Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / Why Did Jesus Curse The Fig Tree? | Mark 11:12-14 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series)

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Why Did Jesus Curse The Fig Tree? | Mark 11:12-14 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  The Apostle Peter provided a summary of the miraculous
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  ministry of Jesus in one simple verse, and that verse really is
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  helpful as a synopsis of the substance of Christ,
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  unparalleled power touching the lives of needy, sin bound
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  people. It's found in Acts 1038, when
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  Peter stood before Cornelius and his household to proclaim the
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  gospel, and in that proclamation he included this description,
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  this report of the person of Jesus Christ, how God anointed
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  Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.
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  He went about doing good and healing all who are oppressed by
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  the devil, for God was with him. Now this would have been fresh
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  to the ears of these Gentiles, who were eager to know how it
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  was that they could be saved. But these words are a reminder
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  to us who know Christ, that the ministry of Jesus Christ,
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  particularly in his miraculous power and deliverance, whatever
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  he did with that Spirit anointed authority, was always, always,
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  always for the good to heal, to set free, to rescue, to make
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  whole, to revive. This is what Peter is indicating
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  and declaring. And the reason why I bring this
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  up to you is because we are about to read of a miracle that
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  does not fit Peter's description.
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  This particular act of God is easily one of the most
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  perplexing manifestations of divine power in all of Christ's
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  ministry, and there are a variety of reasons for its
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  perplexity, including this important feature.
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  This is the only miracle that Christ performs with the intent
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  to destroy. This unique act of God in the
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  Son of God, as we're about to discover, is not going to be to
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  restore, but to ruin. It's not going to be to bring
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  life, but death. It's not going to be a miracle
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  of mercy, but instead of miracle of judgement.
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  And if the outcome of the miracle is not bewildering
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  enough, the reasons for it are equally a challenge for many
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  students of the Bible. Why did Jesus do this?
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  How could Jesus do this? And so our time together will be
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  spent answering this question. Why did Jesus Christ curse a fig
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  tree? And that may not seem
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  immediately relevant to you, but shouldn't you be intrigued to
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  know the lesson behind this miracle that is in a category of
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  its own? What does God want to say If the
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  only time with his power he brought judgement in his first
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  admin advent? What is he trying to convey?
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  Why only that time? What does that say about his
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  character, his heart? And that's what we're going to
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  discover by the grace of God. And the way that's going to
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  unfold before us is very simple. We're going to look at three
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  things. The first thing is the timing of
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  this miracle. The second thing will be the
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  predicament of this miracle. And lastly, the message of this
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  miracle. So meet me in Mark, Chapter 11.
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  Beginning in verse 12, we only have two verses for our time
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  together, but very important ones nonetheless, Mark 11, verse
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  12 reads. On the following day, when they
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  came from Bethany, he was hungry, and seeing in the
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  distance a fig, tree and leaf, he went to see if he could find
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  anything on it. When he came to it, he found
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  nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.
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  And he said to it, may no one ever eat fruit from you again.
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  And his disciples heard it. Verse 12, the timing of this
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  miracle. This is only mentioned in one
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  other place in the four gospels, and it's in Matthew's account
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  and in Matthew 21, verse 18 we learned that this was in the
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  morning, and this was in the morning while Jesus was making
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  his way toward the city of Jerusalem.
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  Now according to Mark 11, we read verse 12, but look at verse
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  1111, eleven. We learned that after Jesus
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  entered with jubilance into the holy city around him, the
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  excitement and the thrill, he had come into the temple.
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  And then we read here in the second part, when he had looked
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  around at everything as it was already late, he went out to
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  Bethany with the 12. Now, it's very likely that Jesus
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  went to Bethany because that was the village of a special family
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  to him, Mary, Martha and Lazarus.
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  Not explicitly stated, but it could very well be that they
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  hosted Jesus and the disciples that evening.
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  But here's the opening verse for us.
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  The Lord Jesus Christ early in the day, with holy ambition,
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  making his way to fulfill the Father's will for that day.
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  A simple and yet profound picture of Christ on the move
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  yet again, but not just on the move.
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  He is perfectly In Sync and in step with the Father's schedule
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  for his life. And there's another simple yet
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  profound detail that Mark includes here in verse 12.
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  Not only was it Jesus making his way towards the city of
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  Jerusalem to fulfill a very important thing, 3 words.
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  Words that you're familiar with, maybe.
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  Words that you're actually experiencing while I'm
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  preaching. He was hungry.
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  That may not seem mysterious to you, that may not seem profound
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  to you, but it is when you contemplate who it's connected
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  to. He was hungry.
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  Who was hungry? The creator of everything.
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  The Sustainer and the supervisor of every molecule in the
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  universe. The one who in the beginning
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  created a world that would sprout vegetation and raise up
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  plants, yielding seeds and providing different bushes and
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  landscapes that would give out food for us.
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  Such is the one we are told was hungry, such as the one in this
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  historical portrait who is walking and enduring A grumbling
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  belly, a growling stomach. The more you think about it, the
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  more profound it really is, the more you actually meditate.
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  You realize this is incredible. He's sustaining himself, Christ
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  and entering into this world tasted much suffering in order
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  to secure our salvation, and that suffering includes the
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  pains of hunger and understanding Jesus.
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  Being hungry here is not just helpful for us to set up what's
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  about to take place. It is helpful for us to prepare
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  and to know how to experience him today saying what do you,
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  what do you mean he tasted what it's like to be hungry, he
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  shared in so many levels of pain and affliction.
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  And the reason why that should not just inform you but
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  encourage you is because the one that you serve, the one that you
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  call upon, the one that you depend on every single day,
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  listens not just with his ears, but with his heart.
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  He gets it. He understands, he shared in our
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  experiences. He knows what it's like to go
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  about life day by day, week after week, month after month,
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  year after year, and to experience the challenges or the
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  demands that each moment asks for.
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  And so when I come to this Christ and I describe to him my
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  weak condition or my deficiencies, I'm not coming to
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  one who lacks sympathy, but who can with a heart filled with
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  compassion. Listen.
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  He gets it. He understands.
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  Here's what I'm trying to tell you.
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  Under this category, this heading of this message, you
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  don't serve an insensitive savior.
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  It's not like we're coming to this cosmic being who's so full
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  of power. We acknowledge that, and we try
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  to convince him with our begging if he's willing to just hand out
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  something to give us a little bit more fuel for life.
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  His heart is swollen with compassion.
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  He knows he can empathize and relate to what it is that we are
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  enduring, truly human, yet without sin.
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  This is the one that shepherds me.
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  This is the one who guides you. This is the one who invites you
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  to lock your door, Go into that room by yourself, sit at his
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  feet and commune with. And he is sitting at the other
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  side of that table with eyes and ears and a heart that is
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  connected to your experience. And so I see something about the
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  timing of this miracle that says something about the character of
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  my God. But that's not the main heading,
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  because we have to get to what this is really about, the
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  predicament of the miracle. That's verse 13.
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  Let's read again. And seeing in the distance of
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  fig tree and leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on
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  it. When he came to it, he found
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  nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.
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  So here's Christ now in his true humanity, seeing a fig tree on
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  his journey and making his way to it to find what?
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  Breakfast. Breakfast.
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  The King of heaven needs breakfast.
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  And you know what he doesn't do? He doesn't, in his grand palace,
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  summon his servants to prepare something that he's never had
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  before. He does not even make his
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  disciples come up with a menu because he's a little bit picky
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  with his appetite to put something together before he
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  goes into the temple to deal with the false religious system
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  of his time. You know what this king does
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  with contentment and humility? I'll tell you what he does.
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  He is glad to pick a few fruits and eat it in the shade of a
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  tree. What am I trying to paint for
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  you? The absolute humility and just
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  how attractive Jesus Christ is. The maker of heaven and earth is
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  happy to stand in the shade and nibble on some fruit to calm his
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  stomach so that he can serve his father.
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  I'm sorry, I can't help but move from that scene, but we have to.
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  He comes to this tree and the Holy Spirit makes very
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  descriptive comments about this one verse and we have to
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  consider them first. It says here that he saw in the
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  distance a fig tree in leaf. That's important.
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  He wasn't close. He was far.
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  That says something about this tree.
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  It was advertising itself in a certain way.
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  Hey, there's a life here. There's vitality here.
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  And so even from a distance, you can tell this isn't a tree
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  suffering in life, suffering to exist.
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  This is a tree that seems to be promising something promising,
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  sustenance, promising, some content.
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  And that's not the only thing, though it appeared strong,
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  though it appeared promising. The second thing here is how the
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  Lord, on approaching this tree, looks through it and discovers
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  that it was nothing but leaves. That's very important.
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  That's very important when you understand what a fig tree does.
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  A fig tree often will produce fruit at one stage before it
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  presents its leaves. And so this was not a tree that
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  presents its leaves, indicating to you, hey, fruit is coming.
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  No, those leaves are there declaring, hey, there's some
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  stuff still here and there will be fruit to come.
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  So these leaves are saying, hey, someone's home.
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  There are some things here that you can take advantage of and
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  the scriptures are very clear, especially in the Hebrew
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  scriptures about this development.
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  How before the natural normal crops arrive you can have edible
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  but immature figs present even before the leaves show up.
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  So let's go to a couple because listen, people have great
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  challenge in understanding this text.
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  They they think it's out of character of Christ.
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  They think it's he was in a bad mood.
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  There are people who find trouble with this particular
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  miracle. So we need to we need to wire
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  ourselves. Well, look here in Isaiah 28
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  verse 4, we can believe we can begin actually in verse three of
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  Isaiah 24. Here's one example for us.
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  Isaiah 28, verse three reads. The proud crown of the drunkards
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  of Ephraim will be trodden under foot, and the fading flower of
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  its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley,
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  will be like a first ripe fig before the summer.
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  When someone sees it, he swallows it as soon as it is in
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  his hand. Do you see that the first ripe
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  fig before the summer? There are stages here to how
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  this fruit develops. And obviously this first ripe
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  fig could be eaten even before the summer time.
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  When is the time where the the normal crops, the harvest
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  arrives? We'll go to Hosea, another
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  prophet. Hosea Chapter 9 and verse 10.
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  Hosea 910. Like grapes in the wilderness, I
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  found Israel like the first fruit on the fig tree.
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  In its first season I saw your father's, but they came to bell
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  peor and consecrated themselves to the thing of shame and became
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  detestable like the thing they loved.
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  Notice again the first fruit on the fig tree, again indicating
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  that there are stages to how this fruit produces.
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  And if you have any doubt, I spoke to one of our elders who's
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  an expert with figs. He has fig trees, so this is how
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  it works, this is how it functions.
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  And understanding that simple truth, the truth that even the
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  Bible sheds light on, helps us clarify what many are confused
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  about with this Texan mark. Because again, Jesus comes to
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  this tree. He looks to the leaves, but then
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  Mark says. But he found nothing since it
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  was not the season for figs, right?
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  It was not the summertime when again the expected normal crops
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  and its maturity would present itself.
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  But that does not negate the reality of the first ripe figs
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  that are there even at times before the leaves appear.
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  When did this miracle occur? The last week of Jesus life on
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  earth? What feast was about to be
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  celebrated? Passover.
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  When is Passover celebrated? Spring.
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  So everything fits the chronology, what scripture says,
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  even what science has to say. But even if you did not get that
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  extensive explanation and you read these verses at face value,
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  it still makes sense. Think about it.
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  It was not the season for figs. OK, but what's happening here?
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  You have a tree that has leaves and seems to present itself in a
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  way as though it does have figs. In other words, hey, I have
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  fruit here. So in reality, if you just
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  again, you just dismiss all that was just said and you take it at
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  face value. What you have here is a tree
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  making an unusual proclamation about itself.
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  It's not the season of figs, but here's a tree was saying I got
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  some figs. So what do we say about this
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  tree? It's lying.
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  What do you say about this tree? It's making claims, but the
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  profession is not met with substance.
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  This is what Jesus perceives and understands and helps us
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  understand the message of the miracle.
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  So Christ here and realizing that there is nothing but
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  leaves. And in verse 14 he said to it,
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  may no one ever eat fruit from you again.
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  Jesus was not upset because he was hungry and this tree didn't
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  meet his needs. Jesus, primarily in righteous
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  indignation, was upset because this tree was deceptive.
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  That's the idea. And this pronouncement, this
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  judgement, seems severe. But let us never forget, the
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  Creator of all things has every right to exercise judgement
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  against His creation. And there's nothing here of
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  cursing right? Where do we get the idea of
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  cursing? Well, it's when you read verse
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  21 and Peter remembered and said to him, Rabbi, look, the fig
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  tree that you cursed has withered.
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  And when you read verse 20, you notice how significant this
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  judgment was. As they passed by in the
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  morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots.
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  This was permanent judgment. This would cancel its potential
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  in the days to come. This is serious.
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  And that is precisely what this miracle is about.
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  It's not about Jesus on the morning wanting food and didn't
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  get it, so he exercised his power to express his
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  frustration. This is a parabolic lesson.
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  This is Jesus using and performing a miracle to teach
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  something to his disciples. So what do you mean, What does
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  disciples have to do with it? Look back at Mark 11 verse 14.
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  And he said to it, may no one ever eat fruit from you again.
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  And his disciples heard it. His disciples were to listen,
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  perceive and register what this is all about and in reality.
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  When you consider Mark's authorship inspired by the Holy
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  Spirit and you look at where he places the story, you will not
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  only see the brilliance of the mind of God, you also will have
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  clarity on what this message behind this miracle is all
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  about. Let me ask you this question You
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  don't have to answer out loud. In fact, please don't.
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  What happened right before Jesus did this and what happens right
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  after he does it? Let's read again verse 13, mark
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  11/13 and seeing in the distance of fig, tree and leaf, he went
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  to see if he could find anything on it.
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  When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was
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  not the season for figs. Here's the question now, is this
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  the only instance in this context where Jesus examined
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  something? And is this the only instance in
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  this context where Jesus realizes that there is a veneer
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  of fruitfulness, but when the veil was removed, in reality
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  there was a decorative deception instead of true substance?
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  You don't have to guess. Look at the last verse we read
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  last in last week's sermon, verse 11 once more, and he
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  entered Jerusalem and went into the temple.
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  And when he had looked around at everything as it was already
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  late, he went out to Bethany with the 12.
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  And then now we have the story of Jesus going to Bethany and he
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  goes to Jerusalem again. He sees this fig tree and it
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  seems to have fruit, but looking into it only leaves cutscene
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  verse 15. And they came to Jerusalem, and
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  he entered the temple, and began to drive out those who sold and
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  those who bought in the temple. And he overturned the tables of
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  the money changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.
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  And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the
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  temple. And he was teaching them, and
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  saying to them, it is it not written.
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  My house shall be called a House of prayer for all the nations,
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  But you have made it into a den of robbers.
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  Do we see where Mark places the story?
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  It is in between Jesus's examination and his disciplinary
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  verdict against the temple and the spiritual condition of the
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  nation of Israel. Like the fig tree, the nation of
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  Israel boasted of having what others did not have, a covenant,
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  a roster of prophets, a special connection to the true God,
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  which included a temple with a history of God's glory in it.
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  And within that system, in that temple, you had this eloquent
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  and elaborate array of priests and robes and sacrifices and
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  ceremonies and readings and confessions.
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  But in reality it was nothing but leaves.
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  And like the fig tree, the temple and the religion of the
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  nation was all show, and it lacks substance.
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  There was no true worship. There was no true repentance.
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  There was no true righteousness. There was no true devotion.
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  There was no fruit from a distance, a beautiful structure
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  unlike anything they've ever seen.
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  Herod really contributed to the beautifying of this place.
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  But when you went in, it was empty and bare.
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  So you see the fate of this fig tree.
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  It is meant to prepare you and I and point us to the fate of the
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  temple destruction down to its roots.
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  And that judgment begins here with Jesus cleansing the temple,
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  Though he did it before, but it would know its ultimate
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  fulfillment in about four decades when the Romans would
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  come surrounded and destroyed in 70 AD.
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  Do you see the message of the miracle now?
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  This fig tree speaks of the fruitlessness and the false
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  presentation of a bankrupt nation who claimed to have true
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  religion. And this is not the first time
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  Jesus uses a fig tree as a parable and as a metaphor for
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  the people of Israel. I want you to see this just so
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  we can confirm this point and have no shadow of a doubt that
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  this is what this means. It's another gospel.
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  In Luke 13 and verse 5. Jesus looks to a Jewish crowd
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  and he says something that you don't hear often these days.
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  Repent, he says in Luke 13 verse five.
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  No, I tell you, but unless you repent, you all will likewise
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  perish. And he told this parable, a man
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  had a fig tree planted in his vineyard and he came seeking
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  fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vine dresser,
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  look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig
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  tree, and I found none. Cut it down.
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  Why should it use up the ground? And he answered them, Sir, let
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  it alone this year also until I dig around it and put on manure.
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  Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good.
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  But if not, you can cut it down. What's the connection?
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  He's looking at this generation of Israelites and he says, you
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  repent you, you think you're not sinners.
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  We're a devastating thing can happen to you.
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  No, you need to be ready for whatever comes your way.
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  And then He provides this parable to depict, yes, the
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  nation of Israel, who were not bearing fruit, and even during
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  Jesus three years, who did not acknowledge him as the Messiah,
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  who did not submit themselves, who do not see him as the
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  fulfillment of what they claim to believe in for centuries.
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  And in this parable we see the patience of God, do we not?
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  It's using up the ground. It's soaking up all the other
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  nutrients. Let other trees benefit from
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  what is taking place on this field, and there's a delay,
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  which is a picture of God's patience for us when we have not
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  yet repented. Maybe you are here in this place
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  today, and you're like that tree.
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  You have heard enough of Jesus to make 1000 people come and get
• 27:19
  saved, and you still have not allowed Him to change your
• 27:23
  nature so that you can be the one who bears the fruit that
• 27:26
  would bring him glory. And here you are, still with
• 27:30
  service 2567 and you still haven't repented.
• 27:36
  God is patient, but guess what? His patience is not permanent.
• 27:41
  One more year, one more year, and then I'm going to cut down
• 27:45
  this tree. Which again reminds us, yes, God
• 27:48
  is gloriously slow to judge. We heard it from the opening
• 27:51
  verses of the service, but there is an expiration date on it.
• 28:00
  Fig tree depicting the nation of Israel.
• 28:03
  The Old Testament also uses much imagery to describe the people
• 28:07
  of God, including that of figs. Both positively.
• 28:11
  You heard it from Isaiah. You heard it in Hosea, but also
• 28:15
  with Jeremiah. You don't have to turn there.
• 28:16
  But listen to this reference and this quotation in Jeremiah 2917.
• 28:20
  Thus says the Lord of Hosts. Behold, I'm sending on them
• 28:23
  sword, famine, and pestilence. And I will make them like vile
• 28:28
  figs that are so rotten they cannot be eaten.
• 28:31
  I will make them like such figs. Another correlation, another
• 28:37
  connection to what Jesus is doing with this tree in Mark
• 28:39
  Chapter 11. OK, let's not be mistaken here,
• 28:42
  right? This is a clear illustration
• 28:44
  about the condition of Israel then and what would come about?
• 28:47
  The nation of Israel. But let us not be fooled.
• 28:51
  This is something to say to those in the Church and
• 28:54
  Christendom in 2024, verse 14. Remember, what do we hear?
• 28:59
  The disciples heard it. I wonder what crossed through
• 29:01
  their minds when they saw Jesus cursing this fig tree that had
• 29:05
  no fruit. What past parables, what past
• 29:10
  teachings rush through their minds as I saw now a physical
• 29:15
  picture of fruitlessness and Jesus desire for fruit.
• 29:21
  Now think about this, right? I mean, I'm going to go back to
• 29:24
  what I said in the beginning for God to provide us this as the
• 29:28
  only miracle where he and the person of Christ pronounces
• 29:33
  judgment. He doesn't do that with his
• 29:34
  power while on earth in any other in any other moment except
• 29:37
  this one. What does that say about his
• 29:40
  character? That's what I was thinking
• 29:41
  about. Like for this to be the only
• 29:45
  miracle of its kind. A miracle of judgement, a
• 29:49
  miracle of destruction. What does that say about his
• 29:53
  heart? I think it's clear the only
• 29:57
  destructive miracle that Christ performed was against one thing.
• 30:01
  One thing. Not prostitution, Not murder.
• 30:09
  Not fraud, so to speak. The only destructive miracle
• 30:12
  that Christ performed was against empty religion.
• 30:18
  Says much, doesn't it? Here's I want to ask because
• 30:23
  there's so many ways to apply this, and I believe with my
• 30:27
  heart that this local church is a fragrant spiritual garden.
• 30:36
  There is fruit here. I'm not talking about here.
• 30:40
  I'm talking about there. Here, there's fruit.
• 30:45
  But I don't know all of you and I have a duty.
• 30:47
  I'm bound to this text to ask this question.
• 30:51
  If the Lord Jesus on an individual basis, were to come
• 30:56
  to you and comb through the leaves and examine through the
• 31:04
  weekly church attendance and the brief Christian conversations
• 31:10
  and the singing, when you're in the mood and even some level of
• 31:18
  service, would he find fruit? If he were to just peel away the
• 31:31
  surface and reach into the depths of that tree, the heart
• 31:37
  of it, your heart? Would he find what He's looking
• 31:42
  for in that heart? This is what Jesus is conveying.
• 31:47
  This is what he is illustrating. Or, like the fig tree, is there
• 31:54
  false advertisement going on? We see here that Jesus, you want
• 32:04
  to know the message of this miracle.
• 32:06
  Jesus is hungry for fruit, spiritual fruit.
• 32:13
  Let's put the Lord aside, if I may say the soul respectfully.
• 32:19
  If a person who like Jesus on this road to Jerusalem, who
• 32:25
  knows you at a distance, right? Who doesn't really know you, but
• 32:27
  knows you at a distance, and at a distance is convinced this is
• 32:31
  a fruit bearing tree. I can see it.
• 32:36
  Just a person. Not the all knowing one, not the
• 32:38
  one who searches the hearts of all mankind.
• 32:40
  Just a person. What would he discover if he got
• 32:44
  closer and spent time with you beyond the two hours on a
• 32:50
  Sunday? Followed you around throughout
• 32:52
  the week. Sat with you long enough where
• 32:56
  eventually you would, out of the abundance of your heart, speak.
• 33:00
  What would he discover as he would follow?
• 33:03
  What would he discover as he fellowship?
• 33:04
  What would he discover in that time?
• 33:09
  Would he find fruit or just leaves?
• 33:16
  I remember the story a long time ago, early in ministry, nowhere
• 33:22
  near here, so you don't have to figure it out.
• 33:25
  A very, very, at that time at least ambitious zealous youth
• 33:31
  group. And I was told at that time by
• 33:35
  the leaders of that youth group. That youth group was very gifted
• 33:39
  musically and they were very fond of some of these big names
• 33:44
  and contemporary Christian music.
• 33:46
  And they were able to get big names come to their retreat one
• 33:51
  year and they were just stoked. They were so excited.
• 33:53
  I can't believe we have these guys coming to our local church.
• 33:55
  This is what the leaders are telling me and after the
• 34:00
  professionalism and after the songs that they heard on the on
• 34:03
  the radio or online that they downloaded and all the excited
• 34:08
  they were able to. Specifically, the worship team
• 34:10
  of that church spent time with these big names, and it didn't
• 34:15
  take very long that during those times of fellowship, limited
• 34:19
  fellowship from these big names came out questionable comments.
• 34:27
  The leaders were saying, you know, these guys were telling
• 34:29
  our youth kids about the parties that they go to, the vulgarity
• 34:34
  that was coming out of their mouth.
• 34:37
  It was like we were shocked to see that these people that we
• 34:40
  looked up to, they looked and sounded so different because on
• 34:46
  the stage there were leaves, but when you got closer, no fruit,
• 34:57
  no fruit. One of my favorite examples of
• 35:01
  this is found in Second Kings chapter four of a man named
• 35:08
  Elijah, and I brought this as an example before, but repetition
• 35:12
  doesn't hurt. And in Second Kings Chapter 4,
• 35:16
  verse eight, we read of Elijah, who also was on his own journey.
• 35:24
  We're told here one day Elijah went to Shunham where a wealthy
• 35:28
  woman lived who urged him to eat some food.
• 35:33
  It's very Middle Eastern of her, so whenever he passed that way,
• 35:38
  he would turn in there to eat food.
• 35:40
  So you have this wealthy woman who knew of Elijah and he would
• 35:44
  travel by her village and she would not let him go.
• 35:47
  You have to try my food. I have the best I'm going to
• 35:51
  start. I'm not going to start naming
• 35:52
  dishes here. I have the best.
• 35:54
  This I have the best. Who knows how she did?
• 35:56
  I'm so sure it was a lovely invitation.
• 35:57
  Lovely persuasion. Elijah, you have to eat with me.
• 36:01
  Come spend time whenever you come by, know that there's an
• 36:03
  open house for you, wonderful servant of God.
• 36:07
  But it's verse nine that stands out to me.
• 36:11
  After a few of these trips where Elijah would come by and spend
• 36:13
  time with her and her husband, verse 9 says.
• 36:15
  And she said to her husband, Behold, now I know that this is
• 36:22
  a holy man of God who is continually passing our way.
• 36:29
  I heard about Elijah, maybe heard some of his sermons, heard
• 36:31
  about his miracles. But now after I sat with him and
• 36:36
  he was here, apart from the stage, in my dining room, eating
• 36:40
  with me, talking with me, Now I know in this context, in the
• 36:45
  home, he's a man of God. Now I know Not only was she
• 36:50
  hospitable, she was discerning. And here's the thing about
• 36:54
  Elijah. The closer people got to him,
• 36:58
  the more they were convinced he's the real deal.
• 37:03
  Not leaves without fruit with this man leaves.
• 37:06
  Oh yes, a public minister, a powerful man of God.
• 37:10
  But when you got close, you can smell the fakes.
• 37:15
  This is the real deal. Jesus was hungry and his
• 37:24
  humanity. Jesus today longs for fruit.
• 37:34
  He desires true spirituality, passion for conformity to
• 37:38
  Christ's character, authentic worship, intimacy and prayer
• 37:43
  service that is stimulated from a place of gratitude for the
• 37:47
  grace of God. This is what he is looking for.
• 37:54
  And this kind of a message may irk and disturb those who prize
• 38:01
  the gospel of grace, who have surrendered their efforts, who
• 38:06
  have abandoned their self righteousness, who have realized
• 38:09
  that there is nothing they can do.
• 38:11
  There's no amount of fruit, there's no amount of baskets,
• 38:13
  there's no amount of fields of obedience that whatever satisfy
• 38:17
  God's righteous demands, it's all by grace.
• 38:21
  Yes. Amen.
• 38:23
  Hallelujah. Can I ask you a question though?
• 38:28
  Why did Jesus save you? Why did he shed his blood for
• 38:34
  you? Why did he leave heaven come to
• 38:36
  earth to redeem you? Let me borrow the words of Titus
• 38:41
  214, and I encourage you to turn there with me as we are prepared
• 38:45
  to close. Who gave himself for us to
• 39:02
  redeem us from all lawlessness, and to purify, to purify for
• 39:09
  himself a people for his own possession?
• 39:14
  He could have stopped there. He doesn't, right?
• 39:17
  Who are zealous for good works? We're talking about grace here.
• 39:23
  We're talking about redemption here.
• 39:25
  We're talking about mercy here. We're talking about gospel here.
• 39:29
  And on this thought, Paul ends by saying, yeah, he did.
• 39:33
  He did come and rescue and redeem and deliver.
• 39:36
  For something that is people. Purified would be zealous.
• 39:43
  You know what the word zealous is Burning for good works, Not
• 39:49
  for salvation as a result of it. Not for grace.
• 39:53
  Because you tasted grace. Maybe you're not convinced that
• 39:55
  this is about grace. So let's rewind it verse 11.
• 39:58
  For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for
• 40:02
  all people. Now what does this grace do?
• 40:05
  Verse 12, It trains us to renounce ungodliness and worldly
• 40:08
  passions. That's what true grace does.
• 40:12
  So anybody who's operating under a grace that quiets their
• 40:15
  conscience and legitimizes their rebellion and disobedience and
• 40:19
  worldliness hasn't drank from true grace, because this grace
• 40:23
  trains us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions
• 40:26
  and to the self controlled, upright and godly lives in the
• 40:28
  present age. Now look at this.
• 40:30
  Look what else this grace does. It causes us to wait for our
• 40:32
  blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and
• 40:36
  Savior Jesus Christ. And here it is who gave himself
• 40:39
  for us to redeem us from all lawliness, some lawlessness.
• 40:45
  The woman who was caught in adultery in Jesus, the only one
• 40:47
  in that story who had the right to stone her, He was without
• 40:50
  sin, cast the first stone. Who had the right to do that?
• 40:53
  Christ. Everybody else was sinful.
• 40:56
  The only one who had the right to cast the first stone was the
• 40:59
  Son of God. And he didn't do it.
• 41:01
  Instead, he puts his hand underneath that chin, lifts up
• 41:04
  that face, and assures her that she's been forgiven.
• 41:07
  Does the story end there, or does he Commission her with
• 41:09
  this? Go now.
• 41:11
  And what? Sin less, Sin no more.
• 41:18
  And here's an infusion of my Holy Spirit.
• 41:20
  And here is the library of my truth that has supernatural
• 41:23
  power to do so, to live a life that says I renounce it, a
• 41:32
  grace, that great hymn says grace that has taught my heart
• 41:36
  to fear and the fears that it is also relieved.
• 41:42
  And so we see here that this grace should produce in us
• 41:46
  something new in terms of desire and pursuit.
• 41:49
  I want to be adorned the way my Savior wants me to be adorned.
• 41:55
  In other words, what Jesus is not looking for here is sinless
• 41:58
  perfectionism. What Jesus is looking for here
• 42:01
  is a nature that produces something as a result of its
• 42:06
  nature. If we're still not convinced of
• 42:11
  this, look at Titus 3 verse 8. The saying is trustworthy.
• 42:15
  And I want you to insist on these things so that those who
• 42:18
  have believed in God. Do we believe in God?
• 42:21
  Yes. Is it by faith?
• 42:22
  Yes. Is it by trusting in his
• 42:23
  promise? Yes.
• 42:24
  For those who have believed in God may be careful to devote
• 42:28
  themselves to good works. These things are excellent and
• 42:32
  profitable for all people. Here's how I'm ending.
• 42:39
  Very simple. Strong.
• 42:42
  Well, it's a it's a strong miracle.
• 42:48
  It is not arrogant to answer this positively.
• 42:52
  It is not arrogant for me to ask this question, for you to be
• 42:54
  able to say Amen. Brother, keep preaching for me
• 42:59
  to ask you. If Jesus the vine dresser, were
• 43:02
  to come and look through and find fruit, would he be able to?
• 43:10
  You know, it's not proud to say I believe he would, because I
• 43:16
  know who I was and I know who I am today.
• 43:21
  And that's not for me to boast, except in Christ.
• 43:25
  I do not fear him. Not because I had a good few
• 43:28
  months as a Christian, because down deep inside I know that
• 43:33
  I've been changed. When you look at an apple tree,
• 43:37
  an orange tree, whatever tree do you hear grunting while you walk
• 43:41
  by those trees, it would be very strange.
• 43:44
  You might have to go see a doctor if that was the case.
• 43:47
  You don't hear trees screaming and pounding and exerting
• 43:51
  strength to produce. No, no, no, They just do by
• 43:56
  nature. And yes, how do you correlate
• 44:00
  that with the commands to do good?
• 44:03
  It's possible we can't take that analogy too far to disobey God,
• 44:07
  even as a person who has known God and experienced his grace.
• 44:11
  But oh, there's an ease and oh, there's a new change of
• 44:15
  thinking. There's there's something that
• 44:17
  happens. There's a shift.
• 44:19
  Your appetite is different. Your longings, your desires,
• 44:21
  your goals, your dreams have been altered.
• 44:26
  Can you say yes to that? Or if Jesus were to examine,
• 44:32
  would he find hollowness? Would he find barrenness?
• 44:37
  Would he find spiritual nakedness?
• 44:41
  And all that's there are leaves. Presentation show you convince
• 44:49
  people at a distance, but when they get close, they go, Wait a
• 44:52
  minute. If that's you today, God wants
• 44:57
  to do a different miracle in you.
• 45:00
  God doesn't want to curse you. God doesn't want to judge you.
• 45:03
  God wants to deliver you and God wants to save you.
• 45:09
  And God wants to renew you so that you can be the miracle of
• 45:13
  grace and add it to his trophy case of marvelous mercy.
• 45:19
  That's why I present this to you.
• 45:21
  I want to ask the guy here today in the ServiceNow who can
• 45:25
  confess. Look, I've been show.
• 45:28
  I've been. I've been a show.
• 45:30
  I fooled people long enough, but now I sense God pressing my
• 45:34
  heart. Why don't you give up and know
• 45:41
  the joys of what the gospel can do in your life and so renew you
• 45:46
  that you wouldn't be able to recognize yourself leaving this
• 45:48
  place and growing in him? And for the people who are a
• 45:54
  tree that does bear fruit, rejoice in that miracle today.
• 46:00
  Give God glory that he did do that in you and listen, He wants
• 46:05
  to produce more fruit. Now this is how I was
• 46:08
  challenged. I let me put it this way.
• 46:09
  I did not read this and study this this week and feel
• 46:12
  condemned. But I was challenged on the
• 46:19
  bedrock of knowing that I've been saved by his love my Jesus.
• 46:24
  I see my Jesus in these scriptures who has a desire.
• 46:28
  You know what he desires? Fruit.
• 46:33
  Fruit. To convince him that I'm worthy
• 46:34
  to be his. No, I'm his.
• 46:37
  That's it. It's done.
• 46:38
  It's secure. I go to bed every night
• 46:41
  rehearsing that truth that if I don't wake up for whatever
• 46:44
  reason, I'm going to be in the presence of my Savior.
• 46:50
  But, oh, he, He still longs for fruit as a new tree.
• 46:54
  So, Lord, do more miracles than me and let me be what you want
• 46:59
  me to be. Let that be the goal of my life.
• 47:04
  That whether people from a distance or up close can testify
• 47:07
  something happened to that guy and the only explanation is the
• 47:11
  truth that he claims to believe that Jesus Christ of Nazareth
• 47:15
  resides within him. That's how you should be moved
• 47:20
  by this message today. If my Savior is hungry, then may
• 47:25
  he be fed by the work that he does in me and he'll do it.
• 47:31
  So my invitation is 2 part here. Listen, I know what it's like to
• 47:36
  have the leaves. I know what it's like.
• 47:40
  I know what it's like, OK? It's such a terrible way to
• 47:45
  live. It's such a misery to try to
• 47:52
  convince people of something that you yourself know is not
• 47:54
  true. Just so you can satisfy mommy
• 47:58
  and Daddy and don't get in trouble with your relatives, the
• 48:01
  people in your family that serve God.
• 48:03
  Just so you can avoid those awkward conversations.
• 48:05
  Just so you have enough of Jesus that when things get bad, you
• 48:08
  can call upon him because you're somewhat still connected to him.
• 48:10
  Like Peter in the final moments of Jesus following him at a
• 48:13
  distance, not too close so that you get arrested with Jesus, but
• 48:16
  not too far so that you cannot lose sight of Jesus leaves.
• 48:22
  Aren't you tired of it? Like, aren't you tired of a life
• 48:26
  where you don't know God's spirit, working in you in a way,
• 48:29
  where you step beside yourself saying what's going on here?
• 48:32
  Why am I convicted about the way I speak now?
• 48:36
  Why am I now all of a sudden disturbed by how I've been
• 48:39
  treating my spouse? Where is this coming from?
• 48:42
  Why am I now all of a sudden hungry for this?
• 48:45
  I want to eat this word. I want to spend time with the
• 48:48
  Lord. I want to be around people who
• 48:49
  also been changed. Don't you want that?
• 48:53
  Ultimately, don't you want the Saviour, the Savior that I just
• 48:57
  proclaimed to you to now write your name in the Lamb's book of
• 49:01
  life? And not just for that future
• 49:03
  appointment, but for for him to walk with you and every
• 49:05
  appointment in life? Will that be the terrifying
• 49:08
  doctor's report where you're sitting on that cold table and
• 49:11
  he diagnosis you and you can be rushed with comfort knowing my
• 49:16
  Savior's with me, with all the trials with your children, with
• 49:20
  all the trials with your finances.
• 49:22
  To know my Savior is with me. People don't like this stuff.
• 49:25
  Don't tell people Jesus does something for your life.
• 49:27
  But why not? He says.
• 49:29
  I've come to name I have life and life more abundantly.
• 49:35
  This is the Savior that I proclaimed to you, and I want
• 49:37
  you to know him. I'm going to choose to stop now.
• 49:41
  I think I said enough for the time being.
• 49:43
  And now I invite you, whether you're a tree only with leaves,
• 49:49
  to ask God to uproot that and to replace it with new life, or you
• 49:53
  are a tree that's bearing fruit, and you are Glee to know that
• 49:58
  your master longs for greater fruit and for you to say, Lord,
• 50:01
  do it in me. I have No Fear of condemnation.
• 50:04
  I know I'm new. But, oh God, in order to please
• 50:06
  you out of great delight, do a miracle in me again and he'll do
• 50:10
  it. Father, we thank you for this
• 50:13
  time. We thank you for giving us
• 50:15
  clarity with this miracle. Not merely do you have deeper
• 50:19
  understanding of the word, but to know what it is that you
• 50:22
  desire of us today. Thank you, Lord, that the
• 50:25
  miracle of the gospel is that you change our nature, that with
• 50:29
  faith you do something remarkable.
• 50:36
  And many of us in here are confident that that happened to
• 50:39
  them. And for those who are
• 50:42
  questioning, not that this message, Lord, you know the
• 50:46
  heart behind this message, to try to cause people to doubt.
• 50:51
  But for those who genuinely only have leaves to see the
• 50:55
  terrifying condition that is, and to look to the master who
• 50:59
  provided this miracle to provide another one.
• 51:03
  That they would know salvation. They would know forgiveness.
• 51:07
  They would know the love of God for them.
• 51:09
  Lord, you love the one even now who does not have fruit but only
• 51:12
  leaves. And just like in Luke 13, you
• 51:15
  wait and you wait and you wait until they would call upon you
• 51:19
  so that they can know salvation. And so, Lord, let there be an
• 51:23
  urgency by your spirit. Men cannot produce that urgency.
• 51:26
  Lord, only you can do that. And we pray that you would.
• 51:30
  In these difficult trying times where we feel like the clock is
• 51:32
  ticking closer to midnight, may we not waste time to say, oh
• 51:36
  God, we need you. We worship you today.
• 51:39
  Thank you for this message. Thank you for the insight.
• 51:41
  Thank you for showing us who you are.
• 51:43
  In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
• 51:46
  Amen. Well, let's worship the King of
• 51:48
  Glory.