Article Title (23): Rise from sleep with Jesus Christ, thank God, and with faith and trust you will find grace.
Sermon Title: The Lord’s Destruction of the Earth, because of their evil that rose before the eyes of the Eternal Lord, Creator of heaven and earth.
Isaiah 24:1–23
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ our Lord, greetings to you all in the fold of our eternal living God, here in beloved South Sudan. On this blessed morning, by God’s grace to His chosen people from eternity, I hope you are all well.
Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ our Lord, I am pleased first to remind you of this grace from the Holy Bible, as you prepare to accept it into your eternal lives spiritually, with faith and trust in the eternal Lord Jesus Christ.
A brief note on the sermon: The Lord’s destruction of the earth, because of their evil that rose before the eyes of the Eternal Lord, Creator of heaven and earth.
As the Bible states in Isaiah 24:1–23:
1. See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; He will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants.
2. It will be the same for priest as for people, for master as for servant, for mistress as for maid, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as for creditor.
3. The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. The Lord has spoken this word.
4. The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the heavens languish with the earth.
5. The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant.
6. Therefore, a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore, earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left.
7. The new wine dries up, the vine withers; all the merrymaker’s groan.
8. The joyful timbrels are stilled, the noise of the revelers has stopped, the joyful harp is silent.
9. No longer do they drink wine with a song; the beer is bitter to its drinkers.
10. The ruined city lies desolate; the entrance to every house is barred.
11. In the streets they cry out for wine; all joy turns to gloom; all joyful sounds are banished from the earth.
12. The city is left in ruins, its gate is battered to pieces.
13. So it will be on the earth and among the nations, as when an olive tree is beaten, or as when gleanings are left after the grape harvest.
14. They raise their voices; they shout for joy; from the west they acclaim the Lord’s majesty.
15. Therefore, in the east give glory to the Lord; exalt the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea.
16. From the ends of the earth, we hear singing: “Glory to the Righteous One.” But I said, “I waste away, I waste away! Woe to me! The treacherous betray! With treachery the treacherous betray!”
17. Terror and pit and snare await you, people of the earth.
18. Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit; whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare. The floodgates of the heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake.
19. The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is violently shaken.
20. The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls, never to rise again.
21. In that day the Lord will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below.
22. They will be herded together like prisoners bound in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and punished after many days.
23. The moon will be dismayed, the sun ashamed; for the Lord Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders—with great glory.
The Bible also teaches us about justice and mercy in society, as in Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”
And in Revelation 1:3: “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”
Also in Daniel 12:3: “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”
In conclusion, beloved brothers and sisters: May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Author: Elder in the Seventh-day Adventist Church Contact: WhatsApp +211 913306885 Email: johndour268@gmail.com