Found Nothing But Leaves

I. EXORDIUM:

Do you have fruits and leaves?

II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:

Believers

III. OBJECTIVES:

To show that us: branch, fruit and leaves will be taken care of by the FATHER.

IV. TEXT:

Mark 11:13 (Amplified Bible)

11:13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree [covered] with leaves, He went to see if He could find any [fruit] on it [for in the fig tree the fruit appears at the same time as the leaves]. But when He came up to it, He found nothing but leaves, for the fig season had not yet come.

V. THESIS:

We stick to the Branch and we'll bear fruit without our efforts.

VI. TITLE:

Found nothing but leaves

Study of Mark 11

VII. EXPLICATION:

A. Author: Mark, son of Mary of Jerusalem; referred to as John Mark

B. Date written: 58 B.C.

C. Purpose: To present JESUS of Nazareth as GOD's Suffering Servant, the Redeemer of the world

D. To whom written: Roman or Gentile Christians

E. Main Theme: CHRIST is the tireless servant of GOD and humanity.

F. Key word: Immediately

G. Key verse: Mark 10:45

Mark 10:45 (Amplified Bible)

10:45 For even the Son of Man came not to have service rendered to Him, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for (instead of) many.

VIII. MAIN BODY:

Fig tree represents fruitless Israel, the whole vineyard that is representing Nation of Israel.

Luke 13:6-9 (Amplified Bible)

13:6 And He told them this parable: A certain man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it, but did not find [any].

13:7 So he said to the vinedresser, See here! For these three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and I find none. Cut it down! Why should it continue also to use up the ground [to deplete the soil, intercept the sun, and take up room]?

13:8 But he replied to him, Leave it alone, sir, [just] this one more year, till I dig around it and put manure [on the soil].

13:9 Then perhaps it will bear fruit after this; but if not, you can cut it down and out.

Isaiah 5:7 (Amplified Bible)

5:7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant planting [the plant of His delight]. And He looked for justice, but behold, [He saw] oppression and bloodshed; [He looked] for righteousness (for uprightness and right standing with God), but behold, [He heard] a cry [of oppression and distress]!

Fig tree leaves, leaves or a leaf represents our own being doing good works to be approved by GOD.

Genesis 3:7 (Amplified Bible)

3:7 Then the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves apronlike girdles.

Isaiah 64:6 (Amplified Bible)

64:6 For we have all become like one who is unclean [ceremonially, like a leper], and all our righteousness (our best deeds of rightness and justice) is like filthy rags or a polluted garment; we all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away [far from God’s favor, hurrying us toward destruction].

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (Amplified Bible)

17:7 [Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.

17:8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spreads out its roots by the river; and it shall not see and fear when heat comes; but its leaf shall be green. It shall not be anxious and full of care in the year of drought, nor shall it cease yielding fruit.

A. From a distance, a fig tree full of leaves

"And seeing in the distance a fig tree [covered] with leaves,"

Matthew 21:19 (Amplified Bible)

21:19 And as He saw one single leafy fig tree above the roadside, He went to it but He found nothing but leaves on it [seeing that in the fig tree the fruit appears at the same time as the leaves]. And He said to it, Never again shall fruit grow on you! And the fig tree withered up at once.

Leaves from a fig tree would signify a presence of fruit. Being a leafy fig tree, it must contain lots of fruits for JESUS and the disciples to eat.

Since FATHER GOD owned the vineyard it would have been usual for the FATHER to require the fruits from the laborer.

Mark 12:2-8 (Amplified Bible)

12:2 When the season came, he sent a bond servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.

12:3 But they took him and beat him and sent him away without anything.