MOUNTAIN-MOVING FAITH
Mt. 21:18-22
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. Little Tommy attended first grade Sunday School faithfully. He loved his teacher, Mrs. Smith. Mrs. Smith told great Bible stories, and she would always end the story by saying, “And, boys and girls, the MORAL of the story is …”
2. Little Tommy enjoyed learning about the morals of each Bible story. But when Tommy entered second grade, he moved up to another Sunday School class, taught by Mrs. Jones. She told Bible stories, too, but she never ended them by giving the moral of the story.
3. After a few weeks Tommy’s mom asked him how he liked his new Sunday School teacher. Tommy said, “Mrs. Jones is okay. The only problem is that she doesn’t have any morals.”
B. SETTING
1. During the week leading up the cross, Jesus spent His days in Jerusalem teaching in the Temple courts. Each evening He would walk to Bethany to spend the night.
2. Bethany was about a mile away on the other side of the Mount of Olives. The Bible doesn’t say where He stayed in Bethany, but since Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus lived there, He might have stayed with them.
3. Each morning Jesus and His disciples would walk back over the crest of the Mount of Olives and down into the Kidron valley and then up to the Temple Mount.
4. I’ve made the same walk before. It’s a beautiful sight to see Jerusalem as you walk down the Mount of Olives. It was the week of Passover, so the city was full of pilgrims. It was Monday morning and Jesus was heading back to Jerusalem.
C. TEXT
“Early in the morning, as he was on his back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, ‘May you never bear fruit again!’ Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. ‘How did the fig tree wither so quickly?’ they asked. Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.’” Matt. 21:18-22
D. THESIS
1. There is a parable in every miracle and a miracle in every parable. In our passage today, we’re going to briefly examine a miracle that is really a parable—a withered fig tree.
2. And we’re going to devote most of our attention to a miracle, the moving of mountains! The title of this message is “MOUNTAIN-MOVING FAITH!”
I. THE WITHERED FIG TREE
A. A JUDGMENT ON ISRAEL
1. Jesus walked up to a fig tree expecting to enjoy a fig breakfast, but while there were leaves, there was no fruit. Mark 11:13 adds, “because it was not the season for figs.”
2. Commentators take one of two approaches to explain the Lord’s actions: 1). That the Capri-fig trees of Palestine did bear edible buds in March/April which fall off and are replaced by figs in May, or 2). That Jesus knew it would have no figs and cursed it metaphorically as a symbol of the nation.
3. This tree was symbolic of the lack of good spiritual fruit being found in the Jewish leaders and nation of Israel as a whole (Hos. 9:10; Jer. 24:5,8).
4. Outwardly, they were righteous, but inwardly they were hypocrites. Jesus gave the moral of the story in Matthew 21:43, “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.” [i.e. – the primarily Gentile Church.]
B. A WARNING TO US: BE IN UNION WITH CHRIST
1. The application for us is that outward religious activity is worthless unless my life reflects Jesus.
2. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing…This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (John 15:5, 8)
3. As Ron Dunn says, “We’re just a fruit rack where Jesus can display His life.” My job is not to try to be good and imitate Jesus.
4. My daily job is to stay firmly connected to the Vine, Jesus. As I do that, His life-giving sap (the Holy Spirit) flows into my life and the result is the life of Jesus seen in me.
II. THE POSSIBLITY OF MOVING MOUNTAINS
A. A PARABLE ABOUT FAITH
1. Jesus used the parable of the withered fig tree to speak to us about how to face the obstacles to our faith. Jesus said His disciples could “Speak to THIS mountain and it would be thrown into the sea.”
2. Jesus was walking down the Mount of Olives when He said this.
3. The prophet Zechariah predicted when Jesus returns for the final climatic battle for Jerusalem that the Mount of Olives will split in two sections, with one half of the mountain moving north and the other half moving south. (Zechariah 14:4). That’s what I call a mountain-moving experience!
4. But Jesus wasn’t just referring to prophecy. He was telling His disciples of a remarkable power He was giving them: they could speak to a mountain and it would move!
5. Most people want to spiritualize it and move on, however, there have been times in history when God literally moved a mountain. Let me give you a historical example.
B. EGYPTIAN CHRISTIANS FULFILLED THESE VERSES
1. It took place over 1,000 years ago in Egypt. There was a Muslim majority then, as now, and the Caliph, Al-Muiz, decided to challenge a group of Christians on their claim that Jesus was God.
2. The Caliph called in the lead Pastor Anba Abram and gave him an ultimatum. The Caliph read this verse where Jesus said faith could move mountains. He challenged the Christians to prove the words of Jesus by moving a mountain.
3. If they failed to move a certain mountain, they would be given a choice to either be killed by the sword or forced to convert to Islam. The Christians prayed and fasted for three days.
4. According to the story, there was an earthquake that day and the mountain moved and split. As a result of that miracle, many Muslims converted to Christ, and a church started meeting in the chasm that was created by the earthquake.
5. What proof do we have today? 1). Coptic Christians in Egypt still fast for those three days in memory of that miracle. 2). The name of the Mountain on the outskirts of Cairo is Mokattam, which is Arabic for “split in two.” 3). A strong church has been meeting in this same location for over 1,000
years. It’s called Cave Church, with over 12,000 Christian worshippers gather on a regular basis. (http://cavechurch.com)
C. METAPHORICAL MOUNTAINS
1. I have no doubt God can literally move mountains, but the word mountain” can be used in a metaphorical way too.
2. The Message Bible paraphrases Matt. 21:22 as: “Jesus said, ‘If you embrace this kingdom life and don’t doubt God, you’ll not only do minor feats like I did to the fig tree, but also triumph over huge obstacles. This mountain, for instance, you’ll tell, ‘Go jump in the lake,’ and it will jump.’”
3. DEFINITION OF A “MOUNTAIN:” “Something that blocks your path and stops your progress; it blocks your view of God.”
4. Is there a challenge you’re facing right now that looks like huge mountain?
a. You may be staring at a FINANCIAL mountain.
b. You may be facing a RELATIONAL mountain—your marriage is on the rocks. Or there’s conflict with a family member. Or no relationships at all.
c. Others, face a physical mountain, a SICKNESS that you can’t seem to whip. Or maybe you’ve been trying to lose weight for years and it seems as if you’ll never get in shape.
Let me give you 3 practical mountain-moving tips:
III. HOW TO MOVE YOUR MOUNTAINS
A. “SPEAK” TO YOUR MOUNTAIN!
1. Jesus said we could say to the mountain, “Jump in the sea!” I wonder how many of you have ever “spoken” to your mountain and told it to go jump in the lake? Oh, we talk about our problems non-stop. We even pray about them, and prayer is important. But Jesus said to SPEAK to it!
2. Now you might feel a little foolish speaking to a real mountain, much less an invisible mountain. But Jesus often spoke to things some would think are foolish.
3. He spoke to DEMONS and commanded them. He spoke to the WIND and the WAVES. He spoke to a FIG TREE. You may be thinking, “Well, yes, but He’s God.” But remember, Jesus told the disciples that the same thing He did to the tree, they could do to a mountain.
4. In fact, the more you talk ABOUT your mountain, the
bigger it gets. It grows and grows until sometimes you turn a molehill into a mountain.
5. And if you don’t speak to your mountain it will speak to you—it will taunt you, “Look at me! You can’t get past me! You’ll never be healthy! You’ll never get out of debt. You’ll never kick that habit!”
6. So try speaking directly to the mountain; you don’t have to yell. Just say with faith, “Mountain, there’s not enough room for both of us in this life, so you gotta go!”
B. FOCUS ON GOD’S POWER, NOT THE SIZE OF YOUR MOUNTAIN
1. The Bible is full of stories of people who faced mountains. Sometimes mountains are disguised as difficult people. David faced one named Goliath.
2. He insulted and taunted the God and the armies of Israel. Nobody spoke to him—they were all too afraid. But everybody spoke about him. And the more they talked about the size of the giant, the more impossible he seemed to beat.
3. But little David spoke to the giant. He said, “You come against me with a sword and spear, but I’ve got something better! I come in the NAME of the Lord God of Israel! This day the Lord will hand you over to me and I’ll knock you down and then I’ll cut off your ugly head from your fat body. And I’m doing this so everyone will KNOW that there is a God in Israel and the battle is the Lord’s! ... Now, Mountain, outta’ my way!” And you know the rest of the story.
4. David wasn’t focusing on the size of the mountain; he was focusing on the size of His God. The other soldiers said, “Look how much bigger Goliath is than me!” David said, “Look how much smaller he is than God!”
5. The other soldiers said, “Goliath is too big to fight!” David said, “He’s too big to miss!” Are you complaining to God about the size of your mountain? You should be telling the mountain about the size of your God!
C. IF GOD DOESN’T MOVE THE MOUNTAIN, HE MAY MOVE YOU
1. When you speak to a mountain, it might not move immediately. So keep on talking to it. It may take time. Some situations took time to develop so they may take time to unravel. It may be a mountain of fear or a mountain of anger, or a mountain formed by our bad choices.
2. Or at other times, God may not remove the mountain; He might move you to a different viewpoint about the mountain. For instance, God may not remove the mountain of sickness, but He will move you to a place where it doesn’t block your view of God’s grace.
3. Paul was a man of faith who moved many mountains, but in Acts 16 he faced a mountain that didn’t move. Paul wanted to go into Asia Minor, but he faced a mountain of opposition and difficulty. In this case, God didn’t move the mountain, He moved Paul.
4. Instead of going in that direction, Paul took the Gospel to Greece instead of Asia. This was the first time the gospel penetrated into what we call Europe. So because Paul moved, the Gospel spread to the whole civilized world! Praise God!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. A small congregation in the foothills of the Great Smokies built a new sanctuary on a piece of land with a very small parking lot.
2. Ten days before the new church was to open, the local building inspector informed the pastor that the parking lot was inadequate for the size of the building. Until the church doubled the size of the parking lot, they would not be able to use the new sanctuary.
3. Unfortunately, the church had all the flat ground covered, because the rest of the property was covered by a mountain. In order to build more parking spaces, they would have to move the mountain out of the back yard.
4. Undaunted, the pastor announced the next Sunday morning that he would have a prayer meeting and asked all members who had "mountain moving faith" to attend.
5. 24 of the congregation's members assembled for prayer and prayed for three hours. The pastor sensed that God had heard them and concluded with "Amen. We'll open next Sunday as scheduled," he assured everyone."
6. The next morning as he was working in his study there came a loud knock at his door. When he called "come in," a rough looking construction foreman appeared, removing his hard hat as he entered.
6. "Excuse me, Pastor. I'm from the Construction Company building the new shopping mall on the loop and we need some fill dirt. Would you be willing to sell us about 2,000 trucks of dirt from that mountain behind the church?”
7. The pastor answered, “In lieu of payment, why don’t pave the area you clear!” “Great,” the foreman responded. “We’ll start right away since we can’t build till we get the dirt.”
8. The little church was dedicated the next Sunday as originally planned and there were far more members with "mountain moving faith!"
B. THE CALL
1. How many of you have a MOUNTAIN in your way of some kind? Stand and we’re going to speak to our mountains!
2. Salvation. Are you here and are not sure that if you were to die, that you’d go to heaven? Prayer.
[This is a rewrite of the message by David Dykes on the same passage and name.]
