The Barren Fig Tree (Part 11)

This is the last sermon in this series. We consider now what signs there might be visible in a person which would indicate that they are not only a Barren Tree, a fruitless professor, but that God's axe has either fallen or is raised and poised to cut such a tree down in a moment.

Download PDF Text

Call to Worship

Sunday School

Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

Sunday Service

Pastoral Reading

Psalm 3

O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul,
“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah
3 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
5 I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.
7 Arise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people!

Opening Song

Come People of the Risen King

Verse 1
Come people of the Risen King
Who delight to bring Him praise
Come all and tune your hearts to sing
To the Morning Star of grace
From the shifting shadows of the earth
We will lift our eyes to Him
Where steady arms of mercy reach
To gather children in
Chorus
Rejoice rejoice let every tongue rejoice
One heart one voice
O Church of Christ rejoice
Verse 2
Come those whose joy is morning sun
And those weeping through the night
Come those who tell of battles won
And those struggling in the fight
For His perfect love will never change
And His mercies never cease
But follow us through all our days
With the certain hope of peace
Verse 3
Come young and old from every land
Men and women of the faith
Come those with full or empty hands
Find the riches of His grace
Over all the world His people sing
Shore to shore we hear them call
The truth that cries through every age
Our God is all in all

CCLI Song # 5232617
Keith Getty | Kristyn Getty | Stuart Townend
© 2007 Thankyou Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com
CCLI License # 108183

Prayer

Focus this week:  Mena Anker

Song

Psalm 150 – Praise the Lord

Verse 1
You made the starry hosts, You traced the mountain peaks
You paint the evening skies with wonders
The earth it is Your throne, From desert to the sea
All nature testifies Your splendor.

Chorus 1
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, Sing His greatness all creation
Praise the Lord, Raise your voice,
You heights and all you depths, from furthest east to west
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Verse 2
You reached into the dust in love Your Spirit breathed
You formed us in Your very likeness
To know Your wondrous works to tell Your mighty deeds
To join the everlasting chorus.

Verse 3
Let symphonies resound, let drums and choirs ring out
All heaven hear the sound of worship
Let every nation bring its honors to the King
A roar of harmonies eternal.

Chorus 2
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, Sing His greatness all creation
Praise the Lord, raise your voice
You heights and all you depths from furthest east to west
You distant burning stars all creatures near and far
From sky to sea to shore sing out forevermore
Let everything that has breath
Praise the Lord!

CCLI Song # 7161130, Matt Boswell | Matt Papa
© 2020 Getty Music Hymns and Songs (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
Getty Music Publishing (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
Love Your Enemies Publishing (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
Messenger Hymns (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com
CCLI License # 108183

Offering Song

Christ is Mine Forevermore

Verse 1
Mine are days that God has numbered, I was made to walk with Him
Yet I look for worldly treasure, And forsake the King of kings.
Chorus 1
But mine is hope in my Redeemer, though I fall His love is sure
For Christ has paid for every failing, I am His forevermore.
Verse 2
Mine are tears in times of sorrow, darkness not yet understood
Through the valley I must travel, where I see no earthly good.
Chorus 2
But mine is peace that flows from heaven, and the strength in times of need
I know my pain will not be wasted, Christ completes His work in me.
Verse 3
Mine are days here as a stranger’ pilgrim on a narrow way
One with Christ I will encounter, harm and hatred for His name.
Chorus 3
But mine is armour for this battle, strong enough to last the war
And He has said He will deliver, safely to the golden shore.
Chorus 4
And mine are keys to Zion city, where beside the King I walk
For there my heart has found its treasure, Christ is mine forevermore.
Bridge
Come rejoice now O my soul, for His love is my reward
Fear is gone and hope is sure, Christ is mine forevermore.

CCLI Song # 7036096, CCLI License # 108183
Jonny Robinson | Rich Thompson © 2016 CityAlight Music (Admin. by Integrity Music)

Scripture Reading

Amos 6

“Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,
and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria,
the notable men of the first of the nations,
to whom the house of Israel comes!
2 Pass over to Calneh, and see,
and from there go to Hamath the great;
then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
Are you better than these kingdoms?
Or is their territory greater than your territory,
3 O you who put far away the day of disaster
and bring near the seat of violence?
4 “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory
and stretch themselves out on their couches,
and eat lambs from the flock
and calves from the midst of the stall,
5 who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp
and like David invent for themselves instruments of music,
6 who drink wine in bowls
and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
7 Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile,
and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.”
8 The Lord God has sworn by himself, declares the Lord, the God of hosts:

“I abhor the pride of Jacob
and hate his strongholds,
and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.”

9 And if ten men remain in one house, they shall die.10 And when one’s relative, the one who anoints him for burial, shall take him up to bring the bones out of the house, and shall say to him who is in the innermost parts of the house, “Is there still anyone with you?” he shall say, “No”; and he shall say, “Silence! We must not mention the name of the Lord.”

11 For behold, the Lord commands,
and the great house shall be struck down into fragments,
and the little house into bits.
12 Do horses run on rocks?
Does one plow there with oxen?
But you have turned justice into poison
and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood—
13 you who rejoice in Lo-debar,
who say, “Have we not by our own strength
captured Karnaim for ourselves?”
14 “For behold, I will raise up against you a nation,
O house of Israel,” declares the Lord, the God of hosts;
“and they shall oppress you from Lebo-hamath
to the Brook of the Arabah.”

Preaching the Word

The Barren Fig Tree (Part 11)
Luke 13:6-9

Closing Song

How Blest is He Whose Trespass (TH #551)

1 How blest is he whose trespass
has freely been forgiv’n,
whose sin is wholly covered
before the sight of heav’n.
Blest he to whom Jehovah
will not impute his sin,
who has a guileless spirit,
whose heart is true within.

2 While I kept guilty silence
my strength was spent with grief,
thy hand was heavy on me,
my soul found no relief;
but when I owned my trespass,
my sin hid not from thee,
when I confessed transgression,
then thou forgavest me.

3 So let the godly seek thee
in times when thou art near;
no whelming floods shall reach them,
nor cause their hearts to fear.
In thee, O Lord, I hide me,
thou savest me from ill,
and songs of thy salvation
my heart with rapture thrill.

4 I graciously will teach thee
the way that thou shalt go,
and with mine eye upon thee
my counsel make thee know.
But be ye not unruly,
or slow to understand,
be not perverse, but willing
to heed my wise command.

5 The sorrows of the wicked
in number shall abound,
but those that trust Jehovah,
his mercy shall surround.
Then in the Lord be joyful,
in song lift up your voice.
Be glad in God, ye righteous,
rejoice, ye saints, rejoice.