The Lord certainly has gifted us with some wonderful musical talent, but talent that wants to bring the glory to God and not to self, and I'm so thankful for that. I wanna, again, just publicly say thank you to Mike Bowman for all of the work that he is doing while we are looking for another music pastor. We are in the process of looking. I just started, initiated a conversation with the fourth guy that I am pursuing, so please be praying for that. Please turn in your Bibles with me to Mark chapter 11 this morning. So excited to be able to have service in person. Last week I was preaching from my house and I want to say thank you to Brother Troy Thompson to being able to know the technology to be able to download an app to my phone and we were able to do live stream from the phone. This is a whole lot better. And so somebody said, how come you seem to be kind of so quiet and muted? It's because I was afraid I was going to knock my cell phone over. Plus, I was preaching in my kitchen, which has a wood floor. And I thought if I got too loud, it would be so echoey, you might not understand what I'm saying. All right, so you know what that means, don't you? It means I'm probably going to unleash a little bit this morning, and hopefully more in dynamics than in length, right? So pray with me I'll be able to keep this to a reasonable length this morning. Mark layers the accounts that we're going to look at this morning in between the story of Jesus' triumphal entry and his cleansing of the temple, and then his authority that is challenged, and then his actual challenge, not in a way to fight, but in a way to invite those who were opposed to him to actually repent of that and put their faith in him as the Messiah. So mark layers this account of the cursing of the fig tree and jesus teaching on faith and on prayer and forgiveness It's all stuff we're going to look at this morning between the elements of the of all that I just mentioned Mark's purpose is to clarify in no uncertain terms that there is a connection here Alright, so we know that mark doesn't always follow chronology Although according to the other Gospels this did all take place during this time But he purposefully sandwiches and kind of goes back and forth to show us that there is a real significance here alright, because the incident of the fig tree is a purposeful parable of That is concerning is relationship Israel's relationship to God and his judgment upon her So as they study this passage this morning from the Word of God, let's heed the warnings and the instructions that the Holy Spirit Gives to us personally as he applies this word to our own hearts Look, first of all at the false advertising of the fig tree look at verse 12 and on the morrow when they come from Bethany He was hungry Okay, and seeing a fig tree far off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find anything thereon. And when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it, no man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever. And the disciples heard it. So what I want you to understand here this morning is a couple of things. According to Matthew's account, this tree was by the side of the road. And so as Jesus is heading from Bethany down the side of the Mount of Olives toward the temple, there's this fig tree by the side of the road. It would have been for anybody's benefit that wanted it. This was a mature tree. This was not a sapling. This was a tree that was mature enough that it was expected to bear fruit. And though this season, this Passover season, was not the time of the ripened figs, it was just before that. The way that these fig trees are, their nature is that when the leaves come out at the same time, the green fruit is in the bud. In other words, there is an unripened fig that is actually considered a delicacy. So when the Bible says that Jesus, when he saw that fig tree afar off, it was such it was a mature tree and it was in such full leaf that it was advertising, hey, I'm a mature tree. I am actually farther along in the process. than other fig trees are. And so when it says, if happily, that word if happily doesn't mean Jesus just, well, I'm just taking a shot. Let's just see if there might be something on the fig tree. That's not it at all. That word for if happily indicates using reasoning. In other words, Jesus sees the fig tree afar off in full leaf. And so he says, well, there should be some green figs, edible green figs that are on that tree. And he went to the tree to find some of those green figs and eat a few of them for he was hungry So leaves on the fig tree indicate fruit The fig tree was in full leaf Jesus noticed it from afar and it appeared to be advanced in his maturity, but it was not So Jesus then that's the false advertising fig tree. Second of all Jesus pronounces To the makes a pronouncement to the fig tree and one commentator said like tree like temple like temple like nation So when Jesus is saying tree you are mature you have life you are showing leaves. You should have green fruit You have none. No man eat fruit on you hereafter. I Jesus was pronouncing a judgment in parabolic form, not only about that tree. It was more of the object lesson. He's pronouncing because where had he been and where was he going? To the temple at Jerusalem. Jerusalem being the center of the worship of Jehovah God and the people of Israel and the people at Jerusalem should have been bearing fruit unto God. They showed every outward sign of it. but there was no true fruit. And so like tree, like temple, like temple, like nation, it was a symbolic prophecy concerning the temple. Mark meant for his readers to see the connection between the barren tree, because even though it was in leaf, it did not have the fruit that should have come along with the leaves. that that was symbolic for Israel and of course of the temple. Remember what Jesus does as he's going to Jerusalem right after, or to the temple in Jerusalem right after this, is he cleanses the court of the Gentiles. Because what had they done? They had taken that which was supposed to be a house of prayer for all nations, and they had made it a den of thieves. They had turned the house of God into a flea market. over the pretense of facilitating worship. And they were making a killing in profits. That's why Jesus called it a den of thieves. They were even making it cost prohibitive for Gentiles to come and offer sacrifice in worship to God because of the convenience of buying things there at the temple. Matter of fact, they began to sew up that little market. to where it would be very difficult anywhere coming into Judea to find any of those sacrifices because everybody knew the premium price was at the temple. And so if you have livestock and you don't have a booth at the temple, you sell it to the merchants who are gonna have a booth at the temple because they'll pay you premium, they'll buy up all of your perfect stock so that they could sell it. So there was, instead of the temple being a place of prayer and of worship and a focus on God and on his truth, it had devolved into merely a temporal marketplace. Folks, here at Berean Baptist Church, we're not running a business. Now we're gonna do things decently and in order and we are going to follow principles in the Word of God as far as the daily business concerns of this church go so that we are faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to us. Being a ministry is not an excuse for carelessness or slovenliness, but we are not a business. We are part of the kingdom of God. We are called out assembly of believers who are called to walk in holiness and righteousness that our testimony may shine as the light of the truth of Christ. And with compassion of Christ, we love unbelievers and we proclaim the truth through the way that we live and through a gospel witness that lovingly tells others of the wonderful good news of Jesus Christ. And we are living not for this life, but for eternity. And this church is established for the glory of God to fulfill the great commission, which is to make disciples and to stand as a, if you want to put it this way, as a fortress or a bastion of the truth in a world that is uncertain. We stand as a city of light in a world of darkness. The temple had the appearance of dedication to God, but in substance fell far short of doing his will. Now when Jesus condemns the fig tree, and you understand that he is also prophetically proclaiming what's gonna happen to the temple because the temple now was not producing spiritual fruit. It had become a marketplace instead of a place of prayer and of worship. This was a prophetic warning of what God was gonna do to his temple. And in AD 70, Titus came with his Roman legions and he razed Jerusalem and he burned the temple. Now the temple was not completely dismantled until about AD 135. And most of it, except for the wailing wall, was completely dismantled. But this was God's warning. because the temple no longer had become a place for the glory of God and the worship of God. It had merely become a religious center that was motivated and based on temporal gain, power, and profit. Why was it that the high priests opposed Jesus Christ and wanted him crucified? Because their power was threatened. Because their prosperity was threatened. It was not that they truly wanted to proclaim the Messiah. It was not that they were open to the will of God. They turned a blind eye to the clear prophecies of the scripture. Jesus even at one time challenged them, search the scriptures, for they speak of me. And yet they conveniently ignored those portions of scripture that they did not want to see. There's also a significant or symbolic indictment on the people of Israel. One author says the tree was cursed for its pretense of leaves, not for its lack of fruit. See, the tree was saying, I'm healthy, I'm mature, I am bearing fruit because my leaves are out, the green fruit should have been out at the same time. It was not cursed or condemned by Jesus for its leaves, but for its lack of fruit. Like Israel in the days of Jesus, it had the outward form but no fruit. One author said, in this picture, Jesus warned Israel and us of God's displeasure when we have the appearance of fruit, but not the fruit itself. God isn't pleased when his people are all leaves and no fruit. And I know those of you that are musicians are thinking of that old gospel song, Nothing But Leaves. And some of that song came to my mind and heart because that was one of the songs my mom would sing sometimes in revival meetings that my dad would preach. Joel chapter two verses 12 and 13. Here's an indictment from the Lord. Therefore also now saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning and rend your heart and not your garments and turn unto the Lord your God. There was a plea for them. to turn back to the true worship of God, even the prophet Joel. Jesus quotes Isaiah 29 and verse 13, which says, for as much as this people draw near to me with their mouth and with their lips to honor me, but every move their heart far from me and their fear towards me is taught by the precept of men. And our relationship with God has to be more than just what others have taught us. Young people, your faith, is not just something that you blithely accept because that's what you've been taught, but because you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, who is the Word made flesh, and you know that the Scriptures are true, and God has done a work in your heart you hold to the Scriptures, because your fear, your respect, your relationship, your walking before God in reverence, is not going to be the mere product of being raised in a Christian home or in a Bible-teaching church. Those things are helpful. But you have to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and walk with Him if you are going to bear spiritual fruit. And we can appear to others as if that fruit is in our life. And if our heart is drawn near to the Lord, and yet remember that God knows the hearts. Third thing I want you to see this morning, not only was there a falsely advertising fig tree. And so Jesus pronounced to the fig tree judgment, which illustrated his judgment on the temple and on Israel as a people, but Also want you to see that jesus illustrated instruction on prayer and forgiveness now We're going to skip down to verses 20 to 26. Jesus uses this fig tree to begin to teach The disciples on prayer and forgiveness look at verse 20 and in the morning as they passed by they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots And peter calling to remember it saith unto him master. Behold the fig tree which thou have cursed is withered away Jesus answering said unto him have faith in god now before we get to the other verses I just want to just show you a couple of things here. This this is Peter's observation Of course, we know that often Peter kind of acted as the spokesman for the rest of the disciples, but Peter's observation He says to him master Lily rabbi. So when he's saying that he's saying teacher rabbi He's looking to be taught the disciples are looking for the lesson in this and their shock is not that what Jesus said came to pass and I mean, there, three and a half years of walking with Jesus, whatever Jesus said came to pass. Whatever Jesus commanded happened because He is the Son of God. And yet, in this, what shocked them was not that the fig tree that Jesus pronounced judgment on had withered from the roots up. What they were, what Peter's expressing as he's saying, Lord, teach us about this because this happened so thoroughly, so quickly. What power, that just the day before you cursed the fig tree, and now look at this. It's dried from the roots up. Jesus' directive is to have faith in God. It's interesting there, don't pass over that little phrase, have faith in God, because Jesus' directive is that the proper object of faith is God, not the temple. Do you remember when Jesus confronted them and talked about let your yea be nay and your nay be nay and don't be swearing by the temple? And some people said, well, I don't swear by the temple, I swear by the gold of the temple, you know? No, listen, let your yea be ay and your nay nay. Your faith is not in the temple, your faith is not in a religious system. Your faith is in God, have faith in God. He is to be the object of your faith. It's to be a relational trust. not just a mental ascent. Faith is the basic condition of all of our relationship with God, including prayer. Jesus is getting ready to teach them about prayer. And so, Jesus instructs and encourages disciples with promises of answered prayer. Look at verse 23. For verily, I say unto you, again, remember, when Jesus says verily, he's saying truly. I am asserting this as true. And then he says, I say unto you, he is claiming deity here, and he is saying, as I am God the Son, and as I say this, this is absolute truth. I certify with my heavenly authority this truth. And that's something you better perk up your ears and listen to and pay attention to. So this is a promise. This is a certified promise that whosoever shall say unto this mountain being removed and be cast into the sea and shall not doubt in his heart But shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass. He shall have whatsoever. He saith Therefore I say unto you what things whoever you desire when you pray believe that you receive them and ye shall have them now a couple of things that I want to encourage you with Jesus promised God's answer to prayer made in faith was made to the disciples Not to the multitudes See So this is not just for anybody This is for this promise is made to the disciples. We who are saved who are following after Christ We are his disciples. This promise is made to us, but this promise is not made to the world at large this promise is made to believers. Nor should, and I agree with this, as one Bible commentator said, nor should we interpret it to mean if you pray hard enough and really believe, God is obligated to answer your prayer no matter what you ask. That kind of faith is not faith in God, rather it is nothing but faith in faith or faith in feelings. Warren Wiersbe said that. You know, if you just have faith. Just having faith and having sincere faith may be a concept that many people may agree upon. Wow, man, that person has faith. And maybe even the unsaved world around us admires somebody who sincerely has faith. But folks, again, our faith is not in faith. Our faith is not in a religious system. Our faith is in the living Son of God. Have faith in God. And because Jesus said, I and the Father are one, Jesus said, saying, have faith in me. And I certify as God that I promise to you, who are my disciples, that what you pray and you pray with that passionate desire and with confident faith, it shall be done. But I also like what Lenski said, Jesus is here, Jesus, of course, is speaking to his disciples of what they will meet in their calling. God does no silly things. no useless things, no things for mere display, yet it is His power that He places behind Jesus' disciples to do the things that He lays upon them as such disciples. Let me challenge you with this. If you are a member, a regular attender of Marian Baptist Church, our commission is to proclaim the gospel to unbelievers when they trust Christ to teach them to walk in obedience to Christ. And that first step of obedience is believers' baptism. then to train them and indoctrinate them with the scriptures and begin to Equip them to live a life that is pleasing to God that will count for his glory in eternity Do you believe that God wants us to be successful in reaching our community with the gospel of Jesus Christ and make disciples Yes, or no Then are you going to pray and believe it? I? You look around us and you see mountains all around us. COVID has been a mountain. Is that gonna stop the gospel from going forth? You see that the government is slowly eroding our freedoms. Are we gonna let that be a mountain that stops the gospel from going forth and disciples from being made? Well, let me ask you this. How much time do you spend in fervent prayer that God would have you and your spouse and your family and your Sunday school, your youth group, your church, your missionaries accomplish this mission. And often, the reason we don't pray about these things is because we're really not passionate about it. And we have the appearance of loving God, but we are bearing leaves, and there's not a whole lot of even green figs on us when there should be. You know, if that fig tree had been a sampling, and it was not yet to fruit-bearing years, would Jesus have expected fruit on it? No. Would there have been an indictment because there was no fruit? No. If the tree had been small, and yet mature enough to bear green figs, and the green figs were there along with the fruit, would Jesus have condemned that tree? No. And for those who have not been saved very long, or have not been indoctrinated or invested in the Word of God for very long, or to a great degree, God knows what to expect from you. Our God is not an unreasonable God. And God does not expect from you what He has not yet given you. But when God in His grace invests in you His truth, and the ministry of other Christian mentors coming alongside and investing in you, and He is working to teach you through circumstances, and you should be bearing fruit and you're not, may God's Holy Spirit convict your heart and mind. And one of the things today that is a burden on my heart is that we would pray in faith, believing. You study the context here, and I believe part of what Jesus is saying, though this is unspoken, Christ doesn't directly mention this, this is why I say this is just my impression. Okay, please don't misunderstand what I'm about to say. But my impression is that Jesus is saying, you know what? I love my chosen people. And I'm gonna redeem my chosen people. And there are some, there are many who will trust me. You look at the day of Pentecost, when 3,000 were saved. You look at others, believers, Jews, that turn from Judaism, from false religion under Christ. You'll look how God has even in these current times, reached out to his own people through the gospel, and some have been saved, and we rejoice in that, for God is faithful. And I believe this is what Jesus is saying, look, the temple, look at the temple, and look at the corruption among the, even what's supposed to be quote-unquote spiritual leadership, and look how the worship and the glory of God that should be at the temple has degenerated into nothing more than a glorified flea market. where there are power plays and struggles and my word is being manipulated and certain things are being, and the tradition of the elders are given the same elevation of authority and honor as my spoken word. And many times my spoken and written word has been ignored. And yet there is hope for salvation even in Israel and to these people. Because when you believe, and you ask and you desire. What did Paul say? Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is what? That they might be saved. Do you not think the other apostles shared that same passionate burden that Paul had? Sure they did. And yet I wonder, do we have that same passion? Is it wrong to pray for our own needs? No, certainly we are to bring our needs and our concerns and our burdens to the Lord. We are commanded in different places in scriptures to do so. But God knew, Jesus the son of God knew what his disciples would face as they go out after his resurrection to begin to proclaim the gospel throughout the world. The great commission that God gives to the disciples in Mark 16, 15 is going into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. That's a pretty big mission, is it not? and they were gonna be persecuted, and they were gonna face opposition, they were gonna have difficulties, and they were gonna suffer deprivation, and they weren't always gonna have all the tools to completely facilitate everything that they wanted to do for God, but the grace of God would be poured out upon them, and mountains would be removed, and God would do miracles, if they would be faithful in prayer, and bear the fruit of a prayerful heart. And then Jesus instructs his disciples on forgiveness and effectual prayer. Look with me in the last couple of verses. In verse 25 and 26, Jesus said, and when you stand praying, forgive, for if ye have ought against any, if ye have ought against any, that your Father which also is in heaven may forgive your trespasses, but if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. The forgiven heart forgives. If we have had hard, unforgiving hearts, it calls into question if we have ever really received or appreciated the forgiveness of God that he offers to us. Unless we forgive others freely, It shows we have no consciousness of the grace that we ourselves have received and needed. It shows that we are expecting to be heard based on the merits of our own righteousness, and that cannot be honored by God. We, by an unforgiving spirit, have made it impossible to accept the forgiveness freely offered by God. That's what Jesus is saying in verse 26. since we refuse to adopt the only attitude by which we can appropriate God's forgiving grace. There are several places in scripture where God talks about not answering prayer. And one of them is, husbands, be not bitter against your wives, lest your what? Prayers be hindered. There is a direct connection. If you have received the forgiveness of God through the gift of receiving salvation, you had to come to the place where you humbled yourself and acknowledged your need for that forgiveness. And when you trust Christ and you receive that forgiveness, your heart is set free. And now, because you've experienced the love and the forgiveness of Christ, you now have the capacity to lovingly forgive others. God will never give you a command that he will not give you his grace and all of his resources to fulfill. And the Bible commands us, Ephesians 4, 31, and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, Forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you And folks the work of God can be hindered in your family in this community and in this church If you are unforgiving for your prayers will be hindered. And we need the concerted prayer of all of God's people bearing the spirit fruit in our lives. And what is the fruit of the spirit? Love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, meekness, faith, temperance. All of those things are the antithesis of unforgiveness, of bitterness. And so let me challenge you this morning. As Jesus instructs his disciples, you pray by faith, you pray according to the will of God, and God will move mountains. But if there is any unforgiveness in your heart to which the Holy Spirit speaks, and you are unwilling to forgive based on this passage of Scripture and other passages in the Scripture, you are in disobedience, therefore you are not in fellowship with God. Don't expect your prayers to be answered. You see, it's just like with salvation. Can you get saved on your terms? Can you receive eternal life on your terms? Do you set the terms? God does. In Christian, God sets the terms on his grace. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Do you realize how proud and arrogant it is to be unforgiving? Jesus gave the parable in Matthew chapter 18 when he taught his disciples on forgiveness and Peter in an almost an exasperated tone says, Lord, how off shall I forgive my brother until seven times? And Jesus says until 70 times seven. Peter thought he was magnanimous by saying seven times, because seven was kind of a symbolic number of perfection. And I think Peter's thinking, Lord, if I forgive seven times, if someone sins against me seven times in a day, then my obligation is completed on day seven, on the seventh time that day. On the eighth time, I can seek revenge. I can punch them in the face. I can cuss them out. I can let them have it. I can start being bitter after the eighth time because I forgave him seven times. Lord, is that it? Am I obligated just to seven times and then all bets are off? And I'm paraphrasing. But Jesus says no, until 70 times seven. As often as it's needed continually because you know what, that's how God forgives us. And then Jesus goes on into a parable about a servant who owed his master 200,000 years worth of wages for a common laborer. It was an insurmountable debt. And his king commanded him to be sold and his wife and his children and all that he had and payment to be made. And it would have only just been a drop in the bucket compared to what he owed. And that servant comes in and he begs his master to have compassion and patience. He says, have patience with me and I will pay thee all. That was a false promise. Never could have repaid it. But his Lord had compassion on him and he forgave him the debt. And immediately that servant went out and didn't just bump into a fellow servant who owed him three months back wages worth money, but he sought him out. And he found him and he grabbed him by the throat and he demanded immediate payment. And when that fellow servant made the same plea with him, he had just pled with his master. There was no familiarity. There was no striking of the cords of compassion in his heart. There was no recognizing, I've been forgiven an insurmountable debt. How can I not forgive? He should have sought out that fellow servant and tell him, you don't owe me anything. I've just been forgiven this incredible debt. I mean, my life was over. My family was gonna be sold as slaves. I was gonna be sold as a slave. I was gonna have absolutely nothing. My future was completely done. Wiped out. Misery. And I've been forgiven. I forgive you. Forget about it. What's three months compared to 200,000 years? But he would not. And his Lord, Joshua, when he heard about it, executed righteous judgment on that unjust servant who is unforgiving. How can we who are saved who've been forgiven an incredible and insurmountable sin debt hold bitterness and unforgiveness in our heart towards anybody? How arrogant. And so whatever your need is, you may say, I can't forgive him. You're right. Jesus said in John 15, five, without me, you can do nothing. But if you'll say, Lord, I can't, but I know that you will enable me by your grace to forgive, I'm gonna surrender that to you, and I am willing to forgive them, and I will forgive them in my heart, and I will go to them, and I will seek to be reconciled to them, and even if they won't God, in my heart, I will forgive them. I will not become bitter. I will not hold on to unforgiveness. I will never be unwilling to forgive by your grace. Help me, Lord, with that. so that my life can count for you, so that I can bear spiritual fruit. You may have a lot of leaves showing on the tree and people may be impressed at how mature of a tree you are from a distance. But God who walks right up to you and examines what's in between the leaves, sees whether there's that fruit there or not. In you and in me. So what is the invitation this morning? First it is repent of religion and run to Christ for salvation. Israel had the appearance of being prosperous and right with God, but it was nothing but leaves and they were condemned. J.C. Ryle said, let us always remember that baptism and church membership and the reception of the Lord's Supper and a diligent use of the outward forms of Christianity are not sufficient to save our souls. They are leaves, nothing but leaves, and without fruit will add to our condemnation. Like the fig leaves, Adam and Eve made themselves garments. They will not hide the nakedness of our souls from the eye of an all-seeing God or give us boldness when we stand before Him in the last day. There must be fruit in our hearts and in our lives, fruit of repentance towards God. and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not merely an outward expression or a religious life that impresses God. He's looking for the fruit of repentance and faith in his son. Christian, are you bearing spiritual fruit, or are you like the fig tree? Are you willing for God to prune your life so that you may bear more fruit? Jesus said in John 15, to every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away. And every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, he prunes it, that it may bring forth more fruit. John 15, verse eight, here in Jesus said, is my Father glorified that you bear much fruit? You wanna glorify God, bear fruit. So shall you be my disciples." And then in verse 16, "'Ye have not chosen me,' Jesus said, "'but I have chosen you and ordained you "'that ye should go and bring forth fruit "'and that your fruit should remain.'" And then he connects it with prayer. "'Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, "'he may give it you.'" It's your life bearing fruit, something that's going to count for eternity. the fruit of the Spirit, the character in your life, the fruit of ministry and service to the Lord from a heart that is motivated by love for Christ and worship to Him. Followers of Christ, pray. Know God's will according to God's Word and pray it. And remember that Jesus said, whatsoever ye desire. So here's what else I'm gonna challenge you to do today. And everything I'm challenging you with, God's already challenged me and continues to challenge me, so I'm laying down the gauntlet for myself as well. Let's ask God to transform our desires to match His. Just transform them. And then Christian, forgive because you have been forgiven. Because if you won't, You're not right with God. And that's not Savinsky saying that. That's the Savior in his word. I know that maybe you have experienced deep hurt, but God does not put those exemption clauses in his word. And you are missing out on the healing and the comfort and the grace of God that would set you free from the misery of the bitterness and unforgiveness in which you are wallowing and the darkness and confusion in which you are walking. And God will plant you on solid ground and he will shine the light of the truth on the path of life for you. In his presence is fullness of joy at his right hand. There are pleasures forevermore. There's great fellowship and joy and peace when you walk with Jesus Christ. But Christian, you are forfeiting that if you are unforgiving. And if you say, Pastor Todd, I need some help. I have some questions, I need some help with that. That's why we're here. I'm not omniscient. God is, God's given us his word. We'll search the scriptures together and I will help you with that. There are other people here who are versed in the scriptures who could also give you counsel from the word of God, who can pray with you and hold you accountable and bear that burden with you and help you walk through that so that you can live in victory. Christians, if we want to see the power of God, if we want to see God transform our lives and this church and our community for his glory, then we must pray. believing. We must be bearing fruit. Christ is looking at you today. Are you bearing that sweet fruit? Let's bow our heads for a moment. I'm going to ask our pianist to come and just play a couple of stanzas of an invitation. And you just respond to the Holy Spirit as he has spoken to you. Again, if you would say, Pastor Todd, I just, I'm a good person, I'm a religious person, I'm a sincere person, but you talk about putting your faith in Jesus Christ for eternal life and knowing your sins have been forgiven, I'm not sure of that. What do I do? I just want you to pray to the Lord right now and just ask him to show you very clearly his truth and the way of salvation. then ask Him to give you the courage to talk to somebody here at church. Come back and talk to me. You can talk to somebody else here that you know. Maybe you know who the Sunday school teacher is or a friend invited you. And just ask them, hey, you know, I just need to settle this. I want to know for sure my sins are forgiven. I want to know I have a relationship with God and I'll spend eternity with Him forever. Do not, friend, hazard your eternal soul. Don't take the risk. Trust Christ. Know that you have eternal life. As our musician begins to play right now, would you respond to the Lord?