Still Looking | Pastor Stewart Ryall | The Grove Church FL

Main ideas, concepts, and lessons

• A child’s animal-sound book becomes a metaphor

  • The speaker jokes that the sounds are “not right,” leading to this lesson: things aren’t always what they appear to be, and you may not get what you think you’re looking for.

• Jesus in Mark 11: appearances vs. reality

  • Jesus is described as angry because appearances can be deceiving.
  • In Mark 11 (Palm Sunday / the triumphal entry), Jesus encounters an enthusiastic crowd, but the speaker argues their emotional celebration isn’t real commitment.

• Palm Sunday context (Mark 11 timeline)

  • It’s suggested that Mark covers most of Jesus’ ministry earlier, and from this point onward focuses on the last seven days of Jesus’ life.
  • Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem fulfills prophecy (referenced from Zechariah): riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.
  • The crowd’s shouts (“Hosana,” meaning “save us”) and actions (palm branches, cloaks) are portrayed as symbols of honor/submission and expectation—yet the speaker emphasizes this is still not the real response Jesus seeks.

• Why Mark’s ending feels “anticlimactic”

  • The speaker highlights Mark’s relatively abrupt storytelling:
    • Jesus enters Jerusalem, goes into the temple courts, looks around, and then leaves to Bethany with the 12.
  • Key interpretation: the people who were excited earlier disappear, showing applause without allegiance.
  • Central claim: Jesus was looking for “followers,” not “fans.”

Follower vs. fan framework (behavior and mindset differences)

• Fan

  • Loves Jesus as long as Jesus agrees with them.
  • “Fits Jesus into my life.”

• Follower

  • Lets Jesus set priorities.
  • “Changes anything about myself” if Jesus asks.

• Illustrations

  • Fans attend the “Jesus parade” (church activities on Sunday).
  • Followers pick up their cross during the week (daily obedience/sacrifice).

• Practical contrasts

  • Fans admire Jesus
  • Followers imitate Jesus

“Story sandwich”: temple cleansing + fig tree

Mark is described as structuring the passage like a sandwich:

• Meat: Jesus cleansing the temple (Mark 11:15–17)
• Bread: Jesus cursing a fig tree (Mark 11:12–14; then 11:20–21)

The sandwich teaches the same lesson from two angles:

• Religious activity can be “leaves” (outward appearance) without “fruit” (spiritual reality).

Temple cleansing: connection over commotion

• Jesus drives out buying/selling and overturns money changers’ tables.
• He quotes scripture: the temple should be a house of prayer for all nations, but it became a den of robbers.
• Reason given for Jesus’ anger:
  • Despite massive activity and noise (scale, attendance, sacrifices), there was no genuine connection with God.

Church application (from the speaker/pastor):

• Don’t chase bigger buildings, louder worship, flashier events if there’s no real encounter/connection with God.
• The goal is encounters, not performance.

Inclusivity in the temple “Court of Gentiles”

• Jesus’ anger also relates to the temple being used in ways that block outsiders from encountering God.
• The emphasis: a church where people can belong before they believe, regardless of background, mistakes, or imperfections.

Fig tree lesson: fruit vs. leaves

• Jesus curses a fig tree that has leaves but no fruit.
• Explanation given:
  • When a fig tree has leaves, it should have baby figs (the sign that fruit is beginning).
  • Jesus wasn’t seeking fully mature fruit—he was looking for the beginnings of something real.
• Interpreted parallel:
  • The temple = leaves/activity without fruit/connection.
  • The tree withers = judgment on appearance without spiritual substance.

What “fruit” means (practical spiritual outcomes)

• Leaves without fruit = hypocrisy

  • Religious talk without genuine life change.

• Fruit = evidence of real health in faith, including:

  • Fruit of repentance: life looks different than before
  • Fruit of the Spirit: character becomes transformed
  • Fruit of righteousness: behaviors start to improve
  • Fruit of influence: faith spreads to others

Jesus is still looking—and the “Palm Sunday purpose” is the cross

• The speaker ties the message to why Jesus entered Jerusalem:
  • He came with the cross in mind—not to impress with appearances.
• Invitation at the end:
  • Move from pretense → real connection
  • Pray for God to find fruit, not only leaves
  • Surrender to Jesus who died for “the real you,” not a polished version

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Instructional / methodology elements (what the speaker tells listeners to do)

• Self-diagnose your response to Jesus

  • Ask: “Am I a fan or a follower?”
  • Ask: “Do I have commotion or connection?”
  • Ask: “Do I produce fruit or only leaves?”

• Shift from performance/checklists to relationship

  • Replace “religious busy-ness” (church attendance + growth group + serving/giving/praying/reading as checkboxes) with:
    • a real relationship with Jesus
    • genuine connection and presence

• Seek “progress,” not perfection

  • Jesus doesn’t require fully mature perfection immediately.
  • Instead, Jesus looks for the beginnings of life and change.

• Pray for real change

  • Confess that life may reflect “fan behavior” and “religious commotion.”
  • Ask God to produce fruit (repentance, Spirit transformation, righteousness, influence).
  • Respond to Jesus’ cross by surrendering and inviting him to lead one’s “messy life.”

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Speakers / sources featured (identified in the subtitles)

Named/primary speaker

• Pastor Stewart Ryall (explicitly named in the video title)

Referenced voices from the Gospel texts

• Jesus (speaker within Mark’s narrative; quoted lines)
• Disciples / Peter (referenced in connection with the fig tree story)
• Crowds / people shouting (“Hosana”)
• Religious leaders (referenced through comparison to other gospels)

Scriptural sources mentioned

• The Gospel of Mark (primary text, Mark 11)
• Matthew
• Luke
• John
• Zechariah (Old Testament prophecy referenced)

Sermon/application context

• The Grove Church FL / Grove churches (used as the sermon/application context, not a separate individual source)