Playlist: Israel as Vineyard (topic)
The Doctrine of Israel (Part Six): New Testament Teaching
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughIn the Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers, Jesus presents the vineyard as the nation of Israel under the Old Covenant. God, as the landowner, plants this vineyard, surrounds it with a hedge symbolizing separation and security, builds a tower representing refuge and vigilance, and installs a winepress, equipping Israel with every …
Israel's Restoration and the Zeitgeist of Zeal
Sermon by Charles Whitaker (1944-2021)God presents Israel as a fruitful vineyard in Isaiah 27, a prophetic image of restoration after scattering and punishment. He promises to protect and water the vineyard continually, guarding it day and night from harm while declaring that His anger has passed. Should the vineyard produce thorns, however, He will wage war against …
The Doctrine of Israel (Part Fourteen): Israel Redeemed
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod prepared Israel as His vineyard on a fruitful hill, clearing stones, planting choice vines, and constructing a tower and winepress to yield good grapes. Instead the vineyard produced only wild grapes, prompting God to question what more could have been done and to declare the removal of its hedge so that it would be burned, …
The True Vine of Agape
Sermonette by Bill OnisickJesus Christ is the Vine and His Father is the Vinedresser; we are the branches, subject to trimming and pruning in order that we bear abundant fruit.
Dominion and Leaven (Part One)
Sermonette byDominion theology holds that the church's responsibility is to spread God's Kingdom around the world, but it misunderstands the Parable of Leaven.
Hosea's Prophecy (Part Five)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThroughout the Old Testament, Israel is repeatedly portrayed as God's choice vine or vineyard, yet this imagery is consistently used not to celebrate her fruitfulness but to expose her degeneration. Isaiah 5:1-2, 7 presents the fullest picture: the Lord planted a vineyard on a fruitful hill, cleared it of stones, planted it with …
Matthew (Part Twenty-Eight)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughThe vineyard imagery Jesus employs in Matthew 21:33-45 draws directly from Isaiah 5:1-7, where the LORD sings of a vineyard planted on a fruitful hill, carefully dug, cleared of stones, planted with choice vines, hedged, and equipped with a winepress and tower—yet it produced only wild grapes. Isaiah explicitly identifies …
John (Part Twenty-Two)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughJesus' declaration in John 15:1, "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser," draws directly upon the Old Testament imagery of Israel as God's vineyard. The Greek word translated "true" is alethinos , which more accurately conveys "real" or "genuine" rather than simply "true." This distinction is crucial for …
Don't Stand Still!
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughIn the parable of the barren fig tree, Israel is identified as the vineyard, with the fig tree representing individual believers, God as the man who owns the vineyard, and Christ as the vinedresser who tends it. The fig tree is described as a hearty and productive species for the Palestine area, one with a strong likelihood of …
The Book of Joel (Part One)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThe locust plague that devastated Judah in Joel's day struck directly at the vine and vineyard, making this image central to understanding God's dealings with His people. Joel describes the destruction in stages, using four Hebrew terms for the successive forms of the locust—chewing, swarming, crawling, and …
Rejoice in What We Are (2011)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)The vineyard imagery, drawn from Isaiah 5:1-10, portrays God's relationship with Israel through the metaphor of a well-beloved vineyard planted on a fruitful hill. God, as the vineyard's caretaker, cleared the ground, removed stones, planted it with the choicest vine, built a tower, and made a winepress, expecting good grapes to …