EVEN FAITH AS SMALL AS MUSTARD SEED MOVES MOUNTAINS

IN THE DAYS OF HIS POWER SERIES.

TOPIC: EVEN FAITH AS SMALL AS MUSTARD SEED MOVES MOUNTAINS

SERMON BY-:
Rev Innocent Chukwudi Peace-Udochukwu President Living Fountain Ministries Int’l LIFOM

And He said to them…. “for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you (Matthew 17:20)

What Is a Mustard Seed?
A mustard seed is about one to two millimeters in size. Yet, the brush can grow upwards of 20 to 30 feet tall and wide.

The picture the Lord painted for the disciples was one of hope! Our faith doesn’t need to be outwardly large to have a large impact.

The tiny mustard seed holds the potential of a 30-foot bush! A seemingly inconsequential speck of faith can move mountains!

….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…
– Matthew 17:20

Have you ever wished that you had more faith? Stronger faith? Deeper faith? Sometimes, we think that if we can only muster up more faith from within ourselves, we can accomplish more.

One of the greatest mistakes we can make in the Christian life is to think that power is sourced in faith itself. But on two separate occasions in the Gospel Accounts, Jesus talks about a “mustard seed” faith that can result in great things.

…it’s a fitting illustration!

By using this illustration to describe faith, Jesus is directing our attention, not to the quantity or strength of our faith, but to the object of our faith. Our faith is only as strong as the object in which its placed.

The Bible defines faith as a self-emptied, dependent assurance in God’s character and promises. The most famous biblical definition of faith is Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

If our faith, even if it’s the size of a mustard seed, is placed in the all-powerful God, great things can happen. In The Gospel According to Matthew, Leon Morris says, “It is not necessary to have great faith; even a small faith is enough, as long as it is faith in the great God.”

The content of that faith is clarified in verse 6: “…for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists [his character] and that he rewards those who seek him [his promises].”

Biblical faith has nothing to do with personal self-effort (Ephesians 2:8-9) and has no reliance on human strength and wisdom (1 Cor. 2:5). In other words, when we talk about biblical faith, all the strength and power come from the object of faith (God himself), not the “size” of faith—even a “mustard seed” faith will do.

The disciples had a misplaced faith. They couldn’t cast out the demon because, according to Leon Morris’ commentary, “perhaps the disciples had been treating their power to cast out devils as a new possession of their own—a kind of magic—they would go through their routine and the devil would come out.”

They assumed that “more faith” would give them the power to forgive. But on both occasions, Jesus tells them that if they have faith (even if it’s the size of a 1-millimeter seed) that is placed in the all-powerful God—big things happen.

Can It Move Mountains?
Was Jesus being literal when he said that faith could uproot a mountain and cast it into the sea? No. If it were literal, I would be on my way to the Rocky Mountains to give it a shot.

Just as the “mustard seed” was a proverbial illustration, so was the mountain.

According to R.T. France in Matthew: an Introduction and Commentary, mountains being uprooted and moved was a common illustration to describe “the most improbable occurrence: (Isaiah 54:10; 1 Cor 13:2). The stark contrast between the smallest of seeds and the immensity of a mountain range is a powerful one.

Jesus is telling us that only faith in a powerful God can accomplish the things that only a powerful God can do. This does not mean, however, that we can harness God’s power to accomplish whatever we desire. We cannot highjack the power of God for our own purposes.

We as Christians must take care to place our faith, not in our own resolve, but in God himself. This means we must seek to know him deeply. We must study his character and dwell on his promises.

Faith is not a mustering of will or a power to wield.

Faith comes from trusting in God and His will.

What Jesus is advocating is something far more radical.

We must go back to the context of this verse to truly understand what Jesus is saying.

In Matthew 17, Jesus has just come down from the mountain where He was Transfigured before Peter, James, and John. The following occurs in Matthew 17:14-20:

“When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. ‘Lord, have mercy on my son,’ he said. ‘He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.’ ‘You unbelieving and perverse generation,’ Jesus replied, ‘how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.’ Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, ‘Why couldn’t we drive it out?’ 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.’”

Here, Jesus could potentially be talking about real mountains. The Lord does have that power. However, in context, the problem being addressed is that the disciples could not drive out the demon because they had too little faith.

Jesus constantly used metaphors and parables in His teachings. Here, the “mountain” Jesus is metaphorically alluding to is the demon-possessed boy. Jesus is making a point that even the tiniest bit of faith — the size of a mustard seed, the smallest seed the disciples would have been familiar with — can accomplish great things. The point here seems to be the vast difference between the size of a mustard seed and the size of a mountain. If the disciples had even the smallest bit of faith, it could do great — mountain-sized — things.

Though “believe it and you can achieve it” may sound like a good slogan, it is ultimately foolishness. God controls the outcome, not us. Proverbs 16:9 reminds us, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

So what do we have faith in? Our faith is in God.

Jeremiah 10:12-13 says, “But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.”

The Lord has the power to move mountains. Our faith is in Him to do so. Nothing will be impossible for us (Matthew 17:20) because “nothing will be impossible with God”
(Luke 1:37).

This leads us to some wonderful news. We don’t have to summon up enough faith to perform miracles. It isn’t about believing hard enough, trying hard enough. We only need faith the size of a mustard seed. It is our God who performs mighty deeds.

We serve an awesome God who is capable of great things. He can move all of our mountains.

When we pray in accordance with God’s will, we may have faith that, no matter the odds, the will of God will be accomplished. When we pray, “If it is your will, may it be done,” we know His will shall indeed be done.

No sickness, no obstacle, no poverty, no broken relationship, no cycle of sin, nothing is too big for God to overcome.

However, Mountain-moving faith, must be based on God’s promises—on what is revealed in his Word—not on what we wish will happen or even fervently believe will happen.

Mustard seed faith, then, is faith that kills works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19–21) and produces the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22–23). Love, joy, peace, and patience are mountains that can only be climbed by faith; faith, after all, expresses itself in love (Gal. 5:6). Mustard seed faith believes the gospel will go the ends of the earth and triumph over the gates of hell. And the clearest evidence of mustard seed faith is whether you love God and your neighbor.

Our greatest enemies are not outside of us but within. Our greatest foe is the hate and rebellion that overtakes us, and mustard seed faith—because it is placed in Jesus Christ—gives us the victory over our sin.

Yet we are freed from the sin that enslaves when we rely on Christ and not our own strength and works. Mustard seed faith is enormously powerful—not because of our faith, but because it unites us to the God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead.

A Prayer for Your Mustard Seed Faith to Move Mountains
Dear God, You are the God of the impossible. I am so weak and frail, but you are all-powerful. Thank you that my hope doesn’t rest in the strength of my own faith, but in your strength. However small it is, keep my faith focused on you alone. Convince and comfort me with your character and promises. Help me align my will with yours. Keep me in your Word so that my faith is rooted in a firm foundation. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

SHALOM!

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