Let's turn to Luke chapter 13.
Luke chapter 13, there's CDs and t-shirts and all that will be for sale there in the Vestibule.
Man, I'm telling you, I'm going to get them a bus because they'll be gone.
That's great.
Thank you so much for leading us in worship.
Why do bad things happen to good people?
I mean, it don't seem right.
It's not fair.
And it's one of those things that we don't understand.
And when you begin to try to deal with why bad things happen to good people,
somebody always says, well, if bad things happen to seemingly good people,
were the people really bad?
I mean, was there something there that would cause something like that to happen to them
that we didn't know about them?
I mean, are they paying for something they did wrong?
That's the kind of questions that people ask, and that's the kind of questions that they ask Jesus.
The beginning of Luke chapter 13 speaks of the Galileans.
Now, let me tell you about the Galileans.
The Galileans were a spirited, high-strung, excited people that sometimes did too much at the wrong time.
To explain myself, Peter was a Galilean.
And when they came to arrest Jesus, he took a dagger or sword and cut off a man's ear.
Now, I will tell you the reason why he cut the man's ear off was because the Roman helmet did not protect the ears.
He wasn't aiming at the ear, folks.
Okay?
He was taking the dude out.
That's what he was doing.
And, of course, Jesus put the ear back on,
and Peter claimed absolute allegiance to Christ without compromise,
and then he folded like a man in the ring with Mike Tyson in his heyday when the pressure got put on.
He was a zealot in every way.
That's the Galilean spirit.
I will tell you if you go to the Holy Land and you go into Galilee,
there's a different flavor about those folks.
I like them, you know.
They got a little spunk to them, like some of y'all do this morning.
And they are excited.
And so Pilate didn't like them, apparently,
because this speaks of a historical circumstance where
Pilate had Roman soldiers interrupt the time of sacrifice of the Galileans
by killing the Galileans and then mixing their blood with the blood sacrifices
that the Galileans had made.
And these people are asking Jesus,
why did that happen to them?
They're grabbing headline news
and saying, why in the world is this happening to these people?
So Jesus
gave them
another thought.
See, the Pharisees
taught and believed that every tragedy
was seen as a divine penalty
for somebody's sin.
That's why they asked him when
someone was sick,
who sinned?
Was it the boy or was it his parents?
I mean, what caused this problem to happen?
They brought up things like that.
And when they asked Jesus about this Galilean circumstance,
Jesus responded and said,
don't concern,
this is my translation of this,
don't concern yourself with
why it happened to them.
There's a lot of bad things happening.
And he gave another instance.
The first incident that they brought up
was deliberate.
The second
seemed to be an accident.
And Jesus is saying,
either way,
you ought to be concerned
not about why things are happening
to different people.
You ought to be concerned
about the state of your heart.
And then Jesus responds
by telling them to be ready.
And he tells them through a story
that we call a parable.
It means a side story.
One of those stories
that come alongside
to help us understand
the truth better.
And it's found in Luke chapter 13,
beginning in verse 6,
and he says this.
And he told this parable.
A man had a fig tree
planted in his vineyard
and he came seeking fruit on it
and found none.
And he said to the vine dresser,
look, for three years now,
I've come seeking fruit
on this fig tree
and I've found none.
Cut it down.
Why should it use up the ground?
And he answered him
and said,
Sir, let it alone this year also
until I dig around it
and put on manure.
Then if it should bear fruit next year,
well and good.
But if not,
you can cut it down.
Now,
some of y'all will recognize
right off the bat
that we're talking about a fig tree
and you'll begin to talk about
the symbolism in Scripture
and those type things
that the fig tree
does often represent
the nation of Israel.
It does.
We see it in the Old Testament.
It's carried over
into the New Testament.
And it mentions,
it's talking about Israel
many times over.
Not to say it isn't here,
but that nation,
any nation,
is made up of people
and the people
that make up the nation
is who Jesus is speaking to.
He's talking to individuals.
He's talking to those individuals
that were standing there
with Him that day.
And by the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit
and the way that
the Holy Spirit
breathes life into Scripture
and brings it all intact to us
where we are
through the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit,
He's talking to us
as individuals.
If anyone is not fruitful,
they could be cut down.
The story is,
the truth is,
to be clear about it,
judgment is coming.
That's what Jesus says.
Judgment's coming.
But aren't you glad
that He gives us
a little more time?
Now, it may not be
much more time,
but if you don't believe
that God's been patient with us,
well, you're wrong.
Because He has been.
And if you were to sit down
and be honest with each other,
you'd quickly understand
why I believe
that we have a lot
to be thankful for.
But instead of the sit down,
let me just tell you,
I believe that we ought
to be thankful
for the patience of God
because, for instance,
Romans 3.23 states
that we're all sinners.
sinners.
And we all fall short
of the glory of God.
We've all messed up.
And Romans 6.23 tells us
that the cost of that sin
is death.
And when it speaks
of death there,
it's not really talking
about the heart dying,
it's talking instead
about an eternal separation
from God.
The sadness of a believer
passing from this life
into the next,
we're not sad
because they now
have received the reward
and in heaven,
we're sad because
they're not with us anymore.
It's the separation.
And when it speaks
of the death
that comes
to the cost of sin,
it's talking about
the eternal separation
from God.
And to fit the story
that Jesus tells here,
you will be chopped down
and may I add,
be burned.
That's what Jesus says.
And you will see
as we continue
to talk about the stories
that Jesus told,
he didn't just say it
once or twice.
He said it a lot.
Jesus gets to the heart
of the matter
and the sin
of unfruitfulness
is serious to God
because the word
tells us how
to bear fruit.
John 15, 5,
Jesus said,
I am the vine,
you're the branches,
whoever abides in me
and I in him,
he, it is,
that bears much fruit
from apart from me,
you can do nothing.
there ought to be evidence
in your life
that you are in Christ
if you're a Christian.
If there is no evidence,
you're not in Christ.
Scripture's clear about that.
John goes on and on about it
in the gospel of John
as well as in 1 John.
There is no such thing
as a fruitless Christian.
There is such a thing
as a fruitless person
who thinks
that he or she is a Christian.
And that person
in due time,
in the next season,
in the next moment,
whatever the timetable is,
it could be a second,
it could be decades,
will be cut down.
So how do we respond to that?
I think that's,
that's not nice on Sunday morning.
How do we respond to that?
What do we take from this story?
Well,
because I'm a Baptist preacher,
three things, okay?
One is be patient with others.
Be patient with others.
As a man who's leaving
this afternoon
to drive through Atlanta
to get to Mississippi,
this don't apply to me.
Be patient with others.
When I was a college kid,
God called me to ministry.
I went and got
probably the first commentary set
that anybody gets
back in that day.
That was the Matthew Henry
commentary set.
Now they've got a,
a bridged one volume version
now that you can read.
But this was the old font
in the six volumes.
I like what Matthew Henry says
about the patience of God.
He says that had it not been
for Christ intercession,
the whole world would be cut down.
We owe a lot
to God's mercy.
We owe a lot
to Christ intercession.
I mean, let's be clean,
we owe it all.
We owe our lives.
And we ought to be patient
with each other.
If you go home
and eat a peach
and take that pit outside
and plant it in the ground,
you will not get fruit immediately.
It will take years
to grow
a tree
out of that pit
that will grow,
that will make its own peach.
And
that is if you're successful.
I grew up with a peach tree
in my backyard.
The bugs loved it
a lot more than we did,
apparently.
Got a whole lot quicker.
Young trees
do not grow early.
early.
And if Jesus
is comparing us
to trees,
we need to expect fruit,
but it takes time.
And we need to be patient.
Hear me.
We have children
around here
that need the nurture
of God.
That takes time.
It takes willingness.
It takes patience.
We have new Christians
that may be grown,
but are new Christians.
Maybe they're not grown.
We baptized several children recently.
They've never brought fruit
and it takes time.
We have some
that's supposed to be
seasoned Christians,
but where's the fruit?
God is
patient.
Thank God
He's patient
with them
and He's patient
with us.
And as
everybody likes to say
these days,
we have to pay it forward.
We need to be patient
with others
as well.
So don't rush me
this morning.
Be patient.
The second thing
is this.
Fertilize
the unfruitful.
Where there is
unfruitfulness
around us
or
in us,
we need to
dig around
and throw
some manure
on it
or just
dung it.
Okay?
That's not exactly
what Nike said.
It's a little better.
So let me ask you,
how are you doing
when you walk
with God?
You don't grow
fruit trees
for ornamentation
or at least
God doesn't.
What kind
of priority
is your
walk with God?
Now I will tell you
it's much easier
to point at somebody
else and say,
boy,
I'll tell you
what they need
to be doing
in their life.
Well,
let's get past
that this morning
because we're
being patient
with them.
Let's not be
so patient
with ourselves.
Let's instead
look at
where we are.
What kind
of priority
is your walk
with God?
We're not saved
to look good,
folks.
We're saved
and given
a responsibility
and thank God
in enabling
and empowerment
to bear fruit.
And if we
don't,
God will choose
to use someone
that will bear fruit.
And the only way
you're going to bear fruit,
let me take you
back to 715.5.
The only way
you're going to bear
John,
excuse me,
John 15.5,
the only way
you're going to bear
fruit is
to abide
with the Lord.
And
you need time
with God
in His Word
daily.
We can put out
all the bookmarks
on every offering
box that we got.
We can encourage it
and put it in the
newsletter
and put it before you
all we want.
But if you don't
commit yourself
to spend time
with the Lord
daily,
I'm not talking
about a ritual.
Forget rituals.
I'm talking
about a relationship.
I'm talking
about a quiet
spot
to let God
speak
to your heart.
You need
to talk
to Him.
That's prayer.
You need
Him to talk
to you.
That's His Word.
that's the way
the conversation
happens.
It's when we
allow Him
to speak to us
through the Holy Spirit
of God
through His Word
and we talk
to Him too.
We need
to talk
to others.
That's what
the church
is about.
That's a formula
and it works.
It works.
I will tell
you
that if the
only part
of First Baptist
Church
that you're
a part of
is to walk
in the doors
somewhere between
1020 and
1035
and sit down
in here,
I am glad
you're here.
I am.
I prayed
for you
before you
got here.
I'll pray
for you
after I leave
here.
and I'm
glad you're
here.
But I will
tell you
this is not
enough.
It's not
enough.
You won't
know this
church
just from
that.
You won't
build
relationships
with folks
in this
room
just from
that.
And Christ
came to
establish the
church and
it's very
clear in the
book of Acts
how you do
that properly
and that is
to spend
time together.
We have
Sunday school
classes for
that.
We have
Bible
study groups
for that.
We have
prayer groups
for that.
We're
providing as
many avenues
as we
possibly can
and looking
to provide
more for
you to get
engaged and
get connected
to other
folks that
are going
through common
things that
you're going
through and
help us as
iron sharpens
iron so let
one sharpen
another.
To work
each other.
To maybe
prune one
another from
time to
time.
to compliment
the fruit of
another.
To help
one another
along because
we don't want
to look like it
on Sunday
morning at
all.
None of us
do.
Okay?
But we all
need help.
It's not that we
necessarily want
anybody to tell us
what they think.
I don't mean that.
But I'm just
telling you folks,
you need the
camaraderie around
the word of God.
You need that.
And if you
don't have it,
it is more
difficult to
abide with
the Lord.
He established
the church for
those purposes
because he knew
we needed it.
He knows what
you're facing on
Monday morning.
And you probably
know what it is
too, but if you
don't, he's already
there by the way.
He knows what the
circumstances are.
And you need
that kind of
abiding with each
other.
And let me go
ahead and make a
commercial while I'm
here.
You say,
Preacher, I don't
know how to get
engaged in that.
I mean, it's just
intimidating to walk
in the doors and try
to find where to go
and I can't find my
way around the
building.
I understand.
I'm new.
You know, I'm new.
The first time that I
came here, the first
Sunday I was here as
your pastor, okay, on
May the 1st, the first
guy that welcomed me
was not in this
church.
Did not have a home
in Pickens.
He just came in off
the street and said,
Y'all have any
coffee?
I said, that's a
great question.
Man, I hope so.
You know, I don't
know, but man, you're
early.
Do you know the
Lord?
And he said, yeah.
I said, good.
Come back in 30
minutes, okay?
Because you're too
early, you know.
And listen, on
September 11th, I can
tell you where the
coffee's going to be,
all right?
Because the coffee
bar's opening.
Amen?
So anyway, it's
going to be in the
Welcome Center, which
is the middle door
between the sanctuary
and the fellowship
hall.
And everybody
don't know that,
folks.
We need each other.
Christ knew that.
Don't take that joy
away from others,
mingling in and mixing
in your lives and
helping us all to
become stronger.
We need that.
God's established
that.
And without that,
something's missing.
And it shows.
It shows.
Be clear.
Apathy, lack of
production, fruitlessness,
they're all forms of
disobedience.
So fortify your
spiritual life with
prayer.
Fortify your spiritual
life with the Word of
God.
If you don't know how
to do that properly,
come see me on
September the 11th.
Well, you can see me
before then, but
September the 11th
begins that class in
the fellowship hall.
Those are some of the
very things that I'm
going to be talking
about.
It's a great opportunity
for that.
Don't let the evil
one deceive you,
separate you, and
deplete you.
COVID has been
awful.
The losses that
people have suffered
have been tragic.
In the midst of all
of that, I buried
two 42-year-olds that
died with COVID.
I've seen the pain
that went into that
dilemma and that
difficulty.
And I know how tough
it is to preach to an
empty sanctuary in front
of a camera that they'll
watch the next day.
It ain't the same as the
fellowship of believers,
I promise you.
It's different from that.
COVID has been awful.
But I'm telling you, the
worst part of it, not
taking away from any of
the physical pandemic
part of it, but the
worst part of it has been
the spiritual pandemic
that took place.
Because we all withdrew and
we all got to ourself.
And just like so many
people died of other
health concerns because
they couldn't treat them
because everybody was
focused on COVID and so
they didn't take care of
their bad heart and they
didn't take care of the
cancer they were fighting
because they couldn't
get in to see the doctor
because of all those
circumstances and they
suffered with other
matters.
In the same kind of way,
in the midst of that, we
pulled away from
everything, never bothered
to re-engage and come
back and it's been a
spiritual pandemic upon
the church of Jesus
Christ.
And it's time to
relaunch and change that,
folks.
It's time to get engaged.
It's time to grow in the
Lord and allow God to do
that.
And if I'm digging a bit,
that is exactly what
Jesus was doing and
that's exactly what he
said we need to do.
Dig around the roots.
Throw some manure on.
Just dung it.
Remain faithful to the
people of God.
Let God work in us and
through us.
But it's not just about
us.
A lack of unfruitfulness,
excuse me, a lot of
unfruitfulness is caused
by people not being
believers.
People need the Lord.
They need him today.
There's people in this
room.
I don't know who you
are, but there's people
in this room who've never
given his or her heart to
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Everybody may think you
have.
You may have thought that
aligning with the church
and going along for some
time is enough.
But the reality is, and I
shared this midweek this
past week, the greatest
burden I have as a pastor,
whether it's wrong or
right, the greatest burden
I have as a pastor is the
people that I preach to
each week and look at and
wonder, God, do they know
you?
Has their life been changed
by you?
Has there been a difference
in them, oh God?
Please don't let them walk
out of here knowing the
gospel, knowing what it
means to surrender your life
to the Lord, and then walk
out of here unchanged, not
committed.
When the ax hits the root,
it will forever be too
late.
And God has placed people in
our lives to help us change,
and God has placed us in
other people's lives to share
our faith with them.
God has given us neighbors,
the neighbors you don't like,
the neighbors you wish would
go away with all the moving
going on, let them move,
Lord, let them move.
God's put them there.
And all their junk in the
yard, he's put them there.
God's given you your work
mates, the ones that you
avoid.
God put them there.
God give you your fellow team
players.
God give you your team moms and
your team dads to share your
faith with, to make an example
of, to show.
Dig around a little bit.
Poke at it.
Throw some manure on it.
Just dung it.
You are not responsible for
their response to you.
You're responsible for giving
them an opportunity to
personally hear an invitation to
come to Christ and don't let your
true friendship with them come in
the way of giving them an
opportunity at eternal life.
Fertilize the unfruitful.
And lastly, prepare for the coming
day.
If there's not fruitfulness after the
effort, the tree is, the tree is
axed down and replaced and there's a
day coming.
Thank God it's not too late.
I don't know when it will be too
late.
I'm not selling any books on it.
Okay.
I'm just telling you, Jesus was
clear.
It will be.
And those who refuse to come to the
Lord, God is patient.
Thank God for that.
But time's running out.
And those who waste that time and
fail to faithfully serve the Lord,
time runs out.
Now I understand what people are
waiting on.
I get it.
But I want you to watch what
happens.
When you're young, you don't have
your own family.
You think, well, I'll wait until I
get a family.
When I get a family, I'll get fully
engaged and faithful.
And then you get a family.
And then having kids is always make
or break, one or the other.
It's either too much trouble to go or
you're going because you want the
kids there.
That's what happens.
The decision that comes with that.
But when you get a family, you kind of
wait until the kids are older.
And then the kids get older and life
gets busier.
And you've got to make decisions,
tough decisions about how you're going
to prioritize your life because they
just want the most of it.
And our life kind of revolves around
that.
And then the kids are gone and it's
time for a break.
And then the grandkids come and you
want time with them instead.
And then you get older and then you
think, well, it's not my time.
It's somebody else's time now.
Now, 80 years later, there's a life
that proclaimed to have a relationship
with God, but has never faithfully
served and never bore fruit.
Just hanging around, but never
bearing fruit.
And I challenge you today, quit making
the life stage excuses that cause you
not to be everything that God would
have you to be.
Make today be the day that God digs
around at your roots.
Throw some manure on it.
I want you to know I prayed for you.
In preparing this sermon, I prayed for
you.
And then what about other Christians
who have a burden for others?
You know, you want to keep them your
friends, but you want them to know
Jesus and there's a fine line with
being patient with them and feeling a
deadline coming and Jesus tells us again
and again, you're going to see it in
coming days.
The day is coming.
Many of the parables that he shares
has to do with the door shutting,
the master returning, the judgment
that's coming.
I don't like talking about looming
judgment.
That's not my thing.
I'm a positive person.
Jesus wanted you to feel the looming
judgment of the Lord.
Why?
Because we need to get our lives right.
Because we need to bear fruit in this
season.
Because if you're a Christian today, you
have a faith that needs to be shared.
One thing they never prepared me for.
In seminary, in watching preachers growing up,
watching my pastors growing up,
I never was prepared for what I call the
sacred closets of people's lives that God has
allowed me to be in.
When you walk in with a family besides someone
dying, I think I don't belong here.
But that dear family wants their pastor to be a part of
that.
I know it's a sacred time.
I know it's a personal time.
I know it's a private time.
I get it.
And Fred, you know, you never get used to that.
I've seen them breathe their last.
And I've never had one say,
boy, I wish I'd wasted more time.
Never had somebody facing death tell me in my final visits with
them.
Boy, if I wouldn't have,
if I wouldn't have spent my time so wisely,
I wish I'd wasted more time.
But I've had more than a handful tell me.
I wish I would have taken advantage of my time and the
opportunity that I had.
And I'm simply saying this morning,
wish no longer.
Dig around.
Dig deep.
Throw some manure on your life.
Just dung it.
Just allow your life to be changed by the ever abiding presence of
the sweet Holy Spirit of God and the promise of Jesus.
With every head bowed and every eye closed,
I want to ask you this morning.
Has there ever been a time in your life when you've surrendered your
life to follow the Lord Jesus Christ?
I'm not asking you if everybody thinks you have.
I'm asking you,
have you ever given your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ?
I want you to know we're going to stand and we're going to sing in
just a moment.
But more important than that,
we do this for you to have the opportunity to respond in obedience.
And we will take the time to share with you what that means.
We're not going to rush that deal for you.
But as the Holy Spirit convicts your heart and speaks to you,
you respond to him today.
And we'll guide you in that.
Maybe God's drawing you to be a part of this church.
You feel led to join us in the journey.
We're not perfect,
nor are you.
We'll work out great.
You just come down and let us know that.
We'll be happy to help you in that process.
We may begin the process for that,
but you come.
Maybe you have been saved and you know you're a Christian,
but you've never been baptized by mercy.
You've never publicly proclaimed your faith in obedience to the way
Christ not only showed us,
but instructed us.
So I encourage you to be obedient in that.
Or maybe you're just here this morning and you just need some digging
around to take place in your roots.
I mean,
you just want to be honest with God.
You need some work.
There's not enough fruit.
And I want you to know the steps down here behind me are a makeshift
altar for you to lay it down before the Lord.
I realize you can do that where you are.
You can do it up here.
I just,
I just want you to be obedient.
I just know the spirit of God is stirring today.
He's moving in hearts and lives and I don't want you to be disobedient.
I just want you to do what he tells you to do.
I'll be happy to pray with you,
guide you in any way in any of that or anything else on your heart and life.
Lord Jesus,
lead us right now.
I pray your blessings,
your leadership,
your guidance upon every person in this place and every person watching online.
God,
you move and work and help us to be obedient to follow you right now.
In Jesus' precious name,
Amen.