Have Faith in God

In one paragraph

This message came from Mark 11:20-33, a Tuesday of passion week, and covered Jesus teaching his disciples about prayer, faith, and forgiveness before the religious leaders challenged his authority. The pastor drew a line from the cursed fig tree and the cleared temple all the way through to the call for tender-hearted response, holding all of it together under the theme of Jesus as the rightful...

Read together

1. Mark 11:20-33 the main passage for the evening, covering faith, prayer, forgiveness, and the religious leaders challenging Jesus' authority
2. Mark 9 Jesus says anything is possible if a person believes, referenced in connection with the mountain-moving faith passage
3. 1 John 5:14 quoted to clarify that prayer must be according to God's will: if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us
4. Ephesians 4:32 quoted as motivation for forgiveness: be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another just as God through Christ has forgiven you
5. Romans 5:8 quoted to show Christ's initiative in forgiveness: while we were still sinners, he died for us
6. Psalm 95 quoted at the close to call the congregation to worship, bow before the Lord, and not harden their hearts
7. Luke 22:42 referenced as Jesus praying in the garden: not my will but yours be done
8. Isaiah 55:6 quoted as a closing exhortation: seek the Lord while he may be found, call on him while he is near

Talk about it

1. The pastor connected the withered fig tree and the corrupted temple by saying both looked fruitful from the outside but weren't. Where in your own life have you seen something that looked right on the surface but wasn't producing real fruit?
2. The pastor defined faith as being persuaded by God, yielding your will to his so you can know what he prefers. How does that definition challenge or change the way you normally think about faith in prayer?
3. Jesus ties forgiveness directly to prayer, saying to release anyone you are holding a grudge against so that your Father in heaven will forgive you too. What makes that kind of release hard, and what has actually helped you do it?
4. The religious leaders privately huddled to figure out the safest political answer rather than honestly responding to Jesus. Ray called it comical but also sad. When have you found yourself doing something similar, calculating the safe answer rather than the honest one?
5. Psalm 95 ends the sermon with the call not to harden your hearts, and Steve pointed out that Jesus knew what was coming by Friday and kept teaching anyway. What would it look like for you this week to set your own agenda aside and give God a more honest answer about what you believe and what you should be doing?