Tuesday, August 26,
2014, 6:31 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put in mind this song:
Great is The Lord
/ Ward, Asaph Alexander
Great is the Lord, He
is holy and just
By His power we trust
in his love
Great is the Lord, He
is faithful and true
By his mercy he proves
He is love
Great is the Lord and
worthy of glory
Great is the Lord and worthy
of praise
Great is the Lord, now
lift up your voice…
Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Mark 11:12-26 (NIV).
The
next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance
a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached
it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then
he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his
disciples heard him say it.
On
reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those
who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money
changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to
carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said,
“Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all
nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
The
chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a
way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his
teaching.
When
evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.
In
the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.
Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has
withered!”
“Have
faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this
mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart
but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have
received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold
anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may
forgive you your sins.”
He is Hungry
The fig tree was a symbol of the nation of Israel, which were
God’s people at that time. Today it would be a symbol of the church, the Body
of Christ – God’s chosen people today.
I asked the Lord Jesus this morning for something fresh, and
what immediately stood out to me was that Jesus was hungry. Now, I know this
meant he was literally hungry, but going along with the symbolism of the story,
I decided to look at the meaning of the word hungry. Besides meaning physical
hunger, i.e. the craving for food, it can also mean “eager or desirous,” i.e.
hopeful or wanting. I do believe this fits with the story and with the
illustration. Jesus was and is definitely desirous and wanting his people to be
fruit-bearing followers of Christ. Although he knows and sees everything,
still, in a sense, he is presently looking (watchful; observing) to see if we
are bearing spiritual fruit for his kingdom.
From a distance, the tree had all the appearance of bearing
fruit, but upon close examination, he saw that no fruit existed. Although it
was not yet the season for figs, the tree did have leaves, so it was giving off
the appearance of also having fruit. It was “all talk,” but “no walk.”
In other words, this is illustrating the nation of Israel of
that time, and the church of today, which gives off the appearance of bearing
fruit in keeping with repentance, and for God’s kingdom work, but up close we
realize that it is just a façade. And, that is where much of today’s church
stands. The church looks good on the outside, and they go through their forms
of worship, and some even preach some form of the gospel, but the Spirit of God
is not among them, because they follow the teachings of humans instead of
Christ.
Just as Jesus cursed that fig tree, symbolic of God’s
judgment upon the nation of Israel, Jesus will also judge his adulterous and
idolatrous church of today which has all the appearance of righteousness, but denies
the power of the Spirit of God in what they do.
A House of Prayer?
Next, Jesus went into the temple courts. There he began to
drive out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned their tables,
and he would not allow the transporting of merchandise through the temple
courts. The temple was to be a house of prayer for all nations, but they had
made it into a den of robbers.
I remember when I was growing up in the church I attended in
my early years, that there was a prohibition against the buying and selling of
merchandise within the sanctuary and/or specifically on Sundays. This is how
they had interpreted this passage of scripture. Yet, I believe they missed the
point. This was to be a place of prayer for people of all nations (the temple
courts) and yet they had turned it into a circus and a place to engage in all
kinds of dishonest business practices, thus they were cheating and were taking
advantage of the people who had come there for prayer and for worship of God.
May that never be!
And, today this continues, only I believe it is much worse,
because the “robbers” are the church leaders, and this cheating and stealing
from the people is taking place during times that are set aside for the worship
of God, the study of his word, and for prayer. Truly much of the institutional
church of today has turned the meetings of the church into a place of business,
where they engage in lying, manipulation, cheating and taking advantage of
people, stealing from people the truths of God’s word, and deceiving them into
believing that their man-made lies are the truth. They follow books written by
humans who teach them how to market their churches just like big business,
which means they step over, abuse, discard, and/or take advantage of whomever
they wish in order to meet their business goals and objectives.
Need of Revival
Many church leaders today are not unlike those of Jesus’
day. Many of them are so caught up in man-made religion that they deny and
suppress the teachings of Christ and that of the apostles in order to make
their followers feel more comfortable, and so they do not offend them with the
truth of the gospel, because they want them to come back. They are even taught
in their training to avoid, get rid of, filter out, and discourage participation
of those who have strong convictions, or who might challenge their man-made
teachings based upon the Word of Truth. We serve as a threat to them and their
earthly kingdoms, much like Jesus posed a threat to the kingdoms built by the
Pharisees and teachers of the law.
After Jesus cursed the fig tree, it withered. To wither
means to decline or to dry up. I believe God has already cursed (declared
judgment) on the institutional church of today, particularly here in the west,
because they are not bearing fruit for his kingdom, although they give off all
the appearance of doing so. In reality, their religion is more man-based than
it is based off the word of God. Often when the Word is taught, it is twisted
and manipulated to serve the purposes and objectives of the “business” goals of
those particular church congregations. Books written by humans are replacing
the Word of God in Sunday school classes, in Bible studies and in small groups.
Much music lyrics, which tickle itching ears, have replaced the timeless truths
of old found in many of the old hymns.
And, I do see that the church here in America is on a
serious spiritual decline more like a free-fall, and that it is only a matter
of time before God sends his judgment upon her, but not to destroy her, but to
revive her, restore her, and to make her fruit bearing after all.
Believe in Prayer
When
the disciples pointed out to Jesus that the fig tree he had cursed had
withered, he told his disciples to have faith in God. He also told them that if
they said to “this mountain, ‘Go throw yourself into the sea,’” in faith,
believing and not doubting, that it would be done for them.
I
believe what the Lord Jesus is showing me here is that he is telling his
disciples, not only that they can do great miracles in the physical realm, but
of greater importance is that they can see great miracles of God in people’s
lives in the spiritual realm if they just believe God and do not doubt. Amen! I
am believing God for the revival of his church.
We
can, in faith, proclaim the whole gospel of Jesus Christ, which tells people
that they are sinners in need of a Savior, and that they have to acknowledge
that fact to God. We should teach them: We have to repent of (turn from) our
sin, and we must die to our old lives (throw ourselves into the sea). A day of
judgment (symbolized by the cursing of the fig tree) is coming. Jesus provided
the way for us to be free of our sin - the penalty of sin (eternal separation
from God in hell) and the bondage to and control of sin over our daily lives. True
faith and belief in what Jesus did for us in dying on the cross for our sins
means that we also must die with Christ to the sins which once enslaved us, so
that we can live with Christ in the power of the Spirit in walking daily in his
righteousness and holiness.
The
“mountain” that must be thrown into the sea, thus, represents all obstacles, present
in our lives, to our faith and commitment to Jesus Christ, including the obstacle
of having the appearance of righteousness but denying its power in our lives
(not bearing fruit).
Refresh My
Spirit, Lord /
An Original Work / August 8, 2011
Based off of
Psalm 51 & Matthew 11:28-30
Refresh my
spirit, Lord. Revive my heart today.
Move me to
serve You, Lord in all I do and say.
Be my heart’s
one desire; my spirit set on fire
In pure devotion,
Lord, to love you and obey.
Create within
me, Lord, a pure heart, this I pray,
So I can
worship You and yield to You always.
May all Your
love and pow’r be lived in me, I pray,
So I might love
as You; be Your witness today.
Jesus says,
“Come to me all you with heavy hearts,
And find in me
your peace, and give to me your all.
My yoke is
light to bear, ‘cause I paid for your sin,
So you might be
set free, and purified within.”
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