Faith is All You NeedToo Good To Be True? SeriesNov 8, 2009

BIG IDEA: What am I attempting to do that I couldn’t do without God’s power? PRAY - The words of that song really are the words of God to us, “Have a little faith in me.” But sometimes even a little faith is tough, isn’t it? In a world of hurt and pain, where people let us down, where people are unfaithful to us and we’re sometimes unfaithful to them, In a world where we hope God will do something, but things often don’t go our way. How do you have faith? And why faith? What is faith? It can seem so nebulous and confusing that some people just say, “Whatever—faith is just for religious whackos who can’t deal with reality.” Today we’re starting a 4 week series looking at some of the greatest promises of God—promises that could really change the way you live and experience life for the better. We’re gonna wrestle with the question “Is that too good to be true?” IF it is true, how does that work in real life?

One time Jesus’ closest followers asked him why they couldn’t accomplish some of the miraculous stuff he was doing, 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." Matthew 17:20-21 (Mustard seed was tiniest known seed in that day) Now, I think this classifies as one of those saying of Jesus where we often go, “Does He really mean that?” That sounds too good to be true. So, What did he mean? Was he really saying, “You can have the power to move mountains?” To accomplish the impossible. And if so, Why do so few people seem to experience God’s power? How do we gain this Mountain Moving Faith? Huge questions that we’re gonna wrestle with this morning.

Now, I don’t think Jesus point was actually Moving Mountains—He wasn’t promoting the earth moving business in general. Jesus, in classic form, is saying something outrageous to get our attention (unless you study all of Jesus’ teaching and take it together, you can easily miss his point). He often says things to arrest our attention and to stretch our imaginations and get us to think outside the box of our limited abilities. He’s getting us think of the hardest thing for us to try to do by our own power (in that day moving a mountain), and imagine what we could do working in conjunction with the power of God (just as Jesus demonstrated).

Often in Scripture, Mountains were used to symbolize difficulties, barriers, an obstacle too big for us. So Jesus is using the Mountain Proverbially—to say “When you have faith in God—when your will, your faith, is aligned with God’s will, there are things He can do with His power working through you that you would never have dreamed of. We all have mountains--What’s your mountain? A destructive habit you don’t have the power to break? A powerful addiction you can’t overcome? A mounting pile of debt and bills? An impossible marriage? Wounds of the past you can’t heal. Or Maybe just fears that cripple your potential. Or maybe it’s some Great Vision you have for doing good in the world, but it’s impossible without God. I want you to think today, “How will I trust God with this Mountain in front of me?” Jesus is prompting us to ask ourselves “What am I attempting to do that I couldn’t do without God’s power?”

Think about the use of power. I have power available because I live in the United States. I have the power to travel by car across the continent, I can travel by plane around the world, I could fly to outer space if I had the money of Richard Bransen. We can talk and share information 24/7 around the globe, to be able to turn night-time darkness into day-like brightness with the flick of a lightswitch. It’s mindboggling the power that I have compared to those living 100 years ago.But what is it that makes us so powerful? I mean, if you think about it deductively, each American is not that powerful. We’d like to think we’re powerful, but really, when you strip us right down to just our own personal power—it’s pretty underwhelming. Right?

When my kids were younger, I would ask them whose the Strongest, most powerful, handsome, charming, good natured man you know? They’d act like they’re really pondering the question, and then say, “Santa Clause.” I stopped playing that game after a while, not good for my ego. But the truth is, I’m not very powerful. No humans are unaided. Think about it, even if I could jump as High as Koby Bryant, I could only jump several feet high (I could never fly to the moon). Even if I had the lifting power of the strongest man in the world, I could never lift a 2 ton block of granite, (I could never build a skyscraper), even if I could run Olympic Speeds (I could never get to Canada in a day), Even if I had the best vision on earth (I still can’t see in the dark). In fact, I know how to use electricity by flicking a light, switch, but put me on a desert island, I don’t even have the power to create a lightbulb or switch, even given all the raw materials.

See, the truth is, we humans are not very powerful at all without being aided by outside forces. But Aided by the power of electricity—we can turn the night-time into cities of light. When aided by mechanical power, we can lift huge blocks of concrete and steel towering up into the sky. When aided by the explosive power of fuel – we

can move faster than the speed of sound. When aided by the power of the splitting atom—we can light up whole cities—or destroy them. It’s absolutely mind-boggling what people can do aided with outside power.

Now let me stretch your imagination this morning. If we can accomplish all this aided by electrical, mechanical or atomic power – what might we accomplish aided by the power of God? Think about that for a second. Because if God is THE creative power behind all other powers, that means what we can do with all these other means, is still very small compared to what we could do acting in union with God himself—who created and ultimately can control all other forces. Jesus is saying, “When you align yourself with God’s will by faith, because of His power, there’s nothing that’s out of the realm of possibility.” But just because it’s possible, doesn’t mean it will happen.

[But to understand this power to move mountains and what Jesus meant, we need to understand His broader teaching about life. We need to take a short detour. If you read the 4 eyewitness accounts of Jesus life and teachings, one thing will stand out. Jesus often talks about “The Kingdom of God.” He says things like, “The Kingdom or God is near.” “The Kingdom of God has come among you.” The Kingdom of God—is simply the region of influence in which God’s will is at work. And Jesus message over and over was “God’s Kingdom is now available to ordinary people like you.” To fisherman, tax collectors, sinners, CPA’s, accountants, and even Chicago Cubs Fans (they’ve not won a championship in 101 years! Takes faith to be a Cubs fan).

To understand it better, think about it this way. You have a kingdom over which you have authority and power. We all have one. Our kingdom is the domain of our effective will—it’s where we rule, where our will is done. A huge part of what it means to be human is the ability to rule—to exercise our will over a certain area of influence. I have 100% authority and power over my body, for instance. All I have to do is command or say the word, and my hands obey. I say “wave” and my hands wave. Some of you have authority and power at work. You have projects or people or budgets under your influence, and you have a responsibility to accomplish certain things within your kingdom influence. You have power delegated to you to get things done within your kingdom—your sphere of influence.

God has a kingdom—a sphere of influence where His authority, His power operate. Ultimately His Kingdom will come and rule everything—but in this life, God chooses to let our Kingdom’s rule even when they do damage to His Kingdom’s ways. That’s why lots of times bad things happen and God doesn’t force His will or ways. Because He’s trying to teach us to trust His will and ways willingly (in faith to trust his words and authority). 5When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6"Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering."  7Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."  8The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  10When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. Matthew 8:5-10 This Soldier simply understood something we often fail to trust—that Jesus has authority in God’s kingdom, so if he says it, it will be done. His faith wasn’t in trusting that his Servant would definitely be healed, but that Jesus could definitely heal him with one word. What we must learn to do is trust in God’s words, his authority and power to do what He promises in scripture to do. [centurion here?]

Now this is an amazing thing to contemplate. That’s what Jesus is saying, “God’s Kingdom-his influence and power and rule—it’s now being made available to YOU! It’s now possible to turn your ordinary life into an extraordinary one. To overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. To have an influence in this world that is way beyond your human ability. To make an impact on humanity for the good beyond your wildest dreams. Why? Because God’s Kingdom is now available for ordinary people like you to access and live in…BY FAITH!

We can see examples of this. Mother Theresa was a simple woman of compassion, who never set out to be on the cover of Time Magazine, to speak before Kings and Presidents, or to influence the entire globe toward caring for the poor. All she did was access God’s delegated Power by faith. She saw one dying person, uncared for on the streets of Calcutta, and she heard the words of Jesus, “When you do this for the least of these, you do it to me.” She cared for one by faith—trusting that what Jesus said was true, and then another, she prayed for God to do His will—His kingdom work through her. She said, I am the pencil, Jesus is the writer. And by the end of her life, God’s power through her accomplished so much good for humanity, we all know her name and her deeds. She didn’t have that power, but she had faith in a powerful God.

Many of you would say, “Yea, but she was a nun – I don’t see a vow of poverty or celebacy in the cards for me.” And we have this tendency to think God only works through these Ultra-Saintly Types. But that’s not true—God works through those who are learning to live in His Kingdom on Earth by taking simple small steps of faith.

What’s the big deal about faith? Why is faith so important? Scripture tells us “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards

those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 And for those of you who are here just exploring Christianity, trying to figure out what it’s all about, this is very important to understand. God is not primarily looking to see how good or bad you are. His main intention is not for you to prove you can shape up and live right. His first desire is that you have faith in Him. Without faith, you can’t please him, no matter how good you are. But conversely – Faith is all it takes to please God. It’s actually not that hard to please God. And for those of you who do believe, it doesn’t end with belief, it starts there. Growing in faith is what it’s all about, and always has been that way. That’s why it says of Abraham, the father of the Jewish and Arab nations: "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. James 2:23 Faith, Belief, Trust are basically synonyms for the same thing. Faith made Abraham right with God, and faith earned him the title “The friend of God.” And what you need to realize is faith can do the same for you—faith makes you right with God (as you trust in His character and forgiveness revealed through Christ and the prophets), but faith also makes you friends with God as you grow in that faith. Why? Because faith is just a religious term for trust.

Now let me ask you a question. Do you have any close friendships with people you don’t really trust? How willing are you to bear your soul and let someone into your life who you suspect will not keep his or her word, or who will talk about you maliciously, or post your secrets on facebook? Let me answer that question for you – you don’t have any close relationships with people you don’t trust! Why? Because trust is a fundamental basis for relationship. Friendships are built on trust. Faith is all about Trusting God—trusting in His revealed Character, trusting in his revealed promises, trusting that what He says about His great love and care for us is true—so we have nothing to fear. The reason faith, or trust is so important, is it allows us to enter loving relationship with God, and God’s Kingdom comes to this earth through us.

Some of you may say, “Well I don’t have faith”—but we all have faith! See we all have faith, or trust in something. What we believe (our spiritual inner thought life) has powerful impact on how we live life, and our emotional state of being, and even our physical well being. And words, thoughts, and authority have spiritual power. If a little boy grows up hear words saying “you’re worthless, you always screw up, you’ll never amount to anything” from those in authority. Those words have spiritual power if he has faith, believes, lives by them (he may not consciously realize he believes in them). Yet as an adult, he lives constantly worried and anxious and fearful, on edge and impatient with those loves, that belief can actually put a physical hole in his stomach—an ulcer—just from what he believes or trusts is true. Faith in words and authority is powerful. God wants us to trust in Him, in His words that He says will set us free and give us true Spiritual Life and health. As we do, we find power to live.

Ask yourself, what mountain am I facing? Am I trusting God with it? What am I attempting to do that I couldn’t do without God’s power? God’s power, his kingdom is available for you to live in right now—do you believe it? Well, if this is true, How does it work? That’s the next question isn’t it. First let me say how it doesn’t work. Jesus is NOT saying, if you just have enough faith you can have whatever you want—or things will go as you expect. Very important. Some people take Jesus words out of the context of all His teachings of how God’s kingdom works, and they say—you should have health, wealth and prosperity—and if you don’t—it’s because you lack faith. Well, then Jesus didn’t have much faith, because he didn’t have a home, his cousin John got executed, and he got tortured (not exactly healthy, wealth, or prosperity. Same was true for early disciples. I prayed in faith my father would be healed, he died. Was it my lack of faith. Paul, who wrote many letters in the New Testament had some Disease—he kept asking God to take it away, until finally God said “NO, I have another purpose for it remaining for now.” Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemene prayed “Take this cup from me—I don’t want to be crucified.” But not my will, your will Father be done. This is very important. Great men and women of faith were normal people, who struggled and prayed, and sometimes doubted, and didn’t always have their prayers answered according to their desires. Clearly, that’s not what Jesus meant. That if you just muster up enough of this thing called “faith” you’ll get whatever you want.

No—clearly, God will not give us things that in the grand scheme of things, would harm us or others. God will not give us things that would work at cross-purposes to what He wants to accomplish on earth in the hearts of people—and sometimes that’s confusing to us because we don’t have an eternal perspective. So Mountain Moving faith is not having faith in an outcome. It’s not trusting that what I ask for will happen—it’s trusting that if it’s God’s will, it will happen and He’s a good Father who wants to give good gifts to those who ask. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. John 14:1 You don’t need a Big Faith—you just need to have a little faith in a Big God.

BEAMS – Think of it like this. Jesus said all you need is a mustard seed of faith—the tinest little bit. Because what matters most is not how much faith you have--It’s the object of your faith that matters. Imagine I’m standing on top of a 50 story building, and stretching across the street below to another 50 story building are two beams. This one beam is made out of balsa wood. The other beam is made out of steel. They’re both wide enough to walk on. Now, I may stand here and say “I have faith that this balsa beam will hold me up.” I believe and have

no doubt, that if step out onto this balsa beam, I will be able to safely cross the street 50 stories below to the other building. So I have Big Faith in the Balsa.

You on the other hand have very little faith as you stand in front of this steel beam. You wonder if it will truly hold you up, you’re not sure there’s not some weld in the middle that might crack when you’re out on it. You have very little faith. But how much faith you have isn’t the issue really. Cause no matter how much faith I have in this balsa beam, if I step out confidently onto the middle of it—it’s gonna break and I’m gonna splat! My great faith will not change the fact that the object of my faith is not reliable—not trustworthy. But if you have just a mustard seed worth of faith—just enough faith to take the first step and put your full weight on that steel beam, you’ll see that it will hold you up to cross safely. Why? Not because of your faith, but because of what you put your faith in.Trust in God, trust also in Me, Jesus said—With just a mustard seed of faith, you can see great things happen. Why? Not because of your great faith—because of a Great God you trust in.

To have faith doesn’t mean to never struggle. A man whose son was destroying himself said, Jesus if you can do anything, please help him. 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." 24Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" Mark 9:23-24 Jesus honored his little faith, and even his honesty about his doubt. We can be honest. We don’t have to play word games with God—make flowery, superstitious prayers—Jesus said, “don’t do that.” And Don’t focus on the Mountain, focus on the Mountain mover—The Mountain seems impossible, but you keep your faith trusting in God’s character and His ability and goodness to take you over, around, or right through the mountain in His time and in the way He knows is best for everyone.

Jesus is not saying faith is like some magical key. This is not about a Secret Formula or Prayer Method. In the early church, there was a guy named Simon, who was seeking power—and that led him into occult practices. And when he met Peter, he saw God’s power working through Peter and he offered to pay money to Peter to get this power. And Peter said, “This ministry is not available to you because your heart is not right with God—unless you change from seeking power to seek God—forget it.” In other words—Mountain Moving Faith is not about Getting God to Do what We Want—it’s about relating to God as we learn to live and move in His world and do His will.

And He wants us to ask because when we ask and it’s in line with his will, we see God’s will come through us, and we grow in friendship with God. 7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.  9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:7-11 The caveat we must remember with this is what Paul said, “If I have faith that moves mountains but have not love, I have nothing.” God wants us to ask a lot, even if it’s not his will, because when it is we see His power and we grow to understand His will and ways, and his Kingdom comes through us.

Jesus is saying “God’s Kingdom power is available to normal, everyday people who can see extraordinary things happen. My favorite story of this is about a guy named Bob. Bob was an insurance salesman in Washington D.C. who became a Christian and started meeting with a guy named Doug Coe to learn about living within God’s Kingdom on earth. Just an ordinary guy, not even an outstanding insurance salesman. One day, as Doug and Bob were meeting they were reading this passage together, and Bob asked, “Is that true? Did he really mean it? Whatever you ask for in faith, it will happen?” And Doug explained, well, it’s not like a blank check. God’s not going to give us something that would harm us or others or stunt our growth, and he’s not gonna give us something contrary to His purposes. But yea, it’s really true. Jesus really does empower us to do things through prayer that we could never imagine. “Great,” said Bob, “Then I’ve gotta start praying. I think I’ll pray for Africa.” “That’s kind of a broad target,” Doug said. “O.K., I’ll pray for Kenya.” “Do you know anyone in Kenya,” Doug asked. “No.” “Ever been to Kenya?” “No.” Bob just wanted to pray for Kenya. So Doug made an unusual arrangement. He challenged Bob to pray every day for 6 months for Kenya—since God had apparently put Kenya on his mind. And Doug said, if Bob would do that and nothing extraordinary happened, Doug would pay Bob $500. But if something powerful happened, Bob would have to pay Doug $500. And if Bob didn’t pray every day, the whole deal was off.

Bob began to pray, and for months, nothing happened. Then one night, Bob was at a dinner he had been invited to, and as the guests were introducing themselves around the table. One lady said she helped run an Orphanage in Kenya—the largest of its kind. Bob saw $500 sprout wings in his head, but he was too intrigued not to pursue. So he kept questioning the woman all night about Kenya and the Orphanage. Finally she said, “Why are you so interested in Kenya? Have you been there before?” “No” “Know someone there?” “No” “Why are you so interested?” “Well, someone is kind of paying me $500 to pray…”

She asked Bob if he would like to visit Kenya and the Orphange. He agreed. When Bob arrived in Kenya, he was appalled by the poverty and lack of basic health care. When he returned to Washington, he couldn’t get the

needs out of him mind—he kept feeling nudged to do something. So he prayed for the needs, and he sent letters off to every major Pharmaceutical company describing the pressing need in Kenya. He reminded them how much they throw away or give away, “Why not give some to these Orphans?” Some did, and the woman at the orphange called Bob up saying, “This is amazing, we’ve received over $1 million dollars worth of medical supplies from your letters Bob. We’d like to fly you back over and throw a big party.

So Bob flew back to Kenya. While he was there, the President of Kenya came to the Celebration because it was the largest orphanage in Kenya, and he offered to take Bob on a tour of Nairobi. In the course of the tour they saw a prison. Bob felt led to ask about a group of prisoners there. “They’re political prisoners,” he was told. “Well, that’s a bad idea” Bob said sharply, “you should let them out.”

Bob finished the tour and went back to Washington. Sometime later, Bob received a phone call from the State Department of the United States: “Is this Bob?” “Yes.” “Were you recently in Kenya?” “yea” “Did you make statements to the President about political prisoners?” “Yea” “What did you say?” “I told him he should let them out.” The State Department official explained that they had been working for years to get these prisoners released to no avail. They had tried every avenue, and now the President freed them…largely because of …BOB! So the US Government wanted to say “Thanks.”

Several months later, the president of Kenya made a phone call to Bob. He was rearranging his government—selecting a new cabinet. Would Bob be willing to fly back over and pray for him for three days while he worked on this important task? So here’s Bob, no political connections, no Big Business Power base, not even a Monk, Nun or Minister—just a simple insurance salesman with just a little mustard-seed of faith in a Powerful God—and amazing things happen (Mountain-size things).

You may think—oh that’s just a story. But I could tell you my own stories for hours, (more?) and the stories of many people here, [like Brio – who was born in Kenya, went back and saw that her uncle’s 150 cows had almost all died from lack of water—they’re in a horrible drought. She started asking God about it, but what could she do, a simple photographer. Yet faith step by step, she met Christian Drillers from Austin willing to move to Kenya, a Pastor from Kenya who he and his wife started a women’s center and had land to drill on, she raised enough money to drill 2 wells—with just a little faith in a Big God]. What are you attempting to do that you couldn’t do without God’s power? What’s your mountain—will you trust God with it? I’m gonna Turn it over to South, and let’s pray for that mountain moving faith to grow.

God’s power, his kingdom is available for you to live in—right now? Do you believe that? Mountain moving faith is available to you. [You won’t see to believe, you have to believe to see.]

Well, if this is really true, then how does it work? That’s the next question, isn’t it? And it’s very important that you understand a few things Jesus is NOT Saying about mountain moving faith--first. Jesus is NOT saying that we can have whatever we want if we just have enough faith.

Second—Jesus is not saying Mountain Moving or praying believing it will happen is like some magical key. This is not about a Secret Formula or Prayer Method. In the early church, there was a guy named Simon, who was seeking power—and that led him into occult practices. And when he met Peter, he saw God’s power working through Peter and he offered to pay money to Peter to get this power. And Peter said, “This ministry is not available to you because your heart is not right with God—unless you change from seeking power to seek God—forget it.” In other words—Mountain Moving Faith is not about Getting God to Do what We Want—it’s about relating to God as we learn to live and move in His world and do His will.

See, too often, we look for keys to unlock the mystery of how to get our will done, rather than seeking to know and do God’s will. We want a Power rather than a Personal Relationship with God. We focus on FAith rather than Friendship. We want God to obey us rather than wanting to obey God. And when we have Simon’s attitude, we miss out on God’s Mountain Moving Power working in us.

So how do we grow in Mountain Moving Faith? Two simple ways:1). Mountain Moving faith comes from focusing on the Mountain Mover, not the Mountain. Jesus said,

“Have faith in God.” Not “have faith in the outcome.” Some of you may be facing huge mountains right now in your own life. Maybe an impossible marriage you’ve tried to fix in your own power. Maybe an impossible job situation, in a market that looks bleak. Maybe an impossible financial situation. Maybe a huge step you need to take but there’s a whole Mountain of Fear in your way. Maybe an impossible step you’veOUTLINE:

1) Prayer – for understanding faith, especially when life’s hard, struggles. Tie to “Have a Little Faith” - 2). Did He really mean Mountain? Is faith all you need—really?

a. What mountains are you facing? Think about those as we talk about this.3). First we must understand: Kingdom Power and Authority

a. Jesus teachings – our kingdoms God’s kingdom (authority power – my faith/beliefs affect me)b. Power – what could we accomplish with God’s power? (God chooses to work through our faith aligned

with His will – but where no faith, we see no power (Matthew 13:58)c. Mother T, Bob in Kenya, Brio in Kenya

4). What this does NOT meana. Not – faith we get power to get what we want (Simon magician)b. Not – a Secret, Magical Formula or personal power

5). How does it work?a. Faith in God – in his authority, power, goodness (Centurion)b. BEAM ILLUST – not faith in my power to levitate, God’s characterc. One step at a time, and trusting when it doesn’t go our wayd. Shagged by Austin Powers, Synagogue

What Humans accomplish aided by electrical, mechanical, nuclear power – what might we accomplish aided by the power of God? Jesus claim “Move Mountains.” Mark 11

What’s your mountain? Identify people’s mountains. Ask Q?

3). What is purpose of Mountain moving faith (living in God’s kingdom, NOT… getting what we want)“Nothing impossible” – fallacy of the health, wealth prosperity message (Paul, Abraham, Jesus-plenty of

faith with prayers answered with silence).Kingdom Living“Mustard seed” - Not more faith, just put what you have to work-that’s all you need

Simon the magician trap

4). How do we get Mountain Moving Faith?

Mountain moving faith comes from focusing on the Mountain Mover, not the Mountain Repent, electricity is at hand – turn from self-reliance to rely on God’s power.Peter on the water

Humor – my first speaking engagement at Willow (and silence of the second)Starting this church

Mountain moving faith comes step by stepNo steps, no confirmationBig steps, big confirmation

Think about the power I have available in the United States. The power created in the U.S. I can travel by car across the continent, I can travel by plane around the world, I could fly to outer space if I had the money of Richard Bransen. We can talk and share information 24/7 around the globe, to be able to turn night-time darkness into day-like brightness with the flick of a lightswitch. It’s mindboggling the power that I have compared to those living 100 years ago.

But what is it that makes us so powerful? I mean, if you think about it deductively, each American is not that powerful. We’d like to think we’re powerful, but really, when you strip us right down to just our own personal power—it’s pretty underwhelming. Right?

When my kids were younger, I would ask them whose the Strongest, most handsome, most powerful, charming, good natured man you know? I’d egg them on, and they’d act like they’re really pondering the question, and then say, “Santa Clause.” I stopped playing that game after a while, not good for my ego. But the truth is, I’m not very powerful. No humans are unaided.

Think about it, even if I could jump as High as Koby Bryant, I could only jump several feet high (I could never fly to the moon). Even if I had the lifting power of the strongest man in the world, I could never lift a 2 ton block of granite, (I could never build a skyscraper), even if I could run Olympic Speeds (I could never get to Canada in a day), Even if I had the best vision on earth (I still can’t see in the dark). In fact, I know how to use electricity by flicking a light, switch, but put me on a desert island, I don’t even have the power to create a lightbulb, even given all the raw materials.

See, the truth is, We Americans, we humans, are not very powerful at all without being aided by outside forces. We can’t do much of anything by our own personal power, but when we are aided by power of outside forces…watch out. When humans are aided by the power of electricity—we can turn the night-time into cities of light. When aided by mechanical power, we can lift huge blocks of concrete and steel towering up into the sky. When aided by the explosive power of fuel – we can move faster than the speed of sound. When aided by the power of the splitting atom—we can light up whole cities—or destroy them. It’s absolutely mind-boggling what people can do aided with outside power.

Now let me stretch your imagination this morning. If we can accomplish all this aided by electrical, mechanical or atomic power – what might we accomplish aided by the power of God? Think about that for a second. Because if God is THE creative power behind all other powers, that means what we can do with all these other means, is still very small compared to what we could do acting in union with God himself—who created and ultimately can control all other forces.

Jesus said it this way to his close followers after asking Jesus why they couldn’t accomplish some of the miraculous stuff he was doing, 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." Matthew 17:20-21 Now, I think this classifies as one of those saying of Jesus where we often go, “Does He really mean that?” And that’s what we’re doing in this series—looking at those too good to be true promises, to understand what He means, and how to apply them to our lives today.

So, What did he mean? Was he really saying, “You can have the power to move mountains?” Was he really saying that the power of God—so much greater than all the other forces of nature—is available to us? And if so, Why do so few people seem to experience God’s power? How do we gain this Mountain Moving Faith? Huge questions that we’re gonna wrestle with this morning.

If you have faith in God, you can move Mountains. Now, I don’t think Jesus point was actually Moving Mountains—He wasn’t promoting the earth moving business in general, or pushing for a flatter-better world. Jesus, in classic form, is saying something outrageous to get our attention. To stretch our imaginations and get us to think outside the box of our limited abilities. To think of the hardest thing for us to try to do by our own power (in that day moving a mountain), and imagine what we could do working in conjunction with the power of God (just as Jesus demonstrated).

Often in Scripture, Mountains were used to symbolize difficulties, barriers or something obstructing our path. The prophet Isaiah says, “He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead …[God] will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up.” Isa 49:11-12 In other words, God will remove the barriers in my way, He will make a clear path for me as He guides and leads me. So Jesus is using the Mountain Proverbially—to say “When you have faith in God—when you are being led and guided by God, there are things He can do with His power working through you that you would never have dreamed of. Jesus is prompting us to ask ourselves “What am I attempting to do that I couldn’t do without God’s power?”

But to understand the context of what Jesus meant, we need to understand His broader teaching about life. We need to take a short detour. If you read the 4 eyewitness accounts of Jesus life and teachings, one thing will stand out. Jesus often talks about “The Kingdom of God.” He says things like, “The Kingdom or God is near.” “The Kingdom of God has come among you.” The Kingdom of God—is simply the region of influence in which God’s will is at work. And Jesus message over and over was “God’s Kingdom is now available to ordinary people like you.” To fisherman, tax collectors, sinners, CPA’s, accountants, and even Chicago Cubs Fans (they’ve never won a penant).

To understand it better, think about it this way. You have a kingdom. We all have one. Our kingdom is the domain of our effective will—it’s where we rule, where our will is done. A huge part of what it means to be human is the ability to rule—to exercise our will over a certain area of influence. It says God created us in His Image to rule over his creation. Not to destroy it, but to care for it and develop it. Some of you have a rulership at work. You have projects or people or budgets that you are responsible for—they are under your influence, and you have a responsibility to accomplish certain things with in your kingdom influence. You have power delegated to you to get things done within your kingdom—your sphere of influence.

See, we don’t use this kind of language, but it means the same thing. Jesus is saying, “God’s rule, God’s area of influence—his power to accomplish His goals is available to you. You can live within the context of a God’s Kingdom influence right here on earth, just as it is done in heaven. That’s what Jesus is saying. A whole new hidden life is available to you by faith. A way to see God’s power working through you is possible for ordinary people like you. All you have to do is learn how to live in it—it’s already been delegated.

The other night, I was watching the News Hour, and Jim Lehrer was interviewing Tom Ridge- former governor of Pennsylvannia, who now holds the newly created position “Office of Homeland Security Director” – also known as “The Guy who Cries Wolf.” The position is designed to coordinate National Security efforts across every office from the Secretary of Defense and Transportation, the postal service, to Governors and Mayors across America. And Jim Lehrer was asking him, “Do you have the power to get things done?” That’s a pretty big deal—to try to get things accomplished across all those power bases. And what Jim Lehrer was driving at was, “Look, Tom—you were a governor and all, but on your own, can you really effectively muster the power to accomplish this effort?” And Ridge said something interesting, he said, “I haven’t had any trouble at all?” And Lehrer pushed him about where he gets the authority. He said, “As governor, I couldn’t call the sec. Of Transportation and get Airport security changed. I wouldn’t get more than a laugh. But he said, “I’ve had no resistance…because President Bush wants this to happen.”

In Jesus terms – President Bush’s kingdom is bigger than Tom Ridges kingdom, but President Bush has made his Kingdom available for Tom Ridge. Tom Ridge has newfound power—He is able to do the things the President wants done. Bushes Kingdom rule made available is all Ridge needs.

Now this is an amazing thing to contemplate. That’s what Jesus is saying, “God’s Kingdom-his influence and power and rule—it’s now being made available to YOU! It’s now possible to turn your ordinary life into an extraordinary one. To have an influence in this world that is way beyond your human ability. To make an impact on humanity for the good beyond your wildest dreams. Why? Because God’s Kingdom is now available for

ordinary people like you to access and live in…BY FAITH! You can experience God’s power working through you to accomplish more than you could ever do alone.

[or Henrietta Mears? Kathy’s story?] Mother Theresa was a simple woman of compassion, who never set out to be on the cover of Time Magazine, to speak before Kings and Presidents, or to influence the entire globe toward caring for the poor. All she did was access God’s delegate Power by faith. She saw one dying person, uncared for on the streets of Calcutta, and she heard the words of Jesus, “When you do this for the least of these, you do it to me.” She cared for one, and then another, she prayed for God to do His will—His kingdom work through her. She said, I am the pencil, Jesus is the writer. And by the end of her life, God’s power through her accomplished so much good for humanity, we all know her name and her deeds.

Many of you would say, “Yea, but she was a nun – I don’t see a vow of poverty or celebacy in the cards for me.” And we have this tendency to think God only works through these Ultra-Saintly Types. But that’s not true—God works through those who are learning to live in His Kingdom on Earth and pray in faith.

Jesus is saying “No-the living in God’s Kingdom is available to normal, everyday people who can see extraordinary things happen. My favorite story of this is about a guy named Bob. Bob was an insurance salesman in Washington D.C. who became a Christian and started meeting with a guy named Doug Coe to learn about living within God’s Kingdom on earth. Just an ordinary guy, not even an outstanding insurance salesman. One day, as Doug and Bob were meeting they were reading this passage together, and Bob asked, “Is that true? Did he really mean it? Whatever you ask for in faith, it will happen?” And Doug explained, well, it’s not like a blank check. God’s not going to give us something that would harm us or others or stunt our growth, and he’s not gonna give us something contrary to His purposes. But yea, it’s really true. Jesus really does empower us to do things through prayer that we could never imagine. “Great,” said Bob, “Then I’ve gotta start praying. I think I’ll pray for Africa.” “That’s kind of a broad target,” Doug said. “O.K., I’ll pray for Kenya.” “Do you know anyone in Kenya,” Doug asked. “No.” “Ever been to Kenya?” “No.” Bob just wanted to pray for Kenya. So Doug made an unusual arrangement. He challenged Bob to pray every day for 6 months for Kenya—since God had apparently put Kenya on his mind. And Doug said, if Bob would do that and nothing extraordinary happened, Doug would pay Bob $500. But if something powerful happened, Bob would have to pay Doug $500. And if Bob didn’t pray every day, the whole deal was off.

Bob began to pray, and for months, nothing happened. Then one night, Bob was at a dinner he had been invited to, and as the guests were introducing themselves around the table. One lady said she helped run an Orphanage in Kenya—the largest of its kind. Bob saw $500 sprout wings in his head, but he was too intrigued not to pursue. So he kept questioning the woman all night about Kenya and the Orphanage. Finally she said, “Why are you so interested in Kenya? Have you been there before?” “No” “Know someone there?” “No” “Why are you so interested?” “Well, someone is kind of paying me $500 to pray…”

She asked Bob if he would like to visit Kenya and the Orphange. He agreed. When Bob arrived in Kenya, he was appalled by the poverty and lack of basic health care. When he returned to Washington, he couldn’t get the needs out of him mind—he kept feeling nudged to do something. So he prayed for the needs, and he sent letters off to every major Pharmaceutical company describing the pressing need in Kenya. He reminded them how much they throw away or give away, “Why not give some to these Orphans?” Some did, and the woman at the orphange called Bob up saying, “This is amazing, we’ve received over $1 million dollars worth of medical supplies from your letters Bob. We’d like to fly you back over and throw a big party.

So Bob flew back to Kenya. While he was there, the President of Kenya came to the Celebration because it was the largest orphanage in Kenya, and he offered to take Bob on a tour of Nairobi. In the course of the tour they saw a prison. Bob felt led to ask about a group of prisoners there. “They’re political prisoners,” he was told. “Well, that’s a bad idea” Bob said sharply, “you should let them out.”

Bob finished the tour and went back to Washington. Sometime later, Bob received a phone call from the State Department of the United States: “Is this Bob?” “Yes.” “Were you recently in Kenya?” “yea” “Did you make statements to the President about political prisoners?” “Yea” “What did you say?” “I told him he should let them out.” The State Department official explained that they had been working for years to get these prisoners released to no avail. They had tried every avenue, and now the President freed them…largely because of …BOB! So the US Government wanted to say “Thanks.”

Several months later, the president of Kenya made a phone call to Bob. He was rearranging his government—selecting a new cabinet. Would Bob be willing to fly back over and pray for him for three days while he worked on this important task? So here’s Bob, no political connections, no Big Business Power base, not even a Monk, Nun or Minister—just a simple insurance salesman with just a little mustard-seed of faith in a Powerful God—and amazing things happen (Mountain-size things).

What am I attempting to do that I couldn’t do without God’s power? God’s power, his kingdom is available for you to live in—right now? Do you believe that? Mountain moving faith is available to you. [You won’t see to believe, you have to believe to see.]

Well, if this is really true, then how does it work? That’s the next question, isn’t it? And it’s very important that you understand a few things Jesus is NOT Saying about mountain moving faith--first. Jesus is NOT saying that we can have whatever we want if we just have enough faith. Very important. Some people take Jesus out of the context of all His teachings of how God’s kingdom works, and they say—you should have health, wealth and prosperiety—that’s what God promises, and if you don’t—it’s because you lack faith. This is NOT what Jesus is saying.

In Scripture Abraham, who was called a man of great faith, prayed and prayed for a son to be born—and for 25 years of praying, they were barren. Paul, who wrote many letters in the New Testament had some Disease—he kept asking God to take it away, until finally God said “NO, I have another purpose for it remaining for now.” Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemene prayed “Take this cup from me—I don’t want to be crucified.” It didn’t happen.

Great men and women of faith were normal people, who struggled and prayed, and sometimes doubted, and didn’t always have their prayers answered according to their desires. Clearly, that’s not what Jesus meant. That if you just muster up enough of this thing called “faith” you’ll get whatever you want.

No—clearly, God will not give us things that harmful for us. God will not give us things that in the grand scheme of things, would harm others. God will not give us things that would work at cross-purposes to what He wants to accomplish on earth in the hearts of people.

Second—Jesus is not saying Mountain Moving or praying believing it will happen is like some magical key. This is not about a Secret Formula or Prayer Method. In the early church, there was a guy named Simon, who was seeking power—and that led him into occult practices. And when he met Peter, he saw God’s power working through Peter and he offered to pay money to Peter to get this power. And Peter said, “This ministry is not available to you because your heart is not right with God—unless you change from seeking power to seek God—forget it.” In other words—Mountain Moving Faith is not about Getting God to Do what We Want—it’s about relating to God as we learn to live and move in His world and do His will.

See, too often, we look for keys to unlock the mystery of how to get our will done, rather than seeking to know and do God’s will. We want a Power rather than a Personal Relationship with God. We focus on FAith rather than Friendship. We want God to obey us rather than wanting to obey God. And when we have Simon’s attitude, we miss out on God’s Mountain Moving Power working in us.

So how do we grow in Mountain Moving Faith? Two simple ways:1). Mountain Moving faith comes from focusing on the Mountain Mover, not the Mountain. Jesus said, “Have faith in God.” Not “have faith in the outcome.” Some of you may be facing huge mountains right now in your own life. Maybe an impossible marriage you’ve tried to fix in your own power. Maybe an impossible job situation, in a market that looks bleak. Maybe an impossible financial situation. Maybe a huge step you need to take but there’s a whole Mountain of Fear in your way. Maybe an impossible step you’ve felt God nudging you to make, but you feel incapable of doing it. Here’s your chance to see Faith that Moves Mountains in action! But don’t focus on the Mountain, focus on the Mountain Mover.

I remember when I was teaching my kids to swim. My daughter would stand on the side of the pool, and I’d hold out my arms and say jump in—I’ll show you how. Even though I kept assuring her I wouldn’t let her drown, it was hard for her to jump. She didn’t know how to swim, so she had to totally trust me. On the inside, every nerve was telling her this is impossible—but her Father was asking her to trust. And if she never trusted…she would never learn to swim. It’s a leap of faith—If she doesn’t trust me, I can’t show her how to swim. She’ll be safe, but she’ll never swim.

Jesus says, Pray and don’t doubt…believe it’s gonna happen, and it will. But how in the world do you not doubt…we all have some doubts, don’t we? Yes, but the way you remove doubts about the Mountain Moving is you get to know the Mountain Mover—you learn to trust the Father. You see, the more you pursue knowing God, the more your doubts about His power and ability will subside. The more you understand WHO God is and how much He Cares about you, the smaller the Mountain looks in Comparison. The more you get to know what God wants—what His will is, then the more your will be able to Pray Believing –because You will already know What God wants to accomplish. Like Tom Ridge, you’ll see things happen because you’ll know you are working under the delegated Power of God to ask in Prayer and see things happen. Focus on the Mountain Mover—not the Mountain.

I remember 4 months before our first child was born, Kathy and I were facing a huge Mountain. We were leaving the security of a known job to move across the country to Chicago so I could work on a Master’s Degree. WE had both prayed a lot about it, felt it was the right thing, had given notice, but still had no job in Chicago. And it was a huge mountain because our first child was arriving one month before school started, Kathy wanted to stay home, we needed to pay for school, and I had exactly Zero prospects. I kept sending resume’s and researching ideas—I thought about everything from going back to Engineer to starting a vending business, to driving a UPS truck. I was willing to do whatever, but I kept asking God to provide a way over the financial mountain—and at the same time, I really wanted to be stretched in my leadership. I felt I had grown stagnant, and I needed to be developed, so I asked for that—praying for about 4 months with Kathy.

Our parents were all nervous when the baby was 3 months away, and I had nothing lined up. But honestly, Kathy and I weren’t nervous. We felt confident we were in God’s will, and we knew God would provide—we just didn’t know how yet. With three months to go, I was visiting San Francisco, got onto an elevator with an old friend I hadn’t seen in years. I asked him about Todd, a mutual friend, and he told me he was interviewing at a church in Chicago called Willow Creek. My ears perked up, I asked for Todd’s number and gave Todd a call. Turned out Todd was being hired by a friend of his who worked for Willow Creek, so Todd called him, told him about me, the next week I was in Chicago interviewing. Not only did I get the job, but two years later I was on the Management Team, supervising 200 people, overseeing ministries that served over 15,000 people and having my leadership stretched beyond imagination.

God is more powerful than we can think or imagine, and He loves us and wants to do good things for us and through us—but we have to believe that! We have to focus on the Mountain Mover, not the Mountain. “What are you asking for right now that’s gonna take more than just your power?” Are you focused on the Mountain Mover or the Mountain?

And finally, Mountain Moving Faith comes One Step at a Time. When my daughter listened to what I kept telling her—that I’d keep her safe and help her learn, she finally took the first step and plunged into the water. And it scared her, her head went under, she swallowed a little water—but I pulled her right up. And in time, step by step, she learned because she trusted me to show her how. The more she trusted, step by step, the more I could show her. And she also realized that next time, she doesn’t need to fear the Mountain quite so much if the Father says He’ll help her get over it.

God doesn’t show us his power to get us to believe (that would just make us addicted to power and suck us into trying to use God). God wants us to get to know Him, to want to follow Him because we Trust Him—he wants us to learn to live in His World, right here on earth, but it only happens One Step at a Time.

If we never take steps to Trust and ask, we never learn to swim in His pool, we never experience His power working through us. As we take steps, we learn about living in God’s will—sometimes by not getting what we are praying for, sometimes by getting it. And when we get it we realize what God is like, because we see that’s what His will was.

So what’s the next step for you, big or small? What are going to attempt to do that you couldn’t do without God’s power? We’ve yet to see what one person can accomplish fully in union with God.

Sledge – Here’s How I Prepare.1). I write five categories BIG IDEA, OUTLINE, SCRIPTURE, IDEAS, ILLUSTRATIONS and then I spend a few hours studying relevant scriptures (in this case I searched on biblegateway.com “faith” and read and collected passages that gave me an overall understanding—to make sure I am being faithful to the full teaching on the subject). I copied and pasted the scriptures that might be pertinent.2). As I do this, I write down ideas and questions under IDEAS that come to me. I ask “what will spiritual seeker’s resistance be to this?” “What problems do I have living this?” “What do Christians need to know?” “How does this actually connect with real life?” I bombard the topic with questions and try to answer them.3). I read any chapters from books or other messages I’ve heard to get other people’s perspectives (time doing this builds your library and knowledge of what online is worth looking at and what’s a waste of time).4). I’m also writing down stories, illustrations, humor under ILLUST: as I think of them. So the whole process is like collecting lots of Biblical knowledge, Teaching points from study, stories or humor that might fit5). All that you see in the blue section is what I collected for this message – I then print this out, and I read through it trying to see the One Big Idea or Angle at which I approach this so that it will hit home with people.6). Then I try to Outline a potential Flow of Ideas – and as I do that I try to figure out the transitions of movements from Idea to Idea (in this message, you’ll notice that questions were mostly how I transitioned).

BIG IDEA: What am I attempting to do that I couldn’t do without God’s power? We’ve yet to see what one person can accomplish fully yielded to God.

SCRIPTURE:

"Why couldn't we drive it out?" MT 17:20 He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, 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. " Matt 17:19-21

MT 21:20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked. MT 21:21 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, `Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."  23" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."  24Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" Mark 9:22-24

The fig tree you cursed has withered!" MK 11:22

Mountains-Proverbial

Power vs. Love check - and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. I Cor 13:2

LK 17:5 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" LK 17:6 He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, `Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.

will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' Matt 6:30

…disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" MT 8:26 He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven." Matt 9:2

"Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment. Matt 9:22MT 9:29 Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; 30 and their sight was restored.MT 13:58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. MT 14:31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"MT 15:28 Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour."You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9 Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand Matt 16:8

MK 6:4 Jesus said to them , "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith.The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see." MK 10:52 "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. MK 16:14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" Luke 8:8or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. John 14:11-14

Scripture tells us: "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. James 2:23 Faith made him right with God, and faith earned him the title “The friend of God.”

 5When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6"Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering."  7Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."  8The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  10When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. Matthew 8:5-10

IDEAS:Question: what am I currently doing or attempting that I couldn’t do without depending on God’s power to come through?

Truth – a little faith in a big God can result in amazing thingsFalse Teaching – “name it claim it” “if you don’t have health, wealth, prosperity – it’s your fault, just not enough faith” – but then Jesus, Abraham, Paul didn’t have enough faith, so this can’t be true.Non-Believers Resistance or Views – This is just wishful thinking, faith is misguided hope, nothing miraculous happens, no evidence that God is real or acts at all… or the opposite extreme “The Secret” – we have power in ourselves that positive thinking can access—we become God with power to will into existence anything we want.

But before we tell that story, let me ask an important question. What’s the big deal about faith? Why is faith so important? Scripture tells us “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Hebrews 11:6 And for those of you who are here just exploring Christianity, trying to figure out what it’s all about, this is very important to understand. God is not primarily looking to see how good or bad you are. His main intention is not for you to shape up and live right. His first desire is that you have faith in Him. Without faith, you can’t please him, no matter how good you are. But conversely – Faith is all it takes to please God. It’s actually not that hard to please God. And for those of you who do believe, it doesn’t end with belief, it starts there. Growing in faith is what it’s all about, and always has been that way.

Why? Why is faith such a big deal. Because faith is just a religious term for trust. To trust or to have faith is basically the same thing. Now let me ask you a question. Do you have any close friendships with people you don’t really trust? How willing are you to bear your soul and let someone into your life who you suspect will not keep his or her word, or who will talk about you maliciously, or who in the words of Dr. Evil, just can’t “Zip it.” Let me answer that question for youj – you don’t have any close relationships with people you don’t trust! Why? Because trust is a fundamental basis for relationship. Friendships are built on trust.

You can’t just try to have more faith. Your faith grows by knowing God better. You get to know God by learning about His trustworthy character and promises, then obeying them and acting on them—testing them.

Step by Step – power follows faith, not power to create faith. Naaman had to wash 7 times. The widow had to give Elijah her last bread and oil. The Israelites had to step into the water before it dried up. Moses had to ask for the people to be released before God’s power backed it up.

The clear message of Jesus was “God’s kingdom is available to ordinary people.” Kingdom—we all have one. It’s the domain of our effective will, it’s where we rule, where our will is done. President Bush has a larger kingdom than I do. God’s kingdom is the place in which His effective will is carried out (and that can be on earth as it is in heaven).

We’ve all been given a Kingdom, personal rule of our will to some degree—it’s a big part of what it means to be human and created in God’s image. It’s why it’s so important to let little kids be able to “do it themselves” at some point. Say “no” or “yes” to some things. Maturity as a human means learning how to rule in your kingdom while respecting the kingdoms of others—not tyrannizing others. And we can choose to align our kingdom rule within the kingdom rule of God, or to keep our kingdom rule separate.God’s design and desire is to share his rule with us—that we could “govern” his creation in line with His will and expereience his power to do so (Jim Lehrer doubting if Tom Ridge could really realign national security after 911: “Do you have the power to get things done?” As a governor he had no power to call the sec. Of transportation or defense and ask for something to be done and get more than a laugh. But he said, he’s incountered no resistance. When asked why, he said “Because the President wants it to happen.” Tom Ridge was sharing in the rule of the President—he was given authority and power conveyed by the one in control—and that’s all he needed.

It is possible to translate our ordinary lives into eternal ones (John 17:3). God’s rule is available for all to live in and exist under.

Jesus used the fig tree to teach the power of believing prayer. But belief in the NT is never reduced to forcing oneself to "believe" what one does not really believe. Instead, it is related to genuine trust in God and obedience to and discernment of his will. Such faith reposes on the will of God who acts.

5-6 The apostles may have felt that this kind of forgiveness would demand more faith than they had. The black mulberry tree grew quite large, to a height of some thirty-five feet, and would be difficult to uproot. The mustard seed is proverbially small, a suitable metaphor for the amount of faith needed to do the seemingly impossible (cf Mt 17:20; Mk 11:23). Jesus' answer to the request for additional faith seems to be that they should use the faith they had to petition God.

The mustard seed was the smallest of all known seeds in that region. Jesus is rebuking them, not for having “no faith” but saying the reason you were limited is because you had “little faith” – less than that of a mustard seed, because the tiniest little bit is all you need to see great barriers moved out of your way.

“Nothing will be Impossible”Factors affecting “Faith outcomes”: 1). The will of God – “anything in my name”. God will not do for us anything that is outside what He knows is best for us and others just because we ask in faith. “You don’t receive because it’s selfish…” But that doesn’t mean we can only ask for the hyper-spiritual seeming things—He is a good Father who wants to give His children good gifts.2). Our Faith – “because of your little faith” – God uses us as His instruments of His will. He wants us to seek Him and willingly allow Him to do His will through us, and when this happens, we see the works of God done through us (the things I do, you will do)

This means that not every instance of unanswered prayer is a lack-of-faith problem (see Paul’s thorn and persecutions, Jesus’ Gethsemene prayer then tortured by evil men, Abraham and Sarah (father of faith) not getting the promise so many years and giving up….

The point is not Power for OUR sakes—to get what we want. That was the fallacy of Simon the Magician—he wanted God for the sake of his own power, not to be God’s instrument of love and healing in this world (if I can move mountains but have not love…)

We are to ASK, in faith. Faith in what? In any relationship, asking is a key component. We cannot communicate and relate effectively without making our will known with a spouse, a friend or a co-worker. We must request. But just because we request doesn’t mean we always get what we ask. The same is true of God. He wants us to ask, in faith—ie. Believing that what he says about himself is true (not that we will get what we want), but that God is loving and good and cares like a compassionate Father—so He will give us what is right and good eternally. So the more we see our faith producing answers to our prayers, the more we realize how our lives are growing accustomed to living within the Kingdom of God.

Some things are under the descretionary power of our kingdom. If you want weeds pulled from your garden, you’re best off not praying that they’ll die. You’re better off just going and pulling them. You can also request that someone else pull the weeds, and they can accept or refuse. But if you have a friend addicted to crack, you had better pray—that’s not within your domain to fix.

Faith and failure – Jesus knew Peter’s faith would fail him. Jesus could have fixed Peter, surely. But instead Jesus prayed that Peter’s faith would not go away completely, and that he would even be strengthened through it. Somehow the testing and failure of faith was an important part of Peter becoming who he needed to become.

Here’s where we go wrong with our aim in having more faith – it’s often because we are not getting what we want. It’s not “working.” But the aim of faith is not merely a matter of getting what we want, and God is not a cosmic butler or fix-it-man. The aim of faith is to live in God’s kingdom in the practical expereiences of everyday life—to do life with God, and to allow His purposes to be accomplished in us. But this doesn’t mean we only pray for things we don’t really have an interest in. We are to pray about things that we care about—all of them, big, small, selfish, altruistic—we are to inter into trusting God’s guidance in all our endeavors. Prayer in faith is simply talking to God about what we are doing together—believing He is good and will guide.

Prayer and Faith

Faith is what brings our lives to count. As we live by faith in God, interacting with and learning to govern with God—with His delegated power and authority over greater and greater realms of life (and this is why our prayers should not always be answered, if prayer in faith was majic, we could destroy much with our self-centered wills – but as we grow in learning to live in the Kingdom of God, our effective prayer of faith accomplishes much that is beneficial for us and for others.

Prayer of Faith is never a mechanism to get what we want—it is a negotiation with a person we are trying to trust ourselves to.

How we do “greater works that Jesus” – Divine p. 368 Great power requires great character if it is to be a blessing and not a curse. Most of us want to take the path of Simon the Magician—instant powerful faith, but we don’t want to walk the path of faithful obedience necessary to produce fruits of character which allow power to be harnesses for right means.

ILLUST:

Humor – MBA – stepping out in faith to share your faith—removing mountains of fearIndiana Jones – the Path of God is his 3rd test to reach the Holy Grail. P. 82, boat

Henrietta Mears – simple woman of faith – her influence p. 88.

Kathy—trusting God for food to feed Russians (but how, mountain so impossible)

Toby and African T-shirts p. 90 Boat

Learning to swim

Dallas Willard – How little humans can do on their own, do much more assisted by mechanical power, electrical power, nuclear power – what could we accomplish assisted by the power of God?

Faith Story – Vision for this church, stepping out believing—meeting Hal, McClellan Foundation – people I didn’t know. When God decided to do something, if we act in faith, we get to take a ride along the journey.

Frank Lauback Experiement – p. 24 Divine

Mother Theresa ???

Tom Ridge – delegated power and authority

Repent, Electricity is at Hand – p. 30 Divine

David Cho – a young Buddhist, dying of tuberculosis in hopeless poverty. He had heard that the God of the Christians helped people, healed people, so he simply “asked” their God to help him. And their God did. He was healed, he began to live to do God’s will, and through his growth in faith, this young Buddhist man now leads a church of 600,000 people in Korea, the largest in the world.

George Mueller – God does not require us to have great faith, just a little faith in a Great God. (Bill Bright quote)

Sundhar Singh p. 72 Divine

Prayer in Faith – Double Blind Study of prayer and healing. P. 248 divine.

Faith focuses on God’s Greatness, not the Mountain’s Greatness – My first speaking engagement at Willow (then follow with second—silence)

What’s your mountain – a destructive habit, a powerful addiction, a pile of mounting debt and bills, an impossible marriage, a physical disability, fear of people?

VISUAL Illust--Faith in What? Two 1 foot wide beams stretched between 10 story buildings – one made of balsa wood, the other made of steel – not how much faith we have in “not falling” – it’s the object of our faith that matters most. No matter how much faith I have that “I believe this balsa beam will hold me” – if I step out onto it, it’s gonna snap under my weight and I’m gonna fall. No matter how little faith I have that this steel beam will hold me—if I have a mustard seed of faith to trust it, step out on it, I will see that it will hold me and I won’t fall. Why? Not because of how much faith I have, but because I directed my trust in a trustworthy object. A mustard seed of

faith in God—in God’s promises—in God’s ultimate goodness even when we don’t see how it all works—that’s the faith that moves mountains.

What Centurion showed.

Raquel Acting in Faith – seeing – I was speaking in Korea. I was talking about taking risks to respond to thoughts prompted by the Holy Spirit, and I told the story of Billy on her driveway at 7 AM getting a prompting to go check on her neighbor -- because we were doing the 6060 she did. Rachal was listening to this talk at 1 AM that morning. She woke up early about 7 AM with a thought to call Eileen. Eileen was a girl she had met at the mall and the friended and invited to church, and Eileen had come a couple of times. Rachal thought, no I'm just making this up thinking about calling her at seven in the morning -- that's too early. But the thought persisted, and because retail to just heard that story she decided to take a risk. She called Eileen, who immediately answered the phone. Eileen told Racquel that she's normally not up at this time, but she had been to Rick's message on morph and had decided she wanted to take a step and get into a group to start to grow spiritually, she woke up early and was looking at her computer online but was not wanting to just get in any group. Right then Racquel called. Raquel invited Eileen to join her morph group and she's been coming the last few weeks.

Dallas Willard hearing God page 122 – “[The kingdom] essentially works by the communication of thoughts and intentions through words or symbols, for I kingdom is a network of personal relationships. This is a point about the nature of social reality that we cannot afford to miss. Some of our greatest problems in understanding and entering into life in the kingdom of God come from an inadequate appreciation of how that kingdom -- like all kingdoms -- works: that is, by communication, the speaking or use of words for the expression of minds and intentions. The Scriptures are the best place to look for illustrations of how the speaking of the word works in the kingdom of God."

The writer of Hebrews observes (Hebrews 1:1-3) that the things that are seen were not made of things that are visible. The word of God is invisible; it is the spiritual reality that produces all that is visible. Though science would not attribute this to God's mind creating through God's Word, quantum physics has discovered this basic truth that all that we see that his physical seems to be made up of tiny invisible vibrations of energy -- that some scientists even equate to words or information.

Because we are finite our kingdom authority is also finite. Unlike God we cannot just think or speak the word and it is accomplished. Except in one area -- humans usually have complete authority over their own bodies. All I have to do is think wave my hand and my hand waves -- my spirit has complete kingdom authority over my hands. Authority power -- Dallas Willard Hearing God, page 128 -- the writer of Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes 8:4) observes that the king's word is powerful. At his smallest word heads roll, palaces or gardens are built, armies march, enemies are crushed. But take away the king's authority, his role, and a king is like any other person. Here we see clearly the power of words in a kingdom of great authority. God's kingdom is the greatest, but also works in large measure by words. This is what the centurion understood. He understood that Jesus was healing because he represented a kingdom that had authority and power over disease. For Jesus to heal the servant is like me saying, "now I will raise my hand." My thoughts and words have complete authority over my hands -- it's not a problem or a struggle for me. The century and understood and trusted that Jesus spoke the word his servant would be healed. The centurion understood this because he was under the authority of a higher teen, Caesar, whose word was enough. What we see here is trust based on experiential knowledge of the power of words spoken by those with authority. This is where even Christians practical atheism or skepticism says -- but things don't work that way.

Now here's the one place just doesn't work -- God by his own choice does force his authority over those who do not place their trust in him. If people choose to align their wills with the will of God, they find themselves living in God's kingdom with God's power at work. But if we choose our will over God's will, are finite power and authority is all we get -- and in the end if we reject God's rule and authority we are cast out of his kingdom forever. He

Miraculous – Kind Jesus didSome would say, “The odds are horribly low that this is true—miracles don’t happen.” If I asked, “How do you know?” You’d probably say, because I’ve never seen one, and don’t know anyone who has. And I would agree, miraculous things are not common. But if they were common, by definition, they would not be miraculous—right! We at least have to consider, if there is a God who exists outside our limited 4 dimensions of time and space—surely God could do things that we would call miraculous. Right? He could make things appear—coming from a 5th, 6th, 7th dimension outside our 4th dimension.

[Jesus didn’t do the kind of miracles we demand, like “write something in the sky,” “make things move,” or “let the Cardinals win.” His miracles restored what’s wrong and healed what’s broken—they were never done to prove himself, but to serve people.] Not just the New Testament writers, but even a few non-believing historians of the time refer to Jesus as one known to do miracles: Josephus the Jewish/Roman Historian mentions Jesus was known for his miraculous deeds. Not only that, but the Talmud, the writings of the Religious Leaders who killed Jesus record “On the eve of Passover they hanged Yeshu [Jesus]…because he practiced sorcery and led Israel astray.” Talmud, Sanhedrin A.D. 70-200 His enemies didn’t deny his miracles, they attributed them to Satan’s power. Why? Why in the world would they do this?