Classic Episode - Moving Mountains

Today we are going to look at moving mountains. Those mountains that we have the power and authority to move. This is not some Christian magic, that if you attach the name of Jesus to your desire it shall be done. It is not a self centred doctrine where you name it  and claim it. This is the heart of God the Father, through Jesus the Son. By His Spirit, in His name, to the glory of God the Father. As you listen be blessed, empowered and transformed in Jesus name.

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Transcript

00:00 Intro music and voice over.

Welcome to jesus loves the world podcast. For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Be blessed empowered and transformed in Jesus’ name! 

Today's classic episode is Moving Mountains.

00:21 Speaker

Today we are going to look at moving mountains. Those mountains that we have the power and authority to move. This is not some Christian magic, that if you attach the name of Jesus to your desire it shall be done. It is not a self centred doctrine where you name it  and claim it. This is the heart of God the Father, through Jesus the Son. By His Spirit, in His name, to the glory of God the Father.

Before we begin let us surrender our preconceived ideas in prayer> Heavenly Father, we lay down any preconceived ideas of what we think, even wheat we believe and let you open our eyes to see more of you, open our ears to hear more of your voice and open our minds and hearts to know and experience you more. All to your glory Father, in Jesus name amen. 

Before we go to today’s text let us look at the context. 

Jesus had already given His disciples power and authority over all demons and to cure all diseases. Remember over all demons and to cure all diseases. Jesus sent them out on a training mission to preach the kingdom of God and heal the sick. They went through the towns, preaching the good news and healing everywhere. Upon return they reported back that even the demons were subject to them. 

As they journeyed with Jesus they had already seen and experienced His miracles. 9 of the 12 remained in the valley as the 3 disciples Peter, James and John went with Jesus, up to the mountain top. As they were experiencing intimacy with Jesus and the Father up on the mountain, another drama was taking place with the 9 down in the valley. 

A desperate father had brought his epileptic son to the 9 disciples to be cured. Sadly the disciples in the valley could not cure him. 

This is a very vivid picture of a powerless church. Disciples knowing of Jesus, doing life with Him, thinking they are diligently following Him, yet experiencing no transformation within. As a result becoming spiritually dry, remaining in bondage to their selfish desires. 

I know how this feels and what it looks like. For I've been there. Being spiritually dry and trapped in selfish desires is no place for a disciple of Jesus to live. Jesus came to set us free and give us life eternal.

As the disciples journey with Jesus toward Jerusalem they are ignorant of God's divine plan. That is that His only son, Jesus the Christ has to suffer. 

The disciples have conflict with each other and others. 

They argue amongst themselves as to which one of them is greater. There are times when they forbid children to be blessed by Jesus and want to bring divine judgement upon an unresponsive village. The selfish desires of humanity, together with the work of God is a dangerous mix.

The disciples could not heal the boy. Conflict and chaos arise. The religious scoff and cause a dispute. The father of the boy, his only son remains desperate. Amongst accusations and unbelief, scepticism and cynicism, failure and shame, Jesus walks in and everything changes. 

Matthew 17:14-21 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 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. 

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.”

This account is in three of the four gospels. In Mark's version we have more detail of Jesus' interaction with the crowd and the father of the boy. When the crowd saw Jesus they were greatly amazed. The father believes Jesus can do anything, yet asks Jesus to help his unbelief. The father’s unbelief was not whether He believed Jesus could heal. His unbelief was the shame of the community he felt not knowing whether Jesus would be willing to have compassion towards him and heal his boy like the rest. 

Jesus is greater than the father’s belief or unbelief, shame or pride. For healing and deliverance is the very reason why Jesus had come. 

In Matthew's account that we just read, Jesus asks the scribes what they were discussing with His disciples. Then in desperation the father of the epileptic boy came and kneeling before Jesus said, Lord have mercy on my son.' 

The father explains his sons condition of when he is experiencing these fits he often falls into the fire or water. 

Jesus' response in verse 17 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.” 

Interestingly Jesus does not specifically chastise His disciples, especially in public and in front of the scribes. Instead Jesus turns to the generation of people that is seeing, experiencing and partaking of the miracles and declares, you still do not believe and trust in God and His desire to heal.

Not only are they a faithless generation but perverse. That is they knowingly distort, corrupt or misinterpret God and His truth. This is horrible stuff. Knowing the truth and corrupting it to prevent others from knowing is the yeast of the scribes and Pharisees. They continually tried to undermine God and Jesus warns against such bondage. Yet even in this environment, Jesus is greater. 

In amongst such faithlessness and perversity Jesus says to the father, 'Bring Him to Me.' Jesus rebuked the demon and it left the boy that very hour.

The disciples came to Jesus privately and asked why they could not cast it out.

Let us read again Jesus' response to His disciples in verse 20-21. 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.”

All because of the disciples unbelief in God. They had been given the power and authority, yet still they had not yet surrendered their selfish desires and ambitions. Leaning on their own ability that they had been given power to heal, instead of leaning on the one who gave them that ability. 

The disciples lack of surrender of self and trust in God had blocked them from operating in the fullness of the power and authority Jesus had given them. They thought they were the ones who was doing the healing. So they reasoned, they did it before, yet they could not do it again! However it is God Himself who does the healing. He simply gives us a part of His wonders.

The character of faith that moves the mountains of difficulties in this life is of Jesus. Removing mountains is a Jewish figure of speech for insurmountable difficulties. Mountains appear to the eye as the most stable of things. 

Jesus said, 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. 

In comparison to the mountainous difficulties, the mustard seed is minuscule. Yet nothing is impossible for God and for those who are one in Him. 

It is not the size of the faith that matters, nor the size of the mountain. It is the size and heart of God that moves the mountains. The One in whom we trust and believe.

Faith in God as small as a mustard seed is powerful, solid, firm and a concrete reality. We don't often see faith this way but if we believe and trust in God's certainty, then the power and authority He has given us becomes our reality. 

Belief in God, is foundational. 

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Our faith does not create reality. The power is not in the faith, but in the God in whom we believe. The reality of who He is, what He has done and will do. 

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There is an infinite supply from God. Jesus adds, 'this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.' 

Prayer in this context is engaging with the Living God, being one with Him and by implication in a heart condition of worship. In the original language of the text prayer is linked to worship. We miss what prayer really is, yet Jesus often went alone to pray and be intimate with the Father. 

Luke 6:12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

The exact same word that has been translated as prayer is also used when Jesus rebukes the money changers in the temple and declares in Mark 11:17 My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations. 

May all we do should be out of a place of worship and wonder of Him. Remember Jesus had just come down from the mountain top. A place where His Father, God our Father in heaven, came down and spoke to the 3 disciples that were there with Jesus in His presence. Jesus led the same 3 down into the valley. Where He would bring healing and deliverance to a lost and dying world.  

Jesus also includes fasting in His statement about the kind of bondage that the boy needed to be free from. 

Fasting is a condition of the heart. It is not some self denial ritual to change circumstances. Throughout both the Old and New Testament the act of fasting out of the right motive was always to seek God and His will. Fasting is primarily linked to humility and worship before Him. 

The surrender of self opens up the heart and mind to receive more of Him. Be transformed by Him, from the inside out. He enables us to hear from Him and know His will and walk in His ways.

Ezra 8:21 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.

Intimacy comes from spending time together. The disciples on the mountain top with Jesus, fell to their knees, heard the voice of God the Father and were humbled. Jesus raised them up and they saw only Him. 

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Out of realisation comes humility. Out of humility comes honour.

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In the early church fasting and prayer was very closely linked to serving the Lord through ministering to others. Acts 13:2-3 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. 

Prayer and fasting is not to get God to do what we want. It is not declaring things of self will into existence. It is seeking Him, His will, His face out of a place of worship. To know Him and His heart, and as a result trust in Him. Trust is in who He is. He is compassionate and willing to heal. 

Human efforts cannot accomplish the work of God in this world. However through faith and trust in Him, journeying with Him, knowing His heart and will, worshiping and honouring Him in surrender to Him, by His Spirit the bondage of selfishness has no place. 

By His Spirit through His transforming power, we live in the concrete reality of who He is and the power and authority He has given us is realised.

From this place the mountains move. Praise His mighty name!