Gospels (49) - Matthew 21:19-22, Mark 11:19-26 & John 12:37-50

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
​Series: Gospels

Rusty's Notes

John 12
ISAIAH’S PROPHECIES FULFILLED
37 Even though he had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in him.

• All 3 Messianic miracles had been performed and He even raised Lazarus from the dead.

38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet, who said:
Lord, who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord
been revealed? (Isaiah 53:1)
39 This is why they were unable to believe, because Isaiah also said:
40 He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their hearts,
so that they would not see with their eyes
or understand with their hearts,
and turn,
and I would heal them.

• Hardened – God gave man free will.
• Once man has made a decision, God will give them strength to follow that decision.
• God knows in advance who will repent and who will not.
• Luke 7:30 - 30 But since the Pharisees and experts in the law had not been baptized by him, they rejected the plan of God for themselves.[1]

41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke about him.
42 Nevertheless, many did believe in him even among the rulers, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, so that they would not be banned from the synagogue. 43 For they loved human praise more than praise from God.

• There were those who would not believe, and there were those who would not openly confess Christ even though they had believed.
• Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea belonged to this group initially, but eventually came out openly in their confession of Christ (John 19:38ff).
• In the early church, there were numbers of Pharisees (Acts 15:5) and even priests (Acts 6:7).
• It was the old struggle between the glory of God and the praise of men (John 12:25–26).
• It was a costly thing to be excommunicated (John 9:22), and these “secret believers” wanted the best of both worlds.[2]

 
A SUMMARY OF JESUS’S MISSION
44 Jesus cried out, “The one who believes in me believes not in me, but in him who sent me. 45 And the one who sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me would not remain in darkness. 47 If anyone hears my words and doesn’t keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.

• Jesus’ purpose was to save… not judge… but judgment does come.

48 The one who rejects me and doesn’t receive my sayings has this as his judge: The word I have spoken will judge him on the last day.

• By rejecting Jesus (and the Word), the “sinner” is actually passing judgment on himself.
• Great White Throne Judgment

49 For I have not spoken on my own, but the Father himself who sent me has given me a command to say everything I have said. 50 I know that his command is eternal life.

• Contradiction with John 5:39 - 39 You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, and yet they testify about me.[3]
• Difference between Logos and Rhema (words and revelation)
• Romans 10:17 - 17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.[4]

So the things that I speak, I speak just as the Father has told me.”[5]

• Jesus spoke Rhema.

 
Matthew 21:19b-22
19 Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, he went up to it and found nothing on it except leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” At once the fig tree withered.
20 When the disciples saw it, they were amazed and said, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”
21 Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you tell this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done. 22 And if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” [6]
 
Mark 11:19-26
19 Whenever evening came, they would go out of the city.

• Pictures of Fig Tree

THE BARREN FIG TREE IS WITHERED
20 Early in the morning (Tuesday – 11th of Nisan), as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Then Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”
22 Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God.

• Faith doesn’t come from what you “know”
• Faith comes from what God “reveals” to you.

23 Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for—believe that you have received it and it will be yours.

• What is a mountain?

25 And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing.”[7]
[26 But if you don’t forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your wrongdoing.]”

• It could have been accidentally omitted as a result of a copyist skipping from the words “your sins” at the end of v. 25 to the same words at the end of v. 26, but more likely it was added under the influence of Matt 6:15[8]
• Our forgiving spirit is one evidence that our hearts are right with God and that we want to obey His will, and this makes it possible for the Father to hear us and to answer prayer (Ps. 66:18).
• Faith works by love (Gal. 5:6 - 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love.[9])
• If I have faith in God, I will also have love for my brother[10]
• Bob Warren Basketball Card
• Romans 10:17 - 17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.[11]​
• Friday Night we were talking about taking the Lord’s Supper and asking for forgiveness before we partook.
• Forgiveness of others is something we do ongoing as believers.
• God doesn’t continually forgive us each time we ask for forgiveness.
• Hebrews 9:22 - 22 According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.[12]
• We do not earn God’s forgiveness by forgiving one another.
• Hebrews 10:3-18 - 3 But in the sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
• Therefore, as he was coming into the world, he said:

You did not desire sacrifice and offering,
but you prepared a body for me.

• You did not delight

in whole burnt offerings and sin offerings.

• Then I said, “See--

it is written about me
in the scroll--
I have come to do your will, O God.”

• After he says above, You did not desire or delight in sacrifices and offerings, whole burnt offerings and sin offerings (which are offered according to the law), 9 he then says, See, I have come to do your will. He takes away the first to establish the second. 10 By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.
• Every priest stands day after day ministering and offering the same sacrifices time after time, which can never take away sins. 12 But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God. 13 He is now waiting until his enemies are made his footstool. 14 For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified. 15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. For after he says:
• This is the covenant I will make with them

after those days,
the Lord says,
I will put my laws on their hearts
and write them on their minds,

• and I will never again remember

their sins and their lawless acts.
18 Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.[13]

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Lk 7:30). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 343). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[3] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jn 5:39). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ro 10:17). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jn 12:20–50). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mt 21:19–22). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mk 11:19–25). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[8] Brooks, J. A. (1991). Mark (Vol. 23, p. 183). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[9] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ga 5:5–6). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[10] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 150). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[11] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ro 10:17). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[12] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Heb 9:21–22). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[13] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Heb 10:3–18). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.