There is nothing wrong with the title
Contents
Word: Matthew 17:14-20
Subject: There's Nothing You Can't Do
When expressing Korea, it is called Mt. Geumsugangsan in Samchulli. This means that the water is clear and the air is good. However, the average age of the people living in Mt. Geumsugangsan, especially during the Joseon Dynasty, was about 40 years old. Because medicine was not developed, we did not know the cause of the disease or the method of treatment. At that time, what the shamans did was to do rites at home to ward off evil spirits and prevent them from getting sick. To that extent, the disease was beyond their ability to the people of that time. The same is true of those in Jesus' day. If you get sick, the method of treatment is to anoint them with oil, and the priests, scribes, and Pharisees will come and pray. This is the attitude of those people when they are ill. The ‘mountain’ in verse 20 is an idiom for the Israelites to express something that is not moving at all, something that cannot be changed by human power. There are things that the Israelites cannot move or change like a mountain.
In verse 17, the scribes and Pharisees, who were religious leaders at the time, who were ignoring the suffering of the people by saying, “It is fortunate that we live, there is nothing we can do about it if we die” is very strongly condemned as “a generation that has no faith and is perverse.” And in verse 20, He tells the disciples that they have little faith, who have not been healed. He also said that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains.
In today's text, there are some things we need to look at first in order to receive grace.
The first thing we should look at is what is the ‘mountain’ in our heart? is. What is the unavoidable, irresistible thing in our hearts? That's right. In Israel's time, an irresistible problem was disease. Then, the irresistible and irresistible problem in this generation is not disease, but money.
What we need to look at again is the appearance of the disciples in the face of this irresistible problem. They try to cure the irresistible problem that people have, epilepsy, a problem that doesn't dream like a mountain. But the disease does not even dream. No matter how hard you try, it doesn't work. The question, then, is that these disciples do not have the ability to heal? If you don't have the skills, what's the use of trying? But in Matthew 10:1, they were endowed with power. Also, in Luke 10:17, they actually have the experience of exercising their powers. It is not that the disciples are unable to cure epilepsy now because they are incompetent or amateurs who are clumsy in exercising their abilities.
The problem isn't that you're not endowed with abilities. The reason they could not cure their epilepsy is that in verse 20, it says, “they have little faith.” Jesus said that with faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains. The heart of mustard seed faith is vitality. In other words, the belief that can make a mountain right is possible even if it has a very small life force. Even if it is as small as a mustard seed, if that faith is alive, it can move mountains. More specifically, the reason Jesus' disciples could not cure epilepsy was because they were trying to solve the problem with the power they had been given them. The problem remains unresolved because they relied on the ability they felt they had.
Even in the 21st century, money remains as an irresistible problem like a mountain. To solve this problem, he mobilizes all his knowledge and experience. The knowledge and experience we have can be called competence. He mobilizes all his abilities, but the problem still does not budge. Why? Because money is something that cannot be solved by ability alone.
It is not our ability to overcome this problem in the face of such a force majeure as the mountain before us. So what can overcome this problem? What is clear is a living faith. So, what is living faith? What does living faith mean?
Living faith is easy. Leave the matter to God. It is putting the problem before God through prayer and trusting that God will take care of the problem.
To explain this in detail, it is a difference in prayer. Prayers with little faith are “why”. But living prayer is “how”. In other words, “why and how” is the difference. The reason people despair and give up in the face of problems is the question of why and prayers about “why” or “why” or “why am I the only one who looks like this?” “Why didn’t you give me the ability to obtain material things?” However, this is a way for humans who could not overcome the problem to pass the blame on to God. In short, it is God's fault. Conversely, living faith prays ‘how’. “Where is the will of God?”, “What should I do in the face of this problem?” We need to have faith in how, not why. Faith of “how” places the subject of overcoming problems with God, not oneself. Faith of “how” has a desire to overcome problems without blaming others.
It is God who works in you, to will and to do for his good pleasure - Philippians 2:13-
There is gratitude in the faith of “how”.
It is a gift from God that God has given to every person riches and wealth, that they may enjoy it, and that they may receive a division and rejoice in their hard work - Ecclesiastes 5:19-
The Bible clearly states that being rich is a gift from God. The enemy mistakenly believes it is his ability. Dead faith evades that I don't have that ability. But the Bible says that even that power is a gift from God. Gratitude for the gifts God has given you is a living faith.
How will you live? Will you live by dead faith? Will you live by a living, vital faith? Will you give up in the face of problems? Will you take the problem and bring it to the throne of God?
Verse 20 Jesus makes it clear. There will be nothing you cannot do. Don't be discouraged by problems and don't struggle alone with problems Take your problems to Heavenly Father Just like a child brings their problems to their parents, bring them to God through prayer and tell them. What will God do? God what can I do?
Faith is not the exercise of power. Faith is putting a problem before God. And it is believing and thankful that God will take care of it.
I hope that with this living faith, we will become people who overcome all irresistible problems.