Crashing Out I Robert Madu I Social Dallas

And so so glad that you're here. Uh we have a word for 2025. Every year we have a word and our word this year is planted. Planted. 10 toes down. We are planted because the Bible says those who are planted in the house of the Lord will flourish.

So just to remind oursel of the word every single Sunday irrespect of what I'm preaching on, we read Psalms 92 13-15. So we going to do it today. Y'all ready? Come on. When I count to three with uplifted caffeinated voices, let's read it. 1 2 3. Those who are planted in the house of the Lordish God, >> they shall still bear fruit in >> they shall be fresh and flourishing to declare that the Lord is upright is my rock and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Y'all sound good? Sound good in here? You sound good in the watch party room. Shout out to watch party room. ((music playing)) Well, today's the day, y'all. We are ending our series on mountains. A there'll be another one. We'll be good. We'll be good. But no, if you've been along the journey, we have been climbing mountains.

We've been going on a journey through scripture, looking at different mountains, understanding that these are more than geographical locations in the Bible. These are sacred spaces where God showed up and showed himself strong and mighty. So we going to look at our last mountain today. Look at your neighbor say it's the last one. >> But look at your other neighbor say we saved the best for last. >> Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Remain standing. Go to go to Mark 11 today. Markap 11. And I'm going to look at verses 12- 24. Mark 11, starting at verse number 12, going down to verse number 24. Once you're ready to read it, say, "I got it." If you need some time to find it, say, "Hold up." >> Oo, on this whole side right here, pray for this section.

Mark chapter 11, starting at verse number 12, going all the way down to verse 24. quite a bit of scripture, but we need all of it to get the context of this text. And it says, "The next day, as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree and leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit."

What was he looking for? >> Yeah. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it. On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts to begin driving out those who were buying and selling there.

He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written, "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have made it a den of robbers."

The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him for they feared him because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. When evening came, Jesus and the disciples went out of the city. And in the morning as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.

Peter remembered and said to Jesus, you always need a Peter to say what everybody else is thinking. Rabbi, look. The fig tree you cursed has withered. Have faith in God. Jesus answered, "Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this, >> yeah, go throw yourself into the sea and does not doubt in their heart, but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them."

Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours. Whatever you ask for, believe you have received it. You single and you see somebody that you want, whatever you ask for, believe you. >> No, baby, I don't think that's what they're saying.

I want to I want to tag a title to this text today and preach to you as we close out this series on mountains. I want to preach from this thought crashing out. >> Crashing out. Look at your neighbor for what might be the last time. Whichever neighbor you choose, just say, "Neighbor, >> woo, I got to confess, >> I'm crashing out." >> Look at your other neighbor.

Say, "Other neighbor, >> neighbor, >> can I keep it 100? >> Can I keep it 100?" Sometimes I feel like crashing out. If you believe God's going to speak today, would you give us some praise in here? Woo! Lord, have your way. Amen. You may be seated in the presence of the Lord.

[laughter] Crashing out. social fam. You know, one of the ways that you can know that you're getting old it is not just by wrinkled skin or gray hair or dentures. One one of the ways that you can be sure that you're getting old is whenever you are having a conversation with somebody who is younger than you and they say a phrase or a word to you and you have no clue what they are talking about.

Has anybody experienced this right here? Just talking to somebody maybe from that Gen Z or Gen Alpha, Lord help you. And they just say some word, some skippy something. You like, are you speaking in tongues? What are you talking about? That's how you know. That's how you know you're getting old.

I'll never forget uh the first time I came to this alarming conclusion. It was 2021. I still remember it. I got a text from somebody younger than me. It was a good text. A text that I wouldn't mind getting today. Uh the person texted me and said, "Hey, PR, I have extra tickets to the Cowboys game tonight.

Would you like to go?" That's what they text me. And uh before I even replied, I prayed. I said, "Father, it's Sunday. Would it be thy will for me to go to this game?" He said, "Go forth, my son." So then I text him back. I said, "Absolutely.

I would love to go." Then it gets better. Then they text me and said, "Well, they're really good seats and they actually come with field access to get on the field." He's like, "So you have to get there early." To which I said, "Are you for real? Are you serious?"

The reply to that text is something I still have ingrained in my mind. I said, "Are you for real? Are you serious?" And they text back a word and two emoticons that left me puzzled. I got to let you see it. I said, "Are you for real? Are you serious?"

And this is what they text back. This right here. They said, "Yeah, no hat." And I'm looking at this text going. You mean to tell me you can't wear a hat at the Cowboys game? I would think this would be a big announcement. I'm pretty sure a lot of people are going to be wearing hats at the game.

When did they make this policy that you can't wear a hat to the game? So, I just in my naivity, I just text back. This is what I said back to them. I said, "So, I can't wear a hat." That's what I text back. To which they text back some you don't want to get back from anybody.

They text back this right here. Just laugh emoticons. That's when I knew I messed up. And they went further to explain that what I thought was no hat is actually no cap. No cap. And some of y'all are still confused. But I I come came to understand that no cap means I'm not lying.

I'm telling the truth. I'm keeping it 100. Uh y'all this this is crazy. This language and different things that come from the culture. Uh another one happened this week. Another one happened this week. Thank God not to me to PT. We're having staff meeting. True story. Last week we're having staff meeting on a Monday after a Sunday.

And whenever we have staff meeting, we review the service on Sunday and we celebrate what happened well, what God did, something that was good in the service. And PT said, "Oh, I want to shout out the worship team. Y'all did so good with the crash out." The crash was amazing.

And I knew what she was talking about. She was talking about the moment in service where the worship team crashes out with the symbols and it's a transition where they have to bring this big old bull pit out here. And that's what she was talking about. That crash out.

See, I also knew based on the Snickers at the table. That crash out meant something else. And PT didn't even know what crash out meant. Crash out has another meaning. I'm going to help some of y'all today. If you're taking notes, you can get this down. Crash out has another definition.

In case you don't have anybody in Gen Z that's around you. Here's crashing out. Here's the definition. Crashing out is a feeling beyond tiredness or frustration or exhaustion towards something or someone that you throw all care out the window and have a full-blown emotional outburst. It is when someone makes a move so reckless, so destructive, so out of character that it looks like they have completely lost it.

Crashing out. Have you been there before? Come on, somebody. You're watching your kid at their softball game and the ref makes a bad call and all of a sudden you find yourself from the stadium and you on the field crashing out. You ever been there before? Your boss that has the emotional quotient of a seven-year-old keeps saying crazy stuff to you and you just can't take it.

So all of a sudden you send them an email and let your boss know what you really think about him and you press crashing out. You ever been there before? You driving on I35 and somebody cuts you off. I mean bad too. And you honk your horn at them in your truck and then pull up to them cuz the light hits and you want to look at them in the face so you can tell them something.

But when you look at them you realize they go to social Dallas and they're like hey pastor and you're like those who are planted in the house of the Lord. Tell them crashing out. Don't act like you never been there before. Crashing out is interesting because anytime somebody does crash out, you do know that the crash out is just the tip of the iceberg.

It's never really about that emotional moment. It's always something underneath going on that is deeper. Ladies and gentlemen, when I think of this terminology of crashing out and I look at our text today in Mark 11, there is no other scripture in your Bible that I can think of that if onlookers were to look at the life of Jesus Christ that they would say he is crashing out other than this moment right here in Mark 11 that we read where your God and my savior y'all is cursing a fig tree and flipping over tables.

Loving Jesus, kind Jesus, saving Jesus. The Jesus that they said, "Bring your little children to hell." This Jesus is cursing fig trees and flipping tables. What in the world is going on in this passage right here? If the Bible was made up by people, how many know this is a story they should have cut out right here?

Our savior is cursing a tree and he's flipping over tables in the temple. What is going on? Surely there's something deeper going on than what we see on the surface. This blows my mind because what is happening? This is this is the same savior that in the middle of the storm said, "Peace be still."

And the winds and the waves were calm. And now all of a sudden it looks like somebody needs to look at him and say, "Uh, peace be still." Cuz why are you yelling at a tree and why are you flipping tables in the temple? This is something that we have to look at today because it is actually one of the only what I would call destructive miracles in your Bible.

It's the only one. Your your savior doesn't do destructive miracles. He usually does restorative miracles. He speaks things and things change. He speaks to blind eyes and they open. He speaks to deaf ears and they open. People are possessed by demons and he says, "Come out." and all of a sudden he's speaking to a tree and as a result of his word the tree withers.

Why is he doing a destructive miracle? This is the only time you will see this in the Bible. A close second a close second would be in Mark chapter 5. Yeah, Mark chapter 5 when there's a guy who is so possessed by demons that he is living among the tombs and cutting himself and nobody can bind him until Jesus has an encounter with this dude and says come out.

He calls the demons out of him and he asked the man, "What is your name?" He said, "My name is Legion and we are many." And notice what the demons say to Jesus. They said, "Please Jesus, don't let us leave this region." They didn't mind leaving the man.

They said, "Don't let us leave this region." You do know that's how principalities work. Sometimes they don't want to leave an area. They don't want to leave a space. And they were asking Jesus, "Can we please stay in the area?" And then they go, "Can we go into those pigs over there?"

The demons asked to go in pigs. And all these demons jumped in these pigs. This is in your Bible. Read it when you get to the crib. And 2,000 pigs go off of a cliff into the water. And all the pigs die. And that's why we go to breakfast.

I order turkey bacon because of all the animals that demons chose to go in in the Bible. They went in pigs. That was a destructive miracle. So one time is with pigs and another time is with figs. And the question has to be asked, Jesus, why are you doing a destructive miracle?

Are you angry? Are you out of control? That can't be the case because your God has never been out of control. He has always been intentional. He's not just emotional. Surely, there is something deeper going on. And that's what I want us to unpack today. And what I find intriguing about this whole passage with the fig tree that is being cursed and the tables in the temple that are being flipped, it all starts with the hunger of Jesus.

This is how this text starts. The Bible says that Jesus was hungry. He was hungry. We only see this in scripture two times right here in our passage. And also when Jesus has fasted 40 days and 40 nights and the Bible says he was hungry. I bet he was.

You don't eat for 40 days, you going to be hungry, too. This hunger speaks to the humanity of our savior. That you serve a God that truly was fully human and fully God. That he can feel what you feel and he knows what you go through. But I also think it's deeper than that.

Especially in our text today, when he says he is hungry, that means he has a longing for something. And I think it's deeper than a longing for something that his stomach needs to be filled. Think about it. He could have got anything. He could have gone to the marketplace and said, "Y'all go give me some hummus and give me some Peter bread."

But that is not what he is hungry for in this passage. He is hungry for something specific. He is hungry for something that, hear me, he's still hungry for it today. He's hungry for something that he is always looking for in the life of a believer. Jesus is hungry for fruit.

That's what Jesus hungers for. Huh? If your God has a need, here is his need. He needs fruit. Understand this is the last week of his life. And in the last week of his life, what is Jesus looking for? The same thing he's looking for today in the life of believers.

He is looking for fruit. I'm trying to see is there any evidence in your life that you have relationship with Jesus. Jesus is hungry for fruit. Fruit. This is what he's on a search for. Do you got fruit? Do you got fruit? What is fruit? Fruit is the visible evidence of the spirit's working in your life. >> Fruit.

Fruit. This is what Jesus is obsessed with. If you look at your Bible, it becomes clear that he is obsessed with fruit. He creates Adam and Eve. And right there in the garden, the first command is be >> Oh, come on. Somebody didn't go to Sunday school. I only heard like six people.

Be fruitful and multiply. Jesus has always been looking for the fruit of your life. And I want to know on this Sunday, do you have fruit? >> Do you have any fruit? If if they were throwing Christians in prison, is there enough evidence to convict you? Is there any fruit in your life?

Because the same thing that Jesus was hungry for then, he is hungry for today. He is searching >> for somebody that has fruit. He's looking, how's your fruit? How's your love? How's your joy? >> I'm looking at some of y'all's faces to see. How's your peace? How's your patience?

How's your goodness? How's your gentleness? How's your kindness in these 2025 social media streets? How's your faithfulness? Uh, how's your self control? Fruit. Fruit. Fruit. Fruit is the thing that comes out of your life that we should see that substantiates that you actually have a walk with God.

Do you have fruit? >> I don't want nobody judging me. Don't judge me. I'm not judging. But I am a fruit inspector and I'm trying to see, hey, is there anything in your life that gives visible evidence that the spirit is working in your life? Jesus was hungry for fruit.

I could do a whole sermon on that, but two things that I know about fruit. Number one, fruit never grows by itself. Fruit never grows by itself. You have never in your life seen a branch disconnected from a tree growing fruit. If you see it, show me. You ain't never seen a branch just out here and still producing fruit.

So, shout out to all y'all. I don't need the church. I don't need community. I'm just going to be by myself. I don't do church. I do podcast. Okay, I bet you don't have no fruit because you have never seen a fruit hanging off of a branch and that branch is disconnected from its source.

Fruit never grows by itself. You need the church. You need community. You need somebody to tell you, "Don't wear that." You need somebody to tell you, "Don't go back to your ex." You need somebody to tell you, "Here's some gum. No, I'm good. No, I'll take it. ((applause)) be practical and spiritual.

Fruit never grows by itself. It has to be connected. Oh, maybe that's why in John chapter 15, this is the same theme of Jesus about fruit. John chapter 15, this is Jesus saying, "I am the true vine and my father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no >> fruit while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes."

Either way you going to get cut. No fruit, cutting you off. Got fruit. Oh, you could have more. Cutting you again. He is always cutting and pruning. Why? Because he is obsessed with fruit. He's looking for fruit. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

Remain in me as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself. >> It must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine. You are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.

Apart from me, you can do nothing. Fruit cannot show up by itself. It has to stay connected to the body. It's giving. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. Here's what I love about staying connected to the source and producing fruit is that producing fruit is the natural byproduct of being connected. >> It just happens.

It just shows up. There's another thing I love about trees. You've never gone up to a tree and listened to a tree and heard it going, "Come on, come on, apple." Doesn't have to strive. Just stays planted. And fruit is the byproduct of it being connected. Nothing nothing just two things.

Nothing I noticed about fruit is that fruit is never for the tree itself. >> You never walk by an apple and watch that branch go back to the trunk and it's eating its own apples. >> You have never seen an orange tree drink an orange juice from its own harvest.

Talk about this is good. No, fruit is always for somebody else. >> It's for somebody else. This is the power of fruit. That's why he said, "I will know you are my disciples by your fruit because somebody else should see it." If fruit is eating itself, it's rotting. >> This is why people that never serve and people that never give wonder why they're frustrated and more anxious.

Is because fruit for you will leave you more depressed. Fruit for you will leave you more under stress. But whenever you start allowing other people to see the power of your fruit, watch how life comes into you. I dare you. Next time you're depressed and you want encouragement, go encourage somebody else.

I dare you. Next time you want somebody to pray for you, flip that thing and go pray for somebody else. And watch what happens on the inside of you. Because whenever you allow other people to get the fruit of your life, it multiply. I can't tell you how many times I've walked in on a Sunday and been weary and not felt like preaching and not feel like giving you any type of word, but I get out here and I do it anyway.

And then all of a sudden, something happens on the inside of me as I begin to do what God has called me to do. Because when you allow other people to get the fruit of your life, it fills you up. >> If fruit is eating itself, it's rotting. >> Yes, sir.

So fruit >> is never for the tree itself. It's always for somebody else. So look at your savior in the last week of his life doing a powerful lesson with his disciples. He's hungry. And look at what he says. There's a fig tree over there. It's got some leaves and I'm hungry for fruit.

What do you say we go check it out? The whole thing is a setup to teach his disciples something. that that the whole tree is a walking living illustration. Well, not walking, but just a a standing illustration. He's just setting them up. It reminded me I told the other services this it reminded me because I take lessons from Jesus, the greatest communicator that's ever lived.

One time I was talking to our team and I was talking about our staff behaviors and uh they didn't even know this, but I had a cup and I had set the cup at the beginning of my lesson. And I had sat on the edge of my podium.

And at the end of my lesson, I just accidentally bumped into it. It was on purpose, but I bumped into it. And all of a sudden, it spilled everywhere. And everybody was like, "Oh, we got to get something to clean it up." And I had already had hidden in the room a mop.

And I went over there and I started mopping. And by the time I started mopping, they started realizing, "Wait a minute, how PR get that mop that quick?" And the whole thing was a setup. It was a setup to let them know that on our team, we got to have a mop. meaning mission over position that your position may change in the organization but stay committed to the mission irrespective of your position.

You got a moth. Jesus is setting them up. I'm hungry. Let's go see if this fig tree has any fruit. Why? Because I see leaves. And he goes up closer to this fig tree and he looks under the leaves and there is no fruit, >> nothing, nada. And then your Lord and Savior, the kind loving Jesus curses a tree.

May no one eat tree fruit from this tree ever again. Can you imagine? And his disciples heard it. I can see him in the background going, "Oh my goodness, he's crashing out. The Pharisees have gotten to them. Gotten to him. This man is talking to a tree. What are you doing, Jesus?"

First of all, why are you mad when Mark says in the text, "This ain't even the season for figs." Did anybody read that? >> It's not even the season for figs. So, why do you have an expectation for something that is not even the season for it? Jesus, I'm confused.

Well, the reason I'm confused is because I didn't study figs. >> I studied figs and I found out that figs have a flow. Here's the flow of figs. Figs first in the spring produce a tiny bud that is edible. After the bud comes the leaves. After the leaves comes the full fig.

So, watch the fig flow. Bud leaves full fruit. Bud leaves full fruit. Join in anytime. Bud leaves full fruit. Bud leaves >> full fruit. >> So when Mark says that it's not the season for figs, what he's saying is there's no >> full fruit. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. There's no full fruit.

But since there's leaves, there should at least be. >> This bud is for you, Jesus. Why is this bud for me? Why do I have the right to demand that that tree has at least a bud of fruit? Because you have leaves. Your leaves are advertising that there should at least be a bud of fruit.

And it looks good from a distance, but once I get up close to it, you mean to tell me that you got leaves but no fruit? You mean to tell me you posting leaves, but when I get really up close to your life, there is no fruit. You mean to tell me you got scriptures in your profile about leaves, but if I look at your life on Monday through Saturday, there's no fruit.

You mean to tell me you got a form of godliness, but you deny the power thereof? You want to drive Jesus crazy? Start advertising leaves when you ain't got no fruit. ((applause)) >> Oh, this is why Jesus was kind to the broken and the sinner, but couldn't stand the Pharisees and kept calling them out cuz they kept walking around advertising leaves.

But when you got up close, there was no actual fruit. I can handle if you got no leaves. >> But when you false advertise, >> when you got an image of fruit, >> but there's actually no fruit. Not only is that disappointing, it's dangerous. >> It is dangerous to advertise something that you do not actually have. >> Okay.

Okay. Um, let me let me do this. Um, I'm going to keep going to my sermon, but can I take a little break? Um, it's going to mess some of y'all up. Y'all know y'all's pastor is unconventional. Um, but I I preach I preach three sermons on Sunday.

And so sometimes I don't get to eat breakfast. And so I had them in between service order me some food. Do y'all mind since the last sermon in the series? Can I eat my my breakfast real quick? I'm being dead serious. Can I eat it? Are y'all cool with that? >> Oh, thank y'all so much.

Give it up for our amazing team. I just Woo! Good old pancakes. Yeah. How many you think the these pancakes are real? How many think they're real? How many think they're not real? Okay. You ever seen that show uh This is cake. >> Is it cake? It's not that show.

But if it was, half of y'all would have been. >> It's real. >> It's real. But it's missing something. You can't have no pancakes without some good old syrup, y'all. Thank Thank you for letting your boy eat during the message. Oo, I love me some maple syrup. I wish I had some butter, too.

Nothing. That's a lot of syrup. Don't judge. Good old Good old syrup. You know, I took a bite and didn't even share it. I want to share this with somebody. Anybody who who would who would eat some of this? Anybody want some? Y'all didn't eat before service. Vinnie, you on the front row?

Come on, Vinnie. Vinnie, before I give it to you. How good does that look? Woo! Looks amazing, doesn't it? You want some? All right, Vinnie, go ahead and try it. Hold on, Vinnie. Don't take a bite. Here's what I want you to do first. Smell it. Does it smell funny?

He said funky. I bet it does smell funky. Give it back because I don't want to get sued. Cuz the reality is if Vinnie took a bite of this, it would kill him. It would make him sick. Didn't you just put maple syrup on there? No. Ain't it crazy how maple syrup looks just like motor oil >> and the danger of what I just did ((music playing)) >> is that when you are hungry >> and somebody advertises something that it's not it's not just disappointing.

It is dangerous. It's dangerous when you play in church and you're not the real deal. It's dangerous when you in church on Sunday but sleeping around on Monday. It's dangerous when there's something in your life that is a hypocrite cuz you have external labels of syrup, but internally you're motor oil. >> Do you know why people don't want anything to do with church?

((music playing)) It's because of believers >> who have a label of 100% pure. >> But internally, it's poison. >> I hate to make the illustration more scary, but that's the motor oil. This is the real thing. >> And from a distance, >> they look the same. ((applause)) >> Isn't that a scary thing to consider? >> That you can have two believers lifting up their hands One is sweet syrup.

The other one is poisonous motor oil. >> This is the poison of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy. Now hear me. Hypocrisy is different than humanity. >> See, away from this notion that if I put my faith in Jesus, I'm going to be perfect. Oh no. Please believe as long as you are in human skin in the flesh, you are going to sin. >> You're going to sin.

The only person that would sin less was Jesus. >> However, when I put my faith in him, I should sin less. >> See, the problem with this bottle is that it's hypocrisy. It's it's pretending to be something it's not. That's the danger of of hypocrisy. God can handle honesty. >> But he will always confront hypocrisy. >> And you always know the difference between humanity and hypocrisy.

When after you've messed up, you don't run away from God. You run to him and say, "God, this is not who I am. Create in me a clean heart. Renew a right spirit in me. God cannot deal with somebody that keeps pretending and will not admit that they need him.

This is why he kept calling out the Pharisees and said, "Woe to you Pharisees." He said, "You are just like whitewashed tombs. Beautiful on the outside. You spend so much time working on that image in the label, but no internal substance." Whenever somebody is advertising something that they're not internally, it's not just disappointing, it is dangerous.

So to put our Christ in context, because some people can't even stand this passage of scripture and they think that Jesus was irrational to curse this fig tree. But let's just take the illustration further. How many of you would be all right with me cursing this bottle of syrup and saying, "May no one take syrup from this bottle again." >> That's not mean.

That's kindness. >> Because this syrup is lying. >> This syrup is projecting an image >> that it is not internally. So Jesus had every right to look at that fig tree that was full of leaves but had no fruit. Now this is where Mark plays whiplash with us because we go from Jesus cursing this fig tree to Jesus in the temple.

And then Mark comes back to the fig tree. this classic Mark. Mark Mark loves to do what scholars call Mark sandwiches. Yeah. Where he'll start a story and then interrupt that story with another story and then finish the first story that he started. And the reason he's doing that is because the story that he interrupted the first story with is connected. >> Yeah. is it's like when he talks about Gyrus who had a daughter who was 12 years old >> and she was about to die >> and Jesus says I'll go heal your daughter and Gyrus is like yeah well hurry up and as Jesus is hurrying up and Gyrus is saying you better hurry up all of a sudden he interrupts it with another story with the woman who's had an issue of blood for 12 years and Jesus who should have been rushing to the house to heal the girl that was about to die stops and takes time to see the one and talks to this one woman and heals her at the exact same time Gyrus's daughter dies.

And when Gyrus thinks it's too late and says, "Jesus, you shouldn't even come." He says, "No, y'all's two stories are connected. I want to show you that I'm not bound to time. I am God and I can heal whenever I want to heal." So, watch this. I'm going to heal this heal this woman that's been dealing with it for 12 years and I'mma heal your daughter, watch this, with the resurrection. cuz everybody thought she was dead, but I'm about to bring her back to life and I can do both. >> So, what in the world does a tree with leaves but no fruit have to do with the temple?

Everything. Cuz in the same way that that tree looked beautiful from the outside, but upon further inspection was corrupted underneath. That's what happened to the temple during that day. The temple was beautiful, y'all. I have been to Israel. I've seen the ruins. They still take your breath away.

When you think of the temple, don't think of some little storefront church, y'all. This was 32 acres. This was a beautiful ornate temple with thousands of people that were coming to worship. It had all kinds of activity going on in the temple. People bringing sacrifices. But when Jesus looked closer, he realized there's a lot of activity here. >> But there's no fruit. >> There's a lot of leaves, but there's no fruit.

One of the things that he inspected was that they had created division in the temple. >> Yeah. Division in church. Yeah. D division. They had four separate courts that were all separated by big walls. So the Gentiles, the ones who were not Jewish, they had their own court with a wall. >> And then the next court was the court for the women cuz they had to have their own place.

And then there was a wall. And then the next court was the court for the Jewish men separated from the women. And so they had a wall there. And then there was a veil for the priest and only they could go in. So you got a divided church with walls in between them >> and all of them worshiping separate.

All of them more exclusive than the other. And Jesus comes and looks and what makes him go off? Why is he flipping tables? Because when you came to the temple, you can play. Make this sound real spiritual. When you came to the temple, you had to bring a sacrifice.

You had to bring an animal. Challenge was if you traveled from a long distance, you couldn't travel with the animal. So most people would buy the animals at the temple. I'll just get the animal when I get there. And when you got there, you had to use the currency of the temple.

So the priest in that day said, "Aarl, we got us an opportunity here. If they have to buy an animal here and exchange their money at the temple, let's raise the price of the animal and let's raise the exchange rate so that it'll cost people more who are just coming to connect with God."

It had gotten corrupt. And of all the things they put the money changing tables and the animals not in the court of the women or the court of the Jewish men or in the holy of holies. They put it in the court of the Gentiles. The ones that had to travel the furthest and the ones that every Jewish person would have thought, "Oh, please.

You shouldn't even be here anyway." And when Jesus saw they were making it more difficult for the marginalized, for the oppressed, and for those who are on the outside to worship, he said, "Oh no, I'm about to flip all these tables. This is a house of prayer, and you don't get to decide who has relationship with me.

What I'm doing is bigger than just male or female, Jew or Gentile. I am the savior of the world." And you're building walls, but guess what? I came to tear them down. Y'all got activity with no intimacy. And you want to see me go off, I'll go off right now and flip tables cuz you're stopping people from connecting to me.

He said, "Don't you know my father's house will be a house of prayer for who?" All nations. I told you last week, you can't put Jesus in a box cuz he's bigger than whatever box you want to put him in. And the message then is still the message today cuz we got a whole lot of activity in the church today.

But the question is, is there fruit? >> And don't just put it on the church. Paul says, "You are >> the temple of the Holy Spirit." Do you have activity, but there is no intimacy? Are you more concerned with your image than you are with the content of your character and your fruit and who you are?

Sometimes it's not until Jesus comes and turns some things over >> that you realize >> I've been advertising something that I'm not. And so he turns over the tables and Mark goes back to his original story cuz the next morning they're walking and they see the fig tree and leave it to big mouth Peter to go, "Oh Jesus, look.

The fig tree you cursed is withered up. It's withered. Now, what should be a natural response to that? You would think Jesus would go, "You better believe it's withered up when I say something. I don't play." Jesus changes the subject >> almost as if he does not want their eyes fixating on the dead thing >> but wants to give them vision of the life.

Oh Jesus the tree is withered up. Jesus responds have faith in God. If you have faith in God, you can say to this mountain, not a mountain, this m what is that mountain? The mountain they were just on. The mountain of the temple where they had become corrupted and they were stopping people from connecting to God.

He said, if you have faith, you can say to this mountain, this thing that is stopping you from connecting with me, you can say, move into the sea and it will. In other words, he's saying there is a new dispensation that is happening. You don't have to go to that mountain to worship.

Guess what? I am the mountain. You don't have to bring in an animal to sacrifice. Guess what? My sacrifice is going to be enough. I am the lamb that is going to be slain. And I'm so thankful today that when that lamb named Jesus was slain, his blood was enough for me.

He tore the veil from the top to the bottom. There are no walls separating me from my God. He died on another mountain called Calvary so I could have access to him. Somebody ought to give us a praise and thank God that he made a way. Whether you're Jew or Gentile, male or female, no matter your race, your culture, or your background, you got access to this savior.

Oh, says, "Have faith in God and speak to that mountain. Speak to whatever is opposing your connection to me, whatever is blocking it. Speak to the mountain and watch it move into the sea." That's what his blood did. It threw the mountain of the temple and its systems and its structures out the way.

Jesus wasn't crashing out. He was calling out an outdated system. He said, "I am your mountain. You have access to me because of my blood that was shed for you." I want every single person that can, would you stand to your feet today, please? Nobody moving, would you honor this moment?

I'm going to ask heads be bowed and eyes be closed. We had to end the series with this text because Jesus, he is our mountain. We have access because of his blood. And you don't have to perform. And you don't have to put on a religious facade. All you have to do is put your faith, your trust in God.

If I was the enemy, I would make you think that you have to perform to get access. If I was the enemy, I would weigh you down in the weight of religion, trying to perform to get your father to approve, keeping up an image. If I was the enemy, I would make you feel that your sin was too great and that his blood wasn't enough.

But hear me today. The devil is a liar. He died on a mountain once and for all so that we could have access, so that walls and barriers could be torn apart. So that we could approach the throne of grace. Here it is. with confidence and find help in the time of need.

Heads are bowed, eyes are closed today. If you be so honest and say, "Hey, PR, I've not put my faith in Jesus." I'm not asking you, have you put your faith in church or your faith in people, hear me, who will let you down? Have you put your faith in him?

Are you gonna go through life like everybody else faking it? Whole lot of leaves keeping people at a distance cuz you know if they get close they'll see you have no fruit. This does not happen by your performance. It happens by putting your faith in him. And so with heads bowed and eyes closed today if you'd be so honest say hey PR I need to give Jesus my life today.

Would you just lift up your hand high enough and long enough to where I can see it? Thank you, Lord. Yes. Yes. Thank you, God. Thank you, Lord. You can put it right back down. Head still bowed, eyes still closed. If you're here today, you say, "Hey, I've put my faith in Jesus.

But man, my fruit is minimal." If we really looked at your life, would we see that that fruit is growing? Are you becoming more loving, more kind, more patient? All of us have to look at our lives and say, "Am I growing?" Cuz Jesus is still hungry for fruit.

And that fruit comes by staying connected to the vine. If you're here today, maybe there's an area in your life where you're saying, "Man, I need more fruit." And Lord, I'm aware of it and I'm not trying to produce it on my own. God, I'm putting my trust in you so that that fruit will grow.

But if you know what that area is, would you just lift up your hand as a sign to say, "Lord, I know. I know I need to grow in this area. I need more fruit here. And Lord, I'm not trying to do this in my own strength. I can't do it.

I need you. Let your love flow through me. Let your goodness flow through me. Thank you, Jesus. Here's what I want to do. I want us to pray this prayer. We're all going to say it as one big family, but especially those of you who responded the first time saying, "I'm putting my faith in Jesus today."

Would you say this from your heart? Say, "Jesus, I need you. Lord, I know I cannot do life without you. Lord, you are everything I need. So Jesus, today I put my faith in you. You are the vine. I am the branch. Apart from you, I can do nothing.

So today, I surrender. Forgive me of my sin. >> Forgive me of my s. Make me brand new. From this moment forward, I'm walking with you and I am growing. My life will bear fruit and much fruit in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Come on, give God the greatest hand clap of praise.

You got today. Come on social, you can do better than that.