FEAST -- check this out, He is going to invite them to a feast of FAT THINGS.
NOW THAT’S FAT
Now this is what you call a FAT PARTY. This is the party that all the children of Israel wanted to attend. This party is known in theological circles as the Banquet of the Lord of Hosts, Isaiah’s vision takes the Israelites to God’s throne room, not in heaven, but in Jerusalem, where the people of God will sings praises and offer thanksgiving to the Lord for their deliverance. This feast will be in honor of the Lord’s victory over Israel’s opposition -- the ruthless power structure that kept them from worshipping God freely and serving Him openly.
Kids -- you know what good about Isaiah’s vision? His vision, reminds us that God is a refuge to the poor. His vision reminds us that God is a refuge to the weak and the needy. And in this instance, at this moment in time of Isaiah vision, Israel stands as the poorest, weakest and neediest of all.
Isaiah’s vision promises that God will eliminate and throw a party that you wouldn’t want to miss! The evil bullies, will be gone, all that people that laugh at you and call you names will be gone -- and the remaining people of the nations will be invited to a feast of FAT THINGS!
Now, you can’t have a great party if there is nothing to celebrate. No -- you cannot have a birthday party if it is not your birthday.
Well -- at the feast of FAT THNGS, the Lord will lay bare his intention to lift the curse and destroy the destroyer. What is there to celebrate -- Well, Israel, who had suffered at the hand of a curse that lasted more than two hundred years, was about to be set free.
Kids-- I stop by to tell you this afternoon that, just as God help the children of Israel -- the same God alone has the power to overcome your enemy, and He will swallow up the blanket of death that had enveloped our community for so long.
Just like when you have your birthday party, you tell momma what you want and mommas does her best to make sure that you get it.
Well, with that in mind let’s look at God’s party promises. Listen!
God promises to wipe away all tears and banish the inevitable mourning and grief that accompanies death.
He promises that he will remove all disgrace that is worthy of even a death sentence, wiping the slate clean and allowing new birth and new life.
NOW this is a party celebration that you don’t want to miss. In fact -- it was shoutin’ time for the Israelites and it should be shouting time for you and for me.
No more tears over persecuted loved ones; no more shame over their inability to resist the control of the Assyrians. No more death sentence for failing to hold up the banner of the One True and Living God.
It is shouting time because -- their repentant hearts would be forgiven and set free from all penalties.
I stop by to tell you this afternoon that we serve a God who offers salvation to those who confess and repent.
Israel would repent at the feast of FAT THINGS. They would shout, “This is our God. We have waited for Him!” When their deliverance would come, they would respond with a reply of strong faith. And there would be no more weeping and mourning -- just joy and gladness.
I see the puzzled looks you have on your face and by now you’re asking, “What does this history lesson have to do with me?” Well I’m glad that you asked because we have all heard the old saying that history repeats itself. And for this cause, Christ came to prepare a banquet table before us, in the presence of our own enemies…not just the enemies of the body, but of the spirit as well.
You know enemies like lust, enemies like gossip, hatred and envy, carnality and bitterness, shame and greed, jealousy, pride, and depression.
Enemies like rudeness, self-righteousness, faultfinding, arrogance and rebellion, resentment and stubbornness -- and even the enemy of self-pity!
And in the presence of these enemies, Christ spreads a table…full of FAT THINGS.
FAT THINGS like Grace and Mercy, unconditional Love, Forgiveness, and Salvation.
Christ spreads a table…full of FAT THINGS while we are yet feasting at the banquet table in the very presence of our enemy. Christ gives us reason to celebrate.
As I close, I came to tell you that -- we can celebrate today at this FAT BLOCK PARTY because Christ has lifted the death sentence and not only that, He has wiped away all of our tears.
We can celebrate right here, right now at this FAT BLOCK PARTY because Christ has promised us that we are no longer judged “guilty” of our past.
We can celebrate at this FAT BLOCK PARTY because Christ has promised us we are no longer at war with God.
We are no longer outcasts and fugitives.
We are no longer the prodigal sons or daughters.
Kids, you can celebrate today because, we are no longer afraid of what the future holds.
We can celebrate at this FAT BLOCK PARTY because we will no longer have to stumble around in spiritual darkness.
We can celebrate at this FAT BLOCK PARTY because one Friday morning they took our Lord and Savior to a hill called Golgotha.
That is to say, a place called of a skull -- and there they crucified our Lord and Savior on an old rugged cross and parted His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophets.
We can celebrate at this FAT BLOCK PARTY because the scriptures tell me that it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour -- The physician, LUKE tells me that Jesus cried out with a loud voice, he said, Father into Thy hands I commend my spirit, and having said this, He gave up the spirit.
We can celebrate at this BLOCK PARTY because when Jesus was buried in Joseph’s borrowed tomb -- He laid there all night Friday, all Day and all night Saturday -- but early. You don’t hear me -- I said early Sunday morning.
He got up and shook His grave cloth off and said O death where is thy sting and O grave where is thy victory. He got up -- how many know that he got up.
We can celebrate at this FAT BLOCK PARTY because early [repeat] Sunday morning -- He got up with all power, not some power, but all power in his hand.
We can celebrate at this FAT BLOCK PARTY because He died, how many know that he died -- He died to save you and me -- I don’t know about you, but I’m glad about it.
NOW THAT’S FAT! (REPEAT)
And that is reason to celebrate. Tommy isn’t FAT,
K-Swiss isn’t FAT, Porches and Audi are not FAT -- but the feast that the Lord has prepared before you is FAT and that something to celebrate.
The Israelites were invited to the feast of a lifetime.
You’re invited to the same feast -- a feast of FAT THINGS.
Young people if you are struggling with insecurity and uncertainty? Come to Christ’s feast of FAT THINGS.
If you are struggling with loneliness and shame, then come to Christ’s feast of FAT THINGS.
If you are suffering from guilt or sorrow? Come to Christ’s feast of FAT THINGS.
If you under the sound of my voice, are you suffering from torment or heartache? Then come to Christ’s feast of FAT THINGS.
If you are suffering from fear and rejection, then I invite you to come to Christ’s feast of FAT THINGS.
Christ has prepared a table before you, in the presence of your enemies, and He is waiting to anoint you with the “oil” of Salvation.
And that, my dear young brothers and sisters, is the only thing that’s really FAT!
NOW THAT’S PHAT!
