Text:
Isaiah 5:1-2:
1: Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:
2: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
Theme:
My Father’s Vineyard
Introduction:
- The book of Isaiah is the first of the books of the major prophets of the Old Testament. Isaiah prophesies from the reign of Uzziah to the reign of Hezekiah.
- In our text we find Isaiah using the metaphor of the vineyard to convey to the children of Israel their need to be obedient to His word and to follow him as their leader.
- What is a “vineyard”?
- A vineyard is representative of the people of Israel in our text.
- Isaiah does a wonderful job of taking the actual setting of the vineyard and extrapolating from its physical appearance the spiritual insight into our own lives. (i.e., The vineyard represents not only the people of Israel but also US.)
Body:
- Let’s look at the “vineyard” of my Father, Isaiah’s wellbeloved
- 1 –“he fenced it”
- As the song says, “Jesus, be a fence all around me everyday. Jesus, I want you to protect me as I travel along the way. I know you can. I know you will fight my battles if I just keep still. Jesus, be a fence all around me everyday.”
- God first of all protects His vineyard from outside influences.
- It is futile to work on the vineyard if it is still be ransacked by predators. Whatever you do will be torn down again.
- As Psalms 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
- 2 –“gathered out the stones thereof”
- God gathers out the stones
- Stones are unnecessary to the growth of the vineyard — Sometimes it just doesn’t belong.
- Stones hinder the growth of anything that they are covering. – Smothers what it covers.
- Stones provide a place for parasites, harmful bugs, or dangerous creatures to hide. – Endangers both the vineyard and the husbandman.
- What stones do you have in your garden?
- Bad friendships
- Bad relationships
- Status
- Money
- Hebrews 9:14, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?.”
- God gathers out the stones
- 3 –“planted it with the choicest vine”
- As Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
- Philippians 3:14 says, “I can do all things THROUGH CHRIST!”
- God gives us His best in order that we might have everlasting life!
- John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
- We have life through Jesus Christ, our Lord!
- As Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
- 4 –“built a tower in the midst of it”
- The tower in the midst of the garden is a place from which one can look over the entire garden to ensure its safety.
- The tower in the midst of the garden is also a landmark to mark the center of the garden to give direction to others within the garden and outside of it.
- For the people of Israel the tower in the midst of the garden is the Temple of God from which they get their direction and instruction.
- For us the tower in the middle of the garden is the Word of God.
- Without it, we could not find our way to the center of God’s Will.
- Without it, we would not have the protection of God’s Word in our lives.
- 1 –“he fenced it”
- All is necessary to ensure a productive harvest of grapes
- Firstly, must produce some kind of grapes
- The parable of the talents records praises for all of the servants who invested their talents and the one who buried his talent was reprimanded for not having done anything with what he had.
- John 15:1-2 explains, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”
- Matthew 21:19 also shows this first ethic, “And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.”
- Secondly, must produce good grapes and not wild grapes
- HUMILITY and not PRIDE
- MEEKNESS and not PASSION
- LOVE and not DISCONTENT
- PATIENCE and not MALICE
- CONTEMPT OF THE WORLD and not CONTEMPT OF GOD
- PRAYING AND PRAISING and not CURSING AND SWEARING
- If God is our Father, then we should be like Him.
- Romans 8:23, “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit”
- Firstly, must produce some kind of grapes
Conclusion:
- 5 –“also made a winepress therein”
- God also has included a winepress
- The winepress was often times simply a trough that had ropes on either side of it so that men could trod on the grapes to press out the juice which flowed through a hole near the bottom of the vat
- God not only looks to produce grapes but to also produce wine from the fruits of His garden
- Grapes give a temporary fruit of the garden that eventually rots and spoils.
- Wine gives a long term “fruit” from the garden that can be stored and actually gets better with time.
- God provides everything needed to get both “fruits” from His garden.
- Fence, stones cleared out, choice vine, and a tower aid the garden to produce the grapes
- The WINEPRESS is the only way that the grapes can then produce wine.
- God gives all of us a winepress in the garden of our lives
- Lamentations 1:15: “The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midst of me: he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the Lord hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a winepress”.
- Without a winepress, we could not produce wine to last unto everlasting life.
- Without a winepress, our faith could not be tried unto everlasting life.
- Without a winepress, we just might so proud of our garden and grapes that we would feel that we would not need God anymore.
- The Bible gives us examples:
- Mark 5:27 speaks of the woman with the issue of blood when it says, “When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.”
- Luke 6:38 says, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over,”
- Acts 18:5 speaks of Paul when it says, “And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.”
- Philippians 3:14, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
- We are in the winepress!
- Bills
- Enemies
- Weaknesses
- Failures
- Temptations
- Losses
- All God is doing is preparing us for the long haul! He has to press us to squeeze out that essence of us that can last forever.
- Psalms 37:7, “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”
- Isaiah 40:31, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
- Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
- Don’t worry because James 5:7 says, “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.”
- God also has included a winepress
- My Father’s Vineyard
