The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

Location: Ballard Campus
Preacher: Mark Driscoll
Date:1/2/11
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Tags: Fruitfulness
Luke 13:6-9
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
Parables - Good profound simple stories are everywhere in all cultures, we love to learn through story
Stories that sneek up on you
1/3 of jesus' teaching is in parable form
18 parables in Luke are unique to Luke
How to Appreciate the Parables
They create a fictional world that mirror reality and teach us about
They are about People - anonimous - We are to ask who am I in the parables?
We learn about out reality in the parables
They are really like movies
Don't alligorize the parables - don't make them more than Jesus intended
We should treat parables like a pitcher
Jesus pours in the meaning and we pour it out
Questions to ask about the parables:
What does this parable teach us about God?
What question does the parable answer? - the story is the answer to a question
What is the punch line in the story?
What did Jesus want the original people to learn?
What action does Jesus Expect from me? - What is the response?
Parables do not teach new doctrine - they expound existing doctrine
Danger - heresy from creating doctrine from a parable
Question Jesus is answering: Does God care about our performance? Our results?
We are NOT saved by our good works - We are CALLED to good works as a greatful responce to his Love
Characters:
Jesus is the kind gardener
The crappy fig tree = Me
What are of my life is their NO fruit? - My lack of Bible Reading
What limb of my Fig tree is bare? - Where can I have hope that my good gardener will pour his grace into?

How to be fruitful?
1 - Cultivate my relationship with God the Holy Spirit
Start my day with prayer, end my day with prayer, listen to His voice and go with the Gut he speaks to
He makes this happen -
3 - Count your Figs - keep track of my stuff
4 - Measure Fruitfulness not busyness - Cage Fighter who yawns and one-punches the busy guy
5 - Learn from fruitful people - Pursue the successful and fruitful folks
I want to meet with you once - I will be listening - I have some questions - I could really learn from you - Don't argue - learn and listen
6 - Be an activist, not a fatalist - God's sovereighty and our actions are two peddles on a bike - God initiates we respond - God wants to work ot his plans with us, so I need to work with him
7 - Turn my pains into plans - Most pain in life can be prevented or alleviated with Wisdom
Accumulate files to analyze where their was pain and what I can correct to improve
8 - Use your manure - The manure comes first - everything in life that is painful is a PILE - God loves me so much that he gives me manure -
The best rape councilors are other rape victims....etc