Grapes under the Gavel
Isaiah 5:1-17
Introduction:
Have you ever heard of the comedian Gallager? He smashes watermelons and other foods with a large wooden mallet. The bigger the object getting smashed often bigger the mallet/hammer. He gets the audience all wet. Many come, especially those in the front with rain jackets or garbage bags over their clothes to keep a little bit dry. Can you imagine the mess and stains from smashing something like grapes? Today’s scripture is a picture of smashed grapes. The grapes in this picture are not being smashed under a mallet, but rather the gavel of God’s judgement.
God Cares for His Vineyard
Explanation:
1 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard On a very fruitful hill. 2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, And also made a winepress in it;
Often vineyards were found on a hill. For protection there would be a wall or hedge surrounding it in order to keep animals like wild boars, jackals and foxes. As well for protection there would be a one or more towers of stone in which the vine-dressers lived. This way the resident could see any danger that would be looming about. A large vat, would be was dug carved out of the rocky soil. Also there would need for a large press in which to smash the grapes.
Application:
God has done everything possible to provide for us! How has he cared for you? Maybe he has provided a wall or a hedge. Maybe a tower for refuge, or a place for you to reside. It could be that he has prepared the ground in which you could take root. Or even carved out the rock so that you may work and minister.
Illustration: The Best Manager for the Best Hotel.
One stormy night many years ago, an elderly man and his wife entered the lobby of a small hotel in Philadelphia. Trying to get out of the rain, the couple approached the front desk hoping to get some shelter for the night. "Could you possibly give us a room here?" the husband asked. The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the couple and explained that there were three conventions in town. "All of our rooms are taken," the clerk said. "But I can’t send a nice couple like you out into the rain at one o’clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room? It’s not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable for the night." When the couple declined, the young man pressed on. "Don’t worry about me, I’ll make out just fine," the clerk told them. So the couple agreed. As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk, "You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States. Maybe someday I’ll build one for you." The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good laugh. As they drove away, the elderly couple agreed that the helpful clerk was indeed exceptional, as finding people who are both friendly and helpful isn’t easy.
Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he received a letter from the old man. It recalled that stormy night and enclosed a round-trip ticket to New York, asking the young man to pay them a visit. The old man met him in New York, and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street. He then pointed to a great new building there, a pale reddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrusting up to the sky. "That," said the older man, "is the hotel I have just built for you to manage." " You must be joking," the young man said. "I can assure you I am not," said the older man, a sly smile playing around his mouth. The older man’s name was William Waldorf-Aster, and that magnificent structure was the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The young clerk who became its first manager was George C. Boldt. This young clerk never foresaw the turn of events that would lead him to become the manager of one of the world’s most glamorous hotels. Author Unknown - Thanks to Inspirations
God Expects Fruit from the Vineyard
Explanation:
2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, And also made a winepress in it; So He expected it to bring forth good grapes,
God has expected good grapes from his investment, only not to have His expectations met.
Application:
There are two types of fruit that we can produce.
1. Good sweet and bountiful fruit. Fruit that is worthy of God and true to His goodness.
2. Or fruit that is sour. Fruit that is not palatable. Fruit that would not be able to be used to make a sweet wine.
What does God expect from you? What kind of fruit do you think that he desire? He wants to have the best that we are able to produce. He wants to have a sweet reward from the investment he has put into us.
Illustration:
Alfred Nobel (1833-96) was a Swedish chemist who invented dynamite. During his lifetime, he made millions of dollars from the manufacture of high explosives. His inventions so magnified the killing power of weapons that some trace the history of modern warfare to him. One morning in 1888, Nobel opened his newspaper only to find an article about his death! It was his brother who had died, however, and a careless editor had run the more famous Alfred’s obituary. What a shock and revelation the experience proved to be! Alfred Nobel was afforded the opportunity to see himself through the eyes of his peers. Much to his chagrin, the article about Nobel portrayed him as the Dynamite King and let him know that he would be remembered as a merchant of death who made a fortune by making war more destructive. His legacy to the world would be more efficient methods of killing people. Dismayed over such a prospect, Alfred Nobel determined to do something about it. Under the conditions of his will, he left more than $9 million to found five prizes to be distributed yearly in equal parts to those who were judged to have contributed most to helping mankind. Thus did the man who invented dynamite forever link his name to the cause of peace.
How will people remember you? As someone who loved his company and did things with his family, or vice versa? As a person of integrity? As one whose genuine faith produced the good fruit of Christian behavior? As with Alfred Nobel, you can choose how you will be remembered. - Rubel Shelly The FAX of Life
God Judges the Fruit
Explanation:
3 "And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard. 4 What more could have been done to My vineyard That I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, Did it bring forth wild grapes? 5 And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. 6 I will lay it waste; It shall not be pruned or dug, But there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds That they rain no rain on it."
Application:
What can be done with rotten fruit? What can be done with wild or sour grapes? Nothing! They are not good for consumption. You can not make wine with them, you can not eat them. Simply, God can not use them. They have to be destroyed. The whole vineyard has to be destroyed otherwise it will continue to produce the same kind of fruit. This is God’s judgement. This is the grapes under the gavel. Destroyed so they will not be able to reproduce themselves.
Illustration:
Two men robbed a jewelry store. One was a lawyer and the other was a high school dropout. After being arrested, convicted and sentenced, the lawyer received a ten-year imprisonment. The dropout only received three years. The counselors for the lawyer protested the harsh judgement but the judge insisted that the lawyer was under greater responsibility to be an example of the law.
In like manner we who are Christians and of Christ’s Church are under a greater responsibility to be living examples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Gods Grace is upon the Faithful
Explanation:
This is the Good News
16 But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness. 17 Then the lambs shall feed in their pasture, And in the waste places of the fat ones strangers shall eat.
Despite the judgement of the vineyard the place where is was is now a place for the sheep to graze. WE are the ones who once were strangers, we are the ones who will be the sheep of the Great Shepherd who are led now to pasture in this field.
Remember the words from Revelation and the coming judgement upon the earth? What is left are the sheep, those who are faithful to Christ.
(Rev 14:12 NIV) {12} This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.
Application:
Those who remain in Christ. Those who bear the good fruit will be consumed by God. We are the ones who have the hope of the Gospel. We are the ones that have the hope of life eternal.
Illustration:
This guy dies and goes to heaven where he meets Peter at the Pearly Gates. Before he can enter Peter gives him a few questions to answer. He has to accumulate 100 points before he can go in. "So, how often did you go to church?" Peter asks. "I went every Sunday and Wednesday," replied the man. "That’s one point," answers Peter. "One point? Wow! I figured it would be worth more than that." "And did you give in the offerings?" asked Peter. "Yes, I gave 10% of all my income every week," answered the man. "Well, let’s see," answers Peter, "that’s worth 3 points. Did you do anything else?" "Well, right off hand, I can’t think of a whole lot. I did mostly what I thought I was supposed to do." "Well, we’ll give you 5 points for good behavior, can’t you come up with something else?" By this time, the man is completely flustered. He finally cries, "Well, I can’t come up with anything else. It looks like that no one can enter heaven except by the Grace of God!" "100 points! Come on in!"
(Shared by Funny Pages Mailing List via Keith’s Mostly Clean Humor & Weird List
Conclusion:
Let us celebrate this Good News. Let remember to be forever sweet for God’s glory, and never worry about being grapes under the gavel.
