Thanks so much for joining us as we study God’s Word together. It is a privilege we have to open the Bible and learn from the author. Today, our study in Mark brings us to 5 verses in Mark 11.

Before we get into our lesson, think about words we use so often that we tend to forget what they mean. In the Bible, some words are packed with meaning, but as we use them over and over, we don’t always think about what the words mean. Recently, I had a friend explain to me how God showed him a vision of the grace we have through Jesus. Tears pooled in his eyes, and his voice cracked as he described God’s grace. I use the word “grace” many times, and I know what it means. But this conversation challenged me to meditate on God’s grace and let it pass from my head into my heart.

Faith is another word like this. It’s a word we use many times without really thinking about what it means. Of course, we have faith, and yes, faith in God. But wait, do you? Really? What does that mean? How do you know? I hope you have faith in God, and I am guessing you do. But today let’s take a little time to think about what that really means. Let’s go with Bible teacher J Mark as we think about faith.    

In 1806, Samuel Mills, a college student, felt burdened to pray for foreign missions. One August day, Mills assembled a small group of spiritually minded friends who prayed together that the Lord would raise men and women to take the gospel to foreign nations. In answer to their prayers, God established the American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions, the American Bible Society, and the United Foreign Missionary Society. Through these, the Lord sent many laborers into his ripened field.

Why did Samuel Mills and his friends pray for foreign missions? What was the key to their success? Why did God honor their cries for the Gospel to reach other parts of the world? The primary answer is that their prayers were an act of faith. They believed God wanted all people to hear the Gospel and that He had the power and desire to answer their prayers for world missions.

Which brings us to our text for today, Mark 11:22-26. In this text, Jesus directly commands His disciples regarding faith and its expression in their lives.

²² So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 

²³ For assuredly, I say to you, 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. 

²⁴ Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

²⁵ “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 

²⁶ But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

Jesus’ command to “have faith in God” provides several essential COMPONENTS of effective prayer for us to consider and implement in our lives.

The immediate context of this interaction between Jesus and the Twelve is the cursing of the fig tree and the cleansing of the Temple. On Monday morning, on the way to Jerusalem from Bethany, Jesus cursed the fig tree for its deceptive appearance—leaves but no figs. That same day, He cleansed the Court of the Gentiles in the Temple complex, driving out the livestock sellers with their merchandise and turning over the money changers’ tables. This was evidence of the day’s fruitless religion. Then, He and the Twelve retired again to Bethany.

The following day, as they made their way to Jerusalem, they saw this lone fig tree that Jesus had cursed, dried from the roots upward. As they observed this phenomenon, Peter said in shock, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered away.”

That brings us to our text for today.

The First COMPONENT of Effective Prayer is

The Object of Our Faith

In response to Peter’s professed shock at the withered fig tree, Jesus issues a simple but straightforward command. “Have faith in God.” Didn’t the disciples already have faith in God?

In Luke 8:25, after Jesus stilled the raging storm, He asked His fearful disciples, “Where is your faith?” In Matthew’s account of the same incident, Jesus asked, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” In Matthew 14:31, Jesus responded to Peter’s cry of fear by saying, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” These incidents, among others, show us the weakness of their faith.

However, I think Jesus is revealing something deeper with this statement. As indicated by His cursing of the fig tree and the cleansing of the Temple, the Jewish people were exercising belief in a works religion rather than faith in God. These events were dramatic, visible evidence of an appearance of faith but no corresponding fruit. The curse of spiritual death would spread from the religious leaders to the whole generation of unbelieving Jews.

Unfortunately, the object of their faith was their ethnicity and adherence to the Law of Moses with all its traditions. In John 9:33, in response to Jesus’ promise of freedom, the Jews said to Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” Because God had chosen them to be His people, they falsely assumed they were invincible.

It is easy to criticize the religious leaders and the disciples, but we must carefully consider the object of our faith. We, too, say we believe in God and His Word. Yet, like them, we unwittingly place our faith in our heritage, religion, nationality, family background, abilities, and self-sufficiency. However, all of these will eventually fail us. God alone MUST be the object of our faith! Our religious practices and prayers will be lifeless and empty if He is not.

The Next COMPONENT of Effective Prayer is,

The Authenticity of Our Faith

How can we determine the authenticity of our faith? Jesus’ initial command to have faith in God indicates that the fig tree’s withering was in response to His Father’s will. Jesus had complete trust in God. The point was that dependent trust in God can accomplish what is humanly impossible through prayer.

Look at what Jesus said next. “Amen, if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and cast into the sea,’ and you do not doubt in your heart but truly believe, you will receive whatever you ask for.” Let’s focus on Jesus’ statements: do not doubt but genuinely believe. To doubt means to be at variance with oneself, unsettled. The picture of sea waves clarifies the thought.

Genuine belief is more than agreeing with the truth; it must result in action. James 2:21 asks, “Was Abraham our father not justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works, faith was made perfect? The Scripture was fulfilled: ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’”

But how does all this relate to prayer? Verse 24 says, “Therefore, I say to you, whatever you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” God is the source of the power to change. Moving a mountain is a universal symbol of doing something that appears impossible. Jesus presupposed that overcoming the difficulty in view was God’s sovereign will. A true disciple of Jesus would hardly pray for anything else.

A praying person can believe what he asks will happen because it is God’s will. He will neither doubt God’s ability to do what he requests, since God can do anything, nor doubt that God will grant his petition, since it is God’s will. Furthermore, promises to answer prayer depend on God’s sovereign control of all things. They do not allow human beings to override God’s will.

What Jesus says in this text must be understood in light of all the teachings on prayer in the New Testament. If we lift this verse out of context and ignore the rest of the teaching of the New Testament, we start getting into the magical business of “name it and claim it.”

How do you respond to Jesus’ teaching in this text? As disciples, we can believe that we will receive what we request in prayer when we ask for God’s will to be done. Jesus said in John 14:13, “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Is what you’re asking for going to bring glory to the Father or glory to you?

According to the Scriptures, we can be sure of two things when we pray with authentic faith: God will hear, and He will answer.

The Final COMPONENT of Effective Prayer is,

The Authenticity of Our Forgiveness

In the final two verses of our text, Jesus mentions a component of prayer that He discussed elsewhere: the importance of forgiveness. “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trespasses.”

Physical posture in prayer is not critical, although heart posture certainly is. The word carries the idea of firmness, of standing fast. My prayer is to be faith-filled, regular, and systematic. As I walk with God in the fellowship of prayer, I will know if I have unforgiveness in my heart. That unwillingness to forgive indicates a lack of faith.

In this text, Jesus’ warning focuses on a spirit of unforgiveness. When we repent and have been forgiven through the grace of God, but somebody injures or offends us, apologizes, and confesses their sin, something is wrong if we will not forgive.

We can’t expect God’s forgiveness if we want vengeance even after the person who wronged us has repented. Every Believer should stand ready to forgive any offense fully and, finally, whether that offense is real or imagined, if the person who wronged us repents.

Jesus highlights our having a grudge against our brother as the catalyst for seeking forgiveness. In Matthew 5, the opposite is in view; we remember that our brother has something against us. Those two encompass the whole range of offenses. My willingness to forgive my offenders demonstrates genuine faith. I know that God could have prevented the offense from happening, but He didn’t. That proves that He has something He wants me to learn through it. Can I trust Him to work through my pain to accomplish His plan and purpose?

Is God the object of your faith? Or do you have faith in your faith or something else? What about the authenticity of your faith? Does it enable you to believe that what you can’t see is as real as what you can see? Or is your faith like a wave of the sea or a reed in the wind, constantly in motion? If that describes your faith, you will not receive answers to prayer.

Finally, what about the authenticity of your forgiveness? If you have genuinely experienced forgiveness from your Heavenly Father, how can you withhold forgiveness from your brother? Focusing on my offenses against God makes the offenses of others against me seem comparatively small.

Do you want to pray effectively? Have faith in God. Then take the components Jesus gives in this text and apply them in your life. You will experience the power of a praying faith. 

Faith and forgiveness are words we’ve heard many times, but when was the last time you really thought about them and what they mean to you? Thanks, J Mark, for teaching this passage. Are your faith and forgiveness authentic? What has helped you move these words from your head to your heart? How do you keep your faith and forgiveness fresh and real?

If you would like to share your response with us, we’d love to hear from you. Here is how you can reach us. Our email address is [email protected]. Or you can contact us via our website. Go to Heraldsofhope.org. There you will find “contact us” under the partner tab on the top right. Click on that to message us directly. We would love to hear from you. 

As we end our program today, it is only fitting to close with a verse about faith. This may be the clearest definition of faith in the Bible. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” I encourage you to read this in a few other translations and think about your faith.