Series - "Bible Trees" V - "Like a Fig Tree"
Luke 13:6-9 Matthew 24:32

September 28, 2005

Pastor William Underwood

The fig tree is mentioned frequently in the Bible. They grow everywhere in Israel. The wood is not good for anything It will not even burn. Without any leaves it is not attractive - it looks dead and lifeless. It is the latest tree to put on leaves in the spring. Sometimes it would not bear fruit for 2 or 3 years. It is a very important tree in the Mid-East. Everyone wanted a fig tree. In the Bible it is used as a symbol of spiritual life in the believer. It represents - SECURITY, SERENITY, and SWEETNESS.

I - SECURITY
1-In Deuteronomy 8:7-9 God promised Israel fig trees in the Promised Land.
2-Micah 4:3-4 "Every man shall sit under his own vine and fig tree and no one will make them afraid for the Lord Almighty has spoken."
a-Vine and Fig Tree were related - the vine was planted near the house wall and the fig tree nearby - the vine was trained on a trellis and reached the fig tree forming a roof of shade. b-II Kings 18:31 - Sennacherib promised anyone who surrendered to him would have his own vine and fig tree. c-Israel did not surrender - they knew that only GOD could protect them.
3-Read - Habakkuk 3:17-18
a-Do you know this security when everything seems to be going wrong? Do you put your trust ONLY in GOD?

II - SERENITY - "calmness" or "peace"
1-John 1:47-51 Nathaniel was deep in thought and meditation - thinking of Jacob's ladder (vs. 51).
2-Jesus looked into his mind - Nathaniel learned this lesson in quietness - not under stress, strain nor tension.
3-God wants every believer to meditate on HIM.
a-Psalm 1:2 "His delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law he meditates day and night." b-Proverbs 23:7 "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he c-Philippians 4:8 "If anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things."
4-Find a place where you can sit and think and stay there until God speaks to you.
a-You can avoid much stress and tension in your life.

III - SWEETNESS
1-In Judges 9 the fig tree said, "I don't want to be great, I just want to be sweet."
2-Most of us know how to push and get ahead in life, but few are content to just grow and be sweet.
3-Get grounded in Christ so your life can be a blessing whether anyone appreciates your greatness or not.
4-The fig is very sweet - do YOU know the sweetness of the Holy Spirit in your life?
5-Sweetness increases when the fig is exposed to the heat of the sun - do the pressures of life increase your sweetness?
6-The fig is cut in two, laid in the sun and then pressed into a cake that lasts a long time.
a-Have you ever been cut with harsh words? b-Have pressures and trials of life brought out the sweetness of God's presence in your life? c-Does that sweetness remain in the home, school, at work, at Church?

At first it seemed like the fig tree was not of much value. But now we know why it is the symbol of SECURITY, SERENITY and SWEETNESS. I want to be like the fig tree. Do YOU??