The Question of Faith
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”
24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things.
25 The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’
26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”
27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
Pray
We will look at a few keys to interpreting what is going on and then come to the application
Don’t panic when we get to the first point later in the message, because these application points will be at the end of the message
The Keys to Understanding
Fig tree
Jesus used the physical act of being hungry and looking for food on the fig tree to represent hungering for God and finding no fruit
The fig tree puts out leaves and has fruit buds on it from the very beginning
We had a frost a few years ago that killed all of the figs for the first part of the summer because the fruit buds were exposed
This tree had all leaves and no fruit - even though it was not the season for figs, there was no future potential either
When Jesus curses the fig tree, it is immediate, though the Disciples don’t seem to notice until the next day (Mark 11:20)
The fig tree was not just leafless after Jesus cursed it
The fig tree was withered to the roots
It was so shriveled up it was decimated
Take this in for a moment
Think of all the miracles Jesus has done - healing the blind, lame, sick, raising the dead, even walking on water
How would this be so amazing to the Disciples?
God was drawing their attention to it
Master Key Illustration
The fig tree is used in prophecy to represent Israel
This is the key to understanding why this passage is in the Bible and why Jesus didn’t just pass on from the tree, especially since it wasn’t the season for figs
The Fruitless System of the Temple Worship
Since the physical tree is symbolic of Israel, what Jesus is really getting at is the system of Temple Worship and the Old Covenant
Jesus condemns it as being all leaves and no fruit
They had the flash of the religious ritual, but they did not have any fruit leading to salvation
Remember that Jesus has just cleansed the Temple of the sellers and merchants
Jesus has entered the city as the Messiah, yet most of the people didn’t recognize Him
The priest and religious leaders had completely corrupted the religious system that was supposed to point people to God and to the Messiah they were waiting for, but it had turned people away
When Jesus curses the tree, He is essentially condemning the system of worship that was taking place on the Temple and saying that the destruction would come soon and be so complete that it would never be used again.
The Temple was destroyed in AD70 and has never regained a place of primacy in Jewish worship
The Temple was replaced first by Christ Himself and now by the Church as the people of God are indwelt by the Holy Spirit
The Issue of Faith
The next interpretive issue we need to deal with is the issue of faith
The Disciples are in awe and amazement of the speed the tree was cursed and whithered
This led to a discussion of faith and prayer
20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?”
21 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.
22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
While the teaching is about faith and it’s connection to prayer (or asking God for things in His will) we need to not disconnect this from what Jesus has just done
We must have faith when we pray and believe that God will do what we ask if we ask in accordance with His will
Ask Unselfishly
2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
Ask in Jesus Name - By His Authority to Glorify the Father
13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
Holy Spirit Intercedes to Change Our Prayers to Be in Accordance to His Will
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Ask Persistently
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
These principles of prayer are all true, BUT this is not the only thing that Jesus is trying to get at
What is the mountain Jesus is referring to?
Where is He standing? - He is standing on the Mount of Olives looking at the Temple Mount
Some interpreters believe that Jesus may have been referring to the prophecy where Jesus will return and split the Mount of Olives in two but that’s not the likely interpretation
Jesus is probably referring to the obstacle that the Temple Mount and the fake worship was posing to true saving faith in the Lord
This is to clarify and not minimize the teaching on prayer
Two Application Questions for Us to Consider:
1. How’s Your Fruit? (vv.18-20)
1. How’s Your Fruit? (vv.18-20)
19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.
20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?”
Jesus takes seriously that we bear fruit
8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
Bearing fruit glorifies God
Bearing fruit proves you are His disciple
What does fruit look like?
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
What if you don’t bear fruit?
6 And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.
7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’
8 And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure.
9 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”
2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
Are you all leaves and no fruit?
Are you all show and no substance?
2. How’s Your Faith? (vv. 21-22)
2. How’s Your Faith? (vv. 21-22)
Have you prayed?
Have you prayed for the right reasons and for the right things?
Have you prayed in the right way?
Have you prayed for the salvation of others?
2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
Have you prayed with an obedient heart, ready to receive and act according to what God shows you?
Have you prayed out of a heart of fellowship with God and not as a stranger?
Conclusion
How you pray reveals much about your fruit.
Did you know that most Christians never pray?
In fact, it can be said that many Christians are that in name only. They don’t want to go to Hell and suffer for their sins, but they don’t know Christ.
On day they will hear Him say, “Depart from me for I never knew you,” because they had no relationship with Him.
They are fruitless fakes that have a bunch of leaves, but no saving faith.
Is that you this morning? If it is that can all change today!
Put your faith in Jesus and it will remove all mountains of doubt and distance between you and God.
Cleanse out the temple of your heart and sing the praises of the Lord.
Believe on the Lord Jesus and be saved today.
