"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE WHEN FACING THE IMPOSSIBLE"
Matt 17:20 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.
Matt 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Some explanatory thoughts and application:
1. You will notice that in each verse above, Jesus uses the word "Impossible" And, He speaks of moving a mountain.
2. The word impossible as it's used here, means, to not have the strength, or ability, to be weak, or can not be done.
3. So, let's look at each verse and see what Jesus was trying to convey. In Matt 17:20, Jesus is pointing out that the disciples had actually been in the state of "unbelief" and, that it was because of their unbelief, that they had not been able to help a man that had come to them seeking help. Jesus then went on to say, that if they had had, even a small amount of faith, they could have accomplished what needed to be done. He then went on to use the mountain moving illustration.
4. A mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds, and of course a mountain is large by comparison, even a small mountain is large. So, what was Jesus's point here. Was He actually saying you could move a mountain from one place to another? In a sense yes, and in a sense no. For example, God used Moses to part the Red Sea, which was an impossibility apart from Moses believing God, and God acting to part the sea. But, those kinds of things don't happen to regular people from day to day. But, what does happen to regular people, i.e Christians, is that we face mountain like situations very often. And, it's our choice to believe God to work in the situation, or to not, that is to be like the disciples and be in the state of unbelief.
5. It's helpful to remember, that Jesus was training the disciples to live a life of trusting in God, in the small things of life, and in the big and challenging things of life. God calls them "trials" And, what God wants us to do in our trials is to trust Him, believe Him, even if we only have a little bit of faith as it were, God can work in what seems like a mountain to us. He can get us through the trial, and will work in our lives, changing us, and giving us strength as it were, making us stronger as we go along.
6. The Lord in Matt 19:26, said, "But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” He said that in answer to a question about how rich people could be saved, since it was nearly impossible for them to be saved, in light of how money can affect people, and influence them not to believe. But, Jesus said, what seems impossible to us, is not impossible to God. So, when we think of someone whom we think could never get saved for whatever reasons, we need to remember, that God does not see it that way. Nothing, or no one is an impossibility with God.
7. God has given to each of us a measure of faith. (Rom 12) And, He calls us to live by faith. Not just when things are going smoothly, but day by day, situation by situation, mountain by mountain as it were, trial by trial. He never changes, and He is alway faithful, and He honors and responds and rewards those who come to Him (even with their little mustard seed like faith) God will see you through, You can count on it, because He has promised to do that.
A prayer:
Father, You are many things, and one great thing, is that You are faithful, You are dependable. You cannot lie, and all of Your promises are true. You lead us by Your Word. We do not live on explanations, but on promises. And, You merely ask us to believe You. And, you give us more then a mustard seeds worth of faith as we grow, and that faith comes from our hearing, being in, and abiding in Your word. So, Lord, may we listen to You, and grow in our faith, and exercise our faith in the trials we encounter, and the mountains that we face.
In Jesus name, amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.
