I 1 I “Song of the Vineyard” Isaiah 5:1-7 January 8,1984 INTRODUCTION No prophet has spoken mare clearly about the grace of God than Isaiah. The evildoers would not cleanse themselves merely by . shaping up and cleaning up their act. Cleansing would come through God’s r, even this could be reject willing and obedient” ---— the condition. It is through grace that the transforming power of God is offered, and through faith salvation is wrought, (Ephesians 2:8). This is true for those who accept God’s gracious offer. The beneficiary is not the innocent, not one who has merited salvation. Rather, if is the undeserving, the sinner, to whom the grace of God is extended. And the invitation goes out to all: "Come...whoso ever will, let him take the water of life freely,” (Revelation 22:17). By this act of grace, this salvation freely given, is not complete unless it results in works of righteousness. “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith (only) save him?...faith, if it hath not works, is dead being alone,” (James 2:14, 17). Paul makes clear that salvation is not a reward for work done, (Ephesians 2:8-9). Yet he hastens to add.. “We are God’s handy work created in Christ Jesus to devote ourselves to the good deeds for which God has designed us. LESSON BACKGROUND ..Isaiah is in the forefront of those who recognize the mercy of God. At the same time, no one is more vehement than he in giving warning of what will happen when people despise that mercy. God desires to bless, but those who spurn his grace, mock at repentance, and persist in their own wickedness, cannot do so with impunity. Tpe wrath of God against evil is just as certain as His mercy for the sinner who > turns to Him. 7‘Listen while I sing you this song, a song fny friend and his vineyard: My friend rvliMSysftj oh a vefyT&tffemfofc d3g^v soil and cleared it of stones; he planted finest vines. He built a tower to guard them, dug a pit for treading the grapes. He waited for the grapes to ripen, but every grape was sour,” (Isaiah 5:1-2). The identity of the friend is not revealed as yet. For the moment Isaiah leaves his listeners in the dark on this matter. This permits, the parable, for such it is, to have greater impact. The one who had planted '' the'Vineyard had lavishly provided every thing necessary for the production of good fruit. There was every reason why he might anticipate that the vineyard would produce grapes of fine quality. Instead, it brought forth soar grapes, small and harsh flavored. The term used indicates something repuls ive. What a disappointment after weeks and months of anticipation. But this was the distressing result of What had started out as a delightful prospect. This was the sad endjngof what should have been a beautiful love song. / i*tew Social Security Law Has Some Built-In Surprises Special To The Poet The new Social Security law has some built-in sur prises. For the first time sines benefits began in 1940, some recipients will be taxed on their benefits. In addition, payroll taxes for workers and tbeir em ployers will be boosted January 1, 1964, with the greatest increases hitting the self-employed. But Harold H. Shreck engast, Jr. of the Penn sylvania Institute of Cer tified Public Accountants, says understanding how the new law may affect you can shield you from some of the surprises. Certain measures taken before January 1 can save you money. . The most dramatic aspect of the Social Secur ity Amendment of 1983, which took effect January 1, 1984, is the new formula for determining if your benefits will be taxed and how much that tax will be. Another new twist is that lax exempt interest from such things as municipal bonds will be included in calculating the amount of Social ecurity benefits that will be taxed. Here’s how the new for mula works: each indivi dual will have a threshold income of $25,000, below which benefits will not be taxed. For married couples filing jointly, the threshold is $32,000. To calculate easily if you are above or below this threshold, simply add these three easy to get num bers: take the sum ot tms year’s adjusted gross in come, add to it half the year and add to that any tax exempt interest you receive. If the resulting amount is less than the $25,000 or $32,000 threshold, no addi tional tax is due. If the resulting amount exceeds the threshold, however, you will be taxed on half of the Social Security benefits or half the excess amount above the threhold, which ever is less. Here’s an example: suppose a 66-year-old retir ee is filing an individual tax return for 1984, the first year of the new law. He received a $12,000 pension. $3,000 in interest and divi dends from stocks and bonds; $10,000 from tax exempt municipal bonds and $6,000 from Social Security His total 1984 in come then, which includes only half his Social Secur ity benefits, would total JL $28,000. After subtracting the base amount of $25,000, he’d have an excess in , come of $3,000. To determine his new taxable income, he would add $1,500 (half the excess above the threshold, which is smaller than half the Social Security benefits) to his original taxable income of $15,000 - the sum of the $12,000 pension plus $3,000 in interest from stocks and bonds. From this income of $16,500, he would sub tract $2,000 in personal ex emption because he is over 65. His 1984 tax bill on $14,500 would come to roughly $1,901. Without the new Social Security law, he would have paid about $1,601 on a taxable income of $13,000. Can planning minimize the effects of the new law? CPA’s say yes. When pos sible, it is generally ad visable to shift some income out of 1984, before December 31, and move it into 1983. Perhaps you can take a larger-than-usual withdrawal from your re tirement account this year and a smaller one next year. Subscribe To The Charlotte Post > Wayne's Gives You 4 Of The rifles* MEAT PEPTS. In Town 888 Boneless Check Rea Pork 1 Neck Bones 29e Boneless Shoulder Roast $ 1*9 _m Lb. _ Boneless Shoulder Steak $ 1T9 ■ lb._ L "1 oam tissue Charmin ™¥ Shurfine Tomato Catsup w®*2 02. Golden Ripe U.S. No. 1 Idaho * Hewn L 99 U.S. No. 1 Florida Wash. State Golden Del. (§) ApplM 7/$l00 Frlto Lay Frito's or Frlto Lights Now Only Reg. $1.49 Reg. or Light Beer Coors $ *49 | 6-16 “The Bull” Schlltz Malt Liquor FOUR CONVENIENT LOCATIONS. 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