ONE MORE YEAR
Luke 13:6-9
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. A Russian couple was walking down a Moscow street one night, when the man felt a drop hit his nose. “I think it’s raining,” he said to his wife.
2. “No, I think that would be snow,” she replied. “Look, I’m sure it was rain,” he said. The couple was about to begin a full-scale argument when they noticed a minor Communist party official walking toward them.
3. “Let’s not fight about it,” the man suggested. “Let’s ask Comrade Rudolph whether it’s officially raining or snowing.” As the official came near, the man said, “Tell us, Comrade Rudolph, is it officially raining or snowing?”
4. “It’s raining, of course,” he replied and walked on. But the woman insisted, “I’m sure that was snow!” The man quietly replied, “Rudolph the Red knows rain, dear!”
B. TRADITIONS ABOUT NEW YEARS
1. “Whatever you do on January 1st you’ll do all year long.”
2. We all know this is true. NOT! If it was, we’d a. Sleep late, b. Not go to work, and c. Spend all year watching football games.
3. I do hope you’ll all eat some black-eyed peas for good luck. I won’t, because I don’t want to be eating them all year long!
4. I believe the Lord has given me a New Year’s message that will challenge us to a new effort for Christ.
C. TEXT & THESIS
1. 6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ 8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’” Lk. 13:6-9.
2. This parable contains four principles about our responsibility to God and His examination of our lives. The title of this message is “One More Year.”
I. PRINCIPLE ONE: GOD EXPECTS FRUIT
A. NATURAL FRUIT A SYMBOL OF THE SPIRITUAL
1. God designed all life to reproduce after its own kind. Fruit is a product of a tree’s life, and the end for which it exists.
2. In the same way, God designed you and I, and predestinated (if we’re obedient), that we should bear fruit unto God (of godliness). If we don’t, we squander/ violate the order of nature God has put within us.
3. In the O.T., a fruitful tree was often used as a symbol of godly living (see Ps. 1:3; Jer. 17:7-8). The comparison of a person to a tree and of human works to fruit is very common in Scripture.
B. WHAT DOES SPIRITUAL FRUIT LOOK LIKE?
1. God expects Christians, who absorb His divine life, to bring forth fruit of light in their lives and leave its mark on those around them. We bring light to all around us. We’re the fragrance of Christ that even those who reject Christ can smell.
2. The first fruit God looks for is repentance (Matt. 3:8) followed by steadfastly following Christ. As we yield to the Holy Spirit and allow Jesus to live in us, we’ll be transformed in character to be like Him (Mt. 12:33, John 15:5).
3. Paul said in Gal. 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” In Eph. 5:9, he said, “for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth.”
4. Good deeds are considered as fruit (Col. 1:10) as well as soul-winning (Prov. 11:30).
5. God doesn’t want to discourage us, but give us hope – and does so through this parable.
II. PRINCIPLE 2: GOD PERIODICALLY EXAMINES US
A. PERIODIC EXAMINATION
1. The land owner used this occasion as a time to look back over the history of this tree.
2. Fruit-bearing plants have a natural measurement for their lives: the completion of the growing cycle. That’s when this inspection took place.
3. We humans also have definite markers in our lives. We establish artificial times to look at our lives and assess whether we have accomplished what we should. One of those markers is birthdays; another is the dawning of a new year.
4. The month of January is named for the Roman God Janus, who was pictured with two faces: one looking backwards and one looking forwards. New Year is a valuable time to ponder the past and anticipate the future.
B. THE LAND OWNER’S ASSESSMENT
1. Jesus warned His listeners that God is serious about how we live our lives and whether we are doing the works of Christ or not.
2. Have you lived for Christ? Have you been growing spiritually? Where are your priorities? Have you given to the Kingdom? Have you served? Sacrificed? Witnessed? Have you read your Bible faithfully in 2021? Have you maintained your prayer life? Fasted? Have you drawn closer to Jesus? Have you become more like Him?
3. Or have you been quenching your conscience, refusing the Holy Spirit, spiritually indifferent, lax in spiritual things, had unconcern for the lost, unconcern for your own soul, not caring about the impact of your coldness on your family?
4. IT’S TIME TO TAKE A LOOK!
III. PRINCIPLE 3: NO FRUIT BRINGS JUDGMENT
A. THE LAND OWNER’S JUDGMENT
1. “Cut it down!” (Lk. 13:8-9)
2. He said he’d been coming for 3 years. 3 is the symbol of “completeness,” a period of full opportunity given to the tree to become fruitful and productive.
3. God has waited long enough for us to become fruitful! We have had the full opportunity to be productive. God has spent time, efforts, resources, and expense to help us produce. Are we yet barren?
4. God’s assessment: “Cut it down! Don’t waste anymore resources on it.” I hope God’s not saying that about you or me.
5. Would you ladies keep a hair dryer that didn’t run? Men, would you keep a useless lawnmower blocking your shed? No! We’d say, “Out with the trash!
B. A UNIVERSAL PROBLEM
1. The problem is, that all of us have been, at least partially, disobedient. We’ve ALL been lazy and had periods where we weren’t motivated. Christian’s failings are seen in the 7 churches in Revelation (which generally were good churches).
2. The church at Ephesus, which had the greatest revival in the New Testament, was told, “You have left your first love” (2:4). Haven’t we all wavered from that high standard? Yes! The church at Laodicea was told they had gotten lukewarm. Who has not done that?
3. What I’m pointing out is that even the best among us has failed in their fruit-bearing to some degree. This means that God’s church IS NOT made up of two groups: one group who’ve been successful at fruit-bearing and another group who have failed at it. Instead, we’ve ALL failed and we ALL need to make plans to do all we can in the next year to change that!
4. But this brings us to the next & last wonderful point:
IV. PRINCIPLE 4: GRACE ASKS FOR MORE TIME
A. OPPORTUNITIES PROLONGED
1. Great news! Proclaim it in the streets! Shout it from the housetops! We’ve received a reprieve! Listen to the postponement of the Owner of All; “Leave it alone for one more year!” Thank God, we’ve been given one more year!
2. It doesn’t matter how bad you’ve blown it, how bad you’ve failed God, blasphemed, sinned, or disobeyed – You’ve been given a new chance and a clean slate! You CAN make THIS YEAR count for God.
B. ILLUSTRATION: N.W. WILDCATS
1. In 1995, the Northwestern Wildcats football team had one of the most remarkable seasons in college football history. Prior to 1995, they were the most notorious losers in the Big Ten; they set a NCAA record by losing 34 consecutive games!
2. Then in 1995, under head coach Gary Barnette, the wildcats finished with a 10-2 season, won the Big Ten conference, and went to the Rose Bowl. Coach Barnette won Coach-of-the-Year.
3. As the new year began, Coach Barnette knew he had to fight the natural tendency to keep looking back to 1995, so he called a team meeting at the school football center.
4. Barnette handed out awards to all the players for the exceptional year they’d had. They cheered. They cheered some more when he displayed his Coach-of-the-Year trophy.
5. Then Barnette walked to the side of the platform to a trashcan labelled 1995. He stood there admiring his trophy, then he dropped it in the can. Silence descended on the players as they realized what he meant.
6. Then one-by-one, the stars of the team and all the regulars – dropped their awards into the can. Soon it was overflowing with the laurels of the previous season.
7. What Barrette had done shouted a message louder than anything he could have said, “What you did in 1995 was terrific, but look at the calendar! It’s 1996!”
8. The only way to improve is to “forgetting the things behind I press on to the goal Christ has put before me!”
C. REASON FOR THIS MERCY?
1. The intercession of the Gardener, who represents the Lord Jesus Christ. He’s the reason you and I have not been cut down!
2. You say, “Why me?” Because He has an interest in you. He did something more than intercede. He stopped our destruction by His nail-pierced hands, His wounded feet, and His spear-riven side – and He moved the heart of God to pity.
3. If I had saved your life, would you despise me? If you’d been found guilty by a court of Law, and I went to the Judge and persuaded him to give you another chance, would you speak against me? No! You would love me; you’d be grateful for your life being spared. That’s how we ought to treat Jesus!
4. You see, you would already be in Hell today, if He had not come and interceded for you. WHY has God kept you here? Because someone needs you! Your mansion is not finished yet. There’s a work for you still to do!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. The Koh-i-noor diamond is among the most spectacular diamonds in the world. Queen Victoria received it as a gift from a Maharajah when he was a boy.
2. Later as a grown man this Maharajah visited Queen Victoria again. He requested that the diamond be brought from the Tower of London to Buckingham Palace where he was to meet with the Queen.
3. During the meeting, the Maharajah asked to be given the diamond. The steward of the jewels trembled, but with a nod from the Queen, he crossed the room and placed the priceless gem into the man’s hand.
4. The Maharajah said to the Queen, “Your Majesty, when I gave you this jewel, I was only a child, too young to know what I was doing.” He then kneeled down before her and said, “Now I want to give it to you again, this time as a man and fully aware of what I am doing.” [Nelson’s Complete..., p. 821]
5. I think the Lord would be pleased if we all made a new commitment of ourselves to the Lord as we prepare to start a new year!
B. ‘ONE MORE YEAR’ IMPLIES A LIMIT
1. Jesus, as the Gardener, only asks for one more year’s reprieve. If His digging and fertilizing of your life should not prove successful, he may plead no more and your tree will fall.
2. What if this year was to be your last? Will God find fruit on your life? Only you can set the priorities for your life.
3. NOW is the time to to redirect the course of your life to spiritual growth. Jesus says, “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.” Rev 22:12-15.
4. It’s only a matter of time until the vineyard is cleared of unfruitful trees. Decide today that your life will be found fruitful! PRAYER.
