Three Aspects of Authentic
Discipleship
Mark 11:22-25
Introduction: This week I thought of the story of the
rambunctious boy who was sitting near the front of the church, but seemingly
unable to stay still. Finally, his dad had enough and he picked him up, put him
over his shoulder, and headed down the center aisle toward the foyer. Seeing
that he had an audience, and much of the church was looking his way, the boy said,
“Y’all pray for me now!”
Our subject today
is prayer, and our attitude in prayer- our attitude toward God, and toward one
another. After several weeks away from Mark we’re returning to our study of the
second Gospel. As we have walked through Mark we’ve been looking at his story of
Jesus from at least two perspectives. On the one hand, the historical
account of Jesus revealing himself through His works and words, and calling
people to recognize who He is and to follow
Him. On the other hand, we know that the Gospel writer was writing 20-30
years after the resurrection, to a group of believers under the oppression of
Rome. Even though our circumstances in life are quite different, we are
essentially in the same moment of redemptive history as they were, between the Resurrection
and the Parousia. Mark’s intention was to deepen their faith and strengthen
their hope in the midst of their trials. I believe that is God’s intention for
us as well. As Mark writes this gospel he is fleshing out his answer to three
life-giving, faith-deepening, hope-strengthening questions: 1) Who is Jesus? 2)
Why did He come? and 3) What does it mean to follow Him? The disciples are
growing in their understanding of the answers to those questions, but they are
still not where they will be after the resurrection and Pentecost. Here Jesus
teaches about prayer, one of the primary means that God uses to deepen our
faith and to strengthen our walk with Him. E.M. Bounds, in one of his many
books on prayer, said,
The central significance
of prayer is not in the things that happen as results, but in the deepening
intimacy and unhurried communion with God at His central throne of control in
order to discover a "sense of God's need in order to call on God's help to
meet that need…"
In other words, it is not only that God acts in the world through
our prayers, but in the very process of praying He is working in us, growing
our faith, deepening our relationship with Him.
Context: This scene comes after the Triumphal
Entry, the cleansing of the Temple, and the cursing of the fig tree as Jesus
came to Jerusalem this final week. His rejection by the leaders was coming to a
climax and would soon lead to the Cross, just as He had prophesied on the way. Still,
He is teaching the disciples, preparing them for the life and the mission that
He was about to entrust to them.
20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to
its roots. 21 And Peter
remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has
withered."
Jesus uses
that observation by Peter as a foil to continue his training, this time,
shifting the focus to prayer, and our attitude toward God and men as we pray.
The Maine* Idea: Forgiven and forgiving we come to Him in prayer, knowing that we can
trust Him, even as He patiently grows our faith.
I. Faith: “Have faith in God” - Trusting
God, taking Him at His Word (22).
Ray Stedman commented
on what Jesus meant by the phrase, “Have faith in God…” He said the Lord meant “…to trust
that the living God knows what he is doing, to believe what he says, to obey
what he commands, and to open our life to him so that he may enrich us, and
flow through us, and make us a fruitful person, or a fruitful nation, as the
case may be…” It means acknowledging who God is, trusting
that He acts in the way that is best, always, consistent with His character. Essentially
the means entrusting ourselves to Him.
C.H. Spurgeon had this to say…
I would recommend you either believe God up to the
hilt, or else not to believe at all. Believe this book of God, every letter of
it, or else reject it. There is no logical standing place between the two. Be
satisfied with nothing less than a faith that swims in the deeps of divine
revelation; a faith that paddles about the edge of the water is poor faith at
best. It is little better than a dry-land faith, and is not good for
much.
“Have faith in God…” In contrast to empty
religious traditions (remember the symbolism of the fig tree, and the
implicit rebuke of the unbelieving leaders!). This begins with recognizing who
God is. Our faith is only as good as the object of our faith. I’ve done quite a
bit of walking around town this summer, but I still don’t put too much faith in
drivers yielding to pedestrians… Once or twice they got pretty close! We can trust God “up to the hilt”! He is the
same God referred to in the opening words of the Bible, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…” He
is our Maker, our Master, omniscient and omnipotent, omnipresent and eternal, just
and holy, but also merciful and gracious. He is Good, all the time.
But not everything that one might call “faith”
is the faith that saves. Mere intellectual assent is not enough. Remember James 2:19, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe- and
shudder!” Most people will say they believe in God – by which they
mean that there is a higher power of some kind out there. Many people construct
in their own minds their idea of what God must be like, essentially a God they
design according to their liking. That is idolatry, not faith! The God who is,
has spoken. He has revealed Himself in His Word. And the Word was made flesh
and lived for awhile among us (Jn 1:14; Heb 1:1). Jesus said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father.”
Trust the God who “is” – trust Him as the Way of Life!
But even believing that the true God, the God of the Bible, the God who
came incarnate, Jesus, is real, and that He involves Himself in history, is not
yet saving faith. Saving faith means recognizing who He is, and also trusting
in what He has done for us as our only hope of salvation. Sin left humans in a
terrible predicament, alienated from God and destined for judgment. God is holy
and His justice demands that sin be punished. But the righteous justice of God
was satisfied when Jesus, the sinless, perfect Son, took our sins in His body
on the Cross. Isaiah prophesied that act when he said, “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own
way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all…” That is grace,
and it is applied in our lives through faith.
And so, forgiven and forgiving we can come to Him in prayer, knowing that
we can trust Him, even as He patiently grows our faith.
II. Prayer: Expressing our desires to God we
submit to His will (23-24).
23 Truly, I say
to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,'
and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to
pass, it will be done for him. 24
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have
received it, and it will be yours.
This
verse is typically used as a “proof-text” for those who hold to a “health and
prosperity” theology. The idea they take from the passage is that if your faith
is strong enough, you can ask whatever you want from God and He will do
it. Rather than seeking and submitting to God’s will, that is essentially
putting His will in submission to ours! We can’t take a verse and isolate it
from the broader context of Scripture. Jesus is not saying that we can
force the hand of God. No, we cannot manipulate Him! To have faith in God means
we recognize who He is, and if we do, we’ll submit to His lordship, acknowledging
Him in all our ways (Prov 3:6).
What it means to pray “in faith” – It means
trusting that all things are possible with God! That is exactly the
point of what Jesus is saying. Nothing is impossible for the Creator, the One
true God, the God who is, the God we worship. Remember how Sarah laughed when
the angel brought a message to her and Abraham that they would have a son in
their old age? The angel’s question, “Why
did you laugh… Is anything too difficult for the Lord?” (Gen 18:12-15). Mary
too received angelic revelation about an even more fantastic idea, that she, a virgin,
would bear a son. She asked, reasonably, “How
can this be since I have not known a man?” The angel’s answer, “Nothing is impossible for God…” (Luke
1:34-37). Move a mountain? Just like the language of a camel passing through
the eye of a needle, Jesus uses hyperbole to make His point emphatic. He is not
talking about literally casting a mountain into the sea! Whatever the mountain might be that we face, whatever
the seemingly impossible obstacle that is before us, we can trust that the God
who made the mountains is bigger than anything we face. Nothing is impossible
with God!
As Jesus prayed in the Garden, so we also submit
our will to the Father. That is what it means to believe, to have faith in God:
Recognizing who He is and to responding rightly to Him. If He is Lord, He is
our Master. If He created the universe, that means it all belongs to Him. We
can trust that He is good (all the time!) and that He does good, as He has
revealed throughout history. And so, we pray as we look at the mountains in
front of us, “Lord, I believe, help my
unbelief!” We pray with Jesus in the Garden, “Nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done.” That was stated in the prayer that Jesus gave
as a model to His disciples: “…Our Father
in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven...”
(Matt 6:9-10). Someone said, “Keep praying, and be thankful that God’s answers
are wiser than your prayers!” He always knows what is best! William Barkley said, that when we pray, we
should remember: 1. The love of God that
wants the best for us. 2. The wisdom of God that knows what is best for us. 3.
The power of God that can accomplish it. And so, forgiven and forgiving we come
to Him in prayer, knowing that we can trust Him, even as He patiently grows our
faith.
III. Forgiveness: As forgiven people, we extend grace
to others (25-[26]).
25 And whenever
you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your
Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." [26
"But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive
your trespasses."]
Yes, the Lord’s prayer is one of the most commonly
memorized passages of Scripture, and it includes a reference to this same
teaching, “Forgive us our debts, as we
forgive our debtors…” As people who have seen their desperate need and
called on God for mercy and grace, we should be humbled into being gracious and
forgiving to our fellow humans. Jesus told a parable on the subject in Matthew
18. In that context Peter asked Jesus how many times he had to forgive his
brother, even up to seven times? Peter most likely thought he was being overly
generous with that idea. Jesus’ answer probably shocked him…
22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times
seven. 23 "Therefore the
kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with
his servants. 24 When he
began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his
master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had,
and payment to be made. 26 So
the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Have patience with me, and I
will pay you everything.' 27
And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave
him the debt. 28 But when
that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a
hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, 'Pay what you
owe.' 29 So his fellow
servant fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay
you.' 30 He refused and went
and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw
what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported
to their master all that had taken place.
32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked
servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had
mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' 34 And in anger his master
delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will
do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your
heart." (Matthew 18:22-35).
As forgiven people, we are compelled
to be forgiving people. If we could grasp the debt we owed, the price
that was paid to reconcile us to God. We are the servant who owed an
impossible, unpayable debt! How can we not then forgive one another? Loving God
is one thing, loving my neighbor is quite another! Paul said this to the
Ephesians,
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you
were sealed for the day of redemption. 31
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from
you, with all malice. 32 And
be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as
God in Christ forgave you… (Eph
4:30-32).
The context is prayer. “When you stand praying…” The posture of prayer [standing] is
not the key thing here, but the fact that we are coming before God and
lifting our voice to Him, speaking to Him. Someone expressed this in a humorous
little poem that reads as follows:
"The
proper way for man to pray," said Deacon Lemuel Keyes; "The only
proper attitude is down upon his knees."
"Nay, I should say the way to
pray," said Reverend Doctor Wise, "Is standing straight with
outstretched arms with rapt and upturned eyes."
"Oh, no, no, no," said Elder
Snow, "such posture is too proud." A man should pray with eyes
fast-closed and head contritely bowed."
"It seems to me his hands should
be austerely clasped in front. With both thumbs pointing to the ground,"
said Reverend Doctor Blunt."
"Last year I fell in Hodgkin's
well headfirst," said Cyril Brown. "With both my heels a-stickin' up,
my head a-pointing' down; And I done prayed right then and there; best prayer I
ever said, The prayin'est prayer I ever prayed, a-standin' on my head."
“When you stand praying forgive, if you have
anything against anyone, so that your heavenly Father may forgive your trespasses…”
This is not questioning our salvation if we harbor an unforgiving heart. Our
sins are covered forensically by the blood of Christ when we are justified by
faith. But an unforgiving heart is sin, and sin will impede our
walk with God. As Justin taught us last week, God will deal with us, because He loves us, chastening us as
necessary, to lead us to repentance. In that context of disrupted fellowship,
we are much less likely to be praying in submission to the will of God. James
describes the expectations of a “double-minded man” in prayer…
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all
without reproach, and it will be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who
doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose
that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways… (James 1:5-8).
It is the same idea, praying in faith means single-mindedly believing
God, recognizing who He really is, trusting in Him, submitting to Him. And so…
What is God saying to me
in this passage? Forgiven
and forgiving we come to Him in prayer, knowing that we can trust Him, even as
He patiently grows our faith.
What would God have me
to do in response to this passage? Let’s start with the
question of forgiveness. Sometime, somewhere, you have been hurt by
someone, it is pretty much guaranteed, as we live in a fallen world. It can happen in families, it can even happen
between believers. We can harbor a grudge and let bitterness take root in our
hearts. Or, we can let it go. That is the root meaning of the word “forgive” in this context, release, let go. Let it go! If we
remember how much we have been forgiven, can’t we release that hurt to God, and
ask Him for the grace to forgive?
Do you
believe that God works through the prayers of His people? We’ve encouraged you,
over the last couple of years especially, to make a list of people in your
sphere of influence, friends, relatives, neighbors, co-workers, and to commit
yourself to praying for them. Some of them don’t attend a Bible teaching
church, some don’t know the Lord. Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. As
you pray, ask that God would open their hearts, and by His kindness lead them
to repentance and faith. As you pray God
will work, in your heart as well as theirs.
Let’s pray for
our church, our community, our nation: Father, your kingdom come, or in the
words of the psalm, may Your Name be praised in all the earth! AMEN!
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