This morning, we continue our series on “The Parables of Jesus.” We will seek to glean “Pearls from the Parables.”
Before we get to the parable, let’s look at a scripture we have been looking at all year. This is something I believe the Lord wants us to meditate on.
(Psalm 126:4 TPT)
Now, Lord, do it again! Restore us to our former glory! May streams of your refreshing flow over us until our dry hearts are drenched again.
This is a season of refreshing and restoring for us.
Yesterday, we looked at verses 1-5 first before getting into the parable. We will do the same today. It is important to have the context.
(Luke 13:1-5 ERV)
1 Some people there with Jesus at that time told him about what had happened to some worshipers from Galilee. Pilate had them killed. Their blood was mixed with the blood of the animals they had brought for sacrificing.
2 Jesus answered, “Do you think this happened to those people because they were more sinful than all other people from Galilee?
3 No, they were not. But if you don’t decide now to change your lives, you will all be destroyed like those people!
4 And what about those 18 people who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were more sinful than everyone else in Jerusalem?
5 They were not. But I tell you if you don’t decide now to change your lives, you will all be destroyed too!”
Now, let’s look at the passage we have been talking about.
(Luke 13:6-9 NKJV)
6 He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.
7 Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’
8 But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also until I dig around it and fertilize it.
9 And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that, you can cut it down.’ “
So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. The intersection of God’s grace and His accountability.
— God loves you by grace. This grace is unearned, unmerited, and mainly underserved.
— Grace is a free gift that does not come by works. It does, however, come FOR work.
— God’s grace is not a license for laziness or complacency. Don’t take the fact that God’s grace is free to mean that you don’t have to do anything.
— There is a HIGH COST to God’s FREE GIFT, and that cost is everything!
— God has never required any less than ALL of us!
— While grace is freely given, it comes with the responsibility to produce spiritual fruit that aligns with our purpose.
— The parable illustrates a balance between receiving grace and being held accountable for our spiritual state.
— When the owner of the fig tree and the vineyard came looking for figs on the tree, all it wanted from the fig tree was figs. In other words, all the owner wanted was for the fig tree to be ITSELF!
— God is not looking for you to be anyone other than yourself.
— God just wants you to be who He called you to be.
— God has freely given you the grace to be and to do what you were born to be and do, but don’t misunderstand the free nature of God’s grace. God’s grace comes with responsibility.
— God will hold you accountable to His grace.
— God will hold you accountable to your calling.
— If you walk with God long enough, you are going to have an encounter with Him at the intersection of GRACE and ACCOUNTABILITY!
2. God is looking for your life to produce the fruit you are naturally supposed to produce.
— God is not looking for you to be anyone other than yourself. There are some things you are naturally gifted and graced to be and do, and that’s all God is looking for from you.
— God simply wants your life to produce the fruit that He wired you to produce.
— When God came to the fig tree, all He was looking for was figs. He was not upset that the tree was not producing apples because He did not create the tree to produce apples. He was not upset that the tree was not producing mangos because He did not design the tree to produce mangos. God was upset because the tree was not producing figs when it was designed, from the foundations of the world, to produce figs.
— For a fig tree, producing figs should come naturally. The expectation was warranted because all the owner wanted was for the tree to be what the tree was supposed to be.
— The barren fig tree, in this parable, is a picture of a believer who is wasting the grace that is on his/her life.
— God has given you everything you need TO BE YOU! Now, all you have to do is embrace the grace to do it!
— You are naturally gifted to walk in your divine assignment. If you accept your assignment and embrace the grace to do it, your life will produce fruit, and the fruit will impact your sphere of influence. However, if you fail to accept and embrace who it is that God called YOU to be, your life will NOT produce the fruit God intended, and one day, you will have to face the consequences.
— Please stop fighting against your calling and live as your natural self. This way, the world will see Jesus in you, and you will leave a mark that will not easily be erased!
3. There are consequences to rejecting your divine assignment.
— The eventual cutting down of the barren fig tree in this parable is a clear picture of what happens when someone refuses to produce the fruit they were born to produce.
— There will be repercussions if you persistently and stubbornly neglect your spiritual calling.
— While God is patient, His patience is meant to lead us to repentance and not to be mistaken as approval of unfruitfulness.
— Continuous unfruitfulness is a rejection of God’s grace and a disregard for the divine investment God has made in our lives.
— The consequences of unfruitfulness serve as a sobering reminder for us to keep the main thing the main thing. God is not looking for us to be anyone other than who He called us to be. But if we choose to pursue other things, we will fail to produce the fruit we were born to produce, and we may not like the results.
— I told you yesterday that if you continually reject or neglect God’s grace, it will eventually give over to His justice. And you don’t want to be on the wrong side of God’s judgment.
4. You have to do more than just “look the part.”
— As a believer, you must avoid the trap of “External Righteousness.”
— The leafy but fruitless fig tree symbolizes believers who prioritize external appearances of holiness without internal transformation.
— Remember, God looks at the heart. His assessment goes beyond our visible actions. He actually checks the authenticity and intent behind them.
— Simply put, there are some people who know how to look the part without living the part in their hearts. You may be able to fool some of the people most of the time, but you cannot fool God any of the time.
— External righteousness can be deceptive. Going to church does not make you a disciple. Don’t let your church attendance record produce you with a false assurance of spiritual health while neglecting genuine heart transformation.
— This is one of the reasons why you must be delivered from performance-based religion. Some people find a false sense of security in their religious performance. They go to church, take communion, and sing a few songs so they feel like they have fulfilled their obligation for the week (this big in my family, by the way). Not knowing that the true obligation is tied to producing the fruit you were born to produce!
— Authentic faith involves a consistent internal and external alignment, where our actions, words, and character are congruent with what we believe God believes about us.
5. Life is much more simple when you embrace the grace TO BE YOU!
— All the owner of the fig tree wanted from the tree was figs!
— God has uniquely designed you with specific gifts, talents, and a divine assignment. Embracing this truth simplifies your life, aligning you with His grace and purpose.
— When you accept and walk in your divine assignment, you are operating in the center of God’s will, which is the safest place to be. It’s where His grace is most potent and His peace most profound.
— The pressure to conform to external expectations or to emulate others can be a distracting burden. But remember, God’s yoke is easy, and His burden is light when you are authentically YOU.
— When you embrace the grace to be you, you are not striving or struggling to produce fruit; it happens naturally. Just like a fig tree doesn’t struggle to produce figs, you won’t struggle to produce the fruit aligned with your divine assignment.
— Living authentically in God’s grace means you are not constantly comparing yourself to others or measuring your worth by worldly standards. Your value is intrinsic, rooted in God’s love and purpose for you.
— The simplicity of being you in Christ allows you to navigate life with an unburdened heart, free from the complexities of pretense and performance. It’s a liberating way to live, fully anchored in God’s grace. It’s #TheGraceLife.
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me! I boldly declare:
I acknowledge that Your grace, while free, comes with the responsibility to produce spiritual fruit and to walk in my divine assignment.
I declare that I will not take Your grace for granted, nor will I use it as a license for laziness or complacency.
Father, I understand that there is a high cost to Your free gift, and I willingly surrender all of me to You, embracing the responsibility that comes with Your grace.
I will produce the spiritual fruit that aligns with my purpose and divine assignment, living authentically and true to who You have called me to be.
I will not resist or reject my divine assignment but will embrace the grace to be me, producing the fruit that You have designed me to produce.
I embrace the simplicity and peace that comes from being authentically me in You, navigating life with an unburdened heart, free from pretense and performance.
As I walk in my divine assignment, I will not compare myself to others or measure my worth by worldly standards, for my value is rooted in Your love and purpose for me.
Father, I thank You for the liberating power found in simply being me, and I choose to live fully anchored in Your grace, navigating life with peace and purpose.
Living with this mindset, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
