Today we return in our study of God's Word to the Gospel of Matthew. This morning it's chapter 21 verses 18 to 22. And there are a number of different titles that I have wrestled through with with regard to the context of this text. Fig tree lessons was the one that tickled me the most, but I think perhaps A balanced view of Christ best summarizes the content. A balanced view of Christ. Most people, when they think about Jesus, they think about the good things that he did. They think about the miracles. They think about the love and the grace. Even Christians predominantly focus on the person and work of Jesus Christ on the cross and his love and his kindness, his compassion. His unending mercy, the miracles and grace that He demonstrated to people nonstop. And all of those things are true. That is indeed who He is and what He's like. And it is right to contemplate the kindnesses of Christ. It is right to focus on the love of Christ. Indeed, as He hung on the cross and died for our sins, He prayed for the very people who crucified Him, saying, Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing. In fact, for 20 chapters in Matthew's Gospel, that has been what Matthew has been picturing for us. A Christ who came to die, a Christ who came that we might live, a Christ who came to demonstrate His power to save, His power to heal, His power to deliver us from sin, Satan, and death. He cast out demons, countless demons, He healed the sick. He gave sight to blind eyes. He opened deaf ears. He restored withered limbs. The lame walked. The blind saw. The deaf could hear. But there's a lot more to understanding the character and nature of Jesus Christ than just focusing on His love and grace. Jesus was a manifestation of God, as a full presentation of the love of God, the compassion of God, and the grace of God. But at the same time, one thing that people, sometimes even Christians, fail to focus their attention on is the fact that Jesus is not just the one who died for our sins. Jesus is not just the one who loves sinners. Jesus is not just the one that demonstrated compassion and grace and healed every sickness and fed the multitudes, etc. Jesus is also the one himself personally who will sit on the great white throne and condemn those who never repented and came to him eternally on the day of judgment. And starting in the text that we've been looking at the last couple of weeks in Matthew 21, we begin to truly see that other side of Jesus, which is equally true and equally a correct representation. of the character and the nature of Jesus Christ. He is as perfect in justice and righteousness and truth as he is in love and grace and compassion. And he will be just as perfect and powerful in dispensing God's wrath as he was in offering himself up as the sacrifice that secured the forgiveness of sins of those who repent. The power of Christ is on display for us in a sense in both of these ways this morning in Matthew 21 verses 18 to 22. We see both his compassion and his readiness to be helpful to his people. As well as his authority and commitment to condemn those who reject him. The power of Christ is on display in this text in two ways this morning, and I want to share this with you so that you might have a more balanced appreciation of the totality of Christ's character and nature. And I think this is useful both for those of us who are believers as well as for those who are not. Jesus did not just come to suffer and die for us to make it possible for us to be reconciled to God. He came and offered Himself as the one and only means by which we might be delivered from God's wrath. And He will be the one who dispenses that wrath in the end. When you read in Revelation chapter 20 that Christ sits on the great white throne, and those who never bowed the knee to Him in life stand before Him, And the books are open. The first is the book of life. And when your name is not found written therein, because you have never given your life to Christ, then the other books will be open, which includes the record of all your sins. And it will be Christ himself who sits there and says, you are without excuse standing here before me and being condemned now because I gave you every opportunity to repent. Indeed, I myself paid for your sins. But you would not have it. So you may pay for them yourself. Both sides of Christ are true. Christ has the power and authority to condemn sinners, and Christ likewise has the power and the authority to help his people. Christ has and will use the power and authority to condemn those who reject him, and Christ has and will use the power and authority that he has to help his people. In Matthew 21, verses 18 to 22, we see those two aspects of Christ's character and nature on display for us. And so if you're taking notes, I want you to see that Christ, number one, has the power to condemn those who reject him. Christ has the power and authority to condemn those who reject him And He will use it. Look at verse 18. Picking up in the context we left off with last time. Now in the morning when Jesus was returning to the city, He became hungry. And seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only. And He said to it, No longer shall there be any fruit from you. And at once the fig tree withered. Now this is This is what we might call a compressed account. In other words, what Matthew has done here is taken an event that took place actually over two days, as Mark's gospel shows us, and squeezed it into one simple summary paragraph. And the reason for that is the same reason we've seen from the beginning of Matthew's gospel. Matthew is not seeking to write a history. Matthew is not writing a biography of Jesus. If you want a more chronological account you can look at Luke's gospel. Luke is the one who actually records the events essentially in chronological order and fills out a lot of historical details and even at times interrupts the flow of the narrative for those who are Gentiles because his primary audience is a Gentile or a God-fearing audience and so he's filling out details that if you're not a Jew, if you weren't raised as a Jew, you wouldn't know. And he's starting from beginning to end, walking through the historical narrative pretty much in order. Matthew's not doing that. In fact, Matthew has arranged his material the way he has specifically to address a Jewish audience and make a legal case, if you will, or maybe a theological case would be a better one, or a biblical case for Jesus being the Messiah. That's why Matthew starts with the genealogy of Jesus. Because if you're going to tell a Jew that this person, Jesus, is their Messiah, you know the first thing you're going to have to prove is that he has a rightful claim to David's throne. Because if he doesn't have a rightful claim to David's throne, we're done. You can't be a king in Israel and the fulfillment of all the Old Testament promises and the Davidic covenant, unless you have a rightful claim to David's throne. That's why he starts there. That's why there are so many Old Testament texts there in chapter one and two that are fulfilled, even related to the birth narratives. That's why the Sermon on the Mount in chapter five through seven is the first main section of text after he's proven through the genealogy, through the fulfillment of scriptures, and through the ministry of John the Baptist. That's why the very next thing you have is the Sermon on the Mount, because it is an expression from Jesus that reflects his teaching about the kingdom. It proves he has the authority of God, the authority of the Messiah. And then chapters 8 and 9 is the miracles. And it's just a string of miracles that are accounted of, all the different kinds of miracles. By the time you get to chapter 21 now, we're into the events of Passion Week and Matthew is arranging his material to make the case of describing and demonstrating not only that Jesus is Messiah, but what kind of a Messiah he is. And what his character and nature is in the context of coming and presenting himself to Israel. We saw this a little bit last week when we saw that through the cleansing of the temple, through the healing there in the temple and through the affirmation that he deserves worship. He revealed to the nation what kind of a king he has come to be and what kind of a king he is offering of himself to the people so that they can either accept or reject. And in the miracle, the fig tree that we're going to see this morning, you're going to see again kind of a compressed account. And the reason that Matthew records it the way he does is he just wants to demonstrate This lesson that Jesus taught very clearly to his disciples about his character and nature as Messiah. He is a Messiah who will indeed condemn those who reject him and who do not produce fruit in keeping with what God expects of them. And at the same time, he will be one who will help his people who do accept him and depend upon him and ask him for help. Now, if you keep your fingers in Matthew here, let me help flesh out the chronology. Turn to Mark chapter 11. Keep your finger in Matthew. I just want to hit a couple of high points so you can kind of see the order and the way that this harmonizes with the other accounts. And the reason I'm making a point of this is this is a key interpretive issue when you're looking at gospel narratives. Have you ever noticed that Matthew, Mark and Luke and sometimes even John they all have the same account and the details are a little bit different one of the major objections that is leveled against the bible being truthful being accurate historically reliable is the fact that these accounts don't always line up uh... it precisely they don't always use the same words uh... i would suggest to you now i will say to you that this is evidence of the truthfulness of these accounts as opposed to somebody going back and doctoring them and trying to make them all read exactly the same way. This is proof that these are independent witnesses to the same person of Jesus and they demonstrate their historic veracity or reliability of the accounts. In harmonizing the accounts then, you need to look and see what justifies the arrangement the way it is. Now if you take a look at Mark chapter 11, we're not going to go through all these verses, but if you just look at the first half of Mark 11, notice in verse 1, it starts with what is normally referred to as a triumphal entry. As they, Jesus and his disciples, approached Jerusalem at Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead, said, go into the village opposite, find the colt, and I'm going to ride in on it, and he rides in on it. So this is the day of the triumphal entry. Skip down to verse 11. Once he enters into the city then, verse 11 tells us, Jesus entered Jerusalem and then came into the temple. And after looking around at everything, he left for Bethany with the twelve since it was already late. So on the day of the so-called triumphal entry, Jesus rides into the city on a colt. All the people are going, Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, etc. And he goes into the temple and he looks around and sees the state of things. But it's toward the end of the day because he's traveled all the way down from Galilee. And he leaves the city with his disciples and goes to Bethany. Verse 12. On the next day, when they left Bethany, he became hungry. Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to it to see if perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves because it was not the season for figs. Now that's the account in our text this morning, right? And he curses the tree. May no one ever eat fruit from you again. And his disciples were listening to him as he said that. And then they came into Jerusalem. Notice there's no other record about looking at the tree and noticing it withered, etc. He curses the tree on his way in that second day. Then In verse 15, they came into Jerusalem. He entered the temple and cleansed the temple, driving out the money changers, etc. That's what we saw last week, right? So Jesus was on the way into the temple that second day, and that's when he sees the fig tree. He goes to the fig tree. It has no fruit, so he curses it. He goes into the temple, cleanses the temple, and does all the things we saw last week. Skip down to verse 19. When evening came, they went out of the city. Verse 20, as they were passing by in the morning, so this is now the third day they're on their way in, as they're passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. And being reminded, that is, of yesterday's events when Jesus cursed the tree on the way in, Peter said, Rabbi, look, the fig tree which you cursed has withered. And then we have the rest of our text in Matthew. Mark is giving us the historical order of events. And it's because it's based on Peter's preaching and Peter's remembering the order things happen. And he is giving an explanation of Jesus. And that's the way he's giving his testimony to Jesus and who he is and what he did. You go to Matthew, though, and it is arranged as more as a legal theological case for Jesus as Messiah. That's why this whole fig tree narrative is compressed. But you can still get the point of the narrative. And if you take a look now at Matthew 21, verses 18 and 19, notice we pick up first in verse 18, within the morning he was returning to the city and became hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, he came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only. So he said to it, no longer shall there be any fruit from you. And at once the fig tree withered. Verse 20, seeing this is going to happen on the next day. But Matthew puts the whole thing together because he wants to make in general this point, as opposed to work through all the chronology. So hopefully that helps you to see that neither account is wrong. Both are right. There are accurate and truthful ways to represent what happened. And and it's just a more of a summary account in Matthew's gospel. Now, what exactly is the point of the narrative, especially from the context of Matthew? Now, first of all, remember from Mark, what we learned is that this happened. Jesus does this before he heads into the temple, right, and cleanses it. And then it's the next day after he's cleansed the temple, the disciples observed that the tree is withered. Well, what did Jesus do when he got into the temple? The day before he went into the temple, looks around, sees the state of things, leaves, spends the night in Bethany, comes back in the next day and cleanses the temple. Why? Because there's all this hubbub, there's all this hype that's going on. But there's all this activity of worship, but it's all corrupted. And what action does Jesus take? He judges the the corruption of the worship and cleanses it. He takes action and condemns what they're doing, driving out the money changers, etc. When he comes to this tree, this is an image of what he is about to do. This is a reflection of the power of God that will be on display in condemning his creation when it does not bear fruit in keeping with what God expects. is manifest in the cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem. It is later manifest in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and it will ultimately be reflected in the final wrath of God when it's poured out against creation that does not acknowledge him. Now, as we look at the details of the text, he was returning to the city in the morning. He was returning to the city and he became hungry. He came hungry just means what? He wanted something to eat. It's the next morning. They walked everywhere. It's the next morning. He's walking into the city and he became hungry. This is just an illustration of the fact that Jesus was fully human. He was fully God. He was the God-man. And just like we see in John 4, when as a result of the hot and tired day, Jesus sits down on a well and asks the woman, the Samaritan woman for a drink because he's hot and thirsty, so too here. It's the morning and he's gotten up and he's on his way into Jerusalem and he's hungry. Jesus was fully God and at the same time fully man. In verse 19, he's on his way into the city and he sees a lone fig tree by the road. First of all, the fact that it is a lone fig tree by the road indicates it's a wild fig tree growing on its own. This is not part of somebody's property. It's not part of somebody's orchard. So when Jesus curses the tree and it dies, he was not in some way, shape or form violating somebody's property. This is one of those trees that my dad would call a volunteer. You know, if you've ever had a volunteer tomato plant in your garden or a volunteer flower It's one that you didn't actually plant, but it just happened because you had in that area or that part of your garden or whatever in that flower bed last year, you had a geranium and now a geranium has sprung up again, even though you're planting roses this time, something like that. No doubt, because it's along the road on the way into Jerusalem, figs being a major common food source there in the Middle East and in the land of Israel, In fact, Bethphage is just outside of town. Bethphage literally means the house of figs. The town was named after fig trees because they're so common there. And so very likely this tree sprung up from fruit that fell out of a cart on the way in or somebody eating a fig on the way in and threw it by the side of the road and it grew up and became a tree. And it's a lone fig tree. It's not been planted. It's not being cared for. It doesn't belong to anybody. It's just growing along the side of the road. And Jesus comes to it, and He found nothing on it except leaves only. And so He curses it. No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you. Now, people have a lot of trouble with this. It just seems like so not Jesus, doesn't it? I mean, isn't Jesus just characterized by grace and compassion? The woman caught in adultery, whether that text is actually part of John's gospel or not, that seems to be an historical account. And she gets brought before him and dropped in front of him. And he says, let he who is among you without sin cast the first stone. He diffuses the whole thing. And then he looks at her. Where are your accusers? Well, then neither do I accuse you. Go and sin no more. You know, when he When he's on his way into town and there's a funeral procession on the way out and it's a widow's son and it's her only son and her husband's dead and he stops the funeral. Actually, he ruins the funeral because he raises her from the dead and gives him back to her mom. Wait a minute. He raises the son and gives him back to his mom. Whatever he does. Anyway, he raises the dead. He's on his way to Jerusalem and the blind men go, Son of David, Son of David, have mercy on us. And he stops, calls him over and cures. I mean, that seems like Jesus, doesn't it? That's the way we think about Jesus, isn't it? Jesus is characterized by love, by grace, by compassion. We have a tendency to have kind of a Santa Claus view of him, right? That smiling guy, that happy guy, that loving guy, that compassionate guy, that guy that's always helpful and never harsh, always gracious and ever loving and never firm, never cross, never angry. Well, if you pay attention to the cleansing of the temple, Jesus demonstrated righteous anger there when he drives out the money changers. And you think, well, that's really wrong. That makes sense. That makes sense. Here, we're just talking about a tree. We're just talking about a wild fig tree and it's growing up. And when and when Jesus gets to it, all it has is leaves, there's no fruit. Why would why would this did Jesus just get mad because of all the pressures of the week, knowing that he's gone his way to the cross? Well, let me teach you a little lesson about fig trees, OK? Fig trees are fruit trees. It's one of the seven mentioned bounties of the promised land. In Deuteronomy 8. You don't need to turn there. But Deuteronomy 8 is described this way. Moses says, The Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks, of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey. The figs is one of the common staples. It's one of the the natural benefits of and key resources and blessings of the promised land. It was a common fruit tree in Israel and particularly very common in the area in which this wild tree was growing. The tree produces a purple, greenish-yellow fruit. It typically takes about 80 days or so for it to ripen, basically three months. You can eat the fruit before it's fully ripened, but the flavor is less than stellar, at least that's what I read. The leaves were substantial enough to be woven into baskets, dishes, or umbrellas. In fact, it might be interesting to note, apart from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, This is the first tree mentioned in the Bible. Did you know that? Not this particular one, but the fig tree. Genesis. Look at the squished eyebrows from Chuck. I like that. Leave that in. All right. In Genesis chapter three and verse seven, when Adam and Eve sinned, what did they do? They pulled leaves off a fig tree and sewed them together to create garments to cover them. Fig trees have the kinds of leaves that are substantial enough, you can actually make plates out of them, umbrellas out of them, loin coverings out of them, etc. These are pretty special trees. You can eat the fruit, you can use the leaves to make items of value, baskets, dishes, umbrellas, etc. The fruit, whether fresh or dried, was made into anything from cakes to wine. You could even use it medicinally as a laxative or some people use the dried ones ground up as a sweetener. I don't know if it was the blue bag, the pink bag or the yellow bag, but they would use it as a sweetener. It was a regular staple in Israel. In fact, today in Israel there are both wild and cultivated fig trees. If they are well cared for, a fig tree can grow to be as tall as 30 feet, and it will typically produce two definite crops per season. And as I read this week, it is even possible if you're managing your trees, I mean, we can't even train a dog in our house, but apparently you can train fig trees least that's the way it described it. You can train your fig trees if you care for them so that you can have staggered production from them and you will have fruit essentially eight to nine months during the year. There will always be fruit amongst your trees if you manage it right because there are two full crops a year. Now typically the tree produces fruit. before it produces leaves. This is what's so significant about as it relates to our text. With a fig tree, the first of its energies goes into the production of the fruit. And once the fruit has formed, then the leaves come out. So if you see a fig tree with leaves, then you can go check and you should be able to see fruit. Now, it may not be ripe yet or fully ripe yet, but it should be developed. Normal winter figs ripen in May or June, but they typically bud and then develop in February and March. The leaves start to show then in April. So when Jesus, during the Passover, sees a fig tree, it's not the season for figs. It's not. So he doesn't just lose his temper and and go to this fig tree. And because he's hungry and he happens to walk by on that day and figs aren't in season and he goes, I was hungry and this tree didn't have fruit for me, so I'm going to kill it. The reason he went to the tree wasn't just because he was hungry, but he was hungry and he notices this tree and there's what on it? Leaves. Well, if you understand how fig trees grow and how they're raised, the leaves don't come out until there's fruit. Now, he wouldn't be expecting to find a piece of ripe fruit, but he would be expecting to find a piece of fruit that he could eat because you got this big show of leaves. So the leaves don't come out until the fruit develops. So there you go. So when he gets to this tree and there are all these leaves, all this show, that it's in bloom and that it's that and that it's it's carrying fruit. And he looks and there isn't any fruit. You know what that means? This tree isn't going to produce any fruit this whole season. There's going to be nothing. It's got a big show. But there's no go. There's no fruit. You want to know why Jesus curses this tree? Because it acted like it's fruitful, but it doesn't have any fruit. Jesus isn't just upset at a tree here. Jesus curses this tree as a clear demonstration of the way God is going to treat and respond to Israel because it's putting on a big show. But there isn't any go. There's a lot of hubbub and there's a lot of hype and there's a lot of hierarchy and spirituality that seems to be coming forth from Israel. And even in the triumphal entry, they say, Hosanna, Hosanna. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Those same people in a few days are going to say, we want Barabbas. And then Pilate's going to say, well, what do I do with Jesus? I find no fault in him. And what are they going to say? Crucify him. Crucify him. We will not have him reign over us. And you know the end result? In the same way that Jesus curses this tree and it dries up and dies, so too God will hold that generation accountable for having lots of show and no go. And I want you to, I want you to notice here, Jesus with a word pronounces a judgment against this tree and it dies. Now you want to know something? This is the only miracle in the Gospels Jesus does that kills instead of heals. This is the only one. And he does it at the beginning of Passion Week. As you go through the life and ministry of Jesus and you look at all of his teaching and all of his actions up until Passion Week, he is characterized by grace and mercy by patience and long suffering and repeatedly demonstrating miracles of healing. Miracles of provision, miracles of protection, calming the storm, even in the context of the one miracle that resulted in the destruction of the the herd of pigs. You remember that one? There's the there's the demon possessed man with a host of demons in him. And he cast those demons out and they asked to be allowed to go into the herd of pigs. So he's he gives them permission and he sends them out of the man. They go into the herd and immediately the herd runs down into the into the river and destroys itself. Jesus didn't destroy those pigs. The demons did. And Jesus delivered the man from the demons and the demons run in and destroy the herd. So you can say, well, and I remember working through that text a couple of times. The big argument is that's very disrespectful of somebody else's property with Jesus there, letting them go there. Jesus demonstrated the power to save. That's what was on display there. You know what Jesus is demonstrating here? He's got the same power and authority to destroy. Now, that's key, folks. That's the picture Jesus gives his disciples. This is not a public miracle. This is a private one. And it makes a declaration that is as truthful and essential to understand as all the miraculous healings he's done. That same Jesus who came and healed, came to save, will be the one who will condemn and destroy those who do not accept him. Both sides of that aspect of Christ's character and nature are true and real. In fact, I believe this is part of the reason why the disciples asked. Seeing this, the disciples were amazed. They're stunned. Wow. I mean, I think I think part of it is that's the first time they saw Jesus kill something. And he killed it is dead. As The dead people he raised came to life. This tree went from living and green to withered and obviously dead, just as Lazarus, who had been three days in the grave, rose up and came out and was alive and eating and drinking and talking. You don't understand. Listen. Jesus is the power of God on display. And Jesus will use that power to help and to save. To protect and preserve, to rescue and heal. And he will also use it to condemn and destroy when appropriate. Jesus cursed the tree and then he went in and cleansed the temple and both for the same reasons. There's a great show of fruitfulness, but no real fruit. And in the same way that he cleansed the temple when he came into it that day, in the same way that he cursed the tree and it died, so, too, one day when he returns, he will condemn the world, and rightly so. And we all need to be ready for him when he comes. You understand that, yes, Jesus does love you. Yes, Jesus does forgive you. Yes, Jesus did die for you. Even if you're a believer, though, there should still be a healthy fear and respect for God. That moves us to to repent of sin, that that provokes us to stay away from sin. And to fear his displeasure. Jesus is is is not an unbiblical love. Jesus is not a savior who doesn't care about sanctification and holiness. The severity of his actions in the cleansing of the temple demonstrate that the severity of the destruction of the fig tree demonstrates that. And when he makes a pronouncement against Jerusalem, And ultimately, by the end of that generation in 70 A.D., that whole city is destroyed because it was the city that rejected God's Son. These are truths about Jesus that we need to know, we need to appreciate, and we need to have resonate within our minds and our understandings. Yeah, Jesus loves me. He does, and he died for me. But he also expects me to be obedient to God. He expects me to be obedient to his commands. And for those who are not his people, you can put on all the show you want. You can put on all the act you want. But as Jesus himself said at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, many will come to me in that day and say, Lord, Lord, didn't we do all these great things in your name? And I will say to them, depart from me, you workers of iniquity. I never what? Knew you. And he will cast them into the lake of fire together with the devil and his angels. Yeah, Jesus is loving and gracious and kind, and Jesus is just and all powerful and almighty, and he will condemn the wicked. Secondly, Jesus is not only has the power and authority to condemn sinners, He also has the power and authority to help his people. And he will do that in answering their prayers. Now, the immediate context here in verses 20 to 22 is instruction specifically tied to the disciples. But by the time we get to the end of this, I want to extrapolate this into a practical application for us as it relates to our prayer life. So stay with me. In verse 20, Seeing this, seeing what? Seeing the withered tree. Again, remember, chronologically, it's the next day, the next morning they're heading across. And the disciples were amazed, the word amazed here is the same term normally translated marveled. It means to be blown away at the at what has happened. They're marveling at the display of power, maybe because this was the first time they've seen Jesus do a miracle of destruction. But in any case. They're amazed and they and they say, how did the fig tree wither all at once? Notice they missed the point. They missed the point of the destruction of the fig tree. The fig tree was not destroyed just because it didn't have fruit. The fig tree was destroyed because it put on a show when it isn't the season. And had no fruit. And it is a picture of the way God is going to respond to Jerusalem, putting on a show. Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord and yet will reject him. But what they're in awe about is the power Jesus demonstrated. You will never again bear fruit. They come by the next day. This tree is dead. Ever seen a dead tree? Ever seen a dead tree? Ever seen one die like this overnight? OK. Now, some of us have green thumbs. Barbara, I think, has three green thumbs. But my wife, I think one of hers are black. And I'm pretty sure both of mine are, because we can kill almost anything, can't we dear? Yeah, I think it dies in the car on the way home from Lowe's. But even as gifted as we are at killing things that grow, it's not overnight. It's just not. And to see a fig tree go from all in leaf to just plain dead to the roots. I mean, it'd be cool to be able to do that, wouldn't it? I mean, that's just wow. That's the thing of movies. And that's what the disciples are in awe over, the display of power that Jesus demonstrated. Maybe the reason is because it's the only time Jesus did a miracle of judgment. At least it's the only one recorded in the Gospels. Even the cleansing of the temples were simply exercise of authority that demonstrated God was with him. They weren't miraculous acts like this one. This is like Matthew 8 and verse 27. Remember when Jesus is in the boat sleeping because he's tired and the storm comes along and even the fishermen are scared and they wake him up and say, don't you care about us? And he rebukes the wind and the waves and immediately the wind stops and the waves go dead calm. And now all of a sudden the disciples aren't afraid of the storm outside of the boat. They're afraid of God inside the boat. This is a display of power like that. This is a demonstration of control over creation. And in this particular case with the death of the fig tree, It is not the demonstration of the power to heal. It is a demonstration of the power to destroy. Yeah, it catches their attention. It catches their attention. How did the fig tree wither all at once? Look at verse 21. Jesus answered and said to them, Truly I say to you. Remember, truly is actually the word amen or amen. It's typically a word that is added after something is stated in adding an affirmation. Yes, that's true. Jesus didn't wait for others to affirm what he said is true. He didn't even wait till he was done saying it to confirm that it's true. He said to the to begin with, truly, I say or amen. I'm saying that's an emphatic way to affirm this statement as an absolute fact. Truly 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 even if you say to this mountain, be taken up and cast into the sea, it will happen. And all things you ask in prayer, believing you will receive. You notice Jesus doesn't even bother at this point to explain why he did it. That's left to figure out. from the context after the resurrection. Jesus has been telling them for multiple chapters now. When I get to Jerusalem, this is the way it's going to play out. When I get to Jerusalem, this is what's going to happen. When I get to Jerusalem, they're going to reject me and crucify me and kill me. And on the third day, I will rise again. And they don't hear him. They don't listen to him. Even in the upper room, when he gives specific instructions to them, they're still worrying about which one of them is going to have the chief seat in the kingdom. And when he says, the scriptures say tonight the shepherd will be struck and the sheep will be scattered. And they all say, oh, no, no, no. Even if all fall away, I won't. Jesus doesn't even bother explaining why he did it here. He leaves that for them and ultimately for us. to figure out from the context you know what he does though though he says you guys are looking at this display of power like this is all that i'm here to tell you as my disciples that same power of mine i have put at your disposal and all you have to do as ask in fact he says if you have faith and do not doubt you will not only Do what was done to the fig tree as though this is a simple little thing You will even say to this mountain be taken up and cast into the sea and it will happen This is where we get the expression of being able to move mountains Now in some respects today we can move mountains I drive through a couple of times a week both ways down into the valley and back up I drive through a valley that People have cut into the mountains all the way down to Sun Valley, right? So with huge machinery and tons of man hours and time and whatever else, yeah, we can move some mountains. Or maybe some of you guys out at the base, you could set off a nuclear warhead and move a lot of land. But you can't just say to a mountain, move, can you? Who do you have to be to be able to pull that off? God. And you know what Jesus is telling his disciples here? That power, the power to move mountains, the power to curse the fig tree, the power of God, the power only God can do. That's the power that I am putting at your disposal because you're my disciples. And you know something? When you look at the book of Acts, you can see this is exactly the power that's on display. When you read in John 14 to 16, The instructions that Jesus gave in the upper room saying, whatever you ask in my name, I will give you. And it's good for you that I go away because I'm going to send another comforter, namely the Holy Spirit, and he will empower you to do things beyond what I did. Yeah, what he's saying here is. You won't just be able to do I won't just be empower you to do something like simple, like destroying this fig tree. I will give you the ability to move mountains. And, you know, it's fascinating. There's never once in the Bible where you read of any of the apostles moving a mountain. Know that. So the point is not about destroying fig trees or physically moving mountains, you know, but the point is, I will put the power of God at your disposal. I'll put the power of God at your disposal. When you read in the book of Acts, that's exactly what you see. In Acts chapter 2, actually Acts chapter 3, Peter and John are going into the temple. It's the ninth hour, the hour of prayer. A man who had been lame from his mother's womb was carried along, whom they had used to set down every day at the gate of the temple, which is called beautiful. in order for him to be able to beg alms of those who were entering the temple. And when he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking them to give him alms. But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, look at us. And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, you have to forgive me, this is the King James coming out of me here, but silver and gold have I none, but such as I have, I give to you in the name of Jesus Christ. Get up and walk. The man got up and walked and he went into the temple with them, leaping and jumping and dancing and praising God. That's the power of God on display there, and it's Jesus telling his disciples, even at the at the beginning of Passion Week, guys, that's the power I'm putting at your disposal. All you have to do is ask. Acts chapter 5 verses 1 to 11. You see that power on display. Peter addresses Ananias and says, Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back some of the price of the land while it remained unsold? Did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it then that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You haven't lied to men, but to God. And when he heard these words, Ananias fell down dead and breathed his last." It's like the fig tree. Same thing happens to his wife when she comes in. Verse 12. were told at the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch. None of the rest dared to associate with them. I wonder why? Because if you're going to play games with God, you don't hang around with the Christians. You play games with God and you're identifying yourself with Christ. If you are playing games, God will strike you dead. Those are the kinds of miracles going on. Why do you think God struck down Ananias and Sapphira? You think those are the only times people put on a big show and their offerings in the church age? Why did he do it there? To make a lasting impression on his people for all time. Why do you think Jesus cursed the fig tree? To make a lasting impression on his people for all time. God is serious about holiness. God is serious about repentance. God is serious about his offer to forgive and to heal, heal and to restore and to give you a place in his kingdom. But if you won't repent, he's also serious about judgment. And even if you're one of his people, he's serious about you being obedient. Verse 14, all the more believers in the Lord. there were all the more believers in the Lord multitudes of men and women who are constantly being added to their numbers to such an extent they even carried the sick out into the streets laid them on cots and pallets so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them and the people the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits and they were all being healed miracles just like Jesus did And in some respects, even bigger, even more amazing. In Acts chapter two, verse 43, we're told from the day of Pentecost, everyone kept feeling a sense of awe. Many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And on it goes. You go back to Matthew 21, and this is exactly what Jesus promises them right here. You think destroying a fig tree is a big deal, guys? I'm here to tell you, because you are my disciples, I will put that power at your disposal. Now, notice the conditions. Notice, he says, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, be taken up and cast into the sea, it will happen. And all the things you ask in prayer, believing you will receive. Say, well, I've asked for a lot of things and really believe with all my heart that God would give it. How come I didn't get it? Because there are really two conditions that are given here. One is. If you have faith. means you need to pray in faith. Praying in faith means two things. Number one, you're sure that what you're asking for is what God wants you to ask for or God wants you to have or to do. And secondly, you need to be specific. Notice he says you will not only be able to do what was done to the fig tree, but if you say to this mountain, be taken up and cast into the sea, it will obey you. You need to pray for things that are in agreement with what God says and what God wants. And you need to pray specifically in line with that. In John, chapter 14. In the upper room, Jesus explains it this way, John 14, verse 12. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also and greater works than these he will do because I go to the father. Whatever you ask in my name, that will I do so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. And if you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. What does it mean to ask in his name? It doesn't just mean that the end of your prayer, you say in Jesus name, amen. It means that you're asking for something that is in line with who Jesus is and what Jesus wants. Well, how do I know if it's what Jesus wants? compared to scripture. If it's something specifically that Jesus has promised or that Jesus has said or that the Bible tells us that God expects and God wants, then you can ask for it. And some people say, well, I know that God loves people and he loves sinners and he wants them to be saved. That's true. Well, I keep asking for God to save my parents. I keep asking for God to save my spouse. I keep asking for God to save my kids. I keep asking For God to save my friend. OK. Scripture does not say specifically with regard to your kids, your spouse, your parents, your neighbors or your friends, that they're part of God's elect. It's OK and right to pray for God to save them because it's in keeping with God's overall revelation. But with regard to specificity, there's nothing in scripture that says he or she will be saved. But you know what you can be sure of? God does want you to point them to Christ. God has commanded you to share the gospel with them. God has called you to be faithful in your witness before them. God does want you to be bold and courageous and love them enough to point them to Christ. So instead of just praying that God will save them, you can express your desire that your son, your daughter, your your wife, your husband or whatever, get saved. But then pray specifically for you to be obedient, to share the truth with them. You know, the apostle Paul is probably the best evangelist in the Bible, apart from Jesus himself. Right. Paul Never ask people to pray for people to get saved. What did Paul ask for? Pray for open doors and for boldness. Pray for the opportunity to preach and for the strength and the courage and the boldness to speak the way God expects him to speak. And what do we find through the whole book of Acts? No matter who Paul is appearing before, what do we find characteristic of Paul? He sure seems to be pretty bold to me. He sure seems to speak regularly the way you ought to speak to me, right? That's praying in faith, making sure you're praying for what God wants and praying specifically. In the context. Of what God wants. There's a lot of things you can be specific about, but not be sure if it's actually God's will. The second aspect of it here is Not only to pray in faith, but pray without any doubting. Notice again in verses 21 and 22. I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you won't only do what was done to the fig tree, but even be able to move mountains. Verse 22 and all the things you ask in prayer, believing you will receive. Pray without doubting, what does it mean to pray without doubt? Some people struggle with this. Well, I believe God will help me, but I and I but I still, you know, I waver back and forth a little bit. Sometimes I'm unsure and I just seemed like I model it all up. You know, without any doubting basically means in a context like this, this isn't that whole subjective that you never waver in your heart. It means that you act in accordance with what you just asked for. With without any doubting basically means without wavering, without becoming uncertain. You ask God for boldness to share the gospel with somebody. Let me ask you a question. How many of you have ever had a relationship challenge within your household? Okay? So, ever realize you're the one that's wrong? Kath never has, apparently. Alright, so, I'm going to write that one down for next week. Listen, you realize you're wrong. Ever had trouble getting your heart to the place where you want to obey? You know, you got to go back and say, dear, I was wrong. Ever notice how hard that is? Why is that hard? Because of our pride. But you know that God wants you to admit your sin and go back and ask for good. Yes, but she started it. Or yes, but but hers was worse. Yes, but I never would have if she hadn't. You go through all those justifications in your heart, right? But deep down, you know, God wants you to go back and just accept responsibility for your sin. You know, you need to do. You need to ask God not only to forgive you, you need to ask God to give you the strength and the courage and help you be humble like he's commanded you to be and go back and admit your sin and ask for forgiveness. And then without wavering, get up and go do it. That's it's that simple. You know what you will find? Suddenly you're able to do it. It's almost like as you start to obey, you have the power to obey. It's almost like as you ask God to help you and then start to walk in obedience, he's he's infusing you by the power of his spirit or something magical or whatever to be able to do what you part of you doesn't want to do. You know, you're supposed to do it and party wants to do it, but party doesn't want to do it. Ever have that struggle? Ever been there? You know, I just can't. And you ask God to take the struggle away. God's not going to take the struggle away. You know what God's going to do? He's going to answer your prayer when you don't waver. When you don't start doubting whether you should do it, whether you can do it, whether you have the ability. No, you get up and obey and start doing it. It's really fascinating to me. In John chapter 14, we read the text where he says, whatever you ask in my name, I will do it. Verse John 14, 14. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. You know, the very next verse says, and if you love me, you'll what? Keep my commandments. you keep my commandments and you ask me for anything that's in my name what's in my name keeping my commandments any of my commandments you need help obeying you ask and you know what I'll do I'll help you that's the promise and that's how it relates to us you know the apostles were the ones that were promised that they could do miracles just like Jesus we weren't but we have the same spirit and we have the same power and we have the same promises you ask God in faith without doubting And He'll give it to you if you're one of His people. But you've got to ask in faith. You've got to ask in agreement with what God's revealed will is. And you've got to ask specifically in that context. Give me the boldness. Give me the courage. Give me the humility. Give me the strength. And give me the opportunity. And then you've got to back it up with obedience on your part. And you know what you're going to find? It's like you tap the power of Christ Himself to be able to do that. Why? Because you have. You have. Most people think of Jesus as just a demonstration of God's love. You know something? The way he answers my prayers is undeniably to me every bit a demonstration of his love as dying on the cross for me was. The way he cares for me, the way he's patient with me, the way he forgives me, the way he helps me obey him even after I botched it. Is there anybody as loving and compassionate as Christ? Can you think of anybody more patient with you? You know what? I'm not very patient with my wife and she's not very patient with me sometimes. And we're as close as two people can get, right? We're committed forever. We've been together for, you know, A nice 25 years. See, it only had to be the 25th anniversary and already she remembers. Listen, it's almost 25 years in a row. Yes, in a row that we've been together. OK, and and and we still get impatient with one another and and we're we're stuck for for the rest of our days together. And I'm happy. But there are times when and and and sometimes it takes her a little while to to forgive. Sometimes it takes me a little while to forgive. Sometimes I have to actually ask God to give me the strength to do it and then just walk in obedience and grant forgiveness. And it seems like before too long, I can work through that in my heart and and it's better. And then a demonstration of God's grace. Listen. If you want a complete picture of Jesus, He's not just the God of love who answers the prayers of his people and empowers them to obey him. He's also the God who's going to condemn sin. And both aspects of his character there ought to inform us and move us and drive us and compel us. In how we live our lives. Most people think of Jesus as a God of love. And that's true. But it's not the whole truth. And if you are one who has never bowed the knee to Christ, I want you to understand that when Jesus wept over Jerusalem, he will weep over you too. But he will also condemn you if you won't repent. So take both sides of that to heart. Father, thanks for this day. Thanks for sending your son. Thanks for your perfect love. Thanks for answering our prayers. And thanks for being serious about sin. Not just the sins of the world, but even our own sins. Because what you demonstrated at the cross was not just your love for us, but also your absolute commitment to justice. The wrath we're due for our sins was paid for by Christ at the cross. May we who know you never forget that, nor presume upon it. In Jesus' name, amen.