Last week I felt like I want to spend time in the presence of God. This week I feel inspired to pray more and pray with faith. Hope you enjoy the notes this week!
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Fig Tree Part 2 (Pastor Tan Seow How)
This week let's talk about prayer.
There is a famous verse...
Mark 11:22-24
22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
But before we unpack this, we need to understand the context of the passage.
(Not understanding the context can cause truth to become error)
What is the context?
Mark 11:20
There is another fig tree mentioned here that dried up and withered away
Why did the fig tree wither away?
Mark 11:12-14
Jesus saw a fig tree with leaves and went to it expecting to see fruit on it, but there wasn’t any. In response, Jesus said "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again"
Jesus wasn't cursing the fig tree out of frustration.
Everything Jesus does, He does out of reason.
He wanted to teach the disciples and us something.
Fig Trees...
Normal trees have leaves, then flowers, then fruit. That is the sequence.
The fig tree is very unique. It doesn’t follow the sequence. It bears fruit before it has leaves or flowers. “Fig tree” in Chinese literally means “no flower fruit"
When Jesus saw leaves, it meant that there definitely should be fruit.
Jesus found that the fig tree was full of leaves, but there was no fruit.
A tree with no fruit is of no value.
Fig tree symbolizes prayer.
Fig tree without fruit symbolizes prayer without power, mechanical / religious prayer, empty prayer or no prayer.
Fig tree speaks of worship.
Fig tree without fruit symbolizes worship without spirit, singing without sincerity, music without worship.
Fig tree represents Bible reading
Fig tree without fruit is Bible reading but just intellectually but with no revelation, hunger or searching for truth.
A fig tree without fruit is a church without Christ. It is religion without God.
It is what the Bible calls “a form of godliness without power”
The chief danger that confronts
the coming century will be…
Religion without the Holy Spirit,
Christianity without Christ,
forgiveness without repentance,
salvation without regeneration,
politics without God,
heaven without hell.
- William Booth (1829-1912)
If you read on, you will realise that Jesus brought His disciples on a learning journey.
First He showed them the fig tree to talk about personal prayer.
Afterwards, He brought them to the temple to talk about prayer in the church.
Mark 11:15-17
Jesus brought His disciples into the temple and overturned the tables of the money changers. Jesus then said, "it is not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer"
A church is not an organisation but an organism.
The church is alive with the Power and the Spirit of God.
This is what makes us different!
The church was designed to run on the prayers of the saints.
We can have strategy and visions and programs and creativity, there is nothing wrong with that BUT the prayers of the saints fuel the church.
Example:
Different cars run on different power sources.
You cannot take a car that is designed to run on petrol and put in diesel.
You need to run it by the original intent of the manufacturer.
Exodus 33:15
Moses was about enter the promised land but he said "if Your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from there."
Without the presence of God, what's the use of the rest of the things?
What's the use of nice lights when there is no Light of Christ?
What's the point of state-of-the-art sound equipment if we cannot hear the voice of God?
Matthew 21:12-14
(Same account but different perspectives of the same scenario)
vs. 14 "then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and he healed them"
When the church turned back to prayer then the power of God came and the sick were healed. Before the sick can be healed, we need to pray as a church.
Last week, Pastor Lia shared...
Personally
You become a carrier of God's presence
Together
We become carriers of God's revival
Individually, will you pray?
As a church, will you pray?
Jesus showed the disciples that they ought to be fig tree with fruit.
Then He showed them that the temple, the church, must be a house of prayer.
With this background and context, we come to the famous verse.
Matthew 21:21-22
21 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. 22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
Things to note:
- It is a prayer of faith. It is not religious, ritualistic, empty prayer.
You are not begging God.
Prayer is not changing the mind of God. It is changing your mind to align with God.
Prayer is having faith in the goodness and greatness of God.
The goodness of God is that He will. The greatness of God is that He can.
- Jesus says speak to the mountain.
Mountains are obstacles and opposition, problems.
Speak to the mountain, not about the mountain.
Speak to the problem, not about the problem.
Don't tell God how big the problem is. Tell the problem how big God is.
- SAY to the mountain.
Prayer must be said. There is power in confession.
A lot of people pray in their minds or their hearts, but Jesus says when we pray, we need to SAY our prayers.
- We need to ASK. (Vs 22)
God knows our needs but we still need to ask.
Asking is a sign of humility and seriousness.
- "What we ask in prayer…" We need to PRAY.
There is a time to be God-conscious on the train or before we sleep. But there is a time when we need to come under the fig tree to pray.
- IF is the operative word
If you say to this mountain. If you ask. If you have faith.
We have to choose to say, ask and have faith.
Most Christians tend to thing that the love of God is conditional and the promises of God are unconditional. That is wrong. The love of God is unconditional, but the promises of God are conditional.
- If we do all these things… THEN...
If you want your prayers to be answered, ask in faith, speak TO the mountain, Ask. Pray.
