When the Mountain Don’t Move
(Remember His Way is Best)
Mark 14:32
The Tension between Mountain Moving Faith and When the Mountain Don’t move
Have you ever asked your parents for something and they said no. Have you ever asked the teacher at school to allow you to do something and they said no. Have you ever asked God why did you allow my friend or loved one to go into a coma, and die. What did you do? Did you throw a temper tantrum, did you close the door to your room, did you go on strike with God by not attending church, stop tithing, or find something else to do. Many of us like being allowed to do whatever we want to do, but the challenge comes when we don’t get what we want. In our text today, Jesus gives us an example on how we should accept God’s answer when he says no to us.
Jesus is our example. He went through every kind of situation we will go through, and shows us how to handle it. We were born with a sinful nature that wants its own way, and doesn’t want anyone to tell us what to do. However, God expects our parents to begin breaking our self will when we are small by telling us no, and allowing us to learn to deal with life when we don’t get our own way. However, it isn’t always successful. We have teachers, principals and coaches who tell us no. We have friends to tell us no. Then we have spouses who also want their own way, and so there is conflict. All this is to prepare us to surrender our self will to our creator’s will for our lives. There will always be times when his will and yours aren’t the same, which will you choose. Jesus faced this same kind of issue in the Garden of Gesememe. Lets go to Mark
1. God Wants You to Accept Not Getting Your Way As a part of Maturity.
2. God Wants You to Accept His NO at Times
A. God Always Responds to His People’s Prayers
-Yes, No, Later, Something better
B. Does God have the Right to tell us no. - In theory we all agree
-But when the issue is critical to us, we change our tune
C. Even Jesus heard God say NO
1. Jesus had submitted to the Fathers will all his life
2. But Now the Stakes are Highest - He knows he is facing the cross
-He had told his disciples several times
-He had just told them earlier that evening at the last supper
3. His Humanity shrinks back from the cup of suffering
4. He asked the Father to take away the cup
D. How do We Know when God says no? Sometimes it is hard to tell.
1. He tells you in your spirit
2. It doesn’t happen
3. God is silent
4. The gift of faith doesn’t come
5. The desire goes away
E. Why Does God Say NO
a. My Reasons (The Ones I control)-
1. If I’m not his child - He has no obligation to answer
2. I have known sin and rebellion in my life and refuse to deal with it.
3. I have asked selfishly (James 4)
4. I do not have faith - Doubt (James 1)
5. I have not been persistent in prayer
b. His Reasons -(The Ones God Controls)
1. He sees the whole situation (and the future) and determines it is not best (for me and/or others)
2. He is too good to give me something that would ultimately harm me.
3. He has a different and better solution to the situation or problem.
Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh 2 Cor. 12.
7 even though I have received wonderful revelations from God. But to keep me from getting puffed up, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from getting proud. 8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, "My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. 10 Since I know it is all for Christ's good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Cor. 12
3. God Wants You to Respond to His NO with Trust
-God Knows Best and Has my best interest at heart
Imagine if God had said YES
A. To Jesus - There would be no cross, no salvation, no resurrection, no heaven, no hope, sin and death would reign, and mankind would have destroyed themselves by now. No Good Friday, No Easter, no eternal life,
B. To Joseph - Don’t let them kill me, Yes, Don’t let them sell me, NO, Don’t let them send me to prison, NO , Don’t let them forget me, NO.
C. To Elijah - Let me Die - NO - or no chariot of fire, no Elisha, no miracles of Elisha,
D. To Zachariah and Elizabeth - For a Child , NO Wait, 50 years no, or Elizabeth not there for Mary, John not there to announce Jesus,
We see in these verses that three times Christ asked the Father to let this cup (His crucifixion and death) to pass away from Him or not
let it happen to Him. Although He did add “Not My will but Yours be done”, He did not want to die.
So if God told Jesus, His Son, “No, You have to endure the cross”, what makes us think God will not tell us “No” at times?
Has God ever told me “No”? Yes, many times. Was it easy? Never! The hardest time was a long time ago. My first son, James Daniel,
was born with severe heart defects. I knew that God could heal him and prayed daily for my son’s healing. A year later, after open heart surgery, the Lord chose to take him. I had begged God and bargained with God saying things like, “If it is just a matter of someone going to heaven, then take me instead”. But God said, “No”.
He took my son. After the funeral when the shock had worn off and the pain of grief was setting in, I sat on the floor and cried out,
“You promised not to give me more than I can bear and this is more than I can bear!” God immediately answered in His still small voice
and said, “This is NOT more than you can bear, but it is AS MUCH as you can bear, and you can only bear it if you lean on Me!” The days after that I did need to hold on to God with both hands just to keep my sanity.
I do not know why God did not heal my son but chose to take him to heaven, but I do know that God loves my son even more than I or his
father ever could and He did what was best for everyone although at the time it did not feel like it. (from Julie Ann Hood -Family Life Church)
Conclusion: Are you Faced a mountain that did not move, and God has said no to your request? Remember God knows best and He is still working things out for your good. So come down from the mif tree and trust him.
Are you facing a mountain right now that hasn’t moved? Until God says no keep on praying and speaking to the mountain until it moves, or God shows you another way. Remember whether God moves the mountain or doesn’t He is doing what is best for you, and will give you the added strength to overcome through the situation.
