Luke 13 (2)

Pray Psalm 71.14-16.
But I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And Your salvation all the day,
For I do not know their limits.
I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.

Sing Psalm 71.14-16, 3.
(Solid Rock: My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less)
But as for me my voice I raise to sing in hope and constant praise!
With saving grace my voice will swell Your never-ending grace to tell.
Refrain v. 3
A Rock of habitation be; command Your Word to rescue me.
My Rock and Fortress ever be!

Read Luke 13.1-9; meditate on verses 6-9.

Preparation
1. What would be done to help the fig tree bear fruit?

2. What would happen if it did not?

Meditation
The purpose of a fruit tree is to bear fruit. Any fruit tree that is not producing fruit is taking up valuable space and wasting precious resources. Of course, such an unfruitful tree has no place in an orchard. The purpose of a Christian is to bear Christlike fruit in every aspect of our lives (Jn. 15.1-8). Such fruit must be diligently cultivated. Where it is absent, we must examine ourselves to make sure that we are not hypocrites, claiming faith in Jesus but bearing no evidence to support that (2 Cor. 13.5).

Jesus intended this parable for His followers. The fruit of repentance (vv. 1-5) is that which the Spirit works to produce – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5.22, 23). Sin is like weeds and stones and hard ground in the soul, preventing the work of the Spirit from taking root and flourishing. As we repent of these hindrances, new “soil” is made available for the Spirit, Who cultivates that soil with the life-giving substance of the Word of God and prayer.

But a life of chronic fruitlessness indicates a soul that has never repented and never come to life for the Lord. The future of such a soul is not bright (v. 9). God has great patience with us (vv. 7, 8), and He is continually at work within us to make us willing and able to know His pleasure and bear His fruit (Phil. 2.13). But we must make sure (1) that bearing fruit for Jesus is what we want above all, and (2) that we are applying ourselves to those disciplines of Scripture, meditation, prayer, and worship which cultivate the soil of our soul and keep it free of hindrances to fruitfulness.

True repentance leads to lasting fruit, the kind that glorifies God and furthers His Kingdom. But such fruit doesn’t just happen. Know what fruit the Lord is seeking; desire that fruit for yourself; then work to cultivate it in the power of the Spirit.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen. 18.25)

So asked Abraham when he was dickering with God about His promised destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham started with 50 righteous people as a remedy. “Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?”
Abraham probably had a pretty good idea about the spiritual condition of that city. After all, his nephew Lot lived there. So, Abraham began to whittle the number down…forty-five? Maybe forty? How about thirty? Perhaps twenty? Let’s split the difference with ten? Tragically, none could be found except for Lot and his wife and their two daughters; so the cities were destroyed with fire and brimstone (Gen. 18.16-19.29).

God was looking for righteous followers. Jesus is looking for the same. In His parable the keeper of the vineyard is playing the role of Abraham. “Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down” (Lk. 13.8, 9).

“Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

We may as well claim the role of fertile, or not, fig tree. Our keeper of the vineyard is the Holy Spirit, Who tends to us through God’s Word. While we read, the Spirit digs and fertilizes and waters our hearts, souls, and minds. He shines the love of the Son upon us, Who prays for us, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (Jn. 17.17). He reminds us of the fruit we must bear, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2.10).

And His final pruning:

“Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead, and
Christ will give you light” (Eph. 5.14).

Don’t render My gardening unproductive. Get busy. To Bear Fruit.

For reflection
1. What would you say are the keys to a life of bearing fruit for the Lord?

2. What can keep you from making good and consistent use of those keys?

3. Why do we say that repentance is not complete until it bears fruit for Kingdom living?

A comparison is here drawn between the owner and the vine-dresser: not that God's ministers go beyond him in gentleness and forbearance, but because the Lord not only prolongs the life of sinners, but likewise cultivates them in a variety of ways, that they may yield better fruit. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Luke 13.6-9

Pray Psalm 71.1-6.
Pray that God will work in you today to bring forth fruit for His Kingdom and glory. What opportunities are before you today? Commit them to the Lord and to the work of His Spirit, as He cultivates His fruit in your soul.

Sing Psalm 71.1-6.
(Solid Rock: My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less)
In You, O Lord, I refuge claim; O let me never be ashamed.
In righteousness deliver me; incline Your ear and hear my plea.
Refrain v. 3
A Rock of habitation be; command Your Word to rescue me.
My Rock and Fortress ever be!

From wicked hands redeem me, Lord, from all who wrest and break Your Word.
My hope, my confidence from youth, my praise forever reaches You.
Refrain

T. M. and Susie Moore

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available free by clicking here.