Mark 11_12_26

Title: Dead Worship

Text: Mark 11:12-26

Intro: During the tenure of the great preacher Henry Ward Beecher, a visiting minister (Beecher's brother) once substituted for the popular pastor. A large audience had already assembled to hear Beecher, and when the substitute pastor stepped into the pulpit, several disappointed listeners began to move toward the exits. That's when the minister stood and said loudly, "All who have come here today to worship Henry Ward Beecher may now withdraw from the church. All who have come to worship God keep your seats!"

Who are we worshipping? Perhaps the better question is what are worshiping?

The people Israel were God’s Chosen people… Yet they had a long History of worshiping gods other than God. There is only One God and He is to be worshiped alone.

During Jesus’ day, the priesthood and the people Israel were guilty of worshipping the temple of God and not the God of the temple. Because they worshipped the wrong thing there was no fruit (No Evidence) of God in their lives and their hearts were filthy.

For this reason 600 years before they were taken into exile even though they were properly warned by the Prophets.

Judgement is coming… God is angry with you and His anger will be satisfied… But there is hope… repent and return to God in faith.

This would be Jesus’ message for Israel as He returns to Jerusalem.

Orientate: This is the day after Palm Sunday, Jesus had entered the temple the day before and looked around. The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the Word stood in the temple, the place of sacrifice (atonement and mercy), the house of worship and praise, His father’s house… and what He saw did not please Him.

CPS: If Jesus were to physically manifest Himself here today, what would He find corporately and individually? Would He be pleased with our worship and the object of our worship or would He see fruitlessness and filth.

What we hold most dear in our hearts will speak volume in our lives.

What evidence is displayed in your life that you are a Child of God and are walking with Him in unbroken fellowship?

Judgment against IsraelVs. 12-19

Israel’s fruitlessness

Jesus returns to Jerusalem from Bethany (2 miles distance), He has a purpose, He returning to the temple. Along the way He is hungry (Physically Hungry… but Jesus is Hungry for your worship!) , He sees a fig tree it has beautiful leaves but it is void of fruit. Jesus curses the fig tree.

“May no one ever eat fruit from you again”

Fig trees… I had a fig tree in my yard as a child… big tree delicious fruit, my aunt would come and pick the figs and make Jelly and deserts. The pear-shaped fruit appears before the leaves. If the tree produces leaves with no fruit among them, the tree produces no fruit that year.

Jesus used this fig tree to symbolize Israel and its religious productivity. It may be adorned with pretty leaves making it appear to be promising. But like this fig tree that bore no fruit Israel’s worship was useless and futile.

They were worshiping the wrong thing… You expect to have an apple tree that produces apples.

The people of God are expected to bear fruit that resembles faith in God. Their fruit wreaked of self-righteousness, self-service, and false piety.

Their worship practices screamed, look at me, watch how long I fast, and listen to my long drawn out prayers, did you see how much money I gave today.

Illustration: We use to have an apple tree in our back yard, I never saw an apple on it, the tree was worthless and began to rot and I cut it down.

Israel’s Filth

Jesus enters into the Temple and He turns it upside down with righteous anger…..

Is it not written: “My house will be a house of prayer for all nations but you have made it a house of thieves”?

Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” declares the LORD. Je 7:11.

The priest had turned the temple into a convenience store…

It was Passover and Jews had come from all corners of the empire to celebrate

The money changers - exchanging foreign currency into Shekels for the temple tax that was due. The priest who were making dishonest gain gave a dishonest exchange rate.

An undisclosed convenience fee was added on

The sacrifice salesmen – Out of convenience you could buy a sacrifice there at the temple so you wouldn’t have to bring the sacrifice on your far journey….

But there is an undisclosed convenience fee..

The priest was making dishonest money hand over fist and they justified their wickedness by doing so in the name of God….

They ripped off the rich and the poor by profiting on their atonement. The priesthood could care less about atoning all they cared about was padding……. Padding their pockets!

….. Joel Olsteen… Freddie Prince… Crefloe Dollar…

Jesus said you turned the Temple of God into a robber’s den…

Illustration: You’ve seen the old westerns, the bad guys always have a hide out. They would use caves in the barren wilderness. A Robber’s Den.

Place to which thieves run when they want to hide. The chief priests and scribes were using the temple and its religious services to “cover up” their sin and hypocrisy.

The house of prayer had been turned into an exclusive club

Jesus said “My house will a house of prayer for all nations but you have made it a house of thieves”

Even those (foreigners) I will bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.” Is 56:7

Do you know where this convenient/flea market was held?

In the outer court…. The court of the Gentiles….

These priests sure were not missions minded…. They believed only Jews were acceptable to God…. People like them! (We know something about that)

The only portion of the temple the Gentiles could enter in and pray to the One and only God of the universe was crowded with dishonest money changers and fast talking sales people….

There was no room for bringing people in to the Fold of God.

…. Jesus overturned those tables and those selling doves…

Why does Mark mention dove? Because doves were the sacrifice the poor could afford… and Jesus is for the weak and the lowly…. The poor and oppressed.

NB) We see the fruitlessness and the filth of Israel, there dead worship of the wrong things, by this statement in Vs. 18.

And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him Mark 11:18

Jesus opposed their way of life, take away their glory, and He hit them where it hurts, their pocket book.

Application: Our Lord’s condemning the tree and cleansing of the temple were both symbolic acts that illustrated the sad spiritual condition of the nation of Israel.

People follow after their religious leaders, the people were being led astray… we see this as the mob screamed for Jesus to be crucified a few days later, at the encouragement of the leaders.

Israel was outwardly fruitless (the tree) and inwardly corrupt (the temple). It was unusual for Jesus to act in judgment (John 3:17), yet there comes a time when this is the only thing God can do. (John 12:35–41)

What Fruit do we bear? Are we outwardly fruitless and inwardly filthy?

If Jesus stood here today and addressed us what would He say?

Would He say your worship is undefiled?

You worship Me and Me alone…. You focus on Me and respond to my leading because I am the most important thing in your life.

You are completely satisfied in Me and your joy is because of Me.

You praise My name in order to glorify Me.

You love Me, therefore you keep my command to love others as yourself.

If this were the case, then why are we not pouring our lives into others and attempting to bring others in His fold.

Is Jesus here?

Illustration: After attending church one Sunday morning, a little boy knelt at his bedside that night and prayed, "Dear God, we had a good time at church today; but I wish you had been there!"

Often times that is how it feels, but we know Jesus is here. The question is, is our worship dead and unpleasing to Him?

Have we become like Israel… caught up in rituals and worshipping the wrong things?

LORD JESUS WILL YOU EXAMINE US?

Encouragement for the DisciplesVs. 20-26

The next day they returned to Jerusalem, they passed by that fig tree and they were astonished. The tree had withered and died.

The events of the day before and now the evidence of Jesus’ cursing may have left these Jewish disciples perplexed but Jesus tells them what to trust in.

It wasn’t the temple, it would be destroyed.

It wasn’t the sacrificial system, it was about to be abolished.

It wasn’t their ancestry, the Gentiles were about to be grafted in.

Jesus says continue to trust in God because faith and prayer and not the temple is the way to God.

Faith

Jesus gives them a lesson on faith, this lesson is not that by faith you can work miracles, but by faith will you be able to complete the mission I have for you.

In the Scriptures, a mountain is a symbol of difficulty. They would face great difficulty in life on His behalf. They were going to turn the world upside down.

These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; 7 Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. Acts 17:6–7.

They would face persecution and death for the sake of Christ’s glory and His mission.

Paul records His persecution For the sake of Christ, 24 Five times I received the forty lashes minus one from the Jews.25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea. 26 On frequent journeys, I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, and dangers among false brothers; 27 toil and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and without clothing. 28 Not to mention other things, there is the daily pressure on me: my concern for all the churches. 2 Cor. 11:24-28

Jesus’ words of encouragement, have faith. Faith over comes, you endure through faith. You overcome death by faith.

I can’t think of a greater miracle than overcoming death.

By grace through faith are you saved, while you were once dead in your trespasses, now you are made alive.

This will be your message!

Don’t trust the temple of God, trust in the God of the Temple. Trust in me.

Prayer

Faith is an indispensable element in prayer.

Prayer is the fruit of all ministry.

But sin hinders prayer.

May your prayers not be hindered so you can walk with me in unbroken fellowship.

People are going to stand in direct opposition to you and they did to me. In order for you to persevere you must do so in prayer.

Be a quick forgiver. Stand ready in your hearts to forgive those who you seek to bring to me… it is a difficult task and they are difficult people.

It has been said, prayer is not to get mans will done in heaven but to get God’s will done on earth.

True prayer involves forgiveness as well as faith.

We must be in fellowship with both the Father in heaven and the brethren on earth if God is to answer our prayers

We do not earn God’s blessing by forgiving one another. Our forgiving spirit is evidence that our hearts are right with God and that we want to obey His will, and this makes it possible for the Father to hear us and to answer prayer

If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear; Ps 66:18.

Faith works by love

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love. Gal. 5:6.

If I have faith in God, I will also have love for my brother.

Application: Who are you trusting in?

Are you trusting is Jesus alone?

Are your prayers hindered due to sin your lives?

Perhaps you need to forgive someone who has hurt you.

Is Jesus’ message in you hindered due lack of faith and unanswered prayers?

Do I love others who don’t love me back?

Conclusion: LORD EXAMINE US, inspect our fruit and disclose your findings, cleanse the filth out of our hearts. Help build us up in faith and prayer! That we may worship you and you alone and bring others into your fold who worship you in spirit and in truth.