Movin’ Mountains
Matthew 17:14-21
Introduction: Every day as a church and as individuals we face situations that put our faith and commitment to Christ to the test. Many times we are faced with seemingly impossible situations. The naysayers come out of the woodwork to preach their messages of doom and gloom. “Impossible! No way! Won’t happen!” they prognosticate. But folks, I am here to tell you this morning that my God specializes in making the impossible possible, in moving mountains as evidenced in our text.
I. The Need for a Cure
A. Matthew 17:14-16 (NASB) – “When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, ‘Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic (Literally – moonstruck) and is very ill (has it bad); for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.’”
B. In our text a desperate father comes to the Lord and his disciples with a major mountain in his family’s life. He has a son who life has been invaded by a demon and is having severe seizures. The demon possessed this young man from early childhood and had thrown him at times both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.
C. Job 14:1 “"Man [who is] born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.”
D. Life is filled with Impossible Situations
1. Impossible situations – situations that are seemingly not capable of being accomplished, intolerable and extremely difficult to deal with.
2. Have you ever cried out, “I can’t take it anymore! It’s just too hard.”?
3. It’s hard to reach out and touch God when you are facing impossible situations.
4. Think about the children of Israel at the Red Sea. God miraculously led Israel out of Egypt with His mighty hand. The children of Israel probably felt within themselves that everything was going to be fine; there will be no more dangers, no more troubles, no more trials; the Egyptians themselves have sent them away, and they are too much afraid of them ever to molest them again. But the Lord led the children of Israel to a spot at the Red Sea, where on either side they were shut in by the craggy mountains with the sea in front of them and Pharaoh and his army overtaking them from behind. They were now faced with the impossible believing that they were going to die there.
5. Psalm 22:11 “Be not far from me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help.”
6. Luke 18:27 “…The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."
E. Life is filled with Insurmountable Odds
1. Being a Christian in this life, we are often up against insurmountable odds. Sometimes it seems as if inside every large problem is a series of smaller problems struggling to get out ganging up on you to keep you down.
2. Sometimes we feel like Israel must have felt in 2 Kings 18 when King Hezekiah received a threatening letter From Sennacherib, king of Assyria threatening to invade and destroy Judah. The Assyrians had conquered every nation they faced even when they went up against stronger nations. Many Israelites became so despondent over the impending invasion that they committed suicide.
3. Are you facing insurmountable obstacles and losing all hope of victory? Do you feel overwhelmed and powerless in your present circumstances?
4. A wonderful story is seen in 2 Kings 6. An angry Syrian king seeking to destroy Elisha surrounded the city where Elisha lived with a great army. Elisha’s frightened servant said “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” (2 Kings 6:15) Elisha responded with calm assurance, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prayed & said, "O Jehovah, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. & Jehovah opened the servant's eyes and he saw & behold the mountain was full of horses & chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:16-17)
5. Psalm 3:6 “I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.”
F. Life is filled with Immovable Obstacles
1. God called Israel to conquer Jericho. There was an obstacle to their invasion of the city – its walls. The outer wall of Jericho was six feet wide and twenty feet high; while the inner wall was twelve feet wide by thirty feet high between the walls was a guarded walkway fifteen feet wide. The walls of Jericho seemed immoveable and impenetrable to invasion.
2. Nehemiah 4:10 “Then Judah said, ‘The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall.’”
3. Pastor and author A. B. Simpson told about an old farmer who plowed around a large rock in his field year after year. He had broken one cultivator and two plowshares by hitting it. Each time he saw that obstacle, he grumbled about how much trouble the rock had caused. One day he decided to dig it up and be done with it. Putting a large crowbar under one side, he found to his surprise that the rock was less than a foot thick. Soon he had pried it out of the ground and was carting it away in his wagon. He smiled to think how that "big" old rock had caused him so much needless frustration. Not every trouble can be removed as easily as that stone. But prayer is an effective way to handle difficulties of all sizes. Paul told us to use prayer in every situation (Phil. 4:6). - copied
4. 1 Samuel 14:6 “Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, ‘Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the LORD will work for us. For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few.’”
II. The Source of the Cure
A. Matthew 17:16-18 “‘So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.’ Then Jesus answered and said, ‘O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.’ And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.
B. He’s the God of Inexhaustible Resources
1. Psalms 24:1 “The earth is the LORD's, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.”
2. Deuteronomy 10:14 "Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all that is in it.”
3. Philippians 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
4. Pastor Harold Springstead was driving along, on his way to preach at a little country church, when he felt a sudden vibration. A tire had gone flat. As the 78-year-old pastor maneuvered his car to a stop, a trucker pulled up behind him. A young man jumped out, assessed the situation, and cheerfully changed the tire. Pastor Springstead got to the service in plenty of time, and it was not until later that he realized his car didn't even have a jack! It was a minor problem. He was a retired faithful servant of God. It was a tiny congregation. We might think God would be too busy with larger and more important needs than to be concerned about a flat tire. But His promise to provide for the needs of His people covers little things as well as big ones. - D C Egner
5. Nothing is too great for God to accomplish, nothing to small for His attention.
C. He’s a God of Infinite Power
1. Psalms 147:5 “Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.”
2. Jeremiah 32:17 “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.”
3. Isaiah 40:28-31 “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
4. Psalm 55:22 “Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.”
5. Paton was sent by the Scottish Presbyterian Church in 1858 to the New Hebrides in the South Pacific. For four years he worked on the island of Tanna, where his life was in constant danger. When he was forced to leave, not a single convert had been made. He then worked for two years on the island of Aniwa. It never rained during that time, and the island's chief concluded that Paton's presence had angered the gods. Paton dug a well and prayed to God for water. God heard his prayer and thereby turned away the fear and hatred he had faced thus far. But it was not until 1869 (11 years after he started) that Paton baptized the first convert. After that many became Christians. Even then danger kept lurking. Four of Paton's fellow missionaries were killed on a neighboring island. Much later, when Paton lived in retirement in Australia, someone asked him, "Weren't you afraid all alone on those islands?" Paton answered, "Yes, I was, but I would say over and over to myself the words of Christ, 'All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations ... And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" - copied
D. Our God has Unlimited Grace.
1. Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
2. 2 Corinthians 12:9 “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
3. Ephesians 4:7 “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.”
4. You've heard it said that there are some things money can't buy; for everything else, there's MasterCard. I'm sure you've all received their applications in the mail. However, I'm here to advertise a different card. You see, my life is a product for others to see. I'm a card-carrying representative for the Master's Card. That's right, the Master's Card. Let me tell you about it. There are no finance charges, no payments due. My bill has already been covered...it's a prepaid deal. I couldn't afford the price, so Jesus stepped in and paid it for me. My name is written on the card for all to see. It is accessible twenty-four hours a day from anywhere in the world. The Master's Card has so many benefits it's hard to list them all. Let me share some of them with you...you might want to apply for a personal card yourself. Just for starters there is unlimited grace. That's right; there is no preset limit to the amount of grace you receive from the Master's Card. Have you been looking for love in all the wrong places? Then look no further than the Master's Card. It offers the greatest rate on love that has ever been offered. The Master's Card gives you access to many "members only" benefits: Want real joy despite the difficulties of life? Apply for the Master's Card. Want a lasting peace? Apply for the Master's Card. Looking for something you can always rely on in a jam? The Master's Card is perfect for you. Another great thing about the Master's Card is that it never expires and will never be canceled. Once you're a member, you're a member for life...eternal life, that is. Membership has its privileges, you know. So why not apply today? It's only a prayer away. – Sermon illustration Library
5. His love has no limits, His grace has no measure, His power no boundary known unto men; For out of His infinite riches in Jesus He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.”
III. The Disciples Direction
A. Matthew 17:19-21 “Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
B. The Believer Needs Upward Faith
1. “…if you have faith as a mustard seed”
2. If you have a living, growing faith, all difficulties can be handled and even the most difficult task can be accomplished. The principle of the mustard seed is not that it's little, but that the seed grows.
3. Mark 9:23 “Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."
4. Luke 17:5 “And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."
C. The Believer Needs Uplifted Hands
1. “…this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
2. James 4:2b “…You do not have because you do not ask.”
3. Luke 11:9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
D. The Believer Needs Unselfish Submission to the will of God.
1. “…this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
2. Fasting for the Christian is denying something of the flesh to glorify God, enhance our spirit, and go deeper in our prayer life and to seek the will and power of God.
3. Philippians 3:8 “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
