1. "Lenin wants God's world but not God himself."

2. "You'll never appreciate God's grace until you understand the weight of God's judgment. We need to be humbled before we can be helped. We need to experience a crisis before we can experience comfort."

3. "It doesn't matter what your position is in this life or your possessions. They cannot save you. Doesn't matter your wisdom or your work. It will not free you from God's righteous judgment."

4. "In God's Word, we don't find just a book filled with mere suggestions, but the means to salvation. How you respond to God's Word is a matter of life and death."

5. "When you reject God's instructions and when you reject Him, we end up forgetting what it means to be human and the value of life."

6. "Brothers and sisters, when you walk with God, when you have a right view of God, you can't help but grieve when you encounter sin and wickedness in the world."

7. "Sin promised them a better life, and it led them to a bitter life. God gave them over to what they wanted, and now they are getting what they deserve."

8. "No matter how easy their life may seem, no matter how prosperous they may appear, their fate is grim in the end."

9. "Don't let your circumstances view God's promises or determine how you view God's promises. Let God's promises determine how you view your circumstances."

10. "Don't let your future joy be overcome by our present reality. God has revealed to us his word and he will keep it to the end."

Observation Questions

1. According to Isaiah 24:1-3, what does the Lord say He will do to the earth, and what groups of people are listed as being equally affected by this judgment?

2. In Isaiah 24:5, what three specific actions does the text say the inhabitants of the earth have committed against God?

3. What images does Isaiah use in verses 7-12 to describe the loss of joy and celebration in the city, and what has happened to the city's defenses according to verse 12?

4. According to verses 17-20, what happens to those who try to flee from judgment, and how does the text describe the physical condition of the earth under the weight of its transgressions?

5. In verses 13-15, what does the remnant do in the midst of judgment, and from what locations do their voices come?

6. What does verse 23 say will happen to the moon and sun, and where does the text say the Lord of hosts will reign and display His glory?

Interpretation Questions

1. Why does Isaiah list so many different social classes and positions (priest and people, slave and master, buyer and seller) in verse 2? What theological truth about God's judgment is he communicating through this comprehensive list?

2. The sermon described the "city" in verses 10-12 as representing "man's way of creating his world on his own terms without God." How does the desolation of this city—where wine no longer brings joy and music has ceased—demonstrate the ultimate failure of human attempts to find satisfaction apart from God?

3. How does the language of verse 18 ("the windows of heaven are opened") connect to the flood narrative in Genesis 7:11, and what does this connection suggest about God's purpose in bringing judgment on the earth?

4. In verses 13-16, a remnant lifts up their voices in praise even as judgment falls. What does the preservation and worship of this remnant reveal about God's character and His faithfulness to His promises?

5. Verse 23 describes the moon being "confounded" and the sun "ashamed" when the Lord reigns on Mount Zion. What does this imagery teach us about the surpassing glory of God compared to the greatest lights in creation?

Application Questions

1. The sermon warned against envying the wicked who seem to prosper. What specific temptations do you face to covet the possessions, positions, or lifestyles of those who live in rebellion against God, and how can meditating on their ultimate fate (as described in this passage) reorient your desires?

2. Isaiah grieved over the sin of the world even as he grieved over his own sin in chapter 6. When you encounter wickedness in the news or in your community, does your heart respond with grief and a longing for repentance, or with something else like anger, indifference, or even secret approval? What would it look like to grow in godly grief this week?

3. The sermon emphasized that no human innovation or accomplishment can save anyone from judgment—only faith in Christ. Is there anything in your life (education, career success, moral effort, religious activity) that you are subtly trusting in for security instead of Christ alone? How might you actively turn from that false trust?

4. The remnant in this passage praises God "from the ends of the earth" even amid judgment. What circumstances in your life right now tempt you to stop praising God, and how can the promise that God preserves His people to the end encourage you to worship even in difficulty?

5. The sermon concluded by urging believers to let God's promises shape how we view our circumstances rather than letting circumstances shape how we view God's promises. What is one specific worry or discouragement you are facing, and what promise from Scripture can you intentionally meditate on this week to gain a right perspective?

Additional Bible Reading

1. Genesis 6:5–13 — This passage describes the corruption of the earth before the flood and God's decision to bring judgment, providing the background for the flood imagery Isaiah uses in chapter 24.

2. Romans 1:18–32 — Paul explains how humanity has rejected God's revealed truth and been given over to sin, illustrating the same pattern of rebellion and consequence that Isaiah describes.

3. Psalm 73:1–28 — The psalmist wrestles with envying the wicked before gaining perspective in God's sanctuary, directly addressing the application the sermon made about not envying those who prosper apart from God.

4. Revelation 21:1–8 — This passage describes the new heaven and new earth where God dwells with His people, showing the fulfillment of what Isaiah 24:23 anticipates when God reigns on Mount Zion in glory.

5. Matthew 24:29–31 — Jesus describes the cosmic signs and His return in glory, echoing Isaiah's language about the shaking of heaven and earth and the gathering of God's elect.

Sermon Main Topics

I. John Lennon's "Imagine" Versus Isaiah's Vision of the World

II. God Will Judge the Earth Because of the Rebels

III. God Will Judge the Earth Because of His Reign

IV. God Will Judge the Earth for the Sake of the Remnant

V. The Hope of Judgment: Christ's Redemption and God's Eternal Dwelling

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Detailed Sermon Outline

Last March, at the very beginning of the pandemic, 22 celebrities virtually collaborated together to inject hope and courage into a fearful, fragile, and isolated country. In the video, each celebrity sings a different line from John Lennon's famous song, Imagine. Their hope and posting this video was to encourage people to look beyond their circumstances to a better world, to a united world. Now, I imagine that many of you have heard this song a few times in your life. Maybe you've heard it on New Year's Eve in Times Square as it's played as the ball drops there.

Or maybe you heard it tonight that Ruth Bader Ginsburg died as hundreds gathered around the Supreme Court building to pay respect to her and they sang this song.

Or maybe you found yourself listening to it on YouTube where I see that there's over 220 million views of this song in particular. In many ways, our culture has embraced John Lennon as a prophet and his song as its anthem. In this song, Lennon wants his listeners to imagine a world that's unified, where there's no division, a world at peace. Well, how is this peace achieved? It's achieved by imagining a world and seeking a world without a heaven, without a hell, without any religion or anything that might divide us.

Simply put, Lenin is asking us and telling us, Look, if we can get rid of God, we can get this thing right. Lenin wants God's world but not God himself. And in the song, Lennon says, you may say that he's a dreamer, but he's not the only one. And he's right. For 2,000 years before John Lennon's day was a prophet named Isaiah who imagined the world that John Lennon dreamed of.

And that vision that Isaiah saw, he didn't see the world at peace like Lennon wanted, but a world in pain. He didn't see the satisfaction that Lennon hoped for, but a world suffering, and striving against God. And you didn't see a world overjoyed, but a world under judgment. And that vision that Isaiah had is our passage this morning. So if you have your Bible, I invite you to grab them and turn to Isaiah chapter 24.

Isaiah chapter 24.

This is the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah. Behold, the Lord will empty the earth and make it desolate. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest. As with the slave so with his master, as with the maid so with her mistress, as with the buyer so with the seller, as with the lender so with the borrower, as with the creditor so with the debtor.

The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered, for the Lord has spoken this word. The earth mourns and withers, the world languishes and withers, the highest people of the earth Languish. The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants, for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt, and few men are left. The wine mourns, the vine languishes, all the merry-hearted sigh, the mirth of the tambourine is stilled, the noise of the jubilant has ceased, The mirth of the liar is stilled.

No more do they drink wine with singing. Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it. The wasted city is broken down. Every house is shut up so that none can enter. There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine.

All joy has grown dark. The gladness of the earth is banished. Desolation is left in the city. The gates are battered into ruins for thus It shall be in the midst of the earth among the nations, as when an olive tree is beaten, as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done. They lift up their voices, they sing for joy over the majesty of the Lord that shout from the west.

Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord, in the coastlands of the sea give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the righteous one. But I say, I waste away. I waste away. Woe is me.

For the traitors have betrayed with betrayal. The traitors have betrayed. Terror and the pit and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth. He who flees at the sound of terror shall fall into the pit. He who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare.

For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundation of the earth tremble. The Earth is utterly broken. The Earth is split apart. The Earth is violently shaken. The Earth staggers like a drunken man, and it sways like a Hut.

Its transgressions lie heavy upon it, and it falls. It will not rise again. On that day, the Lord will punish the host in heaven, the kings of the Earth on the Earth, and they will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit, and they will be shut up in a prison. And after many days they will be punished, then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and His glory will be before His elders. Now, if you've been with us at all in CHBC the last few years or if you've read the book of Isaiah, I want to give you a breakdown and understanding what's happening in this book.

Clearly, we see the theme of judgment here. It's happening. It's taking place. And the first 27 chapters of Isaiah can be broken down into like three sections. So chapters 1 through 12 are God's judgment on Judah and Israel through the nation of Assyria.

He's judging them for their wickedness and He's going to use Assyria to bring the punishment to them for their disobedience. But yet even in the midst of judgment, God brings hope that He will redeem a remnant. Verses 13 through 23, or chapters 13 through 23, It's about God's oracles and judgments against all the nations, as we heard a few weeks ago with Caleb's sermon against Tyre, that God will judge the wicked nations of the earth. And yet that brings temporary comfort because when you take Tyre down, there's five that rise up to take its place. And we find ourself here in Isaiah 24.

And really understand Isaiah 24, you kind of have to see Isaiah 24 through 27 as one section together. And really, this is an eschatological view of God's judgment, meaning this is the end times. These are things that God will do at the end. Now, if you notice in reading this passage, this feels a little bit different than some things in Revelation or Daniel 7 through 12. This is more just communicating, it's a summary.

It's not necessarily concerned about when this will happen or necessarily what will happen. It's concerned with the fact that God will judge the earth. It's a summary of what it's going to look like in the end. So why will God judge the earth? That brings us to this question, why all the judgment?

I think Isaiah gives us three reasons here in our passage today, and this will be my outline. God will judge the earth because the rebels, the reign of God, and the remnant. God will judge the earth because the rebels, the reign of God, and the remnant. Now I just want you to focus your eyes on me real quick.

I don't know if you noticed or not, but this is a very heavy passage today, very weighty. And I think sometimes as we read this kind of stuff and read Isaiah 24, you kind of wince at it. But my encouragement today is to lean into it, to feel the weight of God's judgment. So you'll never appreciate God's grace until you understand the weight of God's judgment. We need to be humbled before we can be helped.

We need to experience a crisis before we can experience comfort. So let Isaiah 24 do its work this week, and Lord willing, we'll study Isaiah 25 and it'll do its work next week. Let's look at our first point. And with this, I just want to, this is my prayer for us, is what I've been praying all week. My prayer is that we would feel the weight of God's judgment so we can experience the relief of God's grace.

That's my prayer for us. First point, the rebels. I'm going to break this point down to three sub points. Who they are, what they've done, and what are the consequences for their rebellion. Who they are, what they've done, and what are the consequences for their rebellion.

So who are these rebels? Well, out of the gate, Isaiah tells us here in verse 2, he says, and it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the slave, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as would the lender, so would the borrower, as would the creditor, so would the debtor. What is he trying to tell us? He's trying to tell us that there's no people group on the earth who has rebelled against God that will escape God's judgment. Saying all the peoples of the earth have rejected God and have rebelled against Him.

So here he's basically saying, look, it doesn't matter who you are or where you're from or what you've done. If you have rebelled against God, judgment is your fate.

So it doesn't matter if you are educated or you went to an Ivy League school. It doesn't matter if you are a politician or a CEO. It doesn't matter what political party you find yourself in. It doesn't matter if you've given your life to ending world hunger and poverty. It doesn't matter if you're a professional athlete or how much money you've made or how much money you've given away.

It doesn't matter what you've accomplished in this life. If you are living in rebellion against God, judgment is your fate. God is trying to communicate here. It doesn't matter what your position is in this life or your possessions. They cannot save you.

Doesn't matter your wisdom or your work. It will not free you from God's righteous judgment. God is no respecter of persons. That's why Richard Baxter would say at one point that God has never saved any man from being a preacher. God will bring judgment to those who have rebelled against him.

Doesn't matter your class. Your color, or your creed. So who are they? All the peoples of the earth who have rebelled against him. But what have they done?

Look at verses 4 and 5. Subpoint 2, what have they done?

Verse 4 and 5 tells us what they've done. The earth mourns and withers, the world languishes and withers, the highest people of the earth languish, the earth lies defiled under its inhabitants. Here's the reason. They have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. The inhabitants of the earth have utterly rebelled against God, and we see how they've done it in three ways.

First, he says, they have transgressed the laws. What does this mean? It means they have heard God's revealed truth, they know it's there, and they've utterly rejected it. God has given them all that they need to avoid this judgment, and they've rejected God's word.

It's not a lack of God's Word or a lack of knowledge. They've chosen to reject God's law. Not only that, they've violated the statute or altered God's statutes. What they've done is they've not only rejected God's truth, but they've created new ways of sinning. They've created their own statutes, their own ways of sinning.

We see this later in Romans 1:30. Paul says that those who chose to worship the creation over the Creator These are those who are inventors of evil. As he says in verse 32, though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them, but give approval to those who practice them. Humanity has rebelled and they're creative in their rebellion. Not only that, we see this, they've broken the everlasting covenant.

They've broken the everlasting covenant. What does this mean? What is this referring to?

Well, as you'll notice in Isaiah 24, there's a lot of themes and connections to Noah. Genesis 7 and Genesis 6 through 9. So this could be a reference to the Noahic covenant. Isaiah sees a lot of connections there between what will happen in the end and what's happened in Noah's day. Or it could be a reference to Adam as our covenant head, that we have received his guilt for his rebellion and we've received his sin nature.

However, I think what Isaiah is trying to say is regardless of the garden with Adam, regardless of Noah's day, regardless with Moses, whatever their covenant is, wherever it exists, regardless with Christ and this eternal covenant of peace that he offers, God has been inviting humanity into fellowship with him and they have rejected it. See this in Romans 1. God has displayed his truth to all humanity, all mankind. He's made himself known and they have rejected it and are without excuse.

What can we learn from this? Where God has spoken, we should listen. In God's Word, we don't find just a book filled with mere suggestions, but the means to salvation.

How you respond to God's Word is a matter of life and death. That's what Isaiah is trying to say here. And we might read Isaiah 24 and say, Wow, this is so weighty. This is so heavy. Why did God write this?

Well, he wrote it as a means of mercy towards you and me, saying that if you do not repent of your sin, judgment is your fate. God is merciful to reveal his truth to us, and we should listen and obey. So Isaiah here, he's just trying to communicate the exhaustive nature of their rebellion and transgression. That's why this passage is so weighty. God has given to humanity all that we need to avoid judgment.

He's done everything he can, so we are without excuse. And he's given us not only this life, but instructions on how to live it. And we've rejected it. As you read Isaiah 24 and you hear this rebellion that they've done, how do you see this playing out in our culture today? What are the effects on our culture of a people who've denied God's truth for their own truth?

See this in Carl Truman's new book, the Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self. That when there's no sacred order or transcendent value or shared morality, what ends up happening is we have empathy-based ethics. That where what is right and wrong is based on taste, what's popular, not God's truth. And the reality is when you reject God's instructions and when you reject Him, we end up forgetting what it means to be human and the value of life. See this in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve are punished for their rebellion against God.

In Genesis 4, what happens with Cain and Abel? Cain murders his own brother. And just a few chapters later in Genesis 6 through 9, you see that the earth is filled with violence and rejection of God. Their thoughts and their heart is set on evil continually. What we see is rebellion against God results in a disregard for human life and a chaotic society.

This is why in verse 16 we can relate with Isaiah. Look down at verse 16, the second part. Isaiah says this, but I waste away, I waste away. Woe is me for the traitors have betrayed with betrayal. The traitors have betrayed.

Notice what Isaiah is doing here. He grieves over their sin and their rebellion like he grieved over his own in Isaiah 6. Brothers and sisters, when you walk with God, when you have a right view of God, you can't help but grieve when you encounter sin and wickedness in the world. That's what Isaiah is doing. He grieves over their sin and over their rebellion.

God has been nothing but merciful and they have been nothing but rebellious. So we've seen who they are and what they've done. Now look at sub point three. What are the consequences for their rebellion? What are the consequences for their rebellion?

Look at verse 6 through 13 here.

Verse 6 says this, therefore a curse devours the earth and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left. There's three things I think happen. The effects of the curse are three things. We see death, desolation, and dread.

These are the effects of the curse. This is the consequences for their sin. It says that few men are left. The earth has been so scorched that it's an unbearable place to live. The earth has been so affected by sin that death rules the day.

God's common grace has been removed and they are experiencing the consequences for their sin. Think about this past year with COVID How devastating it's been to see the death toll and just every single day in the news. But even in a devastating time, there's been a glimmer of hope in our society that there's a vaccine that will come. The spirit of our age is we will get through this. We are innovative enough and creative enough that we will overcome anything that comes our way.

But there is a day that is coming. It will be very apparent to all in the world that throughout history, when wars ceased and pandemics were gone and plagues left, it wasn't because man's innovation. It was because of God's mercy. And the day is coming when God's common grace will be removed and judgment will be their fate. No amount of man's ingenuity or innovation will be able to thwart the judgment that is to come.

We see this in Matthew 24 with Jesus talking about these end times. He says, if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved, but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Without God's mercy towards His own, no human being would survive the last days. Not only do we see the effects of the curse through death, but we see it through desolation. Desolation.

It goes on in verse 7 and says, the wine mourns, the vine languishes, all the merry hearted sigh. The mirth and tambourines are stilled. The noise of the jubilant has ceased. The mirth of the lyre is stilled. No more do they drink wine with singing.

Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it. The wasted city is broken down. What you'll notice here in Isaiah 24 is that Isaiah imagines humanity and the world represented in this city in verse 10 and 12. And if you read all of Isaiah this week, and I would encourage you to do that, read Isaiah 24 through 27, and just notice the different references to this city that is brought low in the rest of the section. This is man's city.

In many ways, Isaiah 24 through 27 is a comparison contrast between the city of man and the city of God or the mountain of God. What is the city of man? This is man's way of creating his world on his own terms without God in it. It's a city that's built for fame, glory, and pleasure, power, and money. It's a city built on immorality for immorality.

In the words of Plato, this city is what it is because its citizens are what they are. As the building rises, as these buildings rise in the city, morality But something has happened in this city. The party atmosphere has become a funeral atmosphere. There's no more joy. The creation they abandoned God for has now abandoned them.

The wine that they went to for joy and comfort no longer comforts them. They seek it, but it provides no escape, no way to medicate their pain. They try to sing and all that comes out is groaning. Their joy, singing and gladness has abandoned them. They built this city to maximize their pain and all they found, I mean, to maximize their pleasure and all they found is pain.

They built this city to be independent of God and they ended up in bondage. See this in verse 11 and 12. There's an outcry in the streets for lack of wine. All joy has grown dark and the gladness of the earth is banished. Desolation is left in the city.

The gates are battered into ruins. Not only is there no joy, there's no relief, and their security is gone. Their city lies in ruins. Their gates are battered and ruined. They have no place to hide and no place to go.

They built this city to protect them from the outside, and the attack came from the inside in their own sinfulness. Sin promised them a better life, and it led them to a bitter life. God gave them over to what they wanted, and now they are getting what they deserve. The effects of the curse: death, desolation, and now we'll see with dread. Look at verses 17 through 19.

Isaiah paints this picture that they run, and all they find is terror in the pit and the snare, are upon you, an inhabitant of the earth, as he says. He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. What is he trying to say? That they will seek to escape, but there is no hope for them. There is no place to go.

They cannot hide from God's judgment. Amos, in his book as a prophet, he kind of gives really good imagery to what Isaiah is saying here. Amos 5:19-20, he says this, Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord. Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness and not light, as if a man fled from a lion and a bear met him, or went into his house and leaned his hand against the wall and a serpent bit him.

See, they lived their lives in such a way that said they were not afraid of the day of the Lord. They felt as though they were invincible, that their city was great and impenetrable. But the day of sifting has come. And their mighty fortress turned out to be a house of cards. And they're running and there is no place to hide.

So what are some applications for us from this? This is going to sound simplistic, but I think it's important for us to hear. Believers, we should not envy the wicked.

No matter how easy their life may seem, No matter how prosperous they may appear, their fate is grim in the end. And if you find your heart coveting what the wicked have in this world, I would encourage you to read Psalm 73. Psalm 73, the psalmist writes that he looks up and he ends up struggling and falling because his heart becomes envious of the wicked. It says his foot slips. He saw that their Possessions and power and positions were attractive and their life was easy.

He's following the Lord and he's finding pain and the wicked are prospering. In verse 16 of 73 he says, but when I thought to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task until I went into the sanctuary of God and then I discerned their end. Believers continue to be faithful. God will sustain you to the end, and the wicked will not prosper in the end. And on that note, let us not rejoice and hasten the demise of the wicked.

As long as there is breath in their lungs, if they will turn to Christ, he will no wise cast them out. And we should pray for that. We should long for that, that those in our community who may be offensive to us now, just like we were without Christ, would turn and repent of of their rebellion. So we've seen who the rebels are, we've seen what they've done, and now we've seen the consequences for their rebellion. That leads me to my second point.

Why does God bring judgment on the earth? His own reign, the reign of God. We'll see this primarily in verses 19 through 23.

So Isaiah makes no bones about it. These inhabitants of the earth, they deserve judgment for their transgressions. But who's the one who delivers the judgment? It's God Himself. You see it from the outset in verse 1.

It says, Behold, the Lord will empty the earth and make it desolate. What is the guarantee that this will happen? Is this kind of an if or a maybe? No, look in verse 3. The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered.

And what's the guarantee? For the Lord has spoken this word. God guarantees judgment based on His own word.

The word that they rejected, that God offered blessing to them through, is now bringing a curse, brings a curse upon them. The word that God sent out to bring them relief now brings news of retribution. What God has purposed and declared none can undo. Now I want you to notice something interesting. In verses, so God says that God will bring the judgment, but in verses four and five, Through basically 17 through 20, God's name is not mentioned when it comes to the judgment.

But yet He's the one doing all the judgment. He's the one making this happen. He's the one doing this and there's a purpose and there's a reason for why He's doing this. It's like this. For us, Megan and I, we have three little kids, ages four and under.

And one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life is discipline my kids. I mean, they're really beautiful. I think they're the prettiest kids I've ever seen in my life. But they're hard to discipline. It's not that I, and I find it difficult because I love them so much and I want to give them what they want, but what they need is discipline because I can't let them live in rebellion.

It's not loving to let my children live a life of rebellion. But the hardest thing about it is I don't sometimes know what's the right response to disobedience. And so sometimes in the moment I'm finding myself guessing, Is this the right response to this level of disobedience?

I'm hoping that my actions will bring about a heart of obedience, but I don't know. But it's not that way with God. You see, when God brings discipline and judgment, He's not hoping or second guessing. He's always precise and exact. And He's giving the earth and these inhabitants exactly what they need.

But what is He doing it for? There's two reasons that I think God is doing this for: vindication and preparation. The vindication and preparation. Isaiah throughout his book is letting us know that God is vindicating his holiness and his name. If you look at Isaiah 2 verse 12, it says this, for the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up, and it shall be brought low.

Why will God do this? Well verse 17 is the answer. And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low. And here's the reason. The Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

See, God created the world to display his beauty and his glory. He created humanity to image him, to display his glory to the rest of the world. But the problem is man chose to be like God, to steal his glory, to be in his place. And so God will vindicate His name. Creation will serve the purpose that He created it for.

And we see in verse 20 who He's gonna do this against. Or verse 21, excuse me. It says, On that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven and heaven and the kings of the earth on the earth. God will vindicate His name to the great powers of the earth that it rebelled against Him. So whether it be the person in Isaiah 14 who some may believe is Satan, the day star, the son of dawn who said in his heart, I will arise to the throne of God.

Whether it be him or these great kings of the earth who thought they were invincible, who sought to thwart the will of God, they will not escape God's judgment. He's going to bring it upon them. He will vindicate His name. These men are these great plagiarizers, taking what is rightfully God and claiming it as their own. And God's name in the end alone will be great.

These beings and these kings, they gloried in their palaces, in their power, but verse Chapter 22 tells us their future is the pit. God will put them in darkness, and He will punish them completely. God had given them authority for His good purposes, for His good name. Really, this whole book in particular is God seeking to humble us before His reign. You see it in Isaiah 6.

Isaiah sees a vision when King Uzziah dies, it says, I saw the Lord high and lifted up. And if you notice something in Isaiah 6, it gets interesting. Isaiah 6, he says, In the year that the king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. Well, it's not Lord as in Yahweh, it's Lord as in king. He says, When I saw that the king died, I saw the real king.

High and lifted up. Isaiah is afraid, he's terrified of his own sin, and he hears these beings saying, Holy, holy, holy, the whole earth is full of his glory. For my eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts. What God is revealing through Isaiah here is He is the one true King and the earth may right now be in rebellion, but it will be full of His glory. It's a guarantee, it's a promise.

He will do it. He's telling us here, Do not put your hope in princes or in powers of the air, but put your hope in Me. Brothers and sisters, are you seeking allies amongst the enemies of God? This past year, what has been your comfort? And will your comfort survive on the last day?

Would you pray for our church that we would not be a people who put our hope in temporary things, but in the transcendent King, that we be marked by our hope in God who will reign for all eternity.

So not only is God vindicating his name, he's preparing the earth for something. It's my second sub point here. He's preparing the earth for something. He's ridding the earth of all the rebellion to fully display His glory. If you look back at verse 3, chapter 24, it says, the earth shall be utterly empty.

Well, this is an image back to imaging Genesis 1 and 2, or excuse me, Genesis 1, chapter, verse 2, where the earth was empty before the Lord. So what has happened is sin has so damaged the earth that God will undo to make new. That's what he's doing here. The earth has been polluted and defiled by humanity's sin and God will cleanse it. So why do we see in verse 18 it says the windows of heaven will be opened on that day.

That's the same language that was used in Genesis 7:11 when God says he's going to cleanse the earth of the wickedness. But it would be different than Noah's day because something new is coming in place of the old. We see the effects of the earth. What's going to happen to the earth? Look at verses 19 through 20.

The earth is utterly broken. The earth is split apart. The earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunken man. Its ways like a hut.

Its transgressions live heavy upon it, and it falls, and it will not rise again. God will shake the earth so violently to rid it of its transgressions and prepare it for something new. It's like if with us when we're driving by or driving to Riverdale Baptist Church when we're meeting in those days, we're meeting there, we would drive by RFK. Many of you live over by RFK. And it's kind of a sad thing to see.

A building that once hosted thousands of people every year for 60 years is now empty. It's unusable. And the city recently come out and said that they're going to demolish RFK in 2022. In hopes of bringing something new there. That's what God will do in the end.

He will destroy the earth and he will bring something new. God on that day will pour out his wrath with purpose to establish a place where he will dwell with his people. We see this in verse 23. Look at verse 23. Then the moon will be confounded in the sun of shame for the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and his glory will be before his elders.

What is God saying he's going to do here? He's saying this is going to be his dwelling place that earth will be his dwelling place with his people. And God has promised this throughout the Bible. We see it in Leviticus 27 verse 11 and 2. He says, I make my dwelling among you and my soul shall not abhor you.

I will walk among you and will be your God and you shall be my people. He promises it later in Ezekiel 37 26 almost identical. I will make a covenant of peace with them and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them. I will set them in their land and multiply them and will set my sanctuary in their midst forever, forever more. God is saying, I'm going to dwell among the people.

These will be my people and they will worship me and see my glory. Revelation, verse 21, verse 3 says the same thing. Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will be with them as their God. This is what God is doing.

This is the hope of Isaiah 24, that God will make new this earth and he will dwell among us. He will dwell in such a way that the sun and the moon will be ashamed because God will shine so brightly, beautifully before his people. This brings me to my last point. The last reason that we see why God brings judgment on the earth is for the sake of the remnant, for the sake of the remnant.

We see this in verse 13 through 16.

It's interesting, in the midst of all this talk about judgment upon the earth, there's this glimmer of hope. Verses 13 through 16. It says this, For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth among the nations, as when an olive tree is beaten, as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done, they lift up their voices, they sing for joy over the majesty of the Lord, they shout from the west, therefore in the east give glory to the Lord in the coastlands, Of the sea give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise of the glorious ones. What's amazing about this point is that in the midst of God's judgment, He preserves a remnant.

Not all are destroyed. He saves a people for Himself. Who are these people? Those whom He saved, who He promised He would save, that He's preserved to the end. What are they doing?

They're praising God, rejoicing in His glorious grace. These are those that we see in Revelation 12:11 who survived the tribulation by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. They will not be put to shame. He will preserve them to the end. They have received mercy, so they lift up their voices for joy.

I want you to notice something here, the contrast between the rebels and the remnant. In verses 8 and 9, the remnant are stilled. They sing no more. They rejoice no more. The things they hope in have failed.

But not so with the remnant. They have been preserved to the end. God has kept them. He has been faithful to His promise. We see it in Isaiah 10:21 that God says that He will make full end of the earth, but a remnant will return.

We see it even in Ephesians 1 where it says we are predestined to what? Praise His glorious grace. Through the midst of this judgment, God is purifying and saving a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation who will worship Him for all eternity. Eternity. So for the non-Christian, where do you find yourself in this passage today?

Do you associate and see yourself as one of the rebels who rejects God's truth, who denies Him with your life? I hope you see today that these are not just words on a page, but a reality of things to come And there's good news in this. You can avoid God's judgment. We see it in John 5:24 that we read earlier. Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.

He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Listen, believe in Christ and you will be saved. You will not suffer for your rebellion. Enter Christ like Noah entered the ark and did not come into judgment and was preserved. You see, Christ drank the bitter cup, the bitter wine, drank it to the dregs so that those who would believe would not experience judgment.

Christ became a curse on our behalf so that we could be redeemed to God and made right with God. You see, all these curses and consequences here in Isaiah 4 Christ has taken for those who will believe.

This is the hope that we have. That Christ received God's judgment so that we could rejoice in his grace. If you're here and you're not a Christian and you want to talk to somebody about that, I'll be at the back door. We'll have pastors and staff at the doors. We would love to talk to you about what it means to trust in Christ.

And brothers and sisters, take assurance that God is reigning and his promises are true. The glory will be, his glory will fill this earth one day. So be still and know that He's God. The mountains may move and be thrown into the heart of the sea. The earth will tremble, but His name will be exalted in all the earth.

He will do it. So take heart. Do not be overcome or discouraged by our current cultural moment. God has promised throughout that we will go through many trials and tribulations, but He will keep us. Jesus says in John 16:33, I have said these things to you that in me You may have peace.

In the world, you'll have tribulation, but take heart. I have overcome the world. We see in Acts 14, as the apostles go and they're strengthening the Christians, there is the early church, and it says that they're strengthening with this truth, that through many trials we must enter the kingdom of God. God has promised us that we may suffer and go through tribulation, but we will be sustained to the end. So don't let your circumstances view God's promises or determine how you view God's promises.

Let God's promises determine how you view your circumstances. Don't let your future joy be overcome by our present reality. God has revealed to us his word and he will keep it to the end and take joy every day because he's preparing a place for us. This is not our eternal home as we know it right now. We will have a new home with God for all eternity.

So in conclusion, we see that John Lennon earlier said that he wanted the world to live as one, and the world will live as one, but not with man as king, but with God as king. And there will be in that day peace and unity, satisfaction and joy. Let us pray.

Father in heaven, we come before you and praise you as the eternal God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And God, we praise you that you have revealed to us that those who will rebel against you will experience judgment. And I pray now, God, that you would be merciful on those among us who don't know you. Oh, Lord, save them from judgment. Lord, I pray for us as a church that we would not be discouraged by what is happening in the world or will take place in the future.

Let our hope be founded on you and your promises, knowing that you will glorify your name in all the earth.

We pray you would do it for Jesus' sake. Amen.