The Wild Grapes of the Vineyard
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
e.g. Nearly hit by golf ball
Playing golf at Whaleback with friends I hear a bunch of yells behind me, including ‘fore’, when I look around a ball is rocketing straight at my head. Diving to the ground the ball just misses me
Early on in ministry it was popular to say that preaching needed to be positive
Often, I was seen to be too ‘negative’
While the Gospel, Bible & Christianity are largely posotive it is impossible to see it all entirely positive
Large part of the beginning of Isaiah is ‘negative’ or harsh
Sometimes it can feel like we’re just getting beat over the head but that’s not God’s intention at all
Elaborating on the song of the vineyard, Isaiah tells us about why the vineyard must be destroyed
What has made these grapes stinking and worthless?
We are given 6 ‘woes’ and 4 ‘therefores’
READ Isaiah 5:8-30.
These woes are like my friends yelling ‘fore’ on the golf course
It is a warning of imminent danger
It is a final call that if nothing is done immediately judgment is on it’s way
That is, these woes are a threat of judgment but also a lament, a cry of grief
Prophets use woes, John the Baptist spoke of woes and so did Jesus
They are warnings calling us to flee
So, it’s not just God yelling like an angry old man ‘get off my grass’
He’s calling us out of danger
‘God’s woes are better than the devil’s welcomes’ - Spurgeon
It will be very easy to identify these sins in our own society
Flagrant, open acceptance of sinful ways, numbing of spiritual life through pursuit of pleasure, calling evil good, etc.
I could easily preach a series of sermons from here just on the way our world exhibits the exact same attitudes
A more accurate way of undestanding this is to consider it withing the context of Christianity
We’re talking about people who profess to belong to God
We don’t have to imagine it because we see these traits evident within Christianity from the early Church even until now
So, let’s examine for a moment what has made these grapes stinking and rotten
What is it that proves these people who claim to be God’s don’t love Him or even know Him?
Be Warned
Be Warned
Be Warned that Greed brings Loss (Isa. 5:8-17)
Be Warned that Greed brings Loss (Isa. 5:8-17)
Your Greed isn’t Satisfied
Your Greed isn’t Satisfied
Accumulate Wealth (Isa. 5:8-10)
Accumulate Wealth (Isa. 5:8-10)
Talking about the accumulation of wealth, particularly at others expense
They were buying up land of others to create estates
Pushing people out of their inherited lands
This is part of what God means when he talks about justice (Isa. 5:7)
Good example of this is Ahab & Jezebel taking Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21)
Problem isn’t being wealthy - God isn’t against wealth
Problem was their attitude towards wealth - many problems
Personal wealth was more important than the good of others
Personal wealth was more important than godliness
They had forgotten what their wealth and land meant and whose it was
Leviticus 25:23–24“23 ‘The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me. 24 And in all the land of your possession you shall grant redemption of the land.”
The land wasn’t theirs to do with as they pleased, it was God’s and He had gifted to them to be used for their good and His glory
That’s why inheritance, Jubilee and redemption were such important themes
For us, the principle is no different, wealth, possesions, land, etc. are not ours do with as we please
James 1:17“17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
Reason we give at church is an expression of thanks for the good gifts that God has given us
Reason we are generous with our possessions and minister with them is because we are stewards of God’s riches
1 Timothy 6:17“17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.”
Self-indulgent (Isa. 5:11-12)
Self-indulgent (Isa. 5:11-12)
5:11 is about indulgence, affluence and results of that
5:12 is about the parties, feasting, hedonism
They live for pleasure and numb themselves to godliness
Strong drink is easily applicable to any other addicting and numbing influence in our life
Inflamed doesn’t speak as much about the result as it does the purpose
They drank so they wouldn’t see God’s work or hear His words
When God is no longer our delight we numb ourselves and are left without spiritual perception
From the early church we have struggled with these same issues
1 Cor. 11 tells of a church where the rich oppressed the poor of the church and where acts of worship became feasts of selfishness and ungodliness
“God is more interested in purity than prosperity” - S. Lewis Johnson
Sermon on Isaiah 5 - The Vineyard of Jehovah, or the Problem of Lawlessness
Hell’s Appetite isn’t Satisfied (Isa. 5:13-17)
Hell’s Appetite isn’t Satisfied (Isa. 5:13-17)
You will be left empty
You will be left empty
Isa 5:10, 13 The land hungry end up being hungry
Isa. 5:13 Those who got drunk on wine will be thirsty
In Corinth people became sick and even died
Pursuit of anything other than God will leave you empty
Just like in the song of the vineyard, the judgment isn’t passive but active
Judgment is an act of God - no-one gets away with rejecting God
Death will be filled
Death will be filled
After all of their consumption they will be consumed
Hell, sheol, place of the dead will engulf all who oppose God
Everything you pursued, all your gain and fame, all your possessions & wealth swallowed up in death
As great as your appetite was for wickedness hell’s appetite is greater
Be Warned that Rottenness brings Ruin (Isa. 5:18-24)
Be Warned that Rottenness brings Ruin (Isa. 5:18-24)
Morality is Reversed
Morality is Reversed
Sin openly (Isa. 5:18-19)
Sin openly (Isa. 5:18-19)
Cords of vanity - may suggest those ‘small’ things, those sins that are almost unseen
White lies, lust, etc.
Sin as a cart rope - the visible, heavy, bind sins that bind us to our great burden
There is no respect or fear of God left in them
Outwardly defy His commands and even justify their wickedness as goodness
It is outright arrogance, taunting God
“Come on God, we dare you do do something”
Again, we see these same things in the church from very early
1 Cor. 5 rebukes Corinth for knowingly allowing sin in the church so heinous even the pagans were disgusted
Call evil good (Isa. 5:20-23)
Call evil good (Isa. 5:20-23)
How quickly and easily we can justify our actions of sin and wickedness
To reframe things in a way that reverse truth and lie
We justify evil by calling it love or convincing ourselves of it’s necessity, or blaming others for its existence in our life
We make God’s grace cheap but using it to allow our lusts of the flesh
Light/dark may suggest how we do this in public, in church, in society
Bitter/sweet may suggest more personal, how we reverse morality in our own lives
5:21 - self-conceited and deceived with our own perceived goodness and wisdom
Not only reversed God’s morality, we are convinced that our morality is right and God is wrong
5:22 - takes us back to our motives at the beginning
Life will become death (Isa. 5:24)
Life will become death (Isa. 5:24)
Everything we think brings life will only lead to death
Source of life (root) is rotten & so the fruit of life (blossom) wastes away and nothing good is left behind
Why? Because we rejected God’s law and despised His word
All this while they claimed to be God’s chosen nation, the children of Abraham
Be Warned that Arrogance brings Anger (Isa. 5:25-30)
Be Warned that Arrogance brings Anger (Isa. 5:25-30)
Those Consumed with Themselves
Those Consumed with Themselves
Who have rejected God to worship themselves
Will be Consumed by God’s Anger
Will be Consumed by God’s Anger
Holiness of God has been offended and must be satisfied
God isn’t interested in people claiming His name for their own profit
God is concerned about people who truly know Him and live for Him
Those who understand who the Holy One is and in that understanding are also able to call Him My Well-beloved
Be Faithful
Be Faithful
This destruction and judgment would come upon Israel through Assyria & Babylon
It is also still to come in it’s fullest form in the future
As we’ve noted, the purpose of both of those judgments wasn’t to destroy but to bring to repentance
As we see with the church at Corinth God still judges to bring people to repentance
It’s clear the overwhelming state of Israel & Judah is wickedness
But in the midst of that wickedness and even caught in the middle of the judgment are people who can truly say they love and follow God
People like Isaiah
How frustrating, confusing, troubling and perhaps angering it must be to have to live in this place
It reminds me of Asaph in Ps. 73 - his anguish as he watched the wicked prosper all around while the righteous struggle
How are the true people of God supposed to live faithfully in a world that is clearly rejecting God
Not only our society refuses to live by God’s ways but even those that claim the name Christian no longer believe God’s Word
From Asaph’s experience and others may I suggest 3 ways God’s people can live for God and not lose hope
Be Connected to God’s People
Be Connected to God’s People
Asaph says his perspective began to change when he went back to the Temple to worship with God’s people
There’s many reasons this would help him
Surrounded by images, illustrations and examples of God’s salvation
Surrounded by people that sought God, forgiveness and righteousness
Surrounded by words of God in song and Scripture that are true and uplifting even if the others around him don’t follow
There is a reason the writer of Hebrews calls us to not forsake assembling with God’s people
Hebrews 10:24–25“24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Isolation increases our sense of despair (e.g. Elijah)
We need the communion of God’s people because we can stir up one another, exhort, strengthen and encourage one another, to come alongside
This isn’t a casual acquaintence relationship but growing, deep, abiding relationships
This is why we gather on Wednesday and in other groups, it is why we ask for prayer and pray for each other
Be Trusting God’s Goodness
Be Trusting God’s Goodness
Just like Judah in Isaiah 5 and like Asaph’s time in Ps. 73 wicked people are going to prosper around us
Sometimes its going to be hard to live for God & sometimes to live for God means you’ll be oppressed but the unjust
Like Abraham we must believe that the ‘judge of all the earth will do right’
Trust that Jesus meant it when He said that if He takes care of the lillies and the birds He will take care of us
That if we seek God He will supply all of our needs
Be Drawing Near to God
Be Drawing Near to God
Psalm 73:28 “28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, That I may declare all Your works.”
Seek God and with our whole heart pursue to live in His ways
Believe that no matter what people do around me I am convinced that what is good for me is to draw near to God
Keeping the vineyard theme, I need to abide in the vine
Conclusion
Conclusion
The song of the vineyard is a warning to all of us
You can’t oppose God, reject His ways and expect to get away with it
You can’t claim to be one of God’s people and not follow His words
It is a warning - as you sit here now some may be under the coming judgment of God
If you are living in opposition to God, If God isn’t your Well-beloved
Judgment is coming
Judgment can be escaped, you can find freedom, truth & satisfaction
Comes by believing that you are the sinner the Bible says you are
Believing that Jesus death was to pay your debt
Accepting His payment on your behalf, seeking forgiveness and turning your life to follow Him
Believers, you may feel overwhelmed by what surrounds you but don’t lose hope
Bind yourself to God’s people
Trust the goodness of God in His promises
No matter what anyone around is doing draw near to God