The Barren Fig Tree, Part 2

We're going to talk about the parable of the barren fig tree this evening. And most people know very little about this parable. And so we're going to give you the implications. And you are going to be so glad you came. I know, I'm glad you're here, you know. God's glad you're here. I want you to be glad you're here, all right? Luke chapter 13. Christ says you need to repent.

Now it gives a story. Fascinating parable. Let me read it for you. He began telling this parable. Certain man had a fig tree, had been planted in his vineyard. And he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. 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? And he answered and said to him, let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer.

And if it bears fruit next year, fine. But if not, cut it down. Now, what are the implications? The implications are twofold. One, God's character. Two, our calling. Two things you need to know about God's character in his parable. One, God is a God of judgment. He's a God of judgment. It's not to hear about that much today. Don't hear preached on much today. But God is a God of judgment. And unless you repent, you will likewise perish. But God is a God of judgment. It's an unpopular sermon topic, but it's a popular biblical topic.

For God judges sinners. The Bible says over in Genesis 1835, when Abraham said, shall not the judge of all the earth do right?

Because God is judge, because God is just, Because God is righteous and holy, every decision he makes is the right decision. He never makes a wrong decision. So every judgment he renders is a right judgment. The Bible says over in Exodus 34, verse number seven, God will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.

Why? Because God is a God of judgment. And if you're guilty, you will be punished because of your sin. Romans chapter 2, verse number 9 says, there will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man. And who does evil? Why? Because God is a God of judgment. It says these words over in Psalm, Psalm 9, verse number 7. But the Lord abides forever. He has established his throne for judgment, and he will judge the world in righteousness. He will execute judgment for the people with equity. His throne is a throne of judgment.

Over in Psalm 11, verse number four, it says this, The Lord is in his holy temple. The Lord's throne is in heaven. His eyes behold, his eyelids test the sons of men. The Lord test the righteous and the wicked. And the one who loves violence, his soul hates. Upon the wicked, he will rain snares, fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup. For the Lord is righteous. He loves righteousness. The upright will behold his face. The Bible says An Isaiah 61, verse number 8, I, the Lord, love justice.

He's the God who judges. In everything he judges, he judges it with his righteousness, with his holiness. The Bible says over in John chapter 3, John chapter 3, these words.

Verse number 18, he says, he who believes in him is not judged. He who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God. Christ says it very clearly.

If you believe in me, you will not be judged. You will not be condemned. But if you don't believe in me, you've already been judged. He says this in John 3, verse number 36. He who believes in the sun has eternal life, but he who does not obey the son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. Listen, the wrath of God just doesn't abide on the murderers and the rapists and the terrorists. The wrath of God abides on little old ladies who have never given their life to Christ and have spurned the grace of God.

God's wrath abides on them just like it does Osama bin Laden because they have spurned the mercy and grace of God and refuse to believe in the God of the universe. And God says that if they do not believe, my wrath that stems from my judgment abides upon them, remains on them.

But those who believe, ah, they have eternal life. They receive the grace of Almighty God. Whether you're a good sinner or whether you're a bad sinner, the wages of sin is always the same. It's death. Romans 623, can't get around it. It's always the same. The wages of sin is death. The soul that sins, it will die. Why? Because God is a God of judgment. And God will judge the wicked. God will judge the unrighteous. And he will do it with his righteousness. Because that's the way God himself is. Psalm 199 says, The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

God's judgments are true. God's judgments are righteous. They're not unrighteous. They're not unfair. They're not unjust. They're true and they're righteous. The parable of the fig tree is a warning to the certainty of God's judgment upon those who are unsafe. God is a God of judgment. But God is a God of mercy. God is a God of mercy. You will note in the parable in Luke 13 that the gardener, the vine dresser, the caretaker, never disputed the justice of the owner. Never disputed it. If it doesn't bring forth fruit, cut it down.

I agree with that. He doesn't come to and say, you know, you know, sir, this was a good tree. Look how good it looks. Look how good it acts. Look how it stands against the wind. This is a good tree. It's a nice tree. It's not a bad tree. It's a good tree. Caretaker didn't do that. because that wasn't the issue. The point being is that the caretaker would go to the owner and say, look, give me one more chance. Give me one more opportunity. He would go to the owner and appeal to the mercy, listen, of the owner to delay his judgment.

He would appeal to the mercy of the owner to delay his judgment. He didn't go see, oh, the tree's tried. He has tried or it has tried so hard. just because the fig tree's a lemon, what can I say? He is really tried. It's not his fault. No, he would go and appeal to the mercy of the owner. Listen, mercy is a dominant force in God. A dominant force. The Bible tells us in 1st King 3 that God's mercy is great. Psalm 86, number 5, that God's mercy is plentious. Luke 1, verse number 78, that God's mercy is tender.

1 Peter 1, verse number 3, that God's mercy is abundant. Psalm 103, verse number 17, God's mercy is everlasting. Ephesians 2.4, rich in mercy is God because of his great love toward us. Second Corinthians 1.3.

He's called the Father of mercies. Hebrews 2.7, Christ is our merciful and faithful high priest. Psalm 103, verse number 1. Verse number 1. Verse number 8 says, Are your tender mercies, O Lord? Psalm 119, verse number 64. The earth, O Lord, is full of your mercy. Mercy is a dominant attribute of God, as judgment is a dominant attribute of God. And this caretaker would go to the owner and say, I beg of you, I plead with you, just give me one more year. I'm not asking you to get rid of your judgment.

I'm just asking you to delay it. Give me one more opportunity to fertilize the ground, to care for the tree. And then, and then, doesn't bring forth figs, cut it down. Cut it down. Remember, Hezekiah appealed to the mercy of God, and God gave him 15 more years. Rehoboam appealed to God's mercy and God's Satan for the Egyptians. Manasseh. Manassah was the most wicked king in Israel, and God restored his kingdom on the basis of appeal because he went to God and begged him for mercy. Our God is a God of mercy.

And any man who casts himself at the feet of Almighty God will find that mercy. God goes the extra mile over and over and over and over again. The only reason that fig tree was granted another year was because the gardener would plead based on the mercy of the owner. It's the only reason. And the owner granted mercy. Need to be careful. God's mercy does not cancel his judgment. God's mercy only delays his judgment. That's important. God's mercy never abolishes God's judgment. The character of God.

Our God is a God who judges righteously. And every judgment he passes is right and true and holy. and yet our God is a God of mercy and he passionately longs to be merciful to sinful man implication number two our calling is to repent if you hear tonight never give me life to Christ you need to repent of your sins or you will perish in your sins God said so God says if you don't turn from your wicked ways I'm going to judge you you will die in your sins you'll be eternally separated from me forever.

That's just the way it is. That's why Paul said in Acts 1730 that God is declaring that all men everywhere should what? Repent. In Acts 2.38, they said, Peter, what are we going to do? We crucified the Messiah. You're right. We were wrong. What do? Peter said, what? Repent. Get your right, your life right with God. Turn your life around. Repent from your sins. Bible tells us in 2nd Peter 3, verse number 9 that God is long suffering, not willing that any should perish. But what? all should come to repentance.

All should come to repentance. Boy, the story is told over in 1st Timothy chapter 1. Remember of Paul's testimony? In 1st Timothy chapter 1, I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has strengthened me because he considered me faithful, putting me in service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, a violent aggressor, And yet I was shown mercy. I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was more than abundant with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.

It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world and saved sinners among whom I am foremost of all. And yet for this reason I found mercy in order that in me as the foremost Jesus Christ might demonstrate his perfect patience. as an example for those who would believe in him for eternal life. Paul says, man, it is so amazing that God was patient with me. I was a violent aggressor. I was a persecutor. I was a killer of man. I was a killer of Christians.

And what did God do? He showed me mercy. He allowed me to live another day and then another day and then another day until finally he met me on the road to Damascus.

And I fell down before him. And because of his long suffering and because of his patience, I repented of my sin. I gave my life to him. He put me in the ministry, and I'm here because of him because of his wonderful mercy. That was Paul's testimony. Psalm was at the same testimony in Psalm 103, that we are not to forget our God and all of his benefits toward us, who pardons all our iniquities. Remember the two blind men in Psalm 9, I mean Matthew 9, 27? Two blind men in Matthew 9 had better sight than all the Pharisees did.

They would plead, oh, son of David. have mercy upon us. Son of David have mercy upon us. The blind men could see that Jesus was the coming anointed Messiah. They could see it. But nobody else could see it. But the blind men could. Son of David have mercy on us. And what did God do? He had mercy upon him. He healed them. Your faith, he says, has made you whole. Proverbs 2813 says, he who covers his sins shall not prosper. But he who confesses and forsakes them shall find what? Mercy. Don't find mercy.

I love what Harry Ironside said. He said, shallow preaching that does not grapple with a terrible fact of man's sinfulness and guilt calling on all men everywhere to repent results in shallow conversions. And so we have myriads of glib tongue professors today who give no evidence of regeneration or whatever. Pratting of salvation by grace, they manifest no grace in their lives. loudly declaring they are justified by faith alone. They fail to remember that faith without works is dead and that justification by works before me is not to be, before me and is not to be ignored as though it were in contradiction to justification by faith before God.

God says, repent, or you will likewise perish. I'm going to judge you. And he gives a story about his mercy. And that's what Jesus did. He would plead to God the Father, give you one more year. One more chance. one more opportunity. That leads us to this point. Not only do we need to repent, it's our calling. If you're an unbeliever tonight, you need to turn from your sin. You need to get right with God. If not, God's going to judge you. He's going to judge you. If you're a believer, there's a very important lesson for you tonight.

You need to intercede on behalf of others. You need to be interceding on behalf of those you know who do not have the gift of eternal life. you need to be interceding for them to God that God would do a mighty work what was it that brought forth the mercy of God the man's intercession the caretaker said give me one more chance give me another opportunity the gardener interceded for the fig tree judgment is right but give the fig tree just a little than more time and then if it doesn't produce then judge it but give me one more opportunity.

Folks, listen, God answers. God answers the prayer of those who intercede on behalf of the unbeliever. Abraham would go and he would plead to God. If there be 50 righteous in that city, don't destroy it. God said, okay. He would have said, if there be 40, would you not destroy Salam Gabor? Okay, 40 righteous people, I won't destroy. God, if there be 30, I plead. I plead. Just be 30 righteous there. God says, okay, if there's 30 righteous people, I won't destroy it.

And the angels came and they said, God's going to burn it up. Judgment was going to happen. And Abraham began to plead if there be 20, if there be 10, God said, there's 10 righteous people, I won't destroy. If Abraham would have said, if there be one, would you not destroy it? I bet you God would have said, sure. And maybe those cities will still be here today. but he would plead with God. And God said that to be ten righteous, I will not destroy it. What did Job say? Oh, that someone would plead to God for me.

Why? Because if somebody would plead to God for me, if somebody would intercede to God for me, God will honor it because God honors the prayer of those who intercede for others. Because God's a God of mercy. Moses. Oh man. Moses. God said, I'm going to destroy him. Numbers 14, it's over. I'm so sick and tired of there. It's in the Hebrew. You've got to get it there. I'm so tired of their complaining and griping and billiaking. I'm going to wipe him out. And if I was Moses, I'd say, okay, where do you want me to stand, God?

I'll get out of the way. Just give me a good view of this because I want to make sure you to get him good. That'd have been me. But instead, what did Moses do? Moses would plead for, oh God, don't destroy them. Don't destroy him. They were miserable, wretched, unbelievers who didn't give a rip about God. And Moses would plead, oh God, don't destroy them. And the Bible says in Psalm 106, first number 23.

So he said he would destroy them had not Moses. His chosen one stood in the breach before him. God says, I'd have killed them.

I'd have wiped them all out had Moses not stood in the breach. Had Moses not stood in the gap, had Moses not interceded on their behalf. Same thing happened in two chapters earlier, numbers 12. When Miriam came to Moses and said, are you the only guy God can speak through? Who do you think you are? God can use me too. God said, Moses, get in Miriam, get Aaron, we're having a meeting. Meet me at the tent. And God calls you for a meeting. You go. They went. And Miriam was struck with leprosy. And Aaron went to Moses, and Moses would beseech God on his sister's behalf.

Moses, man of mercy. Daniel 9, when Daniel prayed for the forgiveness of his people, he went on the basis of God's mercy. God, listen to me. God likes and wants to delay judgment. He does He is not willing that any should perish He is long suffering He is willing for man To turn and repent of his ways It says the next Ezekiel 33 11 I have no delight in the death of the wicked Is my God a God of judgment You bet Will God judge the unbeliever? You bet It's the wrath of God Resting upon and remaining upon the unbeliever You bet But God says, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked.

But that the wicked turned from his evil ways. That's what God wants. That's what God wants. Before the flood, Noah preached for 100 years. God delayed his judgment because he was merciful. Before God judged Egypt, he sent Moses with 10 plagues, 10 of them. And in months ahead, when we get to the book of Exodus, we're going to study every one of those plagues. And God delayed his judgment. Before God judged Nineveh, he sent Jonah. And Jonah would be used in a mighty way. Before God sent his great catastrophes on Israel, he sent them the greatest prophets.

He sent them Elijah. He sent them Elijah before the carrying away of the Northern Kingdom. He sent Jeremiah, Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel before carrying away Judah to Babylon. And before the Jewish nation was destroyed in 70 AD, he sent Jesus Christ, his son, and the apostles. And you want to tell me that my God is not a God of mercy? And that my God is at long to delay judgment? Oh, he does. And God will spend seven years wreaking havoc upon this earth during the great tribulational period before he returns and destroys every.

man, every woman, every boy, every girl who does not repent and turn from their sins because our God likes and loves to delay his judgment. Because he's a God of mercy. God of mercy. God is anxious to give sinners a chance. He is. He wants them to turn from the error of their way. And God needs men and women to stand in the breach. And, and the breach. And intercede for them. Do you do that? You need to do that. A pastor friend of mine some years ago was telling me the story of his father who was not born again.

He had a heart attack. It was not expected to lift through the night. He went down to the hospital where his dad was. The doctor said, no sense of going in. Your dad's going to die. So went to that little chapel there in what most hospitals have. He knelt down. He began to pray. That's what he said. said, God, you have every right to take my dad. You have every right to judge him and condemn him to hell because he's an unbeliever. And I acknowledge that judgment. I acknowledge your right to do that.

He's heard the gospel. He's rejected the gospel. He deserves hell. And if you take him tonight, he gets what he deserves. And then he said, but I'm asking you, based on mercy, based on the fact that you are merciful, loving God. would you let him live a little longer so I could give him one more opportunity to hear the gospel? Just one. If you choose not to give it to me, I understand. And I know you're a God of judgment, but I'm pleading to you on your mercy. Went to the hospital next day. His dad was sitting up in bed.

There he was. He walked in, and he said, tears filled his eyes. He said, all I could do was get on my hands and knees and praise God. My dad said, what are you doing? He says, I'm praising God. God, because he gave me one more opportunity. He shared the gospel of his dad, his dad came to Christ. How about you? Who are you interceding for? Listen to this. I searched for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap before me, that I should not destroy it, but I found no one, no one.

Thus I have poured out my indignation on them. I have consumed them with the fire of my. wrath their way I have brought upon their heads declares the Lord God says I look for man just one just one to stand in the gap to plead to me based on my mercy but I found no one so I destroy them all you have an unsafe husband unsafe wife unsafe family member friend you plead for the mercy of God for one more day one more chance One more opportunity.

That's the parable of the Baron Fictory. Let's pray. Thank you.