Praying Beyond Fig Trees To Mountains

Carter Conlon from the historic Times Square Church in New York City to see a figtree Christian. I want to be a Christian that God can use to move a mountain mountains need to be moved again in our generation and they can only be moved by the power of God. That's just a small sample of today's message from Carter, from Times Square Church in New York City. Thank you for joining us for this week's edition of a call to the nation in Mark chapter 4 we find Jesus is with his disciples, curses a figtree that ends up being withered from its roots. Then Jesus calls his disciples to a faith faith strong enough to tell amount to be thrown into the sea. What does all this mean let's find out now.

As Carter explains it all in praying beyond figtree mountains beginning in Mark chapter 11 if you have your Bible, or another device and I'm going to go from there to second Kings chapter 22nd Kings 22. Starting in Mark 11 talk to about praying beyond the victories to mountains praying beyond figtree's to mountains Mark chapter 11 beginning at verse 22 so Jesus answered and said to them, have faith in God. For surely that means truly means, without any doubt Ms. take notice means like it is not like God has to say. I'm telling you this is true because he can't lie, but for the sake of emphasis. He says assuredly, I tell you and others take note of this, that whoever says to this mountain, be removed and be cast into the sea and does not doubt in his heart but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Now the story begins with Jesus and his disciples leaving Bethany and going up into Jerusalem as the going into Jerusalem.

Jesus Christ approaches a figtree now. The writer Mark writes, is whether he had a personal encounter. He got the story from somebody else writes it from his perspective, it says and seeing it figtree a far off having leaves. He went to it to see.

Perhaps he would find something on it when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves for it was not the season for face, and in response, Jesus said would let no one eat fruit from you ever again and it speaks out on on a multiplicity of levels that I have spoken on some of them here in the past but one of the levels that it speaks to my heart as I read it again they're coming from Bethany into Jerusalem. It's assumed and we know it's true that there heading into the temple there for the sole purpose of worshiping God and the figtree represents that which stands between where we are, our journey and when we finally get to the place for in a sense God is where were were were locked in would come there to worship would come there to meet with God and how many people of been diverted from coming to church from time to time. If you met a figtree along the way.

Note that it's that it's that game that was big on that night and was only going to be played and it was once a year thing and you know you should of been going to the temple worship God, but a figtree.

It could be that girl could be that Gaia could be that relationship. It could be it. It SM it's a myriad of things is somebody calls you write is about to go to church. This is a about a new car you want to go to my house and see it. So all these figtree's and there is many as probably as you can imagine in your mind that the kindest stand between us and where God is, or where the worship of God really is. And these figtree's offer satisfaction but they are barren. Not Jesus is omniscient means you know is the son of God. He knows all things.

He knows it's not the season, the figs and he knows he has to know that there are no fix on this particular trait, but for the sake of of argument. He goes to the tree is almost like an illustration and and the tree is a deceptive. It has an image in a sense of satisfying, but it does not satisfy just as her brother shared tonight from Africa when he talked about all the things out there that he was doing, drawing them away from God that that offer satisfaction but produced no satisfaction in them and and as Christians we start out and were going to encounter a lot of fig trees along the way these. These are these are things that we embraced may be in our lives that that may be offered a satisfaction of some sort, and maybe we believe the first season only to get electronic close to it and want to get close. Did you realize that it really doesn't satisfy that Lucinda could be a mirror to be all kinds of things. I know you have things coming in your mind right now that really offered you life it could've been education it could've been.

I do know it could be anything and when you get close to what you find out it's it's really deceptive it. It's sort of what your life is called to be in God and Jesus takes authority over this deceptive figtree.

So this is where it all begins. He says let no one eat fruit from you every so the disciples heard him take authority over this victories is just as you and I have to do in our own lives. If there's something maybe that offered you satisfaction and still tempts you again today as as Isaac shared in the song we have the right to take authority over these things is the I will not eat fruit you will not deceive me again you you will not convince me that you're going to satisfy medical care how glassy you look, I don't care I don't how big your smile is a Vaquero suite you smile or whatever it is that's offering you satisfaction or how good you taste you will not deceive me again. I will not be taken by you again.

I'm going to Jerusalem I'm going to the temple. I'm going to meet with God and I'm going to establish or walk in a living relationship with God so they going to the temple and Jesus overthrows the temple to the tables of the money changers and such like makes a declaration that my house shall be called a house of prayer. They go back into Bethany. The next morning now there heading back into the temple again and when the evening. It calmly went out of the city in the morning as they passed by. Verse 20 of Mark 11 they saw the figtree dried up from the roots and Peter remember he said to him, Rabbi, look figtree, which you cursed has withered away. And so Peter's excited over this little victory and this really a little victories that it's it's one little tree that offered a deceptive fruit. Jesus takes authority over it and when you look in the Bible. It's like Rabbi R. Look! Rabbi look like wow the kingdom of God has come with victory is that I do not mix like that are ways that that is where we get victory over alcohol releases.

The figtree died I got the victory in immediately and Jesus doesn't even address the figtree which is really interesting that they are all excited about it but he immediately redirects their focus to the mountain is an amazing so he answered and said so.

He says Rabbi look the figtree. Would you cursed is withered away. So Jesus answered and said to them, have faith in God for us shortly or truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, be removed and cast into the sea and does not doubt in his heart but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. I found myself sitting here during the worship thing God would you give me an anointing of faith again deeper than I've ever known.

In the book of Revelation there was a church color the ceiling. They had been more or less waylaid by their own fig trees they said were rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and then a society like this can do that to you enough compared to the rest of the world. We are rich, we are increased with goods, and and there's a people all over the world. They had what we had tonight is that I have need of nothing, and we can forget though that the calling on our lives is higher than this. Not just to rejoice over the figtree that we got the victory over but there is there are mountains now in our society. There are mountains that were facing the can't be moved by human effort, but they can only be moved by faith in the revealed will in the revealed word of God and I found myself sitting here saying, Lord, if the church in Laodicea needed and I seven anointing would you anoint my eyes again, would you give me the ability to see beyond what I have. I've seen some great things in the past and thank God for those things I I've had figtree victories in my life and I have seen a few mountains move but I think God the need to this hour is so incredibly great and you don't tease your people. You don't just say these words to fill in a couple of paragraphs in the Bible. Jesus is not a God of July and he doesn't put something on front of us. It's unattainable and so when I read the Scriptures that God this is attainable.

There is a kind of prayer. If we have faith in God that can move mountains there. There's a kind of us in intercession at the throne of God. Like with Esther when she went before the king that can actually reverse the decree of death and make it into law of life. There is a power in God it it's all through the Scriptures. It's there, but God.

Maybe I'm blind to it.

Maybe I can see it the way I once did, and I can't anoint my own eyes I can read the Bible from now till I die of old age, but I can't anoint my own eyes, God has to anoint my eyes and I was praying tonight is the kind of care for up to make mud pit again and put it on my eyes as he did the blindness.

I don't care if you go to commands they see. I don't care how you do it, but I'm asking you to anoint my eyes open God to be able to see this truth to be able to realize the truth in my life. I don't want to just reading it and preaching it. I want to live this way. Living in an age with mountains.

We have tens of incredible evil is even taking a hold of our children and our schools and our society is turning dark and in the ways of God are are in danger of almost being eradicated this generation there is to be spoken to in this general faith in God. They said they are saved, you are says to this mountain, be removed and be cast into the sea and doesn't doubt in his heart but believes that the things that he says will happen.

He will have whatever he says. It is therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. I don't want to live my life at the figtree level anymore. You know how many Christians are too lazy. I'm just so tired about praying about fig trees in my life and that being the only stuff I got victory over this figtree and I defeated the deception of that fate. So our whole life is just about ourselves and and things that we thought were going to satisfy us and we found out they will put in and we we prayed and we as they were defeated and so were just like a figtree testimony in the house of God. But there's so few mountain movers left anymore. I wanted to see if figtree Christian. I want to be a Christian that God continues to move a mountain because mountains need to be moved again in our generation by the power of God and they can only be moved by the power of God. So Jesus was saying to his own disciples.

I want to talk to you. I want you to have faith and I want you to ask for things that are bigger than your own need is to because it was the figure represented my needs. They assumed he was hungry. So it's about me and my needs is as I want to give you faith is bigger than just your own needs because the mountain was not about it's not about me anymore. It's about others that are captivated on this mountain of deception and that's what Jerusalem actually was. It was a mountain of religious deception that actually hated God and was about to crucify his son. It was deceiving people into thinking that even religious observance could satisfy when equipment or bar bring the people into eternal life when it wasn't going to. It was a mountain that needed to be moved and needs to be cast into the sea, and of course in A.D. 70, it was removed and was cast into the sea of the nations of this world is so ask your questions ourselves will God answer if I pray really big prayers and a lot of people are afraid to pray big prayers because if it if they don't get answers. Almost like like I'm lose confidence in God. Or maybe God will find some secret flaw in me, and there's a reason why he's not answering my prayer and and so rather than run the risk we just we know if we don't step out and that Lynn because we don't want to be disappointed.

We don't want to be let down, so we just are constantly standing against the things that are trying to deceive us and were not praying about the things that are deceiving the whole society around us is way bigger than me now is way bigger than you were living in an age where this generation is being taken captive by darkness and these are mountains now that need to be moved and cast into the sea and second Kings chapter 21 into the question what will God do if I pray in Kenny answer in a really big way.

This story answers that question in those days. Hezekiah was sick and near death.

Second Kings 20 verse one and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Thomas, went to him and said, thus says the Lord. Set your house in order for you shall die and not live then he turned his face toward the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, remember now, Lord, I pray how I walk before you, in truth, and with a loyal heart and a done which was good in your sight. And Hezekiah wept bitterly and happen before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, return until Hezekiah the leader of my people.

Thus saith the Lord, the God of David your father. I have heard your prayer. I've seen your tears, surely I will heal you on the third day you go up to the house of the Lord, and I will add to your days, 15 years now would deliver you in the city from the hand of the king of Assyria and I will defend the city for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David and Isaias to take a lump effects of the ticket and laid it on the boil in the recovered and Hezekiah said to Isaiah what is the sign that the Lord will heal me and that I should go up to the house of the Lord on the third day some basic like God just said to Hezekiah I'm going to heal you on third day, you're going to be back in the house of the Lord again and again give you 15 more years and I'm going to give you victory over your enemies and if I was God, and Hezekiah said to me, what is the sign I would've said to wait three days and you have your son will be in the house of the Lord, but Isaiah said this is assigned to you. Verse nine from the Lord that the Lord will do the thing which is spoken shall the shadow go forward 10° or go backward 10°. Hezekiah answered it's an easy thing for the shutter to put down 10°. No, but let the shadow go backward 10° so Isaiah the prophet cried out to the Lord, and he brought the shadow 10° backward by which it had gone down in the sundial of Ahaz.

This is an absolute sees the point being, you know what it says in the Scriptures second Timothy chapter 3 verses 16 and 17 were Paul the apostle says all Scripture is inspired by God is and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. But keep in mind when Paul wrote that there was not much if any of the New Testament at this particular point.

So he's actually making reference to much of this you find even in the Old Testament, and so when Hezekiah prayed that prayer and Isaiah came back to him. God answered his prayer and actually what he did 10° backwards is is turning time backwards 20 minutes what you think about that from of God turned time backwards. It's as if right now it's 825 and if I prayed that prayer.

It's like suddenly it's 805 and God turned it back out turned it back everywhere he reversed time which proves it is the Lord.

Over time is it is so there's really their bottom line. There's no limitations to God he can reverse time known order to reverse time they had to suspend the laws of the universe the whole universe is moving together in an outward fashion like this, you can go to the Museum of the strongmen using the argument you can see the whole thing about this whole resume is not the universe is is moving out with this way. And so in order to reverse time for 20 minutes yet actually back it up into suspend the universe is yet to suspend the laws of gravity. If you stop spinning the world for just a of a fraction of a second. The law of gravity has to be suspended because we would just simply fly off the world and into space, the oceans would overflow their borders. Mountains would crumble and fall would be all kinds of calamity and catastrophe in the universe is not just stopping planet Earth from rotating is to stop everything at the same time. How powerful is God.

That's the question what will God do in response to one men's prayer. Remember the story of Joshua fighting and he was winning a battle in and he wanted the battle to be finished in the focus on is that standstill and spoke to the moon is that state over there for a full day.

The rotation of the earth stopped for a full day, the laws against gravity were suspended because somebody prayed and had the courage and faith to believe that God can do exceedingly above all that we ask or are even able to think faith in God.

Jesus said, looking to the mountain and you know in comparison to what God did for Hezekiah and God did for Josh for the mountain is actually a small thing is that in comparison to the P suspended the movement of the universe.

If God can do that. Surely they can move the mountains in our generation. Surely he can cause our hearts to begin to believe again that he could do exceedingly above and beyond all we can even ask or think. Can we, in our time.

Can you cannot move beyond our fig trees are small deceptions to mountains those things and captivate entire societies in whole generations. I say yes.

I say this with all my heart. I think God I yield my body as a living sacrifice to you use it in whatever way you will, but all God move mountains in this generation of God.

Do what only you can determine that because you can turn the universe that you can turn back the tide of sin in America. In our generation who can force eschatology Navy to the sea and cause it to dissipate from our borders consider spiritual awakening into the nation and cause people's 30s and their backslapping centers in an accident in our generation that is the cry of my heart and that has to be the cry of the heart of every person is listed. Every person is in the century God used my life or something major and cursing fig trees use my life or something is going to make a difference in my society a difference in my neighborhood.

A difference in my family a difference in my church a difference in my city all God use my life.

And then there's there's no limit by age or gender, or ability.

I feel like Caleb when he was an old man said my stress is the same as it's always been not been 40 years in this wilderness, traveling around because of unbelief and I'm done with this and he goes, Mrs. give me the mountain with the giants of the Sons of Anarchy. I want that one, the one that they said couldn't be defeated God's mountain in this general have faith in God or whoever says to this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart but believes that the things he says will be done, he will have whatsoever he says therefore I say to you whenever you stand praying, believe that you shall receive. You shall have the things that you ask for. Do we dare to believe it in our generation doing Derrida stepped past the fig tree and look at the mountain. I love that I love the fact that Jesus was not teasing his disciples, he was speaking a reality and when we begin to pray. That way you'd be amazed. Even in this room. What can be moved in this generation through your life. You'd be amazed when you begin to pray with faith in God begins to cause you to move in a certain direction. The things of darkness.

Don't forget this is a spiritual war were not fighting against flesh and blood were fighting against powers and principalities of darkness.

The Bible says in our prayers. We know warlike people worn this in this world we have power to pull down strongholds web power to cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. We have power with God. Web power at the throne of God left the world only want because I know one thing the devils are not laughing. They know this to be true because they've seen this a been around long enough to see what happens when one man or one woman begins to pray and begins to believe in God. It all begins by removing the mountain of sin that's in your own life whatever it is that hinders you from becoming the man or woman that God has called you to be whatever it is in your home. Whatever it is in your heart that's that's your first mountain. That's the first thing you've got to have faith in God and believe that when Jesus Christ died on that cross 2000 years ago. He took the punishment for your sin upon himself.

You have to believe that he took her place on the cross, believe that he loves you and wants to call you back to himself and confess them with your mouth as your Lord and Savior, then the mountain of sin moves away from you and a whole new realm of eternal life and abundant life starts opening up before you and God cannot take your life and use your life for his glory is I want to pray a prayer that you need to get this mountain sin out of your life. I want to challenge you to pray like you've never prayed before you open your heart to God and get this mountain of unbelief out of your heart and out of your life now father in Jesus name I take authority over every hindering spirit and will try to stop any man or woman listening from opening their heart for the salvation is freely offered through Jesus Christ. This is the first mountain I want to pray against. I commend this mountain in Jesus name to be moved and to be cast into the midst of the sea, we command every obstacle to get out of the way of every man or woman, no matter how addicted are depressed they might be. Who wants to surrender their life to Jesus Christ patently resists you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and we command you to open your doors and lose your prisoners.

You can have these people anymore because we stand believing in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that your power is broken. Your deception is broken. Your lies are broken and you must let these people go this mountain of people that are going to cast you and all of your wicked works into the midst of the sea pray these words Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank you for loving me. Thank you for paying the price for my sin for dying in my place that I might be forgiven. I open my heart to you and I invite you to come into my life to be my Lord and my God and my Savior hi confess he was the son of God. From this day forward. I'm going to live for you in Jesus name. Thank you for joining us this week for a call to the nation with Carter, from Times Square Church in New York City. For more information log onto TSC.NYC that's TSC.NYC you can count on a powerful message each week on a call to the nation with Carter,