Sermons
March 20th, 2022 by Pastor Solley032022AM Afar Off
Sub. Phrase Afar Off
Theme: Word Study
Text: Mark 11:13
“Afar Off” Mark 11:13
Introduction
The message this morning is a word study. A Bible word study is taking a specific word or phrase, looking at the different places and ways that word or phrase is used, and making spiritual applications. The subject of our word study this morning come from the text of the message last week. – Mark 11:13 – As we saw lat week Jesus was returning to Jerusalem after what we call Palm Sunday. He and the disciples had left the city and went to Bethany to spend the night. – Mark 11:11 – The next day when returning to Jerusalem Jesus became hungry. – Mark 11:12 – The Bible tells us that Jesus saw a fig tree from afar off. – Mark 11:13 – We looked last week at lessons we can learn from the barren fig tree. This morning we are going to use the phrase afar off.
I. This word study looks at the way things are seen: Mark 11:13 Jesus sees the fig tree from afar off. From a great distance. And as far as we can tell Jesus saw something the others did not at that moment. We are not told why the disciples could not see it as of yet, or if they just were not looking for it, or if they were looking in other directions. But Jesus saw that tree from afar off.
A. The phrase afar off is found forty eight times in the Bible: First in the book of Genesis and last in the book of Revelation. It does suggest in many of its uses the way things are seen.
1. It is used in both positive and negative ways: The first time the phrase afar off is used in the Bible it is in a positive way. The first time the phrase afar off is used in the New Testament is in a negative way.
2. It is used concerning some very well known and important people as well as some not so well knows and some we would think not so important: It is used of Abraham, Moses, David, Peter and others well known. It is used of the repentant publican in Luke 18 and we are not even told his name.
3. It is used in a physical sense as it is in our text: Mark 11:13 But it is also used many times in a spiritual sense. In Psalm 139 David says of the Lord “Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.” That is spiritual as well as is Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. And even in the times the use of the phrase is in the physical there can be spiritual applications made.
B. Different people can look at the same thing and see it in different lights: Some can look at trials and see no way out while others can look at the same thing and see deliverance afar off and sometimes very near.
II. The way we view things determines the way we react to things: And that comes down to the question of are we viewing th\ings through fleshly eyes or spiritual eyes? Are we taking a worldly view of things or a Godly view of things.
A. Of the forty eight times the phrase far off is used this morning I want to look at six: A study of all forty eight is one that can open your eyes but time will not allow that this morning so we will look at six times that phrase is used. Seven total.
1. I want to look at six times that phrase is used in a positive way:
2. Then I want to look at six times it is used in a negative way:
3. The seven time is to stress the importance of looking afar in a good way:
B. We do need to look afar off as Jesus did in our text: Mark 11:13
PROP: How are you looking at things this morning? Are you looking at things afar off in a good way or in a bad way?
Body
I. First, the importance of having a spiritual view of things even though we may have to look afar off: Heb 11:1-3 Right after this definitive statement on faith we have a long listing of both men and women who exercised great faith in the Lord. This we call the Hall of Faith. – Heb 11:4-5 ; Heb 11:7-8 ; Heb 11:20-25 ; Heb 11:30-39
A. One ought to meditate upon this chapter and not simply read through it: We do not have the time to do that in this message but all of those named here had great trials and hardships to endure. – Heb 11:36-38 – It was not just a few who had trials to endure, hardships to overcome, they all did.
1. Moses standing against the most powerful government in the world:
2. Joshua standing before the walls of Jericho:
3. Abraham leaving all he had ever known:
4. Joseph in the prison cell:
5. Everyone in this chapter had trials and hardships to endure:
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B. What was it that gave them strength, kept them going? It was a far off view of things. – Heb 11:13 They determined, everyone of them I believe, to take a far off view of thing, to look through spiritual eyes at things afar off. – Heb 11:13 – In fact the Bible tells us they didn’t receive the promises but that they believed and saw them afar off. – Heb 11:13
1. So many are discouraged today because they are not taking the right view of things, they are not looking afar off: I am not saying we should not be concerned with what is taking place around us, world events, a nation drowning in sin, sickness and illness on the rise and many other things that do concern us. I am concerned about all those things and more myself.
2. But it is only when we stop looking afar off that discouragement and depression overtakes us: We need to look afar off and realize who has promised to care for and provide for us. – Heb 11:13
3. We need to have the right view of things:
C. First, the importance of having a spiritual view of things even though we may have to look afar off: Heb 11:1-3
II. Now the importance of having a far off view in a good way: Of not just looking at the problem in front of us but looking to the Lord, looking far off and waiting to see what God is going to do.
A. In Genesis 22 we find Abraham looking afar off: Gen 22:1-4 This is the first use of the phrase afar off in the Bible and it says much about the way Abraham viewed things. Abraham was looking afar off in a good way.
1. Here God puts the faith of Abraham to a test: Gen 22:1-2 The word tempt here does not point to Abraham being tempted to sin but to his proclaimed faith in Jehovah and the promises of God being put to a test. Abraham was a man of faith, but to what degree?
2. Isaac is the promised son of Abraham: That son was promised some twenty five years before he was born. Abraham and Sarah waited twenty five years for God to fulfill His promise. Along the way there were laps in faith, at one point taking matters into their own hands, but God did keep his promise. – Gen 22:2 – Isaac here is a young man, no longer a boy.
3. How much does a parent love a child? And when does that love diminish? Our children are grown but I don’t love them any less than when they were a new born. Perhaps even love them more today with what we have went through over the years.
4. Abraham and Sarah had built their lives around Isaac: Don’t think it a small thing that Abraham would obey God here.
5. And that obedience would move Abraham to sacrifice his only son: Gen 22:7-10 And so one might ask the question, how could Abraham do such a thing?
6. It was because of the way Abraham was looking at things, afar off: Gen 22:4 God had made specific promises to Abraham that could not be kept if Isaac was not alive. Abraham looked at things afar off. – Heb 11:17-19
a. Abraham was willing to kill his son. Because he was looking at things afar off.
b. And to this point no one has been raised from the dead in the Bible. But Abraham was looking at things afar off.
c. Because Abraham was looking at things afar off God rewarded Him. Gen 22:10-13
d. We need to look at things afar off. Do you think that God may have been in control?
7. In Genesis 22 we find Abraham looking afar off: Gen 22:1-4
B. In Exodus 2 we find Miriam, the sister of Moses looking afar off: Ex 2:1-4 Here Pharaoh of Egypt had instituted an abortion policy for the children of Israel. – Ex 1:16 , 22 – This murderous act extended until after the baby boy was born. Much like our liberal politicians want to enforce on our nation today.
1. But now what to do? Ex 2:1-2 This mother and father were not going to bow to government and kill their baby. And the language of the text in NO way suggest that they did kill other children they had. This mother and father were not going to bow to government and kill their baby.
2. So the child was taken, placed in an ark, a carrier that would float and was made water proof and placed in the river: Ex 2:3 It is a picture of another ark of safety found years earlier and recorded in Gen 6-9.
3. So an older sister was sent to watch and she stood and watched afar off: Ex 2:4
5. This family may have taken other actions, did other things, but they decided to place the matter in the hands of God and watch what God was going to do: They were without knowing it perhaps following the path of Abraham in Gen 22, waiting on the Lord watching from afar to see what God would do.
6. The child is discovered by the daughter of the one who put the abortion policy in place: Ex 2:5-6 Perhaps the only one of his house, perhaps the only on in Egypt who would have compassion on a Hebrew child. – Ex 2:6
7. She would take that child home and raise him in the house of the very one who ordered him to be murdered: Ex 2:10
8. Until he was weaned she needed a woman who had recently given birth to nurse the baby: Ex 2:6-9
9. Do you think God might have been in control?
10. In Exodus 2 we fi nd Miriam, the sister of Moses looking afar off: Ex 2:1-4
C. In 1 Sam 26 we find David looking afar off: 1 Sam 26:13-16 In context here David is on the run because King Saul wants to kill him. – 1 Sam 26:1-3 – Saul hated David and wanted him dead.
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1. David’s crime was doing something Saul should have done but would not do, fighting Goliath: Saul was the king, Saul was the national leader, Saul was at the battle front, Saul heard the daily challenge from Goliath. It was Saul’s responsibility to answer that challenge but he would not. He cowered in fear before the giant of the Philistines.
2. Then a shepherd boy with no armor and no weapons save a sling went out to meat Goliath and defeated him saving Israel: For that the people cheered David and Saul became jealous. All Saul had to do was what was expected of him and he would not.
3. So while David is on the run God delivers Saul to him: 1 Sam 26:7-13 But David would not kill Saul instead leaving Saul in God’s hand. David had no idea how he would become king or when he would become king.
4. But instead of killing his enemy as it seemed God delivered him, David went afar off to see what God would do: 1 Sam 26:14-21
5. David, like Abraham, like the parents and sister of Moses, left all in God’s hand and went afar off to see what God would do: God did take care of Saul and David did become king and David left it all in the hands of the Lord.
D. There are many examples of looking or being afar off in a good way:
III. Now the danger of NOT having a far off view in a good way: There are many examples as well in the Bible of those who did not have a good far off view. Among them…
A. In Matthew 26 Peter followed afar off and not in a good way: Matt 26:57-58 Peter did follow Jesus, but it was afar off.
1. Peter had recently pledged to die with Jesus if they came to arrest Him: Matt 26:33-35
2. When they did arrest Jesus Peter drew a sword and went to His defense: Matt 26:50-51 All good as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus.
3. But as Peter is afar off I wonder if the mob, the Roman band which was about 500 solders caught his eye: Now instead of seeing Jesus Peter could see the danger he was in, the danger they all were in.
4. And now that he is afar off from Jesus, not looking at Jesus, his resolve is gone: Matt 26:69-74
5. Peter was afar but not in the way Abraham, Miriam and David were: Peter took his eyes off the Lord and looked at the world and the danger around him and that took him to a bad place.
6. We can’t let ourselves become afar off and lose sight of Jesus and the way the Lord works:
B. In Revelation we find the unnamed of the world looking at the destruction of the world afar off: Rev 18:9-18 These are the last three places the phrase afar off is found in the Bible and this is yet future which takes place at the end of the tribulation. Yet we see that this represents people, rich and poor, business people and labor, who have their eye of the world and worldly things. – Rev 18:9-12
1. And they watch all that they ever loved, all that they ever wanted, the desires of their heart go up in smoke: Rev 18:16-19
2. That is the danger of loving the world: 1 John 2:15-17
3. It is not said of Lot or his wife that they were afar off looking at the world, but they were: Look what it got them.
4. When one chooses to stand far off from God and look at the world it is never a good thing:
5. It is said of the brothers of Joseph that they were afar off and that was their problem with Joseph: They wanted what God revealed he was going to give to Joseph but they did not want to follow the Lord. They were afar off.
6. Eyes always focused on the world will cause us to be far off from God:
C. In Luke 16 we find a rich man looking afar off: Luke 16:22-23 This man finds himself looking at salvation afar off and it never needed to be. – Luke 16:23 – Before the cross paradise was also in the center of the earth as well as hell and hell still is at this time. But here was a man looking at salvation afar off and it never needed to be that way.
1. Day after day this rich man would have passed by Lazarus: Luke 16:19-21 This is not a parable, it is an account of two who died, one going to heaven and one to hell. So I do not want to add to the account.
a. But if one of these men knew how to be saved I can only think that both did.
b. And the Bible does tell us in Romans one that no one will have the excuse that they didn’t know how to be saved.
c. I would also think they talked at least from time to time. Perhaps Lazarus witnessed to the rich man.
2. But when the rich man died he was afar off from salvation: Luke 16:22-23 He could see salvation, see paradise, but now he is far off. Just like the Bible says about our sins after we are saved, that they are as far apart as the East is from the West, that rich man is now that far from salvation. He is afar off. – Luke 16:23
3. The heart breaking truth is that salvation was always so near and now for all eternity it is afar off: Luke 16:23
a. His opportunity to be near is forever gone. – Luke 16:23-26
b. And no opportunity to send warning back to his family. – Luke 16:27-31
4. Now he is forever afar off from salvation:
D. There is grave danger in being afar off in the wrong way:
IV. Can you see the importance of having the right view of things, of looking afar off in the right way? Heb 11:13
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A. There are so many things that can ruin our vision, ruin our eyes today, cause us to look at things in the wrong way: And as we look at things in the wrong way, when we are afar off in the wrong way it does much damage in our lives.
ILL. When I was a youngster TV was not what it is now. Not everyone had a color set and I remember our first one and this is what I would often hear, don’t sit too close to the TV because you will ruin your eyes. Ever hear that?…
B. If our far off view is not what it should be it will ruin our eyes spiritually: We need to have the right far off view of things.
1. We need to follow the example of Abraham when he was willing to sacrifice Isaac.
2. We need to follow the example of Miriam and just see what God will do.
3. We need to follow the example of David and let all things in God’s capable hands.
C. We can see what happens if that far off view is not what it should be:
1. Avoid of getting afar off from Jesus as Peter did:
2. Don’t set your affections on the things of the world as those in Revelation 18 do:
3. Don’t miss salvation when it is so near and have to view it from afar as Lazarus did:
D. Can you see the importance of having the right view of things, of looking afar off in the right way? Heb 11:13
Conclusion
I. First, the importance of having a spiritual view of things even though we may have to look afar off: Heb 11:1-3 Right after this definitive statement on faith we have a long listing of both men and women who exercised great faith in the Lord. This we call the Hall of Faith. – Heb 11:4-5 ; Heb 11:7-8 ; Heb 11:20-25 ; Heb 11:30-39
II. Now the importance of having a far off view in a good way: Of not just looking at the problem in front of us but looking to the Lord, looking far off and waiting to see what God is going to do.
III. Now the danger of NOT having a far off view in a good way: There are many examples as well in the Bible of those who did not have a good far off view. Among them…
IV. Can you see the importance of having the right view of things, of looking afar off in the right way? Heb 11:13