June 11, 2010
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough To Keep Me From You!
Mark 11:15-25
Lucina Thompson
Central Truth
God can and does move mountains, but He’d rather move your heart every day.
Key Verse | Mark 11:23
"Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him." (Mark 11:23)
Mark 11:15-25
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
15 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they 1 11:19 Some manuscripts he went out of the city.
The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree
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.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 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 2 11:24 Some manuscripts are receiving it, and it will be yours. 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.” 3 11:25 Some manuscripts add verse 26: But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses
Dive Deeper | Mark 11:15-25
I'm sure you've had times in your life when you needed God desperately. I certainly have. One of those was in calculus as a college freshman. With only an algebra background, I was in deep trouble. I simply didn’t have the knowledge to succeed. So I spent lots of time in the TA's office and on my knees asking God to help me understand.
Since that time, I've prayed over other major issues—when my grandmother lay dying of cancer, when my marriage felt hopeless, when my son was miserable as a college freshman. But I know God isn’t a "genie in a bottle," coming through only in desperate situations. He wants a relationship with me, one aligned with His will, not mine. This is the hard part.
In this passage Jesus cursed the fig tree and then cleansed the temple, using both situations to attack the "religiosity" of the day. He pointed out that God’s plan was to save the whole world, not just the Jewish holy part. Truly, God cares more about our heart than temples or sacrifices made on His behalf. "The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God." (Psalm 51:17)
Jesus also spoke about faith and prayer—the type of faith that trusts God and depends on Him. This kind of faith in prayer moves mountains and handles problems. But Jesus' words don't guarantee that I get whatever I want. Instead, they remind me to align myself with God's plan and purposes. Again, this is the hard part.
If only I’d learned this lesson earlier in life! But it is NEVER too late. I want to learn to pray like that so I can face whatever mountains life throws at me, just like Jesus did when facing the cross. “[E]verything is possible for you. . . . Yet not what I will, but what you will." (Mark 14:36, NIV)
For the record, I passed the class, but more importantly, I learned that God can be trusted, no matter how high the mountain.
Discussion Questions
1. What mountains do you face in your life right now?
2. Are you praying for God’s will to be done or that your will be done? Be sure you align with His will.
3. How can you daily become more dependent on God rather than yourself?
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What did Jesus do in verses 15 and 16?
2. Why was He angry with the people (verse 17)? Jesus was angry because the people had misused the temple that was for worshiping and communicating with His Father.
3. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. How are you using your “temple” to honor God?