what kind of vine are you is5

8/8/2019 What Kind of Vine Are You Is5

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WHAT KIND OF VINE ARE YOU?Is. 5

1 I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had

a vineyard on a fertile hillside. 2 He dug it up and cleared it of stones and

planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out awinepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded

only bad fruit. 3 Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah, judgebetween me and my vineyard. 4 What more could have been done for my

vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it

yield only bad?5 Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: Iwill take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; . 7The vineyard of the

LORD Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vineshe delighted in. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for

righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

Introduction - One of the best things about summer are the fruit standsalong the road. After you eat that fruit, those little hard things in the

supermarket are a continual disappointment. The Word of God tells us that

our lives are just like the vines and trees that produce the fruit displayed.Like them we either produce large, sweet soft delicious fruit or tiny hard

bitter useless fruit. The farmer planted the vine or tree for one sole purposeonlyto bear fruit. If it fails to bear good salable delicious fruit, it no longer

has a purpose for existing and taking up valuable agricultural real estate and

ever more costly irrigation water and thus it must be pulled out and replacedby a useful fruit producing vine or tree.

In our text this morning we have the allegory in the Hebrew literary

form of a song or hymn. Moses utilized this in Dt. 32:2-3: My wordsshall drop as the rain, my speech shall distill as the dew, as the small rain

upon the tender plant, and as the showers upon the grass; because I will

proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe ye greatness unto our God.

As we examine these classic Biblical Vineyard allegories found in Is.5, Ez 15Mt. 21 and Jn 15, we will utilize the literary process required to interpret the

meaning of each representative character in allegories and examine 4

points: (1) The Farmer, (2) The Vineyard, (3) The Fruit, and then 4th

ask in personal application: What Kind of Vine are You?

I. THE FARMER

Is 5:1 I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard:["My belovedhath a vineyard on a very fruitful hill."KJV] My beloved had a vineyard on a

fertile hillside.

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Mt. 21:33 There was a landowner who planted a vineyard.

Jn 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the [husbandman KJV]

gardener.

Isaiah 5, Ezekiel 15 and 19 and John 15 are all poetic allegories of a

vineyard that speak eloquently of the Lords love and care for Hispeople, as that of a vinedresser or husbandman (to use the King

James term) or farmer caring for his precious crop day and night,

365 days a year.

Thus the vineyard is the Garden of the Living God representing His love inseparating a people out for Himself, planting them into fertile soil,

germinating, nurturing and growing a fruitful people for Himself. You will

be my people and I will be your God, the Sovereign Lords declaredthrough Moses on the Plains of Moab.

Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt; thou hast cast out the heathen, andplanted it (Ps. 80:8). They were planted to be a fruitful hill.

1 Jn 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,

that we should be called the sons of God.

II.THE VINEYARD

Is 5:2 He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicestvines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well.7Thevineyard of the LORD Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of

Judah are the vines he delighted in.

Ez 19:10 Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard planted by thewater; it was fruitful and full of branches because of abundant water. 11 Its

branches were strong, fit for a rulers scepter. It towered high above the

thick foliage, conspicuous for its height and for its many branches.

Mt. 21:33 There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wallaround it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower.

Jn 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2Every

branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and everybranch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more

fruit.

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The importance of the grape vineyard as both symbolic and physically woveninto the very fabric of Hebrew culture and life cannot be overestimated.

They saw themselves as the vine God took out of Egypt, according tothe Psalmist in Psalm 80:8You transplanted a vine from Egypt; you drove

out the nations and planted it. 9 You cleared the ground for it, and it took

root and filled the land. 10 The mountains were covered with its shade, themighty cedars with its branches. 1 Its branches reached as far as the Sea, its

shoots as far as the River.

The first scouts into the promised land found a single cluster of grapes in the

Valley of Eshkol so heavy they had to put it on a pole to be carried by 2 menin Numbers 13:23. Moses enacted rules and regulations for the culture of

the vine wiled their prospective owners still wandered in the desert in Ex.22:5; 23:11 and Lev. 25:5 etc.

In Dt 8:7 Moses declared to the people about to enter the land theLORD your God is bringing you into a good landa land with brooks,

streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; 8 a landwith wheat and barley, vines and fig trees and you will lack nothing;

The land promised to the children of Israel was one of "vines and fig trees

and pomegranates"; they inherited vineyards which they had not planted (Dt

6:11; Josh 24:13; Neh 9:25). Jacob's blessing on Judah had much referenceto the suitability of his special part of the land to the vine (Gen 49:11).

In fact the very walls of Jerusalem at the time of Christ were adorned with

30 foot high reliefs of grape clusters and vines.

In addition to its wine being the main alternative source to water, which was

often disease ridden in many areas of the ancient world, grapes constituteda major item in the diet of ancient Israelis as dried fruit raisins and raisin

cakes which could be stored for long periods of time with degradation.

These cakes and the wine were a major source of iron and other essentialminerals and vitamins in the Hebrews diet and likely greatly contributed to

their longevity.

God the Father is the farmer who purchased the best fertile land, went tothe greatest efforts to clear it, and construct the needed walls andwatchtower and winepress, then we are told He carefully tilled the soil and

planted it with the choicest of vines.

The preparation of a vineyard remains even to this day, the most onerousand costly of all agricultural crops. It demands considerable outlay both in

purchasing the best of fertile hilly slopes, which then must be terraced and

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cleared of all stones large and small. Then it must be enclosed by a wall anda watchtower constructed to view and keep out thieves, roaming livestock,

bears and wild boars. Every ancient vineyard had its own wine press cutdown into a sheet of rock. When the crush or vintage season comes, the

whole family of the owner would take their in or under the watchtower and

remain there until the grapes were all harvested and crushed.

Once the vineyard was constructed, its cultivation of the vine requiredconstant care. In the early spring the plants must be pruned by cutting off

dead and fruitless branches, that would siphon off the water and nutrients of

the trunk and provide host for bugs and worms (Lev 25:3,4; Isa 5:6), sothey must be gathered and burned (Jn 15:6). As the leaves and grapes ripen

they provide shaded wet areas for mold and mildew to form and ruin thecrop and thus these were treated with some form of sulfur or the like to

purge them.

Thus God, in His tender care made a vineyard on a fertile hillside. 2 He

dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. Hebuilt a watchtower in it[and a wall around itMt.21] and cut out a winepress

as well.

And thus, Isaiah queries the people of Israel in verse 3: 3 Now you

dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and myvineyard. 4 What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have

done for it?

When all the rest of the world lay in common, not cultivated by divinerevelation, He set Israel apart as his vineyard, they were his peculiar people.He acknowledged them as his own. The soil they were planted in was

extraordinary; it was a very fruitful hill. There was a plenitude of water soilnutrients and sunshine, a cornucopia; furnished with abundance of good

things from their God.

Our very recent reading in Ezekiel 19 speaks of the power and status

of this vineyard early on:

Ez 19:10 Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard

planted by thewater; it was fruitful and full of branches because of abundant water. 11 Itsbranches were strong, fit for a rulers scepter. It towered high above the

thick foliage, conspicuous for its height and for its many branches.

This could well be speaking of the initial victorious taking of the land underJoshua and the acme of Israels expansion under David and Solomon.

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Israels position, and ours, as the Lord's Vineyard is a very favorableone, as Spurgeon notes, Infinite wisdom was occupied with carefully

selecting the soil, and site, and aspect of every tree in the vineyardtheLord has planted you in the perfect spot: your station may not be the best in

itself, but it is the best for you. Christ has gathered some of His choicest

clusters from the valley of poverty. Many eminent saints have never owneda foot of land, but lived upon their weekly wage, and found scant fare at

that. We are planted on a fruitful hill, for we are called to work which of allothers is the most fruitful.

III. THE FRUIT

Is 5:1My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. 2 He dug it up and

cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built awatchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a

crop of good grapes

Mt. 21:33 similarly relates: There was a landowner who planted a

vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built awatchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to

another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to

the tenants to collect his fruit.

Israels primary purpose for being called into existence, just as is

yours, is to bear fruit from the plenitude of blessings poured forth by

God upon them and us, for 3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord

Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritualblessing in Christ.(Eph 1:3).

The bearing of fruit is Gods primary creative and redemptivepurpose for His chosen people. Isaiah spoke of this in 27:6 6 In days

to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the worldwith fruit.

For the Lord had declared to Abraham in Ge 22:17 I will surely bless

you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and asthe sand on the seashore. 18 and through your offspring all nations on

earth will be blessed...

Moses tells us what this blessing is in:

Dt. 4:5 5See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the LORD my God

commanded me. 6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom

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and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees andsay, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.

The fruit Israel was to export to the world was the Word of Godin

their obedience to it and faithful speaking of the Gospel!

So how did this all work out?

Is 5:2He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest

vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then helooked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit When

I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? 7The vineyard of theLORD Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines

he delighted in. he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; [He

looked] for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

Mt. 21:33There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wallaround it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the

vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest

time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.

35The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and

stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first

time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37Last of all, he sent hisson to them. They will respect my son, he said.

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But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, This is theheir. Come, lets kill him and take his inheritance.39 So they took him andthrew him out of the vineyard and killed him.

Having brought them out of Egypt, the Lord planted them in the landof promise and there cared for them and protected them from the

ravages of their enemies. But the vineyard produced no fruit suitable

to His holy standard. Instead of bearing fruit for God, Israel broughtforth that which grieved His heart and dishonored His holy name.

After all the care He had lavished upon IsraelHis loving provision for theirneeds, His gracious forgiveness extended to them over and over again when

they failedhow could it be possible that there would be no suitable fruit forHim? Why should they produce only that which was worthless and useless?

As Matthew Henry notes: It brought forth wild grapes; not only no fruit

at all, but bad fruit, worse than none, grapes of Sodom [spoken of in] Dt.

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32:32. Wild grapes are the fruits of the corrupt nature from the root ofbitterness, Heb. 12:15. Wild grapes are hypocritical performances in religion,

that look like grapes, but are sour or bitter, and are [not] pleasing to God[but, in fact provoke His great wrath for] Counterfeit graces are wild grapes.

So what was the consequence of this fruitless life and existence ofIsrael?

Moving to verse 5 of Isaiah 5: 5Now I will tell you what I am going to doto my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will

break down its wall, and it will be trampled. 6 I will make it a wasteland,neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will

command the clouds not to rain on it.13 Therefore my people will go intoexile for lack of understanding;

The hedge destroyed and wall broken down was the end of the protection of

God against the foreign nations which soon resulted in the Assyrian and thenfinal Babylonian captivities. As the Word of God prunes and cultivates our

life to make us fruitful, the wasteland neither pruned or cultivated here was

the removal of His Prophets and Word from the land, coupled with theremoval of the clouds of rainthe Holy Spirit, for as we know from Jn 16:8,

the first work of the Holy Spirit is the conviction of sin and bringing truerepentance from which new green, lush fruitful spiritual life grows, as we see

the sprouts of grass from the recent rains.

After giving His people one opportunity after another to repent and produce

fruit in keeping with righteousness in His sight, He finally decided to dothat which is done to a fruitless vineyard.

Ezekiel explains this in detail in our recent reading in Ez. 15:

Ez 15:1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 Son of man, how is the wood

of a vine different from that of a branch from any of the trees in the forest?3 Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful? Do they make pegsfrom it to hang things on? I have given the wood of the vine among the

trees of the forest as fuel for the fire, so will I treat the people living inJerusalem. 7 the fire will [] consume them. [] when I set my face against

them, you will know that I am the LORD. 8 I will make the land desolate

because they have been unfaithful, declares the Sovereign LORD.

How many of you have ever owned or seen a piece of furniture make

from the wood of a grapevine? How many of you have ever used a

board sawn from a grapevine to build a house or other structure?

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Why not? Because as Ezekiel explains, the wood of the grapevine, once itdoes not produce fruit, is not even useful as the surrounding pagan nations,

the cedars of Lebanon, or the oaks of Samaria; they has only one possibleand plausible useto be burned as fuel for the fire.

Ez 19: I have given the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest asfuel for the fire, so will I treat the people living in Jerusalem. 7 the fire will[] consume them.

Is 9:19By the wrath of the LORD Almighty the land will be scorched and

the people will be fuel for the fire;

We are created by God solely for one thingto do good worksto

bear fruit.

Isaiah notes in 43:20 I provide water in the wilderness and streams in thewasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, 21 the people I formed for

myself that they may proclaim my praise.

Paul notes in Eph 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, createdin ChristJesus to do good works

And in 2Tim 2:19 Nevertheless, Gods solid foundation stands firm, sealed

with this inscription: The Lord knows those who are his, 21 Those whocleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes,

made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

Spurgeon notes: As the vine without its fruit is useless and worthless; so,too, the Christian, without fruit, is useless and worthless; yea, he is the

most useless thing in the wide world.

Thus, if we fail to bear fruit we are only suitable or useful for onething: Fuel for the fire of Hell.

Ez 21:31I will pour out my wrath on you and breathe out my fiery anger

against you; 32 You will be fuel for the fire, your blood will be shed in yourland, you will be remembered no more; for I the LORD have spoken.

And of course our Pastor just spoke about this in Ro 9:22 What ifGod, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore

with great patience the objects of his wrathprepared for destruction?

Our Lord spoke of this in Mt. 21:40 Therefore, when the owner of thevineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?[Who had killed his

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servants the prophets and then his son to steal the vineyard for their ownuse] 41 He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, they replied, and

he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of thecrop at harvest time. 43 Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God

will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

So if the vineyard Israel was destroyed, what hope is there forPeople longing for God?

Thus the Psalmist in Ps 80 cries: 14 Return to us, God Almighty! Look

down from heaven and see! Watch over this vine, 15 the root your right handhas planted, the branch you have raised up for yourself. 16 Your vine is cut

down, it is burned with fire; at your rebuke your people perish. 17Let yourhand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up

for yourself. 18 Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will

call on your name. 19 Restore us, LORD God Almighty; make your face shineon us, that we may be saved.

God sent us the True Vine, whose obedience is perfect and whose

fruit is flawless The Branch prophesied in Is 11:1 There shall comeforth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots

[and] the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him

Then moving to Is 4:2 - In that day the Branch of the LORD will be

beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory ofthe [remnant] in Israel. 3 Those in Zion, will be called holy.

And in Zech 6: Behold the Man whose name is the Branch! From His place

He shall branch out and He shall be clothed with majesty and will sit and

rule on the his throne.

And finally Is 11:9 ..[and] the earth will be filled with the knowledge of

the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

In contrast to Israels failure to bud and blossom and fill all the worldwith fruit,Jesus, the Branch and Messiah, fulfills Israels destiny as the True

Fruit filled vine of God.Just as Israel was to be Gods channel of blessing ofHis Word and Gospel to the whole earth, now Christ is the channel through

whom Gods blessings flow.

IV. WHAT KIND OF VINE ARE YOU?

Jn 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 He cuts

off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear

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fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already cleanbecause of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain

in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neithercan you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you,you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do notremain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such

branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 8 This is to my

Fathers glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be mydisciples.

16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that youmight go and bear fruitfruit that will lastand so that whatever you ask in

my name the Father will give you.

A. So if Christ is the only True Vine, whose obedience is perfectand whose fruit is flawless and acceptable to God, the first

question we must ask is, Are you in Christ? 5I am the vine;

you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bearmuch fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain

in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; suchbranches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

If not your only usefulness is as fuel for the fires of hell.

Paul speaks as well to the one solution to this seeminglyinsurmountable problem in Ro 5:6 You see, at just the right time, whenwe were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 8But God

demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christdied for us.

New Fruit comes from a new birth in which you are ingrafted to the

True Vine! Jesus explained this to Nicodemus in Jn 3:3I tell you the

truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see [hear, taste, live oreven imagine] the kingdom of God.

Would you like to start producing Fruit this morning? Then heed the very

first command of Jesus in His preaching ministry on earth: Repent, for the

kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

The Apostle Paul goes on to instruct us in Ro 10:9 That if you confesswith your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised

him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you

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believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and aresaved. 13for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Thus, I beseech you, Call on the Name of the Lord this morning andyou shall be saved unto good works!!

B. Now if we claim we indeed have been saved untoproducing Good Fruit 8 This is to my Fathers glory, that you

bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. What

does this Fruit look like in my life?

Our Lord Christ, the True Vine clearly explains this in the following

verses in Jn 15.

Jn 15:9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain inmy love.

1. Faithfulness

Are you faithful? Do you show up at church every time thedoors are open and 15 minutes early to see who you can serve

or encourage?

Jn 15:10,14 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just asI have kept my Fathers commands and remain in his love.14 You are my

friends if you do what I command.

2. Obedience

Do you Obey Christ by obeying those delegated authorities Hehas purposely put in your life? Do you see their counsel as a

great blessing to your life or a burden to be endured andignored?

Jn 15:11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your

joy may be complete.

3. Joy

Are you full of the Joy of the Lord, or are you always

complaining, whining and grumbling about your life and howdifficult and miserable it is?

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Paul said, Rejoice, again I say Rejoice from the dark, dankstench of the hole of the Mamertine prison

Jn 15:12,13,15,17 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved

you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down ones life for ones

friends. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not knowhis masters business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything thatI learned from my Father I have made known to you. 17This is my

command: Love each other.

4. Love

Do you love Christ by sacrificially living to serve others? Do you love

your Church, your Pastor, your Elder, in living your life to serve and

honor them? Do you love your brother and your sister in Christ inserving them? Or do you love yourself or your children or material

possessions or fame or power above all?

Spurgeon queries, He has loved us up from the pit, He has loved us up tothe cross, and up to the gates of heaven; He has quickened us, forgiven us,

and renewed us; He dwells in us, comforts us, instructs us, upholds us,preserves us, guides us, leads us, and He will surely perfect us. If we are not

fruitful, to His praise, how shall we excuse ourselves? Where shall we hide

our guilty heads? Shall yonder sea suffice to lend us briny tears wherewithto weep over our wickedness and ingratitude?

Will you now search yourselves to see whether you have any fruit?The Apostle Paul lists them this way in Gal 5:22as the fruit of theSpirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23

gentleness and self-control.

C. And finally, Bearing Fruit is Hard Work against Fierce

Opposition

Our Lord speaks to this in Jn 15:18 If the world hates you, keep inmind that it hated me first. 24 If I had not done among them the works [i.e.

fruit] no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have

seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.

We are fiercely opposed by the world, the flesh, the devil and falsebrothers in producing good fruit. But trouble and affliction and the

serious prayer and life they cause are a blessing in the Christians

life because they prune us of the dead branches of inbred sin

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remaining in us that we may not fall prey to the insects and wormslooking for a hole to enter.

And we need daily cleansing and purging of the filth of the world that clings

to us and rots our souls and renders our fruit rotten and unpalatable. Haggai

spoke of this in 2:17 I struck you with blight and mildew and hail in all thelabors of your hands; yet you did not turn to Me. says the Lord.

Christ declared His solution to this in verse 3 of Jn15: 3 You are alreadyclean because of the word I have spoken to you.

The Greek word here for make clean is kathairo, from which we get the

English word katharsis: To make clean. This word is used in Heb 10:2,speaking of a worshiper being purified or cleansed (moral purity) at the

Temple, and in Rev. 19:For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his

bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given herto wear. Fine linen stands for the righteous acts [i.e. fruit] of Gods holy

people.

Thus we are cleansed to produce glorious fruit by the washing of the

word, forChrist loved the church and gave himself up for her26 to make

her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27andto present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any

other blemish, but holy and blameless.The word brought daily in ourserious reading, meditation and devotions, weekly by our Pastor in

its clear preaching and exposition and by our elders in its direct

application to our lives.

So I ask you in closing this morning: What Kind of Vine are you?

One without fruit or only bad fruitwood only useful to fuel the fires

of hell?

Or one with some fruit but many dead branches and a coating ofmold and mildew?

Then come to Christ, His Word, His Church and be pruned andpurged of your unprofitable crops for Herein is my Father glorified, that

ye bear much fruit; fruit that will last, and so shall ye be my disciples(John15:8).

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The advantages of our situation will be brought into the account another day.Observe further what God did for this vineyard. 1. He fenced it, took it under his

special protection, kept it night and day under his own eye, lest any should hurt it,ch. 27:2, 3. If they had not themselves thrown down their fence, no inroad could

have been made upon them, Ps. 125:2; 131:4. 2. He gathered the stones out of it,that, as nothing from without might damage it, so nothing within might obstruct its

fruitfulness. He proffered his grace to take away the stony heart. 3. He planted it

with the choicest vine, set up a pure religion among them, gave them a mostexcellent law, instituted ordinances very proper for the keeping up of theiracquaintance with God, Jer. 2:21. 4. He built a tower in the midst of it, either for

defence against violence or for the dressers of the vineyard to lodge in; or rather itwas for the owner of the vineyard to sit in, to take a view of the vines (Cant. 7:12)

a summer-house. The temple was this tower, about which the priests lodged, andwhere God promised to meet his people, and gave them the tokens of his presence

among them and pleasure in them. 5. He made a wine-press therein, set up hisaltar, to which the sacrifices, as the fruits of the vineyard, should be brought.

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what kind of vine are you is5

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