OUR NEVER ENDING TASK

INTRODUCTION:           Isaiah 5:1-7  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.  (3)  And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.  (4)  What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?  (5)  And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:  (6)  And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.  (7)  For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

When we read Isaiah he is foretelling Judah and their future.  He is telling of the forthcoming time when Israel will be in bondage.

              He is telling how God selected his people (crops) where he put them (His vineyard).  He built a tower (The Temple) in the midst to protect it (our Shepard).

              He selected only the finest for His vineyard, only the best for His Son.  But yet only the best brought in wild grapes, the worst of the lot.

              God determined He would take away His protection (the hedge) and the crops shall be eaten up.  He will lay it waste.

Matthew 21:33-40  Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:  (34)  And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.  (35)  And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.  (36)  Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.  (37)  But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.  (38)  But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.  (39)  And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.  (40)  When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?

              Jesus tells us in this parable about a future event, more in His time.  A prophecy told of Jesus’ which in the very near future will come true.

              Jesus tells us about a man (God) who built a vineyard and built a tower (Jesus) for protection then He leased it out to another farmer (the church) and then He left town (Ascended to Heaven).

              When the harvest time came he sent his servants to collect the rent.  Yet one was beaten another stoned and one was killed.

              Yet the owner sent other servants, and the same fate befell them.  Finally He sends His Son. 

              My I take liberty here, His Only Begotten Son.  But what did the renters do, they killed His Son outright.

(1 Corinthians 9:7)  Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?

I.            WHO PLANTS A VINEYARD

              A.           And Does Not Eat Of The Produce

1.               Does he let another have it?

(Deuteronomy 20:6)  And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.

              B.           God’s Meal Is Our Salvation

1.           We are to prepare His future produce.

                                               

II.           WHO FEEDS THE FLOCK

A.              And Does Not Live Off The Product Of His Flock?

(John 21:15)  So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

                             1.           Feed my lambs

(1 Peter 5:2)  Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

                             2.           Which is among us

B.              You And I Are To Feed The Flock

1.           For me through my teaching and preaching.

2.               For you, through your witnessing and your testimony to others.

III.         WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

              A.           Are You Building The Vineyard?

1.               The ground is plowed

2.               The seed needs to be put in

3.               The seed needs watered

4.               The seedlings need to be cared for.

B.           Are You Feeding The Flock

CONCLUSION: As we told in the Introduction, Isaiah and Jesus both are giving us a prophecy.

              Isaiah is looking towards the future at the ruin of Israel at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

              We can also see that Isaiah is talking of the coming church.  The main concern is those “wild grapes.”

              What are these “Wild grapes?

1.               Those who have grown within the vineyard

i.                Always have been there

              a.           Yet, have not grown in the Lord

              b.           Never been a witness of Christ

2.               Those who are Christians but are backslidden.

i.                Away from God

ii.               Walking with Satan

The parable Jesus tells us about, is similar yet a timelier event is about to happen.

We need to understand Jesus is the Son that is to be killed.  The servants before him included Isaiah, Stephen, John the Baptist and the others that had gone before Jesus. Delivering His message, some killed, some stoned and some beaten.

              And finally they take Jesus’ own 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.

He tells over and over that they would take His life.

              We must recognize what God wants us to do.  These parables give us that outline.

              We are to build the vineyard (Church) and feed the flock (teaching, preaching and witnessing)

              You see the problem is US.  We neither build the vineyard nor do we feed the flock.

              Our job in glorifying God is a constant task. 

It is a never-ending task.                Sometimes it is a thankless task. 

              Sometimes it is a bewildering task. 

But most of the time it is a joyous task.

              We glorify God in many ways, through our tithes, our attendance, our mission giving, our attendance, our working within the church, our attendance.

              Our prayer life, our Bible reading, our witness.

These are things we do that glorify God.  Our appearance at church and at Wal-Mart reflect our witness, all this shows what we are and who we are.