Let's begin our worship now, beginning first of all today by singing to God's praise from Psalm 105.
Psalm 105, that's in the Scottish Psalter version. The page number is 374.
We're singing verses 1 to 6.
Give thanks to God, call on his name to men his deeds make known.
Sing ye to him, sing psalms, proclaim his wondrous works, each one.
See that ye in his holy name to glory do accord, and let the heart of everyone rejoice that seeks the Lord.
If you're able to stand, please stand. We'll sing verses 1 to 6.
Give thanks to God, call on his name.
Sing ye to him, sing psalms, proclaim his wondrous works, each one.
See that ye in his holy name to glory do accord,
And let the heart of everyone rejoice that seeks the Lord.
The Lord almighty and his strength with steadfast hearts seek ye.
His blessed and his gracious face seek ye continually.
Think on the works that he hath done, which admiration breathe.
His wonders and the judgments of which from his mouth proceed.
For ye that are of Abraham's race, his servant will approve.
And he that is of Jacob's children, whom he chose for his own.
Let us join again now briefly in prayer.
We're going to pray particularly for the children and the young folks.
Lord, our God, we thank you that these words you have given us to sing,
That we have sung in your praise, do remind us again of the many benefits we receive from you.
And among the many benefits we receive, Lord, we place so high the benefit of the gospel.
The benefit of that teaching we have in your word that comes to instruct our mind of whatever age we're at,
In regard to God and his ways, in regard to ourselves and our need.
We pray today, Lord, for our young people.
We pray for the younger ones.
We pray for the Sunday school.
We pray for the creche.
We pray for the youth fellowship.
We pray for the Bible class.
We pray for our young folks, Lord, of all ages.
And we pray that you would bless them today, whether here or not.
We crave your blessing for them.
And we ask, Lord, again, that you would bless your word to them.
And make them today, O Lord, to think upon those things that are taught.
So that they may receive them into their hearts.
That they may live by them.
That they may glorify your great name.
And live in such a way as seeks to love you with all their heart and with all their soul.
Bless them then, we pray today.
Bless their teachers as well.
Bless those who look after them in creche and also in the tweenies.
We pray that you would bless them.
And bless the Sunday school teachers and the Bible class teachers themselves.
Be with them, Lord, we pray.
As they come to the end of this current term, we give thanks for their contribution.
We give thanks for the encouragement it gives us as a congregation to see so many of them.
And to see the dedication of those who give of their time and of their talents to teach the young folk.
Bless them, we pray.
And be with us today as we further wait upon you now.
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Hands up.
How many would like a Roscoe story today?
Oh, how many of the older ones would like a Roscoe story today?
Wow, what a popular lad he is.
Okay, well, I've got a Roscoe story for you today.
I haven't had one for quite a long time.
Nothing much has happened other than what I've been telling you previously in Roscoe stories.
But I've got another one for you today.
About two weeks ago, guess what?
He managed to escape again.
And I'll tell you a bit about the background of it.
I had a Zoom meeting with some other ministers throughout the country that were involved in training.
Training ministers such as Scott, a trainee minister.
So we had a meeting on Zoom.
And I said quickly to Donna, when I was going up to the meeting, quickly said to her,
I'm going to start a Zoom meeting.
I'll be there for a wee while.
Roscoe's in the garage.
So like I said, I'd rushed off to the meeting.
What I meant was Roscoe's in the garage and the door is open.
So I can get in and out the back garden.
Be safe there.
The side gates were closed.
Donna had to go out.
Her car was in the back.
And she thought that I'd said he was in the cage.
So off she went with the car.
Left the gates open.
She was only going to be away a few minutes.
And she came back.
Closed the gates.
Thinking Roscoe was either with me or in the cage.
Got a chair out.
Sat out in the nice sunshine.
And I was busy at the Zoom meeting.
And then a phone call came through.
And I picked up the phone so as not to disturb the meeting.
And a lovely young lady said, hello, this is the vet.
Are you missing a dog?
I said, I don't think so, but let me go and check.
So I went downstairs quickly, rushed off, opened the back door.
And there's Donna sunning herself in the sun, oblivious to any emergencies.
And I said, where's the dog?
She said, is he not with you?
No, I said, he's not.
The vet have just phoned.
You've got to go and pick him up because they've still got a meeting.
So off she went.
And once she got to the vet, there was Roscoe.
And the girls in the vet's office there in the vet's reception area, absolutely enthralled with him.
They said, oh, he's just so lovely.
And saying that he'd just been wagging his tail all the time since he arrived.
Anyway, he got back home.
So what's the message in Roscoe's story today?
Well, it's about communication.
Communication is important.
Speaking and listening, in other words.
When I rushed off to my meeting, I should have taken a bit more time to explain to Donna where Roscoe actually was.
And I'll maybe get around for it afterwards, but she should have taken a wee bit more time to ask more details as to where he was.
So the communication works both ways.
And if it's not the way it should be, if it's not really detailed enough, then something's going to go wrong.
Now, that's important for you yourselves as young people.
When you come to speak to God, take time in telling God what you see your needs to be, asking for his forgiveness, asking for his guidance, asking for his help.
And you can bring anything to God that you feel you need to have help with.
God will always listen to our prayers.
And we don't need to be afraid that somehow it's just too trivial or not important enough.
God knows everything about us already, but he wants us to come and tell us what's on our heart.
And to do that, we need to take time.
Sometimes we do have to rush about, but we need to try at all times, as far as possible, make time to speak with God, to pray to God, to set out your heart before the Lord.
That's what I didn't do.
And that's why Roscoe escaped.
But on the other hand, you have to make time as well to listen to God.
How do we listen to God?
Well, you listen to God, especially when you read his word, when you hear his word preached.
That is God speaking to you and to the older ones as well.
Every time we come to the Bible, we're coming to the word of God.
We call it the word of God because that's what it is.
And we should think every time I come to read my Bible, I'm hearing God's voice because this is God's word.
And I need to prepare to listen to it properly.
And to listen carefully, to listen in such a way as seize this message that God has for me as so important.
So there you go, Roscoe still teaching us things.
And today I want you to think about speaking to God, taking time to pray, and listening to God, taking time to read your Bible, to listen to what he's saying there, and then try and apply that in your own lives as well.
Okay, so may God bless these thoughts to us.
Let's say the Lord's Prayer now together.
Amen.
We're going to sing again to God's praise this time.
We're singing Psalm 61.
Psalm number 61.
That's in the Sing Psalms version on page 78.
We're going to sing verses 1 to 5.
O hear my urgent cry, my God, and listen to my plea.
From earth's remotest bounds I call when my heart faints in me.
O God, conduct me to the rock that's higher far than I.
For you're my refuge from the foe, my tower of strength on high.
Here is the psalmist speaking to God and taking time to ask God for these important things that he's asking in prayer.
So, we'll sing verses 1 to 5 to his praise.
O hear my urgent cry, my God, and listen to my plea.
From earth's remotest bounds I call when my heart faints in me.
O God, conduct me to the rock that's higher far than I.
For you're my refuge from the foe, my tower of strength on high.
O let me dwell within your tent, forever there to live.
O for the shelter of your wings, the refuge which they give.
For you have heard my verse, O God.
And you have given me the heritage of those who fear.
Your name continually.
Let's turn now to read God's Word.
Reading today is from Mark's Gospel.
Gospel according to Mark and chapter 11.
Reading from the beginning down as far as verse 26.
Matthew 11, from Mark 11 at the beginning.
Now they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives.
Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them,
Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied,
on which no one has ever sat.
Untie it and bring it.
If anyone says to you, Why are you doing this?
Say, The Lord has need of it, and will send it back here immediately.
And they went away and found a colt tied at the door outside in the street, and they untied it.
And some of those standing there said to them, What are you doing, untying the colt?
And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go.
And they brought the colt to Jesus, and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it.
And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches
that they had cut from the fields.
And those who went before, and those who followed, were shouting,
Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!
And he entered Jerusalem, and went into the temple.
And when he had looked round at everything, as it was already late,
he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry.
And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it.
When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.
And he said to them,
He said to it, May no one ever eat fruit from you again.
And his disciples heard it.
And they came to Jerusalem, and he entered the temple,
and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple.
And he overturned the tables of the money changers,
and the seats of those who sold pigeons.
And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple.
And he was teaching them, and saying to them,
Is it not written,
My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations?
But you have made it a den of robbers.
And the chief priests and the scribes heard it,
and were seeking a way to destroy him.
For they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching.
And when evening was come, they went out of the city.
As they passed by in the morning,
they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots.
And Peter remembered and said to him,
Rabbi, look, the fig tree that you cursed has withered.
And Jesus answered them,
Have faith in God.
Truly I say to you,
Whoever says to this mountain,
Be taken up and thrown into the sea,
And does not doubt in his heart,
But believes that what he says will come to pass,
It will be done for him.
Therefore I tell you,
Whatever you ask in prayer,
Believe that you have received it,
And it will be yours.
And whenever you stand praying,
Forgive,
If you have anything against anyone,
So that your Father,
Who is in heaven,
Your Father also,
Who is in heaven,
May forgive you your trespasses.
Amen.
May God follow with this blessing our reading of his word.
Let's again call upon his name in prayer.
Lord, our gracious God,
We thank you for the privilege of being gathered here today in your name.
The privilege of having your word open before us.
The privilege of being able to speak to you in prayer,
And call upon you for your blessing.
We have so many privileges,
O Lord,
In the course of life,
And we acknowledge,
That today we experience one of the greatest you give us.
The privilege of the gospel,
And our relationship with the gospel,
And with you through it.
We thank you,
Lord,
Today for every prospect of your blessing.
You promise your blessing to your people,
As they gather together in your name.
You tell us that even where two or three are gathered together,
In your name you are there in the midst.
And we bless you,
O Lord,
Today that we know your blessing,
That we have known your blessing in the past.
And we pray that from that,
Lord,
We may confidently ask that your blessing will be with us today.
That you would take up your word and show us,
Lord,
Its meaning,
Its importance,
Its relevance to our own lives.
We ask,
Gracious one,
That your blessing may truly give us the desire to hold forth your word,
As the word of life,
Before the world in which we live.
We thank you,
Lord,
For every opportunity,
You give us,
To speak of you,
To the people that surround us.
And we thank you,
Thank you especially,
That you have promised that the witness of your people will not be in vain.
And today we pray that you would further prepare our hearts,
Prepare our minds,
Give us,
We pray,
That desire inwardly to make Christ known to the people around us.
We ask that we may know this individually for ourselves.
Lord,
Help us,
Christ in our manner of life to the world in which you have placed us. Be merciful to us, Lord, we pray
as a generation. Once again, we bring before you the needs of our day. And while we cannot, Lord,
adequately describe them before you, we thank you that you know them in detail and in perfection.
And we bring before you especially, Lord, our concern over the way in which so many have turned
from your ways, the way in which so many have taken up teaching and opinions and ideologies
that are in conflict with your word, in conflict with the gospel. And we know, Lord, that this has
come to infiltrate our schools, our places of education, so many other avenues in our society,
Lord, that people frequent. We ask, O God, that you would turn us into your ways, that we may know
the breath and the spirit of revival and of power, coming to empower ourselves as a people, first of
all, and spreading out, Lord, into our districts and communities. We ask that your blessing today will
be with those who face challenges in the education of their children, challenges in the teaching of
children. We thank you for all, Lord, who teach in our schools that fear your name. We thank you for
all parents who desire to bring up their children in the ways of the Lord. We ask that you bless them
in their homes, bless them in the testimony they bear to their children. Bless our teachers, bless our
schools. Lord, our God, we pray that through all of these challenges and challenging times, we may know
the guidance of your spirit, the blessing of your word in our lives. We ask your blessing for our young
people themselves. And we ask that you would be with them today, Lord, those of them here in church,
those of them who are not able to be here, those of them who attend Sunday school, tweenies,
the other older age groups and youth fellowship and Bible class. Be with them all, we pray.
Encourage our hearts, Lord, we pray, and enable us today to further contribute to your cause in
whatever way we can. We thank you for the support that we receive, Lord, from your people here,
as those who preach the gospel, as those who are in the leadership of the congregation as elders and
as deacons. We thank you for the many prayers that are set up for us, Lord, from day to day.
We pray that you would hear us as we cry to you for your blessing further to be evident among us.
We pray today, Lord, for your people not only here but throughout the world. Remember those who face
real difficulty and trauma today, those who are seeking to recover from natural disasters,
from disease, from poverty, from war, from conflict, from persecution,
from many things, Lord, that blight human lives throughout the world.
O gracious one, have mercy upon us, we pray, as a generation. Deliver us, Lord, we pray,
from darkness, from the powers of darkness, from the ways in which the evil one seeks to
carry people's minds away from the gospel and persuade them that alternatives are equally valid.
O Lord God, be with those who carry your word into different parts of the world,
not only people in your churches throughout the world, but people also who serve in various agencies.
We pray for our own Muriel. We ask that you bless her, Lord, during these days. We thank you for her,
for her place in Cambodia. Pray that you'd continue to encourage her and all who are with her, Lord,
in the work there, and all the young ones that she has contact with. Lord, we pray that you would
protect her and keep her and be mindful of her during these times.
Bless those who mourn the passing of loved ones. Lord, we know that our bulletin sheet today bears
evidence of the passing of those that were well-known amongst us and those that came so faithfully to
church when they were able. Bless them, we pray, and bless those who mourn over their passing.
Be with those too who are seriously ill in the congregation. Lord, be with them and with their families
today. Lay your good hand upon them, and if it is not your will, that they be healed from whatever
is afflicting them at this time. Lord, prepare them, we pray, to take that step out of time into eternity
so they may do so safely in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so receive us now. Hear us in our prayer and
continue with us. For Jesus' sake. Amen.
Let's sing some more verses before we turn to Mark chapter 11. Singing the whole of Psalm 1 in the
Singed Psalms version on page 1.
Blessed is the one who turns away from where the wicked walk, who does not stand in sinners' paths
or sit with those who mock. Instead, he finds God's holy law, his joy and great delight. He makes the
precepts of the Lord his study day and night. The whole of Psalm 1a to God's praise.
Christ.
Paul's verse 2.
Blessed is the one who turns away from where the wicked walk, who does not stand in sinners'
paths
or sit
with those
who mope.
Instead
he
finds
God's holy
law,
his joy
and great
delight.
He
makes
the precepts
of
the Lord,
his study
day
and night.
He
prospers
ever
like
a tree
that's
planted
by a
stream.
And
in
due
season
yields
its fruit,
its leaves
are
always
green.
Not
so
the
wicked
they
are
like
the
chaff
that's
blown
away.
They
will
not
stand
when
judgment
comes
or
with
the
righteous
day.
the
righteous
day.
It
is
the
Lord
who
sees
and
knows
the
way
the
righteous
go.
but
those
who
live
an
evil
life
the
Lord
will
overthrow.
Now please turn with me to Mark chapter 11 where we read earlier.
And there are two sections of that chapter or the passage read I want to look at this morning with you.
First of all from verse 12 down to verse 14.
And then the related verses to that from verse 20 down to verse 26.
So verse 12 to 14 and then verses 20 to 26.
What you find really in these verses verses 12 to 14 is at one and the same time a miracle and a parable.
It's an unusual miracle because a lot of Jesus' miracles were to do with life and with giving life and with healing.
This is one that really cursed this fig tree. It's normally called the fig, the parable of the fig tree.
And when he Jesus cursed the fig tree so that it would not bear fruit again, it proves to be a most unusual parable.
And it's not the kind of thing you would expect Jesus normally to do.
But it's a miracle because the fig tree withered and died within a short time following the Lord's announcement to it.
So both things are important for us to bear in mind as we look at these two passages today.
There is both a miracle and a parable in what it represents and what Jesus taught by it we'll see in the second passage.
First of all, let's look at the promising appearance of the fig tree.
Here we have in verse 13a there,
So we'll look at the promising appearance of the fig tree.
And then from verse 20 to 26, the application which Jesus made of it, which really is in regard to two things especially that he mentions there.
First of all, have faith in God, which he then relates to prayer, but also the need to forgive others when there is a need to forgive them.
And that's also in relation to prayer, as you see from verse 25.
So faith and forgiveness following our view of the previous passage, the promising appearance of the fig tree.
Now you can see here in the following day, when they came from Bethany, following the story through as we did, Jesus was hungry.
And he saw in the distance a fig tree in leaf.
He went to see if he could find anything on it.
He found nothing but leaves.
And then it says, for it was not the season for figs.
Then why would Jesus expect to find figs on this fig tree if he knew it was not yet the season for figs?
And expositors and commentators take different views as to what is really meant by these references there.
Some will say that fig trees actually bear fruit before it comes to bear leaves.
Others disagree with that.
Some will say some fig trees are not fruit bearing anyway.
They just bear leaves.
Whatever you actually say of the actuality of that in terms of its agriculture and so on,
what is important is that despite it not being the season for figs,
this fig tree seemed to be an exception.
And it seemed to be an exception so that Jesus had every right to expect that he would find figs on it.
It was very promising in its appearance.
What he saw there from a distance really led him to expect and others to expect fruit on this tree,
given its situation, given its appearance.
That's an important point in the message that Jesus actually then brings from it.
It was very promising in appearance.
There was every reason to expect fruit from it.
And yet it only had leaves.
There was no fruit, just leaves.
And then look at the placement of that passage.
Because the placement is important to understand its meaning.
It's placed in between verses 9 and 10,
and I'm especially referring to the content of these verses rather than just these verses in number.
verses 9 and 10,
which have to do with the praises that were being wrung out,
the exclamations that were being made as Jesus came towards Jerusalem.
All of these hosannas.
Blessed be the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David.
Hosanna in the highest.
There, you might say,
is exclamations,
soundings of praise,
that look very promising.
But there's no fruit.
Because as he then comes to the temple,
Jesus proceeds to cleanse the temple,
to overturn the tables of the money changers,
to drive out those who are misusing the temple for profitable gain, financial gain.
That's not, he says,
the purpose of the temple.
My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations.
There's the evidence of the lack of fruit.
The hosannas are the very promising leaves.
The cleansing of the temple is the evidence of the lack of fruit.
Now, this was particularly something that referred to Israel at the time
and the disciples having heard it.
It's important that we see in verse 14,
his disciples heard this when he spoke to the fig tree.
In other words,
he's drawing our minds firstly to its application to the people of Israel,
to the Jewish people at the time.
Because what it's saying is that these people were promising
because they had so many advantages,
they had so many benefits,
so many privileges.
Here were the people to whom God had actually given himself
in his revelation down through the years of the Old Testament.
Here were the people to whom God had spoken so,
so frequently,
who had seen the miracles,
and indeed people who had seen the miracles
that Jesus himself had been doing up to this stage.
This was a people who had all the advantages
and you would expect them
as God had given them everything necessary
to produce spiritual fruit,
yet they were not of that caliber.
Their history,
God's covenant promises to them,
the prophecies that God had given them
regarding their future,
regarding their relationship to himself,
regarding the intake of the Gentiles
into the kingdom of God.
So when Jesus,
in verse 14,
speaks so condemningly
to the fig tree,
he's really,
in a sense,
doing what the Old Testament itself
did at many times,
pronouncing
over the people who were fruitless,
pronouncing
God's condemnation.
Pronouncing over them,
why have you not produced fruit?
I mean,
there are two passages especially
that come to mind.
First of all,
Isaiah chapter 5,
which speaks about a vineyard.
And Israel is his vineyard,
and there's a lot of labor
being expended on that vineyard,
and yet it kept
on just being fruitless.
It produced no fruit.
And Israel,
God says through the prophet Isaiah,
you are my vineyard.
I've taken such labor with you.
I've given you so many advantages.
Why are you still fruitless?
Why,
when I come looking for grapes,
do I find nothing but sour grapes?
The other chapter is Jeremiah chapter 24,
which speaks about two types of figs,
two baskets of figs.
One is ripe and beautiful and luscious.
The other is rotten.
And God through Jeremiah is saying to the people,
the fruit that you're seeing,
the luscious fruit,
is what I would expect you to be like.
But instead I'm finding
you're like the rotten figs,
like the rotten fruit,
which really have not lived up
to the expectation
and the advantages
that I've given you.
So you can see that's why
this passage is so important
in its context
to the people that Jesus
was speaking to directly
at that time,
to his own people,
to the Jewish people.
Here they were making
all of these exclamations,
these hosannas
as he came riding on the colt,
as he came to enter Jerusalem.
And all looked very promising.
It all looked very much
as if they were going to receive him gladly
and just welcome him
with open arms as their Messiah,
that this was indeed the case.
But then he came to the temple
and it was obvious then
that that's not what the case was.
They were fruitless by and large.
And so he drove out
in a condemning way
those who had misused
their privileges.
Now Jesus looks for fruit
on our lives today.
There's no use leaving this
and just saying,
well, that was for that age.
That was for the context
Jesus was directly working in.
We have to actually remember
this is the word of God
to us today.
We try and put these things together
in such a way
that draws from it
lessons for ourselves today.
Things which apply
in our own context
here today
in Stornway Free Church.
Jesus expects you
and I to bear fruit.
Why does he expect you
and I to bear fruit?
Because he's placed us
in such a favorable environment,
hasn't he?
Where could you be placed
more favorably
than under the gospel
for your life
to develop spiritually
and morally?
Where more advantageously
could Jesus have placed you,
could God have placed you
than where you are today
as you belong
to a gospel congregation,
as you belong
to a gospel fellowship?
You have his word,
you have his worship,
you have his teaching,
you have his encouragement,
you have prayer
and here is Jesus
coming today
to you and to me
and he's looking for fruit.
He's seeing the very promising lives
that we are outwardly
but he's coming to look
for ripe spiritual figs.
and he's looking for things
like faith
and love
and hope
but he's looking for real faith
and real love
and real hope.
He's not looking for
the kind of faith
in your life
and my faith
that might indeed be the case
but it's not primarily
the greatest faith
that exists,
it's not primarily
the greatest love
that exists
that he looks for,
it's not that you
would be able to say
or he'd be able to say of you,
you're the best Christian
in the world today,
you're the best Christian
in the congregation,
you're the best Christian
in the district.
What he's looking for
is real faith,
real love,
real grace.
And even if you think today
it's really such
a small thing,
never mind is it real,
that's the important thing.
God is looking
for real fruit
in your life.
You might think
it's hardly worth noticing,
hardly worth mentioning.
You see it yourself
as so small
when you compare yourself
to others
which really is not advisable
for us to do anyway.
But you might say,
well my faith is tiny,
I can hardly see it
and I don't really believe
my love for other people
is really to any extent
the way it should be.
And God is saying,
fine,
but is it real?
You see,
a lot of people come
to this passage
and it scares them.
And there's an element
of why understandably
that should be the case
because it is a very solemn thing
to have people
with so many advantages,
to have the leaves
that are promising
about their lives
and yet there's no fruit.
And you might be saying
today of yourself,
well I think that's me.
If it is you
and if this is me,
then God is kindly
showing us today,
well I'm showing you this
so that you can actually
do something about it.
so that you will not be
just a pile of leaves
but you'll have
the real fruit
that I desire to see
in your life.
But if you're saying today,
well I'm just,
I just don't see myself
hardly as a Christian at all.
Do you pray?
Yes.
Well you're a believer then.
Do you read your Bible
faithfully,
knowing it to be
the word of God?
Yes.
Well,
will a believer,
will an unbeliever
just do that regularly?
Do you love the gospel?
Yes,
of course I love the gospel.
That's why I'm here today,
you're saying.
Well isn't that
itself
an evidence of fruit
in your life?
Isn't it more than
just leaves
that you actually
have a love for the Lord,
that you would never
speak disparagingly of Him,
that you love to be
with His people,
that you love to be
under the gospel,
that you pray to God
for yourself,
that you seek His forgiveness,
that you want His guidance
in your life,
that you bring
these concerns to Him,
that maybe you can't
put into words adequately,
but you still actually
say them as the desire
of your heart?
Isn't that fruit?
Don't actually
dismiss things like that
as if that's not
really fruit at all.
But whatever fruit
there is,
seek the Lord's help
for it to increase.
It's not that long
since we had
the Lord's Supper,
and the Lord's Supper
is one of the primary ways
by which God
provides for us
a situation
by which we will come
to bear more fruit.
Sadly,
some people,
maybe you're one of them,
and our heart is with you.
We want to see
as many people
as possible,
all of you indeed,
coming to the Lord's Supper
to benefit from
the Lord's Table,
to profess your faith,
but it's not primarily
a means of professing
your faith,
it's primarily a means
of advancing
your life spiritually.
And so many people
come and say
about the Lord's Supper,
however much we encourage
people to come
that are real believers,
well, I'm not,
my faith is not
at that stage yet.
I've not reached
that level of fruit yet
that I see in other people,
so I can't go
to the Lord's Supper,
I can't go
to the Lord's Table,
I've not yet reached
that level.
Well, you see,
the Lord is saying
to you today,
if that's your situation,
if that's your conviction,
the Lord is saying,
but that's what
the Lord's Supper
is for.
It's not so that
you can conclude now,
I don't have enough fruit
to warrant my going
to take communion,
it's so that you'll say,
well, my fruit is so small,
I need the Lord's Supper
to bring it on.
Isn't that how it is?
We're all reluctant
to speak of ourselves,
to acknowledge truthfully,
openly,
the work that God
has done in our lives,
the fact that there are
elements of fruit
in our lives,
and sometimes we feel
that if we were just
going to confess that,
well, you know,
we're just getting
into a situation of pride,
and we're just afraid
to elevate ourselves.
Never be afraid
to confess
to yourself
or to others
what you see
as a real work
of grace in your life.
It's dishonoring to God
if we're reluctant
to confess that,
to follow that through.
So lovingly,
I say to you today,
don't be afraid
of using
the means God
has given you
to produce more fruit
in your life
compared to what
you may see now.
That's what
this passage
is really about too.
It's not there
to discourage anyone.
It's not there
to reach wrong conclusions
about yourself.
It's there so that
you'll say,
well,
God has been good to me.
God has placed me
so advantageously
in the gospel.
I must make sure
now that I go
and produce more fruit
than I've got,
and I must use
every advantage
God gives me
so that that
will be the case.
There's the
promising appearance
of the fig tree.
But you might be here today
and genuinely
not be bearing
any fruit yet.
And we mustn't
just pass over this
as if everybody here
was bearing
so much fruit
that just needed
to be
multiplied.
There are some people
who are familiar
with the gospel,
who know the gospel,
who are planted,
if you like,
in the ground
in which God
places people
advantageously
under the gospel,
but who don't
bear fruit,
who have not yet
come to repent
of their sin,
who have not yet
come to embrace
Christ by faith
and thankfully.
Please,
if that is you today,
if you know that
that is the case
with you today,
you have the advantage
today of doing
something about
that too,
of coming to say
to God,
Lord,
whatever's gone
past in my life,
I would like
to start today
in a way that
would bear fruit
to your glory,
in a way that
would actually bring
honor to your name.
In other words,
you would come to God
and say,
Lord,
please,
please don't leave
me fruitless.
don't leave me
just at a show
of leaves.
Don't leave it
just as an outward
promising life.
Give me fruit.
Give me real life.
Give me real faith.
Give me the hope
of eternal life
in Jesus Christ.
But then you see
the application
which followed.
We'll just finish
with the second point
which is the application
followed from
verse 20 to 26.
As they passed by
in the morning,
they saw the fig tree
withered away
to its roots.
And Peter remembered
and said,
Rabbi,
look,
the fig tree
that you cursed
has withered.
And Jesus answered them,
Have faith in God.
Truly I say to you,
whoever says
to this mountain
be taken up
and thrown into the sea
and does not doubt
in his heart
but believes
that what he says
will come to pass,
it will be done
for him.
Then he mentions that
in relation to prayer.
Whatever you ask
in prayer,
believe that you have
received or that
you are receiving it
and it will be yours.
Whatever you stand
praying,
forgive
if you have anything
against anyone.
So two things in that.
Have faith in God.
Peter is amazed.
He's obviously
taken up with the fact
that this fig tree
has withered away
to its roots.
It's died
virtually overnight.
And that's really striking
as far as Peter is concerned
and he remembers
the words the Lord spoke.
But the Lord turns
what you might say
is that negative
comment of Peter
into a very positive one.
He is saying
effectively
whoever says
to this mountain
be taken up
and does not doubt
in his heart
it will be done for him.
Now what is he saying
really there?
Because this is a perplexing
thing for many people
as well
and a lot of people
face this
false teaching
in the world today
in the church today
that says
you know
if things are not
really advancing
as they should
in your life
if you're not able
to do this
or to do that
it's your fault
you don't have enough faith.
What Jesus is saying
here is
look at this mountain
think of it being
moved from here
to the depth of the sea.
In other words
Jesus is saying
think of what appears
to you
to be impossible
and then think of God
and for God
it's possible.
What appears
impossible to us
it's not impossible
with God.
It's not about
what to pray
but the mindset
that we need
to have in prayer.
The mindset
that is absolutely
convinced
that God
is able to do
what we will bring
before him
and even sometimes
that he will do
when he gives us
that conviction
that he will do
what we're asking
him to do.
It's really all
about himself
and your view
of himself.
It's about his
capability
and his power
that he is able
to do the things
which we think
are impossible.
You're praying
for someone today.
You've been praying
for them for a long time.
They're still not converted
as far as you know.
You may be saying
in your heart
when you go to pray
for them
time after time
and think this is
just impossible.
It's not going to happen.
Well here is God
saying to you
that's your opinion.
How do you see me?
What do you think
I'm able to do
for them?
Have you lost
your vision
of what I can do?
Are you just looking
at it from your own
perspective?
Friends, today
whatever we're praying
for and we're praying
for the congregation
and we're praying
for the blessing
of the Lord
and the congregation
and we pray
for the individuals.
We're praying
for the work
with the young folks.
We're praying
for so many things.
Catch this vision
of God
that is before you
in the passage
and say
don't doubt God.
Have faith in God.
But when we're praying
he says in verse 25
whenever you stand
praying forgive.
If you have anything
against anyone
so that your Father
who is in heaven
may forgive you
your trespasses.
Very like what you find
in the Sermon on the Mount
in Matthew's Gospel.
Remember there in chapter 6
of Matthew's Gospel
at verse 14
where Jesus said
if you forgive others
this is after the Lord's Prayer
which we've said together earlier
if you forgive others
their trespasses
your heavenly Father
will also forgive you.
But if you do not
forgive others
their trespasses
neither will your Father
forgive your trespasses.
If you take that
along with Mark
he's not saying
that God's forgiveness
is conditional
or that the ground
of God forgiving us
is our forgiving others.
In other words
that we constrain God
or persuade God
to forgive others
by our forgiveness
of them
or forgive ourselves.
What he's saying is
when you come to pray
and ask God's forgiveness
search your heart.
And if you have
in your heart
something there
and then against
someone that you're
conscious of
in your heart
then deal with that.
Because
that will actually
blight your prayer.
it will
if you like
shrivel your prayer.
If you come before God
and you know
that there's
something you need
to forgive someone about.
If you have anything
against anyone
just stop.
Before you ask
anything of God
come and
forgive that person
first.
That person
may not be willing
to confess
their fault
between you
and themselves.
And forgiveness
in a sense
is always
consequent
upon
confession.
It's the same
for ourselves.
We come to God
and don't automatically
receive forgiveness.
We need to come
and confess
our sins
and then we
have the warrant
of God's word
that he will
hear our prayer
and forgive our sins.
But sometimes
you'll find someone
not prepared
to confess
that they've done
anything wrong
even if in
your heart of hearts
and maybe in theirs
they know they have.
It might be the other way
about it.
It might be that
something we've done
has hurt others
and we're not
prepared to confess
that we're at fault
with it.
Either way
we need to be
seriously honest
with the issue.
And if the person
we go to says
look
if I've done anything
forgive me
and you go to them
and say
well look
you've done this
and I think it's wrong
so we're here
to be reconciled
to each other
maybe the person
will say
I don't want to be
forget it
I don't want to speak
to you.
What do you then do?
Well you're still
in your heart
come say to the Lord
Lord
they're not prepared
to confess
I confess
if I've done wrong
that I need
your forgiveness
Lord
and even if they
never confess
to have done wrong
Lord help me
in my heart
to forgive them
in my thoughts
as if they had
confessed.
Because
it's so vital
to our ongoing
spiritual relationship
to God
that we don't
hold anything
against anyone
when we come
to prayer
at any time
indeed
but he's confining
it here
to the issue
of prayer.
And that's why
in Matthew 18
remember Matthew 18
where Peter said
to Jesus
Lord
how often
will my brother
sin against me
and I forgive him
will it be up to
seven times
and Peter thought
seven times
surely that's enough
because the law
of the rabbis
at that time
the regulation
of the rabbis
was well
four times
is quite sufficient
and Peter was thinking
well if I go to seven
surely that's going
to be enough.
What did the Lord
say to him?
No he said
I don't say to you
seven times
but I do say
seventy times seven.
What did Jesus mean?
He meant that
however many times
you have to forgive
then you forgive.
There are no limits
to it.
You don't actually
put something
around it
so that you say
within a certain time
or after a certain
number of times
we forgive somebody
then it's okay
not to forgive
and then hold it
against them.
No.
We always have
to forgive
whenever there's
something
that we know
needs to be forgiven.
something we need
to confess
that we've done
or that's been
done against us.
Jesus replied
you can't impose
limits
on confession
or forgiveness.
It's open ended.
It's there
throughout the whole
of life.
So many
personal relationships
and personal
relationships
developing
to spread
the influence
into a congregation
or community
or family
have all started
with a reluctance
to forgive.
A reluctance
to confess
faults
a reluctance
to forgive
when we're
asked to forgive.
Let's be
fruitful Christians.
Take from
today
three words
easy to remember
three words
that begin
with F.
fruit
faith
forgiveness
because
each of them
and together
are the essence
of the life
of Christ's people.
Let's pray.
Lord we thank you
that we can come
to you
and confess
our sins
to you
and that we
can be
people who
show that
our desire
is to forgive
whenever there
is a need
to forgive.
We thank you
for the advantages
you give us
that are all
designed
that we should
bear fruit
to your glory
and we pray
especially
under the gospel
that our lives
may be such.
hear us we pray
and accept
our worship
now.
Continue with us
throughout this day
be with us
in the evening
bless Reverend
Calmurdo
as he preaches
this evening
and help us
Lord as we
spend this
Lord's day
in relation
to your word
and to your
worship
help us
we pray
to further
advance
our relationship
with you
all for Jesus
sake
Amen.
We're going
to now
conclude
our worship
today
this morning
singing
to God's
praise
in Psalm
92
and that's
from the
Scottish
Psalter
singing
verses 12
to 15
that's
on page
353
But like
the palm tree
flourishing
shall be
the righteous
one
he shall
like to
the cedar
grow
that is
in Lebanon
those that
within the
house of
God
are planted
by his
grace
they shall
grow up
and flourish
all in
our God's
holy place
and in
old age
when others
fade
they fruit
still forth
shall bring
they shall
be fat
and full
of sap
and a
be flourishing
to show
that upright
is the Lord
he is a rock
to me
and he
from all
unrighteousness
is altogether
free
these four
verses
in conclusion
but like
the palm tree
flourishing
shall be
the righteous
one
he shall
like to
the cedar
grow up
that is
in Lebanon
those that
within
the house
of God
are planted
by his
grace
they shall
grow up
and flourish
all in
our God's
holy place
and in
old age
when others
fade
they fruit
still forth
shall
bring
they
shall
be
fat
and full
of sap
and
they
be
flourishing
to
show
that
upright
is
the
Lord
he
is
a
rock
to
me
and
he
from
all
unrighteousness
is
altogether
free
I'll go to the door
to my left
this morning
now may grace
and mercy
and peace
from God
the Father
Son
and Holy Spirit
be your portion
now and evermore
Amen
her
Thank you.