[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered on the 31st of August, 2014.]
In three weeks we’ll be celebrating our homecoming and kicking off our revival services. So for the next three Sundays, I’m going to take us on a path leading to those services by covering the three R’s. Not readin’, ‘ritin’, and ‘rithmetic. Repentance, renewal, and revival.
If we look at a red-letter edition of our Bible, it’s easy to see that nearly half of the four Gospels are direct quotes of Jesus. The book of Luke perhaps best exemplifies this statistic, with 586 of its 1151 verses being the words of Christ. Listen and follow along to a little of what our Lord has to tell us, in the Gospel according to Luke, chapter 13, verses 1 through 9…
If we look at a red-letter edition of our Bible, it’s easy to see that nearly half of the four Gospels are direct quotes of Jesus. The book of Luke perhaps best exemplifies this statistic, with 586 of its 1151 verses being the words of Christ. Listen and follow along to a little of what our Lord has to tell us, in the Gospel according to Luke, chapter 13, verses 1 through 9…
1 Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? 3 I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
6 And He began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. 7 And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; 9 and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.’”
--Luke 13:1-9 (NASB)
Let us pray... Heavenly Father, ever faithful and ever-forgiving, thank You for giving us Your word as our guide in life. Help us, please Lord, understand and heed the message You have for us today. Speak through Your Holy Spirit in our hearts that we might repent and not perish. In the glorious name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
A little story in the March 1993 Reader’s Digest tells of a man who awoke one morning to find a puddle of water in the middle of his king-size water bed. In order to fix the puncture, he rolled the heavy mattress outdoors and filled it with more water so he could locate the leak more easily. The enormous bag of water was impossible to control and began rolling on the hilly terrain. He tried to hold it back, but it headed downhill and landed in a clump of bushes which poked it full of holes.
Disgusted, the man tossed the mattress and threw out the water-bed frame and moved a standard bed into his room. The next morning, he awoke to find a puddle of water in the middle of the new bed. The upstairs bathroom had developed a leak.
Sometimes we tend to think we know the answer before we fully understand the problem. We jump at the first likely solution when there may be many other possibilities to consider.
In a way, today’s message text is kind of like that. As do so many in our Bible, this passage can convey more than a few meanings, and all of them correct. I actually first only looked at verses 6 through 9 for the sermon scripture before the Spirit led me a little higher on the page.
In those last four verses, Jesus tells the parable of a fig tree planted in a vineyard. That was not as unusual as it may seem, but because a fig tree would really suck the nutrients out of the earth, it was expected to bear fruit quickly or it would be destroyed. In this case, the tree had produced no fruit for three years, so the vineyard owner ordered that it be cut down. But the gardener asked for more time. He promised to till the soil around the roots and lay in some fertilizer so it can be absorbed more directly by the tree. If it still bore no fruit after another year of this attentive care, then it would be cut down.
So what type of fertilizer do you think the gardener planned to use? Maybe some lime, or a nitrogen rich blend? No, the only fertilizer back then was the kind that came out of the back end of whatever animals happened to be kept around. The gardener planned to dig up around the roots of that tree and fill it in with manure!
Now it should be obvious, but the vineyard owner is also the owner and creator of the entire universe, God. And the vineyard-keeper, the gardener, is Jesus. Oh, and we’re the fig tree. God has grown tired of checking on us every year, waiting on us to bear fruit, and has told Jesus to go ahead and cut us down. But Jesus pleads for just one more year, one more chance. He’ll personally take extra special care of us and do everything He can that we might bear fruit.
How did we get in this predicament to begin with, and why would Jesus give us another chance? He tells us in another of the Gospels. In the book of John, chapter 15, verse 5, Jesus says…
A little story in the March 1993 Reader’s Digest tells of a man who awoke one morning to find a puddle of water in the middle of his king-size water bed. In order to fix the puncture, he rolled the heavy mattress outdoors and filled it with more water so he could locate the leak more easily. The enormous bag of water was impossible to control and began rolling on the hilly terrain. He tried to hold it back, but it headed downhill and landed in a clump of bushes which poked it full of holes.
Disgusted, the man tossed the mattress and threw out the water-bed frame and moved a standard bed into his room. The next morning, he awoke to find a puddle of water in the middle of the new bed. The upstairs bathroom had developed a leak.
Sometimes we tend to think we know the answer before we fully understand the problem. We jump at the first likely solution when there may be many other possibilities to consider.
In a way, today’s message text is kind of like that. As do so many in our Bible, this passage can convey more than a few meanings, and all of them correct. I actually first only looked at verses 6 through 9 for the sermon scripture before the Spirit led me a little higher on the page.
In those last four verses, Jesus tells the parable of a fig tree planted in a vineyard. That was not as unusual as it may seem, but because a fig tree would really suck the nutrients out of the earth, it was expected to bear fruit quickly or it would be destroyed. In this case, the tree had produced no fruit for three years, so the vineyard owner ordered that it be cut down. But the gardener asked for more time. He promised to till the soil around the roots and lay in some fertilizer so it can be absorbed more directly by the tree. If it still bore no fruit after another year of this attentive care, then it would be cut down.
So what type of fertilizer do you think the gardener planned to use? Maybe some lime, or a nitrogen rich blend? No, the only fertilizer back then was the kind that came out of the back end of whatever animals happened to be kept around. The gardener planned to dig up around the roots of that tree and fill it in with manure!
Now it should be obvious, but the vineyard owner is also the owner and creator of the entire universe, God. And the vineyard-keeper, the gardener, is Jesus. Oh, and we’re the fig tree. God has grown tired of checking on us every year, waiting on us to bear fruit, and has told Jesus to go ahead and cut us down. But Jesus pleads for just one more year, one more chance. He’ll personally take extra special care of us and do everything He can that we might bear fruit.
How did we get in this predicament to begin with, and why would Jesus give us another chance? He tells us in another of the Gospels. In the book of John, chapter 15, verse 5, Jesus says…
5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.--John 15:5 (NASB)
Jesus is the vine and we are a branch. If a branch is broken off from the vine, can it possibly bear fruit? No, it withers and dies. If we become separated from Jesus, no matter how or why, we can no longer bear the fruit God seeks.
Speaking of fruit, what are these fruits I keep talking about? If we’re the tree, then the fruits God would hope to see are the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul describes these fruits in his letter to the Galatians, chapter 5, verses 22 through the first half of 23…
Speaking of fruit, what are these fruits I keep talking about? If we’re the tree, then the fruits God would hope to see are the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul describes these fruits in his letter to the Galatians, chapter 5, verses 22 through the first half of 23…
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control....
--Galatians 5:22-23a (NASB)
Our Father wants to see these fruits, all these fruits, all the time, not just every now and then.
What do you think we’re supposed to do during that extra year Jesus gives us, besides sit around in a pile of manure? Well, that’s where the first five verses of today’s message text come in, the part the Spirit led me to.
In this passage Jesus is explaining that those who suffer more than others are not receiving a harsher punishment because they sinned more than the others. In fact, everyone could still be subject to that harsher punishment and greater suffering if they don’t turn from their sinful ways and repent. My New King James Version of the Bible titles this short passage “Repent or Perish”. Those are the very words Jesus used: “unless you repent, you will … perish”.
We’ve been granted a second chance, but we have to repent. Fortunately, God doesn’t just hold a stick, He also has a carrot to offer (or maybe a fig or a grape). In 2nd Chronicles chapter 7 verse 14, God comes to King Solomon in a vision and tells him that if…
But first we need to repent, to turn from our wicked ways and turn to Him. In the book of the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 3 verse 19, Peter tells us…
Are we pretending? Do we say we’re Christian but have nothing to show for it, no fruit? We cannot continue to call ourselves a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, and go on living the way we want to live rather than the way He wants us to live. Folks, we’re up to our knees in good old fashioned fertilizer and we’re running out of time.
But the neat thing is, think about who our gardener is and what He has given us. The fertilizer that Jesus has spread at our very roots is the Holy Spirit. The digging around our roots might be messy and painful, but it is our rebirth, another chance to be born again in Jesus.
What is our sin? I don’t think any of us are especially wicked, but sometimes we may do wicked things, even if unintentionally. Our sin is what keeps us from bearing fruit. Our sin is whatever separates us from God. Our sin is what broke us off from the vine.
In a way, we are indeed like that fig tree planted in a vineyard, among grape vines, plants that bear different fruit. We have been planted in the world, placed among the rest of mankind, that we might bear fruit different from those who do not believe.
And one very precious secret in all this is that its fruit is how the plant recreates itself. The fruit contains the seed of the plant that produced it. The fruit is the means of spreading that seed. If we bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit, then we carry the seed of God within us. It is through us that He spreads the seed, the Gospel, throughout all the world. If we do not bear the fruit of God, then we must repent from our sin, from whatever separates us from Him.
We must repent, or perish. Time is running out.
Amen.
Let us pray… Heavenly Father, so many times You grant us another opportunity to bear the fruit You desire, the fruit of Your Holy Spirit. So many times You heed Your Son’s request to give us one more chance. Father, we want to bear Your fruit, but this ground, this world, is so polluted by Satan that it pulls us from the true vine that is Jesus. Forgive us, O Lord, when we find it so hard to turn our backs on our worldly ways, when we live life how we want to with no regard to how You would have us live it. We pray for yet more patience, Father, to allow Your Holy Spirit to work in through our roots into our very heart.
Lord Jesus, we willingly accept Your tender care. We know when You dig around our roots that it is only to allow the Spirit to get closer to our core. You nourish us with the gentle rains of Your love. Thank You, Lord, for loving us this much. We repent, Jesus, from everything that keeps us from You. Hear us now, precious Savior, as we speak to You from our hearts and confess our sin that separates us, as we promise to turn from that sin and never to allow it to rule our lives again. Hear us as we each silently repent…
Father God, we want to bear Your fruit and spread the seed of Christ’s Gospel throughout the world. Give us the strength to keep our backs turned from our sin, to keep our eyes fixed firmly upon Your Son Jesus. Lord Jesus, please keep digging at our roots and filling us with the Holy Spirit that we might stay attached to You and bear that wonderful fruit that everyone will want to taste and share. In the blessed name of Jesus Christ we repent and we pray. Amen.
What do you think we’re supposed to do during that extra year Jesus gives us, besides sit around in a pile of manure? Well, that’s where the first five verses of today’s message text come in, the part the Spirit led me to.
In this passage Jesus is explaining that those who suffer more than others are not receiving a harsher punishment because they sinned more than the others. In fact, everyone could still be subject to that harsher punishment and greater suffering if they don’t turn from their sinful ways and repent. My New King James Version of the Bible titles this short passage “Repent or Perish”. Those are the very words Jesus used: “unless you repent, you will … perish”.
We’ve been granted a second chance, but we have to repent. Fortunately, God doesn’t just hold a stick, He also has a carrot to offer (or maybe a fig or a grape). In 2nd Chronicles chapter 7 verse 14, God comes to King Solomon in a vision and tells him that if…
14 …My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
If we humble ourselves – get down on our knees - and turn from our sin – repent, God will hear our plea and not only will our Lord forgive us but He’ll also heal our land. Remember Jesus promises to loosen the soil and enrich it with fertilizer. That would be a healing process for the land.--2 Chronicles 7:14 (NASB)
But first we need to repent, to turn from our wicked ways and turn to Him. In the book of the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 3 verse 19, Peter tells us…
19 Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.
We are heading toward that time of refreshing Peter speaks of, when we are again in the presence of our Lord Jesus. We will stand before Him and before God. Right now God is saying if there’s no fruit, cut them down. But Jesus is asking for one more chance, one more year to help His trees bear fruit. God grants His request, but family: borrowed time is not permanent. God’s patience has a limit.--Acts 3:19 (NASB)
Are we pretending? Do we say we’re Christian but have nothing to show for it, no fruit? We cannot continue to call ourselves a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, and go on living the way we want to live rather than the way He wants us to live. Folks, we’re up to our knees in good old fashioned fertilizer and we’re running out of time.
But the neat thing is, think about who our gardener is and what He has given us. The fertilizer that Jesus has spread at our very roots is the Holy Spirit. The digging around our roots might be messy and painful, but it is our rebirth, another chance to be born again in Jesus.
What is our sin? I don’t think any of us are especially wicked, but sometimes we may do wicked things, even if unintentionally. Our sin is what keeps us from bearing fruit. Our sin is whatever separates us from God. Our sin is what broke us off from the vine.
In a way, we are indeed like that fig tree planted in a vineyard, among grape vines, plants that bear different fruit. We have been planted in the world, placed among the rest of mankind, that we might bear fruit different from those who do not believe.
And one very precious secret in all this is that its fruit is how the plant recreates itself. The fruit contains the seed of the plant that produced it. The fruit is the means of spreading that seed. If we bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit, then we carry the seed of God within us. It is through us that He spreads the seed, the Gospel, throughout all the world. If we do not bear the fruit of God, then we must repent from our sin, from whatever separates us from Him.
We must repent, or perish. Time is running out.
Amen.
Let us pray… Heavenly Father, so many times You grant us another opportunity to bear the fruit You desire, the fruit of Your Holy Spirit. So many times You heed Your Son’s request to give us one more chance. Father, we want to bear Your fruit, but this ground, this world, is so polluted by Satan that it pulls us from the true vine that is Jesus. Forgive us, O Lord, when we find it so hard to turn our backs on our worldly ways, when we live life how we want to with no regard to how You would have us live it. We pray for yet more patience, Father, to allow Your Holy Spirit to work in through our roots into our very heart.
Lord Jesus, we willingly accept Your tender care. We know when You dig around our roots that it is only to allow the Spirit to get closer to our core. You nourish us with the gentle rains of Your love. Thank You, Lord, for loving us this much. We repent, Jesus, from everything that keeps us from You. Hear us now, precious Savior, as we speak to You from our hearts and confess our sin that separates us, as we promise to turn from that sin and never to allow it to rule our lives again. Hear us as we each silently repent…
Father God, we want to bear Your fruit and spread the seed of Christ’s Gospel throughout the world. Give us the strength to keep our backs turned from our sin, to keep our eyes fixed firmly upon Your Son Jesus. Lord Jesus, please keep digging at our roots and filling us with the Holy Spirit that we might stay attached to You and bear that wonderful fruit that everyone will want to taste and share. In the blessed name of Jesus Christ we repent and we pray. Amen.
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