Dear Christian friends:

A young deaf man got a job, his first job. The first morning he came to work twenty minutes late. His boss explained to him that he must come in at 7:30 and be ready to begin work, not 7:50 or 7:45. The next day the young deaf man came in late again. His boss was cross and began to lose patience with him. The boss called the social worker to come that morning and sign to him and explain why it was important to come at the exact time and begin work. The boss said through an interpreter: "I will give you one more day, one more chance. If you come at the exact time tomorrow and in the future you can keep the job. But if you come late again, I will fire you." The young man woke up and began to change his ways and come in a few minutes before 7:30 ready to work.

God is like that boss. He is very patient and kind with us because He loves us very much and He offers us salvation in Jesus Christ His Son. God loves us very much and He is very patient with us, but His patience will end one day.

In our text Jesus tells a parable about a fig tree to help us understand about His patience and love for us. In the parable the Lord gave the fig tree one more year to produce figs or else.

So this morning I want to preach to you about that theme:


These words tell us that God's patience will end. In our text Jesus tells the Jews, "You, too, will perish unless you repent." (Luke 13:5) Then He told them God's patience will not continue always. If they are not sorry and change from sin to God, they will be punished. Then He told them about the fig tree which year after year failed to give any fruit. So the Lord told his gardener to chop it down, because it gave no fruit year after year. But the gardener pleaded with the Lord: "leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.” (Luke 13:8-9)

Now is our one year, our time to be sorry about our sins and give up bad habits and bad ways. Now is our time to accept Jesus Christ for our Savior. Now is our year for receiving new life through the Holy Spirit and try hard to love God and love others.

Are we like Israel, false church members and false worshippers? We have joined the Church and we often come to church worship service. But do we really confess our sins and give them up? Do we really ask God to forgive us and then promise to do right and love Him and obey Him. God complained about Israel's false worship. He said, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." (Matthew 15:8)

Some church members during Lent give-up smoking or give-up eating certain foods and give-up drinking and other sins. And when Lent is finished they take up smoking and other bad habits and sins again. That is false keeping of Lent. If you are really sorry about sin during Lent and give it up and ask God to forgive that sin, then you will try hard to continue to give-up that sin after Easter and always in the future.

As Christ arose from death on Easter morning and began a new life, the same we must arise from sin by faith in Him and begin a new and holy life. After Easter we more and more grow strong and walk in holy ways by the Holy Spirit's power. "One more year," these words are God's warning to us that His patience is limited. If we do not grow fruit, do good and right, He will cut us down. These words are a warning from God to us, but they also show He loves us very much and wants us to change our ways. God gives us much time for us to change our ways and really serve Him with love and good works. He has called us to faith in Jesus Christ through baptism. We have become members of the Holy Christian Church on earth.

God sends preachers to us to warn us and for preaching the Good News of Christ Jesus, Savior for sinners. Jesus Himself has established the Lord's Supper for us to confess our sins and to help our faith grow stronger. God gives us Christian friends, brothers and sisters in our Church so we can warn one another and encourage one another in true faith and a holy life. God has given us a few good leaders to show us good examples of how to love and serve God and not be hypocrites.

God Himself makes our change and improvement possible. In Luke 13:8 we read what the gardener said to the Lord, "leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.” The Lord is God. Jesus is the gardener. The attention, the digging around the tree means God's law which shows us our sins and failures. The fertilizer means the Good News that God has sent His Son to suffer and die on the cross to save sinners and give them a new heart, new spirit and new life, so they can give many fruits of faith.

So every day we must attend to God's Word which shows us our sins and failures and then also shows us God's love and forgiveness in Christ Jesus. Then His Holy Spirit can give us a new spirit and help us do good works, fruits of the faith. It is very important for us to daily attend to God's Word and regularly come to Church for our fertilizer!

"One more year", these words show God's great love for us. He gives us time and He gives us His Word so we can believe and do right. Now is our year to become like a beautiful tree which grows by flowing waters and gives much fruit each year.

Amen.