Luke 13:6-9

The Gospel of Luke, chapter 13, and verses 6 through 9. He spake also this parable. A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came and sought fruit thereon, or thereon, and found none. then said he unto the dresser of the vineyard, Behold these three years, I come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down, why combereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let alone this year also, till I shall dig it about and dunk it. And if it bear fruit well, and if not, then after that, thou shall cut it down. May God bless to us His sacred and holy word this morning. I read a story about a pastor and his wife who moved to Boko, our Boka Roton, Florida. They planted several fruit trees around their house. One of them was a very small. a tangelo tree. However, the tree did not do very well. It did so poorly that everybody said it must have died. Repeatedly, the pastor was told that the tree should be pulled out in another tree planted in its place. But he decided that he would first dig around the tree and fly fertilizer and see if he couldn’t get it to produce, sort of like what we read here in our parable. And the result was ever since that time, the tree’s been doing very well. In fact, they started to get around 400 large delicious tangeloes from that tree every year. Our text is a parable, we’re told, which it’s a story that’s told to us in earthly terms, but it has a spiritual meaning to it. And so everything that we have here, you could probably understand. from an agricultural point of view, but the idea is to lift that above the agricultural and see the spiritual implications of what Jesus is teaching. And it seems that there was not a good ending regarding this fig tree. It’s going to end up getting cut down. Matthew’s Gospel portrays the fig tree being cursed by Christ. Let no fruit grow on thee henceforth forever. Matthew 2119. Now the comparison of man or men to trees and the fruit of a tree to the graces of the fruit of a tree to the graces of the Holy Spirit which a tree produces. We see that this is very common in Scripture. You can find it in many places. as fruit is the production of a tree’s life in the end for which it exists. So obedience to the divine will, the holiness of life, should be the product of your life. That’s why you were created. To bring glory and honor to the Lord. So it’s not surprising that the maker of all things should look for a great. good fruit to come from your life. I want to talk about the barren fig tree this morning. Now let me begin by saying this. Where God gives you spiritual privileges, he expects proportionate returns. You’ll notice here in verse 6, he spake this parable. A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard and he came and sought fruit thereon and found none. Now, what you have here portrayed are those who profess to be God’s people but are spiritually barren. And we could start with the Jewish nation as a whole. The parable certainly, I think, has a primary reference to the Jews. they are compared to a fig tree planted in a vineyard. This refers to Israel’s position in the world. They were in a favored position. They’re not out there in the wild. They’re in God’s garden, where his special care is given to them. And God bestowed on them many temporal and religious privileges, for which they should have been grateful and they should have produced devoted obedience to the Lord. They were favored with divine revelation. We think about the law given to the Israelites and the ordinances with regard to sac, you know, how to deal with sin and so forth. All that was given to them. No other nation had that privilege. and so we see that they enjoyed some special privileges here. Things were done for them which were never done for Egypt or Syria or Babylon or Greece or Rome. So it was only just and right that God should expect them to bring forth fruit. They should be holy and godly. They should have been full of the graces of Holy Spirit. But in general, they face. Here and there there were converted people, but they did improve their privileges, and they dishonored the Lord. They often lived no differently than the world around them, and they were unfruitful. And thus he says, you’re like a barren fig tree. So the Lord used the Romans to cut them down. And we’ll see that happening in. short measure here. The measure of their sins being filled up, wrath came upon them to the uttermost in 66 to 70 AD. John the Baptist warned them and applied this idea to every individual Jew in Matthew 310. Now also the axe is laid under the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is yewed down and cast into the fire. So as a whole, nationally, as the fig tree, they were not very productive. And as individual trees, they wasted their privileges. We don’t see very many of them repenting. And thus Jesus called them a wicked. an adulterous or unfaithful generation. So the Jewish nation as a whole here is portrayed. Now, we have to understand that everything in the Word of God has a personal application. It has a primary application, but it also has a personal application to you and I. And so we can apply this to many in the Word of God in the United. And so we can apply this to many in the a visible church. In fact, Paul says in 1st Corinthians 1011, now all these things happened under them, the Jews, for in samples, and they are written for our admonition. You have to look beyond Israel if you wish to get the full benefit now of the parable that he lays out for us. It should be applied also to Christian churches and individual professors. We don’t want to overlook this point. Christians today have spiritual light and divine truth. They have the doctrines. They have the precepts of the Word of God, which many nations and people never enjoy. They walk in utter darkness. When Peter speaks of Christians and their graces, talks about adding to them. to your faith. And he says, add virtue and knowledge and temperance and patience and godliness and brother kind, brotherly kindness and charity. Build on your faith. And he warns of the danger of not doing so. But he that lacketh these things is blind, cannot see afar off. And have forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Second Peter 1.9. when you enjoy spiritual privileges, you’ve got great responsibilities. Is it not just and right that God should expect you to bear fruit, even much fruit in your life? You have a complete Bible. You have the freedom to attend a church where the gospel is preached. You can hear a gospel, true gospel preaching. That’s a tremendous. privilege. Many nations don’t have these privileges. In many places, we know that the government is so opposed to Christians that they have to actually have secret meetings and hide underground. And we see that in China in particular. Don’t forget your master expects fruit because of these privileges you enjoy. I think a lot of people forget this, that there’s is a connection between privilege and responsibility. So you have portrayed those who profess to be God’s people, but are spiritually barren. Now, you need to understand the basic symbolism now of the parable. Let’s just look at it briefly. The certain man, I believe, is best understood of the Lord Jesus Christ himself, who is truly man, as well as surely proper and properly God. Some have said the man is God the Father, but this leads to problems because it makes the vine dresser Jesus Christ. And dare we think that Christ’s prayers are ineffectual because the tree gets cut down. It can, you know, it contradicts Christ’s own teaching regarding for who he prays. It’s never the non-elect. They pray not for the world, but for them thou hast given me, John 179. And as he said in John 11, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me and I knew that thou hearest me always. If Christ prays, it’s effectual. And so we have some people praying for more time, but it’s not effectual in this case. This vineyard, of course, is God’s garden of privilege and special care. And we could put it in the sense of the external church, if you would. The barren fig tree refers to the Jewish people specifically, but also barren professors. They have no spiritual fruit. He came and sought fruit, denotes Christ incarnation. denotes his coming into the world, in human nature. He sought by his public ministry the fruits of faith in himself and repentance toward God among the people of the Jews. But he found relatively few believers among his nation. He came unto his own and his own received in mind. Thus, as Mark’s gospel records, seeing a fig tree, afar off having leaves, he came if happily he might find anything thereon. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves. Jesus said unto it, no man eat fruit of the hereafter forever. Mark 11, 13, and 14. Then began He, Jesus, to upbraid the cities wherein most of the mighty works were done, because they repented not. The vine dresser here, I am going to take for ministers of the word who are in charge of the Lord’s vineyard to care for it and to provide for, to dress and keep it, so to speak. And behold, these three years I came seeking fruit on this fig tree and found none, I think refers to the three years, of Christ’s public ministry and his work among the Jews, which found little success. It had some success, but not a whole lot. Why cumbereth it the ground, cut it down? Barren professors are useless. They are unprofitable, and God’s judgment is pronounced against them. Let it alone this year all. is the intercession of the ministers of Christ. They’re asking for a little bit more time. Sort of like we find Abraham trying to intercede for Sodom. Or Moses interceding for Israel. And, you know, don’t destroy them. Couldn’t we wait, you know, couldn’t there be, you know, couldn’t there be, you know, some more time here for repentance? And so that’s what we’ve done. find there. The digging and the dunging, the digging around the tree, I think, exposing some of the roots here. Now we’re getting down to maybe these men in their searching, preaching, uncovering secret sins in people’s lives, or dung it with the idea of the use of the gospel and maybe be the pressing of the duties of the gospel to repent and believe upon the individual. Where God gives you spiritual privilege is he expects proportionate returns, and you have portrayed those who profess to be God’s people, but are spiritually barren. Now, you need to understand the basic symbolism of of the parable, as I said. And we went over that. Secondly, this morning, it is most dangerous for you to be unfruitful under great spiritual privileges. It’s not difficult for you to ascertain whether you’re living for God, or are you living for the world. You have a conscience. You can search your own heart, and you can weigh this matter for your. yourself. Your conscience is aware of your state. Your heart knows the way you’re living. How awakening this parable ought to be to those who profess to know the Lord but don’t have spiritual fruit in their life. You may be privileged to regularly sit in a gospel church and hear the word of God being expounded and yet at the same time have to be hanging over the pit of hell. It’s true that you may be satisfied enjoying the best part of God’s vineyard. But you have no interest in living for God’s glory. That’s the problem. So your state is known by whatever your life produces. Christians bear spiritual fruit. The question is, do you bear spiritual fruit? So examine yourself whether you are barren or fruitful. Notice also this. You should really be a spiritual fruit. realize it is most reasonable for God to cut down the baron. It is the shortest and most sure way of dealing with you. You know, when the owner of the vineyard says cut it down, the remedy is very sharp, but it’s very simple. The felling of the, excuse me, the felling of the tree is done and clearance is made for the planting of another tree. If you’re not going to produce, I’ll replace you’ll replace you. and put somebody in there who will produce. You know, it’s labor intensive to try and preserve a barren tree. I mean, you’re digging around it, you’re fertilizing it, you’re pruning it, you’re watering it, you’re examining it for disease, you’re going through all the effort to try to keep it alive and keep it going. And all this involves time and energy and much attention, yet the whole process and the whole process and the end may just be a waste of time and so to try to spare the tree is difficult to cut it down is easy and effectual and allows you to begin anew. If you’re unconverted and you’re a church attender, you take up much labor, you have to have the gospel preach to you repeatedly because you still haven’t repented. you’re called to repent again and again. You’re entreated to be reconciled with God, the pastor or the people, the members reason with you about your condition. They try to answer your objections. They are very patient in dealing with you. Or they earnestly are praying on your behalf. And perhaps they’re even looking up key verses of scripture that they can apply to your circumstance. Now you would expect to do this, expect God to do this for you. When he, that’s what most people do expect. And maybe they expect him to do it continually. But he has a simpler remedy. He can just stop dealing with you. He can prevent you being any further offense to him. He can take your life, end your existence upon earth, and simply have your soul descended to hell. There’ll be no more despising of his scripture, no more refusing to repent, no more wasting the efforts of God’s minister and people, no more defiance of God. Death shall end all these abominations forever. Cut it down. It’s a pretty serious remedy. Notice something. else. You already have been given sufficient time for repentance. It’s not like you hear the gospel once and God says, okay, that’s enough. If there had been any hope of repentant, surely you would have repented long ago is the idea. I don’t know what more could be done for you than what has already been done is what God is saying here. Perhaps God has sent affliction and trouble and trial like the garden spade digging about to loosen your ties to this earth. These things should have loosened your hold of carnal things and focused your attention on eternity. But listen what God says to Israel and Isaiah 1. Why should you be stricken anymore? You revolt more and more. From the soul of the foot, even under the head thereof, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. How often do I have to beat you? How often do I have to hit you with the rod? And still, from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet, you still aren’t listening. Has not God provided plentyful helps for you to repent? He’s done about you and tried to provide what is necessary for you? What has God not provided for it? He’s given you everything you really need. So, you’ve had every encouragement to repent. Now, it is true that God has to give you repentance. It is true that God has to do a work of regeneration. But from a human perspective, you’ve had all the privileges that you need. everything that you need for repentance you’ve had provided. God is under no obligation to wait for you as you take your good old time to decide whether you’re going to repent or not. How many warnings must you hear about today being the day of salvation? How many times have we said this? You don’t have tomorrow. You have no promise of tomorrow. Today is a day. the day when you hear the gospel you hear God’s voice repent so you can’t complain if God says cut it down so you should realize it is most reasonable for God to cut down the baron notice that lastly here you are taking up space someone else may have used who would bring glory to God where the baron fig tree stands if it would be removed we put another tree in you’re cumbering the ground you’re wasting space in god’s vineyard if another had sat in that seat you occupied it may be that he would have repented in sack cloth and ashes long ago you’re like a pernium which became hardened under the preaching of the gospel not so often christ himself said if his mighty works and his miracles and the gospel preaching had been done in Sodom they would have repented long ago it’s been spared destruction so don’t miss christ’s poign here others would spiritually prosper if they enjoyed your privileges why should you continue to receive them so he says cut it down cut it down the pastor who moved to florida was able to get his tangelo tree to produce by putting extra effort and labor on it and into it here you find the opposite the bear in fig tree never becomes fruitful it just cumbers the ground so don’t be like this fig tree or God may decide to cut it down cut you down repent Well, you have opportunity is the message of scripture. Repet now. Repet now. Let’s close what we’ll do.