16th June 2023

16th June 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read - Mark 11:12-21


Message Alan Burke 


A fruitless tree, a fruitless people. In Jerusalem there was no fruit here, no health, yes there was activity but what mattered, what was really important was lacking the true worship of God, seeking to include the Gentiles, seeking to reach the nations. To all of what Jesus had seen he says to them “ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’" (17) God had always planned to include the gentiles, the promise of the Lord God to Abraham was that through his offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because he obeyed the Lord (Gen 22:18), and while the people of God were to be a light to the nations, were to seek the inclusion of the Gentiles who believed in the Lord the reality was that the Jews hated the gentiles, some even believed that when the promised Messiah would come that the gentiles would be cleared from the temple by him but instead the temple here is cleared for the gentiles by Jesus. 


While the whole place was a hive of activity, but the hearts of the chief priest and the teachers of the law is then revealed to us, there was no spiritual fruit, v18, they were showing that they were not the true people of God they were his enemies, they were seeking a way to kill the very son of God, true God and true man, what a tragic testimony.  The hearts of these people were hardened, they were opposed to the things of God. I’d love to say that this is two thousand years later, yes Jesus has cleansed the temple for the Gentiles so that we can come into the presence of God but there are many among the visible people of God who have made it not about the things of God but religion, activity, tradition, what we want, what we had and the gospel is diminished, dismissed.


The desire and the attitude of the Chief priests and the teachers of the law showed that there was nothing fruitful about any of this and there are many people in the visible church who claim to be Christians, yet their fruitlessness reveals something else. The sign of the churches spiritual health is fruit, but we also need to know that a church without fruit will close, for while we may miss it here this cursing of the fruitless fig tree is also prophetic. Look to where it fits in, v11 Jesus entering the temple looking around, then returns to Bethany, when he returns, v12 he curses the fig tree, then v15 goes into the temple and cleared the place, then v20 the next day we have the fig tree, sandwiched in-between these encounters is what happens at the temple.


What took place is prophetic for it symbolises what would happened to Jerusalem itself, for the temple that seemed to be a hive of activity, of the religious life if the people of God was worthless, the fig tree speaks of the judgment that would come from God on the unfaithful temple. This church is not the building, it is the people, but if we are fruitless as a people then the church will continue to diminish across this land, the sign of spiritual fruitlessness is displayed right across this land because we as a people have been content to play at church rather than seeing the glory of God. What we need to do is what the religious leaders failed to do, we need to repent, to seek God, to look to him, his word, make the ordinary things that he has given us in their proper place, The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption, are his ordinances, especially the Word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation. When we put these things in the priority that they should be every Lord’s day then there will be fruit.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q74 What is required in the eighth commandment?
The eighth commandment requireth the lawful procuring and furthering the wealth and outward estate of ourselves and others. (Gen. 30:30, 1 Tim. 5:8, Lev. 25:35, Deut. 22:1–5, Exod. 23:4–5, Gen. 47:14,20)
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