Morning: The sermon, "Go Jump in a Lake," focused on Mark 11:20-25. In this passage, Mark wants the reader to know that everything is possible for the one who
trusts the Lord.
Jesus has successfully entered Jerusalem. After spending the
night in Bethany, he heads to the temple. While in route, he spies a fig tree,
and goes to look for something to eat. Being that it isn't the season for figs,
Jesus finds no fruit, and curses the tree. He then proceeds to the temple where
he chases out the merchants and money changers. That brings us to our passage:
Mark 11:20-25. This passage can teach us many things, the first of which is that Jesus demands fruitfulness.
Jesus demands
fruitfulness
Why did
Jesus curse the fig tree? The simple answer is because it didn't bear fruit.
The more complex answer is that the fig tree was a symbol of Israel. Jesus had
come into the world, but his own people didn't recognize him. They didn't bear
the fruit of repentance, and thus they were about to be cursed.
Fruitfulness
is a consistent theme in Jesus' teachings. To
paraphrase John 15:5, "Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. If we
remain in him and he in us; we will bear much fruit: Apart from him we can do
nothing." That means, if we are not in Christ we do not bear the fruit
of righteousness and we stand condemned. Jesus
said, "Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and
thrown in the fire" (Matt. 7:19).
If we are to bear fruit,
we must have faith in God.
Peter's surprise is met with a clear command: Have faith in
God. What is faith? Hebrews 11:1 states,
"Faith is being sure of what is hoped for and certain of things
unseen." Faith is trust (or
confidence) in God's Word. There are, at least, three basic truths we must cling to:
- God exists,
- We can only know him through his Son Jesus Christ, and
- He rewards those who seek him.
As Jesus commands the disciples to trust, he compels them to pray. The
principles Jesus expounds here are rooted in the larger context of his
teachings on prayer (i.e., It has to be God's will, in keeping with Christ'
nature, it must be persistent, etc." So when we pray, we must:
1) Pray from an
undivided heart.
We are to pray without doubt in our heart. The word
"doubt" refers to being pulled in two directions. There are many ways
that doubt enters our heart.Here are some:
- We doubt God's ability
- We doubt God's willingness
- We doubt God's wisdom
- We doubt God's justice
How do we get an undivided heart? Faith comes by hearing the message of Christ. We pray, we read the Scriptures, we study them, meditate on them, listen to them, live them, love them, apply them, memorize them, we must by taught them and teach them, we talk to other believers, and we read good, sound Christian books.
2) Pray from a humble,
loving heart.
How do we get a humble, loving heart? We meditate on the cross of Christ. We remind ourselves of the depths of God's mercy. We pray for God to widen our hearts.
Evening: The message, "Walk in Wisdom or a Brief Refresher on Knowing and Doing God's Will," focused on Proverbs 2:1-6. Solomon reminds us that God give wisdom to those who seek it.
When trying to determine God's will, we need to answer three questions:
- What does the Scripture say?
- Is is wise?
- What do we want to do?
Listen to Wise Counsel
We are to accept the words of the wise, and store their commandments. We are to turn our ears to solid teaching, and apply our hearts to gaining understanding. These attitudes should drive us to earnestly seek wisdom.
Earnestly Seek Wisdom
Wisdom is a treasure, because it brings life. We should desperately seek it with prayer and diligent effort.
Trust the Lord
When we walk in wisdom, we are doing God's will.
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