Mark 11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

We have restarted Sunday School classes for the children in our Church, and so far things are going well. The Coronavirus has really hit our Church attendance, though things are still going well. Our Sunday School is down to just a few people. Fear has gripped so many. I came across this little story, and thought I’d share it with you.

Illustrate A little boy had just begun to attend Sunday School. His teacher gave him a colorful bookmark for his Bible. On the bookmark were the words, “Have Faith In God”. As he and his parents headed home on a nice Fall day, they had rolled the windows down in the car, enjoying the crisp air. The child was admiring his bookmark when, suddenly, it slipped from his hands! Out the car window it went! The child cried out, “Stop Daddy! I’ve lost my Faith in God!”. The child’s father pulled off the road, stepped out of the car, and in a few moments returned the bookmark to the child’s hands. Neither parent scolded the child, but mother saw it as a lesson. She said, “I believe we would all be happier, and live more blessed lives, if we were careful not to lose out faith in God”.

As a nation it seems that we have lost our faith in God.
Many local Churches seem to have lost their faith in God.
Many believers are driven by fear rather than faith.Beloved, our God is still the God Who moves mountains.
Our God is the God Who still is in control of all things!
Our God wants us to have the faith to move a mountain.
To have faith in Him, for His glory, and His Kingdom.

The Backstory: The King Came To Jerusalem

The context of a Bible verse drives what you should think of the Bible verse. In our text today Jesus told His disciples:

Mark 11:22 … Have faith in God.

What happened prior to this statement? Let’s look at our context. Just two days before this moment, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords – our Jesus Christ – rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Watch the faith of our Master in His words:

Mark 11:2-3 Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. 3 And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.

“The LORD hath need of this donkey”. The LORD had need of the donkey, not just to enter Jerusalem this last time, but because Bible Prophecy demanded that the Messiah do so.

Faith in God ALWAYS partners with
the Word of God, the Scripture!

The Prophet declared in Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

The KING OF KINGS, the One Who is just (righteous, without sin) and has salvation (Jesus alone saves), He will enter Jerusalem this last time. He will rise on a donkey. Not on a white horse – though He will do this at the end of time – but now on a donkey. He comes bringing peace and salvation to His people. As Jesus entered the Holy City the Bible says:

Mark 11:8-11 … many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: 10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. 11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

Jesus was celebrated by the people. They thought that He was coming to overthrow Rome. Jesus will one day overthrow Rome, and all cities, when He comes into His Millennial Kingdom. But at this time He is coming to overthrow sin, death, and the devil.

Word Focus The King enters His city, enters His Temple, and oversees everything. Notice the text says “when he had looked round about upon all things”. Jesus does nothing yet. He just looks. Jesus goes to Bethany with the twelve to rest overnight. The next day we read:

Mark 11:12-14 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, {Jesus} was hungry: 13 and seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

Word Focus As Jesus and His disciples come back to Jerusalem, He spots a fig tree “afar off having leaves”. As there are many leaves, the tree should have the “knobs” that come on a fig tree prior to fruiting (see F.F. Bruce, Answers To Questions, page 56). I actually believe that Jesus knew there were no figs nor knobs on this fig tree.

The Fig Tree Represents Religion Without Fruit
The Fig Tree Represents Religion Without Faith
The Fig Tree Represents The Current Temple & Judaism

The day before Jesus went into Jerusalem and looked around the Temple, but did nothing else. Jesus saw something at the Temple that He is going to address shortly. I’ll talk about this in just a moment – but first let’s talk about the Fig Tree.

When God the Son found no figs on the Fig Tree, He cursed it. “No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever”.

Though the disciples hear Jesus, they think little of this. After all, it was not the time for fig trees to produce fruit. What did Jesus expect, anyway? But Jesus is speaking with a duel meaning. The day before the Lord came to the Temple, but found no worship there, no evidence of faith. He is back today, and now our God will address what He sees in the Temple.

Mark 11:15-19 they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves; 16 and would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. 17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. 18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine. 19 And when even was come, he went out of the city.

Within the Court of the Gentiles, merchants have set up, and are selling lambs, bulls, doves, and other clean animals to be sacrificed for the Passover. Jesus came to the Temple to hear and share the Word of God with others. The focus of God’s Temple, and His Church today, is not to make money off of those who gather with us.

If God Came To Our Church,
Would He Find Faith And Fruit?

Our purpose is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to exalt the Lord our God. Our purpose is to pray, and seek God’s guidance, to be the light of the world. Today in many Churches, the purpose of God’s Kingdom has been removed. Churches have become political parties, or havens of social justice warriors, or rest stops for those who despise God Almighty but love sin. Oh Beloved, do you not know that:

The purpose of God’s people gathering is to honor the Lord Who made us.
The purpose of the Church is to expand the Kingdom of God on the earth.
The purpose of the Church is to share the Gospel of Grace.
The purpose of the Church is to increase God’s footprint in the nation.
Let us be the “light of the world, a city set on an hill cannot be hid.”
Let us be God oriented, and Christ honoring.

Judaism was not doing this. This is the second time that Jesus ran the money changers out of the Temple. The Temple, like many Churches today, has become SECULARIZED.

Mark 11:16 {Jesus} would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.

The people were to come together to serve God with empty hands and open hearts. I suspect if Jesus were to return today, He’d take away our cell phones while we worship.

Mark 11:17 {Jesus} taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

When we come together to worship God, we are to worship God. Yet Judaism in Israel robbed God of His due worship. The people were focused on anything but God. It was a den of thieves! Jesus leaves the Temple, and leaves Jerusalem. It is the next day that we read:

Mark 11:20-22 … in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. 22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

Faith In God Only Comes When We Are
Rooted In God’s Word!

The Fig Tree is a picture of a people who have ceased to have faith in God. Fruitless, the tree is withered from the roots up. If our roots are not in God’s Word, we will wither and die. If our roots are not in glorifying Christ, our roots will wither and die. Did not Jesus say?…

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

When our roots are in this world, we will wither and die. But when our roots are in Christ, we cannot be defeated.

Jesus Christ shed His Blood on Calvary to advance the Kingdom of God. He shed His Blood so that – through faith in Him – the Kingdom of God can grow stronger and more numerous on this earth. Israel and her spiritual leaders missed this point. The Church in America is just as guilty of this today. Let us repent and return to the Christ of our salvation. God expects His people to live for Him, to rejoice in Him, to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others that more will enter the Kingdom of God.

Peter points out that Jesus cursed this tree just the day before. Jesus says:

Have Faith In God!

What is faith in God? I have heard it said that FAITH stands for:

Forsaking
All
I
Trust
Him

What Jesus says next has been debated by Biblical scholars for years. Frankly, it is very clear to me what Jesus is saying. Read with me:

Mark 11:22-23 … Have faith in God. 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Where are your roots at? The roots of your life? Is it in God, and trusting in God’s promises. Or is it in YOURSELF? The stepbrother of our Lord writes:

James 4:1-4 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Faith in God is to fully rely on God daily. If you have a need, have you asked God for it? Does what you perceive to be a need promote God’s Kingdom, or your agenda? If you are a Christian, God saved you and left you on this earth to advance His Kingdom. This is what pleases God.

Do We Speak To The Mountain In Faith?

Jesus said:

Mark 11:22-23 … Have faith in God. 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart

Are you speaking to the mountain,
or is the mountain speaking to you?

During this time of pandemic, people are tuning into news shows, and fear keeps mounting over the Coronavirus. People are being driven by FEAR and UNCERTAINTY. Jesus said that when a mountain is in your way, preventing you from doing that which will bless the Master, you need only speak to the mountain and God will move it. Speak to the Mountain – do not let it speak to you.

“In the name of Jesus, mountain, and for God’s glory, you will MOVE! My God is GREATER than you are. MOVE, and hit the beach!”

Our God is a Mountain Moving God. He will do whatever is necessary to advance His Kingdom, to support you as you work for Him. Let’s find some examples of what Jesus said in the Scripture.

Illustrate Do you remember the little Shepherd boy named David. He came to the Army of Israel to bring his brothers lunch one day when he heard Goliath cursing Israel. Hear Goliath:

1 Samuel 17:8-11 Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. 9 If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. 10 And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. 11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

Israel was LISTENING TO THE MOUNTAIN
instead of speaking to it.

What did David do? David spoke to the mountain (Mark 11:23). He told Goliath:

1 Samuel 17:45-47 Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46 This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.

David spoke to that mountain named Goliath. By the end of the day, the mountain was cast into the land of forgetfulness (Psalm 88:11).

Illustrate What about the Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego? The mountain said:

Daniel 3:14 … O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?

What did the Hebrew children do? We are told in

Daniel 3:16-18 … O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Cast into the fiery furnace, the Hebrew children held hands with the Son of God (Daniel 3:25). As Pastor Mark Batterson said:

“… you must quit talking to God about the mountain in your life and start talking to the mountain about your God. You proclaim His power. You declare His sovereignty. You affirm His faithfulness. You stand on His Word. You cling to His promises.”

Beloved, do not listen to the mountain. I say again, DO NOT LISTEN TO THE MOUNTAIN. Listen to God, and speak to the mountain. If you are purchased with the Blood of Christ, then …

2 Timothy 1:7 God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Quit letting the darkness get the best of you. Israel listened to the mountain and, fearing to enter the Promised Land, lost the Promised Land. Turn off the television, the mobile phone, the computers and pads. HEAR GOD.

Romans 12:2 …. be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

The mountains of life will come to you, but rest in the power of God. Do not let the mountains make you feel small.

Illustrate When Elijah spoke to the mountain of false religion, he stood on Mount Carmel, a commanded fire from Heaven. That day 450 false prophets of Baal and 400 false prophets of the groves (1 Kings 18:19) were killed, and God was glorified. But when Elijah listened to the mountain called Jezebel he ran scared. Oh Beloved, do not listen to the mountain. Listen to God, and speak to the mountain.

God told a frightened Moses:

Exodus 3:12 Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

Serve God upon the mountain. Speak to the mountain. Tell that mountain how great your God is. Tell that mountain that God is faithful, and indefatigable. You are His child, His beloved. He sacrificed Jesus Christ for you.

You are meant to be overcomers, victors and not victims.

1 John 5:4-5 … For {whosoever} is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

Let Us Unify As God’s People,
Speaking To The Mountain For His Glory

Mark 11:24-26 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

When God’s people come together to honor the Lord, God can use us to move mountains. But we must be TOGETHER. We must forgive and love one another, just as Jesus forgave and loves us. I have pastored Churches where God’s people carried grudges with one another. You cannot move the mountain while you carry the weight of unforgiveness in your hearts. Remember our Master, Who, suffering shame and sin for us, nevertheless prayed:

Luke 23:34 … Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do

Let us unite with God, and with one another. United, we stand. Divided, we fall. Let’s stand together in the power of Christ, speaking to the mountains of life about our God. God is able to move the mountain. Let us trust Him, in Christ’s name I pray. May God touch your hearts with his Word. Amen and Amen!