Today's scripture is Isaiah chapter 27 verses 1 through 5. In that day the Lord with his heart and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan, the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea. In that day a pleasant vineyard sing of it, I the Lord amits keeper. Every moment I water it, let anyone punish it, I keep it night and day. I have no wrath, with that I had thorns and briars to battle. I would march against them, I would burn them up together, or let them lay hold of my protection, let them make peace with me, let them make peace with me. May the Lord add a blessing to the reading and the hearing of his word. The fact of the matter is that we are indeed boastful people. I can say that with most assuredly, whether we like to admit it or not. We are just people given over the bragging and the boasting. In fact most of our casual conversations are filled with boasting, whether it's about our children or grandchildren, it was about our education, school, success on the job, recreational activities, golf trips, even church. And social media is not a friend in this because social media kind of encourages this in much regard. I recently came across an article with somebody wrote and titled, eight things people need to quit bragging about on Facebook. You're awesome spouse, you work out routine, your daily updates, your lunch or dinner, your single status, your great kids, your great job, or your quitting Facebook. Yes, most of us on social media this morning would raise our hand and say, guilty as shots. It's human nature to boast, we love it. And it's actually expected on social media platforms. If you're not boasting, people are going to ask you what's wrong with you. What's going on? But the interesting thing we love it is that while most of us really, if we're honest, we don't like braggarts, we don't like boastful people. But biblically speaking, God is not totally against boasting. Like anything else, God's desire is that we would boast rightly. And the right things at the right time. Jeremiah chapter 9 verse 23 and 24 puts it plainly. This is what the Lord says. That not the wise, boast in their wisdom or the strong, boast of their strength or the rich, boast of their riches, but let the one who boast, boast about this, that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on the earth. For in these I delight the clairs, the Lord. We're going to boast, the boast in the right things at the right time. Galatians chapter 6 and verse 14. If possible, right, may I never boast except, in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. And so we see, beloved on several occasions here in the scripture, that boasting is okay, so long as it is in the right things. And nothing is more right than the greatness of our salvation. If you are saved this morning, then you have something to say. If you are saved this morning, you have something to say. Something or better yet someone to boast in. So the Bible says in Psalm 107 and verse 2. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. The NIV puts it this way. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story. New living translation says, has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out. Post it. Question this morning, is life perfect for you? Is your life perfect? Anyone have a perfect life this morning?
You can raise your hand. I hope you do. I really sincerely hope you do. But if you are anything like me, then your life is far from perfect. But beloved, if you are saved this morning, then you have reason to rejoice. The Lord redeemed your life. Has he forgiven you of all your sin? Does he call you beloved? Then rejoice and let them know. They know. Say so. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Post it. Sing it. Redeemed. Redeemed how I love to proclaim it. Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Redeemed through his infinite mercy, his child and forever, I am. Redeemed. Interesting enough, beloved. You know the reason why we can boast is because God does. Think about it. Think about it. We sing because God sings. We preach because God preaches. We give because God gives. We love because God loves. And we boast because God boasts. God boasts. Boasting is what the Lord does. Boasting is what the Lord is doing in Isaiah 27. He's boasting. The prophecy this morning that we read comes to us in the form of a song. Essentially a song. And in fact, as we've seen this whole section of Isaiah that we've been going through here, it's just filled with singing. And if you ever wonder why we sing like we do, it is because the Bible is filled with singing. Heaven is filled with singing. God's heart is filled with the song. Previously, as we've been going through Isaiah, it was God's people singing the praises of God. But this morning in Isaiah 27, we see and we hear God singing His own praises. God boasting and God as you will. God making much of God. And therefore like God, the redeemed should be making much of their redemption by making much of the one who did it. To God, be the glory. Great things He has done. What great things has He done, beloved? What great things has He done, what great things has done as God done for which we should be boasting? Or better yet, what great things does He promised to do whereby even now His people can boast with His three things. Three things in our text this morning, three things. The Bible reminds us a worth singing about this morning. Three things that are worth boasting in. Three things that should give Brother Murph reason to Decks. Three things. One, He slays dragons. Two, He watches over His vineyard and three, He offers peace to all. Slays dragons, beloved. He promises to slay dragons. This is because God realizes something very important. God knows that monsters are real. They come at all, shapes and sizes. They stand on mountain tops and they shout. They rise up out of the sea. They stand and they taunt God's people seeking to intimidate them. Monsters are real and God promises that He will conquer them all all of them in that day. That's what it says in verse 1. In that day, the Lord will punish with His sword. His fierce, great and powerful sword, Leviathan. The gliding serpent. Leviathan, the coiling serpent. He will slay the monster of the sea. In that day, in that day the day of the Lord. We have seen again and again that day, the day of the Lord. When the Lord is promised that He will come back and visit His people and come in fury and vengeance. As we have seen to vindicate Himself and to vindicate His people. On that day, God will put and find a win not only to His enemies but the enemies of His people.
On that day, in that day, God will finally and forever come and redeem His people and establish them in His kingdom and His presence forever. His enemies will be vanquished. One of those enemies will be Leviathan. Leviathan sounds like a villain from a Marvel DC comic. Leviathan, a great and fearful secreture like Moby Dick or Jaws. But as far as the people and the Old Testament context was concerned, more fierce, greater and more intimidating. Because the Leviathan dwelt in the sea. It made the sea dangerous and unpredictable. And so people were afraid of the sea. They were afraid of the waters. Between the unpredictable storms and the giant monsters, the sea could be terrifying. And we know it's like those of us of a certain age, when Jaws came out, you refuse and go swimming again. Because the movie told you that there was a giant monster in the sea. So we got scared at movies like Jaws and Orca. You know what? They didn't need movies to scare them. They had tales from the deep Leviathan is out there. We are not sure exactly what type of creature Leviathan was exactly. Beloved well, shark, Orca, something, the mix of it all. We do know that it was great and intimidating. So chapter 41 and verse 25, it says that when Leviathan rises, the mighty are afraid. And they are gripped by terror. When Leviathan rises, the mighty are afraid. And they are gripped, gripped by terror. Because Leviathan was in a real sense, the boogeyman. The great monster intimidating God's people, causing God's people to shrink back in fear, to be afraid. And God's people have faced these Leviathan, God's people, faced these monsters all the time. What is Joshua in the walls of Jericho? Whether it's Pharaoh and his army. Whether it's Goliath standing before the armies of Israel. Whether it's the devil, beloved. Every day in your life and my life, chirping, standing there in the midst of your life, taunting you, testing you, accusing you, mocking you.
Monsters are real and we all have them, beloved. We all have them. The promise of God, the promise of God is that one day he will rid the world and our lives of Leviathan. The Lord our God is a dragon slayer. He is a dragon slayer. But the Bible says in Psalm 74 verse 14, he crushed the heads of Leviathan and let the desert animals eat them. It's what God does. The sovereign, glorious God is a dragon slayer. He crushes the head of monsters. He feeds them to the deserts that the animals can eat them. This is the promise that God makes to his people. This is the promise God makes to his people over and over again. Fear not. Fear not what? Fear not the boogie man. Don't fear the boogie man or the boogie women. Don't fear them. The boogie men of this world. Don't fear them. Don't fear the enemy of your soul. Why? Because beloved, the Bible is clear. Christ made a mockery of your enemy. This is what Christ did on the cross. This is the power of the cross. Christ made a mockery of Satan and all of his devices. You need not fear the boogie man anymore. Galatians chapter 2 and verse 15, what did Christ do on the cross? Having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them. Try unfriend over them by the cross. One day, and one day, on that day, the Lord promises to finally one sin for all, crush his head underneath your feet. Romans chapter 16 and verse 20, the God of peace will soon, soon and very soon. One day, in that day, crush Satan under your feet. And so we tell our children, don't we? When they're afraid, we tell them, don't be afraid of the boogie man. God tells his children the same thing. He has to tell them every day, as you and I, call her in fear. Because of the tunts, because of the raging of the sea, because of the monsters that rise in our lives. God has to tell his children every day, fear not. That's a boogie man. The dragon's slayer is with you. Christ is with you, and he watches over your life. He's got you, because he's watching over you, because he watches over his vineyard. That's what he does. When the Lord begins to sing, what does he sing about? He sings about himself, beloved. He sings about himself. He sings over his people the blessings that he will bring to them. He begins to sing. Verse 2, in that day, sing about a fruitful vineyard. What song that I the Lord, I the Lord, watch over it. I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it. The Lord promises to watch over his vineyard. And the day of the Lord promises, therefore, to be a fruitful one. The day of the Lord promises to be a fruitful one, beloved. For the Lord our God is a vine dresser. He is a gardener who plans to bring in a great and fruitful harvest. That's what it says in that day. He calls it a fruitful vineyard. A fruitful vineyard. This is the Lord's vineyard, and it promises to produce the choices of grapes so that he might produce the finest of wines. He knows how the Lord does this, beloved. He does this because he sings over his vineyard. He sings over it. He promises to rejoice over his people for they will be a most fruitful vine. Most fruitful vine. The greatest vineyard of all. The greatest vineyard of the world has ever seen or ever known. Out of people of God. Better than the vineyards of Spain and Italy. More luscious than the vineyards of South America, the Napa Valley, or even our own Shaatoyla. Here, beloved, is the greatest vineyard of all. The most fruitful, the most luscious, the most beautiful. The greatest wine producing vineyards of the world has ever seen. Those are the ones that God sings over. God promises His vineyard will surpass them all, surpass them all, because God's vineyards are His people, and they produce a fantastic fruit. Fantastic fruit. God doesn't just, beloved, understand this. God doesn't just desire fruitfulness in His people. He promises to provide it. He doesn't just desire it. He promises to produce it. The fruit that God desires to see is the fruit that He produces. For it is only the fruit that He produces that will satisfy Him. Luscious enough. That is bountiful enough. That's why Jesus says in John 15, I am the true vine, and my father is the vine dresser. Who dresses the vine? Who cares for the vineyard? Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away. And every branch that does bear fruit, He proves it that it may bear more fruit. This is God's garden. You, beloved, are God's garden. He watches over His. He watches over His. He watches over His vineyard. He is not an absent garden. He doesn't leave the landscaping of somebody else. He's not hiring it out. I don't hope they show up weekend and week out. He cuts his own grass. He proves his own bushes. He promises his own fruit. What he says in verse 3, he waters it every moment. Waters it continually. He waters it every moment, every fort at all times, so that it never dries up, so that it never thirsts. He watches over His people. He watches over His vineyard. He waters it every moment, every moment, so that it never runs dry. It never runs dry. Jesus said, John 4 and 14, but those who drink the water that I give will never be thirsty again. Why? Because he waters him. He waters his vineyard. He waters them. And it becomes a fresh bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life. Ever watch for it is what he says. He's watching over it. He's watering. He's ever watchful of his vineyard. There is not a time when he is not watching over his people. He keeps it, he says. Keeps it day and night, night and day, day and night, night and day. He's keeping it. He keeps it from the harm of the heat by day. He keeps it from the harm of the heat and the world by night. What the Psalmist says, the Psalm 21, verse 3 and 4. He will not let your foot slip. He who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Listen, beloved. There is not a time in which your God is not watching over your soul. There is not a moment in which Jesus is not interceding for you. That's why we sing. That's why we sing in the catechism. He watches over me in such a special way. I belong to him. I am his vineyard. He watches over me in such a special way. What is that way? That way is that he watches and he waters. That's what he does every day. He waters and he watches. He watches and he waters. Oh, she needs a little more water today. He watches and he waters. There's a spot that might be running dry. He needs a little more water today. He's watching and he's watering. He's watching and he's watering. This is the work of God. God, why? Because it is God's work to make sure that you grow. It is God's job to make sure that you grow. It is also God's job to make sure that the enemy does you know him. He watches so that no one can come in and pick his garden. He waters so that that garden is continually growing. He's watching over you and he's watering you. Somebody that asks you if anybody asks you what the Lord doing in your life. Most, he's watching me and he's watering me. Put that in your timeline. I'm getting water today. The Lord is watching over me. He's making sure that I'm bearing fruit. This job, he's making sure that I'm bearing fruit. And he's making sure that the enemy stays away. Did you hear what I said? Here's the Lord who is making sure that the enemy is at bay. That's why you hear this morning. Do you realize that's why you hear this morning? The only reason that you are sitting in this place this morning is because God kept the enemy at bay. And he sat you here so that he might do what? What are you? That's why you hear this morning because he's watching and he's watering. That's what he does. That's what he's doing. At this very moment he's watching and he's watering you. He's watering you. He's watering you. But the Psalmist says Psalm 91. I'm going to read 12 verses because I couldn't say it better. Whoever dwells in the shelter of the most high will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress, my God and whom I trust. Surely he will save you from the followers snare and from deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked if you say the Lord is my refuge and you make the most high your dwelling. No harm will overtake you. No disaster will come near your tent. Why? For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. They will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against the stone. Why? Because the Lord is a keeper. Our God is a keeper. And he is not just a keeper, he is a watching. He is a watcher. He's keeping and he's watching over you. And what is he watching for? He's watching for thorns and briars. He's watching for thorns. He's watching for thorns. He's watching for briars that try to sneak into the garden that try to spoil the vineyard. He's watching for thorns and briars. And when he sees them, he attacks them, beloved. You know why? He attacks them because whatever attacks you, God attacks that. Did you hear what I said? Whatever attacks you, promises to attack that. In fact, the Bible says here in the text, he's looking for him. He wants them to come. Man, I wish I had some thorns and briars. So I can show myself strong on behalf of my people. Show me some thorns. Show me some briars. Beloved, if it concerns you, it concerns the Lord. Did you hear what I said? If it concerns you this morning, it concerns the Lord. Why? Because the God has a goal and that goal in your life and mind. It's peace. He desires that his vineyard would flourish. Would flourish in all of his ways. He desires that his vineyard would be a vineyard of Shalom. That's the name. That's the name of it. Shalom vineyards. I just got a vision. Shalom vineyards, Bob. I like that. I've been to somebody I already got that one. Somebody in Israel, I already got that one. It's a good thought, though. That's what he does because he offers peace. He offers peace to all. Beloved, he offers peace to all. This is what he sings over his people. It's what he sings over the world. It's his advice all to embrace his Shalom. Even those who oppose him when he sees the vineyard and he sees the briars in your life, and he sees the thorns in your life, the difficult people in our lives. You know what God does? He invites them to come and have peace. When the thorns and the briars come in your life, God says, bring them to. Bring them. Come, tell them to come and have peace. To lay hold of me. To take hold of me as what God does. He specializes in taking enemies and making them friends. Abraham Lincoln once said that the way you destroy an enemy is to make him a friend. This is what God does. This is what God does. This is the song that God sings. Tells them to come and take hold of him. Take hold of his strength. Let them come to me for refuge in verse 5. Let them come to me for strength. Let them make peace with me. Let them make peace with me. Beloved those at war, those at odds with God's people, with God's people, and ultimately with God will find that only God can protect you from God. This is why he says come to me. You have no other refuge. You have no other records. Only God can protect you from God. And this is what he does. He offers peace and protection. He tells his enemy in verse 5. In the King James says, take hold of my strength. Come, hold of my strength. Come, come to me for refuge. Come to me for help. Turn to me for help. Turn to me for help. You know one of the most difficult things that we have to do in this life is to trust God for help. We just don't want to do it. We just don't want to do it. I mean, if we're honest, most of us don't want anybody to help us. Let alone God. Why? Because beloved, help and miss the weakness. When I need help, it is a mission of weakness. Help and miss the ignorance. That's why he doesn't ask for directions. Because it is a mission of ignorance. And ignorance and blindness help admits to insufficiency. Help admits to needing a savior. That's why we don't ask for help. Because we want to appear weak. We want to get impression that we're ignorant. A blind. That we're insufficient for the task. Of that we need a savior. The fact that it matters is beloved. At every one of us this morning, it's a little weakness, an ignorance, an insufficiency. And everyone you know and I know needs a savior. And this is why Christ has come into the world. For in Christ we find all these things. In Christ we find help for all these things. He is not just the hope of all who seek Him. He is the help of all who find. Christ the weak find strength. In Christ the ignorant find wisdom. In Christ the blind find sight. In Christ the insufficient find their sufficiency. In Christ we find more than enough. So the Bible says in Saint Corinthians chapter 3, verse 5, it possible says not that we are sufficient in ourselves. No, no, no. There is no self-sufficiency here to claim anything as coming from us. No beloved our sufficiency is from God. I help. All of our help comes from the Lord. Christ is our sufficiency. Christ makes us acceptable. Christ is our wisdom. Christ is our strength. Christ is our peace and Christ is all. Christ is all. All in all. As the old spiritual would say, I don't possess houses of land. Find clothes or jewelry. Sorrows and cares in this old life. My life seems to be. But I have a Christ. Who paid the price? Way back on Calvary. And Christ is all. All and all. This world to me. All. Here's my strength. Here's my wisdom. Here's my sight. Here's my sufficiency. Here is my peace. They offer us peace. It's everyone here this morning. All in his vineyard. Rest in peace. All in his vineyard. Rest in peace. That's what we do. When people die, we put our IP on their tombstone. Or we sing and rap about our IP and all this other stuff. What does our IP means? We want them to rest in peace. Rest in peace. Because we think that it's only when you die. That you can rest in peace. But this morning the Bible reminds us that you don't have to die to rest in peace. If you are in the Lord's vineyard. There is peace. There is peace in his vineyard. Because there is peace in the valley. There is peace in the valley for you this morning. The cross of Christ was God's peace offering. Has his peace offering to a world on the judgment and the Lord promises to keep in perfect peace. Those who trust in him. This is the great thing that God has done. This is the wonderful things that God has done. These are the things that God has promised us to do. Great things he has done. So loved he the world. That he gave us his Son who willed it. You did his life. Our redemption from sin. And opened the life gates. So that who? All. All. All. This morning. May go in. So what do you do? Praise the Lord. Boast in the Lord. Things he prays the Lord. Praise the Lord. This is our boast. This is our hope. Because Christ says I help. He's watering you. He's watching over you. That's the case. It is well with your Son. Be at peace. That's praise.