Sermons

How to Avoid Becoming a Fake Christian – Matthew 21:18-22 – Matthew Week 63 (5/4/25)

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Sermon Series: We are currently going through a sermon series in the Gospel of Matthew. Today, we’re talking about how to avoid some common mistakes that Christians can easily fall into.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.

20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

In this part of God’s Word, Jesus directly confronts the sin of treating God’s temple incorrectly. Today, we, as the church, can easily fall into these same mistakes. By taking a look at their mistakes, it can help us to avoid them. 

How to Avoid Becoming a Fake Christian:

  1. Realize that God is eager for you to bear fruit

Matt. 21:18-19, 3:8, 7:15-20, Gal. 5:22-23, Col. 1:10, John 15:8

2. Realize that it’s not just about appearances 

Matt. 21:19, 1 Sam. 16:7, John 7:24, Luke 16:15. Ps. 147:10-11, 2 Tim. 3:5, Titus 1:16, Rev. 3:1

3. Remember, fruitfulness leads to fruitfulness, and fruitlessness leads to fruitlessness 

Matt. 21:19, Matt. 25:28-30, John 15:2, Luke 8:18, 16:9-12, Mark 4:25,  

4. Be ready for God’s judgment at any time

Matt. 21:18, 24:42-44, 25:13, Jer. 17:10, 1 John 2:28

5. Realize what God is capable of 

Matt. 21:20, 19:26, 2 Tim. 1:7, Chron. 29:10-11, Eph. 6:10, 3:20

6. Realize the power of faith

Matt. 21:21, Mark 11:22-24, James 1:6-8, Heb. 11:6

7. Prioritize prayer

Matt. 21:22, 6:31-33, John 15:1-27, Col. 3:1-4

Reflecting on God’s Word

Getting Started

  • Take some time to read over Matthew 21:18-22 and pray. 
  • Have you ever read or heard about this before? What stood out to you as we were talking about it? 
  • What surprised you as we talked about it?
  • Do you feel like you’ve ever had a season of life, where you looked outwardly like a Christian, but you really weren’t following Jesus? What happened? 
  • Why do you think it’s so easy to look outwardly like a Christian, but not really be following Jesus?

 

Diving In 

  1. How would remembering that God is eager for you to bear fruit, help you to bear more fruit? 

 

  1. How often do you struggle with focusing on what others think of you when it comes to your faith? How would focusing less on that, and more on your personal relationship with the Lord help you to follow Jesus better?  

 

  1. If you were to bear more fruit, what fruit would come out of that, and how could that lead to bearing even more fruit in your life? Take some time to really think through all of the fruit that you could bear over the course of your entire lifetime. After you’ve written that down, think through how what you’ve written down could encourage you in your faith. 

 

  1. Jesus makes it clear that He could return at any moment. On a scale from 1-10, how prepared are you for His return at any given moment? How could you stay more prepared?

 

  1. Jesus’ disciples marvel at what Jesus does to the fig tree. How does remembering what God is capable of help you in your faith? 

 

  1. Jesus teaches His disciples about the power of faith and prayer combined. When you pray, do you pray with faith? How could remembering what James 1:6-8 says help you in that regard?  

 

  1. How’s your prayer life? How could you spend more time in prayer? 

 

Applying the Scripture

What are your biggest takeaways from this passage of God’s Word? 

  • What practical step(s) do you need to implement in your life to apply what God has taught you in this passage of Scripture? 
  • How would applying this affect your life and your relationship with the Lord? 
  • Who can you ask to keep you accountable to applying this to your life?





Small Group Guide:

Open with prayer.

Go around and give everyone a chance to share about how the past week has been. What’s one highlight? What’s one lowlight?

If your small group has talked about it before, feel free to use this time to hold people accountable to what they’ve asked to be held accountable for previously, and go through the “missional” part of this discussion guide.

Prayer Time:

Pray for each other in your small group to be faithful take the step(s) that you shared above. Pray for each other and the interactions that they have with those who don’t know Jesus. Pray that God would soften the people’s hearts to what He has for them. Pray that God would give everyone opportunities to share the Gospel.

Staying Missional:

Share spiritual/missional conversations you’ve had where you live, work, and play:

Who did you have a conversation with that took a spiritual/missional turn this week?
What questions did you ask to discover where God is at work in their life, even if they are not aware?
How were you able to share your story of life change or how you have experienced Jesus?
How can you be intentional this week with people where you live, work, and play to have spiritual/missional conversations if the opportunity arises?
Who in your life do you think could be discipleable or open to spiritual/missional conversations?

What’s next?

Discuss the next step for your small group. When will we gather again and what purpose will it fulfill?