Be Thou Removed
1) Intro...
Praise God Church!
Turn to Mark chapter 11:22
How many in here tonight came expecting something?
How many want to see their loved ones saved.
How many want to see your marriage restored or even get better.
How many want to see obstacles removed in their lives.
How many want to see miracles.
How many want to see healings in your body
How many want to get your house in order.
How many want to see your finances get restored
Ive been to quite a few churches, and I tell you that nothings different.
We are all in one accord to the extent that we expect big things from Jesus!
We are all in one mind to the extent that we all want to see a manifestation of the power of God in our church.
We’ve all stated that we came here with an expectation tonight. Amen?
Well now let’s talk about what Jesus expects from us.
If I could narrow down, in one word, what Christ expects from His church,
That one word would be FAITH!
What is faith?
Heb 11:1 says "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
So faith is a substance. Amen?
Not only a substance, but the substance.
Well, what is a substance?
Webster’s defines substance like this.
SUB’STANCE, n. [L. substantia, substo; sub and sto, to stand.]
The essential part; the main or material part. epitome
Something real, not imaginary; something solid, not empty.
Means of living.
So faith is the essential part of your hopes.
It is the epitome of the new covenant. Amen?
Faith is a means of living.
Also a way of living in order to receive the things hoped for.
Hebrews 11:1 goes on to say that faith is the evidence of things not seen.
Well, Webster defines evidence like this.
EV’IDENCE, n. [L. evidentia, from video, to see.]
1. That which enables the mind to see truth;
2. Any instrument or writing which contains proof.
3. A witness; one who testifies to a fact.
Stepping out in faith enables us to be taught in spiritual things. Amen?
Our faith is our instrument of truth, if you will.
And my favorite definition is that our faith is our witness. A witness that testifies to the fact that there is a God. Amen?
I said before that faith is the epitome of the new covenant.
Faith is what God expects from us!
It is laid out and proven in scripture time and time again.
Without faith there is...
No Salvation:
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
No Victory:
1Jo 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
No promises...
Heb 6:12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
And that’s just a few examples.
God felt so strongly about faith when He was inspiring the scriptures that in...
Rom 14:23 Paul while inspired by God Wrote "for whatsoever is not of faith is sin."
So if it’s not of faith it’s sin.
We need to have faith,
Not just faith in anything.
Faith in what?
Is it faith in worldy methods?
Is it faith in your own merit?
No!
It’s faith in Jesus. Faith in God.
Faith in the things unseen. Amen?
I’ve said all of that Just to get to our first point tonight.
Knowing the object of your faith....
2) The Object of Faith...
Mark 11:22-24
Mar 11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
Mar 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Mar 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
Know The Object of Your Faith...
One of the biggest requirements that the believer should have in order to remove mountains in your life is this...
Having faith in God!!!
We must under stand that the object of faith is God Himself.
In the scripture we just read the critical words are “in God”.
1. Jesus did not say, “Have faith,” but he said “Have faith in God.”
2. Faith has to have an object.
3. Faith has no value by itself; only the object (God) has value.
4. The Bible never says to have faith in faith, yet this is the experience of many.
5. Too often, a great difficulty or problem arises, and the believer feels he has to arouse his faith.
6. He feels that if he can just stir up enough faith, he will whip the problem.
7. But in reality he has had faith in faith.
8. His mind, his attention, and his heart have been focused upon faith—not upon God.
9. A man’s faith is not going to remove the mountain.
God is going to remove the mountain.
10. Practically everyone who came to Jesus had weak faith.
11. Only a few had strong faith, yet God saved them and granted their requests.
ILL: In Matthew 14 when Jesus was walking on the water and Peter came out to him.
Then the waves started to stir and it Scared Peter. He began to sink, but Jesus was there to save him.
Matthew 14:31
Mat 14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
See peter took his eyes off of Jesus. Amen?
He became concerned with the crashing waves.
In the same way the church is focused on the obstacles they have to overcome...
Rather than the overcomer. Amen?
While we’re interested in obtaining over coming faith,
God requires us to obtain faith in the overcomer.
<<<<<<<<<<<
Faith requires knowing the object.
1. The more one knows the object of faith, the more one believes in the object
The more we know Jesus, we trust in his provision.
ILL: Consider two men who want to go out on a frozen lake to fish.
One man is told to go ahead and cross the lake. He is assured by his friend that the ice will
hold him up.
Yet, when he begins to step out on the ice, he cautiously and tremblingly takes step after step
until he can stand it no more and returns.
But the other man walks out courageously and boldly, cuts a hole in the ice, and sits down and
begins to fish.
What supported the man sitting out on the ice?
Not his faith, but the ice—the object of his faith.
See, he had faith in the support system which was the ice.
See, the man who new the ice walked boldy out onto it
Because he new that it’s strength was sufficient.
He new that it could support his weight.
And because he new the object he was able to demonstrate faith without fear.
See when you know Jesus Christ.
When you’re communing with Him daily in prayer and supplication,
When you’re reading His word and meditating on it day and night,
When you’ve got your antenna up,
Praising Him and seeking His face
Then you’re able to walk boldly in His power and authority,
Because you know the object of your faith.
Because you know what His word has promised the believer.
You know that divine healing is provided for in the atonement.
You know that your loved ones can be saved,
You know that signs and wonders will follow your ministry,
You know that you’ll be made to prosper even as your soul prospers,
And you know all of these things because you know God,
because He’s teaching you and leading you through his word by the Holy Spirit,
He’s illuminating the scriptures and showing you how to obtain the promises of God,
See, each man has his own measure of faith, and your measure of faith is sufficient for the
mountains that God knows you have to over come.
But it’s knowing the object of your faith that empowers you.
And that power comes from God. Amen?
Faith is a conduit for the power of God to flow through.
Faith Has A Purpose...
The purpose of faith is to remove mountains.
1. The Jews clearly understood what Jesus meant by “removing mountains.” The phrase was a
Jewish phrase meaning “to remove difficulties”
Jesus’ teaching says,
“Have faith in God...and then say unto this mountain, Be thou removed.”
2. Mountains represent the immovable, the impossible.
Something almost too steep to climb,
almost too high to cross,
almost too awesome to see beyond.
This is the reason Jesus discussed prayer and communion along with faith.
1. One learns to have faith in God as He prays and communes with God.
2. And the more he prays and communes with God the more he will know God;
1. And then he’ll experience the removal of mountains that slow his progress through life.
We need to commune with Christ in order to learn how to activate our faith.
1. Jesus explicitly says, that whosoever “does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he
says will happen, it will be done for him.”
what Christ requires from us is that we grow in belief and trust in Him.
d. He wants us to believe that all things are possible through Christ who strengthens us
He wants a church who is believing in God’s authority.
Because when we start truly believing in His power,
Then we realize the authority of whats written in His word,
Then we learn How to walk in that power and authority,
a. Note the words “believes what he says” most importantly the word "says"
b. The power of Christ came from the authority of God.
c. All He had to do was say, or speak the word and it was done.
d. That is the very point He was making to us.
e. If we believe, doubting not, then we stand in the authority of God.
And from that authority comes the result of our faith.
A. A man who prays having faith, truly
“having faith in God... it will be done for him”
1. The mountains which confront him will be removed, effectively and quickly.
Matthew 21:22
If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
No Doubt...
James 1:6
6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
etc.etc.etc.
Authority....
2. God has given us authority.
Authority is for overcoming.
4. Jesus said, “All authority is given unto me…” Matt 28:18-19
And “I give you authority … over all the power of the enemy.” Luke 10:19
B. You have authority over Satan and his evil forces.
Satan is defeated. He is under Jesus’ feet,
while we are at Jesus’ side.
You have authority over your present circumstance.
Christ has given it to you.
He’s given you a measure of faith that is sufficient for you.
And when the going gets tough it’s up to you to walk by faith
in the power and authority of God.
Be Thou Removed by:
Rev. John Butler Jr. (Copyright © 2007)
