↓Audio link to the sermon:(ZOOM worship recording)
(If you can’t listen on your iPhone, please update your iOS)
Chapter 24 contains the prophecies of judgment for the whole world. Verse 1 says, 「See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; (he will ruin its face) and scatter its inhabitants—」As the subject of this sentence is written as “the Lord”, God himself will bring the judgment to the world. In verse two, we can see that anyone in any position is under His judgment.「it will be the same for priest as for people, for the master as for his servant,….」(Isaiah 24:2 NIV) There is no difference in position or profession. Verse 3 says,「The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered…」This expression shows that the judgment of the world will be brought by both natural disasters and war. Verse 4 says,「The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the heavens languish with the earth.」Since it is written “the heavens languish with the earth”, it is prophesied that God’s judgment is a judgment on a cosmic scale. So what is the cause of God’s judgment? In verse five, the reason is written:「(The earth is defiled by its people); they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant.」Let us remember Adam and Eve who were created by God at very first. The first human beings sinned against God and separated from Him. As a result, it was said that “Cursed is the ground because of you” (Reference; Genesis 3:17, 2:16, 17) Humans have left the teachings of God, the law of blessings. Wouldn’t you wonder how different the world would be if we could love God, love others as much as we love ourselves, and live according to this law of God? It’s the same in our lives. In verse 6, it is written,「Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left.」Here, let us pay attention to this expression of “and very few are left.” These few people are the ones who believe in the Lord and Isaiah sees them praising the Lord. They praise the Lord and sing with joy even in such difficult times. Verse 14 says,「They raise their voices, they shout for joy; from the west they acclaim the Lord’s majesty.」Not only that, in the eastern nations and in the western islands, people worship the God of Israel. The remaining believers, even if few, offer songs of joy all over the world. This is the reason why I believe that the judgment of the whole world is a message of comfort for believers.
Chapter 25 speaks of praise for God’s judgment. Isaiah knew no matter how big and harsh the judgment was going to be, it would be done in the plan of almighty God. And he knew that he would be a source of gratitude and victory for the remnant. In the last verse of chapter 24, verse 23, “The moon will be abashed, the sun ashamed; for the LORD Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before its elders, gloriously.” When the Lord judges the whole world, the Lord Jesus becomes king on Mount Zion, Jerusalem. It is prophesied that that day will be a day of glory of God, a day that shines brighter than the moon than the sun. The day of God’s judgment is a day of joy for believers.
Jesus will come back again. He will bring righteous judgement to all of the people, tribes, and nations. The day will become the day of Joy for covenant people. Strong people will honor God [Ch 25:3]. Jesus will become a refuge for the poor and needy in his distress [v4]. Also, when Jesus returns, he will host the best banquet that bring us into the joyous moments. He will remove the veil of the sorrow that covers people who suffered from the effect of sin. He will deliver the people from the fear of death. Verse 8 stated that he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces. Verse 9 says, “In that day they will say “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. Let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.
There has been always dictators in any eras in human history. If some of these dictators hold the controller of the nuclear weapon like atomic bombs, this earth will be destroyed so easily. However, when Jesus returns, He will bring judgement. I believe that, and people of God speak loudly about this. That is Jesus who is the God of Salvation that we all wait for. This is the ultimate hope that we have longed for. Now he has come and he will return, Let us rejoice in his salvation. That is the message we proclaim. Let us hold on to the hope that Jesus brings and let us live with the hope.
(If you can’t hear from the bar above, click the blue button)
iPhone
