Matthew
Jesus is Hungry for Fruit
We should stop here and ask ourselves
Are there any fig trees growing in our lives
That are not producing fruit for Christ to partake of?
Christ is hungry for the fruit in our lives
The fig tree Jesus cursed was full of leaves and looked healthy and good
But there was no fruit
The Psalmist says
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers. Psalms 1:3
Location is everything for yielding fruit trees
The fruit comes because the tree is doing something
And what it is doing will prosper
Mark gives us more about this event and says it was not the season for figs
Paul tells Timothy we need to be prepared in season and out of season
No matter what the conditions are, we are to produce fruit
Not only personal character fruit, like the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5
But fruit of proclaiming the Word of God
This will include conflict with those who do not have sound doctrine
In view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season 2 Timothy 4:1-5
Jesus is Hungry for Fruit
Day 1
Day one, the rally began of the Triumphful Entry…
With a humble King on a donkey
that had never been ridden.
As the crowd was shouting Hosanna,
meaning “Save Now”…
Jesus cast out the buyers and seller of sacrificial animals…
Clearing the way for all nationalities
to come into the temple and pray.
When Jesus took His place in the temple there was…
Healing and shouting of children.
The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area,
"Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant. Matthew 21:14-15
Jesus’ concluding words on Day One were…
Replied Jesus, "have you never read,
"'From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise'?"
Matthew 21:16
A new generation, Children of Praise
will usher in the New King…
The Son of David, the heir to the throne.
When evening came,
Jesus went out of the city to Bethany,
about a 40-minute walk.
This was the home of Mary and Martha
and their brother, Lazarus,
who Jesus rose from the dead.
Day 2
Early in the morning,
as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry.
Seeing a fig tree by the road,
he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves.
Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!"
Immediately the tree withered.
Matthew 21:18-19
For the disciples, this was not
a lesson on cursing fig trees.
This was a lesson on faith
to rally against the old order of
the chief priests and the teachers of the law.
Like the buyers and sellers of sacrificial animals…
These religious leaders are mountains
standing in the way of people coming to God.
The power to remove these mountains is
to have faith and not doubt.
This is coupled with prayer,
where you will not only see God work
but know what you are to do.
We will see Jesus demonstrate
the removal of fruitless trees and mountains
as we get to the rest of Day 2…
Where Jesus takes His place in the temple.
We should stop here and ask ourselves…
Are there any fig trees growing in our lives
that are not producing fruit for Christ to partake of?
Christ is hungry for fruit in our lives.
The fig tree Jesus cursed was full of leaves
and looked healthy and good…
But there was no fruit.
The Psalmist says…
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
Psalms 1:3
Location is everything for yielding fruit trees.
The fruit comes because the tree is doing something
and what it is doing will prosper.
Mark gives us more about this event.
He says it was not the season for figs.
Paul tells Timothy we need to be
prepared in season and out of season,…
No matter what the conditions are,
we are to produce fruit.
Not only personal character fruit,
like the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5…
But fruit of proclaiming the Word of God.
This will include conflict with those
who do not have sound doctrine.
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
2 Timothy 4:1-5
We will see fruit gives authority.
Jesus after leaving the fruitless, cursed,
and now withered fig tree demonstrates…
His authority in the rest of Day 2
of the Triumphful Entry.
Scripture Reading NIV
Matthew 21:18-22
18 Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered.
20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked.
21 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
Mark 11:12-14
12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 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. 14 Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it.
Mark 11:20-25
20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!"
22 "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 23 "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."
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