Mark 11:20-24 (see also Matt.

21:18-22)
Theme: Faith from and in God that works in, with, and through us

Mark 11:20-24
20
In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.
21
Peter remembered
and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!"
22
"Have faith in God," Jesus answered.
23
"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go,
throw yourself 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, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it,
and it will be yours.

I. Meaning of Faith

Have faith in God to completely trust God

A. Trust in Gods sovereignty

In Genesis, we all know that God made the heaven and the earth and He made everything out of nothing.
We can see in this that God is a powerful being (omnipotent), that any word that comes out from His mouth, it
will come true.
As Luke 1:37 says For nothing is impossible with God, even a barren woman can give birth.

B. Trust in Gods plan

In Exodus, God commanded Moses and Aaron to free the Israelites from the Egyptians. All that Moses
and Aaron did is to trust in Gods plan for the Israelites. After that, they did as what God has told them to do
and they succeeded in freeing the Israelites. Also, as how Jesus lived His life, He always followed Gods plan,
to die for our sins, and succeeded because He knows that Gods plans are perfect.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not
to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. He will never give us a wrong route but He will always
provide the right path for us.

C. Trust in Gods promises

God promised Abraham that He will make him father of all nations. And He gave Abraham a son
though it is impossible because Abraham and Sarah were too old. There are so many people in the Bible that
God promised and never failed to compromise: Noah, David, Moses, Joshua, Solomon, etc.
Up until now, every promise He has said in His word is continuously working in our lives.

So, we must trust Gods power, plan, and promises in our life and no one elses.

II. Source of Faith

A. Not from us but from God

The faith we have comes from God, not from us or anyone else.
Matthew19:26 - Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are
possible." (Talking about salvation but salvation is by faith...)
Gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:9)

B. The word of Christ

The faith from God must not stop on just believing but we must continuously build our faith through
hearing the word of the Lord and seeking Jesus wholeheartedly.
Rom 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through
the word of Christ.
The Israelites do not believe in Jesus because they do not hear the word of God from their hearts. So, we must
always seek Jesus day and night for us not to be astray.
Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must
believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
In this, we can see how it is important to have faith in God and to continuously seek Him to keep the faith that
we have.

III. Work of Faith

John 14:12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do
even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
The faith that comes from God does not only end in receiving but also putting it into action what God wants us
to trust in Him. That means if you believe and prayed for something; receive it as if it has already been done.
Heb 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Conclusion:
Always have faith in God for He is an omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God. He is a God that never
fails. He will always provide the best for us. Also, to keep the faith that comes from Him, we must continue to
seek His word, that is, to seek Jesus wholeheartedly. Then, every prayer we utter will always be answered by
God whether if it is for ourselves, for our family, or for the people around us.

Challenge:
Let us always put our trust on Him and continuously build that trust to the one who can do all things possible!