Now you have your Bible there
with you, I trust. Let's find Mark chapter 11 one
more time. Mark chapter 11. The title of the message this
morning is taken from verse 17. And I've entitled this message,
from these words found in verse 17 my house shall be called my
house shall be called the house of prayer my house shall be called
the house of prayer now when the Lord of glory the Lord Jesus
Christ comes to Jerusalem as the King
as the mighty King as God our King and as the High Priest of
God representing us He comes to Jerusalem to purge our sin
with His own blood He comes there to observe the Passover but not
only that but to be our Passover to lay down His life for our
sins and He comes to Jerusalem with the zeal of God upon his
heart. As we read earlier in John chapter
2, the zeal of the Lord had eaten him up. He was eaten up with
God's zeal, God's glory, and doing God's will. And as he comes
to Jerusalem to accomplish our salvation, one of the first things
he does, he goes to his father's house. The temple that was designed
by God and designated by God for a place of sacrifice, a place
of worship in that whole temple service and all the sacrifices
is all typical of Christ and Him crucified. But as He comes
to the temple, He finds no worship. He finds no honor to God in the
temple. He finds these hucksters, these
money changers. He calls them thieves and he
is overwhelmed by their greed and by their covetousness and
by their idolatry as they go about to make money in religion. That's what they were doing.
He does not go, the Lord Jesus, to the palace of Herod or to
the mansion of Pilate or even to the remnants of David's house
to reclaim the kingdom or to restore the Jewish nation back
to its former glory. He has more important things
to do. No, not at all. He comes into
his temple, his Father's temple, into the house of God to worship
and to purge out and throw out the thieves This place that was
designated for worship and honor of God, these people had made
such a lowly place of it. As it says in John chapter 2,
as our Lord declared unto them, make not my father's house a
house of merchandise. Now this is not the first time,
as we read earlier, that the Lord comes into his temple, always
doing the Father's will. In the beginning of his ministry,
he comes and he finds these Uxters in here, and now three years
later, he comes back, and they're right back at doing the same
thing, and he goes about to cleanse his Father's house. Now, we have
given unto us some very vital and important and needed spiritual
lesson for us to consider this morning, certainly relative to
our day but we find much of what was going on in that day in religion
going on in our day in what they call church services and unfortunately
some of you may know and some of you may understand that there
is not much real worship going on in what we call the churches
that are established in this country because there's not much
true preaching going on in what we call churches that are established
in this country and it's sad it's a sad day in which we live
but the Lord controls these things and is in charge of these things
and one day he will cast out all the hucksters all the money
changers, all the thieves, and those who would make merchandise
of men's souls by their trinkets and other things. Now three things
I want us to consider this morning found in these verses from verse
12 down to verse 21 the first thing we see we see his true
humanity Revealed unto us again. Did you notice in verse 12 where
it says he was hungry? He was hungry He's a real man
The Lord Jesus Christ his humanity revealed and he is just the Savior
that we need Secondly We see the spiritual lesson from the
fruitless fig tree. As the Lord goes to Jerusalem,
he sees this fig tree waving in the breeze with its leaves
put out. And as he approaches this tree
expecting to find some fruit, it was fruitless. Spiritual lesson
from the fruitless fig tree. And here's the subtitle to point
number two, how vain is fruitless religion. fruitless religion
and here's a third point the last point the important point
that I want to emphasize on this is the importance the importance
of true worship the importance of the house of prayer how vital
is true worship how vital is true worship I want to worship
God don't you I want to honor and reverence the true and living
God. I want to sit in awe of Him whose
name is holy and reverent and worship Him in the quietness
of my heart. God looks on the heart. It's
not all this whoopee and waving of the hand. Oh no. God looks
on the heart. Let us sit still. Remember what
the scripture said? Be still and know that I am God
and beside me there is no other God. True worship goes on in
here. In here, in the heart. In the
heart. Now here's the first thing. The
Lord Jesus Christ is just the Savior that you and I need. Just the Savior that you and
I most desperately need. For it says in verse 12, He was
hungry. He was hungry. The Lord Jesus
Christ is a real man. Just like you and I, apart from
sin. He had no sin in his holy nature. He is both a real man and yet
completely totally God in one blessed person. Identified with
our humanity. And yet, he knew no sin, he had
no sin, and he did no sin. He really and truly assumed our
human nature as the God-man mediator. He had to to put away our sin. He had to be the God-man to represent
us before God. He truly assumed our nature as
the God-man mediator, for the Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us, and we beheld His glory. And yet, as the mighty, eternal,
sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, He understands our frame. He knows that we are but dust.
He knows what we need. Truly God, truly man. where we read of him in Hebrews
chapter 4. Let's turn over there and read
this together. And we see something of this. The Lord understands
us, he knows our every need, for the Lord Jesus Christ as
he was manifest in this flesh, was tempted, tried, and tested
in all points, like as we are yet without sin. And this is
the high priest that we need. Hebrews chapter 4 verse 14, seeing
then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the
heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our profession. But we have not a high priest
which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmity,
but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin.
He's just the Savior we need. Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, find grace
to help in times of need. Now read on. For every high priest
taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining
to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sin. Now look at verse 2. Who can
have compassion. on the ignorant and on them that
are out of the way, for he himself was also compassed about with
infirmity." The Lord Jesus Christ truly identified with our humanity. He took upon himself the form
of a servant and was made in the likeness of flesh to accomplish
our salvation. The Pharisees mockingly said
of him, he is a friend of publicans and sinners. And truly he is,
and truly I am thankful. Now think a moment how truly
remarkable this is. The Lord Jesus Christ as the
God-Man Mediator. He could weep with his friends
as he stands at the grave of Lazarus and weeps. He could also
rejoice in his heart being the mighty God. He knew gladness
of heart yet he was a man of sorrow acquainted with grief.
He could be weary in body and need rest. You read in John chapter
4, when he came to that well, Jacob's well, he sits down on
the well, being weary in body, waiting for someone to bring
him a drink of water. God Almighty, weary in body? You see, he was a real man. He
could be hungry and need food, yet this one is the bread of
life. What a miracle. He's the Savior
that we need. He is the eternal Word of God,
who fed the multitudes, and here He sits, hungry. He who made
the world and the fullness thereof, He who feeds every bird and beast
of the field and fish of the sea, who sustains all things
by the Word of His power, sits here and walks here as the man
who is hungry. You know, He never performed
a miracle He did for others to relieve their hunger, their thirst,
but He never performed a miracle to relieve His own hunger, His
own suffering. He who provides for the birds,
the beasts of the field, the fish in the sea, who sustains
all things by the word of His power, who creates all things,
sustains all things, when He came to deliver us from our sin,
He was hungry and weary in body, tired and
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. No wonder Paul said
in Ephesians chapter 3 Oh how wonderful are the unsearchable
riches of the Lord Jesus Christ. He who was rich Written beyond
description, He impoverished Himself with our humanity and
with our sin that we might be made whole, complete, and blessed
with all spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. We read these words
in 1 Timothy 3.16. Without controversy, great is
the mystery of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh,
just the Savior we need. Manifesting the flesh, justified
or vindicated by God the Holy Spirit, seen of angels, preached
unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up
the glory. My friend, this is the Savior
that we need. The one sin of God. This is the
just Savior and God. This is the just Savior that
we need. The mighty God who is able to
save. The God-Man Mediator who is able
to bear our sin in His own body on the tree. For God cannot suffer
and die. And yet the God-Man Mediator
did in our room and in our stead. It says in 1 Peter 2 verse 24
that he bearing our sin in his own body on the tree God is spirit
but the God-man mediator he bears our sin in his own body on the
tree this is the Savior that we need The Lord Jesus Christ,
who is God Almighty. This is the Savior we need, who
redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for
us. For in His life, as the man,
Christ Jesus, He honored the law of God that we have violated,
that we have broken. And as the God-man mediator,
He dies under the penalty of that law, satisfying the penalty
of it. honored the precept, satisfied
the penalty of that law. He being made a curse for us,
delivered us from the curse of the law in bearing our sin. This is a Savior we need, is
it not? This is a Savior that we have.
Who has come to save us, to redeem us. Who willingly took our sin
upon Himself and died in our room and in our stead. The just
for the unjust that He might bring us unto God. Is this the
Savior that you trust? Is this the Savior that you have?
That is yes, fully and totally the real man. And yet totally
God. Able to save to the uttermost
all that come to God by Him. He was hungry. And He came to
satisfy God's law and justice for us. Oh what a Savior we have. What a God we have. The Savior that came to save
poor, guilty, ungodly, wretched, miserable sinners that we are.
He came to save sinners. He died for the ungodly. This
is a faithful saying, and this is worthy of all acceptation,
that the Lord Jesus Christ came to save sinners. Can you identify
with that? Sinners. Doesn't say old sinners,
young sinners. Doesn't say mean sinners, nice
sinners. It doesn't say repentant sinners
or unrepentant sinners. It says He came to save sinners. I can identify with that. For
that's who I am. And that's what I do. I'm a sinner. I'm thinking of that Psalm over
in Psalm 40. Where David says, I am poor and
needy, and yet the Lord thinketh upon me. This is just the Savior that
we need, and this is just the Savior that God has provided,
and this is just the Savior that can save us to the uttermost
from all our sin. Here's the second thing. The
spiritual lessons from the fruitless fig tree found in Mark 11, Verse
13 and following, And seeing a fig tree, the LORD being hungry,
on his way to work, he seeing the fig tree afar off, having
leaves, he came, if perhaps he might find anything thereon,
and he came to it, and found nothing, found nothing, nothing
but leaves. for the time of figs was not
yet. Now evidently this one particular
tree in this fig orchard stood out as something big and something
important. Where maybe the other fig trees
had not leafed completely out, this fig tree was standing in
the breeze with its leaves out and the Lord thinking, well,
maybe this tree has fruit. Now, as God, understand He knows
all things, but as the God-man mediator, and to help us understand
what's being taught here, He goes to this tree and finds that
it has no fruit. No fruit. And here's the lesson. How vain and useless is fruitless
religion. And that's what that tree represents.
Our Lord, as He walks along on His way to work, He seeks relief
from hunger. And He notices this fig tree,
as I said earlier, and it seems to say, if this fig tree holds
out its branches and its green leaves, and it says, Hey! Look at me! I'm somebody big. I'm somebody important. And when
the Lord walked up to the tree to pick some fruit, He found
nothing but leaves. The Lord pronounced a curse upon
it, and the next day the tree was dried up from its roots.
Notice in verse 20. And in the morning they passed
by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots, and Peter
calling to remembrance, saith unto him, Master, behold the
fig tree which thou cursed has withered in the way. You remember
back in verse 14, the Lord said to this tree, No man eat fruit
thereof of thee hereafter forever. And the disciples heard it. Now what's a lesson for us here?
I tell you, it's a Bible lesson. This fig tree represents two
things, I think, at least. I'm sure much more than that,
but two things at least. This fig tree represents, at
that time, the state of Jewish religion, at the time of our
Lord's ministry. They had been blessed in so many
ways with the Word of God, With the tabernacle, with the priesthood,
and all the prophets proclaiming salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. To Him give all the prophets
witness. They had so many things given to that nation. Children
of Abraham. They had Moses. They had the
prophets. And yet they missed salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord says of them, you are
they which search the scriptures, but they are they which testify
of me, and you will not come to me that you might have life. He came into his own nation,
his own people, and they received him not. They said away with
him. This same crowd at one time when
he came into town, they got a moment of excitement and they proclaimed
Hosanna. This is the same crowd that three
days later is saying crucify him. We have no king but Caesar. That's fruitless religion. And that's what's at picture.
They had all these things given to them and even they called
their attention to themselves, to their beautiful leaves, saying
that Abraham is our father. But they were dead, producing
no fruit unto salvation, full of religion, but destitute of
faith in Christ and repentance toward God, therefore justly
cursed of God. Cursed is a man that trusteth
in the flesh. Our Lord says of them in Matthew
23 of this religious nation, Behold your house is left unto
you desolate. Desolate. Well preachers, do
you think that Jewish nation will ever be restored again?
No, I don't. I sure don't. God may have some
elect among that Jewish nation that he is yet going to call
out with the gospel, but he's not going to restore the former
glory unto a people, a national, a natural people in this earth
again. That day's over. It's over. I want you to find Jude, Jude
1, Jude 1, right before the Revelation. And there's a description here
given fruitless religion in Jude chapter 1 beginning at verse
11. Woe unto them for they have gone
the way of Cain, ran greedily after the heir of Balaam for
a reward and perished in the gang saying of Korah these are
spots in your feast of love. And when they feast with you,
feeding themselves without fear, clouds they are without water,
carried about of wind, trees whose fruit is withered, without
fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots. Raging waves of the sea foaming
out their shame. Wondering stars to whom is reserved
the blackness of darkness forever. He's talking about false religion,
vain and fruitless religion. Twice dead and plucked up by
the roots. An interesting thing to think
about. Over in Genesis chapter 3, we
have the story of Adam and Eve, remember? how God placed them
in the garden, how they were tempted, and how they both sinned
against God, particularly Adam sinned against God. And when
they were both fallen and trying to hide their guilt and shame
and nakedness before God, do you remember what they did? They pulled, and isn't it interesting
what kind of tree they pulled leaves off of? To hide their
nakedness and sew an apron? Fig tree. And they could not
hide from God. And my friend, there are many
people in religion today are doing the exact same thing. They have a form of godliness,
but no power, no fruit, no life, no salvation, no Christ. They
have plenty of leaves. And they sew their leaves together,
try to hide their guilt before God. They're making this before
God, but it will not do. Here's a second picture, this
fig tree. What does it picture? I believe
it's a picture of that Jewish religion that had degraded to
nothing. And just nothing but idolatry.
But second thing, it's also a picture of those who make a half-hearted
profession of faith. Who give lip service to the gospel,
but yet who bear no real fruit. No real fruit of genuine repentance.
Acknowledging the only truth of salvation in Christ Jesus
alone. No acknowledging. No true repentance,
acknowledging and standing for salvation in Christ alone, grace
alone, saying with the apostles, neither is there salvation in
any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among
men whereby we must be saved. They bear no real fruit of the
faith of God's elect, standing for the gospel of sovereign mercy
in Christ Jesus, that God will save whom He will, when He will,
for His own glory. As He said, I will have mercy
on whom I will have mercy. So then it's not of him that
willeth nor of him that runneth, but it's God that shows mercy. You see, true saving faith acknowledges
the truth. True saving repentance acknowledges
it freely so and publicly so. That God is God and He will have
mercy on whom He will. These half-hearted professors
who have no fruit of the Spirit are described in Galatians and
other places as nothing but leaves before God. No fruit. No fruit
is vivid. Listen to scripture in Isaiah
64 verse 6. He said, We are all as an unclean
thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and we all
do fade as a leaf. And our iniquities, like the
wind, have taken us away. A tree with no fruit. And there's many people who make
a half-hearted profession of salvation in Christ who produce
no real genuine fruit of salvation in Christ Jesus. On the other
hand, I want you to find Psalm chapter 1. Believers in the Lord
Jesus Christ are compared to fruitful trees. Fruitful trees. Trees that bear fruit. The fruit
of the Spirit, love, joy, faith, repentance, these things. True
believers are compared to fruitful trees. Now I want to read these
scriptures to you. And you take your Bible and follow along and
mark these. In the book of Psalms, Psalm 1. Blessed is the man that
walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in
the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth
he meditate day and night. He shall be like a tree planted
by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither,
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not
so, but are like the chaff. which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners
in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way
of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Turn to Psalm 92. Psalm 92. And
notice verse 12. Psalm 92 verse 12. like a cedar in Lebanon. Those
that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in
the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth
fruit in old age. They shall be fat and flourishing
to show that the Lord is upright. He is my rock, and there is no
one in righteousness in Him." Now I want you to find Isaiah
61.3. Isaiah 61.3. to appoint unto them that morn
in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for
morning, the garment of praise for the Spirit of heaviness,
that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting
of the Lord, that he may be glorified." I want you to find Jeremiah,
this is the last reading, in this particular point, Jeremiah
17. I'm trying to make a contrast
here between the unbeliever and that true believer in Christ
Jesus. Jeremiah 17 verse 7, Blessed
is the man that trusteth in the Lord, whose hope is in the Lord,
he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, that spreadeth
out her roots by the river, and shall not see when the heat cometh,
but her leaves shall be green, and shall not be careful in the
year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit." Fruit
of God. Now make sure, my friend, that
Christ alone is all your confidence righteousness and salvation before
God here's the last thing how important is true worship, or
the importance of the house of prayer. How vital is true worship? Well, here's how vital it is.
In John chapter 4, our Lord says this, The hour coming, and now
is when true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit
and in truth. For the Father seeketh such to
worship Him. God is spirit, and they that
worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Now there is no spiritual worship
apart from the true gospel of God in Christ Jesus. How vital is it that the Father
seeketh such to worship Him in spirit and in truth. I'd say
it's pretty important. When we assemble together as
we are this morning, in the place we have designated and set aside
for public worship. Let us make sure we take our
worship service in a very serious way, in a very reverent manner. Let us prepare our hearts to
hear from His Word and from the Lord Himself. Prepare our hearts
before we come to the service. Prepare our hearts the day before,
the night before, and in the morning. Prepare our hearts,
Lord, that we might hear from Thee. Let us seek to honor Him. Let us seek to honor His Word
by receiving His Word as it is in truth the Word of God that
effectually works in you who believe. We receive His Word
not as the Word of man, but as the Word of God. Let us be ready
to hear from Him and seek His honor, believing His Word and
being obedient unto it. Let us not be just a hearer of
the Word, but a doer of the Word. Now think about this. The same
Lord who cast out the religious con men in that day, these thieves,
these hucksters, these money changers in that day, is the
same Lord who lives today who is jealous of His glory. He said,
I'm the Lord, I'm the same yesterday, today, and forever. I'm the Lord,
I change not. Let us make doubly sure that
we serve Him and seek to honor Him when we come together for
worship service. This is a very serious time,
a very solemn time. Let us make doubly sure that
when we endeavor to declare His gospel, when we meet together,
that we endeavor to declare His Word and His truth and His gospel. This is not a place to play games.
This is a place to worship God and to hear His Word. The charge
of Scripture is to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything we say and do when
we gather together in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to worship
our great God and Savior ought to reflect the reverence and
awe we have of Him. We are gathered in His name to
worship Him. Oh, how important this is. Holy
and reverent is His name. Remember, we are in His house. This is a building that was built
and set aside and dedicated unto worship and the preaching of
the gospel. Let us remember we're in His
house. Let us remember what we are doing
here and why we are here. We're here to hear from Him. Remember what Cornelius and his
house said unto Peter when Peter was come to worship? When Peter
was come to preach and they came to worship, he said, we're all
here to hear all things commanded of thee to say unto us. That's
why we're here. We're here to hear from Him. Let us remember where we are
in His house. Let us remember what we are doing. Worship. Let us remember whose
business we are about. his business and in whose presence
we meet he said were two or three are gathered in my name I'm in
your midst let us quietly reverently with all in our heart bow before
him and worship him I know this he is worthy of it Worthy is
the Lamb that was slain to receive all honor, glory, blessing, and
power both now and forever. I close by reading this scripture
from Ecclesiastes chapter 5. Keep thy foot when thou goest
to the house of God, and be more ready to hear than to give the
sacrifice of fools, for they consider not that they do evil.
Be not rash with thy mouth, let not thy heart be hasty to utter
anything before God, for God is in the heavens and thou upon
the earth, therefore let thy words be few. Oh, to hear from him, to worship
God in spirit, and in truth.