Let's begin our singing first of all in Psalm 105, Psalm 105, and that's in the Scottish
Psalter, page 374.
The tune is Peterson.
Give thanks to God, call on His name.
To men His deeds make known, sing ye to Him.
Sing Psalms, proclaim His wondrous works each one.
See that ye in His holy name to glory do accord, and let the heart of everyone rejoice that
seeks the Lord.
We're singing verses 1 to 7 to the tune Peterson.
Give thanks to God.
Sing ye to them, sing Psalms, proclaim His wondrous works each one.
Sing to Him, sing Psalms, proclaim His holy name to glory do accord, and let the heart of
everyone rejoice that speaks the Lord.
The Lord Almighty and His friend, with steadfast heart seek He.
His blessed and His gracious face, seek He contendially.
Think on the works that He hath done, which admiration we.
His wonders and the judgments of which from His mouth proceed.
He that are of Abraham's race, His servant dwelleth full.
And He that Jacob's children are, whom He chose for His own.
Because He and He only is the mighty Lord our God.
And His most righteous judgments are in all the earth above.
Let's join together now in prayer.
Let's briefly pray.
Our gracious God, we give thanks that You have given us that knowledge of You, so that
we confess that You are the only Lord God Almighty.
And that we come before You today, Lord, to claim You by faith as our God.
We thank You for the way that Your Word reveals Yourself to us.
And the ways in which You are revealed to us, Lord, are all revealed for our good and for
our benefit.
And we thank You today that we are planted within Your church, and thereby that we have
access to those things You have given to Your church, so that we might progress spiritually
in our lives.
And we thank You today for the Bible that we possess, and for the way that You have given
us, Lord, the freedom to gather together today to worship You.
We ask Your blessing to be upon all our gatherings today.
We pray that You bless this Lord's day to us.
Help us, we pray, to appreciate the holiness that belongs to Your day, that ought to mark it
in our own observance of it as well.
Bless our children today.
We thank You for all who are here, and we pray for them and for all who are away at
this time, for those who are on holiday, and grant to them, Lord, Your blessing and protective
care.
And we ask that You bless our children.
Bless them, Lord, in their own families.
Bless them in their schoolwork.
Bless them in their recreations.
Bless and protect them in the world from all that is harmful and evil in the world.
Lord, we ask that Your own truth might truly be their guardian, and that they might use
Your Word each day they live, so as to know that God Himself is their God and protects them
each step of the way through life.
Bless them now and bless us here together.
And pardon our sin for Jesus' sake.
Amen.
Okay, children, it's good to see so many children out today.
There's some not just here with the twinnies, but also I can see throughout the church, and
it's great to see you all here during a time of holiday.
I wonder what your favourite food is.
You all have different favourites, I'm sure, when it comes to eating stuff.
Hands up all those who like pizza.
Anybody like pizza?
Yeah, there's one or two hands going up there for pizza.
Yeah, okay.
Well, pizza's not my favourite, but a lot of people like pizza.
And we'll all have different kinds of food that we like.
What about chips?
Who likes chips?
Yeah?
Who of the oldies likes chips?
Oh yes, lots of hands going up for chips.
Okay, so, now, there's a verse in the Bible that I want you to learn.
It's in Psalm 34.
Psalm 34 and verse 8.
And it goes like this.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.
How do you know whether or not you like food?
Well, the answer is obvious, isn't it?
You know whether or not you like food because you've tasted it.
You need to taste the food in order to know whether you like it or not.
There are some foods that people say I don't like them, but they've never really tasted them properly.
You need to taste the food in order to then say, I like this or I don't like that.
Why do I not like mushrooms?
Sorry for those who do like mushrooms.
Why do I not like mushrooms?
Because I've tasted them.
And personally, I don't like the taste of them.
Other people love them, which is absolutely fine.
That's how it should be.
But that's how we know we have a liking or disliking for food.
Unless we taste it, we can't really see, can we?
Now, here's a verse that tells us, taste and see that the Lord is good.
How do we know that the Lord is good?
Well, because we come to know Himself.
We come to taste Him.
That means really we come to know Him for ourselves.
We come to know what He's like.
We come in prayer to Him and reading the Bible.
We come to find out about Him.
But especially we come to know Him in a relationship with Him.
Just like we are related one to another.
Just like you relate to parents or grandparents.
Spiritually, we have a relationship with God.
And it's through that relationship with God that we come every day to taste
and to see that He is good.
To find out that He is good for us.
That He's always good in Himself in everything that He does.
Now, you might have a book at home where your mums, dads even,
and grandparents might have a book with recipes.
Pictures, usually in these books, of the food that you can prepare following the directions in the book.
But if you look at a picture there, let's say it was a plate of mushrooms,
and I had never tasted mushrooms before.
And you looked at that plate of mushrooms and they're beautifully presented,
you would say, oh, that looks really good.
Or else you might have a picture there that say, hmm, not so sure about that.
I don't think that would really be very nice, very tasty.
But how will I know unless I've tasted it?
And so it's like that with God as well.
The Bible gives us a description of God.
In other words, you get pictures of God from what you find in the Bible.
But you need to taste and to see that He is good.
It's the same for all of us as adults as for you children as well.
When you come to know Him yourself, when you come to trust in Him, to taste what He's like,
then you'll know that He's really good.
And that's what you're learning, isn't it?
In Sunday school and at tweenies and at home or in church services like this,
we're trying to present what the Bible says about God
so that you and I will come to say for ourselves to other people, oh, taste and see that God is good.
So today, taste and see that God is good.
Let's take what the Bible says and let's take that into our souls and we'll find that God is really good.
Let's say the Lord's Prayer then together.
Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
Now let's sing again to God's praise.
This time we're singing in Psalm 80 and that's on page 107.
The tune is Stuttgart and it's verses 7 to 15.
Stuttgart and it's verses 7 to 15.
Look on us, O God Almighty, let us see your glory bright.
Turn us once again toward you, come and save us, give us light.
Once you brought a vine from Egypt, drove out kings with mighty hand.
Set the vine and ground made ready, it took root and filled the land.
So that's 7 to 15 to the tune Stuttgart to God's praise.
Stuttgart and it's verses 7 to 15.
Let us see your glory bright.
Turn us once again toward you, come and save us, give us light.
Won't you brought a vine from Egypt,
Let us see your glory bright.
Turn us once again toward you, come and save us, give us light.
Won't you brought a vine from Egypt,
Come and save us, give us light.
Won't you brought a vine from Egypt,
Throw our kings with mighty hand.
Won't you brought a vine from Egypt,
Throw our kings with mighty hand.
Set the vine and ground made ready,
Here to root and fill the land.
So when branches o'er the mountains,
Shining every cedar tree,
Spreading from the great Euphrates
Through the mighty western sea.
Why did you break down its fences,
So that all made buckets grew,
Creatures of the field devoured,
Wild boars traded from the root.
Turn to us, O God Almighty,
Look and see from heaven above.
Tend this vine you hand us planted,
And the sun you raised in love.
Now let's read a passage of God's Word from the Gospel of Luke,
Chapter 13.
Luke 13, we're going to read verses 1 to 17.
There were some present at that very time
Who told him about the Galileans
Whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
And he answered them,
Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners
Than all the other Galileans,
Because they suffered in this way?
No, I tell you,
But unless you repent,
You will all likewise perish.
Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell
And killed them,
Do you think that they were worse offenders
Than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?
No, I tell you,
But unless you repent,
You will all likewise perish.
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 have come seeking fruit on this fig tree,
And I find none.
Cut it down.
Why should it use up the ground?
And he answered him,
Sir, let it alone this year also,
Until I dig round 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 he was teaching in one of the synagogues
On the Sabbath.
And there was a woman who had a disabling spirit
For eighteen years.
She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself.
When Jesus saw her,
He called her over and said to her,
Woman, you are freed from your disability.
And he laid his hands on her
And immediately she was made straight,
And she glorified God.
But the ruler of the synagogue,
Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath,
Said to the people,
There are six days in which work ought to be done.
Come on those days and be healed,
But not on the Sabbath day.
Then the Lord answered him,
You hypocrites!
Does not each of you on the Sabbath
Untie his ox or his donkey from the manger
And lead it away to water it?
And ought not this woman,
A daughter of Abraham,
Whom Satan has bound for eighteen years,
Be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?
As he said these things,
All his adversaries were put to shame,
And all the people rejoiced
At all the glorious things that were done by him.
Amen.
May God follow with his blessing that reading of his own word.
Let's again pray.
O Lord, our gracious God,
As we worship you today,
We pray that your Holy Spirit may be active within us.
We pray that our minds may be open to further understand your word.
We pray that you would apply it to us, O Lord,
So that spiritually and morally we may advance in our relationship with you,
And in our journey through life.
We thank you that your word contains all we need to know for our salvation.
We thank you that you have not revealed everything to us that is true about yourself,
Or other truths that you have chosen, Lord, to keep hidden from us.
And we thank you that we are not in a position to understand all your doings.
For you are God, and Lord, we cannot expect to understand every aspect of your being or of your works.
And so we thank you for that greatness that belongs to you,
That greatness that makes you unique.
The greatness, Lord, that you revealed to us in your word,
Brought the world and all that is in it into being.
We thank you for the grace, Lord, that you have revealed,
The grace that you use in the salvation of your people.
And we come before you today, Lord, as part of our worship,
To give thanks for that grace.
And to give thanks for all the good things that you give to us from day to day.
As we have been thinking earlier, Lord, with the children,
Of the way that we taste and see that the Lord is good.
Oh, help us, we pray now, to do so during this time of worship.
And help us throughout this day to taste and see that you are good.
Help us to reflect, oh Lord, seriously and meaningfully on the ways in which your goodness reaches us each day we live.
Enable us, we pray, to take that goodness to heart.
And to realize, oh Lord, that we are undeserving of any of it.
To realize that we are deserving of everything opposite to it.
And yet, oh Lord, you have dealt with us in this rich way.
So as to reveal to us the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior.
To reveal to us our own sinfulness.
And thereby bring to our notice our need of this Savior.
And Lord, oh, we pray today that all of us may reach out in faith and claim him for ourselves.
And if we have already done this, oh Lord, we pray that today, once again, we may be conscious of receiving the grace of Christ into our souls.
And thereby being empowered to continue with that life of faith and hope and love.
We ask today that your blessing will rest with us, oh Lord, as a congregation of your people.
We give thanks as we reflect on your goodness to us as a people.
We give thanks for the ways in which you have continued to bless us.
And for the ways in which, Lord, you have overlooked our sin.
We come together today to not only give thanks to your name, but to confess our sin together.
But we know that each of us has sinned to confess every day we live.
And we have used these words, oh Lord, already that you taught your disciples to forgive our trespasses, our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And we ask today, oh Lord, that you would hide your face from our iniquities.
And that you would teach us, oh Lord, the ways and the seriousness and the deceitfulness of sin.
Help us, oh God, to take to heart the teaching of your word in regard to this also.
Lest we should see ourselves as better than we are.
Lest we should imagine, oh Lord, that we have some claim upon you through our own goodness.
And yet we give thanks today that you offer life to us.
Sinful as you see us and sinful as we are.
And undeserving of any mercy from you, you extend to us, Lord, today that salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ, your Son.
And we pray, oh Lord, today that each of us here together with all God's people everywhere
we may know for ourselves that goodness of God in our hearts.
We ask you blessing to be with those who cannot gather with us today.
Oh God, we think especially of those who have particular needs at this time and are confined to their homes or to hospital beds or to care homes.
We ask that you would bless them, those who belong to us as families and as a congregation especially.
We commit them to you.
We ask that they may know your good hand upon them, your goodness surrounding them and providing for them.
We pray that you would draw them near to yourself, oh Lord.
For every time we come to be ill, especially with serious illness, we know that we are conscious of eternity drawing near to us.
We pray that you would make us wise unto salvation.
Teach us, we pray daily, to number our days and apply our hearts unto wisdom.
We pray for those today whose hearts are heavy with sorrow and with grief.
Those who have lost loved ones in this week gone by.
Those who reflect also on times gone by where bereavement came to their experience and to their lives personally in the removing of those they loved.
Bless them all, we pray.
Extend to them today your comfort.
And we pray that any who in these times, oh Lord, have lost loved ones but have not yet reckoned with the reality and with the seriousness of death and with eternal issues that they may do so.
Using, oh Lord, even the providence of death in their experience to draw near to God and to seek to draw their strength and their comfort and life from you.
We pray your blessing to be extended, Lord, to us as a people in our communities.
Bless us in all the activities we are conscious of from day to day, in our day schools, in our Sunday school, in everything to do with the education of our children.
Bless the teachers in our schools, the head teachers, those who have responsibility, Lord, to teach our children.
We thank you for them.
We thank you for their dedication.
And we pray that you would grant your blessing to them, especially at times when so much is asked of them.
And when there may be materials as there are that they themselves are not satisfied with and yet are promoted by government.
Lord, we ask that you would give wisdom to those concerned.
We pray that you bless our local authority.
Bless them in all the ways in which, Lord, they seek to do good to our society, to our people.
Bless them, we pray, in all their activities and in all the ways in which they engage with society as it is.
We pray that you bless our government at this time.
Remember those in Westminster, Lord, amongst the turmoil that exist there at the present time.
Oh, Lord, our God, we pray for days of peace, for days of stability.
We pray for days when there will be set over us those who will honor you, those who will be characterized by truth and by order and by all that would make for good government.
We pray that your blessing, Lord, will be at this time with them in Parliament.
We pray also for the Scottish Parliament.
We pray that you would grant blessing to all the ministers, to the presiding government and all who assist with it.
We ask, oh Lord, that the first minister and our government, our cabinet, will be blessed.
We pray that you would give them the resolve by which to govern in the fear of God and an acknowledgement of your ways.
Bless those of them who do know you and who do commend you to their fellow members of Parliament.
We ask that you would continue to bless them and support them, Lord, by your own strength and give them of your own blessed spirit so that they may be guided in all their ways by you.
Now, bless, we pray, all those who around us are in particular need today.
We pray for those who suffer from various addictions, from those, Lord, who find themselves in prison throughout our land.
We pray for those ministering to them, those who are seeking to bring them help and relief and guidance and stability.
We ask for all of these efforts, oh Lord, that they may be blessed by you.
We pray that we may see days when the gospel and the influence of the gospel will come to pervade our homes and our communities more than it does.
And to that end, we pray for your own spirit, oh Lord.
We know that we look to a God who is able to do more than we are able to ask or think.
You are able to do so exceeding abundantly.
And so we pray to you today, oh Lord, as the one we know created the heavens and the earth, sustains all things by the power of your word.
And we ask that that power may be used for our good as a people.
Hear us now, we pray, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
Before we turn to the word of God, let's sing once again, this time in Psalm number one.
Singing Psalm 1 from the Scottish Psalter, page 200, the tune this time is Paisley.
That man hath perfect blessedness, who walketh not astray in counsel of ungodly men, nor stands in sinner's way, nor sitteth in the scornish chair, but placeth his delight upon God's law, and meditates on his law day and night.
The whole of Psalm number one, again we stand to sing.
God.
I ask that men hath perfect blessedness, who walketh not astray in counsel of ungodly men, nor stands in sinner's way, nor sitteth him the same.
The storm is yet but place of this delight.
Upon God's law and meditate on his law day and night.
He shall be like a tree that rose here planted by a river.
Which in his season yields his fruit and his leaf fadeth never.
And all the angels shall prosper well.
The wicked are not so.
But like thee are unto the chaff which with right to and fro.
And judgment therefore shall not stand such as the sanctuary.
Nor in the assembly of the just shall wicked men appear.
For why the way of godly men unto the Lord is known.
Whereas the way of wicked men shall white be overthrown.
Let's turn together for a short time to Luke chapter 13.
And today we're looking at verses 6 to 9 of this chapter.
This parable that Jesus told the people at that time.
The parable as it says in the title there of the barren fig tree.
Scripture as you know frequently uses images drawn from agriculture.
Here it's viniculture or vineculture.
Respecting a vineyard.
That's the kind of imagery the Bible often uses to present to us spiritual truth.
Images of spiritual life in different ways.
Think of Isaiah chapter 5.
God is saying that Israel is his vineyard.
And he goes there through to teach about their need to turn back to himself.
Jeremiah chapter 4 calling upon Israel to plow up their fallow ground.
A ground that's been left unused for some time.
Spiritually that's a neglect of course.
And they're being asked to or demanded God demands them to plow up that fallow ground.
See to it that they repent of their sins.
Proverbs chapter 20.
A picture there of a vineyard that's been abandoned.
Or certainly been badly neglected.
All overgrown and full of weeds and so on.
And that makes its own point of course with regard to our life too.
John chapter 15.
Well known words of Jesus.
Jesus I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser.
And then he goes on to speak about the relationship of the branches to the vine as he teaches the disciples there.
And the passage we have here is a passage about a fig tree.
It's not about the vineyard as such.
It's about the fig tree that was planted in this vineyard.
It's obviously fertile soil because otherwise they wouldn't have planted vines there for the culture, for the viniculture, for the production of grapes.
But in this vineyard, as very often was and still is the case, the owner of the vineyard had planted a fig tree.
Making use of all the space possible in the vineyard and between the rows of vines planting this fig tree.
And that had immediate application of course to the Jews in Jesus' time as Jesus was speaking to them or teaching them about the privileges that they had had as a people.
And that's really the essence of the lesson from this passage today.
Spiritual privileges and advantages and the use or not use that we have in relation to those in our own lives too.
Here is Israel being addressed, the people of Israel, the Jews.
Obviously it's an image of them in the immediate context.
They had been so favored by God.
They had been blessed above all other nations of the earth.
They had come to know God, this God of the covenant.
They had come to know this God who had created the heavens and the earth.
This God who had entered into covenant with them.
This God who had taught them through the prophets, through the days of the Old Testament, all into the New Testament.
They were the vineyard of the Lord.
And as they were the vineyard of the Lord,
So the Lord was looking for them to be productive in their lives spiritually,
to bring forth the kind of fruit that honored Him,
the kind of fruit that showed they had made proper use of their advantages and privileges.
And we're applying that today to ourselves because that's really what the passage is about.
It's not there just to teach us a history lesson about what Jesus said to the Jews and about the Jews.
We have to translate this into our own present experience, our own present situation.
It's a portrait, really.
We're following through with our series of Scripture portraits of the church.
And this is really one of those portraits, if you like,
where you find the Lord actually giving us this imagery, this portrait of the church
and the gospel privileges that you and I have as belonging to that church visibly.
The gospel advantages that He has given you.
In other words, we've been planted so favorably in our lives in relation to the gospel,
in relation to the church of God, that today God is saying to us,
You are essentially my vineyard.
This is where I have planted you.
But especially we're focusing on this fig tree,
because this is really what Jesus set before the people of the day.
Here is this fig tree in this fertile ground,
surrounded by vines bearing grapes.
And yet this fig tree is fruitless.
It is barren.
It's not making the use of the ground that it ought to.
It doesn't have any figs.
And so the Lord is using that of an imagery,
just solemnly telling us today that it's possible
to actually enjoy many advantages and many privileges in the gospel
and not bear the fruit that God is looking for,
not bear the fruit that God Himself requires of us as human beings.
So here are our two headings today.
First of all, God has planted us in fertile soil.
Secondly, therefore, God expects us to bear fruit for Him.
God has planted us in fertile soil.
Therefore, secondly, God expects us to bear fruit for Him.
Let's look at these two as we follow the teaching of the parable.
God has planted us in fertile soil.
As we said earlier, this fig tree had all the advantages.
It had the fertile soil.
There was evidence around it that the soil could produce a good crop.
And that's how you are as well than I am.
We have been planted very favorably by God.
We've been planted in the vineyard of God's church.
This is what's leaving you here today.
This is what is true about you all here today,
and myself as well as individuals, as a congregation.
This is where God has planted us.
He's planted us in the vineyard of the church.
If you like, in the soil of the gospel.
You know, it's something that we really sometimes don't really think seriously enough about,
although it sounds almost too simple to really follow out in any detail.
But it is a very important point that God has planted us as human beings in the soil of the gospel.
We have access to the pure water and the nourishment and the nutrients that we find in God's Word.
They're channeled into our lives, into our minds, into our hearts, into our consciences.
As we're rooted in the soil of the gospel.
As we come to know these nutrients of the gospel.
These nutrients from God's Word.
The watering of our souls by the Word of God.
By the Spirit of God persuading us of our need.
We're also sheltered to a great extent compared to others in the world.
We're not persecuted because we gather here today.
We don't come through these streets or drive to church fearing that somehow or other there will be a bomb or a missile
or a group of people waiting to just take it out on us because we're Christians.
That's our advantage.
That's where God has placed us.
And we have the warm sun of God's favor, therefore, shining upon us.
We could have been.
Had God chosen it, we could have been where others are today.
We could have been in places where the gospel isn't faithfully preached.
We could have been out there in the wilderness of secularism.
We could be out there sharing with those who are atheists who reject God, who don't believe in God.
We could be amongst them instead of being here in church.
God, in His providence, could have planted us somewhere else.
But He hasn't.
He's planted us in His church.
He's planted us here in the soil of the gospel.
He's planted us where we receive so many benefits,
where we're surrounded by fellow believers, fellow people who worship God.
What a great thing that is.
And you know, Jesus was very much intending that His listeners at this time would really take to heart the truth of what He was saying.
You are a fig tree planted in the most favorable conditions.
Now think about that today.
Think how God has favored your life.
Think how God has given you all these advantages.
Think of what it might be like today if you were out there amongst those people who don't care to go to church,
who even some of them despise the church.
But that's not true of you.
God has placed you in His church,
in the soil of the gospel,
under the favor
that He has shown to you
throughout your life.
God has planted us
in fertile soil.
Therefore,
God expects us
to bear fruit.
See the way the parable goes?
Let's just follow the terms of it there.
The man who had the fig tree planted in his vineyard,
this is the owner of the vineyard,
and he's obviously employed
this vine dresser,
this manager,
to look after his vineyard
when he himself or he himself is away somewhere else,
the owner.
And so he's given
this task to the vine dresser
to look after this vineyard for him.
And the owner has returned
seeking fruit
on this fig tree.
This is what God is doing right now.
This is what God's doing with me
and with you.
God is saying to me,
look, you've been in this pulpit
for well over 30 years.
What fruit are you showing
in your life?
And here he is saying to you as well,
you've been planted
in the soil of the gospel.
He has a right.
This man had a right
to expect fruit
of this fig tree.
You see what he's saying?
Look,
for three years now,
I've come seeking fruit
on this fig tree
and I find none.
And he had a right
to expect fruit
of this fig tree.
He'd had it planted there
for three whole years
and that's enough time
for a fig tree to bear fruit.
A fig tree usually bears fruit
within two to three years.
It starts bearing figs.
So he had a right
to expect this fig tree
would bear fruit.
So God is saying,
I have a right, you know,
to come today
to look at your life
and to expect
that you're bearing fruit
for me.
He has a right to come
and find in your life
the growth of faith,
the growth of love
for himself
and for his cause,
the growth of repentance,
turning from sin,
leaving that sin,
following a holy life
as far as possible.
All the things the Bible tells you
are true of a Christian life.
Well, he's expecting that
of you and me
having actually rooted us
and planted us
in such fertile soil.
You can relate this passage
to the previous one
because Scripture is
very closely tied together
as you follow
the various parts of it.
Here is Jesus saying
to those who were present
at that time
who told him about
whatever had happened there.
We're not told the details of it.
The Galileans whose blood
Pilate had mingled
with their sacrifice,
some outrage or other
under Pilate's direction.
And Jesus said,
Do you think that these Galileans
were worse sinners
than all the other Galileans
because they suffered
in this way?
No, he said,
I tell you.
But unless you repent,
you will all likewise perish.
Same in the following verses
with the Tower of Siloam.
No, I tell you,
but unless you repent,
you will all likewise perish.
You find the same thing
elsewhere in the Bible.
You find Romans chapter 2
and verse 4, for example.
Let me just read that to you.
It's very much in keeping
with what you find
in this passage in Luke.
Here's Romans chapter 2.
Here's Paul writing these terms
to those who are making something
of the fact that they have
had a background
where God has blessed them
as a people,
where they belong to people,
with Abraham and so on
as their ancestor.
Here is God saying to them there
in verse 4,
Do you not realize?
Do you presume on the riches
of His kindness
and forbearance and patience,
not knowing that God's kindness
is meant to lead you to repentance?
That's a wonderful verse.
That's a great powerful verse
that God's kindness,
God's kindness to you
and planting you where you are,
God's kindness in making you
familiar with the gospel
and giving you to have your life
rooted and grounded
in the soil of the gospel.
The goodness of God.
The goodness of God
is intended to lead you
to repentance,
to repent of your sin,
to accept Christ.
I hope we're not presenting this,
and I hope I'm not presenting this
in a way that sounds terribly negative
and certainly not condemnatory.
I have to say this to myself
as much as to anyone else,
but this is God's word to us today,
friends.
This is our place of advantage.
This is our place of privilege.
This is where God has placed us,
and now He's come looking for His fruit.
And you have to answer to that
like I have to.
None of us can say to God,
well, I have all the fruit
that I really am,
that you really require of me.
I've always had this fruit in my life,
so I know that you will not
actually accuse me
of not bearing fruit.
None of us can say that
to the extent
that we would say
we have so much fruit
that everything that God looks for
is there in place in my life.
I can't say that.
Neither can you say that.
But what I'm asking is,
are you bearing the fruit
of repentance
and of faith
and of love
and of all the things
that are associated
with being saved?
That's really what it amounts to.
These people
who are listening to Jesus
weren't saved.
They weren't taking,
they weren't making use
of the advantages they have.
And this is what God
is impressing on us today.
This is our advantage.
This is God's kindness.
That's meant to lead us
to repentance.
Now you see what he says.
Look, he says,
for three years now
I have come seeking fruit
on this fig tree
and I find none.
None cut it down.
Why should it use up the ground?
These are certainly powerful,
solemn, challenging words,
aren't they?
Here is something
that's very understandable
in crop management.
This is a very sensible thing.
In terms of crop management,
in terms of looking after
this piece of ground
and this fig tree
and these vines,
it makes sense.
This is how those
who manage such things
go about the business.
I mean, if you had a fig tree
set in a vineyard
with all the advantages
and all the care
lavished upon it
that you had lavished upon it
and it didn't actually
produce any fruit,
what would you say?
You'd say exactly the same
as this man said.
Well, that's no use
leaving that there.
It's just taking up
a bit of ground
that could be used
for something else.
So, take it out
and put something else
in its place.
That's crop management for you.
That's how we would
actually deal with things
in the ordinary sense
in the natural world
in terms of crop management.
But of course,
this is not crop management
that's meant by this.
It's soul management.
It's human people,
that is to human beings
he's talking to.
And what he's saying really
is that we will take to heart
what it is that ought
to be done with us
if we don't produce fruit
to God's glory.
That sounds very severe,
but it is Christ's own word.
The space of this fig tree
could be reused.
And the words that he uses here,
why should it use up the ground?
If you remember the old AV,
the old AV translation
has the word cumbereth.
Why cumbereth it the ground?
Why does it cumber the ground?
And the literal meaning
of these words in Greek,
whatever we translate them,
the literal meaning is
it's really rendering useless.
It's rendering something useless
or of no effect.
In other words,
that fig tree,
because it wasn't bearing fruit,
it was to,
well, it was to
all intents and purposes
really rendering
that piece of ground ineffective
when it was being used
and there was no production
of figs on it.
And I think that's saying
something to us
that's also solemn,
but we need to bear it in mind,
and it's this.
This fruitless fig tree
was making it seem
as if that ground
was very little use,
was infertile,
as if there weren't really enough
of the good conditions
and the fertile soil there
that this tree would really need
to make it grow.
That's what it seemed like
when you take account of the fact
it didn't bear fruit.
Now, you apply that
to yourself and myself,
and what's it saying?
Well, it means that
if we haven't come
to turn to the Lord,
if we're not yet saved,
if we haven't put our trust
in Christ,
if we haven't received
Christ for ourselves,
then to all intents
and purposes,
it seems like the soil
of the church
and the gospel
in which God has placed us
is not really very fertile,
not very good soil.
That's the impression
it gives, doesn't it?
And of course,
we know that that's not
the case with this ground.
There's nothing wrong
with this ground.
The vines are growing there.
There's nothing wrong
with the ground
of the gospel.
Many people are growing
successfully.
They're growing fruit there
to the glory of God.
But if you and I are not,
if we've not yet made
the use of that piece of ground,
if you like,
in this church
that God intends,
that's the impression
we're giving.
That's the impression
we're giving both to God
and to others
and ourselves.
In other words,
to remain,
how can I put it,
to remain unsaved,
if you're here today
and you're still not saved,
you haven't turned to Christ,
you haven't put your trust
in Him,
you haven't given yourself
to Him
in your own individual life,
it's really giving the impression
that God hasn't really
been kind to you at all,
that God hasn't given you
the proper conditions,
that the soil
in which you're placed
is not very fertile.
Now, you don't want that
to be the case.
You don't want God's name
to be doubted.
You don't want people
to actually get the impression
that actually the church
is little good after all,
or that the gospel
doesn't really do much
for a person after all.
That's not what you want
to have in your own life,
that's not what you want
the impression of the world
of your life to be,
because that reflects upon God.
And it reflects upon God
in such a way
that does not give the glory
to God that you and I
were created for.
We were created
to produce spiritual fruit,
the fruit of faith,
of love,
of repentance,
of righteousness,
of holiness,
to the glory of God.
That's why we exist.
That is our chief end
as the catechism begins,
to glorify God
and to enjoy Him forever.
And so here is,
in God's kindness,
in God's goodness,
He's impressing upon you
and impressing upon me today
the meaning of this passage.
He's doing this
so that you can attend
to the need of your soul
if you haven't meaningfully
and fully done so already.
There are many of you here
who are already bearing fruit.
It's obvious in your lives.
There may be others of you
who have the genuine desire
to produce these fruits
spiritually that will glorify God,
but you've not yet seen to it
that your life is fully rooted
in Christ.
You haven't given yourself
to Him
as the Bible requires of you,
as God requires of you.
So here today,
lovingly,
tactfully,
patiently,
God is saying to you,
why is this?
Why have you not yet come
to accept me,
to turn to me,
to receive me,
to put your trust in me?
Is there something wrong
with what I've provided for you?
Are the conditions
not exactly what you need?
So God is urging you
through the gospel today
to look at your life
and me to look at my life.
What evidence is there of fruit?
And I know a lot of the Lord's people
will say,
well, I don't find much evidence
of fruit in my life.
But you wouldn't say
you're not rooted in the Lord
or not delighting in His ways.
Here is the challenge.
Cut it down.
Why should it cumber up the ground?
Why should it use up the ground?
But then you see this appeal,
thirdly.
He answered him,
Sir,
let it alone this year also
until I dig round it
and put manure on it.
Then if it should bear fruit
next year,
well and good.
If not,
you can cut it down.
You see,
the person who's looking
after this tree
for the owner of the vineyard
is really concerned
to give it every opportunity
to bear fruit.
So he doesn't want
to cut it down right now.
He appeals to the owner,
give it another year.
Let it alone.
And during this year to come,
I will make sure
that it has even more
by way of advantage
and privilege.
I will give it all
that it requires of manure.
I'll dig around it,
make sure its roots
are freed up
so that the nutrients
get into the roots properly.
I'll make sure
that everything
that needs to be done
on my part,
I will do for this fruit tree.
So leave it alone
for another year,
he says.
Now,
doesn't that show you
the amazing
patience
and kindness
of God?
the amazing
patience
of God.
How patient
God is with me
and with you.
When our life
is not as it should be,
he doesn't just
immediately cut us off.
He doesn't say,
well, that's it,
you've had enough time,
you've had enough privilege,
you've had enough opportunity.
No, he says,
I'm giving you
another chance,
I've given you
another year,
I'm giving you
every opportunity
to bear fruit
in your life
as you ought.
God, you see,
is always reluctant
to condemn.
You'll find that
throughout the Bible.
1 Timothy chapter 2,
verse 4,
talks about God
as not willing
that any should perish,
but that all
should come to repentance,
to know the truth.
There is nobody
here today
over whom God
is saying,
I am willing
to condemn you,
I'm willing,
and I would love
just to condemn you.
He's not willing
that any should perish,
but that all
should come.
That's all of us today
planted in the soil
of the gospel,
in the favorable conditions
of God's church,
God's vineyard.
He's saying to you today,
I'm going to give you
some more opportunity
to get some more
spiritual nourishment
from the gospel.
I'm not going
to cut you down
immediately.
Hasn't God
been patient
with yourself?
Hasn't He given you
ever the opportunity
up to now
to know Him,
to turn to Him,
to love Him,
to put your trust in Him,
to believe in Him?
I'm sure everybody
here will say,
yes, of course He has.
You're not going
to deny
the patience
and the goodness
of God.
But why was this
given,
why was this said
to the owner
of the vineyard,
let it alone
until I dig round it
and put on my new?
You notice the purpose
of this further year
was so that this
tree would actually
come to produce
figs,
produce fruit,
fruit.
It's not
so that
we could take
from this
the false impression
that we can relax,
that if He's giving us
another year,
well, that's fine,
we'll just see to it
somehow or other
during that time
that we'll come
to know Him
and come to love Him
and come to place
our life in His hands.
Every application,
if you like,
of the manure
or the nutrients
of the gospel
in your life
and in my life
are intended
to make us
produce fruit,
it's not so
that we can delay.
It's not so
that you can say,
well, okay,
then if I'm not
going to be cut down
immediately,
it's now,
that's fine,
just leave it
as it is,
just now,
then I'll think
about it.
No, it's so
that you can
actually say
the goodness
of God
as it continues
to be lavished
upon you
is so that
you will come
to attend
to this
immediately
and turn
to himself
and know Him
and love Him
and trust in Him.
He says,
I'll do this.
I'll dig
round it,
I'll put on my new,
and then,
he says,
if it should bear
fruit next year,
well and good.
He's going to give it
every opportunity.
There'll be no excuse
for this tree
if it doesn't bear fruit.
Everything's been done
for it that could
have been done.
If it bears fruit,
then well and good.
But if not,
you can cut it down.
The mercy,
the patience
of God
are beautiful
and precious.
What is more precious
to you
than to know
that God is merciful
and forgiving
when you take account
of your sinfulness
and mine
and what we deserve?
Yes,
the mercy
and the patience
of God
are so beautiful
and so precious.
But be careful
that you don't
take a false assurance
from that.
Be careful
that you don't
draw from this parable
and the teaching
of this parable
something along
the lines of
God will never
condemn me.
Because that's
a misuse
of the passage.
God does
condemn.
God does
possess
wrath
and anger.
God will
bring judgment,
His own judgment
upon those
who have not
responded to the
gospel
and borne fruit
to His glory.
Because mercy
and patience,
while beautiful
and precious
in themselves,
if you spurn
them and if I
spurn them,
if we don't
make the use
of them
that God
intends,
then we'll
find out,
sadly,
the words of
Hebrews 10
verse 31,
it is a fearful
thing to fall
into the hands
of the living
God.
See,
it would be
easy for me
today,
relatively easy,
to come to the
pulpit and say,
well,
I don't think I
should choose a
passage or
have a sermon
that includes
such things as
God condemning
people,
or God's
judgment
bringing that
rejection or
condemnation of
people.
Because I
wouldn't be true
to the Bible
if I did,
and you know
that.
I know these
passages,
if I can speak
personally,
are actually
very difficult
to preach.
They're difficult
to preach
to people
that you know
and love.
Because God
is bringing
to you
a truth
which is really
unpalatable
to ourselves,
naturally speaking.
So,
we're not doing
this just
because we
want ourselves
simply to be
orthodox,
or in a
reformed theology
just to keep
strictly and
tactlessly,
if you like,
to the things
of God's
Word.
I'm doing
this today,
friends,
because I love
you.
Because I don't
want you to
perish.
Because God
has placed you
on my heart.
Because God
has brought us
together as
congregation
and people.
Because I
believe this
truth.
Because I
have to face
God
if I don't
preach it.
Now,
we're not
told the
outcome.
You see,
it's just
such a brilliant
parable in the
way it's
constructed in
the teaching
of the Lord.
Because you
and I would
probably prefer
to know,
well,
what happened
to this fig
tree?
did it
actually bear
fruit?
Was it
actually cut
down after
the year?
We're not
told.
Why are we
not told?
Well,
for this
reason at
least,
that you
and I
can make
this passage
relevant to
ourselves.
So that
you and I
can conclude,
well,
my life,
with all
that God
lavishes
upon it
of His
care
and of
His
patience
and the
placement
that He
has given
me so
favorably,
my life
is not
going to
be fruitless.
That's
why it
doesn't
have an
outcome
specified.
So that you
and I can
say,
well,
whatever
happened
to that
fig tree,
I am
not going
to be
rejected.
I am
going to
bear fruit
as God
enables me
to His
glory,
to His
praise,
and to
my eternal
advantage.
May it
be so
for all
of us.
Let's
pray.
Lord,
we give
thanks today
for the
solemn passages
of Your
Word,
as well as
those that
are so
encouraging.
Yet even
in the
solemn ones,
O Lord,
we,
give thanks
that we
find much
to encourage
our souls,
even as we
do in this
passage today
that You
have given
us.
We thank
You for
Your care,
for Your
patience,
for Your
dealings with
us.
We thank
You for
the gospel,
for the
richness of
it, for
the soil in
which You
have placed
us, for
the church
we belong
to.
Lord,
our God,
we give
You the
thanks for
Your favor
toward us
in all of
these things.
Forgive
us, we
pray,
when we
don't bear
the fruit
that we
ought,
or to
the extent
that we
ought.
Give us
today, Lord,
that resolve
through the
aid of Your
Spirit to
come to
produce that
fruit of
righteousness
to the
glory of
Your name.
Hear us,
we pray,
for Jesus'
sake.
Amen.
Let's sing
now in
conclusion in
Psalm 67.
67, that's
in the
Sing
Psalms version,
page 84,
the tune
is Nettleton.
God, be
merciful and
bless us,
shine upon
us with
Your face,
that the
earth may
know Your
actions and
all lands
Your saving
grace.
O God,
may the
peoples praise
You, may
all peoples
sing Your
praise,
for You
judge the
nations
justly,
ruling over
every race.
and so
on,
the
whole of
the
psalm,
psalm 67,
to God's
praise.
Amen.
God, be
merciful and
blessed,
shine upon
us with
Your face,
that the
earth may
know Your
actions,
and all
lands
Your
saving
grace.
O God,
may the
people
taste You,
may all
people
sing Your
praise,
for You
judge the
nations
justly,
ruling over
every race.
may they
sing with
joy and
gladness,
may they
all rejoice
as one.
O God,
may the
peoples
praise You,
as they
all unite
in song,
come.
Then the
land
will
yield
its
harvest,
God
will
pour
its
gifts
abroad.
God,
our God,
will
surely
bless us,
all the
earth
will
fear
our
God.
I'll go to
the door to my
left this
morning.
Now may the
grace of the
Lord Jesus
Christ, the
love of God
the Father, and
the communion of
the Holy Spirit
be with you now
and evermore.
Amen.