Resurrection Life of Jesus Church

THE FIG TREE
Matthew declared that Jesus left Bethany in the morning and walked to Jerusalem. He was hungry, and when He saw the fig tree, He happily sought a tasty treat. Finding nothing, Jesus cursed the tree and it withered. Matthew 21:17-19

Mark wrote down that when Jesus came to the fig tree, even though it was not the right season, the God-man still looked for figs. When He did not find any, He spoke to the tree and cursed it. Mark 11:12-13

While both writers recorded Jesus speaking to the tree, Mark took it a step further and stated that something in the tree spoke to Jesus and He responded to the statement. Mark 11:14

Matthew records the fig tree died immediately. Matthew 21:20

Mark affirmed that when Jesus returned the next day to Jerusalem, the tree had dried up from the root. Mark 11:20-21

FAITH IN GOD
Jesus used the fig tree as an example of what can be done when a person possesses faith in God. When the God-man spoke these words, He was looking at a nearby mountain and used it as an example of what prayer and faith makes conceivable.

Nothing is impossible for a Christian; it is just a matter of overcoming unbelief. Faith in God is the key to success. Matthew 21:21-22; Mark 11:22-24

Jesus also tied in forgiveness as a requirement to answered prayer. Mark 11:25-26

God is offended when a believer questions His ability to respond to prayer. Hebrews 11:1-6

The apostle John also recorded that Jesus came to Bethany prior to the Passover, but omitted the story of the fig tree. John 12:1-2

John recorded the teaching of faith and the followers of Jesus not only doing the same works as Jesus, but even greater works. John 14:9-15

It must grieve the Son of God to bestow such great power upon the apostles and the first generation of Christians, only to see it die off and very few churches believing in the power of God today. Revelation 2:1-7

SUMMARY
There are three groups of churches that exist today:

1. There are the mainline denominations like Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Presbyterians and Methodists who do not emphasize the need to be born again. The majority of their members end up in hell.

2. Then there are the different kinds of Baptists and evangelical churches. Some of them have dropped their original name and are now called “community churches.” They still preach salvation, but reject the power of the Holy Spirit.

3. Finally, there are the Pentecostal churches that believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but few of them cast out demons, heal the sick, open the eyes of the blind, cure the lepers, heal the lame, and raise the dead.

The sad thing is that we have become the church of Laodicea. Revelation 3:14-22

THE MECHANICAL ARM OF GOD
At the time of Christ, there were no hospitals and the doctors used herbal remedies to heal a person. Amputations were carried out on soldiers wounded in battle, but there was no rehabilitation for the amputee.

◦ There was no major progress in the medical field and the skill level of doctors rose dramatically with the discovery of electricity in the early 1600s.

◦ Michael Faraday applied electricity to motors in 1821 and this allowed the medical field to use it in hospital beds, compressors for pneumatic tools that dentists could use to drill teeth efficiently and precisely, air conditioning, and refrigeration.

◦ Thomas Edison produced a working light bulb in 1879 that allowed doctors to see better during examinations and surgeries.

◦ Joseph Jackson Lister improved the lenses used in microscopes and this allowed the medical field to see germs and viruses.

◦ The skill to use X-rays to see inside the human body was discovered in 1895 by Wilhelm Rontgen.

Knowledge in the medical field during the 20th century exploded with computer arriving on the scene in the 1980s. The skill of doctors has increased to a level never seen before by the human race. Doctors can perform work that borders on miracles with transplants, cataract surgery, etc.