God’s Investment in Believers and His Expectations from Them

Text: Isaiah 5:1-6
“Now will I sing to my well beloved song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved 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, brought it forth wild grapes? And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.”

The church is the vineyard of God where He plants Christian believers. His investment in believers is first of all the sacrifice of Jesus for their salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit for their service and guidance. He further invests in them through the pastors who teach them His word.

By the beloved removing the stones from the ground before the planting, it symbolizes the removal of sin from us, so that His word will grow in us. Despite the fact that the ground was fruitful and a good one, while the owner was expecting sweet grapes, the vine produced sour and bad grapes. And the owner was disappointed.

He then removed all his care and investment from the vineyard, exposed it to danger, withheld rain from watering it, and allowed its destruction. This is what happens when God does not receive from us fruits of righteousness, the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), after all His investment, labouring over us in discipleship through His pastors. Look at what Jesus said about this: “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15:2,5-6).

God expects spiritual growth, fruitfulness, and service from us as His children. But where He finds us unproductive, He withdraws Himself and His investment from us, leaving us to die spiritually. What type of fruits are you bearing, sweet or sour (distasteful) fruits? God expects sweet fruits from you.

Prayer:
May God’s investment in your life not be a waste, bringing disappointment to Him, in the name of Jesus Christ.