Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20030720.htm

ISAIAH: GOD'S DIRECTIVE TO THOSE TROUBLED AT GOVERNMENTAL APOSTASY
Part IV: God's Salvation From The CORE Problem Of Social Ills
(Isaiah 5:1-30 with John 15:1-8)
  1. Introduction
    1. Governments today struggle to cope with financial burdens for the poor, costs from drug abuse, abusive cults, perverted justice and failing morals leading to sexual disease, abuses and the failure of family life.
    2. God's salvation from the core problem of these social ills is presented in Isaiah 5:1-30 in light of John 15:1-8, and these passages offer us direction as to addressing these challenges most effectively today:
  2. God's Salvation From The CORE Problem Of Social Ills, Isaiah 5:1-30 with John 15:1-8.
    1. God revealed through Isaiah that Israel, like a wild vine, did not produce righteousness in its social life:
      1. The Lord had "planted" Israel like a "vine" to produce "grapes" of righteousness, giving the nation every possible chance to be bearers of His righteousness before the world, Isaiah 5:1-2b.
      2. However, regardless of God's extensive work to cause Israel to yield "grapes" of righteousness, the nation pitiably failed to be holy, Isaiah 5:2c-4.
      3. God thus destined the nation Israel for divine judgment in punishment for this failure, Isaiah 5:5-7.
      4. Six specific failures in Israel's society are enumerated by Isaiah named as six "woes," Isaiah 5:8-23:
        1. God pronounced a "woe" upon those who greedily grabbed land at the expense of the poor, 5:8-10.
        2. God pronounced a "woe" upon those who abused alcohol, Isaiah 5:11-17.
        3. God pronounced a "woe" upon those who slandered God in their idolatrous practices, Isa. 5:18-19.
        4. God pronounced a "woe" upon those who perverted moral ethics in society, Isaiah 5:20.
        5. God pronounced a "woe" upon those who were proudly relying on their own wisdom, Isaiah 5:21.
        6. God pronounced a "woe" upon those in leadership who made judicial decisions that were distorted due to their being influenced by alcohol, a signal they ruled for their own pleasure at the price of justice to the oppressed rather than seeking what was fair and right for the weak, Isaiah 5:22-23.
      5. Accordingly, God detailed specific judgments to come on the nation by way of the Assyrian invasion; the "wild vine" of Israel would come to a chaotic ruin due to its sin, Isaiah 5:24-30.
    2. However, Jesus Christ is the TRUE Vine opposite the Isaiah 5 "wild vine" of sinful Israel, and in Him is the solution to man's hopeless social ills that arise out of man's own sinful nature, cf. John 15:1-8:
      1. Jesus presented Himself as the TRUE Vine in John 15:1, something in contrast to the false, "wilde vine" His disciples knew was described in Isaiah 5!
      2. As that TRUE Vine, Jesus presents God's solution to man's inability to produce a healthy society:
        1. Jesus provides the means for individual righteous living, John 15:1-3: (a) Every Christian today is placed into Christ to be able to live righteously in His power, John 15:1; cf. Romans 8:1a, 3-4; (b) God the Father Himself prunes the Christian so he is without excuse at any time as to know what to do and when to produce righteousness, John 15:2; (c) the vehicle God uses to communicate the direction for righteous prduction if the Word of God, John 15:3.
        2. Accordingly, Jesus commanded His disciples to live righteously, John 15:4-5: (a) If the Christian fails to fellowship with Christ, and to depend upon Him by faith, he will be as unproductive of righteous living as were the people of ancient Israel in Isaiah's day, John 15:4; (b) However, by faith on Christ and His enabling, he will live righteously, John 15:5 (cf. Galatians 5:16).
        3. Jesus then supplied a warning and then a promise to motivate believers to live righteously, 15:6-8: (a) If we operate independent of Christ, we will fail to live righteously and suffer God's discipline, John 15:6; (b) if we depend on Christ, we will in contrast produce much righteousness, John 15:7. doing the latter will fulfill God's will for our earthly lives, John 15:8.
Lesson: SOCIAL ILLS are caused by INDIVIDUALS who live by the SIN NATURE. The SOLUTION is for INDIVIDUALS in society to TRUST in Christ for salvation and to live a life of FAITH in Christ.

Application: (1) The BEST thing we can do to resolve society's ills is to believe in Christ for salvation and live in dependence upon Christ by means of the Holy Spirit's power. (2) Then, we can help disciple others to faith in Christ followed by a life of faith in Him. (3) When that happens in Christ's Kingdom, social ills will SUBSIDE [and they will CEASE in the SINLESS eternal state]!