Today's scripture is Isaiah 5 verses 1 through 7. Let me sing for my beloved, my love song concerning his vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones and planted it with choice vines. He built a watchtower in the midst of it and he hewed out wine back in it. And he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. And now, oh inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I look for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its head and it shall be devoured. I will break down its wall and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste that shall not be pruned or hold and briers and thorns shall grow up. I will also command the clouds that they reign no reign upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting. And he looked for justice but behold, blood shed for righteousness but behold and outcry. May the Lord add a blacking to the reading and the hearing of his words. Well, as most of you know, I grew up in a rural part of Michigan. Very rural part, very, very, very, very rural part of Michigan. Some people would call it country, but I tend to call it more woods than country. But either way, whatever you call it, it was roads and trails and lakes and rivers. We spent a lot of time outdoors, a lot of time outside, a lot of time where the wild things are. Most of y'all read the book, where the wild things are. I grew up. Y'all just read about it. I grew up where the wild things are. Speaking of wild things, my cousin and I, we would like to pick wild blackberries. They were good. We would pick them right off the vine, right outside, sweet and juicy. And we grew up along these roads and these trails around our house and we picked these black berries. With my grandmother, she lived about mile, mile and a half down the road. And from time to time what my cousin and I would do is we walked to her house down these roads and these dirt roads and trails and we picked blackberries along the way. And if we made it to my grandmother's house with enough blackberries and if we didn't eat them and if we get there with enough, she would make us the most delicious blackberry cobbler you could ever imagine. That blackberry cobbler would make those walks through those trails and down those roads worthwhile. Even though having to go back home wasn't much fun. That walk to my grandma's house, mile and a half down the road, was worth it. But what a disappointment it was, beloved, when we would set out to walk those trails and we'd find no berries. We walked those trails and walked those trails and there would be days that we would find no berries because no berries meant no cobbler. And that long walk was for nothing and in the sense, beloved, that's how God felt, except we didn't put those blackberry vibes. My cousin and I didn't water those berries. We had no right to those blackberries and yet we were still disappointed and if we could be disappointed, having no right to those blackberries, much more with God. This is what we find on my own mark of five. Isaiah, Judah and Jerusalem were in decline. They had fallen away from God as we had been seen in chapters one through four and Isaiah had been sent by God to tell them of God's coming and impending judgment. Isaiah had been sent to remind them that the coming judgment of God was not without reason. His judgment was coming, but it was not arbitrary. It was not unjust because God's judgment never is. Israel was guilty and so was Judah. And in case there was any doubt of their guilt, Isaiah was sent to make the case clear. And this is what Isaiah was doing in chapters one through three. This is what Isaiah was doing. He was laying out God's case against Judah. He was making it clear. The judgment that was coming was going to be just. Your guilt is obvious, your transgressions are clear, and the case against you is bleak. She was guilty, judgment is coming, and they have made his case. He has made his case. And what we have in chapter five is this closing argument. This is this closing argument. No more witnesses closing argument of sorts. And so when he comes to make his closing argument, he does something a little different. He says, let me tell you a story. He says, Judah, let me tell you a story or better yet, let me sing you a song, sing you a song. Let me sing you a song. Verse one. We'll close the argument, and we'll tell you a story. I'm going to sing you a song, let me sing it for my beloved, my love, a song concerning his opinion, my beloved had a vineyard on a very, a very fertile hill. Isaiah begins his closing argument by telling a story of a man who had a vineyard and he was a lovely man and the man had a lovely vineyard. Both the man and the vineyard were loved and this man who had this vineyard had it on a very fertile and beautiful hillside. And he carefully cared for this vineyard. He carefully cleared and plowed the ground Isaiah says. He carefully watered the land. He carefully irrigated the plot of land. He carefully and lovingly and painstakingly cared for this land and then he planted the choices of seeds in the soil, the best of seeds in the soil. And then he built a tower in the midst of this vineyard. Placed a watchman in the tower so that no harm could come to the vineyard. Watched over the vineyard day and night. Carefully and meticulously maintained the well-fair of that vineyard, poured his heart and his soul into the care and the maintain of that vineyard. And when it came time to harvest the grapes, what did the owner discover? I'm telling you a story this morning. What did the owner discover? The owner obviously had expectations. After he had meticulously cared for his vineyard, after he had poured his heart and soul into the vineyard. It was harvest time. It was winning time. It was payday. What did he find? I'm beloved. Not yielded or produce good fruit, bitter grapes, sour grapes, wild grapes, bad grapes, rancid fruit, rancid fruit. What went wrong? Here's the question. The prophet poised to the people. What went wrong? I went wrong Jerusalem. He put the ball in their court, right there, right there, right there. He put the ball in their court. Look at it. Verse 3. Now you dwellers of Jerusalem and people of Judah, just between me and my vineyard. Okay, story time is over. Over. Now you get the picture. Now you get the picture. This man has taken meticulous care. You tell me Jerusalem and Judah, where was the breakdown? Where's the disconnect? The fault line. Was a system of the fruit was rotten? Isaiah. He says in verse 4. What more have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? Here we got said. What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why? Why only bad? In other words, what more was there to do than what God had done? One more. One more. One more. One more was there to do than what God had done. When he looked for good grapes, why did he find bad grapes? You tell me. Did God not do enough? Did he not do enough? Did the vine dresser not love enough? Did he not care enough? What more could the vine dresser have done? Did he not watch carefully enough? What's he not attentive enough? What did he miss? One more could God have done. The question is raised. What more could God have done? The fact that the matter is beloved is that God, God had done more than enough. God had done more than enough. Listen, God had given his vineyard every advantage. Every advantage. Paul says in Romans chapter 3, beginning in verse 1 and 2, what advantage then is there to be in a Jew? What value is there in a circumcision? He says much in every way. First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the very words of God. One advantage was there in God's vineyard. First of all, you had the word of God. I have had the word of God. Every word of God itself, God Himself spoke to you through Moses and the prophets. You had the word of God. But not only did you have the word of God, you had the power of God to do to defeat Pharaoh. Nothing. What did they have to do to bring the walls of Jericho down? Nothing. It had the power of God. But not only did they have the power of God, they had the presence of God. Every day, every day, every day, what led them through the wilderness? What led them through the wilderness? The presence of God every day, the cloud by day and the fire by night. God was with them every day. Not only did they have the power, not only did they have the presence, but they had his provision. When they ran out of food, what did he do? He brought bread from heaven.
When they ran out of water, what did he do? He brought water from the rock. Beloved, what advantages did they have? Every advantage possible. You know what Psalm 80 says? You know what Psalm 80 says? Verse 89. The Psalmist says, you brought us from Egypt like a grapevine. You drove away the pagan nations and transplanted us into your land. You cleared the ground for us. You and we took root and filled the land. That's what God did. That's what God did. Like a grapevine. Planted them in the best place. What place was that? The promised land. Put them in the land the most prosperous. The land that flowed with milk and honey. And not only put them in the land, but clear the land of all the giants that dwell in the land for them, all the nations that were in their way. Clear the land for them. Less them with no excuses for faithfulness.
Listen, Beloved. Listen, we often take for granted God's faithfulness in our lives and we blame Him for it. We take for granted God's faithfulness in our lives and we blame Him for it. Second Peter, chapter 1, and verse 3 tells us that His divine power has given us everything we need for Godly life, throughout knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. His divine power has given us everything we need for Godly life, given us everything we need for Godly life. God has been faithful. He has given us everything we need. Like Israel, we have been given everything we need for a Godly life. But we think our problem is that we need more. That's what we think our problem is that we need more. We need more time, more energy, more people, more resources, more money, you just label it, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. We think we need more. Now listen, Beloved, I'm off for more. I'm not against more. But more important and more is being faithful with what you already have. More important and more is being faithful with what you already have. God has already given us what we need for faithfulness and fruitfulness and excuses. That's Israel. That's us. Too many excuses. When I fail, it's always somebody else's fault. It's too many excuses here. Whenever I fail, it's always somebody else's fault. When I am not fruitful, it's always somebody else's failure. When a fact beloved God has given me all that is necessary for a life of Godliness, faith and fruitfulness. God has given you for faith and fruitfulness. I'm sorry, you have it. The grace of God has been abundant in our lives, whether you care to admit it or not. He adds, he adds, Beloved, he's giving you his word this morning. Has he given it to you? Look in your life. Can you his words this morning? Look at your devices. Has he not given you his words this morning? His grace has been more than abundant to you. Has he not given you his spirit this morning? Has he not given you the church this morning? Has he not given you his, are you in the beloved? Are you called among his elect? Are you forgiven? Are you subdued? Or are you saved? Are you saved? Feel with the Holy Ghost? Then let me ask you a question. What more do you need? Listen to me, Beloved, listen to me. If you are not growing in Christ, as you desire to grow, if you are not bearing fruit and growing in grace, where does the fault lie this morning? This morning. Now listen, I say it graciously, I really do. I really do. I want to be gracious this morning. But too many times we want to pass the blame and skirt the responsibility. Listen, listen to Isaiah speaking to Judah in verse 4. What more was there to do than what has already been dying to church? Who teaches? One Michael Jackson said, starting with the man in the mirror. I'm asking him to make a change. No message can be any clearer. If you want to stop being a little more fruitful, take a look at yourself about a grace of God. What time is the path to feel? I'm going to digress because I owe the nursery workers some from last week. Are we going to rush on? Israel and Judah bore bitter fruit and as a vine failed to produce good fruit because she failed to abide in God. She failed to abide her lack of faithfulness was not God's fault. Wasn't God's fault? God had given her all that was necessary for faithfulness and fruitfulness.
It was Judah's unwillingness to abide in God and God's word. The expectation of the vine dresser was that when he comes was to find good fruit.
And you know what? Those expectations were right. The expectation of God is holiness. The expectation of God is righteousness. The expectation of God is justice and these expectations are good. These expectations are just and when these expectations are not met, when they are not found, you know what God will do? He says it. In verses 5 and 6, I will remove the edges. They will be destroyed. Break down the walls and that vineyard will be trampled over. I will cease the rains and that vineyard will dry up and become useless. And this is what happened in Israel. And this is what was going to happen to Judah. Judah would become overrun by their serians. Judah would be trampled over. The nation would be dried up. That would become what fear not. Beloved. Fear not. Fear not. Israel and Judah would trample down. But God's promises were not. Judah was run down. But God's word was not. Judah was dried up. But God's word stood firm and true. And though the vine would be no more, soon God promised that he would raise up another. In Isaiah 11 and verse 1, the Bible says that out of the root, out of the stump of Jesse, there would come another. There would come another. A branch. And what would he do? He will bear fruit. He will be called according to John chapter 15 and verse 1. You know what they're going to call in? The true vine. And the true vine Jesus said. The true vine. And all who abide in me will bear much and indeed not bitter. A better fruit. A better fruit. A better fruit. All who abide in the true vine. John's 15 and 5 says will bear much fruit. Much fruit. Much fruit. And the implication also beloved in those who bear much fruit is that they will bear good fruit. That's the implication. The implication is that the true vine not only bears much fruit, but therefore will bear good fruit. Not a better fruit, but a better fruit. Hey, good fruit. Now listen, listen, we're going to rush on. We're going to be finishing in a minute. But listen, fruit is inevitable in this life. I think that's what our text teaches us this morning. Fruit is inevitable. Fruit is inevitable. I think that's what our text is pointing us to this morning. The owner of the vineyard comes to its vineyard and he finds fruit up in a bowl in quantity. What is the kind? What is the quality? And what is the quantity? Because we all bear fruit. We all bear fruit. The Bible says out of the bones of the heart. The mouth speaks. It's all coming up. It's all coming up. What's in there? It's coming out. Fruit every day in our lives. The only question is what is the kind of fruit we bear in? What is the quality of that fruit and what is the quantity of it? But we are fruit bearing creatures. It is unavoidable. It is inevitable. You cannot get around the day of our lives. Our address is coming. What does he go find? What kind? It is the quantity. And what is the quantity? What kind of fruit is the fruit of flesh or the fruit of spirit? What is the kind? What is the kind? You're going to be bearing the fruit of flesh or the fruit of spirit. It is going to be having the fruit of flesh. When it's bitterness and anger and unforgiveness and pride or when you be bearing the fruit of the spirit, walking in love and joy and peace and kindness and patience and faith. What is the fruit? It's inevitable, but we love it. It's all bearing fruit. What is the kind and what is the quality? What is the quality? What is the quality? Will it be spoiled? What is the quality of the fruit we like? Will it be sour or will it be sweet? Is your fruit useful to your master? Is it an encouragement to his servant? Will he taste it? Doesn't have a bitter taste or is it sweet and encouraging to others?
I mean, I can tell you. You need somebody's presence and you just feel like I need to go watch I need to go watch my mouth. That did not taste good at all. We bear fruit every day. What is the quality of it? And then what is the quantity? What is the quantity, beloved? What is the quantity? Jesus said those who abide in him will bear much, will produce not little but much, much fruit because Jesus is a healthy vine. Jesus is a healthy vine. Unlike Israel and Judah in the Old Testament, Jesus is producing much fruit and so those who are in him who are biting in him are also producing much fruit, much fruit because in Christ you grow. In Christ you get better. In Christ you get better. Listen, grace is grace because grace grows. That's what grace does. Grace grows. Grace grows, beloved. That's the evidence that you have been in Christ. If you are in Christ, you are growing in grace. I'm going to put this as plainly as I can put it. So you are having blank looks on your face. If you are in Christ, you are nicer. How about that? You are nicer. Okay? You don't spend time with Christ and become meaner. I don't know. People who are spending time with Christ are just nicer people. You just nicer people. You don't spend time with Christ and become more argumentative. Easier to get along with. Easier to get along with. I'm in Christ and become more prideful and more selfish. No, beloved, spending time with Christ means you're more loving. You're more kind. You're more patient. You're more giving. You're more understanding. You're more forgiving. You'll be coming more and more and more and more and more and more more fruitful because you'll be coming more and more and more and more light. More contentious you should not be. Not if you are in Christ. Not if you are in Christ. I'm sorry. Not if you are in Christ. Longer you walk with Christ. The more gracious you become because the more grace you realize you need. You're producing more fruit and you're bringing it to you. You're bringing it to you. You're bringing it to you. You're picking. You're picking more fruit along the journey. You're picking it more and more and more and you're more and you're more and you can't wait to get to you to your father's house. You're picking fruit. You're just picking more fruit. You're becoming more fruitful and more fruitful and more fruitful and you're picking it along the journey and you can't wait till you get to your father's house and he's probably not going to make you a blackberry cobbler. I'm sorry. He's probably not going to make you a blackberry cobbler but he is building his church beloved. He is building his church. He's proclaiming his kingdom and your fruit and my fruit are part of making that glorious story and oh how sweet it is. How sweet it is. Here's a sweet story. Here's a sweet sweet story and I love to tell the story to be my theme in glory to tell the old old story of Jesus and his love and I love to tell the story to his pleasure to repeat what seems each time I tell it more wonderful and more sweet. I love to tell that story to be my theme in glory. Role sweet sweet story. Would you would you abide in Christ's so that you might bear. Bear.