1)      In our scripture reading, the first five verses of 1 Cor. 2.,  Paul said he only wanted to know “Christ and Him crucified.”

a)      The gospel – the New Testament – centers around the person of Jesus Christ.

2)      Most are familiar with the word Gethsemane.

3)      Gethsemane was a word that meant “oil press.”

a)      This name almost seems to have been prophetic; Jesus was “pressed” in ways we cannot imagine.

b)      In Jn. 18:1-2 we learn that the Lord and His apostles had gone to this place quite often.

4)      When we look at the final week of Jesus’ life we see firm determination.

5)      Lk. 9:51 says – READ

a)      Jesus centered His mind on dying for the sins of man and nothing would deter Him.

b)      Do we try to follow this example in our lives?

6)      Lk. 9:51 has a message for us.

7)      We want to “set our face” towards the prospect of eternal life.

1)      On the day we call Monday Jesus was hungry and He saw a fig tree looked like it had figs.

2)      Jesus cursed this tree.

a)      For a lot of people, this act does not fit in very well with the Jesus they think they now.

b)      When valuable items are no longer serviceable, they can be cast away.

c)      Man is valuable.

d)     If we will not focus and keep our eyes focused on heaven, we will lose our value.

3)      Jesus not only destroyed a fig tree on Monday, He cleansed the temple.

a)      There were hypocrites in the temple.  The house of God had cheats and probably liars.

b)      Jesus knew who these men were.

c)      God will also deal with hypocrites at the end of time.

d)     The pretenders will be separated from those who were truly loyal to God.

4)      Leaving Monday, we turn to the events that happened on the Tuesday before Jesus died.

a)      Tuesday has been called the “busiest” day of Jesus’ final week.

b)      After Jesus cleaned out the temple, people wanted to know where He got His authority.

c)      Jesus taught people that authority exists and it comes from one of two places.

d)     The things we do come because God has authorized them – this is one possibility.

e)      In these cases we not only do things, we must do what God has authorized.

f)       If authority does not come from God, it comes from man.

5)      The religious actions people engage in are either from “heaven or men.”

6)      Those whose religion is governed by the authority of men have chosen human authority over divine authority.

a)      Jesus offered many other teachings on this day, including the scathing rebuke in Mt. 23.

b)      Mt. 24 – destruction of Jerusalem.

c)      Tuesday was also the day He talked about the end of time judgment (Mt. 25).