The Lesson of the Fig Tree
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
Beloved, a gardener for a large estate in northern Italy was conducting a visitor through the castle and the beautiful, well-groomed grounds.
As the visitor had lunch with the gardener and his wife, he commended them for the beautiful way they were keeping the gardens.
.......
He asked, “By the way, when was the last time the owner was here?”
.......
He said, “It was about ten years ago.”
.......
The visitor asked, “Then why do you keep the gardens in such an immaculate, lovely manner?”
.......
He said, “Because I’m expecting him to return.”
.......
He persisted, “Is he coming next week?”
.......
The gardener replied, “I don’t know when he is coming, but I am expecting him today.”
.......
Although he didn’t come that day, he was living in the light of the owner’s imminent return.
The gardener wasn’t hanging over the gate, watching down the road to see whether his master was coming.
.......
He was in the garden, trimming, cutting, mowing, weeding, and planting.
Beloved, he was busy.
.......
Likewise, Jesus is coming...
His return is imminent and can happen at any moment...
Therefore, we are not to just sit ideally by...
But we are expected to be busy, spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.
.......
So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 21 and focus on verses 29 through 33.
Our message this morning is titled “The Lesson of the Fig Tree.”
.......
As you are turning to our passage today, please keep in mind this fact:
This is our second to last message in Chapter 21 of Luke’s Gospel...
After that we only have three chapters left in our study...
.......
In chapter 22 we will look at Jesus as He shares a special passover meal with His disciples...
And by the end of that chapter our Lord and Savior will be betrayed and arrested.
.......
In chapter 23 we will look at Jesus as He is unfairly found guilty and sacrifices His life for us on the cross.
.......
And in chapter 24 we will look at Jesus as He conquers death with His resurrection and ascends into Heaven.
.......
However, today we will explore one of Jesus’s last public teachings during His earthly ministry.
.......
So, this morning we will cover three main points:
1) The Parable of the Fig Tree
2) The Kingdom of God
And...
3) The Word of God
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
.......
Heavenly Father...
You are El Shaddai, our God Almighty and the All-Sufficient One...
You are Jehovah-Jireh, the LORD who will provide...
And You are Adonai, our Lord and Master!
.......
Teach us to love like You...
Teach us to think like You...
And teach us to model our whole life after Your precious decrees!
.......
Forgive us for or short comings...
Forgive us for the things we carelessly say...
And forgive us for not running to You as often as we truly need to!
.......
Thank You for sovereignly having mercy on Your followers...
Thank You for providing for our daily needs and giving us the things we did not realize we needed...
And thank You for sending Your Son to take our place on the Old Rugged Cross!
.......
And it is in Jesus’ name we pray all these things...
Amen.
.......
Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
29 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.
30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near.
31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place.
33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) The Parable of the Fig Tree
1) The Parable of the Fig Tree
Verses 29-30: And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near.
Beloved, our passage today starts with a short parable that Jesus shares with His disciples...
This parable is an analogy of how trees, like the fig tree, can indicate the changing of seasons in the same way that the signs Jesus mentioned in Luke 21:5–28 indicate that the return of the Son of Man is at hand.
.......
Now, before we take a look at this parable deeper, we need to have a quick recap of the previous passages we have been studying these last few weeks as our message again will tie into them...
So, look with me at Luke 21:5-9, which says:
5 And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said,
6 “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
7 And they asked him, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?”
8 And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them.
9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”
So, here we see that Jesus is giving a warning regarding the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70...
Additionally, although the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD will be horrible...
It is not the time of the Second Coming...
That is take place at a future date.
.......
Next, Beloved, we took a look at Luke 21:10-19, which says:
10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.
12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake.
13 This will be your opportunity to bear witness.
14 Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer,
15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.
16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death.
17 You will be hated by all for my name’s sake.
18 But not a hair of your head will perish.
19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.
Jesus explains who the persecution that the followers of Christ are about to experience...
That is another sign pointing to the event in AD 70...
However, His followers are not to lose heart...
For this is part of the plan, and although some will lose their physical lives, God will preserver His saints and their eternity is secure.
.......
After that, we covered Luke 21: 20-24, which says:
20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.
21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it,
22 for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.
23 Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people.
24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
In this passage we saw how Jesus got into a lot more detail regarding the destruction Jerusalem would experience...
However, we also have to keep in mind that God’s wrath that devastated Jerusalem in AD 70 is just a foreshadowing of God’s wrath that He will show unbelievers when Jesus returns at His Second Coming.
.......
And finally, last week we expounded the text found in Luke 21:25-28, which says:
25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves,
26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Just as Jesus previously detailed the destruction of the Temple...
Now, He details His return.
.......
And that takes us to our passage today...
Luke starts this first section recording that:
“And he told them a parable:
‘Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.
As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near.’”
.......
Now, Beloved, when a fig tree begins to show shoots and leaves that is an immediate indicator and sign that summer is arriving.
You see, this tree is totally bare in the winter...
However, the appearance of life with the leaves that starts to grow on it was always a particularly dramatic site to behold.
.......
So, applying this to the signs Jesus has been telling us about...
It means that when we see any of those signs in means that the kingdom is near.
In other words, just as the fig tree’s buds turning into leaves was a sign of the nearness of summer, the events Jesus described as birth pains are to be a clear indication of the return of Christ.
.......
The signs are less about the exact timing of Jesus’s return and more to due with the imminent nature of His return...
As the New American Commentary on Luke says:
“Over the centuries in times of crisis and war, Christians have frequently asked themselves if the present events might be precursors of the end.
Such questions, as long as they remain hypothetical and deal with possibility and not certainty, are appropriate, for they help believers watch, i.e., be prepared, for their Master’s coming.
Thus believers, as they watch and pray for the consummation, will not be caught unawares.
Such believers may be surprised, but not unprepared.”
.......
Likewise, the Pillar New Testament Commentary on Luke says:
“The fig tree loses its leaves in winter, and only late in spring, when winter is past and warm weather is at hand, does its branch grow tender with buds.
When buds and leaves appear, no further authorities need be consulted.
‘You can see for yourselves and know that summer is near’
In verse 30, the leaves do not signify that summer is about to come, but is already here.
Similarly, the events of verses 7–9 and 12–24 point to the irrevocable nearness of the fall of Jerusalem.”
.......
You see, Beloved, the parable’s point is that, just as people can observe the trees and know that summer is coming, so one can observe world events and know that the consummation of the Kingdom of God is coming...
And that takes us to our next point.
2) The Kingdom of God
2) The Kingdom of God
Verses 31-32: So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place.
Beloved, let’s breakdown and define a few key phrases and terms...
.......
“These things” refers to the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 as these are the very first signs that Jesus warns about.
Thus, Jesus’s generation will not pass away until Jerusalem is destroyed...
This all lines up perfectly since Jesus pronounced these words in the early thirties...
Then the generation to which He spoke would still have been alive when the Romans invaded Israel and destroyed Jerusalem in AD 66–70...
That was thew span of about 40 years which is the timeframe of a single generation in 1st century Israel.
.......
Next, the phrase “The kingdom of God is near” means the consummation of the kingdom, when the Son of Man returns...
As we previously talked about in our study...
There is both a now and still to come aspect of the Kingdom of God...
So, with Jesus’s incarnation, the Kingdom of God officially came but it will not be fully consummated until Jesus returns.
.......
Finally, the phrase “this generation” Jesus’ own generation who will be eye witnesses to the destruction of the temple as we previously talked about.
You see, Beloved, the opening statement of verse 31 addresses the generation as the contemporary with Jesus.
This conclusion is further confirmed by the immediate reference to “these things,” which throughout Luke’s eschatological (theology of last things) discourse follows its similar usage in Mark’s eschatological discourse in referring to the things that will transpire in the fall of Jerusalem.
But Jerusalem is equally significant with regard to the final fulfillment of the Kingdom of God...
You see, Jerusalem’s destruction is a sober admonition for hearers and readers of the nearness of the end of the age and the Second Coming of Jesus...
And like birth contractions, the fall of Jerusalem is a sign of the End...
Furthermore, like contractions, the fall of Jerusalem signifies that the End is near, but not precisely when it will appear.
.......
The Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament on Luke puts it like this:
“Another “already–not yet” approach argues that, in Jesus’ view, the events of AD 70 and the end-time are inseparably linked, so that the fall of Jerusalem guarantees the completion of the other event...
The end has begun with events leading to the fall.
That beginning happens within this generation.
.......
The remark’s genre is prophecy, which often makes such a short-term–long-term linkage.
As a result, Jesus is saying that this group of disciples will experience the catastrophe of AD 70 within their lifetime, an event that itself pictures the beginning of end-time events.
As such, experiencing the fall in AD 70 is as good as experiencing the end, because one event pictures, guarantees, and reflects the other.”
.......
Now, in Matthew’s (and Mark’s) parallel account these is an additional statement that Jesus says that I would like us to look at...
So, look with me at Matthew 24:36, which says:
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
Jesus was very clear...
No one knows when the day and hour will be that He returns...
In fact, although Luke’s account does not have this verse...
Luke’s other writing includes this truth...
Just look with me at Acts 1:7, which says:
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.
.......
Next, Jesus will emphasize that what He is talking about right now is absolutely true because His own words will last forever...
And that takes us to our third and final point.
3) The Word of God
3) The Word of God
Verse 33: Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Beloved, Jesus speaks with His own absolute authority because He is Himself God and One with the Father...
No one else can honestly make a statement like that unless they truly are God and Jesus is God in the flesh!
Therefore, for Jesus to assert that His words will outlive heaven and earth is to make a remarkable claim of authority.
Again, the only being who could reasonably make such a claim is God.
Thus, Jesus emphasizes the permanence, certainty, and truth of His words and His teaching...
That they are more permanent, in fact, than even heaven and earth.
.......
You see, Beloved, all throughout Scripture we see that our world is only temporary...
It will not last forever...
Just look with me, first, at the Old Testament in passages like Psalm 102:25–26, which says:
25 Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
Likewise take a look at Isaiah 51:6, which says:
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed.
.......
This truth is all over the New Testament as well...
Just look with me at the apostle Peter’s words in 2 Peter 3:7, which says:
7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
And recall with me what it says in 2 Peter 3:10–12:
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,
12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!
.......
John the Beloved has recorded the following in Revelation 20:11, which says:
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.
And in Revelation 21:1-8, John writes:
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.
7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Once again, only a being who is truly God can truthy make this bold claim.
.......
So, Beloved, take a look with me at what it says in the Word of God regarding the eternality of the Scriptures...
Again, let us first consider the truth found in the Old Testament in passages like Deuteronomy 29:29, which says:
29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
And consider these verses in Psalms such as Psalm 119:89:
89 Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens
And Psalm 119:160:
160 The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.
.......
Now, let us turn to the New Testament and consider Matthew 5:18, which says:
18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Likewise, Luke 16:17 says:
17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.
And finally, 1 Peter 1:23–25 states:
23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;
24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls,
25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
.......
Beloved, this is just a quick survey from Scripture...
But even that quick survey makes it clear that two facts are very much true...
.......
Heaven and earth will indeed pass away one day in the future...
And Jesus words, along with the Scriptures that are written by the Holy Spirit, will never pass away for they are eternal.
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like you to consider this:
Naomi and I visited the ruins of Pompeii outside of what is today Naples.
The Roman City of Pompeii was destroyed in AD 79.
The explosion of Mount Vesuvius was so sudden, the residents were killed while in their routine: men and women were at the market, the rich in their luxurious baths, slaves at toil.
They died amid volcanic ash and superheated gasses.
Even family pets suffered the same quick and final fate.
It takes little imagination to picture the panic of that terrible day.
The saddest part is that these people did not have to die.
Scientists confirm what ancient Roman writers record--weeks of rumblings and shakings preceded the actual explosion.
Even an ominous plume of smoke was clearly visible from the mountain days before the eruption.
If only they had been able to read and respond to Vesuvius’s warning!
There are similar “rumblings” in our world.
While not exactly new, these things do point to a coming day of Judgment.
People need not be caught unprepared...
And that means anyone who is truly ready is someone who has placed their trust in the finished work of Christ at Calvary.
.......
And it is now about Christ’s sacrifice that we bring our attention to.
Communion
Communion
As we begin our communion service, I want to invite every genuinely born-again believer in the room to partake in this act together.
If you do not yet know the Lord and do not have a relationship with Him...
Or if you are under church discipline from this church or another church...
Then I will ask that you wait until you have resolved your issue before participating.
.......
As you came in, you should have picked up a communion packet if you are joining us.
This has both the bread and the juice in a convenient package.
.......
If you have not received one of these, please raise your hand, and someone will get you one.
.......
Before we join in communion together, I would like us to consider Matthew 20:28, which says:
28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
As found in the Ligonier Ministries article titled, “Atonement as Ransom” which says:
The Word of God has much to say about the atonement of Jesus, looking at it from a variety of different perspectives in order to explain all that Jesus’ death on the cross accomplished for us.
We have seen that essential to any orthodox conception of the atonement is that it was a necessary event, grounded in the perfect justice of the Lord, and that it involves a substitution.
Christ’s death is substituted for ours on the cross such that the penalty for our sin is paid, but not by us.
Furthermore, Christ’s life of perfect obedience is substituted for our life of disobedience, enabling God to declare us righteous in His Son and to admit us into heaven.
.......
Another way the Bible describes the atonement is as “a ransom for many.”
Yet getting at what this actually means has been the subject of much debate in church history.
In the early church, however, many conceived of the atonement as a ransom that Jesus paid to the devil in order to release us from imprisonment.
With good reason, however, this idea of a ransom payment made by Christ to Satan has been rejected by the vast majority of Christian thinkers.
The notion that Satan could somehow demand a payment from the Lord Himself undermines our Creator as the sovereign Lord of all and moral authority over the universe.
It is also hard to see how Jesus could destroy the power of the devil by giving him exactly what he wanted.
.......
The atonement cannot be a ransom paid to the devil, but it can be one paid to our Creator.
Any debt that we owe must be a debt owed to God, for He alone is our Sovereign. Scripture, in fact, specifically refers to our sins as debts that we have incurred against the glory of God.
Furthermore, while it is true that sinners are in bondage to Satan, that is possible only because our sovereign God has granted him a limited authority over transgressors.
God and the devil are not coequal powers, each possessing inherent authority to make demands and to call people into service.
Satan’s power over sinners is derivative, granted to him by God for a time until Jesus came to destroy the work of the devil.
We escape enslavement to the devil not by paying a debt to him but by paying our debt to God.
The price we owe the Lord is the price of our very lives, which we ourselves cannot pay, but Jesus paid this price in the place of all who trust in Him alone for salvation.
.......
So, Beloved...
Let’s all take a moment right now in silent prayer to thank the Lord for all He did for us...
(MOMENT OF SILENCE)
.......
Tom, will you pray before we partake in the bread:
.......
The Word of God says in Luke 22:19:
19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
(TAKE THE BREAD)
.......
Adrian, will you pray before we partake in the cup:
.......
The Word of God says in Luke 22:20:
20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
(TAKE THE CUP)
.......
With that, we conclude the communion portion of our service.
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray...
.......
Heavenly Father...
If anyone hearing this message right now does not know You in a saving way:
Knock down any walls that are put up around their hearts...
Shatter the scales that are over their eyes...
And untangle their mind from the false claims of this world and give them a renewed mind.
.......
For those hearing this message who already know You:
Remind us who we where before we where saved...
Remind us of how we once lived a life in total rebellion against You...
And remind us that it was You and You alone that saved us from the path we where walking straight to hell.
.......
It is in Jesus’ name we pray all these things...
To God be all the glory.
Amen.
