Our Bible reading will be found in the Old Testament. We trust that if you have a Bible with you, you'll be able to follow along. Our reading is found in Isaiah, in Isaiah chapter 5. You know, back in the summertime, I did a little series for the children with regards to five men who begin with N, and we followed that through in our holiday Bible club. And then come September time, I decided to extend that out to try and find 10 men beginning with N that I could share with some boys and girls in a little series of SU classes in one of the schools. And one of the names that I added to that particular list was Naboth. I wanted to share the story of Naboth's vineyard with the children on that occasion. And then this in turn got me to start to begin thinking, and thinking about all the other vineyards that are found in the Bible. And you know what? I very soon discovered that the scriptures have an awful lot to say about vineyards, and husband men, and grape vines, and grapes. And so this is the direction that we want to go in tonight. You know, many Bible passages deal with vineyards and the work of the husband, man, and even the harvesting of the grapes and a very positive way because they're all connected with seasons of blessing and promise of abundance from the hand of our God. A very good example of this is found in the book of Numbers, Numbers chapter 13, and there you'll read about Moses. And Moses sent out the 12 spies into Cana to search out the land and to bring back a report of just about everything that they saw. And having done this, and to prove just how great and bountiful the land actually was, They brought back a vast cluster of grapes strung out on a pole carried between two of those men. And what an object lesson that was for the people standing on, for the people watching on. You know, very often we bring object lessons to children, but the folk here would have been adults and they would have been astounded as they seen with their very own eyes, the wealth of the natural resources that God had in store for them. and this land that he had promised to give them. And so the proof of the abundance and the greatness of God was just seen in that great cluster of grapes before them. I'm sure maybe one or two would have wanted to stick the honey, pluck one off and try it from their set for themselves. Such was the greatness of them. Of course, you know, the greatest use of the fruit of the vine. to demonstrate the goodness and the blessing of God, not just upon one small nation, but upon all of mankind, was seen on the very night, the night behind closed doors, in that upper room that had been made ready by the disciples for the Passover feast. For there in the Bible we're told in Luke 22 that when the hour was come, a lovely little phrase, he, that's the savior, sat down on the 12 apostles with him. Can you just imagine that scene sitting there with the savior? And he said onto them with desire, have I desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer? And he took the cup, And he gave thanks and said, this cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shared for you. Oh, the blessing of the vine, the fruit of the vine, and the joy in remembering the great sacrifice that the Savior made for us. as we, even in our own mind's eye, look upon that cup. And so these are the wonderful things that are brought out of the vine in the Bible. But sadly, however, there are other portions, parallel scriptures, on this very same subject. And we could delve into many of them tonight. And my poor wife had to listen to me today deciding what will I put in and what will I keep out. In fact, it wasn't just today. It's probably been the last week on and off. And there have been many a time we didn't get to the dinner table when we should have. But there are other portions on this same subject, and they reveal many, many negatives. Because you know what? The events in some of the vineyards in the Bible, and the actions and the behavior of some of the husband men, and the misuse, oh yes, the misuse of the fruit of the vine have been given to teach us lessons and to warn each one of us afresh about the awful, devastating results that occur when men turn away from God and begin to dabble in sin. In fact, the very first mention in the Bible of a vineyard and of husbandry is one that's full of warning to you and to me today. You see over in Genesis chapter nine in the verse 20, we're told that Noah began to be a husband man and he planted a vineyard. However, in the subsequent verses that follow on, we're told that the grapes that he grew were used to produce wine and an overindulgence of that same wine led to drunkenness and shameful behavior and because of its low base nature. The Bible doesn't even fully elaborate upon what happened. Suffice to say that it brought about a great curse of servitude upon Ham, Noah's second son. Isn't it amazing that such a seemingly innocent interest in growing a few grapes turned out to be the very means for this man that had once found grace in the eyes of God, to fall into great tragedy. And here's the lesson for you and me tonight. We need to be very aware that the most innocent of interests, hobbies, sporting activities, can very easily, if it's not kept in a tight rein, become a problem and draw us away from God. Now we could go on tonight and we could turn to many other examples such as Jeremiah 12 and Matthew 21 because there the focus is on the misbehavior of the husband man and the displeasure of the Lord at their behavior. But we want to move on tonight and get to the burden of our message and get to this portion that we have laid out before you, the script you're reading, that being of Isaiah chapter 5, just reading verses 1 through to 7. That's a good long introduction, so that'll maybe help things a bit tonight. And we'll get into this wonderful reading. Terrific passage. Maybe you haven't read it in a long time. Maybe you're not familiar with it. Trust that you'll read carefully and read along with us. as we read Isaiah chapter five. Now will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill, 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. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. 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, it brought forth wild grapes. And now go to. I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will take away the heads thereof, and it shall be eaten up. Break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down. And I will lay it waste, and it shall not be pruned nor digged. But there shall come up briars and thorns, and I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant. They look for judgment, but behold oppression for righteousness. But behold, a cry. We'll just end our reading there at the end of verse seven. Perhaps we could just turn to the Lord again for a wee word of prayer, ask for his help as we just come to a few thoughts from his precious word tonight. Let's just pray together. Dear Lord, with thy word open. And in great need, we ask of Thee just to supply the need and give us, O Lord, that You've given us in the study. Enable us, O Lord, to speak well of Thee and to bring out the thoughts that Thou have pressed upon our hearts. For we ask it in our Savior's name. Amen. Tonight, I really simply want to look at some lessons found here in the Lord's Vineyard. Lessons found in the Lord's Vineyard. Now, before we set out too far down the line, I want you to just scan over that reading again. Because you will notice from the reading that the meaning behind this particular vineyard and what actually happened in the vineyard, it's not all shrouded in some mystery. It's not vague. There's explanation given. We are told clearly that it is the Lord's vineyard and that is it a picture of the children of Israel and that the men of Judah were the pleasant vine that had been planted in that same vineyard. But I want to add this. Although tonight we here are not Jews. Now I know most of the folk here, and you've either had a good Irish ancestry or Ulster Scots ancestry, and I don't believe there are any among us here descendants of Jacob or Abraham. We're not Jews. We're not part of that ancient Hebrew nation. We are, however, as born again believers. still every bit just as much God's people today. We in so many ways have known blessings and have shared experiences that are very similar to God's ancient people. We are provided for every day. We're cared for and we're loved by the Lord. In fact, we're greatly loved by God. and salvation has been provided for us. And as such, then just as much as good fruit is expected, just as much good fruit is expected from us today as was expected from those who lived in the land of Israel in Bible times, just exactly as much. And to that end, we are ever under the watchful eye of our great God. And may we say it tonight, our heavenly husband man. And so what are the lessons here for us to learn in this God's vineyard? Well, the first thing I believe that we can learn off is this, that there's a melody in this vineyard. Look at verse one. Verse one begins with the words, I will sing to my well beloved a song. of my beloved touching his vineyard. You know, God's Word is, we don't need to say this, of course, but we will, is a tremendous book. It's written in a wonderful way. And God's Word has been laid out for us in various, a great variety of platforms and formats, which is, of course, all the easier for poor people like me who can't read terribly well. Spiritual truths are often laid out in many, many different ways. Sometimes they're laid out in the form of real life stories, gripping and exciting, and maybe even at times romantic. Some passages, indeed, some whole books in the Bible have been given over to declare God's wisdom and instruction by means of proverbs. Elsewhere, we learn through prophecy and even by way of parable. Our Savior loved to bring truth in parable. But what we have here is a melody, the melody of God's vineyard. The verses before us have been written in the form of a beautiful song. It's a song to be remembered, as many songs often are. Now, although Isaiah is the singing voice, These words are not his words, rather they are the very words of God himself composed in honor of his own dear son, the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, it is the Lord Jesus who is the well beloved of this song. And this same anthem is cited down through the centuries. And David has been, it is sounded and it continues to be cited down through the pages of Holy Scripture. Of which, of course, the Song of Solomon might be uppermost in our mind when we think of the well-beloved. And, of course, we often remember back to the beginning of the Savior's earthly ministry, you will recall how God, proclaiming from heaven with a loud voice, said, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. These are words of high praise indeed. Christ is the well-beloved. He's the one in whom God the Heavenly Father was so well pleased. The melody of the Lord's vineyard tonight is centered around the Lord Jesus, the Son of God. And you know, as God's people, tonight we need to be very careful because whatever is sung and whatever is listened to by way of praise and worship must only ever exalt the Savior. this wonderful composition here in Isaiah chapter five. Do you know something? It's a far cry from much of what is often sung today. There's a lack of holy reverence today in worship services. Doctrinal depths have been replaced by constant repetition of short pithy phrases and one line lyrics that really amount to nothing. But worse than that, Today there is a great elevating of man rather than his maker, both by the performer and in the words of their performances. But not so here. What a difference. Christ is lifted up. He's the well beloved. This is his vineyard. And this melody declares all the great things that he has done for his vineyard. And that leads us on to our next thing. But I want to look tonight also at the making of the vineyard. There's much for us to learn here by way of lessons from the making of the Lord's vineyard. A great deal of planning, you can see it for yourself, and preparation and building and nurturing and care has gone into the making of this particular vineyard. And it all starts amazingly with the location of the vineyard. You see, with God, nothing is left undone. Because even the very location of this vineyard has been taken into account and thought about. Verse 1 tells us, look what it says, it's a beautiful line. Verse 1 says that it was placed in a fruitful hill. You see, we as God's vineyard, each one of us here tonight who love and seek to live for him, we have been placed in the very best possible location to get the very best out of us and for us. Where you live tonight, where you work, where you perhaps study is, unless you're living in total rebellion to God, it is exactly where God would have you to be. Even though you might live in a difficult neighborhood, I don't know. Even though you might have an unreasonable manager or boss, or you may be surrounded by ungodly workmates. You might be scorned or mocked by your peers in school or university. But that place is God's fruitful hell for your life. God will, if you remain faithful to him. get the most fruit from you in that place. You will mature, you will blossom, and you will bear much fruit by remaining in and being content with God's choice of location for you, his fruitful hill. The second thing to note in the making of this vineyard, not only is there the location, but there is the great labor, the labor in the vineyard. God does all the work. Verse two, look what it says. He fenced it in. God has put a strong fence all around his vineyard. Now there are two main reasons why things are fenced off. Ownership and protection. Whenever you fence something off, you really are in effect saying, well, this is mine. Maybe you should be fencing off things that are not yours. Maybe you shouldn't be doing that. But when you fence something off, you're really saying, this is mine. God has fenced us off tonight because we belong to him. But as well as that, God also fences us off to protect us. We're under the special protection of God. He constantly watches over us, both while we're awake and while we're asleep. The Lord never slumbers. He watches over us even when we know we're in danger. And he watches over us when we're blissfully unaware of the dangers around us. But not only does God safeguard us from all these many dangers that are without, outside, but he also labors. He labors hard to protect us from the many deterrents that often lie from withinside the fence. This is made clear in verse two, because having fenced us in, God labors on, and he turns his attention to the ground that he seeks to prepare, and look what it says. It says that God has gathered out the stones thereof. It would seem that there are many stones lying about in this vineyard, and perhaps others buried deep, unseen below the surface. And what are these stones tonight? Well, they are obstructions, and they are hindrances, and they're all those things, dear brethren and sisters, that hold us back from growing in grace. One of the greatest of these stones that was taken out from us when we were saved was the stony heart of rebellion that each one of us once had. In Ezekiel 36, 26, we read that whenever God saves an individual, he removes that hard, cold, stony heart that lies within, and he replaces it with a heart of flesh, a heart that's tender, a heart that's responsive to the things of God. You know, the Lord is desirous tonight. very desirous that we might be the very best that we can be spiritually. And so he labors and he works and he gathers out the stones of hindrance that very often perhaps no one else can even see that are there in our life. But not only is there the location and the labor and the making of this vineyard, a large vineyard, but there's also the layout of the vineyard. and what a layout it has. Because in verse 2 it goes on to say that God has planted it with the choicest of vine. You know something? No other vineyard has ever been planted out in such a meticulous manner. For only the Lord's vineyard is planted out with the choicest vine, the very best. You see, mankind is not as the brute beast of the field. The boys and girls were learning that tonight. They were taught about creation. God made man in his own image. God breathed into man an ever living, never dying soul. We are plants of the choice of sort, but God's people are even a cut above that because we have been chosen to him before the foundation of the world. Believers, we ought to rejoice tonight. For not only are you planted in the Lord's vineyard, but you have been labelled as the choicest. You have been labelled as the choicest vine. And this title is not ours in the making. It's just ours for the taking because of what the Saviour did for us. John chapter 15 rightly says that we abide in the choicest vine. We abide in the true vine. We abide in the Saviour himself. and we can joyfully join in the song of the hymn writer, and we can say with great glee, now I belong to Jesus, and Jesus belongs to me, not just for the years of time alone, but for eternity. Finally, with regards to the layout of the Lord's vineyard, we're told about a tar in the midst, and we're told about a wine press found therein as well. You see, when laying out his vineyard, it wasn't done in a haphazard manner. The Lord put a great deal of consideration into the whereabouts of this tower, because it was a watchtower. It was carefully positioned in the midst of the vineyard, not off to one side, out of the way, not in some disused corner, but in the very midst. And from this wonderful central vantage point, the Lord of the vineyard, was able to watch over all his handiwork, watching over you and watching over me. And he could also watch out for the enemy that would seek to come into harm. And tonight, what peace there is in knowing that the ever watchful eye of the Lord is upon his people. He's watching us tonight. He's watching us in this place. Consider the words of 1 Peter 3 and 12, no doubt based on Psalm 34, 15 and 16, for it says there some wonderful things. It says, for the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers. What an encouragement that is for the place of prayer. His ears are open for our prayers tonight. Oh, they may be weak, they may be fumbling, they may be faltering, but his ears are open. But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. There he is in the watchtower. watching over us. And then finally, there's a wine press made mention of. It's the very last thing in the list. And of course, in the vineyard, it would be the last thing to be used. After all the planning, and all the planting, and all the nurturing, and all the care, and all the growing, at the time of harvest, those grapes that have grown would then be plucked off, taken to the wine press, and trodden underfoot You see, fruit, much fruit, the very best of fruit is expected in God's vineyard. God is always looking for fruit in the lives of those who profess his name. He's looking for fruit in your life and in my life. And that brings us to our next wee point. For not only is there the melody of the vineyard and the making of the vineyard, but thirdly, there's the meagerness of the vineyard. Suddenly, you see everything changes. Well, this song takes a dive, as it were, for the worst, because in the end of verse two, it suddenly says, he looked that he should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. We have just alluded to this very thing when we talked about the winepress. You see, there it was, sitting in readiness for the fruit. The time had come. The Lord had been watching out all along. He was looking for fruit. He could see the leaves, he could see the vines starting to spread, and he was looking for the fruit. He was looking for good fruit, as he does in your life and mine. By their fruit shall ye know them, says the scriptures. A vibrant green leafy plant will not suffice. Think of the fig tree in Matthew 21. There the dear Lord Jesus having inspected it for fruit, finding nothing whatsoever caused it to wither and die because it was all leaves and no fruit and no use. But I believe there's something here in this passage, which I suppose must have been very disappointing to the heavenly husband man. And it was to discover that the vines were laden down, oh yes, they were laden down, bending over with the wrong sort of fruit. Such should never be the case here. Sour, bitter, wild grapes, because that's what they were, should have never been the outcome of such tender love, devotion, and care. Oh, it was a most meager vineyard. That brings us to our last thought for the night, and that being the message behind the vineyard. You see, there's a message here for God's people behind the vineyard. There's a lesson to learn. There's a warning to heed. You know, very often warnings can be presented in a very stark, harsh fashion. I'm sure you've had warnings. I've had plenty of warnings. Usually there's not even maybe a second chance. I'll not tell you again, and you know all about it, especially the men folk, but anyway, we'll not go there. But not here, not in this passage. Verse three begins with an inquiry. Witnesses are called. The inhabitants of Jerusalem and the men of Judah, they're called to be examined over this matter. Who exactly was at fault here? God or his vineyard? A stout defense was assuredly made by our heavenly husband man. What more could have been done, we are told, that had not already been tried to bring forth top quality grapes rather than these wild, bitter, sore, good-for-nothing grapes, and that's all they were. Notice, too, that nobody Nobody had anything to say by way of response. Only an absolute fool would try and defend the indefensible. Nothing more could be added. There was no wriggle room. The judge of all the earth had spoken. His voice is a sounding of many waters. Oh, the folly of men today who think that they will dare to speak out against God whenever he examines them. looking for fruit of righteousness, and especially so on God's great Judgment Day. And in the verses before us, a very clear-cut verdict was announced. The outcome was dire, it was bleak, it was dark, and yet that same warning to God's ancient people of Israel must come to us afresh as a warning today, right now, in our lives, in our walk, in our church, in our denomination. The wrong fruit, those wild grapes, will result in the hedge of protection being taken away. Without God's protection, everything will quickly be eaten up. With the wall being broken down, all that remains will soon be trodden over. Verse six tells us that God, no doubt with a heavy heart, laid it all to waste. Soon it would be on recognition. Soon no one would even know as they passed by that there was a vineyard ever there in that location. It'd not be pruned, it'd not be dug, briers and thorns would be growing up and growing freely everywhere. And the command, the very command was given that the clouds of heaven were not to rain upon it. What a judgment upon the House of Israel, upon those men of Judah. What a judgment to befall on us, having heard the warning. We must learn tonight. We must never allow this to happen to us. We must never begin to neglect the things of God. We must never become a disappointment to the Lord. You know, today, many, many places of worship, they're boarded up. Doors are locked, the chains are on the gates, and they're gone forever. In fact, only for the distinctive church-like architecture in some of these older buildings, there's absolutely no evidence at all that God had ever done a work in that place, that God had ever saved souls there, that God had ever been a blessing to a district. No evidence anymore. Gone, gone forever. and what an indictment it would be upon us tonight. If someday the people of this area driving past, walking past, going their way, would look up on this hill and see nothing only ruins, it could happen. It could happen very quickly. Ruins that have been lying in waste perhaps for a long time, barely visible because the briars and the thorns have been allowed to grow up and there's been a spiritual declension, a turning away from God. And no one as they pass really can recall that this place was once a place of worship. This place was once a house of prayer. This place was a rescue house, perhaps even within a yard of hell. We must never be like Israel of old. We must bear good fruit tonight. We must learn, we must do it. You know, Israel of old had been given absolutely everything. They were blessed above any other nation. They were led by God's own hand. They were provided for. They were given the very law of God. They were shown the way. They had no excuses, and neither do we. Tonight we have got God's word. We are fed on the finest of the wheat. We have the freedom and liberty in our worship. There's no infringements upon us. Every advantage has been given to you and to me in the passage before us. God seeing only wild grapes, he had no option but to tear everything down. and it can happen again. But tonight we want to end with an upbeat note, with hope, with gladness, because by way of conclusion, I want to leave just a couple of verses with you from Psalm number 80. You can look it up when you get home. You see, Psalm number 80 is a very similar psalm to the portion that we've read here tonight, because it also talks about Israel. It tells us that Israel was a vine. There's a similarity. It was taken from Egypt and it was planted elsewhere. All the similarities are there. Psalm number 80. And it speaks about how this vine, nurtured by God, grew and blossomed and flourished. Ah, but sadly, just as we have here, there is a neglect, a turning away, a withering, a dwindling. And as a result, the vineyard was going to waste. And as of the penman of Psalm number 80, he then cries out, The very words that should be our prayer tonight if we are concerned at all. If we consider ourselves at all and we know we're maybe in a place where we ought not to be and we've been further along the road with the Lord than we are tonight. The words of Asaph should really be our words. Here's what he said. Return we beseech thee, O God of hosts. Look down from heaven and behold and visit this vine and the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, we will call upon thy name. Turn us again, O Lord of Hosts, cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. We trust that tonight God will hear that cry. We trust tonight that that will be our cry. And we trust tonight that God will bless these few stammering words to all of our hearts. And may we learn much from the wonderful lessons found in the Lord's own vineyard tonight. I want just at this stage to