Mark 11:20-25

Mark 11:20-25  In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.  Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”  “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.  “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” 

God's desire is to move mountains.  We cannot create or destroy a mountain, neither can we move it unless it is the Creator's will.  However, mountains are removed every day in people's lives, mountains of sin, of despair, of hopelessness.  The Greek word for faith in this passage is the same word for salvation.  Faith is needed for salvation.  In other words, faith is needed to remove the mountain of sin that you have, all of which has been accrued against the will of God.  God's desire is that that mountain should be removed, and it is removed by faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  Faith says that his blood is enough to make you right with God.  Yes, mountains are constantly being removed.  But as for Mount Rainier or any other physical mountain, it will not be removed by you, for someone else full of faith might want that same mountain to be viewed through their living room window.  God's will is always the central aspect of any miracle.  Well then, what about disastrous illnesses, crippling infirmities?  Does God desire such things to reign here on earth?  Why do they exist?  Why are not all people healed by a merciful God?  Why are not ALL CHRISTIANS healed by their Lord and Savior?  These questions are God's to answer, not ours.  But for sure sin does reign here, and it will until Jesus comes back.  We have wars and rumor of wars, strife in families, and death to verify that.  None of those are God's will either.  

But Jesus was sent to deal with sin.  He came to remove mountains; He came to reveal God to a dying, sinful world.  He did not come just to put everything right.  He came to reveal himself as the Son of God in a sinful world.  Faith in him DURING THE TURMOIL is the faith that moves mountains.  Faith in HIm when everything is right with the world is not faith at all.  There is no need of faith when God and his attributes can be easily seen, felt, heard, when He always makes everything right.  No, the faith that is needed for salvation or his intervention into our lives is the faith that Jesus had when He cursed the fig tree.  Everything was wrong with that situation that day.  The tree was out of season for fruit; figs should not have been on that tree.  However, Jesus wanted to eat.  Our lives are the same: when we are out of season, full of sin, God comes to us.  He asks us to believe, and we become fruitful when it would have been impossible except for his touch, his power.  We produce the glory of God; that takes faith, faith that removes mountains.  Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  This is what the ancients were commended for.  (Hebrews 13:1-2)  Jesus ends this episode by saying, "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”  He tells the disciples to believe that they have what they ask for, believe that the mountain has been removed.  But they don't stop there.   He says to put this belief into action.  If they have anything against anyone, they should forgive them--to get the mountains out of their lives.  Then the Father will continually move their mountains, forgive their sins.  With God all things are possible to them that believe.