Lesson 723

(Lesson 723)(08-12-13) Today's lesson on faith is found in Matthew 17:14-21, "And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."

The Apostles had been unable to cast out the devil because they had placed their faith "prayer and fasting" and not totally in God through Jesus Christ.

This lesson demonstrates that unless we completely discount our own actions, (in this case fasting) and place absolute faith in God, our prayers will not be answered. Too many today make the mistake of trying to tie their own eternal salvation to some physical act or action they might take on, such as water baptism. Sadly, when the end has come they will find that salvation comes ONLY through ABSOLUTE faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the remission of all sin. Jesus MUST be relied upon to do it all, if we could wash away our sins in water, there would never have been a need for Jesus to die.

Here again is His promise to us, "for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."~