" DON'T LET THE MOUNTAINS IN YOUR LIFE KEEP YOU IN THE VALLEY"

SCRIPTURES:

Mat 17:14 (KJV) "And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,"

Mat 17:15 (KJV) "Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is a lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water."

Mat 17:16 (KJV) "And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him."

Mat 17:17 (KJV) "Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me."

Mat 17:18 (KJV) "And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour."

Mat 17:19 (KJV) "Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?"

Mat 17:20 (KJV) "And Jesus said unto them, 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."

Mat 17:21 (KJV) "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."

 

( This miracle of demonic deliverance demonstrated to the disciples the tremendous power of FAITH. Jesus, used this event to impact their lives as to the necessity and importance of faith coupled with fasting and prayer. Like the disciples, we are commanded to live in the arena of FAITH. The cursed sin of unbelief will always stand in the way of a successful spiritual life.)

SCRIPTURES:

 Mat 21:18 (KJV) "Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered."

Mat 21:19 (KJV) "And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away."

Mat 21:20 (KJV) "And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!"

Mat 21:21 (KJV) "Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done."

Mat 21:22 (KJV) "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

 ( Again, Jesus uses a miracle to demonstrate the power of FAITH. His purpose is not to confound the disciples but, rather, to encourage them to activate their FAITH and to eliminate unbelief from their hearts.)

  

INTRODUCTION: At some point in our life we face formidable problems which loom before us as fearsome and impossible mountains. We stand before them defeated and broken...helpless and hopeless with a feeling of resignation. Accepting our unfortunate situation, we despair and become impotent in our Christian life. The very idea of conquering faith becomes a condemnation to us as unbelief overwhelms our life.

Jesus, wants us to realize the same truth He demonstrated to the disciples. If we will believe, and not doubt in our heart, the mountains of despair which harass us and limit our life will be destroyed.

 

I. MOUNTAIN MOVING PREPARATION

A. Is it really a mountain?

1. Mountain out of a molehill

2. Serious needs. " Things impossible with man.."

3. Illustration: A woman came to her Pastor and said, "I know God answers prayer!" Her Pastor replied, " That's wonderful. How is it you have come to know that God answers prayer?" " Well", she replied. " You know, I've been having a lot of trouble with Mrs. Smith, and I've been praying that God would deal with her. Yesterday, she fell down and broke her hip so now I know God answers prayer!"

B. What is your spiritual position with God?

1. Don't expect God to answer if your life is unfaithful.

2. It's very hard to believe for "BIG" things if you haven't learned to trust Him for "little" things.

 

II. MOUNTAIN MOVING TOOLS

A. You must have faith.

1. Not merely a casual and indifferent attitude. Mountain moving faith is a living part of our Christian life.

2. Faith is not an achievement; it is a lifestyle.

B. Prayer and fasting are necessities in mountain moving.

1. (comments on prayer)

2. Fasting is not simply doing without food. If that were true, every dieter would be a spiritual giant; not to mention the millions of hungry people all over the world.

3. Fasting, to move mountains, is an act of sacrifice to bring our body under subjection to the spirit of prayer and faith.

III. MOUNTAIN MOVING RESULTS.

A. We see the problem go away.

1. Whether immediate, or delayed, the mountain is cast down.

B. The impact upon our life is immeasurable.

1. When we see God honor our faith by destroying the mountain, we become fearless in our Christian Life. We literally will believe God for anything!

C. Our testimony to others is no longer timid and unsure.

1. The conquering and abundant life, which the Bible promises, begins to be lived out in us, when we see mountains destroyed!

 

ALTAR APPEAL:

REMEMBER. MY FIRST POINT WAS THAT WE MUST IDENTIFY THE MOUNTAIN. I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO DO THAT TODAY. COME TO JESUS, NAMING THE MOUNTAIN YOU NEED MOVED. COME IN FAITH, BELIEVING HE WILL ANSWER YOUR PRAYER.