I Come Seeking Fruit...
By Tim C. Moore
Luke 13:1 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.
7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?
8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone [SPARE IT] this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:
9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
SPARE IT: As longsuffering as Christ is, Christ agrees with the Owner of the vineyard in cutting down the tree if the offer of further grace is rejected. The Son never denies the right of the Father to DESTROY. Both Father and Son concur in offering salvation to the sinner. But there will be judgment if such a blood-bought salvation is finally refused.
Those who reported to Jesus that many had died at the hands of Pilate seemingly believed this act was swift judgment and evidence of their great sin. Jesus tells them they have misunderstood the Providence of God and the true purpose of life.
God's way of measuring is far different from ours. Just suppose Jesus were here...news of calamity and the judgment on sin. "Except you repent, you will all likewise perish." Disaster is falsely viewed as God's judgment on sin.
WHAT IS IT THAT WE NEED TO REPENT? REPENT OF WHAT? Fruitlessness and barrenness.
Pretty leaves are no substitute for fruit, The one thing God wants from us, the one thing that GLORIFIES God is our fruitfulness.
John 15:8 It is fruitfulness that GLORIFIES GOD and marks us as DISCIPLES.
I. GOD HAS A RIGHT TO EXPECT FRUIT FROM US.
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Because we are His PERSONAL PROPERTY. The fig tree owed its life to the owner. It is the owner's right.
God has a right to expect a return on His investment -"we are bought with a price."
- Because of our PRIVILEGED POSITION. "Planted in a vineyard..."
There were many fig trees growing wild. But this one was planted in a vineyard to
receive special care and nourishment. IT HAD A BETTER THAN AVERAGE
CHANCE...had every opportunity.
..."scattered abroad.." Greek word for sowing seed. When Christian are scattered to
different places, it is simply GOD SOWING SEED WHERE HE DESIRES A HARVEST.
WHERE HAS GOD PLANTED YOU? IS THERE ANY FRUIT?
- Because of our PRIMARY PURPOSE.
What's a fruit tree for? To bear fruit. That is not an unreasonable request.
Gen. 1:11,12. God made fruit, etc. to have a seed of like nature within it so it would
reproduce itself.
I John 3 says that we have God's seed within us... so that we may bear fruit after our kind.
John 15:16. Jesus says He chose us that we might bear fruit.
I Peter 2:9. That we might show forth the glories of God.
II. GOD HAS A RIGHT TO EXAMINE US FOR FRUIT.
- He came seeking fruit.
- Every tree scrutinized. Psalm 26:2
- Three straight years--takes thirty years for some of us.
- WHAT KIND OF FRUIT? After ITS KIND.
In Psalm 139 God appears at the door with a SEARCH WARRANT.
III. GOD HAS A RIGHT TO EXPEL US FOR FRUITLESSNESS.
Cut it down--it's just taking up room! Separate it from the rest. USELESSNESS
invites disaster. We lose what we don't use. WHY?
- USELESS--apart from fruit-bearing I can't justify my existence. John 15:2,6
- PROMOTES USELESSNESS - 'Why cumbereth it the ground" –why does it take up valuable space. If this spot were occupied by another, there would be fruit. Nothing that only takes and receives can survive. You must bear fruit.
IV. GOD HAS A RIGHT TO EXTEND A FINAL CHANCE.
"Wait one more year..." --One Final Chance.
How can it be made fruitful?
- DIGGING AROUND IT: "Break up your fallow ground.," A broken and contrite heart. This speaks of repentance.
- FERTILIZING IT. Feeding it, nourishing it.
PROPER DIET. What have you been feeding on? Has it made you fruitful?
John MacArthur said, "While Scripture acknowledges the difficulty of telling the sheep from the goats, the point is not that Christians may seem ungodly, but rather that the ungodly often appear to be righteous. The flock is supposed to be on the lookout for wolves in sheep’s clothing, not tolerant of sheep that act like wolves."
Matthew 13:24 Jesus taught about lost church members.
Some see Matthew chapter 13 verse 24 as a passage Jesus taught about lost church members...it is that but it's more than that...
We who belong to the kingdom of God exist in the same realm as unbelievers. We breath the same air, we eat the same food, we drive the same highways, we live in the same neighborhoods, we work at the same places, we go to the same schools, we visit the same doctors, we shop at the same stores, we enjoy the same warm sun and we are all rained on by the same rain.
What we can never share, however, is the same spiritual fellowship with Christ.
Tim...I’m 99% sure I’m saved.
Some of you can say...Tim I’m 99% sure I’m saved...
You see you can be 99% sure that you’re saved and you can say Tim I remember when I walked that aisle...I remember when I was baptized I don’t need to go up there...God I’m 99% sure I’m saved.
And God would say...you’re not only 99% sure you’re saved...you’re 99% saved…and to be 99% saved is to be 100% lost.
Wouldn’t you hate to go to hell 99% saved?
My friend wouldn’t you hate to go to hell 99% saved?
Our Scripture ends with the Tares being
Separated and Bundled
Our Scripture ends with the tares being separated from the wheat…the TARES ARE SEPARATED AND BUNDLED ...separated and bundled to be BURNED.
Let's say host of heavenly angels came to separate the wheat from the tares.
Let's just say that this morning in a couple of moments the host of heavenly angels came to this place...the angels that have been chosen to separate the wheat from the tares and let's just say that all of you here this morning represent all of humanity…all of a sudden over here and back there they came and picked out the tares...
Somebody you knew was taken…and now they come for YOU.
And it would be somebody you knew and all of a sudden they began to be taken out to be bound and burned and all of a sudden the angel came back in and the person the angel was about to take was YOU...
OH NO angel...I was gonna...I don’t want to be a tare!
And that angel takes you by the wrist and you tell him Oh angel...I was gonna talk to Tim or Connie or Pastor Lewis about it in the morning...I kinda wanted to talk about it later tonight as I went to bed...
Angel I don’t want to be a tare...please don’t...put me back...put me back…put me back...
You won’t be put back but bound and burned while the wheat is placed in the Father's House.
Friend you won't be put back because the Bible says the TARE is bound and burned while the wheat is placed in the Father's house.
How do you know a Christian? In their Fruitbearing: Too many Christians try to produce results in their own efforts instead of abiding in Christ and allowing His life to produce the fruit in their life.
The difference between spiritual fruit and human religious activity is that the fruit brings glory to Jesus Christ. Whenever we do anything in our own strength, we have a tendency to boast about it. True spiritual fruit is so beautiful and wonderful that no man can claim credit for it: the glory must go to God.
We need God’s resources to bear fruit. But where we place our roots is paramount to the amount of fruit or the lack of fruit we bear. Only as we grow them deeply into the spiritual resources of God’s grace will we produce fruit. Make the Bible your spiritual resource. Delight in it and feed your soul upon it’s truth. God can use you to help win the lost.
The Christian need not have any identity crisis. Jesus tells us who we are and why we are here. We are to bear fruit. We are to abide in Him. We are the branches. Only He is the vine. We are here to bear fruit, much fruit, lasting fruit. Once we accept this simple fact, we are on our way to making life truly meaningful and useful.
I have long thought that the greatest sin is the greatest corruption of the highest good. If it is God’s design that we bear fruit and we don't; that it seems to me is the corruption of God's highest purposes for us but instead we become completely useless and fruitless. O What a shame for man to be what he envisions instead of what God envisions.
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