Faith As A Mustard Seed

by Pastor Mark
November 25, 2022

 

Going through a failure

Whether in life or ministry, we tend to think that we have already attained, regarding our faith, but in reality, we may not be where we think we are. Only when we experience failure in facing a great challenge that we recognise that we are not quite there yet. Nobody likes to go through failures, but failures can be good in helping us see where we truly are regarding our faith.

Some disciples of the Lord Jesus experienced failure when they were called upon to help an epileptic boy plagued by a demon (Matt 17:15,16). The boy’s father approached these disciples to help his son, but they could not cure him. The man knew that these were the disciples of the Lord Jesus, but yet they failed dismally as they could not cast out the demon.

Understanding our problems

  1. When the father told the Lord Jesus about the situation, He sought to address the problems.
  2. He spoke not only to the disciples but also to the whole generation.
    “O faithless and perverse generation,” (Matt 17:17)

    1. There was a real lack of faith due to the problem of doubt.
    2. The perversity in their ways would require cleansing and repentance.
  3. Even though the disciples had learnt much, their faith and life were still found wanting.

Dealing with the underlying issue of unbelief

  1. When the disciples asked the Lord Jesus why they could not cast out the demon, the Lord Jesus revealed a deeper, underlying issue (Matt 17:19).
  2. It was because there was the deep-seated problem of a heart of unbelief (Matt 17:20).
  3. Their failure was due to the sin of unbelief, which affected how they ministered.
  4. The disciples had already seen the Lord Jesus perform many miracles, yet unbelief continued to affect their faith, adversely hindering their ministry.

The power of faith (Matt 17:20)

  1. The Lord Jesus demonstrated the power of faith through the imagery of a mustard seed.
  2. If the disciples had faith like a mustard seed, it would have great potential.
  3. Yet, the reality was that their faith was still very small, even smaller than the mustard seed.
  4. They needed to grow their faith further to overcome doubts and fears.
  5. If we have faith that is the size of a mustard seed, we will have the potential power to move “mountains”.
  6. There is great power at work in having faith.
  7. It can do the seemingly impossible.

The prayer of faith (Matt 17:21)

  1. The demon was able to resist far more strongly than what the disciples had anticipated.
  2. A greater effort in praying with faith was needed, such as fasting to battle the demonic force.
  3. We tend to underestimate the intensity of the problem faced.
  4. Let us be challenged to look to the Lord Jesus to help us address our problems and grow our faith to match the greater difficulties of life and ministry.

Let us be challenged to pray with a stronger faith in God, who can do the impossible.

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