Matthew 17:19, 20 - Mountain Moving Faith.
Matthew 17:19-20 (NIV) Then the disciples
came to Jesus in private and asked, Why
couldnt we drive it out? 20 He replied,
Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you,
if you have faith as small as a mustard seed,
you can say to this mountain, Move from here
to there, and it will move. Nothing will be
impossible for you.
INTRODUCTION
Jesus' disappointment with His disciples'
inability to cast the demon out of the epileptic boy
is readily felt in the words, "O faithless and
perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?"
(Matt. 17:17).
Later, in privacy the disciples asked
Jesus, "Why could we not cast it out?" (v. 19).
When Christ sent the disciples out (Matt.
10:6-8), He explicitly commissioned them to do these
kinds of miracles. Less than a year later, they
failed where they had once succeeded. Christ's
explanation for their failure was that their faith was
deficient (v. 20). The deficiency did not consist in a
lack of confidence; they were surprised that they
could not cast out this demon. The problem
probably lay in a failure to make God - rather than
their own gifts - the object of their confidence.
True faith, even "faith as a mustard
seed" (v. 20), by Christ's definition, always
involves surrender to the will of God. What He was
teaching here is nothing like positive-thinking
psychology. He was saying that both the source and the
object of all genuine faith - even the weak,
mustard seed variety - is God. And "with God nothing
will be impossible" (Luke 1:3). Here, Christ
assumes the qualifying thought that is explicitly
added by 1 John 5:14: what we ask for must be
"according to His will." [MacArthur Daily Bible 2003]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Fasting is an attitude more than a
ritual. The one who is fasting for the right
reasons is saying, My dependence upon God is more
vital to me than even food and drink. The
disciples were unable to cast out this demon - or any
other demon - so long as they were depending upon
their own strength.
The disciples had lost sight of Jesus.
They had spent the night grumbling because they
were left behind at the foot of the mountain, and
feeling jealous at the thought of what they might be
missing. There wasn't a demon in all of Satan's
hosts that they could have overpowered in that
condition!
Which brings us once again to the
day-by-day relationship with God. It is through
fellowship with Him, through prayer and the study of
His Word, that we come to depend upon His power
instead of upon our own.
For Jesus, nothing was more important
than His communion with His Father. He gained
strength through the time He spent alone with God,
just as we must do.
To have an attitude of fasting means that
your private time with God is so important to
you, and so high on your list of priorities, that
if you ever are so pressed for time that you
have to make a choice between physical food and
spiritual food, you will always choose the spiritual
food. That is true fasting! [The Answer is
Prayer by Venden]
COMMENTARY
The Bible tells the story of a father who
desperately wanted his son to be healed. Jesus disciples
had tried and failed. When the Lord heard this,
he asked for the boy to be brought to him. The
father came to Jesus and pleaded, "If you can do
anything, take pity on us and help us.'
"If you can?" Jesus replied. "Everything
is possible for one who believes."
The boy's father exclaimed, "I do
believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
Immediately, Jesus healed the boy.
Do you think the boy was healed because
of the strength of the father's faith? No.
Obviously, the father had little faith. He wanted to
believe, but he had been disappointed so many limes
that he had difficulty believing. Now the father
had faith in the right person - Jesus Christ.
The ultimate truth is this: faith is only as
good as the one in whom it's invested.
Jesus said, "If you have faith as small
as a mustard seed, you can say to this
mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move.
Nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20).
Nothing will be impossible for us, because nothing
is impossible for God. Through God's power, our
little faith can accomplish big things.
Do you have the faith to move mountains?
Mountains are big. Sometimes we feel strong in our
faith. Other times our faith feels pretty small.
Here's the good news: It's not up to our faith to
move mountains, because we have nothing to do
with it. God does. He made the mountains, and
only he moves them. At times, we can feel like
its up to us to muster up the faith to make
something big happen. If only I have faith, I'll get
over this illness, or If only I have faith, I'll
be able to tell that person about Jesus. But
it's not about muster - it's about mustard. Jesus
said nothing is impossible for the person who has
the faith of a mustard seed. Invest your tiny
faith in a big God. Then trust him and see what he
does. He may not always move the way we hope, but
he always moves in the way that's best for us.
[Case For Christ For Kids by Les Strobel]
According to this verse, having faith is
critical to getting things accomplished. Now, none
of us probably needs to move mountains, but all
of us need the kind of faith that could! And
to pray without faith is pointless. So where
do we get the mountain-moving faith that we
need to be effective prayers? Romans 10:17 tells
us that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by
the Word of God. As we read the Word and bring
it to bear upon our lives, we will grow in
grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which
is faith-producing. Then as we seek His will,
in His way, in His time, which is all that we
will want, our prayers will be answered - even to
the moving of something as great as a mountain!
[In His Time; Walk With Wisdom re vs. 20]
ONE LINERS
Faith brings us into right relationship with
God and gives God His opportunity. [My Utmost
for His Highest by Oswald Chambers]
Don't spend a lot of time describing your
mountain to the Lord. He knows what it is. Instead,
focus your attention on the mountain mover - his
glory, power and faithfulness. Then start walking
in faith, following his leading, and watch that
mountain step aside. [Bill Hybels; Time With God
SB]
Real religion is to draw strength from God
in order to give it to others. Real religion
involves both meeting God in the secret place and men
in the market place. [Barclay Commentary]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2018/20180514-1008.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
The Last Day of Prophecy by Pastor Doug
Batchelor:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmGvdtMCf1aJTiC59-lPtuUMEq_uEn0BK
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
