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• The importance of keeping one's heart, focus, and motives aligned with God. |
[0.00 --> 12.74] Good morning. |
[14.74 --> 20.80] It's good to be with you this morning and open God's Word with you and do some thinking |
[20.80 --> 24.62] together and we pray that the Lord bless our time together. |
[24.62 --> 32.00] As has been mentioned, we're in the start of a new series for the summer called Hard |
[32.00 --> 33.26] Sayings of Jesus. |
[34.66 --> 42.50] In the Gospels, we see a variety of reactions from people to things Jesus said. |
[43.66 --> 50.20] The writers of the Gospel describe people as amazed, astonished, just amazed that Jesus |
[50.20 --> 53.86] said what he did and how wonderful it was to hear those things. |
[53.86 --> 58.30] But there's sometimes other reactions and we're going to talk a little bit about those. |
[58.76 --> 62.16] And then the crowds and the disciples reacted in a different way. |
[63.02 --> 66.06] I'm going to read a little bit out of John 6 here. |
[67.04 --> 73.06] But Jesus had just said something about him being the, eat my body, drink my blood, you |
[73.06 --> 76.78] know, that he's the bread of life and the crowds are not liking it. |
[77.16 --> 81.50] And so look at it with me and look at the reaction here where we read in John 6. |
[81.50 --> 87.40] On hearing it, many of his disciples, his followers said, this is a hard teaching. |
[87.84 --> 89.22] Who can accept it? |
[90.52 --> 92.60] So at this point, they're not amazed, they're struggling. |
[93.48 --> 94.76] And then I jump ahead a bit. |
[94.86 --> 98.56] From this time, many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. |
[99.92 --> 101.84] You do not want to leave too, do you? |
[102.06 --> 103.60] Jesus asked the twelve. |
[103.60 --> 107.24] And Simon Peter answered, Lord, to whom shall we go? |
[107.58 --> 109.22] You have the words of eternal life. |
[109.58 --> 113.34] We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God. |
[115.12 --> 117.36] I feel kind of like Peter there, right? |
[117.56 --> 121.88] Sometimes we follow even if we don't completely comprehend and understand. |
[122.80 --> 126.08] But yeah, Jesus said some hard things. |
[126.08 --> 131.04] That were hard to live out, sometimes hard to understand. |
[132.26 --> 135.56] He said things like, it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for |
[135.56 --> 136.82] a rich man to enter God's kingdom. |
[136.98 --> 139.12] And some people might have thrown up their arms and said, what? |
[139.24 --> 140.32] What's he talking about here? |
[140.76 --> 143.44] And some people, as it said here, even quit following him. |
[144.62 --> 147.06] Like the twelve, though, they said, we're going to follow. |
[147.20 --> 151.74] But that didn't mean they always understood what Jesus was exactly saying. |
[151.74 --> 153.28] And maybe you can relate. |
[154.50 --> 159.84] You know, I don't always get what Jesus said, but I trust him anyways, and then I struggle |
[159.84 --> 160.58] to understand. |
[160.78 --> 161.88] And that's what we're going to do together. |
[162.18 --> 165.94] We're going to look at some of these hard things Jesus said, and we're going to unpack |
[165.94 --> 167.22] them a bit with you this summer. |
[167.90 --> 172.92] And I'm kicking off the series with something out of Mark 11. |
[173.14 --> 178.40] I'm going to read a bigger chunk of the passage, but it has to do with the moving of mountains. |
[178.40 --> 182.24] We're going to get to that in a moment, but let's read Mark 11, starting at verse 12. |
[182.78 --> 185.24] You can open up your own Bibles or read it up on the screen. |
[187.16 --> 190.42] The next day, as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. |
[191.22 --> 195.88] Seeing in the distance a fig tree and leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. |
[196.20 --> 200.06] When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. |
[200.40 --> 204.00] And then he said to the tree, may no one ever eat fruit from you again. |
[204.00 --> 207.36] The disciples heard him say it. |
[208.22 --> 212.46] On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were |
[212.46 --> 213.62] buying and selling there. |
[213.94 --> 218.92] He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and |
[218.92 --> 222.52] would not allow anyone to carry merchandise throughout the temple courts. |
[222.98 --> 227.52] As he taught them, he said, is it not written, my house will be called a house of prayer for |
[227.52 --> 230.04] all nations, but you've made it a den of robbers. |
[230.04 --> 235.02] The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way |
[235.02 --> 236.86] to kill him, for they feared him. |
[237.42 --> 241.74] Because the whole crowd, here's a reaction again, the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. |
[242.92 --> 245.60] When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. |
[246.30 --> 249.56] In the morning, as they went along, they saw that fig tree withered from the roots. |
[250.06 --> 253.82] Peter remembered and said to Jesus, Rabbi, look, the fig tree you cursed has withered. |
[255.16 --> 257.12] Have faith in God, Jesus answered. |
[257.66 --> 259.74] And then here's the passage we're going to look at this morning. |
[260.48 --> 266.16] Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, go throw yourself into the sea, and does not |
[266.16 --> 270.58] doubt in their hearts, but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. |
[271.06 --> 275.58] Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received and |
[275.58 --> 276.38] it will be yours. |
[277.02 --> 282.02] And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father |
[282.02 --> 284.10] in heaven may forgive your sins. |
[284.10 --> 293.70] In our passage, we see Jesus cursing an unfruitful fig tree, and then later it withers, much to |
[293.70 --> 294.70] the disciples' amazement. |
[295.14 --> 300.14] He also calls people out for the misuse of the temple, turning it into a business place, |
[300.22 --> 300.98] a den of thieves. |
[301.48 --> 305.46] And Jesus says to the twelve then, when they kind of question him a little bit, like, wow, |
[305.46 --> 307.16] look what you did there to that fig tree. |
[307.56 --> 309.50] This is, have faith in God. |
[311.34 --> 317.34] Trusting God then is the responsibility of all who follow, because sometimes it's hard. |
[318.66 --> 324.34] Last week, Pastor Jonathan preached on the fruit of the Spirit, and he recited a verse, |
[324.42 --> 330.46] John 15, 5, where it says, you are the branches, Jesus says, I am the vine, apart from me you can |
[330.46 --> 335.38] do nothing, right, and I love that verse here, but basically, when we trust, somehow there's |
[335.38 --> 340.12] fruit, and God brings fruit through, through the work that we might do. |
[340.88 --> 345.96] But if not fruit, and if we don't trust, then we wither and die, kind of like the fig tree, |
[346.58 --> 348.58] and we bear no fruit. |
[350.22 --> 356.46] And then the passage that I read today, this morning, earlier, where it says, truly I tell |
[356.46 --> 357.62] you, anyone says it's a mountain. |
[357.62 --> 361.58] Come to this mountain, go throw yourself in the sea, and does not doubt in their heart, |
[361.64 --> 363.88] but believes that it'll happen, it'll be done for them. |
[364.78 --> 368.34] Therefore, I tell you, whenever you ask in prayer, believe that you received it, and it |
[368.34 --> 369.28] will be yours. |
[369.54 --> 370.94] And that's what I want to talk about now. |
[372.18 --> 375.18] Jesus is saying, with genuine faith, you can move some mountains. |
[376.50 --> 382.96] Life is found through faith, death through unfaithfulness, and the fig tree is an illustration. |
[383.52 --> 384.72] Have faith. |
[384.72 --> 384.76] Faith. |
[385.82 --> 389.40] So whatever you ask in faith, moving mountains, you will have. |
[389.46 --> 390.32] So let's talk about that. |
[391.88 --> 395.58] Jesus and his disciples are near the Mount of Olives, and from that viewpoint, they see |
[395.58 --> 398.82] a mountain, and on it, that mountain is the Herodian Fortress. |
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