Sermon Tone Analysis

Last week, we talked about the wilderness experience — those times in our lives when it seems like we are not hearing from God — like He has left us alone…

In those times, we discovered that we must learn to give our lives completely to God — to let go… give up control… and trust God with our worries… our needs… our fears… everything!

Someone asked me afterwards: “Pastor, How do we do that?”

That’s a good question!

It is not an easy thing for us to let go and TRUST that God is going to take care of things — especially in the wilderness!

But, that is exactly what we have to do.

(If you have your Bible with you) look at Mark 11:12-25

In Mark 11, we find Jesus and the disciples headed to Jerusalem.

— Jesus is hungry and sees a fig tree in the distance...

— He goes to it, but finds it lacking fruit…

— So, He curses it...

Now… I don’t know about you, but it seems odd that Jesus would curse this fruit tree, especially in light of verse 13

Mark 11:13 (NRSV)

13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it.

When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

Now… I want you to notice something important here: Jesus curses the fig tree, and the disciples heard it!!!

So, why does He curse it?

And, why does He let them hear Him?

God will remove any fruitless branch…

(rose bush example) (Grape vine example)

The fig tree serves as an example…

— the rule was: if a fig tree had leaves, it would have figs!

— so, when Jesus saw the fig tree with leaves, He was ready to eat…

— but there was no fruit!

The fig tree serves as an illustration of the people’s spiritual condition…

— From a distance it “appeared” to have all the signs of life and fruitfulness… But....

Now, I want you to see what happens next:

Look at:

Why was Jesus angry?

— Where did this take place?

— They lacked faith… They had the appearance of life, but lacked fruit… They were even preventing the Gentiles from receiving God!

Look at what happens the next day:

The cursing of the fig tree served as a tangible illustration of where the nation of Israel was spiritually.

— they had all the signs of life and faith, but… they were fruitless!

Is that us?

Sometimes… I think we struggle in the wilderness because we do not realize that we lack faith!

— or at least… we don’t understand what faith is…

Look at Jesus’s response to Peter:

“Have Faith in God”

— The Jews were offered the greatest of opportunities — and so are we — yet they rejected Christ and clung to lifeless religion and traditions!

“Have Faith in God”

What does that mean?

Is it simply to “believe” that He exists?

Or… Is it something more?

Look at that word “Faith”.

— It is the same word translated “believe” two more times

“Pisteuo” — “1.

think to be true, to believe, implying trust.

2. trust, faith, believe to the extent of complete trust.... 4. entrust, put something into the care of another” (DBL Greek dictionary)

In all three place — “Have faith”… “believe”… “believe” — It is an “active imperative verb” phrase.... meaning — “Put our Trust in and continue to put our trust in.”

To have Faith in God means to live in a constant state of dependence upon Him.

— It means to come to a place of “full surrender and dependence” on God!

— When we reach that point, we have the privilege of seeing God do what only He can do!

— That is what moves us from mere activity to fruitfulness!!!

Jesus is dealing with their Faith!!!!

The Bible is full of stories about people whom God gave the opportunity to be used in tremendous ways by Him!

— they had to choose to respond!

The Wilderness Experience is an opportunity to respond to God!

— In it, God is asking: “Will you trust me?”

— Christ is saying: “Have Faith in God!”

Can I tell you?

God wants to use you in tremendous ways!

But… We have to learn to Navigate the Wilderness!

Here’s how we do it:

We must learn to see the invisible.

— Moses was an individual with great potential in the world.

He was the son of the Pharaoh’s daughter… Nothing he desired would have been withheld from him… yet he refused!

— He refused to be called “the son of the Pharaoh’s daughter”… He refused the privilege… He refused the status… the comfort… the prestige… He refused to indulge in the “pleasures of sin”… and chose instead to stand with the people of God! (to suffer with them)

— the “pleasures of sin” is not talking about “gross immorality”....

It is speaking about the things we associate with success today — position, power, prestige, wealth, freedom from problems....

— There is nothing wrong with those things, UNLESS we place them over the Will of God in our lives!

Moses walked away from it all!!!

— Moses stood toe-to-toe with the most powerful man in the world… and He had no fear!

Why?

He saw the invisible!

Moses did not fear man, because He had FAITH in God!

Look at Mark 11.

— We see the invisible in FAITH-FILLED prayer!

— Moses stood confidently before the mountain called “Pharoah” — knowing that he could kill him at any moment — because He refused to take his eyes off God.

— He was in complete dependence on God!

We can face the mountains… We can navigate the wilderness, by refusing to take our eyes off God!!!!

— When we depend fully on God in FAITH… He becomes our “all-consuming” thought… Everything in life becomes filtered through what pleases Him!

— We build that FAITH — that dependence — we seek to see the invisible through PRAYER....

Not the little, quick, “throw up” prayers for our daily needs, but… Through the big prayers… the mountain prayers… the wilderness prayers… that only God can answer!

In the wilderness experience, we MUST have faith in God… We must dream big and pray big!!!!

Not only do we need to seek to see the invisible through prayer… But we must be WILLING to ATTEMPT THE IMPOSSIBLE!

Do you see what Jesus just told them?!

The impossible is possible with God!

Jesus told them: “You can do the impossible!”

— We like to think this is just allegory, but Jesus is serious!

We can do the impossible through the power that He gives us!!!

We Must ATTEMPT the impossible in FAITH!

Look at:

(I’m not going to read the story here) But this is a familiar event…

— the storm is raging… and Jesus comes to the disciples… WALKING ON THE WATER!!!!

— They assume it is a ghost — a spirit — and what courage they had dissolves… They are gripped with terror!

They cry out in fear!

Look what Jesus says:

Matthew 14:27 (NRSV)

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”