Stewarding Your Perspective

Forgiveness

Mark 11:12–14 NKJV

12 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. 13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.

Cursing the Tree:

Jesus is hungry, he sees a tree that should be bearing at least semi ripe figs

They had just come from visiting in the temple

He had already seen what has been taking place in the temple

Mark 11:11 NKJV

11 And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.

I think this is a type and shadow for Isreal at the time

He was saying they have become a fruitless by turning God’s temple into things it shouldn’t be

They turned a religion into a way to judge other and feel better about themselves

Instead of worship an prayer the temple had become a place of business

Mark 11:20–24 NKJV

20 Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.” 22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Jesus lays out the way they should pray:

Our prayers should move us into faith

Are your prayers faith filled?

Are they big asks?

Mountain moving prayers

2. Must be a prayer of expectation

We can be expectant when we ask according to God’s word

We have to believe God is who he says he is

For many people prayer is a pious ritual or an abandoned hope

Our prayers must be ones of burning expectation

3. They should come from the right place

Our prayers have to come from a place of pure heart

If we have roots of bitterness or un forgiveness in our heart we’re asking from the wrong place

The principle of God is love, because he is love

If we are speaking with God there has to be some common bond

Jesus tells us just what that is is vs. 25:

Mark 11:25–26 NKJV

25 “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

4. We must people that live daily lives of forgiveness

He doesn’t tell us just sometime:

Whenever

Every time

In the Lord’s prayer

The reason he shed his blood was for forgiveness

Very important that we live lives of forgiveness

But if you don’t forgive neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses

Matthew 7:1–5 NKJV

1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Not only should we forgive but we should not judge

Judgment and Unforgiveness are double edge swords

If you don’t handle them correctly they’ll cut you the worst

See people who their youtube channel is to talk about Christian scandals

Judgment can be a way of escaping the sin in your own life

This isn’t to say we don’t confront people when they’re in sin or to disciple other

But it is saying clean up yourself before you go on telling everyone how to live

Communion: Dismiss people for Baptisms

1 Corinthians 11:27–32 NKJV

27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

If we’ll let God chastise and correct us when we blow it, we won’t be condemned by the world

Acts 7:51 NKJV

51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.

Don’t resist what the Holy Spirit has for you

Believe there’s people here who have passed up opportunities to forgive

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 NKJV

23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.