Friday, December 30, 2011

The Fruitless Fig Tree


Mark 11:12-14; 20-21

It was early Monday morning of our Lord’s Passion Week.

As the Lord Jesus and His men traveled from Bethany back into Jerusalem, He was hungry.

As He walked, He saw a fig tree in a distance.

Since the fruit grows as the tree produces its leaves, it was reasonable for the Lord Jesus to assume that there would be fruit when He came to it.

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As the Lord Jesus searched the tree, He found it was all leaves. There was no fruit to be found.

The leaves promised fruit, but there was none.

So was Israel. They had all the signs of spiritual life, but they had no fruit. They were religious in every detail, but they had no spiritual fruit. They looked alive, but was spiritually barren.

So can we. We have been given every spiritual advantage. There is no excuse for us to be fruitless.

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The Lord Jesus pronounced a curse upon the fruitless tree. It was to be fruitless forever.

The Lord Jesus cursed the tree for its hypocrisy. The tree was making promises it could not deliver!

So was Israel! We know from the historical record that Israel was judged for their rejection of the Lord Jesus. They paid a high price for their hypocrisy.

So can we if we have the appearance of life, but bear no fruit. The Lord will judge us too!

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The disciples heard the Lord Jesus when He cursed the fruitless fig tree.

The next day, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.

Usually, when a tree withers, it does so from the top down. The root system will be the last part of the tree to die. Not this tree! The Lord Jesus cursed it and it died from the roots up. It is a picture of total destruction!

So was Israel! They were destroyed from the root up.

So can we if we refuse to honor, obey and serve Him. He will chastise us.

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The disciples saw what happened and took it to heart.

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Judas Iscariot was like Israel.

He was all leaf and no fruit.

He preached, healed and cast out devils.

But there was no reality in what he did.

It was all hypocrisy! He did not know the Lord.

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The Lord is looking for fruit in the lives of His people.

The Lord is looking for fruit in His church.

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When He examines us, does He find what He seeks?

Or, is it all leaf and no fruit?


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