Take a good look in the mirror of the Word of God and see what kind of fruit you are producing. Is it the type of fruit that God ordained to remain?
There is no doubt that these challenging times make it difficult to accomplish God’s work and ensure that our churches are producing healthy fruit. None of us have ever pastored, ministered, or lived through a global pandemic like COVID-19.
With all the talk of “un-precedented,” “never-before,” and “unheard of” situations, we must remember the words of the Preacher in Ecclesiastes when he said, “There is no new thing under the sun.”
Bible principles still work when they are applied in our lives. Let’s examine two principles in this passage of Scripture as we endeavor to manage the healthiest vineyard possible for the Lord.
All Fruit Is Not Good Fruit
As Isaiah is communicating the message of the Lord, he gives a similar agricultural illustration to the one Jesus offered in John chapter 15.
Isaiah is speaking to the nation of Israel, as stated in verse 7, but there are helpful principles that we can glean from this passage as well.
Note that God has done everything in His vineyard to protect it, hedge it, purify it, and plant the choicest vines. There was one desire that God had for His vineyard. It was for the vineyard to bring forth fruit, and that it did according to verse 2.
However, it was not the fruit that God intended it to produce. The Scriptures tell us that this vineyard brought forth wild grapes instead of good or sweet grapes.
You could probably give an illustration of a seeing a garden that was overgrown with weeds or observing fruit trees that had not been taken care of. The quality of the fruit from those neglected farms is lacking.
Often, they are good for nothing and taste horrible.
Did you know that you are bearing fruit in your life? I wonder how God views the fruit that is being produced in our personal lives or our churches today. Are we bearing the fruit He intended? Is He pleased with the harvest of our lives?
There is a great distinction given in the Scriptures about the fruit of the Spirit and the works of the flesh. Be reminded that the fruit of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit cannot be produced on the same branch at the same time, as sweet water and bitter water cannot proceed from the same fountain. It just does not happen!
Some would say that bad fruit is better than no fruit at all. I wonder how God views that statement?
God asks in Isaiah 5:4, “What more could have been done more to my vineyard”? God has done all that He can do for us to produce the sweet, pure fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Now it is up to us for it to be revealed.
Take a good look in the mirror of the Word of God and see what kind of fruit you are producing. Is it the kind of fruit that God ordained to remain as He said in John 15:16? It should be our prayer and desire that our fruit is worth preserving. Otherwise, it will rot and be gone.
Let God Prune for Growth – John 15:1-5
Much has been written about spiritual pruning and the purpose of it. In our text, Isaiah 5, we see that God’s lack of pruning is actually a sign of His judgment upon His people. Because the vineyard did not bring forth the good grapes that He desired, God said in verse 6 that “it shall not be pruned.” What an interesting statement that God makes here concerning His vineyard!
In other words, it may still bring forth fruit for a while, but it is not going to be healthy fruit. Eventually, the vineyard will be overgrown and infested with so many weeds that it will not bring forth fruit at all.
Do you mean that God cutting some things from our lives are actually a symbol of His love and care for us? The answer is yes!
Consider the verses about pruning in John 15. Jesus said in verse 2, “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.” When God looks at our lives, ministries, and churches, He desires for us to bear more fruit, so He has to cut some things away. I have observed that pruning/purging has two purposes in a fruit tree’s life.
First, some infected or diseased branches would eventually affect the whole of the tree.
Therefore, they must be be cut off to protect the rest of the tree and fruit.
Second, some limbs or branches need to be cut off to give room for others to grow and maximize the fruit-bearing ability of the tree.
As we examine our lives, ministries, and churches we must acknowledge infected areas that need to be cut out so as to not affect the rest of our life or ministry. These may not only be sin, weights, or habits but also can refer to people that are in our lives who are not helping us bring forth the fruit that God desires for us.
This pruning also takes place inside churches from time to time. If there are those “wolves in sheep’s clothing” present that Jesus describes, then hopefully He will purge them for the sake of the vineyard and bringing forth fruit.
God will prune a healthy church, vineyard, or life regularly.
Pruning does not always feel good or look good immediately afterward, but remember, God always has our best interest in His heart. After all, we are not trying to look like the vineyard of the world, but to be conformed to the image of Christ.
It is my prayer that each of us will examine our lives and churches through this pandemic time and honestly answer the question, “How healthy am I spiritually?” Perhaps, we are resisting God’s purging. This is the time to surrender. There may be fruit that is being produced in our lives, and God is not pleased with it. Ask God to reveal any wicked way in you. Confess it and forsake it.
Sometimes, we may look as healthy as can be on the outside, but know inside we are not doing well. Search your heart, spend time in the Scriptures.
Let’s ask God to reveal rotten fruit in us and allow Him to do the pruning necessary for us to be as healthy as He desires for us to be.