Last Week we spoke about the parable of the weeds. This week we will be talking about the parable of fig tree. How many of you remember what we said a parable was last week? A parable is a earthly story with a heavenly meaning. The reason Jesus spoke in parables so that we might get a better understand of the message that he is trying to convey to us.
When I preach God’s word, I try to make it relevant to what’s happening today. I want it to be simple that even a child can understand it. There is no need of me trying to show you what happened in Israel, when you can’t see what’s happening in Compton. It serves no purpose for me to try and make you shout if I don’t first tell you how you should walk. There is no need of me trying to tell you what’s going to happen when you die, and you haven’t been taught how to live. So, here again Jesus speaks in a parable.
This parable was addressed mainly to the Jews. God chose the Jews for his own. He made the Jews a people near to him. He gave them advantages for knowing and serving him above any other people and expected in return duty, praise and honor.
But these people disappointed God’s expectations. They did do their duty. God even let them build a great temple to worship him in but they still did not want to obey God.
As long as they were out there in the wilderness, they would cry out to God. But as soon as God allowed them to build a temple to worship him in they began to become disobedient. They began to get discouraged. The began to get dissatisfied. The begin to get disappointed.
As soon as God blessed them, you couldn’t count on them to be at choir rehersal any longer. You couldn’t find them at prayer meeting and bible study. Sunday School was out of the question, it was too early. The bible says that they had left their first love.
This sounds like another church I once knew. God blessed that church tremendously. It started out in a living room. But it began to grow. At one location they were at they had to move the chairs out the way to shout. They had a choir that couldn’t fit in the choir stand, it was full every Sunday morning. When youth night came the youth showed up. In bible study and Sunday School they had 2,3,4,5, classes. The church was packed every Sunday and the Spirit of the Lord was present at every meeting.
But God blessd them with some pews. God blessed them with a fine building. God blessed them with enough seating capacity to be comfortable. They had an air condition buildin.
After God Blessed them, they forgot about God. They began to focus on the building. They began to focus on the choir. They began to focus on Big I’s and little U’s. And the last time I heard from them they had taken down the sign and went out of business.
Sometimes God allows us to struggle to keep us humble. God knows that the minute he blesses some folk they will forget about God. Sometimes we find ourselves loving the stuff that God gives us instead of loving God. We talked about Tues night in bible study. If God took away all your stuff would you still serve him. Job said, though you slay me, yet will I trust in thee.
This text before us reveals anger and frustration on the part of the owner of the vineyard. It is apparent that this vineyard owner had become extremely tired. He had grown weary as evidenced in the conclusion reached when he said, cut it down. He had not received any return on his investment. He was fed up.
I know I’m talking to someone in this room who have invested in something or someone and did not receive any return from your investment. You invested in your children and now they won’t even speak to you. You invested in your job and they laid you off. You invested in your spouse and they ran out on you. This man says I’m not going to take this any longer, no longer will I tolerate business as usual.
How often have I heard people in relationships say I can’t take this business any longer. If I’m gonna stay here, some things have got to change. I want to suggest to us today that there is danger in going back to “business as usual.”
Parents with tough love, have said to their disobedient children that you can’t stay here and do your own thing. They say that every grown person ought to have their own house. The school board says that some things have got to change. They say that if you want to make the grade, you got to earn the credit. In other words, you can stay here, providing that there is no more “business as ususal.”
I hear in this text today, time is out for business as usual. In other words, what you’ve gotten away with in the past will no longer be acceptable with God —no more business as usual. It’s time to pump it up. It’s time to move on up. It’s time to step it up a notch. It’s time to go to the next level.
This is why the store owner takes inventory, to see what has been done and to see how to do it better. We ought to look at what’s been done here at Progress and see if we can do it better.
Men and women sit in corporate board rooms planning and developing strategies on who to do it better. They don’t’ want business as usual. Designers and inventors are coming out with new improved products so that things can be done better.
I believe I hear the Holy Spirit telling us through this text today that God is saying to His people and to His church, “I want better business than usual.”
God deserves our best. We are too busy giving God the leftovers instead of giving him the first fruits. Grandma used to say that you ought to live so God can use you anywhere and anytime.
Through the spirit, I get a sense of frustration in the mind of God. I ask what kind of return is God getting from the investment that He has made? I once preached a sermon called are you worth what you cost? It cost Jesus his life for you and I to be saved, and I wonder, “Are we worth what we cost.?
What about God’s investment in this church? What’s His return? If you invest in something you are looking for something in return. Nobody in this world gives up anything without looking for something in return. Sometimes all you get is a good feeling, but you want something in return. I wonder what return is God getting out of this church and what return is God getting out of your life? I believe that when God looks at me and at you and at the church, I hear him saying, “I want a better return than usual.”
Jesus gives this parable about a man who owned a vineyard. The man represents God. This man planted a fig tree in the vineyard. He hired and paid a gardener, a vinedresser to tend to the vineyard and look after the tree. Each year for three years the owner came to the tree to collect fruit. The bible says that he found none.
The purpose of the tree was to produce fruit. It was not a shade tree. It’s not suppose to produce rabbits. It’s not suppose to produce water. It is suppose to produce fruit.
You know a fig tree always produce the blooms before it produce the leaves. So whenever you see leaves on a Fig tree you have a right to expect fruit because fruit come before the leaves. Too many folk have leaves but ain’t got no fruit.
When Jesus saw leaves on a fig tree, He expected fruit. It was the season for figs. The sign, the leaves, said figs are on the tree. But when Jesus looked at the fig tree, What a disappointment to Jesus when He got to the tree to find leaves only. The leaves said that that there was fruit on the trees.
This tree was guilty of false advertising. We got too many folk in the church that are false advertising. They say if I had 10,000 tongues they wouldn’t stop praising the Lord, but they don’t even want to praise him with the one tongue they have. Somebody said that “I woke up this morning with my mind on Jesus but they forgot to get down on their knees and say thank you. Somebody said that “We have come into this house, gathered in his name to worship him, but there are some folk who came for some other reason than to worship him.
I wonder what would happen if there was a serious examination of our tree. I wonder what would happen if the Lord would inspect the fruit of our trees. I wonder what would the Lord find up under out leaves?
We have all kinds of leaves. We have the church look leaves. We wear the church clothes leaves. We have the church act leaves. We buy the books and quote the scriptures and go through the motions but where is the fruit?
My bible tells me in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.
This owner had stopped by that tree year after year for 3 years. It also tells us that in this trip, he gets angry with the tree. IJSB to tell you Progress that the owner of this church has been stopping by for over 46 years, I wonder will the next time he inspect us, will he find no fruit, some fruit, little fruit, or much fruit.
I believe that the owner had high hopes and high expectations for and from this tree. I need to tell somebody right here that God has high hopes and great expectations from Progress. God has great anticipation for you and me and for His church.
This owner became anxious because this tree had failed to live up to its expectations. The tree had let him down. This tree had failed to live up to the owners high hopes for the tree.
Has that not been the case with us? I don’t know about you, but certainly with me. There have been times that I have let God down. I have failed to do the things that he told me to do and I have done some things that he told me not to do. I have let God down, but I’m glad that God has not let me down.
There have been times when we have not lived up to God’s expectations. There have been times when we have not lived up to His plan for our lives. But if you are here today and realize that you have let God down, I got good news for you.
Let’s look at the parable. The tree was not randomly placed. It was not accidentally located. It had been set in a certain spot for a reason. The text tells us it was planted. That means that it was placed in the place where the owner wanted it to be placed.
I need to let you know today that none of us here because of any accident. We were placed in this place because this is the place where the owner wanted us.
Everything surrounding the tree was conducive to bearing fruit. The problem was not on the outside. The problem was in the tree. Yes, the problem was in the tree. The problems is in you and me. We have everything we need to bear fruit. If we don’t, it’s not because we can’t, it is because we won’t.
We make all kinds of excuses as to why we can’t do it. You do know what an excuse is don’t you? We an excuse is a lie dressed up to look like a reason. (repeat).
This tree was in a vineyard. It had irrigation. It had fertilization. It received the radiance of the sunshine. But something happened here, the owner said to the dresser, cut it down. There is no use of me wasting my time on this tree anymore. I need something better. I need some fruit.
IJSB that the Lord is saying to us today in our personal lives and in our church, I want something better. I’m tired of the same old mess. I’m tired of the same old lip service. I’m tired of the same old hang-ups and hang outs. Give me some fruit.
The owner says to the dresser, cut it down. It’s taking up space. It’s using up resources that could be better spent on someone or something else. I’m wasting my time on this tree. I wonder is God wasting time on us?
Well, let me tell you that there is still hope. This is still some good news. The dresser went to the owner, and said that I know that this tree has not produced any fruit. I know that you think you are wasting your time. I know that you have done everything that you could to make it bear fruit. But just give me one more year. Let me work with it one more year. Let me dung it, fertilize it. Let me dig around it and let me prune it and work with it. Give it one more chance.
Somebody in here right now ought to thank God for a second chance. Somebody said that I was on my way to Hell with no God on my side but the dresser which is Jesus Christ said to the owner, give them one more chance. Somebody said that I was too mean to live and wasn’t fit to die, but the dresser said – give them one more chance.
I want to let you know that it’s gonna take some pruning and some purging and some breaking up the soil to get us ready for growth.
I’m so glad that when justice said cut them down. We had a dresser, by the name of Jesus the Christ, the son of a living God. Somebody said that he picked me up and turned me around. I thank God that we have a dresser by the name of Jesus who says give them another chance let me work with them. Don’t cut them down.
God is saying to us today that future opportunities will be based on how we are going to handle this next opportunity. Getting to Thursday is based on how you handle Wednesday. I’ll get to August if I’m productive in July. Next year depends on this year. We can’t get to 2009 if we can’t handle 2008.
I’m so glad this morning that all good things come from the Lord and because of that, he’s worthy to be praised.
I believe that there is somebody owes God some back pay and some back praise. Somebody here owes God some back “Hallelujah’s.” Somebody owes God some back dancing. Somebody owe God some back tithes and offering. I’m going to give God what I owe him. I’m not going to come up short.
I’ll give him his due praise. Because he’s worthy. He said let it alone. Don’t you know that’s why you are here today. That’s why you are alive today. Jesus said, let them alone. Jesus said let me work with them just a little while longer. Let me take out that lying tongue. Let me work with that can’t get alone with nobody spirit. Let me work that undependable attitude. Let me take out that stony heart and put in a heart of flesh.
That’s why you woke up this morning… He told death to leave you alone.
He told sickness…. To leave you alone.
He told disease …… to leave you alone.
He told HIV to leave you alone.
He told the mortgage company to leave you alone
He told IRS to leave you alone
He told gang banger to leave you alone.
He told your enemy to leave you alone.
That’s why you are here this morning; not because you have been so good. Not because you kept his commandments. Not because you have dotted every I and crossed every “T”, but because he told death to leave you alone. Thank god for the gardener.
His name is Jesus – He keeps me… He protects me…
He died for me. But early, one Sunday morning… He got up with all power in heaven and earth in his hands.
What can wash away my sins. Nothing but the blood of Jesus
What can make me whole again. Nothing but the blood of Jesus
