HOFC Sermon Archive: Gospel of Mark Part 65: Faith and Forgiveness

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SERMON TIMELINE

10. Jesus Cleanses the Leper

11. Jesus Heals the Paralytic

12. Jesus and the Tax Collector

13. Jesus Questioned About Fasting

14. Of Wine and Wineskins

15. Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath & Resurrection Sunday 2025

16. Hard Hearts and Hard Thoughts

17. Three Responses to Jesus

18. Jesus Appoints the Apostles

19. The Family of Jesus

20. The Unforgivable Sin

21. The True Family of Jesus

22. Parable of the Four Soils

23. How Well Do You Listen

24. Parable of the Growing Seed

25. Parable of the Mustard Seed

26. Benefits of Private Teaching

27. Jesus Calms the Storm

28. Who is Afraid of Jesus?

29. The Touch of Jesus

30. When Familiarity Breeds Contempt

31. Principles of Evangelism

32. Weakness in the Seat of Power

33. The Need for Rest

34. Feeding 5000

35. Jesus Walks on Water

36. Healings at Gennesaret

37. The Danger of Traditions

38. The Source of True Defilement

39. Gentile Blessed for Her Faith

40. He Has Done All Things Well

41. Jesus Feeds 4000

42. Jesus Sighs

43. Beware of Leaven

44. The Blind Man at Bethsaida

45. Who Do You Say That Jesus Is?

46. Mindful of the Things of God

47. The Cost of Discipleship

48. The Value of a Soul

49. Ashamed of Jesus and His Word

50. The Transfiguration

51. The Disciples ask Questions

52. The Unclean Spirit

53. The Way to Greatness

54. Principles of Discipleship

55. God Hates Divorce

56. Jesus Blesses Children

57. The Problem with Wealth

58. The Cost and Reward of Discipleship

59. A Couple Days Before Palm Sunday

60. The Cup and Baptism

61. Greatness in the Kingdom Comes from Serving

62. Blind Bartimaeus

63. Triumphal Entry

64. Cursing and Cleansing

65. Faith and Forgiveness

INTRODUCTION – Faith and Forgiveness

We have read of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which took place on a Sunday during the Passover. Monday, we read of Jesus cursing the fig tree and cleansing the temple.

Tuesday of the Passover week, the day begins with Jesus and His disciples passing the fig tree Jesus cursed for not producing fruit. It was withered to its roots. Peter, seeing this, says to Jesus, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.”

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE

Mark 11:20-26

“And as they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. ²¹And being reminded, Peter *said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.”

²²And Jesus answered and *said to them, “Have faith in God. ²³Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening, it will be granted him. ²⁴For this reason I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted to you. ²⁵And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.

²⁶[But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”]

Jesus uses the opportunity to teach His disciples two important lessons, both related to prayer.

I. FAITH AND PRAYER

a. The narrative

i. Firstly, Jesus tells His disciples to have faith in God in verse 22

ii. He then, speaking figuratively, says that with faith and no doubt, a mountain can be cast into the sea.

1. This figurative image was used by Jesus to intensify the literal principle, which is that genuine faith in God is not limited by human impossibility.

2. This is not about spectacle, the “big show,” performance, etc., but rather, having faith in God and confidence in His power and purpose.

3. This expression about commanding a mountain to be thrown into the sea is a well-known Jewish idiom for overcoming what appears to be impossible or immovable.

4. Mountains in scripture often symbolize massive obstacles, kingdoms, or things humanly impossible.

5. Similar equivalent modern idioms we use are;

a. This weighs a ton

b. That blew me away

c. I’m drowning in work

d. Or, He could move mountains if he set his mind to it.

6. Nobody imagines that what you are carrying literally weighs a ton.

7. You were not literally blown away…or you wouldn’t be there to say so.

8. When you say you are drowning in work, no one thinks they'd better throw you a life preserver and call 911

9. Yet, people read this and say, “You can’t pray the mountain to be thrown into the sea…therefore, the bible is full of myths.”

10. No, the bible was written by Jewish people who wrote the way they spoke at the time. Just as we would do today.

iii. Realizing this was a metaphoric use of an idiom, continuing the symbolic speech, Jesus says, “whatever they ask will be given them.

b. Observations

i. This passage teaches about the importance of faith in prayer, yet so many abuse it.

1. Either taking it literally

2. Or, ignoring all the other teachings about prayer and God’s will

ii. Moving a mountain, being a Jewish idiom, is also found in Isaiah 40:4; Isaiah 49:11; Isaiah 54:10; Matthew 21:21-22.

1. Those who believe in God can have confidence that He can and will accomplish what seems impossible to man, according to His sovereign will.

2. Does that sound familiar?

3. It should, because it is what Jesus says to the disciples when explaining how it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter heaven, and they said, “Then who can be saved?”

Matthew 19:26 “And looking at them, Jesus said to them, 'With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

c. But to give us “whatever” we ask?

1. God delights to “give good things to those who ask Him” Matthew 7:11

a. And is capable of answering any prayer, though we must ask with godly motives, James 4:3

b. And according to His will, 1 John 5:14

2. Those who trust God for the right things in the right way can have confidence that God will “supply every need…according to the riches in glory in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:19

3. Knowing that He will work “all things together for good” Romans 8:28

ii. The false teaching of “word of faith” misuses verses like things to make promises that are not in scripture.

1. Telling people that if they pray for physical healing, or some other specific request, and if they have enough faith, then they can have confidence that God has already done (or will do) whatever they ask.

2. If you don’t get it, it’s your fault because you didn’t have enough faith.

a. False teachers like Joyce Meyer, Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Kenneth Hagin, Creflo Dollar, Jesse Duplantis, Joel Osteen, T. D. Jakes, Paul White, etc.

b. Their name it and claim it, prosperity theology, seed-faith giving, healing through spoken faith, is an unbiblical fabrication that started tickling ears in the 1940s and was never taught by Jesus or the disciples.

3. We MUST ALWAYS have the same perspective that Jesus had when it comes to prayer and faith, that is, confidence in God’s power in submission to His will!

Jesus said in Mark 14:36, “…Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.”

iii. Grow in faith as you pray, but also understand that what we ask MUST be in harmony with the will of God!

iv. If you feel like you lack in faith, there are two things you can do to grow in faith;

Read the word of God, Romans 10:17 “…faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

1. Mark 9:24 and Luke 17:5 say we can pray that the Lord will help increase our faith.

II. FORGIVENESS AND PRAYER

a. The narrative

i. We read Jesus connecting the need to forgive others as we pray

ii. Without a forgiving heart, we cannot hope to receive forgiveness ourselves

b. Observations

i. Jesus stresses forgiving others many times in scripture

1. In the sermon on the mount, Matthew 5:7; Matthew 6:12-15

2. In response to Peter Matthew 18:21-22

3. In the parable of the unforgiving servant, Matthew 18:23-25

4. In His sermon in Luke 6:37

5. In teaching the disciple how to pray, Luke 11:4

6. In teaching the disciples how to forgive, Luke 17:3-4

ii. Jesus and His followers demonstrated the forgiving spirit

1. Jesus on the cross, Luke 23:34

2. Stephen, as he was being stoned to death, Acts 7:59-60

3. Paul, when he was abandoned, 2 Timothy 4:16

iii. We too, MUST develop the forgiving spirit, which we can only do by;

1. Focusing on God’s love for us, Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:10-11

2. Remembering Christ’s willingness to die and forgive 1 John 3:16; Luke 23:34

3. Meditate on these passages about the importance of forgiving others

4. If it was important to Jesus and the disciples, it should be important to us!

CONCLUSION

We read today about the two important conditions for having our prayers answered.

FAITH that we believe that whatever we ask, no matter how impossible it may be to humans, if we believe and do not doubt, it is not impossible for God, and it will be done.

FORGIVENESS, because unless we forgive, God will not forgive us. If we are not forgiven, God will not hear our prayers. 1 Peter 3:12 God does not hear the prayers of the unrighteous.

FINAL THOUGHT

What Jesus teaches about faith and forgiveness may seem challenging at times. But consider the blessings that will come from acceptable prayer.

We must confess if our faith is weak and we have an unforgiving spirit. Pray that grace will create in you a new heart!

· Raise your hand if you have one or more Bibles in your home.

· Don’t raise your hand for this. How many read scripture at least once a day since coming to service last week?

· How about every other day?

· Once a week? At all?

Your spirit is weak because you do not feed it. Your faith is weak because your spirit is. Your flesh is stronger because it is being fed daily with its desires.

What does the flesh desire? According to scripture (Galatians 5:19-21; Colossians 3:5-9; Romans 1:19-31; Mark 7:21-23; 2 Timothy 3:1-5)

· Lust, impurity, sexual immorality, idolatry, strife, jealousy, envy, selfish ambition, malice, hatred, slander and gossip, outbursts of anger, abusive speech, lying, corrupt speech, drunkenness, gluttony, pride, arrogance, narcissistic love of yourself, love of money, greed, without self-control.

If you struggle with any of these, it is because you have allowed your flesh to overpower your spirit. You have not died to self, but the old man is alive and well because you neglect the only power that can change you, the Spirit of God, which is fed through the Word of God.

Return to daily reading of scripture and prayer, submit to the Spirit of God, and watch as the Spirit overtakes the desires of the flesh and makes you a new creation, which walks in the spirit, not the flesh.

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Saturday, May 30, 2026

Gospel of Mark Part 65: Faith and Forgiveness

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