[Adapted from a chapter in Rev Edmund Chan’s book Growing Deep in Faith.]
A young boy was being tormented by a demon.
?He has seizures and is suffering greatly, and would even throw himself into the fire or water.
?His family was at a lost what to do. His father brought him to the disciples of Jesus.
?It was one of the most embarrassing situations the disciples had ever faced. They could not cast out the demon.
They were disciples-in-training. They were still learning, like many of us today.
?Jesus was not around. Matt 17:1 tells us Jesus went up a mountain with Peter, James and John.
?The nine disciples were left to fend for themselves without their Master.
?They tried to cast out the demon but nothing happened.
They tried. It was not for the lack of trying.
?This was not an entirely new situation for them. They had seen demons cast out by Jesus before. We read about that in Matt 8 and 9.
?In fact, Jesus had given them the authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness (in Matt 10:1). So they might likely have participated in some of these healing situations.
?They have seen it and experienced it, but it was not working now. They tried but nothing happened.
Until Jesus came. And with authority, Jesus cast out the demon instantly.
?They son was delivered. The father was grateful. Everyone was happy. But the disciples were disturbed.
?They waited until Jesus was alone, and came privately to ask Him. It was a shameful thing to have failed.
?Why Lord? Why could we not cast out the demon?
What is the heart of the problem?
?Jesus did not say, “You say the wrong words when you pray.? The problem wasn’t about the method, the way you pray.
?Jesus did not say, “You did not try hard enough.? The problem wasn’t about the lack of diligence.
?Jesus did not say, “You are not skilful or smart enough.? The problem wasn’t about the lack of skills or wisdom.
?Nor did Jesus say, “Because the demons were too powerful.? The issue wasn’t the lack of divine power or authority.
?When Jesus gave us the great commission to go and make disciples of all nations, He said, “ALL authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…”
So it wasn’t about the method they used, the efforts they put in, the lack of skills or intelligence. And it wasn’t because the demons were powerful.
?Jesus put His finger on just one thing ?verse 20: “Because you have so little faith.?
?The central issue was faith. Faith taps into the power of God. Faith pleases God. Heb 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.?
If this is so important in ministry, then we need to take note of it.
?The heart of the problem is the problem of our heart. Do you really trust God? Do you have faith in God?
?It has little to do with how seriously ill the boy was. It has nothing to do with how bad the situation was. It has nothing to do with the demons.
?It has to do with our faith in God.
If the problem is this “so little faith? then the logical solution is to have GREAT faith.
?I expected Jesus to say something like this: “You failed because you have little faith; if only you have a bigger faith, or deeper faith or a more complete faith, or a fuller faith?then you will succeed!?
?But Jesus did not say that. In the same breath, He said, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain…”
?I expected him to say something like: “Your faith is too small, if you have faith as big as a durian seed…”
It’s almost like saying: “Your faith is small. But in fact, if you have a small faith, as small as a mustard seed, you would have done the job!?
?The mustard seed was the smallest of the garden seeds known. “Small as a mustard seed?was a common idiom that referred to something unusually small.
?And “removing mountains?was a figure of speech used to describe something impossible or very difficult.
?As difficult as this situation was, as sick as this boy was, nothing can stop God from doing His will, if you have faith in Him (even if your faith is as small as a mustard seed).
You see, the emphasis here is not the SIZE of your faith, but the PLACEMENT of your faith (even though small). You can have a misplaced faith or a wrong faith.
?Jesus used the words, “O unbelieving and perverse generation…” The hint here is that the people are not having faith IN GOD.
?If the disciples had seen miracles in Matt 8 and 9, and experience some healings taking place from Matt 10 (because Jesus gave them the authority), they have very likely gotten confident ?confident in themselves.
They had begun to trust in their own powers to heal the boy.
?They had most likely performed healings before, and so they were confident they could do it again.
?Their faith has shifted actually, from God to themselves; to a particular method of deliverance, or a certain way of praying for a miracle.
?The truth is there wasn’t any power inherent in them. They were not disciples of Jesus with special powers.
God is the One who has the power to heal. He alone has the power to change lives. Our faith is in God.
?Not in ourselves, not in our good works, not in our experience, not in our knowledge.
?The Pharisees in Jesus?times chose to put their faith in themselves. They have faith in their own righteousness. They have faith in their knowledge of the Law.
?That did not save them. In fact, they were blinded to the truth.
We can get carried away too. Over the years, having gained more knowledge and experience, we can begin to trust ourselves.
?We place our faith in our hard work, in certain methods of doing ministry, in our skills or wisdom. We may pray, but our faith is actually in ourselves.
?Brothers and sisters, our faith must always be in God. He does not always do things the same way, or do things YOUR way. It does not matter; you can trust Him.
And our faith must not be in faith. There are those who make the mistake of having faith in faith.
?“I just need to have enough faith, or I must need more faith.?
?Frankly, if a chair is broken, it really doesn’t matter if you have a GREAT faith. The chair will fall when you sit on it.
?It really doesn’t matter how much faith you have that the lift will bring you up to the 10th floor. If it is not working, no amount of faith will move it.
Our faith is in God. The focus therefore is not the size of your faith, but the size of your God.
?If you trust God, then “nothing will be impossible for you.?(Jesus said verse 20), because nothing is impossible with God. (Luke 1:37)
?The demons will have to flee. The mountain will has to move, if God says so.
?It has nothing to do with you. It has to do with God.
No wonder Jesus rebuked them, “You have so little faith.?
?Instead of placing faith in the mighty God, they placed their faith in themselves, or in the experience, their certain way of praying!
?If you trust anything less than God, that’s a small faith.
Brothers and sisters, if you are going to place your faith anywhere else apart from God ?you are going to be disappointed and discouraged.
?Don’t place your faith in any man, any system, any organisation or any past successes, past techniques or past accomplishments.
?Focus your eyes on God, on His glory and power and majesty. Have faith in God. He has not changed.
Check your heart today. Have you placed your trust in someone else or some things?
?True faith in God, even if it is small like a mustard seed, can do big things, because it is placed in a BIG God! That’s simple faith.
?If you are focused on a BIG God, you will not worry about the big mountain.
Jesus painted this contrast.
?The smallest of faith (the mustard seed) was set in contrast with the greatest of obstacles (the mountain).
?Size isn’t everything. It was not about the size of their faith. Not was it about the size of the mountain.
?Why? Because God out-sized them all!
Is your God too small? One author J. B. Phillips wrote a book which he titled, “Your God is Too Small? about our inadequate concepts of God.
?It is easy to talk about God in a classroom, but when you are struggling with bill payments, or a sick child, or the loss of a job, will your faith in God stays?
?Can you still believe that He is the Almighty, gracious, and good God? If your God is anything less than what the Bible reveals to us, then your God is too small.
?Edmund Chan: “Big God, small problems. Small God, big problems.?
Who do we worship this morning? A BIG, BIG God! So, what’s the problem?
?Remember, it is not the greatest of your faith but the greatest of our God that matters.
?Put your faith in God, and keep your eyes on Him!
How to develop a strong faith in God?
1. Listen to the Word of God as much as possible.
?"Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." (Rom 10:17). You cannot trust a stranger.
?You have to know Him to trust Him, and to know Him is to listen to what He says. Tune in to FM102.3 or FM105.5.
2. Draw Near to Him ?in prayer and worship.
?Jesus mentioned here the need to fast and pray (v.21). It is our reliance on Him. We need to lean more on Him; we need to talk to Him more.
?In worship, you experience His presence and see Him seated on His throne. Isaiah experienced that and we see that in the Book of Revelations. The more you see Him, the more confident you are, the more you can trust Him.
3. Spend as much time as you can with people of faith.
?If you are always with a person who is depressed, you will soon find yourself very discouraged with life too. Spend time with people who have faith in God, who are close to God. You will be inspired. Prov 13:20 “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.? Read books about people of faith.
