Worship Call 610 The Fig Tree

Robert, have a victor mentality! 1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. In 2nd Samuel chapter 9, we read the story of King David and Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan and the grandson of the first king of Israel, King Saul. After Jonathan's death, David went forth to show kindness to Saul's house. Mephibosheth had become lame at the young age of five -- he had lived his entire life as a cripple. When David calls him forth, Mephibosheth replies "What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?" His identity was completely based on his disability when in fact, he was the grandson of a king! He had forgotten his royal lineage and was wallowing in self-pity. Yet David looked beyond his disability and recognizing who he was, offered him a place at the King's table. How much time do we spend wallowing in our own self-pity, groaning about things with which we struggle daily...so much so that it becomes who we are! The enemy would love nothing more than to keep us focused on our disabilities so that we are distracted from the calling of God on our lives. He wants us to have a "victim mentality". But let's not lose focus of the reality of who we are. In Yeshua (Jesus), we are a chosen generation, part of a royal priesthood, and the King has offered us a place at His table! We are heirs of His great throne!! Robert, in Him, we should have a victor mentality! Press forward -- know who you are in Him and take your rightful seat at the King's Table. Your family in the Lord with much agape love, George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah Nashville, Tennessee

And this is another fine day in the Lord. as we continue fight the good fight of faith in God our mighty fortress

George leaves a note

Editor's Note: We'll be speaking in Texas, Arkansas and Tennessee over the next few weeks, let us know if you're in the area and would like to attend a service! If you would like us to minister at your congregation, home fellowship, or Israel focused event, be sure to let us know ASAP. You can send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com for more information.

WE pick up our study of Nathaniel meeting the Messiah.

John is the only place that we encounter Nathaniel by name. there are commentators who believe that this is Bartholomew.

John 1:45–47 (NASB95) — 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”

Who was Israel?

Jacob, the heal grabber.

Have you ever studied about Jacob?

when it comes to heroes of the faith it is hard to see Jacob as a hero. If Jacob was not trying to lie, cheat and steal something from someone, even his own father, someone was turning the tables on Jacob. It was not until the end of His life that He began to wake up to what his life was all about, and that was God’s plan.

How often have you had your bible open. Learning something from some source, on any particular subject of the bible, maybe even meditating on it and then hear the same subject brought up by a teacher a preacher even someone on the radio? I presume that all of us have had the experience more than once. One time might be a coincidence. But it happens so often you can longer dismiss it as such.

this same thing is about to happen to Nathaniel.

Nathan was under a fig tree meditating on the word of the Lord.

John 1:47 (NASB95) — 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 1388 δόλος

1388 δόλος [dolos /dol·os/] n m. From an obsolete primary verb, dello (probably meant to decoy; GK 1515; 12 occurrences; AV translates as “guile” seven times, “subtilty” twice, “deceit” twice, and “craft” once. 1 craft, deceit, guile.

“Curious statement,” Nathaniel may have though, “Wasn’t I just meditating on the story in the Torah, of Father Jacob?”

What was Jesus doing?

As a Son of Jacob himself, where as Jacob maneuvered others through his deception, Jesus was maneuvering one into faith.

He was giving the unbeliever a little nudge in the direction of faith.

Some of us can look back and see the working of the lord in our lives even when we were unbelievers. The Lord knows exactly how to tweak us that our eyes are opened to the truth.

John 1:48 (NASB95) — 48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

The fig tree was a place of peace Rest mediation.

1 Kings 4:25 (NASB95) — 25 So Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

Micah 4:4 (NASB95) — 4 Each of them will sit under his vine And under his fig tree, With no one to make them afraid, For the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.

Zechariah 3:10 (NASB95) — 10 ‘In that day,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘every one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree.’ ”

Intimacy with the Lord is in God’s word, in meditation, in prayer. The Fig tree is a picture of resting in the Lord as it would be Mary who had chosen the better things when she sat down at the feet of Jesus to listen to Jesus. Despite the complaints from the sister Martha working in the kitchen.

The Lord enjoys the time that you give him, in these things. It’s called fellowship and fellowship with the Lord is as joyous to him as it should be to you.

Do you take time to sit under the fig tree?

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 1492 οἶδα

οἶδα [eido, oida /i·do/] v.

To behold; to turn the eyes and mind and attention to something.

Jesus said to Nathaniel, “I beheld you. I was there. I beheld not just your physical presence under that tree but your heart as well.” Is it important to know that the knowledge that the Lord observes it is with a perfect knowledge. He knows your motives your searching even as an unbeliever. and he was working on you long before he opened the eyes of your heart to put your trust in Him.

acceptance acknowledging the one who had been following and beholding me?

At the particular time in my life, I wanted to know this one. I wanted a relationship, though I was not much better than Jacob.

He knows my heart when I get up

He knows Michael’s heart who in the quiet of the morning under the lamp in an otherwise dark room reading his bible in intimacy in the Lord

He knows the hunger of another Michael who seeks out others that he might share his Jesus with.

He is George’s Jesus and knows the love that George has for His Jesus.

It is the Lord who, smiles at Beka pouring over her notes to find something to bring light on a new insight, and who can run away with the outpouring of the heart telling others things she is studying.

in all these things God beholds, and he says, “Ah, there is a heart that is directed my way.”

Was the mere words of Jesus enough? why was that enough for Nathaniel to express his belief. Could not Jesus have been on a hill somewhere close, or had second hand knowledge of that was where Nathaniel was?

What was it about my own experience, to have heard the gospel in a church, and quickly respond to the fact that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. Was it the mere moment of hearing the Gospel and responding to God’s grace? When I responded to the Gospel message was I in my spontaneous

No, it was the essence that Nathaniel could always in these moments identify with. this was not Nathaniel’s first encounter with the Messiah. Jesus had been in his life more than Just a moment under the fig tree.

Point of Application

Don’t confuse what maybe a real interaction with the spirit of the Lord as simply a passing emotionally thing. God gave us emotion as a responder. The peace and the rest that comes over you when you are sitting in fellowship with the Lord goes beyond just the feeling but may truly be the experiencing the very essence of the Lord in true Christian fellowship.

There are some who a part from the first time of receiving the Lord have spent their lives going forward without hardly a glance up at the Lord. Not prayer life. No bible study time. No mediation on the Lord. When they do leave the body and stand before the Lord will their experience be somewhat different than others who fixed their minds on Jesus. With some I wonder if the attitude is, “I met you once in the Church on the corner. that was where you saved me. but in someways this Lord may be somewhat a stranger in a personal sense, at first. then there are those who pursued the Lord long after the salvation, well there be more of a recognition or familiarity with those who spent their lives walking with the Lord.