Matthew 21:18-23.…Now in the morning He returned into the city, he hungered.  And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves, only, and he said unto it, Let no fruit grow on this tree henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.

When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, how soon is the fig tree withered away!  Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but ye also shall say unto the mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.  And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Why did Jesus curse this poor little fig tree?  Actually, He was using this tree as an object of illustration. . The non-bearing fig tree represents the fruitless-Christian.  It shows that God frowns on those with a lack of faith. Do you recall the story of Jesus and the disciples being on the ship and the storm blew in?  The disciples ran to Jesus, saying, “Carest thou not that we perish?”  Jesus arose from His sleep and went to the bow of the ship.  He said to them, “Oh, ye, of little faith.”

One of the things Jesus rebuked the disciples for… was their lack of faith. God wants His children to walk by faith.  Our purpose it to bear fruit for the Father.  That is why God saved us and left us here to be fruitful Christians. A Christian without faith is like the fruitless fig tree.

Verse 21 puts our attention on the power of faith. A Christian lives by faith, not by what he/she can see with their eyes.  We don’t live by what we can touch with our hands, we live by the faith we have in the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Bible says anyone can believe what you can see, or what you can touch; but those who believe and have not seen, blessed are they.

Jesus uses two objects the disciples could relate to.  The smallest, being the mustard seed, and the largest, being the mountain.  In Matthew Chapter 17, it says if you have faith just as the size of a mustard seed, you can speak to the mountain and it will be moved.

In Matthew 21: 22...All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. 

The question is…Do all things as stated here mean, all things?  I know we serve a God who is able to move Heaven and earth, if it is His will.  Do all things mean that God is going to give us everything we ask for?  Everything our little hearts desires to have.  No, it does not.  And you better thank God He does not give you everything you ask for. There have been times we have all prayed and prayed for something.  We felt God did not answer our prayer.  But you see, God can see the whole picture and we were praying for something He knew we did not need. Let me give you an illustration.  I am praying for a better job.

“God, if I could just have this high-paying job, I could do so much more for my family. I could buy things for my kids I didn’t have myself.”  You say, “What is wrong with that Preacher?”  The answer is this; you may have a better paying job starting with all these things looking up.  Before long, you are required to spend more and more time on the job, robbing your family time.   God looked through His telescope of time and He saw you being robbed of His time also. You have less and less time to come to the house of God.  In the end, you have lost far more than you may gain.  God knew that.

So now, does all mean all?  James 4:3 says…Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.   The word amiss means, badly. When you pray for something that is not wholesome and decent God will not answer your prayer no matter how long you pray for it.

God does not always answer our prayer with, yes…Sometimes He says, NO!

As Lisa and I experienced first-hand, Ashley laid in a hospital bed for eight years. Not a day went by we did not pray for her healing. God had other plans.  We don’t always understand His ways.

Let’s talk about the mountain.  If you look at the symbolic nature of a mountain, it can mean any obstacle. It could mean fear. It could be doubt and anger.  It could be family problems, a painful past, or broken heart, it could be many things.  So we pray, “God, remove this mountain of doubt, fear, anger, depression, whatever your mountain may be."

What if the mountain does not move. Then what?  The way I see it, we have three options.

1. Turn around and go back.
2. Stand and wait.
3. Climb the mountain.

Option # 1.  Retreat is never an option.  The armor of God only protects the front part of the body. That is why you should never turn your back on God. There is nothing to protect you and no place to go.

Option #2.  A mountain of troubles is in front of me.  I am not saying that God caused your troubles to happen; but I am saying God may be allowing a mountain to be in front of you for a reason.  Maybe He wants us to become strong for the journey ahead of us.

Isaiah 40:31...But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up on wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.

Option #3.  If your mountain will not move, climb it!  God may allow the struggle to come, but there is joy on the mountaintop. He gives His children grace to climb it.

Psalm 30: For his anger endureth for a moment; in his favor is life; weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Pastor Earnest Fields, Jr.
July 27, 2008