37-Mark: "When Leaves Lie: Beware of Fruitless Faith"

Big Idea: God asked Hosea to marry a woman who would break his heart—because that’s what Israel had done to God. In Mark 11, Jesus gives the same picture in a different way: a fig tree with no fruit and a temple with no prayer. Both looked alive; both were barren. God desires a people who are faithful and fruitful, not just leafy and religious.

Message Overview

• Mark 11:12–14, 20–24 — The fig tree: leaves without fruit → prophetic judgment on fruitless religion.

• Mark 11:15–19 — The temple: a house meant for prayer for all nations (Isa 56:7) turned into a market and a den of thieves (Jer 7:11).

• John 15:1–8 — Abide in the Vine; fruit is the evidence of real connection to Christ.

• 2 Tim 4:2 — There is no off-season for proclaiming the gospel and making disciples.

• Romans 11:17–24; Eph 2:8–10 — We’re grafted in by grace through faith, for good works God prepared.

Key Takeaways

Appearance isn’t fruit. God looks for faithful obedience, not religious foliage.

Prayer is central. God’s house is for prayer—for the nations.

Abiding precedes producing. Connection to Christ fuels the fruit God desires.

Always in season. Disciple-making never pauses; there’s no off-season for gospel work.

Ask in faith, aligned to His will. Mountain-moving prayer is rooted in abiding (1 Jn 5:14–15).

Primary Texts: Mark 11:12–24; Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11; John 15:1–8; 2 Timothy 4:2; Romans 11:17–24; Ephesians 2:8–10; Genesis 12:3; Isaiah 49:6.

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