When the mountain won't move...
Illus. By James Davis
Some time ago a man was staying in a chalet in the Swiss Alps. Early one morning he heard what sounded like an earthquake. Hurriedly he got out of bed and ran to the front desk and asked if there was something wrong, if the mountains were breaking up? He was scared. The man at the front desk explained, “Sir, we are on the west side of the mountain. As the sun comes up in the east, and the snow and ice expand as they begin to warm. The expansion causes a large crashing noise. It’s not the end of the world, it’s just the beginning of a new day.
Isn't that just like human nature? When we have a need or a problem, arise or come up. We tend to think, if we can't figure it out right away on our own. It's the end of the world and we become fearful.
Instead of realizing the magnitude of the fantastic opportunity it presents in our lives. If we are willing to just let go and trust Jesus and take Him at His word.
That He will take the dilemma, or the loud crashing noises of our problems and turn them into a brand new day of opportunities for us!
Fear is not pretty or productive! It's an ugly trick of the enemy that he uses on a non stop basis. It's the opposite of faith and it's counter productiveness, keeps God from working in your life, all because of your not knowing of what's going to happen, in your situation.
Guess what? If God is ever going to do amazing things in your life and what your asking Him to do for you. Your going to have to get used to God working on His own.
Completely independent of what you may think or say! Now, some may say ("that's blind faith!) call it what you want friend, but that is faith!
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, but yet unseen! And without faith TBS it's impossible to please God. But He rewards those (He does what?) who diligently seek it!
Eccl. 11:5 NKJ
As you do not know what is the way of the wind, Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, So you do not know the works of God who makes everything.
Know one really completely understands the miracle of life, but yet your okay with it! Something so complicated and you don't even question it, but you know that it works!
It's the same with all our needs, wants and desires in life. Before they ever come to life, their has to be a birthing process and that birthing process, is called FAITH!
Mark 11:22-24 NKJ
22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
The problem is, as soon as we hear the word mountain, we immediately relate it to our own capabilities. And we begin to think literally think about how much dynamite and explosives it would take to move "the heaven and earth" size of dilemma, or mountain of problem.
Matthew 17:20 NKJ
20 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.
When we start to equate the solution to our problem, to our own ability. That's the moment unbelief enters the arena! That's the moment our faith, takes a back seat to our ability.
Illus. I wiTrust in You. A song by Lauren Daigle
Letting go of every single dream
I lay each one down at Your feet
Every moment of my wandering
Never changes what You see
I’ve tried to win this war I confess
My hands are weary I need Your rest
Mighty Warrior, King of the fight
No matter what I face, You’re by my side
When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move
When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through
When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!
WHAT KIND OF FAITH DOES IT TAKE TO MOVE MOUNTAINS? Well that's easy, it takes mountain moving faith! Wrong! That's not the kind if faith it takes to move a mountain!
Matthew 17:20 says it pretty clear, if you really want to know! It states that only the amount of the size of a grain of mustard seed is enough. Though not the smallest of all seeds, it is about the size of gnat. Or in the fall around harvest time, how about that pesky little bug called the "no see ums?" Barely a speck, but we all know what their capable of. They will absolutely drive you crazy if you let them!
Our faith in Jesus capabilities will do the very same thing to our needs, if we will apply it. And trust that Jesus will do, what He said He would do for us!
And if you think about it, why wouldn't we trust Him? Because if we can't trust everything He said, why would we trust anything He said?
You see the thing is, He's not asking for something impossible! He's asking for something completely possible! Because we already possess what He's asking for us to do! He has already given us the capability to do what He's asking for!
Romans 12:3 NKJ
3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
Msg. Version: I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
It's all God...it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you.
Illus. Melvin Newland
Behavioral scientists have discovered that we usually see things that we are prepared to see. This is all centered in a network of nerve cells called the "Reticular Activating System." Everybody has this system.
The "Reticular Activating System." works like this: Once something has been brought to our attention, and we have been prepared to see it, we’ll see it virtually everywhere we go.
For example, you decide to buy something. You make up your mind that you are going to buy a certain brand, a certain body style, and a certain color. Now, you’ll see that item everywhere. You’ll see them on billboards, in TV advertisements, in newspapers and magazines. They’re everywhere.
Now what has happened? They were always there, but the moment you were prepared to see them, your Reticular Activating System kicked in, and suddenly you saw them everywhere.
It happens in other areas of life, too. We see what we are prepared and expect to see. If we are prepared and expect to see doom & gloom, then that’s what we’ll see.
If, on the other hand, we have prepared and expect ourselves to see our mountains moved and our needs being met, then that’s what we are going to see.
God expects all of us to have at least a "speck" of faith and a speck is all that is needed to move mountains. With only a speck of faith attached to the belief in Jesus, we can do anything we want to, for God.
TBS. all things are possible to him who believes!
Contrary to what the accuser would have you think. It doesn't take a great man or woman of God to have mountain moving faith. It just takes someone who is willing to use the speck of faith, that they have!
How bout the woman with the demon possessed daughter
Mark 7:27-30 MSG.
27 He said, “Stand in line and take your turn. The children get fed first. If there’s any left over, the dogs get it.”
28 She said, “Of course, Master. But don’t dogs under the table get scraps dropped by the children?”
29-30 Jesus was impressed. “You’re right! On your way! Your daughter is no longer disturbed. The demonic affliction is gone.” She went home and found her daughter relaxed on the bed, the torment gone for good.
What was the persons name? The woman, right?
How bout the leper that came to Him?
Matthew 8:1-3 NKJ
When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. 2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was clean.
What was that persons name? The leper, right?
In Mark 2:3-5 Msg. we find another great example of mustard seed faith!
2 1-5 After a few days, Jesus returned to Capernaum, and word got around that he was back home. A crowd gathered, jamming the entrance so no one could get in or out. He was teaching the Word. They brought a paraplegic to him, carried by four men. When they weren’t able to get in because of the crowd, they removed part of the roof and lowered the paraplegic on his stretcher. Impressed by their bold belief, Jesus said to the paraplegic, “Son, I forgive your sins.”
6-7 Some religion scholars sitting there started whispering among themselves, “He can’t talk that way! That’s blasphemy! God and only God can forgive sins.”
8-12 Jesus knew right away what they were thinking, and said, “Why are you so skeptical? Which is simpler: to say to the paraplegic, ‘I forgive your sins,’ or say, ‘Get up, take your stretcher, and start walking’? Well, just so it’s clear that I’m the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both . . .” (he looked now at the paraplegic), “Get up. Pick up your stretcher and go home.” And the man did it—got up, grabbed his stretcher, and walked out, with everyone there watching him. They rubbed their eyes, incredulous—and then praised God, saying, “We’ve never seen anything like this!”
If he had a name other than the paraplegic, we'll never know. But what we do know is this. Both he and his friends had faith and we're not afraid to use it!
The lame, blind and the insane, they came with just a mustard seed size of faith and they were all healed. All of these nameless people were not great followers of Jesus, not all were regular church goers, nor can we say we know they were even respectable citizens, but all exercised that little speck of faith God had given them and were healed.
And the thing is, if you would've ask them to identify the size of their need. I'm sure they all would've said the same thing, "mountain size!" Because when you're the one going through something, it always seems mountain size to you!
The amazing thing is, God used the same mustard size amount of faith to pummel every mountain sized need in their lives, until their was no more need! Amen?
God is not a respecter of persons, He Loves us all the same. And theres not one of us that He doesn't Love! What He has done for those who's story I've shared with you today, He willingly wants to do for others who are present here today!
Illus. By sermon central staff
Once there was an old hermit who lived on the side of a mountain. There were three little boys who were always trying to outsmart the old hermit.
One of the little boys said, "I’ll put a marble in my hand and we will go to the old man and ask him what it is I have in my hand. So the three boys went to visit the old man and the little boy said, "Old man, what have I in my hand?"
The old hermit answered, "A marble". The three boys left and came back with another similar senario and to the boy’s astonishment the old man in his wisdom was able to answer the question.
The next day the boys were pondering the situation trying to come up with something so ingenious that the old man would never guess the answer. Then one of the boy’s said, "I know, I’ll put this baby bird in my hand and I’ll ask the old man if the bird is alive or dead and if he says the bird is alive, I will crush it in my hand and outsmart the old man."
So with smiles on their faces they went back to the old hermit’s house and the little boy said, "Old man, what have I in my hand?"
The old man answered, "A baby bird." Then the boy said, "Is this bird alive or dead?" The old man looked at the little boy and said, "It is as you wish my son, it is as you wish". The fate of the little bird rested in the boys hand.
The fate of our needs also rest in our hands. When we come asking of God for our needs to be met, He ask us. What do you have in your heart?
Our response should only be; what you've given to me Lord, a measure of faith to believe you will do what you said you will do for me and nothing else. And God says, child that's enough! That's more than enough, be made whole!
If you have a need, I encourage you to offer God what you already possess!
I want you to come expecting your mountain to move and to be cast into the sea of forgetfulness!
Don't try to figure it out, just come with the measure of faith you have and trust God to meet your need!
