ISAIAH 52007 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Isaiah 5

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2007. This evening we're in Isaiah chapter 5. We'll be studying through this chapter for the remainder of the evening. Looking at the continued work of Isaiah, and as I continue to share with you, I want to remind us once again...

The book of Isaiah written thousands of years ago, but the things that Isaiah is writing to the nation of Judah, there the southern kingdom that had been divided from the nation of Israel, and as Isaiah is writing to them, the things that he is writing...

carried on by the Holy Spirit, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and now apply to us today. It's really no different for us today than the situation that they were in. There's many similarities to where we are, and we get to hear God's word about our own hearts and situations through the mouth of Isaiah as he was writing to the nation of Judah. There's lots of things that God wants to speak, and

One of the primary things that Isaiah has written for and the emphasis and thrust of his ministry was a call to holiness. And so we continue to hear this call on Wednesday evenings as we study through this book that God is calling us to live according to his ways and his standards and his righteousness.

That we are to live holy lives set apart unto Him, obedient to Him, and not caught up in the cares of this world and following the deceitful pleasures of our hearts. We need to be sold out 100% committed to the things of God in serving Him and loving Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

And that is what Isaiah is calling Israel back to as he is writing to them, as he's bringing forth these prophecies that God lays upon his heart.

First, in Isaiah chapter 5 this evening, we see a song that was laid upon his heart by the Lord. It starts out in verse 1. Isaiah says, 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.

He dug it up and cleared out its stones and planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, and he also made a winepress in it. So he expected it to bring forth good grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes. We start out with this song that Isaiah shares about God and this vineyard that he has.

God used songs throughout the Old Testament many times to remind and teach the children of Israel. In the book of Deuteronomy,

God gave Moses a song so that he would know or that the people would learn that song and remember the things that God wanted to teach them and that God wanted to have them look back upon. It's like, you know, sometimes those old songs get stuck in your head and you go, you know, why is that song in my head? Well, that was what God wanted to happen with the songs that he gave that the

They'd be, you know, about their business and all of a sudden the song would pop in their head and they would remember the things of God and remember what God had done for them. And even remember the songs that God gave sometimes carried along with them, not just the happy things and the blessings, but, hey, if you don't follow me, if you don't keep my ways, then all of these other troubles and trials and tribulations are...

are going to come upon your life too, and you need to return and repent and turn back to me. And that was part of the songs that God would teach his people. And so you could imagine they'd be involved in wickedness or be involved in things, and the songs would come back to them, and it would be the Lord reminding them to come back to him. And so we find another song here in the book of Isaiah, chapter 5, the song of his beloved about his vineyard or regarding his vineyard.

Now, we just learned very recently, archaeologists just discovered that this song was sung to the tune of Old MacDonald. And I'm just kidding. I was thinking it in my head. My well beloved has a vineyard on a very fruitful... No, okay. It's this song that he's giving about this vineyard. What is this vineyard? Well, we know from verse 7 that the vineyard is the house of Israel.

He's using what we would consider a parable from the New Testament terms, the way that Jesus would teach. He's using this parable to teach a lesson about his people and to his people. He says the vineyard is the house of Israel. And the basic point of this song that we see here in verses one and two is I did everything possible to

for this vineyard. I did everything possible to protect it, to bless it, to nourish it, to care for it. I did everything that could be done, but it still produced wild grapes instead of producing good grapes. And in essence, what God is saying about the nation of Israel is, I did everything possible for this nation. I did everything possible for this people, but I

They still turned out to be bad fruit. They still rebelled against me. They still turned away from me. And they didn't continue on in the things that I had called them to. He says that I cleared out its stones, made the soil nice and took care of that. I planted it with the choicest vine. I used, you know, a good vine, a good plant. I didn't start with junk. I started with the best.

I built a tower that was for protection. I built the hedge that was for protection. The winepress that was in the expectation that the fruit would be there, that the winepress would be ready and available. And so it says in verse 2 that he expected it to bring forth good grapes. Of course you would expect that.

Wouldn't you expect that if you went to Home Depot and you saw this really nice plant that you wanted and it looked really great and so you picked it up and you picked up the potting soil that you needed and the Miracle-Gro and all the tools that you needed and you spent

go home and spend time building a fence around it and preparing the land and clearing it all out and planting it and doing everything perfect for it, watering it and pruning it and take caring it, wouldn't you expect it to produce well and to produce maybe fruits or the flowers that you liked upon it or whatever your intention was? You would expect it because you took such great care of it, you would expect it to flourish and do well.

But God's complaint against Israel through this parable, through this song, is that even though he did all these things, they turned out to be bad. They turned against him still. This is an idea that is taught throughout Scripture. Several other times in the books of the prophets, God refers to the nation as a vineyard or as a vine. In Jeremiah 2, verse 21 says,

God says,

He says, you were the best of the best. I didn't start with a bad plant that wasn't ever going to produce anything. It was the highest quality seed, the best vine. I did everything to care for you, to care for it. How have you turned into this just wild and degenerate plant? How has this taken place?

He goes on in verses 3-6 now to ask them some very deep questions. He says,

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. I will lay it waste. It shall not be pruned or dug, but there shall come up briars and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain on it. Here God asked the question, what more could I have done?

What more could I have done to my vineyard that I have not done in it? It's really a testimony to us of the state of you and I as human beings.

We are sinful creatures. It's something that God shows us over and over again, starting back from the garden. There in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. They had the perfect nature. We have a sinful nature. They had the perfect nature. They had the perfect environment. I mean, if you can think and consider for a moment, Adam was the perfect husband and Eve was the perfect wife.

There was no work that required sweat and toil. They had the best food and it was all you can eat. They had everything going for them. This vineyard, it was the choice vineyard planted in perfectly. Everything was just set. But of course, Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and turn away from Him. During the very end of human history in the millennial kingdom,

When Jesus sets up his kingdom to reign for a thousand years, we will have the similar environment. It will be a perfect environment. Jesus will be on the throne. There will be peace and righteousness, but still there will be those who turn and rebel at the end.

God brought Israel out of Egypt and he took them into the promised land. He fought for them. He drove out the inhabitants on their behalf. He proved himself over and over again and provided godly leaders and worked miracles and poured out blessings upon them as his vineyard. He expected them to produce good fruit. What more could he have done for the nation of Israel? And yet they still turned from him and rebelled against him.

And so God says, I'm going to stop tending to this vineyard. In verse 5, He says, I'm going to take away the hedge. I'm going to break down its wall. I'm going to remove my protective hand upon the vineyard. In verse 6, He says, I will lay it waste. It's going to be wiped out. There's not going to be anything left. Basically, this is what God says.

As they are pushing him away and pushing him away and saying, we don't want your rules. We don't want your principles. We don't want any part of you. And so God says, okay, I tried. I mean, I've been working with you for many years now, a thousand years. You don't want any part of me? You don't want me in your life? You don't want my ways? So he says, okay, well, have it your way. And he removes his hand of protection.

And they begin to experience, and you and I should know this as well, life is miserable without God. It's miserable without God. And you need to be warned, just like the nation of Israel,

I would share with you this evening, watch out. If you keep pushing God out of your life and saying, no, there's this area I don't want to surrender, Lord. I don't want to be committed to you. I don't want to be going to church all the time. I want to believe in you, but I still want to live this way. If you keep pushing God out, if you keep insisting on living your own life, if you keep ignoring His words and His promptings, if you keep ignoring His warnings,

and living your own way, there will come a point when He says, okay, have it your way. You don't want me in your life. I'll stay out of your life. And that's not a place you want to be. That'll be hell. Separation from God is what hell is all about. Spending eternity away from Him. Israel has come to the point that God says, okay,

I'm not going to fight you on this anymore. I'm going to let you, if you want to continue in that lifestyle, you want to continue in those characteristics, then continue in them. But you're going to see the devastation that it brings and why I've commanded you not to be involved in those things.

In verse 7, he goes on to say, For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression, for righteousness, but behold, a cry for help. He expected the good fruit. He looked for righteousness. He looked, hey, there should be good fruit on this vine. But instead, he found the opposite of what he expected.

Now he tells us who the vineyard is. It's not a mystery. It's not a guess. It's the nation of Israel. There's so much that we could consider regarding this song or this parable. I would encourage you, as the Lord lays it upon your heart, Psalm chapter 80 goes right alongside of this psalm. It's a prayer for restoration.

as really it uses a lot of the same terminology, but it's kind of after the fact, after they're beginning to see the effects of God removing his hand of protection and the devastation that's coming, then the psalmist cries out in Psalm chapter 80 for restoration, for God to restore and come back and rebuild the hedge and rebuild the protection that was there.

In Matthew chapter 21, verses 33 through 45, Jesus uses this same terminology, talking about the vineyard and the hedge and the tower and all that being built up and prepared. And he uses it to share and really speak against the rulers and authorities of that day, the religious leaders, how they didn't tend to God's vineyard the way that he required.

It's an important lesson for those who are leaders within the body, which, as we've been studying on Sunday mornings, has an impact on all of us because God has called all believers to be examples and to make disciples. And there's an impact on the lives of others and what takes place in our lives. And so I would encourage you to meditate and consider the parable of the vineyard with Psalm chapter 80 and Matthew chapter 21.

It caused me to reflect upon our own hearts and my own life. In verse 1 when he says, My well-beloved has a vineyard on a very fruitful hill. I think of a fruitful hill and I think of the cross at Calvary where Christ died. Where he did everything possible. He did everything and we could ask, What more could be done than what Jesus already did upon the cross?

Would you please turn with me to John chapter 15 for just a moment. We'll come back to Isaiah 5, but this is very important. John chapter 15. In John chapter 15, Jesus is talking to his disciples and he uses the same type of terminology with the vine and the vine dresser. In John chapter 15, I'd like to read to you verses 1 through 8. Jesus says this,

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that bears fruit he prunes that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing. Verse 6. If anyone does not abide in me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered, and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you.

By this, my father is glorified that you bear much fruit. So you will be my disciples. Here Jesus is talking to his disciples and he says, I am the true vine. And talking about the vineyard, God had enough with the nation of Israel. They refused to allow him to work in their lives. And so he says, OK, I'm going to send the true vine.

And those who are part of the true vine, those are the ones that I will tend to and prune. And those are the ones that will be part of my kingdom. Jesus is the true vine in God's vineyard. And the only way that we can be a part of God's kingdom is if we abide in him. And that's what Jesus is talking about.

The necessity of us abiding in Jesus Christ. Romans chapter 11 talks about us as Gentiles being grafted in to the vine. Grafted in to Jesus Christ. Jesus uses the word abide here in John chapter 15, 1 through 8, seven times.

indicating to us this is the importance, Him being the vine, we being the branches, we need to stay in the vine. We need to stay plugged into the vine in order for us to continue to survive. Just like if you were to break a branch off of a tree, you wouldn't expect that branch to continue to bear fruit. No, it continues to bear fruit as it's attached to the rest of the tree, as it's attached to the vine.

And just as God expected fruit from the nation of Israel, God expects fruit from you and I. But the only way that will happen is if we abide in Jesus Christ. So the question is, are you living in relationship with him? Are you abiding in him? Is your whole life a relationship with Jesus Christ?

See, on the cross, God did everything for you. And we could ask, what more could be done? Just like we could ask of the nation of Israel. So, everything has been taken care of. Nothing more could be done. And now he expects fruit from us. So, are you producing that fruit? Jesus said, a branch that does not bear fruit will be cast out. He expects us to produce. And we only will produce fruit.

As we abide in Him. As we live in relationship with Him. The fruit of that relationship, the evidence of that relationship will be manifested in our lives. Going back to Isaiah chapter 5. I would encourage you to continue to meditate on John 15 throughout the week as well. So much that we could consider and go into, but we need to keep moving. In verse 7 of Isaiah 5 again, it says that He looked for justice, but behold, oppression.

He looked for fruit, but he found the opposite of that fruit. And in the same way as God expects fruit from us, he's looking for love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and gentleness and self-control in your life. When he looks, what does he find? Does he find that fruit or does he find the opposite of those things? Some challenging questions for our hearts and I pray that you answer.

Honestly, evaluate your own heart before the Lord. As we go on in the chapter now, Isaiah begins to pronounce some judgments upon that nation, upon that society, because of their lack of fruit. They were involved in many things that Isaiah will begin to talk about, which is the evidence of their lack of relationship with God. And the judgments that result is what he will be sharing. And so,

We start in verse 8, which says, Woe to those who join house to house.

They add field to field, till there is no place where they may dwell alone in the midst of the land. And all the Californians said, Amen. Verse 9, In my hearing the Lord of hosts said, Truly many houses shall be desolate, great and beautiful ones without inhabitants. For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, or six gallons, and a homer of seed shall yield one ephah, or ephah.

Here's what Isaiah is saying. First of all, he starts out with the word woe. It's a word of judgment saying, alas, there's this pronouncement coming. It's a sorrowful thing. It's a woeful thing. This is not exciting stuff. This is really sorrowful stuff. It's sad stuff. This is the judgment. Feel sorry for those who are in this state.

And he talks about joining house to house and adding field to field. Now, he's not talking about what we know today with, you know, yard connected to yard and the track homes and so on and so forth. Instead, what he's talking about is the greed of the people of that day. Because God had laid out special provisions for buying and selling for the nation of Israel in Leviticus chapter 25.

The houses in the city, they were under a different set of rules. When those were purchased, it was a permanent transaction. But outside of a city, if a house or a field was sold, it was really only leased out. It was never actually permanently transferred. It was redeemable by the person who originally sold it and returned.

When it came to the year of Jubilee, the 49th year, they were to release that property and give it back to the original owners.

But what God is saying here, he's pronouncing judgment against those who ignored his word because of greed, took the houses and the fields that were there outside of the city, but would not release them back, would not allow them to be purchased back, to be redeemed. And so he's talking about the greedy, violent men. And God is opposed to the people for their greed. It's a vicious thing, right?

Greed, Paul talks about it being the root of all kinds of evil. And as a result of greed, some have strayed from the faith in their greediness. And so we need to be warned and be careful. Woe to those who are greedy. Woe to those who pursue riches and material wealth.

Woe to those who chase after those things because God says they will become desolate and all their work will become fruitless. He says that ten acres of vineyard shall produce a gallon or six gallons or a few gallons. You get the picture. It's not producing hardly anything for the land that they own. And so he says, woe to them for rebelling against him. Going on, verses 11 and 12 says,

Isaiah says, Now God pronounces judgment upon the drunkards.

And his pronouncement here has to do with their drunkenness, causing them to disregard the Lord's working.

It's not only that they're involved in drunkenness, which is contrary to what God has laid out, but it says at the end of verse 12 though, but they do not regard the work of the Lord. They don't consider the operation of His hands. As a result of their drunkenness, their hearts have been turned away. They don't think about the things of God. They don't spend time with God. They don't pursue the righteousness of God. But instead, they wake up just to party some more and to...

drink after, thirst after more drink and seek after more wine. They continue on in this vicious cycle, but their hearts have turned from God. Jesus gave a similar warning in Luke chapter 21, verse 34. He says, Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you unexpectedly.

Just like God said, hey, they don't consider the work of my hands. Jesus says, hey, I'm coming back. Be careful. Don't get caught up in the cares of this life. Don't get caught up in drunkenness because you're going to miss out on what I'm doing. And the day that I come back will come upon you unexpectedly and you won't be prepared for the rapture. Verses 13 and following, he says,

Therefore, my people have gone into captivity because they have no knowledge. Now, this is continuing from their drunkenness and causing their hearts to turn away from God and not regard the things of God, the work of the Lord. And so as a result, he says, my people have gone into captivity because they have no knowledge. Their honorable men are famished and their multitude dried up with thirst.

Therefore, Sheol has enlarged itself and opened its mouth beyond measure, their glory and their multitude and their pomp.

Verse 17. Verse 18.

God says, as a result of their drunkenness, they don't regard my work, they don't pay attention to what I'm doing, and as a result of that, they've gone into captivity because they have no knowledge. They're going into captivity. Babylon will come and conquer Israel about 100 to 150 years after the end of Isaiah's ministry. He's warning them and calling them back to holiness so that this captivity doesn't take place.

But they don't take heed because they have disregarded the work of the Lord. They said, no big deal. It doesn't matter. It's not going to happen. They had all their reasons. But God says they have no knowledge. And as a result, they're going into captivity. This is the importance of knowledge. The knowledge of the Lord.

of knowledge and understanding. Man, we spent a great deal of time in the book of Proverbs learning over and over again the importance of knowledge and understanding and how the fear of God is the beginning of those things. If you want to protect yourself from captivity, fear the Lord. Keep His word. Follow His commands because it's the beginning of knowledge. It's the beginning of understanding.

He says they've gone into captivity because they have no knowledge. In Hosea 4, verse 6, God says, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. It's very important for you and I. We talked about doctrine on Sunday morning. These are related subjects or issues. It's important that we know God.

that we know Him personally, that we have a relationship with Him. But it's important that we know His Word and what He says, what He teaches us about Himself and His Son and the plan of salvation. It's important that we know the Word of God, that we have the knowledge of God. Because it's by lack of this knowledge, it's by lack of knowledge that we're destroyed or we're taken into captivity.

In 2 Peter 1, verse 3, it tells us that God's divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. Everything that you and I need for life, to live this life, to work at the job you work at and go to the school that you go to, and for godliness, to live life the way that God wants you to. It says that it's found through the knowledge of Him. It's found in the knowledge of God.

We need to know the Lord. We need to know the things of God. We need to know what God's Word has to say. They didn't know the Word of God, and so they're full of themselves, thinking that they know best, that they know what's right. And so the judgment is, since they're full of themselves, God says, you are going to be humbled, and I will be exalted. I'm going to show you. You're going to see.

You're going to go into captivity. You're going to be destroyed. You will be humbled. You'll be wiped out and reduced to nothing. You'll be brought low and I will be exalted. God is going to prove himself. He's going to prove his word. He's going to prove that his ways are right. No? All right. Something else. Oh, there we go. Thank you, Royce. He's going to prove that he is God and that we are man.

And as long as man is in charge, we will have these problems of us thinking that we know best and that we know it's right. We will have these difficulties. And it's not until God reigns during the millennial period that we will have peace.

And that's what he says in verse 17. Then the lambs shall feed in their pasture. He's going to feed the lambs. The waste places shall be places to eat. The desolate areas will be places where we'll be able to feast. He's going to restore things.

and restore things. But as long as you and I are full of ourselves, as long as as a society and as a as human beings, we are full of ourselves. We will have these difficulties and continue to turn away from the things of God. Let's go on in verses 18 and 19. Isaiah says, Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity and sin as if as if with a cart rope.

The idea here is, he's painted this picture, is those who are really in bondage to their sin. They're drawing their sin like a cart, like an ox would pull a plow through the dirt. They've been strapped on and they're carrying these iniquities, but they're not doing it.

They don't have a desire to be set free or let them go. And they want to continue in their bondage. They want to continue in their sin. And they say, hey, let him come and show himself. Let him prove himself. We don't really believe that he wants to do this or that he is God. We think our ways are better. And so until he proves otherwise, we're just going to keep on going the way that we want to go.

They're attached to their sinful lifestyle. They will not release it. And so they mock God while they continue to live in sin, saying, let him make haste. Much like Peter told us would happen in second Peter chapter three. Those who would come scoffer saying, hey, where's the promise of his coming? Let him make haste. All things continue as they were from the beginning.

That mentality is what he is talking about. Woe to those scoffers, Isaiah says. Woe to those who mock God at his word while holding on to sinful lifestyle. Verse 20. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. I think this is a very interesting verse. If people call evil good and good evil...

What that means is there has been a change of the standards. Things have been reversed. God's standards have been discarded and another set of standards have been established or set up. And I mean, how many times do we see that in our society, in the world around us, even in our own hearts and lives where we think that

Hey, there's no absolute truth or, you know, that's good for you, but not good for me. We've disregarded God's word and we hold to what we think is best or what we know to be best. Or, hey, as long as you, you know, you keep to that and you don't bother me or you don't hurt anybody, then that's OK. You know, what's good for you is good for you. And what's good for me is good for me. And when that takes place, you will see people call evil good and good evil.

We see that in our society and around the world with fornication or sex before marriage. Society says it's great. It's good. You should do it. You got to find out if you're compatible, society says. They celebrate it. It's on all the TV shows. It's everywhere you look. They call evil good because sex before marriage, outside of marriage, fornication is sin. It's evil good.

It's not good. But society says otherwise. We could go on about abortion. We could go on about homosexuality. We could go on about a whole number of things because there's been a change of the standards where we hold to our own thoughts, what we think is best, what we have determined and decided and what Dr. Phil says and what psychology has taught us and science has shown us. Those are the things that we trust and we hold on to instead of the things that God has said.

And so very easily we look around and find those who call evil good and good evil. And we need to be very careful because very quickly our own hearts will follow suit calling good evil and evil good. Verse 21. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight. Here's another one. We need to watch out with this one. This easily includes you and I. It goes right along with the standard change. We're wise in our own eyes. We know best.

Then all those who have gone before us in the Bible, we know best. We know it's right and we follow our own hearts. Verse 22. Here we find another pronouncement of judgment, another woe against the corruption of society.

The taking of bribes and righteousness and justice being perverted, justifying the wicked. It's interesting to me how corruption is as a result of rebellion against God. By what many would state today, by many arguments and thoughts that you could listen to today,

It would be easy for us to determine that, hey, your religion has nothing to do with society and government. They're two things that are completely separate. They don't affect one another. Religion's here, and your society's here, and your politics are over here, and those aren't interchangeable, and you can't mix them, and there's this separation. But what we see in the Scripture, what we see in the example of the nation of Judah, is as a result of their turning from God, they're

justice system was corrupted. Their society, their political system, everything about the government was corrupted. And that will always be the case. You can't turn from God and walk in integrity and walk in uprightness. You can't turn from God and live the Christian life and have truth and holiness. And so there is going to be corruption whenever hearts are turned away from God.

Whenever people turn from God, they become corrupt completely. And we'll see the taking of bribes, the justifying of the wicked, the calling evil good and good evil, being full of drunkenness and greed. It's much like I've shared so many times already in the book of Isaiah. Galatians chapter 6, verses 7 and 8. Do not be deceived. God is not mocked.

You reap what you sow. The nation of Judah is having these woes pronounced against it. They are reaping what they have sown. They're rebelling against God.

They're producing wild fruit, wild grapes, as God was talking about his vineyard is now going to be reaped in the judgment that follows. It's true of them as a nation. And it's true of you and I in our lives personally and of any society or nation. As we follow God's word, as we follow what he has laid out, there will be blessing. But if we turn.

If we sow to the flesh, we will reap corruption. And so God pronounces now the resulting judgment upon Israel. Verse 24 and following, he says, Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble and the flame consumes the chaff, so their root will be as rottenness and their blossom will ascend like dust because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

It's like we looked at a couple weeks ago. Turn or burn is the message here.

Judgment is coming. The wrath of God is coming and it's coming as a fire. He tells us why in verse 24. He goes on in verse 26.

He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar and will whistle to them from the end of the earth. Surely they shall come with speed swiftly. No one will be weary or stumble among them. No one will slumber or sleep. Nor will the belt of their loins be loose, nor the strap of their sandals be broken. Whose arrows are sharp and their bows bent, their horses' hooves will seem like flint.

And their wheels like a whirlwind. Their roaring will be like a lion. They will roar like a young lion. Yes, they will roar and lay hold of the prey. They will carry it away safely and no one will deliver. In that day they will roar against them like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks to the land, behold darkness and sorrow and the light is darkened by the clouds. The judgment is coming.

God says the fire is coming. This nation, they're going to be fast. They're going to be supernaturally empowered by God is basically what he's describing to come and to conquer them. It's fulfilled in the nation of Babylon, conquering Jerusalem, taking the whole nation captive back to Babylon for 70 years.

You could also apply this portion as being a description of when the Roman army conquered Jerusalem in 70 AD, about 40 years after Jesus came and was crucified. The nation of Israel, the city of Jerusalem, just completely wiped out, destroyed. Nothing left as a result of their rebellion against God. See, God makes it very clear. There's no questions here.

He cultivated them. He protected them. He started with the best. He did everything he could for them. What more could be done for this nation than what God did? But they turned from him. We talk about God as being a God of love, and that is so true. But you need to know he is a just and holy God. He receives you if you will repent, if you will come to him, if you will turn from your sin.

If you'll turn to His ways, if you'll turn and rely upon Him and put your faith and trust in His Son upon the cross, He receives you. He forgives your sin as you confess to Him. You agree with Him, I'm a sinner, I am sinful. He forgives. You find mercy in abundance. He will abundantly pardon as you turn to Him. But if you turn away from Him, because He is a just and holy God, He will forgive you.

Just like it happened with the nation of Judah. He prophesied that it would. We know from history it took place. It happened in the same way. You can be assured if you turn from God, if you continue to walk away from him, if you continue to push him out of your life, you will experience the judgment and wrath of God. In Galatians chapter five, I'll close with this. Paul tells us the works of the flesh are evident.

He goes on to describe them, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like, of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

But he goes on, but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Just like the nation of Israel, you and I, we have the opportunity as part of God's vineyard, being grafted into Jesus Christ, we have the opportunity to produce fruit,

or to not produce fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is all of these things. He makes it very clear. The works of the flesh, if you're not abiding in Christ, if you're not producing fruit, your life will be manifested with all of these things. There will be these lifestyles and sinful activities that you hold on to in your life. And if you continue to live in those, you can know, hey, I'm living in the flesh. The works of the flesh are evident. It's very clear.

We're not talking about, you know, well, you just have to know and believe. And as long as you do that, you know, that's fine. Well, that's true. But God says, look, when you believe in me, your life will be different. You won't be living in the flesh. The works of the flesh are evident. You're going to be, there's going to be a change. You're going to be, instead of producing those fruits, you're going to produce the fruit of the Spirit.

And you're going to see love and joy and peace and long-suffering and kindness and goodness and faithfulness. That's the fruit that's going to be produced. That's the fruit that God is looking for. Will He find that fruit in your life when He goes to look just like He looked for fruit in the nation of Israel? Will He find the fruit of righteousness or injustice? Will He find the fruit of love or will He find these other sinful activities? I want to challenge you this evening.

With this example from the book of Isaiah, again, God prophesied. He said, this is what's going to happen. And we can look at the accounts in history and we can know this happened. It really took place. They really were wiped out. They really were. They experienced the judgment of God because they rebelled against him. And it needs to stand sharply in our mind as a warning that we would take heed, that we would not rebel against God.

that we would not continue in a path that we know is contrary to Him and His Word, but instead that we would abide in Christ, and as a result we would produce fruit, and we would be His disciples, as He says in John chapter 15. Be blessed, abide in Christ, or experience God's judgment by continuing to push Him out of your life and turn from His ways. Let's pray. God, I pray now that You would help us to take heed to these things.

God, it's a heavy message. It's a heavy thing that Isaiah had to bring to the nation of Judah. And as you pass it on to us this evening, Lord, we don't like to talk about judgment. But Lord, you are just and holy and you are faithful to your word. Help us, God, not to be deceived. Help us to know that if we sow to the flesh, we will reap corruption. And so, God, I pray that you would help us to sow to the spirit that we would reap everlasting life.

Help us, Lord, to abide in you, to live in constant and continual relationship with you. Lord, that the fruit of the Spirit would be evident in our lives. Lord, that we would get to experience the abundant life that you promised for those who would believe in you. God, I pray that you would wash us and cleanse us. We turn to you now, God. We turn from our sin. We turn from those things that you have instructed us and warned us about. Give us strength to follow you with all of our hearts.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.