The Withered Fig Tree

In this sermon, Charles Spurgeon unfolds the gospel story of the withered fig tree. Going beyond the normal interpretation, he urges the congregation not to consider it only in relation to nations and churches, but to apply the lesson to their own lives, taking it “home each one to his own heart.” He goes on to consider the leafy—but fruitless—fig tree as a picture of those who profess faith in Christ, but show no fruit in their lives. He does this under three headings: there are such people in the church, these will be inspected by Jesus at the final judgment, and the results will be “very terrible.” Spurgeon concludes with a prayer that none of his hearers will suffer such a fate: “Holy Spirit, produce fruit in us this day, through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord!”