Faith Amid Faithlessness

Introduction

1. Jesus Cursed the Fig Tree

a. It was a prophetic object lesson about where hypocrisy leads.

b. It was a symbol for Israel, they appeared healthy, but they were fruitless.

2. Mark's Sandwich

a. Mark wrapped the two episodes of the cursing of the fig tree and the discovery of the withered tree around his account of Jesus' cleansing of the temple.

b. His aim was to show that the hypocrisy of the fig tree was evident even down to the heart of Jewish worship, the temple, which the religious authorities had turned into a house of commerce rather that a house of prayer for all nations.

c. Judaism seemed magnificent, but it was rotten at the core and therefore fruitless.

Mark 11:22–33 NIV

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?” Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.) So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

Have Faith In God

1. Jesus gives his disciples this command "Trust God"

a. We are to trust God at all times with everything, it's an obligation of every creature made in His image.

b. Trusting God is a moral, ethical, and spiritual duty, because not to trust God is to challenge the integrity of His Word, His promises, and His character.

c. It's interesting that this is Jesus' response, to give a command after He curses the fig tree and cleanses the temple. Maybe His next words provide a clue for us as to why this is His response?

Mark 11:23 NIV

“Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.

Faith Can Move Mountains

2. The disciples were probably astonished.

a. Jesus has entered the city on a donkey like a king, cursed a fig tree that is now dead, and cleared the temple courts. I am guessing the disciples are feeling a bit overwhelmed. So Jesus tells them "Trust God".

b. They were probably wondering what kind of power was this? and Jesus was giving them the answer, it's the power of faith that makes impossible things possible. Specifically, faith acting through prayer.

c. Faith acting through prayer is the kind of faith that can move mountains, then Jesus adds.

Mark 11:24 NIV

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

d. This verse has been misused by some to preach a prosperity gospel.

e. The Bible gives us a wealth of instruction about prayer, repeatedly stressing the importance of trusting God for the answers to our prayers. Therefore, a statement like this must be understood in light of all of the teachings in the scriptures about God answering prayers.

f. When you look at prayer in all of scripture, we see that the consistent teaching is that we must pray in accordance with the will of God. God doesn't will you to be rich, you already are in Him. God's will is for you to grow closer to Him.

The Relationship of Faith and Prayer

1. Believe to Receive

a. So what is Jesus saying about the relationship between faith and prayer?

b. If we fall on our knees and cry out to God, and we give Him the concerns of our hearts, we can know for sure that He hears and He answers, and His answers are always perfect.

c. But we tend to think that if God does not do what we ask Him to do, He has not answered our prayers.

d. Lets look at the prayer of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane:

Matthew 26:39 NIV

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

e. After Jesus prayed this prayer, He was later arrested and put to death on the cross. Does that mean God didn't answer his prayer?

f. Jesus prayer is an example of a faith prayer, notice he said "Yet not as my will, but as you will". In other words this is what I want, but what I truly want is for your will to be done. Jesus' prayer was answered, God said no because it was His will for Jesus to go to the cross.

g. Let me give you an analogy from R.C Sproul to help:

Mark The Relationship of Faith and Prayer

Many promises in Scripture assure us as to how God will answer our prayers; we simply need to believe them. Many years ago, when I was on staff at a church, a woman came to me for counsel because of her unrelieved feelings of guilt over a sin she had committed in the past. I advised her that she needed forgiveness from God, and the only possible way for her to receive it was for her to repent. When I told her that, she became irritated. She said, “I thought you were a theologian.” She was looking for a technical, sophisticated answer to her moral dilemma, something that she could not expect to find from people in her prayer group. She said, “I have asked God fifty times to forgive me for this sin, and I’m still overwhelmed by my guilt.” So I told her she needed to pray one more time and repent of her sin. At that point, she became very irritated and said: “I have told you that I have asked God to forgive me many times. I have repented. Why do I still feel guilty?” So, I said to her: “Yes, you need to pray for forgiveness one more time, but this time you need to pray that God will forgive you for another sin—your arrogance.” Of course, she did not understand the point I was making and became even more irate, so I asked her to read James 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Then I explained to her that she had confessed her sin but she did not feel forgiven because she did not believe God’s promise of forgiveness.

h. We must learn to trust in God and know that He always keeps His promises! Then Jesus continues.

Mark 11:25–26 NIV

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

i. R.C Sproul give a great discourse of this misused passage:

Mark The Relationship of Faith and Prayer

This statement may sound completely outrageous, but I do not believe that this text or any text in the New Testament teaches that we are obligated to forgive people who sin against us unilaterally without their repentance. All the New Testament teachings on confronting brothers who sin against us, seeking restitution, carrying out church discipline, and so forth do not mean that if someone harms us, we have to say, “I forgive you,” We may do that, but there is an analogy between our forgiveness of others’ sins and God’s forgiveness of our sins. God does not forgive us unilaterally; He requires repentance. But when we repent, He does forgive. We must do the same. If someone injures us or offends us, but then he apologizes, confesses his sin, and asks for our forgiveness, we cannot hold a grudge. If we do, we can expect the same from God. Jesus’ point is that every Christian is to be standing ready at any moment to forgive any offense if the offending person repents.

j. Forgiveness is part of true freedom. Scripture doesn't require you to forgive unrepentant offences, but it sure is healthy to learn to let it go.

A Question about Authority

1. The Question about authority.

a. This question is still asked today in the church, we actually struggle with authority and try to say no one actually has authority over anyone. This is a cultural lie that brings deception to the church.

b. This question of authority was a point of contention throughout Jesus' ministry.

John 12:49 NIV

For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.

Matthew 28:18 NIV

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

c. This question of authority should not be a question for believers, all authority lies in Jesus.

d. Yet, for those who don't yet believe they still question this authority.

Mark 11:29–33 NIV

Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.) So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

e. Jesus puts the question back to them, and they can't answer because they fear the reaction of others. The religious leaders were set in their belief that Jesus had no authority to preach and do miracles, nothing he could do or say would change this.

f. Yet, submitting to authority is part of submitting your life to God.

2. The connection between answered prayer and authority

a. Do you see how these passages connect? It is only when we learn to submit to the authority given to Jesus that our prayers will be answered.

b. Yet we must also be living under the authority of His will, because His will is what we pray for. Because all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus.

c. A prayer of faith, is a prayer that trusts and believes in the authority of Jesus to answer our prayers, based on what is best for us. And we rest in the promises by faith that He will always keep his promises.

Big Idea: Place your trust in God, submit to the authority that has been given to Jesus and believe in His promises. Then you will live in the freedom of forgiveness through His grace.