Title: Faith that Moves Mountains (Mat 21:18-22)

Class Outline:

Wednesday September 24, 2025

 

Main idea: Witnesses of the faithfulness of God develop faith to move mountains - to be like Christ.

 

Application:

 

As the disciples witnessed the tree wither and then heard Christ’s teaching so we must see God’s faithfulness to His promises, Israel’s response, and listen to instruction all from the Scripture.

 

Our faith is what God promises will bring His impossible actions into your life, not by your will, but by His.

 

MAT 21:18-22

 

God hungers, sees, and judges (this is Christ’s only judgment miracle).

 

OT Scripture:

 

Hungers (MIC 7:1).

 

Nation of priests, EXO 19:5-6

 

Sees (MIC 7:2-3; HOS 9:10; Baal-peor god worshiped by Moabite women who seduced Israel at Shittim (Num 25) resulting in the death of 24,000 - God saw as He saw past the Passover rituals in Jerusalem).

 

Judges (MIC 7:4-6; HOS 2:12; HOS 9:16-17).

 

Why Israel? Covenants.

 

Abrahamic: GEN 12:1-3.

 

Land: GEN 15:18

 

Davidic: 2SA 7:12; 1CH 17:11-12.

 

New Covenant: JER 31:31-34; EZE 36:24-31

 

These promises are initiated by God and unconditional.

 

God’s faithfulness to His promises

 

Scripture: PSA 36:5-7; PSA 98:3; PSA 105:8-11; DEU 7:9; HOS 2:19-20 (several NT passages as well).

 

Grace to those who reject (NEH 9:16-19) that they may accept, but if they do not - judgment.

 

Faithfulness of God also applied to the conditional covenant; DEU 7:9-11. Covenant slide: God is faithful in both kinds.

 

Faith without doubt.

 

Faith in not blind - it is in what God says in His Word.

 

Define doubt (diakrino - waiver, doubt).

 

Doubt is identified as a lack of faith, as a sense of hesitation (MAT 14:31), bringing in two minds (outside the Bible this word means to be separate or distinct, i.e. double minded.

 

Doubt about ourselves, i.e. our own lack of understanding and trust is simply honesty and it leads to vigorous pursuit of God.

 

2CO 4:7-8

 

This kind of “doubt” stands far above indifference and pessimism.

 

The doubt that makes any faith ineffective is a lack of practical trust in God. It is living as if God does not exist in you and in the world as He says He does.

 

JAM 1:5-8 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

 

MAT 28:17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.

 

All have doubt but spiritual growth greatly diminishes it.

 

Result of faith without doubt is to move mountains: defined as being like Christ (MAT 17:20; “you little faith ones”).

 

All things are possible with God (Mat 19).

 

The impossible here is being like Christ.

 

 

Do you do it or does God?

 

God promises to act on faith (HEB 11:6).

 

Israel lacked faith (our example to beware).

 

Show only (leaves without fruit - this fig tree has been put there by God to show the disciples and us to not do things to be noticed - it will only result in judgment); MAT 6:1.

 

Believe and God will act as He wills. God does the work to move your mountains, but you do not lose consciousness nor are used like a puppet.

 

Imagining that God’s desires directly match your own is not faith.

 

With God all things are possible. No faith is not being with God.

 

Application:

 

The sin nature has a tendency to hide behind a show of righteousness (form of godliness). We reject this by faith and live in the joy of freedom from the judgment of others while depending solely on the faithfulness of God as revealed in His Word and we pray believingly on the foundation of God’s revealed will in Scripture.

 

Our faith awaits God’s impossible works.

 

You are to put your faith in God’s will for everything and everyone in your life, and God promises that He will do impossible, mountain-moving things in your life.