Beautiful Correction - Mark 11:12-25

Beau%ful Correc%on Mark 11:12-25 20200216 Turn from useless pursuits and allow the fruit of Christ’s righteousness to be yielded in you. Introduc)on The workplace office environment can reveal a great deal about the people who work there and what they are focused on. I remember some%me ago Seth described his desk at work: decorated with pictures of his family and quotes from the Bible. Those are good examples of items that help keep him focused on the areas of his life that are most fruiKul – such as the tending to his family, his own spiritual growth, and that of others. This of course isn’t representa%ve of all the decora%ons that might be found in a workplace office. At my old squadron in the scheduling office was an aOrac%ve box. The box had a silver toggle switch on the top of it such as one you might find in the cockpit of an airplane. If you flip the switch you start an electrified mechanically driven sequence of the box opening, an arm extending out of the open box and flipping the switch back to the original posi%on, followed by a retrac%on of the arm and a closing of the box. So that at the end the original ac%on of flipping the switch was undone and the box remained as it was before being touched. The box is useless – that is how it is even how it is marketed: The Useless Box. Then in a similar display of silliness I recently went to a sec%on at the Guard base that houses the communica%ons squadron. Near their help window, as I stood there wai%ng, I saw a glass display case with a similar sized box with a blinking red light displayed on its side. When I read the placard next to this it read, “the internet, s%ll working if light is blinking” – just a joke of course. It doesn’t really do anything related to the internet it just blinks a light, the box and its light are useless. Although they do get a liOle smile by those who take the %me to read it. As I considered Jesus’ approach to the fig tree in our passage today – it was with the express purpose of proving a point. Mark records for us this scene as Jesus goes towards Jerusalem, coming across a fig tree in leaf, rela%vely early in spring – and upon examina%on it has no fruit. This results in the tree being deemed useless to Jesus and his miraculous power over nature is then exercised. Isn’t it telling that Jesus expects fruiKulness? This expecta%on is not necessarily from a fig tree that is not in frui%ng season – but rather from Israel - which is represented by a fig tree in Scripture. The na%on of Israel was entrusted with modeling and living out the right worship of God. This is what Jesus is preeminently interested in - the right worship of God. Jesus is willing and ready to exercise judgement over those who prove to be useless in carrying out their charge. This is where we too can error. Even in the special set aside building designed for the corporate worship of God. Maybe especially here. We are just as prone to gut out all that God intended for our good and leave only an appearance of wholeness. The temple was supposed to be a house of prayer for all na%ons and it was completely changed into something contrary to this end. Where did these prac%%oners of Judaism go wrong? They became fruitless – they became useless and received the condemna%on they deserved. I suspect that this was a process. Just as it is a process with us. We add another ac%vity into our lives and it starts impac%ng our worship of God. We trim back our reading of God’s word or cut short our %me in prayer. We don’t see the value in gathering with fellow believers – so we curtail our involvement. Then we morph into a hollow shell of what we once were spiritually while maintaining the outward appearance of a religiously devoted individual. We would never want to admit it – but we slowly become useless. Maybe you are honest enough to admit this is where you are currently. Whether you are able to admit this or not - the truth of our passage deals directly with uselessness. As we study this passage together, I hope you will see plainly the need to: Turn from useless pursuits and allow the fruit of Christ’s righteousness to be yielded in you. 1.The Fruitless Fig Tree (vv12-14) a.v12 “On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry.” ♣Headed back to Jerusalem and he has an opportunity before him to instruct his disciples. Jesus was hungry – and he was interested in finding fruit. i.v13a “And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it.” ♣This is at the %me of Passover, that is the meal Jesus will share with his disciples the night he is betrayed. The %me of year we are talking about is March/April – that is early spring. ii.v13b “When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.” ♣It was not the season for figs. It was too early in the year. This was no surprise to Jesus. You will hear various explana%ons of why Jesus was looking for figs – but the explana%on that seems most fiang is that this was a real-life parable being enacted before his disciples. ♣Jesus is about to bring judgement upon the errant prac%ces going on inside the temple. ♣Throughout Scripture Israel is referred to as a fig tree and as a vineyard. This week we are looking at the fig tree in two weeks we will look at the vineyard. i.v14a “And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.”” ♣He pronounces judgement upon it! He condemns it for being useless – for being fruitless! 1.v14b “And his disciples heard it.” ♣This wasn’t in silence, but it was stated out loud in front of his disciples so they might hear it and remember it. ♣Does this bother you when you consider this judgement – even this seemingly nega%ve ac%on that Jesus takes? It doesn’t seem to fit with Jesus’ character when you hear it – does it? ♣I men%oned Israel being referred to as a fig tree. When you think of a fig tree you should think of a designed by God produc%ve system. But what happens when that system is corrupted? ♣Jeremiah 8:8-13 ♣I want us to see clearly church that Jesus is declaring authorita%vely his judgement on the fruitless fig tree. (In Luke’s account lament and weeping Luke 19:41-44) ♣We follow Jesus who forgives sins because he paid the penalty for those sins with his own blood. ♣However, that forgiveness does not extend to those who reject him. For those who refuse to turn away from sin and who refuse to accept Christ will have no fruit – and – they will receive condemna%on – eternally binding judgement. Transi)on: This judgement proclaimed outside of the city and outside of the temple is to be ringing in our ears as we go alongside with Jesus and the disciples into the temple courts. The faithless in the temple, as we are about to see will receive a similar condemna%on. 1.The Faithless in the Temple (vv15-19) b.v15a “And they came to Jerusalem.” ♣This is the paOern of our Lord in this week leading up to his crucifixion. As you come upon Jerusalem the most prominent feature is the temple. This would have been an extremely busy %me of year as many would have been there to draw near to God through the temple worship system. i.v15b “And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought...” ♣Jesus goes into a zealous cleansing of the temple. He is driving out those who are selling and those who are buying. ♣This is a huge area on the top of the temple mount, covering nearly 30 acres, it is hard to fathom how exactly he carried this out but his authority was clearly on display. ♣All who traveled to Jerusalem would have appreciated the convenience of not having to bring sacrificial animals with them from afar. Many scholars of this era noted that even if they had the animals would olen not pass the priestly examina%on – however those bought on the property were “acceptable.” ♣Similarly, the temple tax was to be paid with the proper shekel currency. Therefore, moneychangers were on the premises to carry out this exchange. ♣Can you picture this scene? In the court of the Gen%les – that por%on of the temple set aside for non-Jewish worshipers to join in worshipping the One True God is this massive bazaar or market like atmosphere. ♣Jesus shows up in the middle of this and overturns the tables and is forcefully driving them out! He is zealous to purify the place – this is not what the temple was for. i.v16 “And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple.” ♣This is another prac%ce that was not authorized. The temple was to be a des%na%on for worship. As it turned out it was being used as a thoroughfare from Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives or wherever someone had to go. ♣These would have been merchants or common people with bundles just passing through. Jesus flatly stops them from doing so. They were adding to the degrada%on of the place – making it useless as a place of worship. ♣Malachi 3:1-4 ♣Jesus doesn’t remain silent during this aggressive ac%on but speaks boldly. a.v17a “And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not wriBen, ‘My house shall be called a house…” ♣Of the accounts given in the gospels of this ac%on, it is mark who completes the quota%on from Isaiah by including the house of prayer for all na%ons. Mark’s audience is primarily Gen%le believers so this is an important dis%nc%on. ♣Isaiah 56:6-8 i.v17b “But you have made it a den of robbers.” ♣They are to be gathered at the temple to pray. Jesus says so far from the intent of this place you have instead turned it into a den of robbers. A fig tree is to bear figs. The house of Israel is the maintain the temple as a place of fruiKul worship and prayer. But instead it is a den of robbers people are not only denied access to God they are taken advantage of by those they should most be able to trust. ♣Let me ask – how does this judgement land on your heart? You have been designed to be useful – to be fruiKul where God has you. Can you inves%gate you life and determine if you are being faithful? ♣This is a struggle for me currently in the middle of this transi%on from primarily drawing my paycheck from the farm to shil that over to the airline industry. Where am I to be inves%ng my %me to be most fruiKul – to be most useful? It is a ques%on that is going through my mind frequently. ♣However, each of us are going to be a liOle different. The 17 year old individuals here are going to inevitably be thinking about the next step in life – school, career, faith. ♣Those of us spending a great deal of %me in the home working with children are olen tempted to find ways to distract ourselves from inves%ng properly in our kids thinking that perhaps another %me I’ll talk to them about this or that. Ask the ques%on – Am I being faithful? FruiKul? Am I useful? ♣Focusing our aOen%on back on the surroundings of the text, what do those in charge of the temple think of Jesus’ revisionary work? i.v18 “And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him...” ♣They wanted none of Jesus’ revisions. They saw no place for them. Their fear was in what the opinion of the people might mean for their posi%ons of power and influence. ♣What they did not perceive was that the biggest change that was coming was in the ushering of a new covenant through the very one whom they seethed over. You see friends, Jesus did more in his death, burial, and resurrec%on to change the system then he would ever do in even a hundred years of driving out moneychangers and buyers and sellers. He gave himself as a ransom – and the curtain was torn in two (MaO. 27:51). i.v19 “And when evening came they went out of the city.” ♣Aler the mighty work was accomplished Jesus lel once again. Transi)on: How would you make sense of all of that just took place if you were walking along as one of Jesus’ disciples? Maybe as Thomas or Peter – Jesus looks for fruit in a tree that is out of season, then Jesus expects his house of be a house of prayer, even though everyone knows it is a place to engage in commerce. Has he just lost his mind? Or is he jus%fied in his expecta%on? When it is evaluated in totality is always comes back to faithfulness. What does it mean to be faithful? i.The Faithful in Prayer (vv20-25) b.vv20-21 “As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots…” i.Jesus’ proclama%on from the day before resulted in the fig tree being withered. What would that mean about the proclama%ons made in the temple? What about Jesus’ other proclama%ons? This was without a doubt aOen%on geang. ii.vv22-23 “And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever...” ♣Did you consider Jesus’ proclama%on about the fig tree to be prayer like? We typically don’t think of prayer in that way do we? Jesus made the statement in full faith – faith in God. Faith is not to be in Israel or in the temple – faith is to be in God. ♣How does one demonstrate faith in God? i.v24 “Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it...” ♣We are to demonstrate our faith in God by praying. I appreciate D.A. Carson’s explana%on on prayer from this sec%on of Mark. He says, “Jesus was thinking God’s thoughts aler him and willing his father’s will. That sort of prayer, if asked in faith, will always be answered, for it is praying that God’s will may be done.” ♣With this kind of praying comes a certain level of ac%vity on our part doesn’t it brothers and sisters? That we get to know God and get to know his will by spending %me with him. i.v25 “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that...” ♣This passage is a gold mine for instruc%on concerning prayer. I have never met a Chris%an who has been fully sa%sfied with their prayer life. With that being said I do not hesitate to say that this desire we have to Turn from useless pursuits and allow the fruit of Christ’s righteousness to be yielded in us will only be aided by assimila%ng these instruc%ons on prayer. ♣How do we categorize what is found here? I came across one scholar, William Barclay, who had three useful categories that really grab the essence of this instruc%on well. ♣First, our prayer must be the prayer of faith. That means we have to believe we can actually take our problems to the Lord. A good ques%on to ask is: Can I take it to God and can I ask his help? This is what it means to have faith in God. If you don’t believe God can do anything about your problem – then to put it plainly you don’t really have faith in God. The ques%on of Can I take it to God and can I ask his help? also helps to see if it lines up with his will. If in sincerity you ask the ques%on and realize – no I can’t ask God to help me rob the bank (to use and obvious example) because that would be outside of his will – friends, if it is in clear viola%on of a plain commandment found in God’s word then you can’t in good conscience ask for his help. ♣Second, our prayer must be a prayer of expecta)on. To expect that God will actually do what it is we are asking him to do in prayer. I am praying for the joyful celebra%on of a healthy birth of my niece or nephew in September. I am praying with expecta%on that my children will walk faithfully with the Lord. I am praying with expecta%on that my wife will experience a full healing from her nearly three years of diges%ve struggles. What prayers are you offering in expecta%on? Remember we don’t want to be useless rather we want to be fruiKul and one of the ways we do this most prac%cally is through the way we pray. ♣The Third and final part of the prayer, our prayer must be the prayer of charity. This is where the focus on forgiveness in Jesus instruc%on so vital. We are to be a people who freely forgive because we have been forgiven by Jesus for the sins we have commiOed against him. If we harbor biOerness then our prayers will not be from a place of charity. If we will not forgive our heart will be unable to accept the in%macy with God that he desires us to have. It will render us inept to pray effec%vely. Like trying to light a campfire on the Oregon coast range in December in the middle of a downpour with a flint and steel. Transi)on: I want to grow in this area, to be one who is faithful in prayer and I am thankful that Jesus spent %me carefully instruc%ng his disciples and now us in this vitally important part of our walk. He was zealous for his house to be a house of prayer for all na%ons. He used the withered fig tree to jump into further instruc%on on prayer. Church, prayer is the great equalizer in the Chris%an faith. You don’t have to be powerful, good looking, tall or short, American or Irish, young or old. So many classifica%ons could be drawn out but what maOers, what make the difference between uOerly useless and fully fruiKul comes down to your faithfulness – the best way to determine that is by looking at your prayer life. Conclusion As we consider the transi%on from last week when Seth took us through the triumphal entry and this week where we saw the cleansing of the temple it may seem like the two pictures of Jesus don’t go together. But they actually go together perfectly. Jesus is fulfilling every prophecy wriOen about him. He is ushering in the new kingdom. This is what Mark has been preparing us for through his wri%ng. The central focus of the whole book is Jesus, just as the central focus of the whole Bible is Jesus. The picture given to us in these past two weeks is a good reminder that blessing and cursing are part of God’s plan. Those who follow God’s plan, summed up as love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself (MaO. 22:37-40) are fulfilling the law and subject to receive the blessing of living accordingly. That truth is never to be separated from the consequences of denying God’s sovereignty and aOemp%ng to live life for personal gain – resul%ng in cursing. We had plain pictures presented to us today in the passage that the fruitless fig tree and the house of prayer that had been guOed of its meaning and purpose by rampant misuse – both pictures brought about condemna%on. We can never forget the blessing of God’s forgiveness is not separated from the reality of his judgement. Paul writes in Romans 11:21-22 “For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you con%nue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.” The kindness and severity of God is directly predicated on where you stand in rela%onship to Jesus. It is how you relate to him that determines whether you are fruitless or exceedingly fruiKul. Turn from useless pursuits and allow the fruit of Christ’s righteousness to be yielded in you. y l i m Fa Table Talk GOD’S TRUTH February 16, 2020 Turn from useless pursuits and allow the fruit of Christ’s righteousness to be yielded in you! Family Discussion ?s Key Verse “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” 1. Whenever you know what you ought (John 15:8, ESV) to do and you choose not to do it – what is that called? It is called disobedience. What do you expect to happen when you disobey? Some form of correction – what if you never respond to the correction, such as in school? (See Scriptures in Table Reading #1) 2. In Mark’s gospel message this past Sunday, two pictures were presented of useless or fruitless objects. Do you know what they were? What surprises you about Jesus’ actions and declarations? (See Scriptures in Table Reading #2) 3. It is obvious from the teaching Sunday that Jesus expects those who say that they believe in God to follow His commands – to do His will. How then does growing in prayer help you to do these things and to bear spiritual fruit? (See Scriptures in Table Reading #3) ADING TABLE RE Go d’s ther into r u f s id r k Lead yo u Word... -7 remiah 8:4 5:22-23; Je 1 l e u lation m a S 1. 1 0-12, Reve :1 4 1 s n a m 7; Ro 1:12-14, 1 2. Mark 1 6:12-17 s 1:3-6 ; Colossian -8 :4 5 1 n h 1:20-25; Jo 3. Mark 1 Scripture Memory: Philippians 2:9 “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” - Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (ESV) www.pillarhoodriver.org