1 00:00:00,520 –> 00:00:03,520 I want you to notice as we come to this turning point 2 00:00:03,520 –> 00:00:07,760 in Mark’s gospel that with chapter 11, 3 00:00:07,760 –> 00:00:09,920 we are coming today to the beginning 4 00:00:09,920 –> 00:00:12,360 of what we call Holy Week. 5 00:00:12,360 –> 00:00:15,940 That is the account in the Gospel of the week 6 00:00:15,940 –> 00:00:18,900 that led up to the death of Jesus on Good Friday 7 00:00:18,900 –> 00:00:21,660 and his resurrection on Easter Sundays. 8 00:00:21,660 –> 00:00:26,660 Mark devotes six chapters of his gospel 9 00:00:26,959 –> 00:00:29,879 to this one week in the life of Jesus 10 00:00:29,920 –> 00:00:32,240 beginning with the story of Palm Sunday 11 00:00:32,240 –> 00:00:35,639 and moving through to the wonderful Triumph of Easter. 12 00:00:35,639 –> 00:00:38,520 And our plan is to follow that story 13 00:00:38,520 –> 00:00:40,759 of this one week in the life of Jesus 14 00:00:40,759 –> 00:00:43,500 from Mark’s gospel, chapter 11 through 16 15 00:00:43,500 –> 00:00:46,560 in the run up from now until Easter. 16 00:00:46,560 –> 00:00:48,880 Just to give you a sense of where we are 17 00:00:48,880 –> 00:00:51,060 in relation to Holy Week, 18 00:00:51,060 –> 00:00:53,880 let’s think about where we are in chapter 11 19 00:00:53,880 –> 00:00:57,240 that obviously relates to Palm Sunday 20 00:00:57,320 –> 00:01:00,080 when Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey 21 00:01:00,080 –> 00:01:03,740 and receives this rapturous welcome from the crowd. 22 00:01:03,740 –> 00:01:06,800 That’s chapter 11 and verses one through 11. 23 00:01:06,800 –> 00:01:09,480 And then in verse 11 of Mark 11, 24 00:01:09,480 –> 00:01:11,279 we’re told that Jesus entered Jerusalem 25 00:01:11,279 –> 00:01:12,599 and he went to the temple 26 00:01:12,599 –> 00:01:14,160 and he looked around at everything. 27 00:01:14,160 –> 00:01:15,760 But since it was already late, 28 00:01:15,760 –> 00:01:17,320 so that’s late Sunday, 29 00:01:17,320 –> 00:01:20,160 He went out to Bethany with the twelve. 30 00:01:20,160 –> 00:01:22,279 So Sunday Jesus comes to Jerusalem, 31 00:01:22,279 –> 00:01:23,220 looks around the temple, 32 00:01:23,220 –> 00:01:27,300 and then he withdraws back to the town of Bethany. 33 00:01:27,300 –> 00:01:30,739 Then Monday, verse 12, the next day. 34 00:01:30,739 –> 00:01:33,879 So now we’re onto Monday, Mark 11, 12. 35 00:01:33,879 –> 00:01:36,500 Jesus sees a fig tree, but it has no fruit. 36 00:01:36,500 –> 00:01:37,620 He says to the tree, 37 00:01:37,620 –> 00:01:40,699 may no one ever eat fruit from you again. 38 00:01:40,699 –> 00:01:43,339 And then in verse 15, he goes into the temple, 39 00:01:43,339 –> 00:01:45,820 he drives out the traders from the temple. 40 00:01:45,820 –> 00:01:47,419 We’re going to look at that today. 41 00:01:47,419 –> 00:01:49,699 And verse 19, when evening came. 42 00:01:49,699 –> 00:01:51,900 So now we’re at Monday evening. 43 00:01:51,900 –> 00:01:53,300 They went out of the city, 44 00:01:53,300 –> 00:01:56,260 and that was the end of the day Monday. 45 00:01:56,260 –> 00:01:58,099 Verse 20, in the morning. 46 00:01:58,099 –> 00:02:01,160 So now we’re onto Tuesday morning of holy week. 47 00:02:01,160 –> 00:02:03,139 Chapter 11, verse 20. 48 00:02:03,139 –> 00:02:05,860 Just three days from the crucifixion. 49 00:02:05,860 –> 00:02:07,580 And on this Tuesday, 50 00:02:07,580 –> 00:02:09,220 Jesus and the disciples find 51 00:02:09,220 –> 00:02:11,100 that the fig tree had withered. 52 00:02:11,100 –> 00:02:13,240 And Jesus uses this as an opportunity 53 00:02:13,240 –> 00:02:18,240 to teach the disciples about faith, forgiveness, and prayer. 54 00:02:18,660 –> 00:02:21,240 Now, that’s the material that we’re going to be covering 55 00:02:21,320 –> 00:02:23,199 this morning in God’s word, 56 00:02:23,199 –> 00:02:26,320 we are into the early part of holy week, 57 00:02:26,320 –> 00:02:29,320 Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. 58 00:02:29,320 –> 00:02:30,479 And we’ll be following the week 59 00:02:30,479 –> 00:02:33,660 throughout these coming Sunday mornings. 60 00:02:34,820 –> 00:02:35,759 And I want you to notice 61 00:02:35,759 –> 00:02:37,940 that there are really two stories here. 62 00:02:37,940 –> 00:02:42,160 And they are kind of interleaved together in Mark’s gospel. 63 00:02:42,160 –> 00:02:45,520 The first is a rather strange story about a tree. 64 00:02:45,520 –> 00:02:50,279 And the second is a rather dramatic story about the temple. 65 00:02:50,279 –> 00:02:52,320 And Mark weaves these stories together 66 00:02:52,320 –> 00:02:56,520 because each of them helps us to understand the other. 67 00:02:56,520 –> 00:02:59,160 The story of the tree helps us to understand 68 00:02:59,160 –> 00:03:00,520 what happened in the temple. 69 00:03:00,520 –> 00:03:02,740 And the story of the temple helps us 70 00:03:02,740 –> 00:03:05,240 to understand what happened to the tree. 71 00:03:05,240 –> 00:03:08,059 And we’re going to learn from these stories today. 72 00:03:08,059 –> 00:03:09,339 We’re going to see three things. 73 00:03:09,339 –> 00:03:13,600 First, that Jesus is looking for fruit. 74 00:03:13,600 –> 00:03:15,119 And he’s looking for fruit, 75 00:03:15,119 –> 00:03:18,440 not only in a tree and not only in a temple. 76 00:03:18,440 –> 00:03:22,440 But he’s looking for fruit among us, his people also. 77 00:03:23,679 –> 00:03:26,000 Then secondly, we’re going to see 78 00:03:26,000 –> 00:03:31,000 that Jesus used a withered tree to teach us 79 00:03:31,039 –> 00:03:34,679 about what happens when God’s people do not bear the fruit 80 00:03:34,679 –> 00:03:37,419 of seeking after and finding him. 81 00:03:38,520 –> 00:03:40,080 And then thirdly, we’re going to see 82 00:03:40,080 –> 00:03:43,000 that Jesus teaches his disciples and also us 83 00:03:43,000 –> 00:03:47,139 how we can bear the fruit that Jesus is looking for 84 00:03:47,139 –> 00:03:49,259 of the fruit that he did not find 85 00:03:49,259 –> 00:03:51,779 when he visited the temple. 86 00:03:51,779 –> 00:03:53,699 Well, that’s a broad overview of where we’re going. 87 00:03:53,699 –> 00:03:55,479 Let’s jump into the scriptures together 88 00:03:55,479 –> 00:03:59,860 and we’ll begin with the tree in chapter 11 in verse 12. 89 00:03:59,860 –> 00:04:01,619 We’re told that Jesus was hungry 90 00:04:02,679 –> 00:04:04,899 and as he’s walking along the road making his way 91 00:04:04,899 –> 00:04:08,860 into Jerusalem Monday morning, he sees a fig tree 92 00:04:10,020 –> 00:04:15,000 and it’s bursting with leaves and this tree looks magnificent 93 00:04:15,220 –> 00:04:17,940 and abundant and well watered and healthy 94 00:04:17,940 –> 00:04:21,980 and Jesus goes to the tree and he’s looking for fruit 95 00:04:21,980 –> 00:04:25,420 but verse 13, when he reached it, 96 00:04:25,420 –> 00:04:29,339 he found nothing but leaves. 97 00:04:30,260 –> 00:04:31,339 Now Mark says, you’ll notice there 98 00:04:31,339 –> 00:04:34,760 that it was not the season for figs. 99 00:04:34,760 –> 00:04:37,600 So you certainly wouldn’t expect to find figs 100 00:04:37,600 –> 00:04:40,640 that were ripe and ready to eat. 101 00:04:40,640 –> 00:04:43,019 But Dr. William Hendrickson says it’s important 102 00:04:43,140 –> 00:04:45,920 to point out that the earlier figs appear 103 00:04:45,920 –> 00:04:49,179 at the same time as the leaves. 104 00:04:49,179 –> 00:04:51,220 So the problem with this tree wasn’t simply 105 00:04:51,220 –> 00:04:53,739 that it didn’t have ripe fruit which you wouldn’t 106 00:04:53,739 –> 00:04:55,899 really expect at that time of year 107 00:04:55,899 –> 00:04:57,559 but the problem was it didn’t have any fruit, 108 00:04:57,559 –> 00:05:01,299 it didn’t have any fruit even in the process of forming. 109 00:05:01,299 –> 00:05:04,940 It was a barren fig tree. 110 00:05:06,339 –> 00:05:09,420 Now Mark puts this story of the tree 111 00:05:09,420 –> 00:05:12,859 alongside the story of the temple. 112 00:05:12,920 –> 00:05:15,920 In verse 11, when Jesus entered Jerusalem 113 00:05:15,920 –> 00:05:19,739 he went to the temple and he looked around at everything. 114 00:05:19,739 –> 00:05:21,500 You see the parallel there looking 115 00:05:21,500 –> 00:05:24,420 at the tree, looking at the temple. 116 00:05:24,420 –> 00:05:28,559 God’s son is coming to God’s temple and what’s he doing? 117 00:05:28,559 –> 00:05:32,160 He’s looking for fruit. 118 00:05:32,160 –> 00:05:34,980 He’s coming to the holy city and there’s been 119 00:05:34,980 –> 00:05:37,679 this rapturous welcome, all this cheering 120 00:05:37,679 –> 00:05:40,739 and throwing palm branches on the ground 121 00:05:40,739 –> 00:05:44,500 but now he looks behind the leaves 122 00:05:44,500 –> 00:05:47,459 and he wants to see what fruit is really there 123 00:05:47,459 –> 00:05:51,720 among his people and what he finds on the fig tree, 124 00:05:52,700 –> 00:05:56,839 leaves only, no fruit, is really a kind of picture 125 00:05:56,839 –> 00:05:59,859 of what he’s going to find in the temple. 126 00:05:59,859 –> 00:06:02,779 Nothing but leaves. 127 00:06:02,779 –> 00:06:05,260 See the temple was very impressive, 128 00:06:05,260 –> 00:06:07,820 it’s buzzing with activity, it looks 129 00:06:08,100 –> 00:06:11,839 as if it’s flourishing, just like the fig tree. 130 00:06:12,940 –> 00:06:15,880 But when Christ pulls back the leaves, 131 00:06:15,880 –> 00:06:20,179 he does not find the fruit that he is looking for. 132 00:06:21,660 –> 00:06:25,019 The temple turns out to be nothing but leaves 133 00:06:25,019 –> 00:06:28,980 and so the tree is a sort of parable of the temple. 134 00:06:30,940 –> 00:06:34,820 When Jesus came, he was looking to find 135 00:06:34,880 –> 00:06:37,119 a house of prayer, verse 17. 136 00:06:38,140 –> 00:06:41,140 What he actually found we’re told in verse 15 137 00:06:41,140 –> 00:06:43,899 was tables for money changers, 138 00:06:43,899 –> 00:06:47,040 benches for traders selling doves 139 00:06:47,040 –> 00:06:50,779 and people carrying merchandise, verse 16, 140 00:06:50,779 –> 00:06:53,059 throughout the temple courts. 141 00:06:54,380 –> 00:06:56,459 Now, it’s important for us to understand 142 00:06:56,459 –> 00:06:58,820 what the problem was here. 143 00:06:58,820 –> 00:07:00,940 I smiled to myself, kind of looking back 144 00:07:01,100 –> 00:07:05,640 at some memories of how people think about these things. 145 00:07:05,640 –> 00:07:07,459 Some folks read this passage of Scripture, 146 00:07:07,459 –> 00:07:09,839 they get terribly, terribly sensitive 147 00:07:09,839 –> 00:07:13,700 about anything at all being sold 148 00:07:13,700 –> 00:07:15,660 in the context of a church. 149 00:07:15,660 –> 00:07:20,660 I remember when we started supplying a Christian newspaper 150 00:07:20,859 –> 00:07:23,839 in the church that I served in North London. 151 00:07:23,839 –> 00:07:25,420 And there was a little bit of discussion. 152 00:07:25,420 –> 00:07:26,779 Well, you know, it’s a newspaper 153 00:07:26,779 –> 00:07:29,579 and it was 40 pence, or whatever it was back then 154 00:07:30,559 –> 00:07:32,600 and it was selling something in the church on a Sunday 155 00:07:32,600 –> 00:07:35,239 and some folks had a very sensitive conscience. 156 00:07:35,239 –> 00:07:37,519 And so someone said, well, here’s what we’ll do. 157 00:07:37,519 –> 00:07:39,720 We’ll have a box that people can put the money in, 158 00:07:39,720 –> 00:07:41,920 but we mustn’t have anyone standing there taking the money 159 00:07:41,920 –> 00:07:43,619 because otherwise that would offend 160 00:07:43,619 –> 00:07:45,760 against Mark’s gospel in chapter 11. 161 00:07:45,760 –> 00:07:47,480 Well, let’s just clear that away 162 00:07:47,480 –> 00:07:50,600 because that really isn’t the issue here 163 00:07:50,600 –> 00:07:52,579 and it’s very important for us to understand 164 00:07:52,579 –> 00:07:55,399 what the issue was so that we understand 165 00:07:55,399 –> 00:08:00,040 what it was that made our Lord Jesus Christ furious 166 00:08:01,160 –> 00:08:04,380 because that is really the only appropriate word 167 00:08:04,380 –> 00:08:07,179 to describe the response of Jesus 168 00:08:07,179 –> 00:08:09,179 when He came to the temple here. 169 00:08:10,720 –> 00:08:14,279 Very simply, in the Old Testament, 170 00:08:14,279 –> 00:08:19,279 God’s people were required to pay a tax to the temple. 171 00:08:21,100 –> 00:08:23,119 That was the way in which the ministry of the temple 172 00:08:23,119 –> 00:08:26,179 and all that went on there was maintained. 173 00:08:27,779 –> 00:08:30,980 The temple tax had to be paid in shekels, 174 00:08:30,980 –> 00:08:34,119 and you’ll remember that Israel at the time 175 00:08:34,119 –> 00:08:37,359 was occupied by the Roman Army, 176 00:08:37,359 –> 00:08:41,520 and the Romans had imposed their currency on the people. 177 00:08:41,520 –> 00:08:43,500 So you remember, in fact, we’ll come to it next week, 178 00:08:43,500 –> 00:08:45,760 when Jesus was asked about paying taxes, 179 00:08:45,760 –> 00:08:47,559 He asked for a coin and He said, 180 00:08:47,559 –> 00:08:49,140 now, whose head is on the coin 181 00:08:49,140 –> 00:08:50,539 and whose head was on the coin? 182 00:08:50,539 –> 00:08:52,000 Whose head was on the currency? 183 00:08:52,000 –> 00:08:53,080 Caesar’s. 184 00:08:53,280 –> 00:08:57,659 So they were using Roman currency at the time. 185 00:08:57,659 –> 00:09:01,099 But the temple did not recognize or use Roman currency, 186 00:09:01,099 –> 00:09:02,880 they used the Jewish shekel, 187 00:09:02,880 –> 00:09:05,599 and the Romans, very wisely, 188 00:09:05,599 –> 00:09:08,799 did not interfere with the religious liberties of the Jews, 189 00:09:08,799 –> 00:09:10,419 they were very circumspect about that 190 00:09:10,419 –> 00:09:12,000 because they knew they would have trouble 191 00:09:12,000 –> 00:09:13,739 if they tried to interfere there, 192 00:09:13,739 –> 00:09:16,479 so they allowed the temple to run its own currency 193 00:09:16,479 –> 00:09:18,580 and its own traditions. 194 00:09:18,580 –> 00:09:22,140 So, when God’s people came to the temple 195 00:09:22,140 –> 00:09:24,260 with their Roman currency 196 00:09:24,260 –> 00:09:26,760 and they were to pay the temple tax, 197 00:09:26,760 –> 00:09:28,780 they needed to change their money. 198 00:09:28,780 –> 00:09:32,140 And that is why, of course, there were money changers 199 00:09:32,140 –> 00:09:34,859 at the entrance to the temple. 200 00:09:34,859 –> 00:09:38,760 Beside them, Jesus saw people who were selling doves. 201 00:09:40,099 –> 00:09:44,659 Now the doves, of course, were used as offerings by the poor. 202 00:09:44,659 –> 00:09:46,460 Richer folks would bring a lamb, 203 00:09:47,859 –> 00:09:50,979 but poorer folks who couldn’t afford to do that 204 00:09:50,979 –> 00:09:54,299 were permitted to bring as an offering and a sacrifice 205 00:09:54,299 –> 00:09:58,380 either two doves or else two pigeons. 206 00:09:58,380 –> 00:10:01,340 You may recall from the story in Luke’s gospel 207 00:10:01,340 –> 00:10:02,619 after the birth of Jesus, 208 00:10:02,619 –> 00:10:04,559 when Mary and Joseph came to the temple 209 00:10:04,559 –> 00:10:06,500 for Jesus to be circumcised, 210 00:10:06,500 –> 00:10:08,979 Luke tells us that they came to offer 211 00:10:08,979 –> 00:10:13,419 the prescribed sacrifice two doves or two pigeons. 212 00:10:13,419 –> 00:10:15,700 And so in order to facilitate that 213 00:10:15,700 –> 00:10:18,260 there was a kind of concession stand 214 00:10:18,299 –> 00:10:23,299 at the entrance to the temple providing these birds. 215 00:10:23,359 –> 00:10:25,780 Of course, people could bring their own birds. 216 00:10:25,780 –> 00:10:28,020 They could bring their own animals. 217 00:10:28,020 –> 00:10:31,359 But if you were bringing a bird or an animal for sacrifice 218 00:10:31,359 –> 00:10:35,940 it had to pass an inspection by the priests. 219 00:10:35,940 –> 00:10:38,500 And the one thing you didn’t want was to bring an animal 220 00:10:38,500 –> 00:10:41,359 and then have it failed the priest’s inspection 221 00:10:41,359 –> 00:10:43,539 and then you couldn’t offer it as a sacrifice 222 00:10:43,539 –> 00:10:45,820 and then what were you going to do with the thing? 223 00:10:45,840 –> 00:10:49,359 So there were some good reasons for buying a dove 224 00:10:49,359 –> 00:10:52,719 or a pigeon or whatever that was to be offered in sacrifice 225 00:10:52,719 –> 00:10:55,940 from the priest’s official concession stand 226 00:10:55,940 –> 00:11:00,500 that was right there in the entrance to the temple. 227 00:11:01,419 –> 00:11:04,760 Now notice what Jesus says about these traders. 228 00:11:04,760 –> 00:11:06,880 He describes the money-changers 229 00:11:06,880 –> 00:11:11,880 and those selling pigeons or doves as robbers, verse 17. 230 00:11:12,840 –> 00:11:14,859 “‘My house will be called a house of prayer 231 00:11:14,859 –> 00:11:16,159 “‘for all nations, 232 00:11:16,159 –> 00:11:19,400 “‘but you have made it a den of robbers.’” 233 00:11:20,359 –> 00:11:22,840 Now it’s easy to see what had happened. 234 00:11:22,840 –> 00:11:25,700 It happens whenever there is a monopoly, doesn’t it? 235 00:11:27,059 –> 00:11:29,200 The money-changers were hiking 236 00:11:29,200 –> 00:11:31,659 the exchange rate for the shekel. 237 00:11:33,320 –> 00:11:37,400 And the sellers of doves were using their monopoly 238 00:11:37,400 –> 00:11:40,020 in order to gouge prices. 239 00:11:41,919 –> 00:11:44,280 On top of that, verse 16 tells us 240 00:11:44,280 –> 00:11:46,820 Jesus would not allow anyone to carry merchandise 241 00:11:46,820 –> 00:11:48,460 through the temple courts. 242 00:11:48,460 –> 00:11:51,380 The temple covered a huge area. 243 00:11:52,780 –> 00:11:56,780 And so traders, doing their everyday business, 244 00:11:56,780 –> 00:11:58,859 didn’t really want, in many cases, 245 00:11:58,859 –> 00:12:01,179 if they had to move from one side of town to the other, 246 00:12:01,179 –> 00:12:04,599 to go all the way around this vast area of the temple. 247 00:12:04,599 –> 00:12:06,179 So what did they do? 248 00:12:06,179 –> 00:12:07,460 They nipped through the temple courts 249 00:12:07,460 –> 00:12:09,460 and used it as a shortcut, 250 00:12:09,520 –> 00:12:12,640 which made the temple courts a sort of regular thoroughfare 251 00:12:12,640 –> 00:12:15,080 for just about every animal you could imagine, 252 00:12:15,080 –> 00:12:17,859 with all of the kind of noise and atmosphere, 253 00:12:17,859 –> 00:12:19,539 not of a place of worship, 254 00:12:19,539 –> 00:12:22,380 but of a general country cattle market. 255 00:12:23,940 –> 00:12:26,780 So, here’s what was happening and what Jesus saw 256 00:12:26,780 –> 00:12:28,419 when he came to the temple. 257 00:12:29,299 –> 00:12:33,900 The temple that had been designed as a place of worship 258 00:12:33,900 –> 00:12:37,020 had become a place of convenience, 259 00:12:37,020 –> 00:12:39,719 and it had become a place of profit. 260 00:12:41,099 –> 00:12:44,020 And Jesus was furious about this. 261 00:12:44,820 –> 00:12:48,380 Zeal for God’s house consumed him. 262 00:12:49,380 –> 00:12:50,539 And verse 15 tells us, 263 00:12:50,539 –> 00:12:52,900 he overturned the tables of the moneychangers 264 00:12:52,900 –> 00:12:55,539 and the benches of those who were selling doves, 265 00:12:55,539 –> 00:12:59,619 and he would not allow anyone to carry merchandise 266 00:12:59,619 –> 00:13:01,940 through the temple courts. 267 00:13:01,940 –> 00:13:03,719 By the way, the fact that he did this 268 00:13:03,859 –> 00:13:06,719 indicates how popular Jesus was at the time. 269 00:13:07,719 –> 00:13:09,640 And surely he could not have done this 270 00:13:09,640 –> 00:13:12,099 apart from a miracle of divine power 271 00:13:12,099 –> 00:13:15,799 without the overwhelming support of the people. 272 00:13:15,799 –> 00:13:18,419 But that’s what he had at this moment. 273 00:13:18,419 –> 00:13:21,440 They had cheered for him coming into Jerusalem. 274 00:13:23,320 –> 00:13:28,119 What do you feel if some price gouger gets his comeuppance? 275 00:13:28,119 –> 00:13:30,440 Well, you cheer as well. 276 00:13:30,440 –> 00:13:32,179 And although Mark does not record this, 277 00:13:32,260 –> 00:13:33,859 I have no doubt in my mind, 278 00:13:33,859 –> 00:13:35,739 that when their tables went over, 279 00:13:35,739 –> 00:13:37,619 the people were cheering, 280 00:13:38,599 –> 00:13:40,359 at last, 281 00:13:40,359 –> 00:13:43,419 someone’s giving them what they deserve. 282 00:13:43,419 –> 00:13:44,659 And the priest, you see, 283 00:13:44,659 –> 00:13:47,340 are not prepared to move against Jesus at this point 284 00:13:47,340 –> 00:13:50,200 because of the immense popular support that he has, 285 00:13:50,200 –> 00:13:51,700 they feared him. 286 00:13:51,700 –> 00:13:52,780 We’re going to see next week 287 00:13:52,780 –> 00:13:54,900 that Mark tells us in his gospel 288 00:13:54,900 –> 00:13:57,859 that when Jesus got into question and answer 289 00:13:57,859 –> 00:14:00,260 with the Pharisees and with the scribes, 290 00:14:00,260 –> 00:14:01,659 that the people, Mark says, 291 00:14:01,659 –> 00:14:04,099 listened to him with delight. 292 00:14:04,099 –> 00:14:08,119 They loved him sticking it to the Pharisees. 293 00:14:08,119 –> 00:14:09,979 So there’s tremendous popularity. 294 00:14:09,979 –> 00:14:13,299 Here’s Jesus now putting things right in the temple 295 00:14:13,299 –> 00:14:17,179 and addressing things that have so obviously 296 00:14:17,179 –> 00:14:20,380 been so very wrong for a long time. 297 00:14:21,780 –> 00:14:24,179 Now, what was the fruit that Jesus Christ 298 00:14:24,179 –> 00:14:26,219 was looking for in his temple? 299 00:14:26,219 –> 00:14:28,260 Let’s focus in on verse 17. 300 00:14:29,039 –> 00:14:34,039 My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. 301 00:14:41,400 –> 00:14:42,539 My house. 302 00:14:44,059 –> 00:14:46,260 This temple, Jesus is saying. 303 00:14:47,780 –> 00:14:52,099 What it’s here for is to be a place 304 00:14:52,099 –> 00:14:55,799 where folks from every background, all nations, 305 00:14:56,520 –> 00:15:00,299 can come and seek and find God. 306 00:15:01,820 –> 00:15:03,460 That’s what it’s meant to be. 307 00:15:04,979 –> 00:15:07,580 Now, isn’t this a marvelous vision? 308 00:15:08,820 –> 00:15:12,460 I found my own soul lifted just by reflecting 309 00:15:12,460 –> 00:15:14,460 on these words of Jesus. 310 00:15:15,739 –> 00:15:20,479 A place where folks from very different backgrounds, 311 00:15:21,659 –> 00:15:25,659 Jew, Gentile, Black, white, young, old, rich, poor, 312 00:15:26,500 –> 00:15:31,500 come together to seek and to find the Living God. 313 00:15:34,840 –> 00:15:39,460 Now, that is what God intended his Temple to be. 314 00:15:40,780 –> 00:15:42,700 A house of prayer for all nations, 315 00:15:42,700 –> 00:15:45,820 a place where people from every background 316 00:15:46,739 –> 00:15:49,440 could come and seek and find him. 317 00:15:51,179 –> 00:15:52,820 But when Jesus came to the Temple, 318 00:15:52,820 –> 00:15:55,700 it evidently wasn’t happening there. 319 00:15:55,700 –> 00:15:58,700 Instead of being a place where folks from every background 320 00:15:58,700 –> 00:16:00,780 were coming to seek and to find him, 321 00:16:00,780 –> 00:16:03,400 it had become increasingly a place of convenience 322 00:16:03,400 –> 00:16:06,640 and it had become a place of making money. 323 00:16:07,739 –> 00:16:09,799 Jesus, when he pulls back the leaves 324 00:16:09,799 –> 00:16:12,239 to see if there is the fruit he is looking for, 325 00:16:12,239 –> 00:16:17,239 finds that, in the Temple, it is nothing but leaves. 326 00:16:19,900 –> 00:16:21,940 What does this have to say to the Church? 327 00:16:21,940 –> 00:16:23,640 That’s really the question for us. 328 00:16:25,940 –> 00:16:30,200 Surely, these scriptures point us to the immense danger 329 00:16:30,200 –> 00:16:33,460 of being unfruitful in the very thing 330 00:16:33,460 –> 00:16:35,119 that Christ is looking for. 331 00:16:36,820 –> 00:16:39,080 We’ve been told here that the Lord Jesus Christ 332 00:16:39,080 –> 00:16:44,080 comes observing, looking, examining, 333 00:16:44,159 –> 00:16:47,299 pulling back the leaves of activity 334 00:16:49,320 –> 00:16:52,539 to see whether there is any fruit. 335 00:16:53,140 –> 00:16:56,700 He observes our church today, 336 00:16:58,840 –> 00:17:01,599 the church that is every indication of flourishing, 337 00:17:03,260 –> 00:17:05,380 known for many good things. 338 00:17:06,579 –> 00:17:10,439 The leaves which are necessary are obvious 339 00:17:10,439 –> 00:17:12,339 and they are in abundance. 340 00:17:14,719 –> 00:17:18,219 But Jesus is not impressed with the leaves of ministry. 341 00:17:18,459 –> 00:17:22,680 He pulls back the leaves to see if there is any fruit 342 00:17:22,680 –> 00:17:25,380 and what is the fruit he is looking for? 343 00:17:25,380 –> 00:17:28,260 Is this a place where people 344 00:17:28,260 –> 00:17:32,579 are seeking God and finding God? 345 00:17:34,339 –> 00:17:36,439 You said, that really is the most important question 346 00:17:36,439 –> 00:17:38,500 to ask of any ministry. 347 00:17:40,920 –> 00:17:45,920 Is this a place where people are seeking God 348 00:17:48,300 –> 00:17:49,859 and finding God. 349 00:17:51,859 –> 00:17:56,859 That’s the fruit that Jesus is looking for. 350 00:18:00,560 –> 00:18:03,959 Now our Lord has something very important to say to us 351 00:18:03,959 –> 00:18:07,280 in relation to how this fruit is produced but I want us 352 00:18:07,280 –> 00:18:11,819 to see first the illustration that he uses to warn us 353 00:18:11,819 –> 00:18:15,180 about what happens to a fruitless tree. 354 00:18:15,719 –> 00:18:20,560 Let’s look at verse 14, Jesus says to this tree, 355 00:18:20,560 –> 00:18:25,020 we go back to the tree again which throws light as it were 356 00:18:25,020 –> 00:18:27,119 on the temple and on what God is saying to us 357 00:18:27,119 –> 00:18:28,880 and Jesus says to the tree, 358 00:18:28,880 –> 00:18:33,880 may no one ever eat fruit from you again. 359 00:18:35,579 –> 00:18:37,319 Now it’s interesting, reading common trees, 360 00:18:37,319 –> 00:18:41,619 how nervous some writers seem to become 361 00:18:41,619 –> 00:18:44,260 about Jesus having withered a tree. 362 00:18:45,180 –> 00:18:45,819 Doesn’t seem to me that there’s 363 00:18:45,819 –> 00:18:48,719 anything very surprising in this. 364 00:18:50,800 –> 00:18:55,439 God gives life, God sustains life 365 00:18:55,439 –> 00:18:57,239 and when He chooses, God ends life. 366 00:18:58,260 –> 00:19:00,959 That is true of every insect, 367 00:19:00,959 –> 00:19:03,459 that is true of every fish and plant and tree 368 00:19:03,459 –> 00:19:07,319 and animal and person and ministry and church. 369 00:19:08,780 –> 00:19:11,739 Our life comes from God, our life is sustained by God 370 00:19:11,780 –> 00:19:14,640 and when God chooses, our life will be ended by God. 371 00:19:16,859 –> 00:19:20,079 All things exist by the word of His power 372 00:19:20,079 –> 00:19:23,140 and when He removes his sustaining power, 373 00:19:23,140 –> 00:19:26,619 things just whither and they die. 374 00:19:28,319 –> 00:19:31,619 Now in verse 20, when they come back on the Tuesday morning 375 00:19:31,619 –> 00:19:33,020 we’re told that as they went along 376 00:19:33,020 –> 00:19:35,540 they’re coming back on precisely the same journey 377 00:19:35,540 –> 00:19:36,839 into the city of Jerusalem 378 00:19:36,839 –> 00:19:39,420 for the third time coming in on Tuesday. 379 00:19:39,439 –> 00:19:42,380 They saw the fig tree and it was withered from the roots. 380 00:19:42,380 –> 00:19:44,579 There’s obviously a miracle here 381 00:19:44,579 –> 00:19:48,459 because a tree doesn’t wither in a day 382 00:19:48,459 –> 00:19:50,900 and what struck the disciples was that 383 00:19:50,900 –> 00:19:53,339 it wasn’t just that the leaves had begun to droop, 384 00:19:53,339 –> 00:19:58,160 the thing had withered, Mark says, from the very roots. 385 00:20:00,000 –> 00:20:04,579 Now, the story of the tree is given 386 00:20:04,579 –> 00:20:07,819 to help us understand the story of the temple. 387 00:20:08,660 –> 00:20:09,979 I find it very interesting that you know 388 00:20:09,979 –> 00:20:12,640 the very first commentary that was ever written 389 00:20:12,640 –> 00:20:13,719 or at least the first commentary 390 00:20:13,719 –> 00:20:15,339 that we still have existing today 391 00:20:15,339 –> 00:20:17,020 that was written on Mark’s gospel 392 00:20:17,020 –> 00:20:18,959 was written in the sixth century 393 00:20:18,959 –> 00:20:21,000 by a man called Victor of Antioch 394 00:20:21,000 –> 00:20:22,760 and here’s what he says, he says, 395 00:20:22,760 –> 00:20:27,760 Jesus used the fig tree to set forth the judgment 396 00:20:27,939 –> 00:20:30,479 that was about to come to Jerusalem. 397 00:20:30,479 –> 00:20:32,339 What happened to the fig tree was 398 00:20:32,339 –> 00:20:34,459 a way of representing what was going 399 00:20:34,459 –> 00:20:37,579 to happen to the temple in Jerusalem. 400 00:20:37,699 –> 00:20:38,979 And you can see that if you turn 401 00:20:38,979 –> 00:20:40,219 just a couple of pages forward 402 00:20:40,219 –> 00:20:43,260 to Mark chapter 13 and verse one 403 00:20:43,260 –> 00:20:45,380 where at the beginning of Mark chapter 13, 404 00:20:45,380 –> 00:20:47,239 Jesus leaves the temple 405 00:20:48,660 –> 00:20:52,619 and as they’re leaving, the disciples say, 406 00:20:52,619 –> 00:20:55,219 wow, what magnificent buildings these are 407 00:20:55,219 –> 00:20:57,660 and Jesus says, you see these buildings? 408 00:20:57,660 –> 00:21:00,739 Not one stone here will be left on top of another, 409 00:21:00,739 –> 00:21:02,939 every one of them will be thrown down. 410 00:21:03,979 –> 00:21:06,619 In other words, just as the fig tree 411 00:21:06,619 –> 00:21:09,099 that looked so marvelous but was without fruit 412 00:21:09,099 –> 00:21:12,180 withered in a day, so this temple 413 00:21:12,180 –> 00:21:14,540 that is so full of bustling activity 414 00:21:14,540 –> 00:21:16,780 that turns out to be nothing but leaves, 415 00:21:16,780 –> 00:21:19,260 it’s going to be destroyed, it’s going to implode 416 00:21:20,300 –> 00:21:21,699 in exactly the same way. 417 00:21:22,839 –> 00:21:24,900 And of course, that is exactly what happened 418 00:21:24,900 –> 00:21:29,900 in the year AD 70, not one stone of the temple 419 00:21:31,060 –> 00:21:33,560 was left on top of another. 420 00:21:34,540 –> 00:21:37,420 Very sobering part of Mark’s gospel, 421 00:21:38,880 –> 00:21:41,819 the withered tree is a picture of what happens 422 00:21:41,819 –> 00:21:44,579 where God’s people cease to seek him. 423 00:21:46,680 –> 00:21:47,500 That’s the fruit. 424 00:21:49,280 –> 00:21:51,739 Jesus said to his disciples, I’ve appointed you, 425 00:21:51,739 –> 00:21:55,699 I’ve called you to bear fruit that will last. 426 00:21:57,099 –> 00:21:58,339 And do you remember what Jesus says 427 00:21:58,339 –> 00:22:00,160 in John’s gospel in chapter 15? 428 00:22:00,160 –> 00:22:03,400 He says, I am the vine and my father is the gardener, 429 00:22:03,400 –> 00:22:04,400 what does he do? 430 00:22:04,400 –> 00:22:09,119 He cuts off every branch in me 431 00:22:09,979 –> 00:22:13,020 that does not bear fruit. 432 00:22:15,040 –> 00:22:17,260 You know, as we think about ourselves, 433 00:22:19,339 –> 00:22:23,020 the withered tree is a picture of what can happen 434 00:22:24,199 –> 00:22:26,060 in the life of a local church. 435 00:22:27,040 –> 00:22:29,040 Christ speaks in the book of Revelation 436 00:22:30,040 –> 00:22:31,079 about an awful possibility 437 00:22:31,079 –> 00:22:35,319 of the candlestick itself being removed. 438 00:22:37,239 –> 00:22:40,400 See, the life of a church doesn’t lie in the leaves, 439 00:22:41,599 –> 00:22:44,280 the ability of its leaders, 440 00:22:44,280 –> 00:22:46,359 the giftedness of its members, 441 00:22:46,359 –> 00:22:48,079 the quality of its programs, 442 00:22:48,079 –> 00:22:49,180 these are the leaves. 443 00:22:49,180 –> 00:22:50,839 These are the leaves that are necessary 444 00:22:50,839 –> 00:22:54,099 and they make the tree very attractive. 445 00:22:55,099 –> 00:23:00,099 But the fruit of people seeking and finding God among us 446 00:23:01,119 –> 00:23:04,020 is the work of the Holy Spirit 447 00:23:05,140 –> 00:23:07,880 and when the Spirit is grieved or quenched 448 00:23:07,880 –> 00:23:09,900 or withdrawn from a church, 449 00:23:11,239 –> 00:23:14,380 spiritual life withers from the roots. 450 00:23:14,380 –> 00:23:16,040 Now we’ve all seen that happen 451 00:23:17,819 –> 00:23:20,000 and its important for us to hear this warning 452 00:23:20,560 –> 00:23:24,079 unless we think that organizational strength 453 00:23:24,079 –> 00:23:26,719 guarantees the life of the church, it doesn’t. 454 00:23:28,199 –> 00:23:30,900 Jesus pulls back the leaves 455 00:23:32,380 –> 00:23:36,500 and the real question, in any area of ministry, 456 00:23:38,000 –> 00:23:43,000 is this a place where people are seeking and finding God? 457 00:23:46,959 –> 00:23:49,719 Now just one more word on this withering tree 458 00:23:49,719 –> 00:23:53,300 before we move on to Jesus’ wonderful teaching 459 00:23:53,300 –> 00:23:55,520 about how we can produce this fruit, 460 00:23:55,520 –> 00:23:57,859 which is really the most important thing. 461 00:23:57,859 –> 00:23:59,680 But I want just to come back for a moment 462 00:23:59,680 –> 00:24:02,400 to mark strange words in verse 13. 463 00:24:03,500 –> 00:24:07,719 It was not the season for figs. 464 00:24:08,920 –> 00:24:11,739 And that rather strange comment 465 00:24:11,739 –> 00:24:15,060 just raises at least in my mind and interesting question. 466 00:24:16,020 –> 00:24:21,020 Will there ever be a season for figs in Israel? 467 00:24:24,219 –> 00:24:26,500 Will God’s Old Testament people 468 00:24:26,500 –> 00:24:29,579 ever produce the fruit that Jesus was seeking 469 00:24:29,579 –> 00:24:33,140 in the temple and that on that day He did not find there? 470 00:24:35,339 –> 00:24:36,579 And I am convinced 471 00:24:36,579 –> 00:24:39,839 that the answer to that question is yes. 472 00:24:40,660 –> 00:24:44,239 It’s very interesting that Paul in Romans chapter 11 473 00:24:44,260 –> 00:24:46,859 uses the analogy of a tree, 474 00:24:46,859 –> 00:24:50,160 not a fig tree, but an olive tree in Romans chapter 11 475 00:24:50,160 –> 00:24:53,420 to describe what has happened to Israel 476 00:24:53,420 –> 00:24:57,719 in the great, overarching purposes of God. 477 00:24:57,719 –> 00:25:00,739 And he says in Romans chapter 11 in verse 17, 478 00:25:00,739 –> 00:25:02,520 some of the branches, 479 00:25:02,520 –> 00:25:06,520 referring to Israel, have been broken off. 480 00:25:06,520 –> 00:25:08,520 There’s been a withering. 481 00:25:08,520 –> 00:25:11,439 But he says, Romans 11 verse 23, 482 00:25:11,560 –> 00:25:16,199 God is able to graft them on again. 483 00:25:17,099 –> 00:25:19,119 And then Romans 11 verse 26, 484 00:25:19,119 –> 00:25:21,520 he says this wonderful statement. 485 00:25:21,520 –> 00:25:26,099 He speaks of a day when all Israel will be saved. 486 00:25:27,479 –> 00:25:30,760 I look for a day when the fruit Jesus did not find 487 00:25:31,819 –> 00:25:35,760 will be found in abundance among Jewish people. 488 00:25:35,760 –> 00:25:38,579 I think that’s the promise of the New Testament, 489 00:25:39,520 –> 00:25:43,439 the fruitless tree that withered 490 00:25:44,780 –> 00:25:46,540 is not the end of the story. 491 00:25:48,140 –> 00:25:51,900 And let me just apply that point then back to us. 492 00:25:51,900 –> 00:25:55,020 You come here this morning and you say, 493 00:25:55,020 –> 00:25:57,900 I hear you talking about a fruitless tree, a withered tree. 494 00:25:57,900 –> 00:26:00,359 It’s exactly what I feel my life is like. 495 00:26:02,040 –> 00:26:04,339 Feel that I’ve just not borne the fruit 496 00:26:04,339 –> 00:26:06,099 that God has called me to bear. 497 00:26:06,180 –> 00:26:07,020 Fear. 498 00:26:08,099 –> 00:26:13,099 Listen, that needn’t be the end of your life story either. 499 00:26:14,739 –> 00:26:18,300 He is able to graft you again into Christ. 500 00:26:19,380 –> 00:26:22,420 He is able to bring new life into the deadness 501 00:26:22,420 –> 00:26:26,060 and fruitlessness of your spiritual walk. 502 00:26:27,260 –> 00:26:32,260 This is our God and he is wonderfully, wonderfully gracious. 503 00:26:32,920 –> 00:26:33,760 He is. 504 00:26:35,140 –> 00:26:38,000 So, Jesus is looking for fruit. 505 00:26:39,719 –> 00:26:42,780 He gives us this very serious warning about what happens, 506 00:26:42,780 –> 00:26:44,760 the withering that comes when people 507 00:26:45,819 –> 00:26:50,160 no longer seek him and no longer find him. 508 00:26:51,739 –> 00:26:53,699 But now let’s come to the last thing 509 00:26:53,699 –> 00:26:55,859 which is so important here. 510 00:26:56,319 –> 00:27:00,780 So, Jesus teaches his disciples 511 00:27:00,780 –> 00:27:04,180 and he teaches us in this very passage 512 00:27:04,180 –> 00:27:06,979 how it is that we may bear 513 00:27:06,979 –> 00:27:10,140 this fruit that he is looking for. 514 00:27:10,140 –> 00:27:11,099 What’s the fruit? 515 00:27:11,099 –> 00:27:12,239 Verse 17, 516 00:27:12,239 –> 00:27:17,239 “‘My house will be a house of prayer for all nations. 517 00:27:19,479 –> 00:27:21,520 “‘My house will be a place 518 00:27:21,520 –> 00:27:25,380 “‘where people from every background will seek me 519 00:27:25,979 –> 00:27:27,500 “‘and find me.’” 520 00:27:28,500 –> 00:27:29,459 Don’t you find something 521 00:27:29,459 –> 00:27:32,040 within your own heart rising to that and saying, 522 00:27:32,040 –> 00:27:34,579 “‘That’s the kind of church we want to be. 523 00:27:35,760 –> 00:27:38,420 “‘We want to be full of the fruit 524 00:27:38,420 –> 00:27:40,060 “‘that Jesus is looking for 525 00:27:40,060 –> 00:27:43,500 “‘to be a place where in every sphere of ministry, 526 00:27:43,500 –> 00:27:45,219 “‘people are seeking God 527 00:27:45,219 –> 00:27:46,760 “‘and people are finding God.’” 528 00:27:46,760 –> 00:27:47,959 Now, here’s the question. 529 00:27:49,060 –> 00:27:52,579 How are we to produce that kind of fruit? 530 00:27:52,579 –> 00:27:56,500 Now, if you look at verse 24, 531 00:27:56,500 –> 00:28:00,520 you will see there that Jesus is obviously speaking 532 00:28:00,520 –> 00:28:01,819 about this very issue, 533 00:28:01,819 –> 00:28:02,619 because He says that, 534 00:28:02,619 –> 00:28:06,520 “‘I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, 535 00:28:06,520 –> 00:28:08,040 “‘believe that you have received it, 536 00:8:08,040 –> 00:28:09,079 “‘and it will be yours.’” 537 00:28:09,079 –> 00:28:11,000 So by teaching His disciples 538 00:28:11,000 –> 00:28:13,239 about how they are to pray, 539 00:28:13,239 –> 00:28:15,760 He quite clearly is teaching them 540 00:28:15,760 –> 00:28:17,579 about how they will bear the fruit 541 00:28:17,579 –> 00:28:20,760 that He did not find in the temple, 542 00:28:20,760 –> 00:28:23,619 which was not a house of prayer for all nations, 543 00:28:23,619 –> 00:28:25,239 was not a place where people 544 00:28:25,239 –> 00:28:28,000 were seeking and finding God, 545 00:28:28,000 –> 00:28:29,719 and Jesus is saying to the disciples, 546 00:28:29,719 –> 00:28:30,920 “‘The fruit is not there. 547 00:28:30,920 –> 00:28:33,119 “‘The fruit has to be borne among you. 548 00:28:35,239 –> 00:28:37,439 “‘Now how is this fruit to be produced?’ 549 00:28:39,479 –> 00:28:42,280 Jesus identifies two things, 550 00:28:42,280 –> 00:28:44,260 and they’re both of great significance. 551 00:28:45,680 –> 00:28:48,280 The first is that if we want to be 552 00:28:48,280 –> 00:28:49,859 a community of believers 553 00:28:49,900 –> 00:28:52,979 where people are seeking and finding him, 554 00:28:54,260 –> 00:28:58,099 we must seek to cultivate faith. 555 00:28:59,020 –> 00:29:04,020 Verse 22, “‘Have faith in God’ Jesus answered. 556 00:29:05,300 –> 00:29:07,520 Verse 23, “‘I tell you the truth. 557 00:29:07,520 –> 00:29:09,140 “‘If anyone says to this mountain, 558 00:29:09,140 –> 00:29:10,719 “‘go throw yourself into the sea 559 00:29:10,719 –> 00:29:12,319 “‘and does not doubt in his heart, 560 00:29:12,319 –> 00:29:15,000 “‘but believes that what he has said will happen, 561 00:29:15,000 –> 00:29:16,780 “‘it will be done for him.’” 562 00:29:17,260 –> 00:29:18,479 Extraordinary promise. 563 00:29:20,140 –> 00:29:22,180 Because Jesus was standing on the Mount of Olives 564 00:29:22,180 –> 00:29:23,020 when he said it, 565 00:29:24,239 –> 00:29:27,140 and you can see from the Mount of Olives 566 00:29:27,140 –> 00:29:28,459 all the way to the Dead Sea. 567 00:29:28,459 –> 00:29:30,520 So when he says, this mountain into the sea, 568 00:29:30,520 –> 00:29:32,300 he’s talking about the Mount of Olives and the Dead Sea. 569 00:29:32,300 –> 00:29:34,479 Well, Mount of Olives is still there 570 00:29:34,479 –> 00:29:36,219 if you go visit, the Dead Sea is still there, 571 00:29:36,219 –> 00:29:38,420 so no one’s actually done this feat. 572 00:29:38,420 –> 00:29:41,439 Jesus is clearly using hyperbole 573 00:29:41,439 –> 00:29:43,660 to describe a point of great significance, 574 00:29:43,699 –> 00:29:44,780 which is this, 575 00:29:45,699 –> 00:29:48,020 that extraordinary things happen 576 00:29:49,140 –> 00:29:53,920 when God’s people seek him in prayer with faith. 577 00:29:55,500 –> 00:29:58,060 And how are we to increase our faith? 578 00:29:59,260 –> 00:30:02,160 Faith comes from hearing 579 00:30:02,160 –> 00:30:04,900 and hearing comes from the Word of God. 580 00:30:05,819 –> 00:30:06,660 That’s why every Sunday, 581 00:30:06,660 –> 00:30:08,900 we come and we gather around the Word of God 582 00:30:08,900 –> 00:30:11,260 to get our eyes on Jesus Christ 583 00:30:11,260 –> 00:30:13,739 and on the greatness and the glory of the Lord, 584 00:30:13,739 –> 00:30:16,239 because the more we see his greatness, 585 00:30:16,239 –> 00:30:18,819 the more we will have confidence in him, 586 00:30:18,819 –> 00:30:21,359 and the more we have confidence in him, 587 00:30:21,359 –> 00:30:24,000 the more we will ask of him. 588 00:30:25,939 –> 00:30:27,199 You see this very clearly, 589 00:30:27,199 –> 00:30:28,739 Jesus is saying, 590 00:30:28,739 –> 00:30:30,260 the fruit’s not in the temple, 591 00:30:30,260 –> 00:30:33,020 I pulled back the leaves and it’s not there. 592 00:30:33,020 –> 00:30:34,099 It’s not a house of prayer, 593 00:30:34,099 –> 00:30:35,680 it’s become a den of robbers. 594 00:30:36,979 –> 00:30:40,020 And Jesus, chapter 13, has moved away from the temple. 595 00:30:41,760 –> 00:30:44,020 Then it collapses, AD 70. 596 00:30:45,119 –> 00:30:46,400 And he’s saying to his disciples, 597 00:30:46,400 –> 00:30:49,459 you are the ones who must produce this fruit. 598 00:30:50,540 –> 00:30:55,219 You must now become community of people 599 00:30:55,219 –> 00:30:58,359 seeking and finding God and others being joined to you. 600 00:30:58,359 –> 00:31:00,939 This is what the Christian church is really all about, 601 00:31:00,939 –> 00:31:02,939 not the leaves, the fruit. 602 00:31:05,239 –> 00:31:07,739 And the fruit comes in abundance 603 00:31:08,439 –> 00:31:10,339 as God’s people grow in faith 604 00:31:12,060 –> 00:31:13,819 and learn to ask from him. 605 00:31:15,900 –> 00:31:17,739 Then Jesus says a second thing. 606 00:31:19,359 –> 00:31:21,260 If we want to bear the fruit of people 607 00:31:21,260 –> 00:31:26,260 from every background coming and seeking and finding him, 608 00:31:27,979 –> 00:31:29,619 we must not only cultivate faith 609 00:31:29,619 –> 00:31:33,319 but we must cultivate forgiveness, verse 25. 610 00:31:33,319 –> 00:31:34,599 And when you stand praying, 611 00:31:34,599 –> 00:31:36,479 so he’s talking about how this seeking 612 00:31:36,579 –> 00:31:38,020 and finding will be effective 613 00:31:39,219 –> 00:31:42,680 if you hold anything against anyone, 614 00:31:43,660 –> 00:31:47,160 forgive him, so that your father in Heaven 615 00:31:47,160 –> 00:31:50,560 may forgive you your sins. 616 00:31:51,739 –> 00:31:52,579 That’s powerful. 617 00:31:54,880 –> 00:31:59,760 If you really want to live a fruitful life for Jesus Christ, 618 00:32:01,000 –> 00:32:04,599 if we as a community want to be fruitful 619 00:32:04,599 –> 00:32:07,560 in becoming a place where people are seeking 620 00:32:07,560 –> 00:32:11,280 and finding God, folks from every background, 621 00:32:12,839 –> 00:32:14,479 then we must not only grow in faith 622 00:32:14,479 –> 00:32:17,439 but we must cultivate forgiveness. 623 00:32:19,140 –> 00:32:20,420 Who are you angry with? 624 00:32:22,000 –> 00:32:23,319 Who has offended you? 625 00:32:24,619 –> 00:32:25,739 Who has hurt you? 626 00:32:27,760 –> 00:32:28,959 Who has wounded you? 627 00:32:31,060 –> 00:32:32,060 Got to forgive them. 628 00:32:32,819 –> 00:32:35,819 And you say, well, how can I grow in that? 629 00:32:35,819 –> 00:32:37,060 I don’t want to be bitter. 630 00:32:37,060 –> 00:32:39,140 I don’t want to be uptight. 631 00:32:39,140 –> 00:32:41,420 I want to know the peace of God my Father 632 00:32:41,420 –> 00:32:42,959 ruling my life and everything. 633 00:32:45,380 –> 00:32:46,979 What do I do, do I come to God, 634 00:32:46,979 –> 00:32:48,060 and say Lord help me forgive? 635 00:32:48,060 –> 00:32:48,900 Lord help me forgive? 636 00:32:48,900 –> 00:32:51,300 No that probably just make you more uptight. 637 00:32:53,380 –> 00:32:54,880 This is what Jesus says you do. 638 00:32:56,380 –> 00:32:57,500 Love your enemies 639 00:32:58,140 –> 00:33:03,140 and pray for those who persecute you. 640 00:33:04,160 –> 00:33:07,500 Someone’s hurt you, someone’s wounded you. 641 00:33:09,660 –> 00:33:11,780 It’s not easy for you to forgive them, 642 00:33:11,780 –> 00:33:12,739 here’s what you do. 643 00:33:15,099 –> 00:33:19,319 You ask for God’s blessing upon them. 644 00:33:21,859 –> 00:33:23,579 And it’s amazing the degree to which 645 00:33:23,579 –> 00:33:25,780 that changes a person’s heart. 646 00:33:28,459 –> 00:33:30,180 And it’s not a small issue 647 00:33:30,180 –> 00:33:32,099 because Jesus is saying if we’re going to be 648 00:33:32,099 –> 00:33:34,140 the kind of church that bears fruit 649 00:33:34,140 –> 00:33:36,060 and isn’t just leaves, 650 00:33:37,219 –> 00:33:39,099 here’s the two things that really matter, 651 00:33:39,099 –> 00:33:41,260 here’s what makes prayer effective. 652 00:33:43,739 –> 00:33:47,819 There’ll be real seeking and finding of God 653 00:33:49,020 –> 00:33:50,520 as we grow in faith, 654 00:33:52,260 –> 00:33:54,400 and as we grow in forgiveness. 655 00:33:54,479 –> 00:33:58,520 So, now Jesus didn’t find that fruit 656 00:33:58,520 –> 00:33:59,380 in the temple. 657 00:33:59,380 –> 00:34:01,680 In fact, when he got there, 658 00:34:01,680 –> 00:34:04,000 it was nothing but leaves. 659 00:34:05,640 –> 00:34:07,599 I think our prayer today is that 660 00:34:07,599 –> 00:34:09,840 as he observes the life of this church 661 00:34:10,820 –> 00:34:13,340 he may find increasingly the fruit 662 00:34:13,340 –> 00:34:16,360 that he is looking for growing 663 00:34:16,360 –> 00:34:18,239 on our branches. 664 00:34:19,840 –> 00:34:23,100 May it be so for his praise 665 00:34:24,100 –> 00:34:24,979 and for his glory. 666 00:34:24,979 –> 00:34:27,199 Shall we bow in prayer together? 667 00:34:29,100 –> 00:34:32,739 Father, it’s so easy for us to criticize the temple 668 00:34:35,840 –> 00:34:38,179 but we see how easily church life 669 00:34:38,179 –> 00:34:39,919 becomes nothing but leaves. 670 00:34:42,820 –> 00:34:45,500 Gifted people, great programs. 671 00:34:48,780 –> 00:34:50,260 Relentless activity. 672 00:34:53,540 –> 00:34:55,399 Father, we know that what you’re looking for 673 00:34:55,399 –> 00:34:58,879 and our own deepest desire is that there should be 674 00:34:58,879 –> 00:35:01,959 genuine seeking after and finding you. 675 00:35:04,899 –> 00:35:07,120 That we should be a place, a community, 676 00:35:09,340 –> 00:35:13,300 where that is the very substance of our life. 677 00:35:16,919 –> 00:35:18,139 And we know that that fruit 678 00:35:18,139 –> 00:35:21,320 can only be produced by your Holy Spirit. 679 00:35:23,879 –> 00:35:26,780 And so we humble ourselves today 680 00:35:26,780 –> 00:35:29,820 and right now we are seeking you. 681 00:35:34,979 –> 00:35:37,379 Father, increase our faith. 682 00:35:39,939 –> 00:35:42,820 Deliver us from viewing ministry and life 683 00:35:42,820 –> 00:35:44,679 in a merely human way. 684 00:35:48,939 –> 00:35:51,219 Then Father, deepen our forgiveness. 685 00:35:51,219 –> 00:35:54,080 All of us have stories of how we’re hurt and wounded 686 00:35:54,080 –> 00:35:56,500 and people who we’ve found incredibly difficult. 687 00:35:59,459 –> 00:36:01,760 We really want to grow in forgiveness. 688 00:36:04,379 –> 00:36:06,860 We ask that you will bless those who have hurt us 689 00:36:09,719 –> 00:36:12,179 and we ask that you will set our own hearts free. 690 00:36:16,840 –> 00:36:18,820 We ask that it could truly be said of us 691 00:36:18,820 –> 00:36:20,500 in the years that lie ahead 692 00:36:22,219 –> 00:36:24,439 that this is a house of prayer, 693 00:36:26,879 –> 00:36:29,300 that this is a place where folks from every background 694 00:36:29,300 –> 00:36:31,139 are seeking and finding you, 695 00:36:33,199 –> 00:36:36,860 that this is a place where we know 696 00:36:36,860 –> 00:36:38,760 the life isn’t in the leaves 697 00:36:43,219 –> 00:36:45,780 and where we seek after and find 698 00:36:45,780 –> 00:36:48,699 and know and rejoice in the work of your Spirit 699 00:36:49,600 –> 00:36:52,000 in us, through us, among us 700 00:36:53,040 –> 00:36:55,540 and for Your own praise and glory. 701 00:36:58,179 –> 00:37:03,179 Hear our prayers and apply Your Word to our hearts. 702 00:37:06,520 –> 00:37:08,719 And thank you that the same God 703 00:37:10,419 –> 00:37:12,500 who can wither a tree in a day 704 00:37:14,780 –> 00:37:18,120 can give life to a dead tree in a day also. 705 00:37:19,600 –> 00:37:24,600 To Your name be all the praise and all the glory 706 00:37:25,399 –> 00:37:29,100 through Jesus Christ our Lord. 707 00:37:29,100 –> 00:37:30,500 Amen.