FaIth like a mustard seed

 

LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 15 MAY 2022

MATTHEW 17 VERSES 14 – 21

Last week we looked at the building of the house of God after the children of Israel had come back from captivity in Babylon.  The task they faced was large and there was much opposition.  Humanly speaking it was doomed to failure.  In Zechariah 4 verse 8 God told Zerubbabel that the work would be finished, not by great military power or human intellect but by his Spirit.  Zechariah 4 verse 7 points to a mountain and in the minds of the builders everything seemed insurmountable.  “Who art thou, O great mountain> before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain.”  God was taking Zerubbabel to one side, pointing to the fact that although the people were fearful, they could not complete the task of rebuilding the temple, he would complete the task.  It would be finished.  There is much today to bring discouragement and dampen the work of God.  We need to keep at the work of God.  God is able to finish his work just as he did in Zerubbabel’s day.  In this passage in Matthew 17 we read of another mountain.  Jesus had just come down from the Mount of Transfiguration with his disciples when he came across this scene.  A man had brought his son to be healed and the disciples were not able to do it.  Verse 20 “Because of your unbelief; for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”  Jesus took the boy to one side and “rebuked the devil and he departed out of him.”  The disciples were in despair – they couldn’t understand why they couldn’t heal the boy.  Jesus told them this situation required prayer and fasting.

The strategy that God gives.  It is not out of our intellect or ability.  The strategy we are in is the battle of prayer.  In Ephesians 6 Paul tells us that the battle is on – “we wrestle not against flesh and blood”.  Behind the scenes Paul could see something bigger – “but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” that come against us.  This father lived with a situation for some time.  He saw his son become progressively worse.  The spirit took over his son’s life.  It tried to destroy him.  Jesus identified it as a spiritual battle.  It was not a physical battle, not a natural illness.  We can read and talk about.  We can read the great giants like E M Bounds or Reece Howell’s The Intercessor.  The challenge comes to you again and again.  We can preach about prayer and go to seminars, but we need to exercise prayer – getting alone with God, closing the door and seeking God with all our hearts.  Many homes today are in distress, many with problems that cannot be resolved.  We need to pray for them.  Satan knows the value of prayer.  We see that demonstrated clearly in the kingdom of Persia.  Satan knew there was a direct line from that earthly domain to the heavenly kingdom.  There was a voice coming into the ears of God from one man – Daniel.  Every day he was on his knees before God – morning, noon and night.  Satan knew the only way to curtail him was to cut this direct line off.  He provoked the counsellors who were stirred up out of jealousy.  They asked for the king to sign a decree that if any man was found praying to another god he should be cast into the den of lions.  Then they arrested Daniel.  Satan thought the chain was broken but Daniel went into his own house, threw open the windows and got down on his knees as before.  The devil will do everything to stop us from praying.  Of all the meetings in this church and in any church the devil hates the prayer meeting.  The devil knows the Lord is able to save and he will do anything to stop you from attending that meeting and from participating in the meeting.  Remember Daniel was on his knees for 21 days before the angel came to him and the angel was able to tell him that something had prevented him coming to Daniel – why – there was a battle going on.  Fatigue can stop us from praying.  No answers to prayer can stop us from praying too.

A secrecy in prayer.  It can only be wrought by prayer and fasting.  We are communicating with God.  Jeremiah 33 verse 3 “call unto me and I will answer thee and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not.”  The psalmist said in Psalm 50 verse 15 “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify me.”  Thomas Cooper’s hymn puts it well “restraining prayer, we cease to fight, prayer makes Christian’s armour bright and Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees.”  When we get down before God in prayer, we are allowing God into our situation and problems and difficulties.  Remember when Jesus called his disciples to prayer, he looked out on the harvest fields and said they were “white, ready to harvest” but then he went on to tell them the labourers were so few in number.  “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9 verse 38)  Take a look around you, see what is happening around you, get before God and pray that he will send forth labourers into his harvest field.  It is not a matter of going out and picking people to do things.  Jesus said to his disciples “pray that the Lord would send forth labourers into the harvest field.”  “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.” (2 Corinthians 10 verse 4) Satan has a grip on this province.  What is the secret of pulling down that grip?  Prayer.  Paul and Silas in the prison house were praying – what happened – the walls shook – why – because of one man praying.  In Acts 4 the people communed with one another, spoke about what had happened, prayed together for boldness to preach the word of God.  What happened?  The walls shook because of that prayer.  John Knox prayed “give me Scotland or I die”.  Mary Queen of Scots feared John Knox more than anyone because of his prayers.  Sometimes we say we cannot pray because we listen to the great people around us who really can pray but we need to remember that Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees.  What is the purpose behind the spiritual forces that come against us?  Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.  And he prayed again, and heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit.” (James 5 verses 17 and 18).  In Acts 19 Paul’s ministry in Asia saw a people healed, saved and delivered from demon possession.  There were those who followed him and watched him carefully.  There were 7 sons of a priest who wanted the same power Paul had so they took on the ministry of exorcism, casting out demons.  They came to one man and the result had serious implications.  The demon went out of the man and put the 7 men to flight – verse 15 “Jesus I know and Paul I know but who are ye?”  Do we give the devil any consideration when we get down to prayer?  Does the devil quake when we pray?

The sincerity of prayer.  Jesus touched here on victory in prayer.  A young man possessed by the devil from childhood.  His father probably travelled everywhere trying to find someone to help them.  He decided to take him to Jesus but couldn’t find him.  Jesus’ disciples were present, but they couldn’t help him.  When Jesus came down from the mountain, he told his disciples they needed prayer and fasting.  We ask how much faith we need today, and Jesus tells us it needs to be as a grain of mustard seed.  If you have that faith to believe today, you can say to this mountain remove and it would be removed.  Remember when Jesus sent out the 70 and they came back with the story that they had exercised power over demons, even the very powers of hell bowed down to them?  Jesus said, “rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10 verse 20)  Is my name recorded there?  Was it pencilled in when I came and bowed my knee at the foot of the cross?  When I looked to the Lord?  When I realised, he was my safety?  When I cried “Lord I am a sinner and I realise that you have died on the cross for me and I am asking you now to save me?”  If there is any other way that you are depending on, then your name is not written there.  Don’t rejoice because you can cast out a demon, rejoice because you have accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour.  Maybe you have grown careless today.  Hebrews 11 verse 6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

The sufficiency of prayer.  I have never seen a mountain yet that God could not take me over it.  I have never been in a valley so deep that the Lord didn’t forsake me in it.  We can face spiritual mountains today because we know we are “more than conquerors through him that loved us.” (Romans 8 verse 37)  Will we leave today encouraged in what God has done for us?  What God has given for us?  What he wants to do with us even in these days?   Yes I need to use my intellect and my ability, but God can use even the lack of both.  He will use us in his own way in these days.