Moving Mountains

This morning we’re going to take a look at another of those challenging parts of the Bible. This one has to do with prayer. It’s important that we grow in our understanding of prayer because so much depends on a wise prayer life. A key question here has to do with what we can expect of our prayers. That’s what we are going to consider this morning.

Listen as I read to you some challenging words of Jesus.

And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17.14-20

Boil it all down to the basic thought, and this is what Jesus is saying. ‘When you pray in faith you can do the impossible.’ Now, I find that an amazing thing for Jesus to say. You might even call it revolutionary. But so many have found it so very hard to believe, that they have set it aside. They have no idea what to make of it.

What I’d like to do is to raise a few questions about what Jesus is saying and, in this way, unpack what is going on here. My goal in this is simple. I want you to be able to do the impossible. I actually think that that is something that you can do.

So, here’s the first question. Jesus is speaking to His apostles. Is what He is saying limited to them, or does it also apply to you? This is what’s behind my question. Just because something is written in the Bible doesn’t mean that it is meant for you. Not understanding this leads to much confusion. So, is this meant for you?

What was going on when Jesus said this? The Twelve could not cast out a demon. Now, it’s important to note that Jesus gave those men authority to do exactly that.

[Jesus] appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. Mark 3.14-15

The apostles should have been able to pray in such a way so that they could cast out that demon. Jesus rebukes them for their failure.

So, back to my question. Does what Jesus say here about powerful prayer apply to you or is it only for the twelve?

When there are questions about what one passage of Scripture is teaching, the answer lies somewhere else in the Bible.

Consider what James wrote.

The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

James wants to encourage the saints to whom he was writing to pray and to do that knowing that their prayers can have great results. He then points to someone who did pray with great power.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. James 5.16-18

Now, nobody here is a prophet from God like Elijah. There are things that God told him that do not apply to you. But here is one place where something true of him is also true of you. You can offer up powerful prayers to God. And that’s why James uses him as an example.

It’s because of that sort of thing that I can say that Jesus’ words to those twelve men do, in fact, apply to you. So, if you pray with faith, you also will do the impossible. That is the promise of Jesus.

Now, another question. Are we to take Jesus’ comment about that mountain literally? Should we expect to be tossing mountains around? The answer to that is a clear, ‘No’. Jesus is using something called hyperbole: intentional exaggeration to make a point. Jesus is talking about doing the impossible. His comment about that mountain is included as a way to drive home that thought.

All of that was preliminary and basic. Now, for the hard question. How does praying in faith accomplish the impossible?

Well, here we really do need a good definition of faith. That’s so important because faith has been understood in ways that have absolutely nothing to do with what the Scriptures mean by faith. So, what is faith according to the Bible?

Here’s a good definition. Faith in God is the sure expectation that He will act according to what He has said.

The first thing I want you to see is that, according to a biblical faith, you don’t set the agenda when it comes to what you pray about. You don’t tell God what you want Him to do and then add some sort of faith to that request. So, if you want to pray, ‘Father, please give me [fill in the blank]’, the question to ask yourself is, ‘Has God said that He would give that to me? Has He given me a good reason to expect Him to act in that way?’ If He hasn’t, then why are you asking Him for that? Why would you think that He would give it to you? He sets the agenda, not you. That is really quite important.

So, in whatever situation you find yourself in, what you need to determine is this: based on what God has said in the Scriptures, what can I expect of Him now? And once you have figured that out, then you know what to pray for.

Let me insert here an example of this from my own life. This is from many years ago. I was working in an auto assembly plant because I had run out of money to pay for seminary. I was hoping to save up enough to return and finish my theological education. At the same time, we had suffered a miscarriage. So, though we hadn’t been trying to have a baby, Linda now wanted us to try. She wanted a baby. I was afraid that if we did that, I wouldn’t be able to return to school. I felt the pressure of that situation. Do I risk my future by pleasing my wife? In His amazing kindness, the Spirit pointed me to a bit of Scripture that has stayed with me and been so very helpful ever since.

Let your way of life be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “the Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me?” Hebrews 13.5–6 [NASV]

Now, did that tell me that I would get back to school? No. But it did tell me that whatever happened, my God would be with me and would take care of me. I was freed from any worry or fear, freed to enjoy His peace. And the result was Seth.

My faith in God was the sure expectation that He would act according to what He had said. He would never desert me or forsake me. And that would be true even if I screwed things up royally. That’s what real, biblical faith is. And it is that kind of faith that does impossible things.

But that leads to this question. Can you always know what God is going to do? You can’t have any sure expectation about how God will act if you don’t know how He would act. So, can you always know?

And the answer is obvious. No. He is full of surprises and acts in ways that no one expects. He’s God. However, I do think that the average Christian these days can know more, much more, about what God is going to do and thus be able to pray accordingly.

So, how can you know more? The answer to that is also obvious. It’s all about the Scriptures. Being made aware of that passage from Hebrews that I just mentioned made clear to me how God was going to act. He would never desert me nor forsake me. I had a verse.

But there are situations that the Scriptures don’t seem to directly address. There is no verse that speaks specifically to the question, ‘Do I take this job or that one?’ You won’t find a verse for that. So, what do you do? How do you know what to expect of God in those kinds of situations? The answer is still in the Bible.

There are several ways to use the Bible in situations like this. Sometimes what you need to look for is an apt example. Here’s another passage that God has used in my life.

But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us. For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. 1 Thessalonians 2:7–12

Paul is describing his relationship with some young Christians, and he uses some striking words to describe how he feels toward them. Now, no one here is an apostle. So, does that mean that this has nothing to say to us? No. What Paul wrote is not just about him being an apostle to those saints. It’s also about being a leader. Paul is modeling leadership here.

So, it’s about how a pastor leads his church. It’s also about how an owner leads his company and how a father and a mother lead their family and how a husband cares for his wife.

Based on Paul’s example, someone who has the responsibility of caring for others might pray, ‘I know, Father, what You want me to be when it comes to these people I am responsible for. You want me to be much more gentle with them than I am, much more. So, I’m asking that You make me into that kind of person. Make me gentle’. You could also pray about having a fond affection for them or being able to exhort them or whatever you are lacking. But whatever that might be, it is something that someone could pray for with the sure expectation that God will grant that request. That is how you are to take advantage of the models that God has provided for us in the Scriptures.

Now, to use the Scriptures in this way will take some effort. It will mean taking the time to mull over what you hear and read, to ask questions. Developing a sense of curiosity can be quite helpful here. ‘Why is this here?’ ‘What does that word mean?’ I could see someone spending a good week or two thinking about what Paul wrote in that paragraph and still not reach its bottom. I’m not talking about spending hours a day. You could take five minutes to write down whatever came to mind on the word ‘gentle’ or ‘devoutly’ or ‘imploring’. And if you had more to write once the five minutes were up you could return to the same word the next day. There is no rush. Aim for quality not quantity.

Out of this understanding of God’s Word will come sure expectations of God. And out of that will come great assurance in your prayers. You will know that He will grant these requests you are making of Him. That’s praying with a biblical faith.

We’re not quite done with understanding faith. I also need to bring up the issue of doubt. Something in Peter’s life fits here. This is when he sees Jesus walking on the water.

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 14.28-31

Peter starts out saying something amazing. ‘Jesus, I think that you could make me walk on the water.’ So, Jesus calls him to do that, and Peter steps out of the boat. That’s evidence of Peter’s faith, the sure expectation about what Jesus will do. He will make Peter walk on the water.

But then, Peter doubts. Now, that’s shorthand. Let’s write it all out. Peter doubts Jesus. When you say it that way it becomes clear that doubt is not some intellectual problem. It’s an interpersonal problem.

Peter saw the wind. And that raised a question in his mind. ‘Is Jesus able to overcome the wind? Can He continue to keep me walking on the water?’ So, it was a contest in Peter’s mind. Fear the wind or trust Jesus? He opted to fear the wind and to doubt Jesus’ ability to keep him walking.

Now, that’s insulting. And it’s also sin.

Now for a counterexample. Paul is writing about Abraham.

In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Romans 4.18-21

Abraham was in a similar situation to Peter. For Peter, it was a contest between the power of the wind and the power of Jesus. For Abraham, it was a contest between the lack of power in his and Sarah’s bodies, and the abundance of power in God. And God’s power won out. Abraham didn’t waver about God’s promise. He kept on believing it. It’s helpful to note that the word translated ‘waver’ here can also be translated ‘doubt’. So, it could read,

No unbelief made him doubt concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith… 

Doubt is not some intellectual problem. It’s an interpersonal problem. It’s telling God that you don’t believe Him. You don’t trust Him. What a thing to say.

What I just read about Abraham explains what you are to do about doubt.

…but he grew strong in his faith...

Faith can grow strong. And that means that faith can be weak. Remember how Jesus said to Peter,

O you of little faith, why did you doubt?

Doubt comes from a weak faith, from a small faith. So, the solution is obvious. One’s faith needs to grow. It needs to be strengthened.

How do you do that?

It’s important to remember that faith is a gift. That means it isn’t something that you can create or develop or make strong or any of that. Faith is a gift that only the Spirit can give, that only the Spirit can grow. And that points to the solution. Someone whose faith is little or weak needs to pray for the Spirit to grow that faith and make it stronger.

When a Christian does that, the Spirit notices and responds. Sometimes He points to something that needs to be repented of. Or He may call that Christian to do something that will be a little uncomfortable, something that will require just a little more faith than he has. But it is as we strive to obey the Spirit’s commands that He blesses us. And one thing He blesses us with is more faith, a stronger faith, a faith that grows.

A Christian’s faith can be strengthened. It’s just a matter of listening to and obeying the Spirit. And it’s a strengthened faith that can do the impossible.

And that brings me to my last question. What impossible things should you expect to happen? That is, after all, what Jesus promises. You will do impossible things. Like what?

The first step to answer that question is understanding what God means by doing the impossible. It is rare for Him to do something dramatic, something that makes a big splash that everyone notices. No, most of what He does is not noticed much at all, things like a baby being born. There were many babies born in Bethlehem. But it was because of the birth of one particular baby that impossible things happened.

Our culture is all about the big splash. It’s not worth doing unless it’s big and dramatic - or so they say. That’s what so much education these days is about, preparation for making a big splash. But God’s way of changing the world is by using lots of little, barely noticed events. That is a counter-cultural idea worth thinking about. It can free from so many crushing lies.

So, what are those things in your life that you consider impossible to change? Here, think about long-standing confusion, sins that are still lingering, relationships that are a mess and have been for quite a while. What’s on your list?

Jesus says that changing those things is not some impossibility. As you pray in faith, that is, with biblical expectations of God, those changes become possible. They become real. They happen. They won’t be a big splash. Most people won’t notice. But you will. What are some impossibilities that you need to add to your prayer list?

God uses Christians accomplishing these impossibilities, these small, unnoticed victories. He uses them to move mountains and change the world.