1. At The End Of A year
Luke 13:6-9

2. How Would You Rate 2014 Scale of 1-10
10 Because everything worked out well for you?
8 because it was mostly good, but a few rough spots?
5-6 because it was business as usual – no highs or lows?
1-2 because it was one of the worst years ever?

3. How Do You Rate A Good Year?
Business?
Family?
Income?
Health?
Age?
Cost of living?
Politics?
Football team?

4. How Would You Rate Yourself Personally?
you’re happy with yourself, your attitude, your character, your accomplishments?
5-6 – Okay. No major shortcomings.
1-2 – Need some serious work.

5. How About Your Spiritual Self?
Did 2014 see spiritual growth? Maturity? Ministry?
Did you stay about the same as previous years?
Did you lose ground spiritually?

6. A Parable For The Year’s End
Luke 13: …“A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.’”

7. That’s Harsh, Jesus! Pure practicality
Why should a fruitless tree remain standing?
Why should it use up good, fertile soil if it is going to remain infertile?
What good is a fruit tree that bears no fruit?

8. The Solution For A Fruitless Tree
Cut it down!
Doesn’t the orchard owner have the right over the trees?
Shouldn’t he have the right to expect fruit from a fruit tree?

9. What Do We Know? We know Jesus isn’t really talking about trees.
He’s talking about unrepentant people.
He’s talking about those who don’t grow and don’t produce fruit for the Kingdom.
He might be talking about us.

10. But The Vine Grower Said…
Give it one more year.
“I’ll dig around it and fertilize it.”
If it still doesn’t bear fruit – cut it down!
So Jesus ended the parable.

11. A Moment For Pondering Jesus leaves His listeners to ponder …
The generosity of the Lord
The patience of the Lord
The grace of the Lord
The expectations of the Lord

12. God Gives Us Soil To Grow In
Colossians 2: Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

13. We Occupy Precious Space
We fill valuable space in God’s garden
The soil is good and fertile
God expects us to bear fruit
There is no reason why we shouldn’t bear fruit

14. How To Bear Much Fruit
John 15:5 – “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

15. The Means Of Abiding In Jesus
What we can do:
Study
Learn
Serve
Grow

16. What Jesus Does
Digs
Fertilizes
Waits

17. Jesus Answers Our Prayers
John 15:7-8 – “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples.”

18. God Is Patient – But Not Forever
John 15:6 – “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”

19. What Kind Of Year Will 2015 Be?
Growth?
Status Quo?
Decline?
Fruitfulness?
Service?
Spiritual Abundance?