The Second Coming of Christ is the greatest prophetic event of the ages. Over 380 verses speak plainly to it. The early churches thought more of the Second Coming than they did of death. The apostasy and presence of apostates do not refute the Second Coming. They prove it. Look at II Thessalonians 2:3. Read II Timothy 3:1-5. The Second Coming may be right upon us. Wars and famines are getting closer and harder. The apostasy that surrounds us is a sign of the last days. These verses teach us some things about the apostasy and the Second Coming of Christ. They speak of:

I. THE SURETY OF CHRIST'S COMING.

II. THE SEVERITY OF CHRIST'S COMING.

III. THE SANCTITY OF HIS COMING.

Did you know that you are being stalked? There is someone who watches you everywhere you go. He observes everything you do. He hears every conversation & each thought you share. When you go to work, when you go to school, or shopping, or in your recreation he is watching, and listening, and making notes of how he might best attack you. When you go into your house he follows you in and watches as you as your interact with your family. He knows what makes you upset. He knows how to tempt you. He follows you to church and sits in the pew beside you. He does his best to talk to you and to distract you as the Word of God is being presented. He will put conflicting thoughts into you mind as you try to pray or study the Bible. Or, he will offer interruptions such as doorbells and telephones. He even gets into your mind to make you question the reality and truthfulness of God and His Word. Who is this stalker? He goes by several different names - Abaddon, Apollyon, Beelzebub. But you and I know him best as Lucifer, Satan, and the devil. Before we get too deeply into this message, we need to realize the reality of the devil. He is a real person. He is not some made up creature used to scare people into “being good.” Satan is the fierce enemy of God and man, and the Word of God tell us that he is the Adversary and Accuser of the brethren. We need to look at the person of Satan. He was Lucifer - an archangel. He was, apparently, very beautiful and very powerful according to Ezekiel 28:13. He was head over the angels of the material realm. But also notice the pride of Satan. He said, "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God . . . I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High" (Isaiah 14:13-14). Ezekiel 28:15: “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” That iniquity was his pride. We also need to note the plan of Satan. atan has a plan, and he is willing to use every method and to work to accomplish it. Second Corinthians 2:11 warns us of his “devices” (DEVICES = that which is thought out; purpose, project, plan). Ephesians 6:11 speaks of the “wiles of the devil” (WILES = methods, craftiness). This message deals with and is intended to warn us of the deceit and dangers of the devil. Remember: "We are not (not to be) ignorant of his devices." With that in mind we are going to look at some of the tactics Satan uses to ruin the witness and the testimony of believers and to damage churches, and to destroy the souls of men.

I. SATAN USES DISCOURAGEMENT.

II. SATAN USES DOUBT.

III. SATAN USES DECEIT.

I want to encourage each one, especially if you haven’t done so in a while, to just make a check of your salvation. With the presence of COVID, with the things that are happening in our world, especially in Afghanistan, with the amount of violent crime we are seeing in our nation (and even in our city), it is only safe to make certain that you know the Lord as Savior. With everything else that is going on, I believe with all of my heart that Jesus could come today for the saved, and if you are not saved you will be left behind to endure all of the events of the Great Tribulation that are spoken of in the book of Revelation. Of all the needs that humanity has, what is the greatest? If it were education, Jesus would have come as an educator. If it were financial, Jesus would have come as an economist. If it were peace, Jesus would have come as a diplomat. But why did Jesus come? Luke 19:10: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Salvation is mankind’s greatest need. Aboard the Titanic the passengers sailed in different accommodations. Some sailed in luxury in first class. Others sailed below in the steerage. But when the final tally came back to the New York office after the tragedy people were put into one of two categories - Saved or Lost. There are only two categories of people in this world - regardless of nationality, ethnic origin, skin color, gender, social standing, wealth or poverty. They are SAVED and LOST. Religious pollster George Barna interviewed thousands of Americans on their beliefs. Sixty-seven per cent of Americans call themselves Christians. But some have estimated that only 35% of Americans have truly been born again . . . have truly shown evidence of being saved. There are so many people who are claiming to be Christians today that are totally biblically illiterate, they are clueless about what real faith is. Radio Bible teacher J. Vernon McGee once estimated that 75% of church members might not be genuinely saved. (Based on our total membership and the number present on any given Sunday, I believe he may be right.) Billy Graham once guessed that about 80% of the people who came forward in his evangelistic crusades already had their names on a church roll. What are you saying? I am saying that people join churches for many different reasons and not always because they have come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. For this reason, true churches may occasionally get lost people who become members. But remember, the first church had a perfect pastor and still had at least one lost member. I want us to note some of the things that the Apostle Paul had to say about Israel in these verses. They had a zeal of God. (That may describe many religious people.) They wanted to be pleasing to Him. They saw the need to establish some form of righteousness. So they set about to do so. But also note: 1) Their zeal of God was “not according to knowledge.” Again, describing many today, and 2) They were ignorant of God’s righteousness. Therefore they set out to establish their own righteousness, and 3)They had not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God. Simply stated, if you are wrong, you are wrong no matter how much zeal you have! Some say, “It doesn’t matter so long as you are sincere.” But you can be sincerely wrong. I can look at a bottle of poison and sincerely believe that if I drink it, it won’t hurt me, but I would be wrong . . . dead wrong in my sincerity. So, what is the importance of 18 inches? How will people miss Heaven by 18 inches? Eighteen inches is (generally) the distance between the head and the heart. Salvation is a matter of the heart (as we shall see) and not merely a matter of the head. Let’s look at some of the ways people will miss Heaven by 18 inches. Of course we know the “fool” (Psalm 14:1) will miss Heaven because of his rejection of God.

I. SOME WILL MISS HEAVEN BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE THEY ARE TOO GOOD TO NEED SALVATION.

II. SOME WILL MISS HEAVEN BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE THEY ARE “TOO BAD” TO BE SAVED.

III. SOME PEOPLE WILL MISS HEAVEN BECAUSE THEY ARE TOO “RELIGIOUS.”

Last week we began dealing with the subject that, according to many surveys, is mentioned most often when people are asked what topic would you like to hear a message from God’s Word on. The majority responded: “Tell us how to find the will of God for our lives” and “I want to know the will of God for my life.” In our text we see that Saul asked the two greatest questions a person can ask. “Who art thou, Lord?” (vs. 5) and “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (vs. 6). In Acts 9:11-16 we can see that God had a will for Paul’s life. He had: A place for him to go, a person for him to meet, and a plan for him to follow (vv. 15-16). Note: This is a very specific will for Paul. The Lord did not tell everyone to do that.) In Acts 23:11 1he Lord reveals more of His will for Paul. God has a will for your life and a will for my life, and WE CAN KNOW THAT WILL! You recall that last week we first talked about our perfect, Sovereign God. Sovereign (sovereignty) means that He has the right to do as He will with His creation . . . and know that it IS His creation. We have no right to question the manner in which God deals with us. We may ask “why” in trying to understand what God wants us to learn, but we should not question His right to deal with us as He pleases. Because He lives in sinless perfection whatever God does will always be right. Next we talked about God’s Perfect, or Sovereign Will. That it is God’s sovereign will that all the “whosoevers” will repent toward (turn to) Him and trust Jesus will be saved - Romans 10:13. That all who are saved should be His children - adopted into His family - Ephesians 1:3-6. That all who accept Jesus, and who are His adopted children should be His heirs - Romans 8:16-17. To make the “kingdoms of this world . . . the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ” - Revelation 11:15. And all things are moving toward that. Let me just mention this about God’s perfect, or sovereign will. Things that are going on in our world right now may not make any sense to us, but God has a purpose in allowing them. We may not know the purpose, but He has a purpose. See, sometimes the sovereign will of God is a mystery. The Apostle Paul asked (Romans 11:34), “Who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counselor?” Let me give you a wonderful verse for when it comes to trying to understand God’s sovereign will -- Deuteronomy 29:29. We are not accountable to God for the things He has not revealed to us, but we and our children are accountable for what He has revealed to us. Finally, we talked about the Permissive Will of God. I believe God’s “permissive will” comes out of His foreknowledge, and maybe in part out of His mercy. He has made provision for mankind’s freedom to choose. Every person born is free to choose to accept or reject Jesus as Savior. Every child of God gets to choose who they will serve -- the Almighty God, or the world, the flesh, amd the devil. But remember, our decisions have consequences! Before we examine how to know God’s Personal Will for our lives, let’s see some mistakes people make about knowing God’s will. They are:

I. MISTAKES ABOUT KNOWING GOD’S WILL.

II. WHEN IT COMES TO KNOWING GOD’S WILL.

III. WAYS YOU CAN KNOW GOD’S WILL FOR YOUR LIFE.

If you could stand face to face with the Lord Jesus this morning and ask Him one question, what would it be? I think I have an idea what most of us would ask of the Lord; it is the same question the Apostle Paul asked on the road to Damascus. In fact, he asked the two greatest questions a human can ask: “Who art thou, Lord?” and “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Those are the two greatest questions a person can ask.) When surveys are taken, and people are asked what subject would you like to hear a message from God’s Word on, the majority of those who answer respond: “Tell us how to find the will of God for our lives,” and “I want to know the will of God for my life.” So, again, I think I have an idea what many who are here this morning and those watching by livestream might ask. And I am happy to tell you this morning, YOU CAN KNOW GOD’S WILL FOR YOU LIFE! I’m not just talking about what I’m going to refer to as God’s “general will” – be saved, get Scripturally baptized, join a true, Bible teaching, Bible preaching church, be faithful to Him through that church, witness, give as God has prospered you, etc. Those are all things God expects from every believer. However, I believe we can know with certainty God’s more specific will for our individual lives. Not only do I believe the saved know God’s will for their lives, but if you are not saved – if you have never repented toward God and trusted Jesus to saved you – I believe you, too, can know God’s will for your life. Here it is. . First of all, God’s will is that you would be saved. II Peter 3:9 tells us that God is not willing that anyone should perish in hell for eternity, “but that all should come to repentance,” toward Him and be saved. I Timothy 2 talks about “(3) God our Savior; (4) Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” God’s will is that you would be saved. People say, “I won’t worship a God will sends men to hell.” Listen, God does not force anyone into hell. In fact, God doesn’t force anyone into Heaven. people make their own choices. God has told them of the two eternities – Heaven or hell – and He has told them how to escape hell. If someone goes to hell, it is because that is their choice, they have chosen to reject the free gift of salvation that God has for them (Ephesians 2:8-9), to reject Jesus and to die in their sin. Now, after you are saved, the other things that I have mentioned as a part of God’s “general will for believers” – baptism, church membership, faithful service, etc. – become His will for your life. Before we begin to examine how we, as believers, may know God’s specific will for our lives, let’s look at our text and see what Paul said and how he felt about this church at Colossae. Remember, he had never been to visit this church, but he had heard about them. Let’s look at our text and see what he had heard and how he felt about them. We see, first of all, that he had heard of their faith in Christ (vs. 4) and that their faith had brought forth fruit. He was aware that Epaphras was their minister (vs. 7) (in fact, it was Epaphras who brought word of this church to Paul). And, he had heard of their self-sacrificing love “in the Spirit.” That is a great testimony for any church to have – full of saved folks, serving God, and loving the Lord and one another. I pray that will always be the testimony of this church. Now, look back to vs. 3 and see how Paul felt about this church (which he had never met), “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you . . . ” Here is a wonderful thought, we can love and pray for sister churches who are serving the Lord and standing for the truth even though we have never met them. That’s what Paul is doing here What did he pray for them? Look at vs. 9: “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding . . . ” Paul said, “I am praying that you will know God’s will for your lives,” and for the most part knowing His will comes primarily through “wisdom and spiritual understanding.” That is a part of what the preaching and teaching of God’s Word will do for us if we will allow it, give us"wisdom and spiritual understanding." That is what I pray this message does for everyone under the sound of my voice today. . We understand that there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. I think we see today that some people who know a lot of stuff do not operate in wisdom. The word for “wisdom” is “sophia.” Because of the many different ways it is used in referring to knowledge, its meaning “must be discovered from the context” in which it is used. One of the best descriptions of wisdom I have ever heard is that wisdom is the right us, or the godly use of knowledge. So wisdom is taking the knowledge we have and using it in a godly manner. The word “understanding” talks about that knowledge we have. It can be understood to refer to intelligence. Listen, God doesn’t expect you to “check your brain at the door” when it comes to determining His will for your life. “Wisdom and spiritual understanding” speak of having a comprehensive insight into the purposes of God and a discernment of spiritual things. Again, we are going to see that this is the primary way to recognize the will of God for your life – godly wisdom and spiritual discernment. Then, in vs. 10, Paul gives us the purpose of his prayer and their knowing the will of God when he says, “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God . . . ” We cannot walk worthy of the Lord, until we know the will of the Lord. A worthy walk is a walk in His will, and that’s what pleases God. And, if you please God, it doesn’t matter who you displease. But, if you displease God, it doesn’t matter who you please. And, the way to please God is to walk, in His will, to walk the worthy walk. That will make you fruitful. So Paul says, “I want you to know the will of God,” and that is my prayer for each of you, that you might know the will of God for your individual, personal life. But, remember it is God Who makes it possible for us to do His will. He shows us the way. He clears the way, and He prepares our paths. We are so blessed. We have the Savior beside us, directing our footsteps. We have the Spirit within us, impressing our hearts. And we have God above us Who says, “I will guide you.” Now, before we start trying to understand God’s will for us on a personal level, we need to take a look at the sovereignty of God and the sovereign will of God. We see:

I. THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD AND HIS SOVEREIGN WILL.

A. The Sovereignty Of God.

B. God’s Perfect (Sovereign) Will.

C. God’s “Permissive” Will.

When we first look at these first two verses of Colossians we might be tempted to consider them as merely the standard greeting of the Apostle Paul to one of the Lord’s churches. Though Paul had never been to Colossae, he reveals the authority by which he is addressing them. He is an apostle by the will (determination or decree) of God. This gives him the authority to speak. He also declares that he is an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. This understanding is very important to us as we begin to look at the words the Apostle used in addressing God’s people & declaring His will for them. What right does a man have to stand in a pulpit and give instruction and direction to the members of one of the Lord’s churches? Only by the fact that he has perceived the call of God upon his life to do so. Only to the degree that he presents the divinely inspired and inerrant Word of God. The one thing our world and our nation, our state and our city need today is to see a real Christian. What is a real Christian? One like those mentioned in Acts 11:26 - so much like Christ in attitude, activity, and affection for God that the world calls them “little Christs.” In II Timothy 3:5 Paul warned preacher Timothy about those who have only a “ form of godliness” but deny “the power thereof.” Today we have a lot of professed believers who have a lot of form but who have little power. This explains why we may be ineffective in our witness or even unwilling to witness of Christ. So many are unaware of or doubt their ability. If I have both the authority and the ability to do something, I have no problem doing it. If I doubt my ability, or my authority, or both, I may be hesitant to act. Now, often the Apostle Paul gives some very profound instruction at the beginning of his letters to the churches, and this letter to the Colossians is no different. He offers his prayer that God would grant them grace and peace from Himself and from the Lord Jesus. Then, the words he uses to address these believers at Colossae give us a five-fold description of them . . . and all believers. That description presents some great truths about our lives as children of God, of what He desires/expects from us, and about the truly Christian life. We see:

I. OUR CALLING IS TO BE “HOLY.”

II. OUR WALK IS TO BE FAITHFUL.

III. OUR FAMILY IS FULL OF BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

IV. OUR VICTORY IS “IN CHRIST.”

V. OUR MISSION IS “AT COLOSSAE.”

By the time we get to the book of Malachi, worship in Israel had been so corrupted that it had become, at best a mere habit and at worst a drudgery. Look at their assessment of it in vs. 13: “What a weariness is it!” "Weariness" refers to trouble, or distress. (It if from a word that means to tire, or to tire out.) See their attitude toward it, also in vs. 13: “Ye have snuffed at it.” "Snuffed" means to puff in order to disesteem. (They “turned up their noses” at it.) Vv. 7, 12 reveal their animosity toward it. In Vs. 7 they said, “The table of the Lord is contemptible.” "Contemptible" speaks of being despised or disesteemed; to treat contemptuously and proudly; (to make little account of). In vs. 12 they said, “The table of the Lord is polluted.” "Polluted" has the meaning of "to soil or desecrate; defile, stain; profane, make ceremonially unclean." Now, I sincerely pray that this is not and has never been your attitude toward the worship of Almighty God. Listen to what God said about trying to worship Him with the kind of attitude Israel had. In vs. 10 He said, “Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? . . . ” He is (essentially) saying, “I wish one of you would shut the Temple doors so that these worthless sacrifices could not be offered!” The greatest malady of our time, I believe, is the lack of true worship. Many people today treat attending church like they’re doing God a favor. They can hardly wait for the services to be over, and when they are they say, "I've done my duty again." (We should NEVER be that way.) For such as these the thrill and excitement are gone; they have lost the wonder and the joy of serving and worshipping God. I will say again, I hope this does not describe anyone here today because an unexcited believer is someone who has forgotten who God is. When you really see who God is, enthusiasm is the result. The word "enthusiasm comes from 2 Greek words which mean "In Theos," or "in God." We cannot believe what we are supposed to believe and be lukewarm about it. I pray that this message will help us restore the wonder, reality, and life in our worship of God if we have lost it and help us understand that we are not here today for the preacher or for any church member but for the sole purpose of giving “unto the Lord the glory due unto his name.” Here are three ways of doing just that:

I. RECOGNIZE THE NATURE OF GOD -- VS. 6.

II. REVERENCE THE NAME OF GOD -- VS. 6.

III. RESPECT THE "NOBILITY" OF GOD -- VS. 14.

We have been studying faith, and an outgrowth of faith is our faithfulness to God. So this morning we are going to segue from FAITH to a subject I mentioned last week in Sunday School as well as in the worship service, and that subject is WORSHIP. As I said last week, as a pastor of one of the Lord’s churches I am constantly concerned about our worship. I want our worship to be pleasing to God, led by His Holy Spirit, and according to His Word. I want our worship to offer all who come here a little taste of Heaven on earth. To learn to worship God as He desires is the ULTIMATE PRIVILEGE of a saved person. Worship is also our GREATEST DUTY, and as believers it is our DEEPEST NEED. Why is learning to worship God properly so important? Psalm 115:4-8 teaches us that we become like the thing we worship. First, the man molds the idol, then the idol molds the man. If we worship idols, we will become like the idol. (Ever see a teenager worship some actor, sports star, or musician?) If we will worship the Lord, then we’re changed from glory to glory to the same image. II Corinthians 3:18: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” True, biblical worship will make us more like the One we worship. Dr. Adrian Rogers said, “The problem with the modern church today is that we have forgotten how to worship.” Some say if you want to build a great church you have to talk to people about their needs, about what they like and then give them what they like and meet their needs. Now they’re talking about psychological, emotional, and physical needs and ignoring the greatest needs – the spiritual. Much of the “worship” in America today is designed to please man, not God. (We have gone from theology to "me-ology.”) Rather than worshipping God, we have turned our eyes inward and upon ourselves. If you want to be utterly miserable, focus your life upon yourself. Mark 8:35-37 -- "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. 36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” But if you want to be filled with joy, focus your life on God and the Lord Jesus. Notice what vs. 4 of our text says of Jesus: “And he must needs go through Samaria.” This was not a geographical need. It would have been much easier (and more pleasing to the Pharisees) to cross the Jordan River into Arabia, bypass Samaria, and cross back into Galilee. This was a spiritual need. I believe Jesus knew He would meet this woman at Jacob’s well. This Samaritan woman was miserable. She had never learned to truly worship. She was self-centered. She had been blinded by Satan. Not only blinded by Satan but broken by sorrow. (Life may have thrills, but it has no joy apart from the Lord Jesus. Proverbs 20:17: “Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.” And she was bound by sin. She was “religious,” but her “religion” had never helped her. She had some ideas, but they were not from God. She had a “form of godliness,” but there was no power in it. (That is why Jesus taught her about true worship.) God made us, primarily, to worship Him, to know Him, to fellowship with Him, and Him with us. I John 1:7: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” God created mankind for His pleasure and His enjoyment, and until we fulfill that purpose, we will never know real fulfillment. Take a fish out of the sea and put him in a tree, and he’s an unhappy fish. Take a bird out of the air and put him in the water, and you’ll have an unhappy bird. Take a person who is made for God and immerse him in the things of this world apart from God, and he will have no fulfillment. Acts 17:28: (Speaking of God) “For in him we live, and move, and have our being . . . ” Until we learn to worship, we’ll be like a fish out of water. Here we see that:

  I.  WE MUST LEARN THE TRUE MEANING OF WORSHP – VS. 22.

 II.  WE MUST PRACTICE THE TRUE METHOD OF WORSHIP – VV. 21-23.

III.  WE MUSTHAVE THE TRUE MOTIVE OF WORSHIP – VS. 23.

Satan is a real being who is alive and active in the world today. Attitudes toward him range from those who do not believe he exists to those who not only believe in him, but worship him. If a person believes any part of the Bible, he must believe in the existence of Satan. God’s Word describes him and warns us of him. The Scripture gives accounts of encounters between God and Satan and between Satan and men. Satan has great power, but his powers are limited. He has more power than humans, but not as much as God. Satan is not omnipresent. That means he cannot be in all places at all times as God can. However, his forces are highly organized. He can, either in person or through his demons influence people throughout the world. Satan cannot take a child of God away from God. However, he seeks to do the next best thing. He seeks to rob God of the believer’s life. In our text, Jesus warned Peter that Satan desired to have him. This is true of every believer today. Satan wants to gain possession of our minds and lives. He wants to use us to turn people away from God. Unfortunately, it seems he is accomplishing his goal in the lives of many saved people today. In I Peter 5:8 Peter wrote, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour.” Satan is the enemy of every human being, and especially of every child of God. He only seeks to devour and destroy. Because of this, it is imperative that God's people know how to counter Satan's attacks on their personal faith in God. So, let's examine:

I. THE BELIEVER’S PERSONAL FAITH.

II. SATAN'S ATTACKS ON THE BELIEVER'S FAITH.

III. HOW TO COUNTER SATAN'S ATTACKS.

Faith in God is something we do not possess naturally. Ephesians 2:8 tells us that faith is “the gift of God.” God enables us to trust in Him for salvation, then He gives each believer some “measure of faith,” (Romans 12:3). "Measure" refers to a degree, or portion. That is, God empowers us to trust Him, then to serve Him, and to glorify Him through the power of the faith in Him that He gives to us. This outworking of faith in God’s people has allowed them to see demonstrations of God’s power that boggle the mind and to receive answers to prayers for things that appeared impossible. Let me give you some examples. Note these verses. You can read about them later. In Joshua 10:12-14 Joshua commanded the sun to stand still so Israel could defeat the Amorites. In Joshua 14:6-16 eighty-five year old Caleb believed God for the power to defeat a mountain infested with giants and God gave him that mountain. In Daniel 3:1-30 the 3 Hebrew children trusted God to keep them from the power of a pagan king and a fiery furnace. God met them in the furnace and protected them. We could give many more examples, but these are enough to teach us about the power of true, biblical faith in God. Remember what Jesus said about faith and a sycamore tree from the last message on faith? One day as Jesus and His disciples walked toward Jerusalem He cursed a fig tree -- vv. 12-14. (That doesn’t mean He swore at it. He just placed a curse upon it.) When they passed by the next day, the fig tree was dried up from the roots. Jesus used this experience to teach His disciples a lesson about the power of biblical faith. When we exercise true, biblical faith in God and His promises, we can expect amazing results. The key to that statement is the phrase “true, biblical faith”. A lot of people think that faith is a blank check. Many believe they can ask for anything they desire and that God is obligated to give it. That is not what the Bible teaches. Our text has much to teach us about the power of true, biblical faith. We see:

I. THE OBJECT OF BIBLICAL FAITH -- VS. 22.

II. THE OPPORTUNITIES OF BIBLICAL FAITH -- VV. 23-24.

III. THE OBSTACLES TO BIBLICAL FAITH -- VV. 23-26.