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Your life might be forever changed if you knew that the longest word in the Bible text is Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz which is what the prophet Isaiah named his son (Isaiah 8:1). Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz: catchy isn't it? Instead of bothering to call for him to come take out the trash, it would be quicker if you did it yourself! Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz is tied for the longest word in the Bible with another eighteen-letter monster found in the title of the 56th Psalm: Jonath-Elem-Recho-Kim which is the name of the song and means "the silent dove of far-off places." It must have been a sure hit. Second place on the longest word list is Chu-shan-rish-a-tha-im, the name of the king of Mesopotamia in Judges 3:8. There are eight sixteen-letter words most of which also sound like the mumbo jumbo that I have just been speaking. Just so you know, the longest words without hyphens in scripture are "covenantbreakers," "evilfavouredness," "lovingkindnesses," and "unprofitableness."

If you had to be able to remember or spell such long words to get to heaven, then most of us would be doomed, but you can get to eternal life without knowing, remembering, or even understanding most of the big words in the Bible. There are, however, some "big little" words that are much more important to grasp. I say "big little" because they are little in size but big in what they mean in some verses.

Take the humble little word "and," for example. It can be a "big little word" like in this verse where Jesus said:

"He who believes AND is baptized will be saved." As in, it takes both believing inwardly and being baptized outwardly to be saved. I've heard people say "if you believe, you don't have to be baptized" but they missed a "big little word" that Jesus spoke here. He that believeth and . . . not one or the other, but both. You may not be able to even try to say "Maher-Shalal-Hash Bash" and that's okay, but you should know that missing a "big little word" can mean the difference between heaven and hell in your life.

Think the preacher is going a bit overboard focusing on just one word in scripture? What about Jesus' words to Satan in the temptation in the wilderness?

Man shall live by "every word" that comes from God! Every word is anointed and every word is important, even the smallest ones! And in the next chapter, Jesus took it even further when He said:

Jesus said that even the smallest letter and the dot of the "i" would be fulfilled of the Word of God. If that is true, then do you really want to ignore an "and"? Those "big little words" become mighty important when they are discussing such an important topic as salvation or your relationship with God.

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The most overlooked and misused "big little word" in the Bible is the humble word "if." My grandmother used to say "if ifs and ands were pots and pans, we wouldn't need a tinker." I think I spent ten minutes of a sermon time once trying to explain that saying to you and so I won't bother today. Needless to say that "if" in a sentence can have a profound impact on the meaning of a verse of scripture. Like in this one:

The "if" denotes a conditionality to the promise. God will do those things only if you do these things. And so "if" is a big, "big little word" to catch when God speaks. Furthermore, an "if" in our own prayers can signify faith or doubt depending upon where we place it.

In our text in Mark, we read of a miracle that is quite unique in Jesus' ministry. Jesus had taken Peter, James, and John up to the mount of transfiguration and left the other disciples at the bottom. While Jesus was up in the clouds talking with Moses and Elijah and hearing booming voices and such, down on the bottom of the mountain, some scribes and Jewish leaders were laying into the other disciples because a man had brought his devil-possessed son who was also mute to them and they had been unable to cure the boy. When Jesus came back down from the mountain, He heard the commotion and when the father of the boy saw Him, he ran to Jesus and explained to Him the situation and then we find this:

The man has an "if" in his approach, but the "if" is very much misplaced. Looking at Jesus, he says "if you can do anything." And Jesus replies by placing the "if" back where it should be: "if you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." In the Greek text, Jesus reply is even more emphatic and the NASB translates it this way:

There is a great lesson to be learned from this study of the "big little word" of "if" that we all need to learn because we also often approach Jesus with our "if" in the wrong place. The man came to Jesus saying "if you can do it." "If you are able." And Jesus responded "it's not a matter of if I can do it, but rather a matter of if you can believe that I can." "Your if is in the wrong place, for you to receive a miracle." "Your if is going to have change positions for you get what you need."

How often do we come to God with such a misplaced "if?" "God, if you are able to heal me, then would you do it?" "God, if you can fill me with the Holy Ghost, I would like to have it." "God, if you can heal my family or my marriage, then do it." And then we wonder why we don't receive our blessing, when we come with our "ifs" in such a place as to question God's power and might!

"If you can do it Jesus?" Do you realize to whom you are speaking? Do you realize what an insult that is to God? Would you walk up to a billionaire such as Bill Gates and ask "if you have the money, could you buy me this piece of gum?" Such a question would reveal that you don't know who you are talking too. Would you walk up to a king and say "if you have the power, could you pass such and such?" No way, because you understand that they have the ability and power and resources to do such small things. And yet probably more often than we would care to realize, people come to God in prayer: "Jesus, if you are able to do anything, then. . . " God if you are able to fix this. . .

And so like the man with the misplaced if, we need to be reminded of just who it is we are speaking with. This person whom you are questioning is richer than Bill Gates, because He created Bill Gates! He's more powerful than any king or president and is the "King of Kings!" Money? He created the things that money is made out of! He owns the "cattle on a thousand hills." The scripture says that He sets up and pulls down kingdoms and rulers at His will. Let me remind you of what God Himself said:

God is so big, that the earth is just the ottoman where He rests His feet! And so we need to get firmly implanted that of all the possible names of God, He is also "somebody bigger." "Bigger than what?," you may ask. Bigger than anything that you can face. Bigger than your worst enemy. Bigger than your past. Bigger than your situation. Bigger than your storm. Bigger than your mistake. Bigger than your relationship issues. Bigger than your biggest debt. Bigger than your future. Bigger than your present. Bigger than your biggest ideas. Compared to anything, He's "somebody bigger!"

I genuinely think that most people pray little because they do not truly have a revelation of how great God is. If Donald Trump came to your house, introduced himself and said "I'm here for you to do your beck and call." "Here's my cell phone, and if you need anything just call and I'll take care of it for you" would you go days and days and situation after situation without calling him? You'd be calling him everyday even if you didn't need anything just to keep the lines open. "Hey, Donald: just wanted to say I was thinking of you. Remember, you and me is best buddies, right?" Furthermore, you'd be excited to tell other people of your new relationship. Why? Because Donald Trump supposedly has a lot of money, and so you respect and are convinced of his power and resources.

Donald Trump is not going to come to your house and offer you his money and his cell-phone number, but someone greater than Trump towers already has done so. God is somebody bigger than Donald Trump. And you don't even need a cell phone to talk to Him, and yet mention such things as "prayer" and people mentally check out and think "boring." It's only boring if you do not have a revelation of how great God is! Prayer is not a requirement, but rather a privilege! We are talking to the One who created the Universe with His spoken Word and who is willing to speak into our life so that we can live abundantly! We are talking to the "all-powerful One!"

And yet the reason that most people do not pray more is because they don't think that they ever get an answer, and yet the reason that they don't get more answers in the positive is that they insult God by coming to Him with a misplaced "if." "God, if you are able . . ." -- you'd better back up and re-think that request. If you could hear God's voice right about then, He'd be saying "if You can?" "No, if you can is the issue. If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes." We serve a God who is infinitely able, but who can only be hampered by doubt that He cannot. It's time we got our "ifs" in the right places. It's not a matter if He can, but rather if we can.

If I am preaching to someone today and you've been coming to Jesus with such a request "if you are able," then you would do well to respond as the man did to Jesus:

He cried out "help my unbelief." The way to deal with unbelief is not to cuddle it and make excuses for it but to admit and ask God for help. The God of the universe is so powerful that He can even help supply your faith, if you will admit that you need it! But it again becomes a matter of "if you will admit that you need more faith and if you will cry out to Him for help!" Those are ifs in the right place. Those are the ifs that bring the miraculous!

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In our other text, we read of an "if" in a different position than the "if" of the man who had the devil-possessed son, but yet was still misplaced. The scripture reads:

The if was not a question of "if you are able" because he was convinced that "You can make me clean." This time, it was "if You are willing." It was not a question of God's power, but if God was willing to use that power to help the leper. Much more noble than the former usage, but still misplaced, because listen to Jesus' response:

There are people today who are convinced that God can do anything, but their if is in the form of "if He will do it for me?" As in, "is He willing to work in my life? "You can do it, Lord," and then almost as an afterthought they add, "if you are willing." But if you are in such a predicament, then hear Jesus' answer: "I am willing." The greatness of God is that not only is He the omnipotent, all-knowing One, but He is willing to use His might and resources to respond to the needs of such insignificant specks as you and I! All the power in the universe would do us no good if He was not willing to stretch forth His hand toward us, but if you will look up to Him today, you will see Him with arms outstretched and His voice speaking loud and clear: "I am willing; be cleansed."

There are some people who struggle with their past to the point that they question "is God able to forgive me." You can say, "He is able, my friend," but then they immediately go to "is He willing?" Without sounding too overly sarcastic, can I respond to you directly with a question? Did He not come and die and pay an awful price for your sins? Did He not spend three millennia of time preparing everything so that His coming would impact the earth in such a way that you would be able to read His story today, and understand His great love for you? Did He not leave you a thick, thick book that over and over again says that He is not only able but willing to do what He has promised? Did He not send prophet after prophet and now in Grace, preacher after preacher to help you understand His love? Do you think it was man's idea for God to do this, for God to record this, for God to plan this? Do you think that we would even know any of this, if God was not willing that we should know it? Do you think that this awesome opportunity to have His blood applied to our past would even have been offered if He were not willing to perform it? How can you ask "is He willing?"

Take your "ifs" elsewhere because they have no place in God's willingness -- even eagerness -- to cleanse you of your sins and make you a new creature. He is able. He is willing. But the place to put the if is "He is willing if you are willing." If you will respond with heartfelt repentance, then you will discover for yourself that He is willing to forgive you. If you will obey the scripture and be baptized in His precious name, then you will discover that His blood is mightier than your past! If you will surrender to Him, then you will come to know for yourself that His Spirit is able to transform anyone into more like Him!

And to those of you who would say "if He is willing to heal" or "if He is willing to help." Let me ask you the questions: Why did He spend three and a half years of His life doing just that and then stick in the end of His Word this verse:

Why would He do such a thing, if He did not intend to be willing to continue to work in people's lives? It would be a cruel joke indeed for Him to have four men record great wonders and changed life after changed life and then place a verse such as this if it were not true! The if doesn't belong toward His willingness to act, but rather with "if you are willing to believe that He will!" Don't let a misplace if keep you from seeing His power in your life! It's not a matter of "if He will," but rather of "if you will!"

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And then there is that other misplaced if, that tends to pop up when we have everything all figured out and God doesn't show up and submit Himself to our plan as we thought He should.

Most of you have heard the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. If you know it, then you remember how that when word came to Jesus that Lazarus was sick, Jesus did nothing: He didn't go to him, He didn't pray for him, nothing. And in this seeming time of Jesus doing "nothing" Lazarus died.

When Jesus finally traveled to Bethany, it was Lazarus' sister, Martha, who came to Jesus and greeted Him with these words:

Martha had had it all figured out. When her brother got sick, she just knew that Jesus was going to come and heal him and everything was going to be all right. She sent word for Jesus and waited patiently for Him to come and do everything like she had planned. I can almost hear her telling the doctor, "we don't need you to do anything, because Jesus is going to come and heal him." But Jesus didn't show up like she expected and her mind's plan of how everything was going to happen, didn't quite work out like she had planned, and so the first words out of her mouth to Jesus were "if you would have been here, this wouldn't have happened."

How we are so like Martha in our life. Paul wrote that we "see through a dark glass" at best into the Spirit, and we so forget how that God has a master plan that is so greater and beyond our own. Like an impatient child, we interpret things only in the "here and now" and we gauge God's faithfulness by whether or not He acted as we had thought He should. And then when things don't turn out quite like we had put it together, we are quick to place our ifs toward God's timing: "if God would have been faithful, this wouldn't have happened." "If God is good, then I would not have had to suffer that." "If God is great, then this hardship or time of grief would not have come." And like Martha, we so often stand before Jesus with our "ifs" of blame for His response, when the real issue is that "if we could stop trying to blame God for not doing things according to the way we figured, we might receive an even greater miracle in the here and now!"

I've heard people pray for people's "healing and salvation" and not realize that in the plan of God, He knows that if He just heals them, then they will walk away and never be saved, and so He doesn't heal them immediately to keep them in a position where they feel that they need Him and thus are coming towards Him." But when God doesn't heal them immediately like we thought, we then sometimes get mad at God and say "if you would have healed them, they would come and live for you" and God is saying "if you would trust me that I'm smarter than you and know more than you, and continue in faith rather than blame, then you might see an even greater miracle than what you asked for!"

But, oh, how quickly in our haste to say "yes, we believe God is greater than anything" that we forget that means that He is also smarter than anything, including us and that we should be quick to trust Him to do what will be the greatest work!

Sometimes a situation gets worse before it gets better, because something must change for God to act. There are times you might pray "God heal my relationship" and God begins to deal with your spouse and they get more ornery and more distant because God is dealing with them. Their relationship with you will not be what it should be until their relationship with God is what it should be, and so God often has to make them uncomfortable in order to answer your prayer.

And yet we so often pray with a definite step by step plan and a timetable that we believe will happen, when God has a different timetable and plan that will eventually accomplish much greater and yet involves Lazarus growing worse from sickness to death! Hear this preacher: Jesus had interrupted a few funerals already, but He had only raised up those who had been dead for a day or less. Lazarus would become the first -- and only in His earthly ministry -- that Jesus physically raised up after four days. Jesus was not interrupting the funeral process, but was going to the grave yard to perform the act in such a way as nobody had ever seen. Hear this preacher well, and never forget what God is trying to tell you: when you pray and it seems that only things get worse, it could be that God is wanting to do something beyond anything you've ever seen or heard of before! A worsening situation does not mean that God's power is any less or that He has missed it, but rather that He is desiring to do a greater work beyond what you can imagine! There is a greater plan in place than you can fathom, but don't hinder what God is wanting to do, by your misplaced ifs!

When Jesus told Martha to roll away the stone from the grave, she balked and said "it's been four days, Jesus, his body stinks by now." In other words, "it's too far gone and things have gotten too bad for me to even believe that you can do it now." But listen to Jesus' response:

Did you catch Jesus' replacement of the "if?" She had said "if you had been here" and He said "if you believe, you will see the glory of God." Still, Martha, you can see it. Despite being past your timetable. Despite being too late by your reckoning. Despite the worse-case scenario that you've already written off as impossible. "Martha, if you believe you will see the glory of God!"

I'm preaching to people that are here today who have prayed for things in the past and for people in the past and for needs in the past and it seemed that your prayers caused things to fall apart. You prayed with a definite idea of how you thought everything would turn out and not only did it not happen as you wanted, but now you are in such predicament, that many of you have believed the lie that it's too late for God to do it. You have believed the lie that it's too bad a situation now for God to be able to fully work. The mess is so great and the trouble so pronounced and the person so far gone that you can't see how God do anything now. And in your heart that misplaced "if" has arisen many times and you've thought it even if you did not dare to pray it: "God, if you would have moved two months ago, this wouldn't have happened." "If you would have done what I asked you to do when I asked you to do it like I had it figured out, then everything would have already been solved." And we stand with our misplaced ifs not realizing that even though the situation has grown worse beyond any hope on our part, Jesus stands able, and now He's ready, to do the impossible. Like Martha, we need to hear the words of Jesus: "if you believe, you will see the glory of God."

Put your ifs back where they belong. He is not too late. He is not too weak. He is not unwilling. Jesus is standing here today to perform the miracle, if you will believe God for what seems to you beyond impossible, you will see the glory of God!

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Do you remember the words of those who stood by the cross the day of Jesus' crucifixion? They said such things as:

It was their "ifs" that stood between them and truth. "If this is the Christ, let Him save Himself." But He did not come to save Himself, because the One who did no wrong needed no such sacrifice, but He came rather to save them. Their if was misplaced and corrected was thus: if He saved Himself, He would not have been able to save them, so He stayed on the cross! It took more power and more love and more authority to hang there, than it did to try to get off. Getting off was no problem if He had so desired, but it took greater effort to repress such power and hang there to save them. And yet they missed out on one of the greatest shows of God's power ever displayed because their "ifs" stood between them and the true revelation of who He was and what He was doing.

It's a little word, but a big one because there are some here today for whom it greatly separates you and the power and mercy of God. Your "ifs" are misplaced and have come between you and Him. But God has come to place them right in your life, and so here are: God will move if you will allow Him. God will change you if you will ask Him. God will work, if you will make your life available to Him. It's not "if He is able" but rather "if you are able to believe Him." It's not "if He is willing" but rather "if you are willing to believe that He is willing." It's not "if you had done it back then," but rather "if you will believe now, you will see the glory of God, even in what seems beyond hope!" God wants to do something great today, if you will refuse to allow a misplaced "if" to keep you from it!