Sermon Central
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Praying For God's Purpose Series
Contributed by John Dobbs on Nov 15, 2019 (message contributor)
Summary: Praying for Spiritual Awakening is a prayer to ask God to help us move out of our comfort zones and use the strength and wealth He has given us to relieve the suffering of others.
Pray For God’s Purpose
Introduction
The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose. - Rick Warren
Theme this month: Prayers For Spiritual Awakening. We prayed for a decisive faith. For God’s Compassion to cover our unfaithfulness. Today we pray for God’s Purpose to be alive in our hearts.
Isaiah’s Song of the Vineyard is a distinctive plea for us to be aware of our need to be focused on God’s purpose and plan.
Isaiah 5:1-7, CSB
I will sing about the one I love, a song about my loved one’s vineyard: The one I love had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He broke up the soil, cleared it of stones, and planted it with the finest vines. He built a tower in the middle of it and even dug out a winepress there. He expected it to yield good grapes, but it yielded worthless grapes. So now, residents of Jerusalem and men of Judah, please judge between me and my vineyard. What more could I have done for my vineyard than I did? Why, when I expected a yield of good grapes, did it yield worthless grapes? Now I will tell you what I am about to do to my vineyard: I will remove its hedge, and it will be consumed; I will tear down its wall, and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland. It will not be pruned or weeded; thorns and briers will grow up. I will also give orders to the clouds that rain should not fall on it. For the vineyard of the Lord of Armies is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah, the plant he delighted in. He expected justice but saw injustice; he expected righteousness, but heard cries of despair.
What can we learn from this parable about the purpose and plan of God for our lives, our church, for His people?
1. God Has a Purpose for His People
The Vineyard in this song is God’s people Israel. God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt. He desired for them to serve Him with their whole heart and to be a light to the nations.
Isaiah 42:6-8 “I am the Lord. I have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will hold you by your hand. I will watch over you, and I will appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations, in order to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, and those sitting in darkness from the prison house. I am the Lord. That is my name, and I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols."
The church has the same purpose - be light for the world to see who God is and what Jesus has done for us. We fulfill this purpose by living the Jesus life. The purpose of God: reaching the lost world. Each of us has a part in that purpose / mission.
2. God Gives Us All We Need For Fruitfulness
God gave the vineyard all the elements needed for a fruitful harvest - but what grew was unusable for His purpose. God has given us everything we need for life.
2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
You do not live in a lack of ability to live a fruitful life! You have Christ - in you and with you! You have One Another - united in bringing Christ to the world! You have Wealth - goods, money, land, this facility. You have a Community filled with people who need God!
A Fruitful Christianity. Shows by its actions that it is living for Christ. Shows by its perseverance that we live by Faith. Shows by it’s commitment that Christ is in control.
3. God Has Expectations for His People
God had expectation of great fruitful harvest. Instead what he God was a huge disappointment.
Isaiah 5:7 “For the vineyard of the Lord of Armies is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah, the plant he delighted in. He expected justice but saw injustice; he expected righteousness, but heard cries of despair.”
Two expectations God had for his people: Justice. Righteousness.
“The good grapes God expected would be mercy and love, stewardship of time and talents. Instead God saw the sour grapes of selfishness, corruption, wickedness.” - James D. Kegel
