I. The Cursing of the Fig Tree
- Matthew 21:18-22, The Fig tree was a symbol for a religion without a substance. The Fig tree from far away looked great but when Jesus got closer, He only found leaves and no fruits on it. Just like a religion with a nice temple that is so impressive that people are drawn to go there but once you go inside, their messages and activities are meaningless to the eyes of God. They show that they worship and glorify God, but what their teaching is against what God wants. Their faith is not sincere and they start preaching about prosperity, idolatry, and earthly laws. These "churches" are worried about their popularity and their attendance that they start focusing their message on what people want to hear instead of what God wants to say. Our messages should be God-centered and it is not how God fits in our lives but how everyone and everything fits in God's plans. This fig tree can also symbolize us (people) who are so-called "religious" in front of many but deep inside, we are controlled by this world. We go to church every Sunday, we have a Bible in our homes, we shout praises and worships at church but after that, we go back to our old selves and start living the way of the world. Right after stepping out of church, we change our clothes and start cursing, lying, drinking, worshiping idols, praying to dead people, committing adultery, and many more. Being a Christian is a lifetime commitment to God. It is not a once or twice a week occupation but is is a life long career. Once we give our lives to God, we chose to abandon all the unrighteous acts and start a life of following the way of the Lord. Being a Christian is hard. We are always persecuted, ridiculed, and mocked. Others always attack our faith and our way of life. The main reason is that they are not happy that we are finally saved because they want us to be miserable, weak, and unhappy just like them. When we accepted Christ as our savior, the enemy is angered and he uses others to discourage our relationship with God by mocking our new lives. They taunt us, calling us names (holy man or Bible boy) but don't fear because God is with us. Romans 8:31 states that "If we are for God then who can be against us". Once we are adopted into His family, the enemy cannot touch us for God is on our side protecting us.
Deuteronomy 31:6,
"6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
-1 Corinthians 2:1-10, Jesus gave us a Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. We accomplish this by sharing the Gospel and showing unconditional love to our neighbors. In this message, Paul shared that he was not the best speaker and he was not a scholar of the scriptures but with the power of God, he was given the wisdom to preach God's message. We tend to rely on academic evaluation of the scriptures instead of divine guidance. We look into our diplomas, certificates, or education but we are reminded that all these are just knowledge and what matters most is the Wisdom that God gives us. Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths". Our knowledge will not help us discern God's message but it is through the guidance of the Holy Spirit that we are able to understand them. Let us not fear this task but accept our calling to be the light of the world. Let us share God's plans and promises and invite our loved ones to join our walk of faith. God has a great place for us and in verse 9, it is written that "we have not seen, heard, or known of the things that God has prepared for us". All we have to do is accept this gift. We can do this by repenting from our sins, accepting the Lord as our savior, and continuously following His ways. The gates to God's Kingdom is open and He is inviting us to take that next step so we can receive His grace, salvation, and eternal life.
III. Proverbs for Today / 10:13-14
13 Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding,But a rod is for the back of him who is devoid of understanding.14 Wise people store up knowledge,But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
IV. Additional Old Testament Reading
Leviticus 15, Leviticus 16:1-28, and Psalms 40:11-17
