Matthew 17:14-27
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Intro: Trip to Boston
Intro: Trip to Boston
I took a trip to Boston last week
Met a guy named Terry Dorsett who is the Exec Director of the Baptist Churches of New England
He is doing an incredible job revitalizing and replanting churches in the least churched area in America
We discussed partnering together in that mission
He invited me out to meet and visit some churches
Worcester, Ma
Worcester, Ma
Population: 215,000
Refugee center of New England
Over 50 ethnicities found in city
No need to go to the nations
Isaiah Craig
Family of nine
Moved two months ago from Tennessee
His children are the only white kids in the schools
Pleasant Street Baptist Church
Built in 1843
Fell into disrepair
Two months ago there were 6 people at first service
Last Sunday there were 60
Most people are from other nations
Going on this trip was a step of faith
I’ve had a heart for New England because of it’s church history and that it has become fallow ground
What God opened my heart to is that He is bringing the nations to our doorstep for us to minister to
They are either going back to their country or moving to other parts of our country, but they are open to the Gospel and being trained.
What a golden opportunity to make disciples and send them out to the nations
Read Matthew 17:14-18
Read Matthew 17:14-18
Transition:
We move from the mountain of glory to the valley of need.
The sudden appearance of Jesus and the three disciples startled the multitudes.
The distraught father had brought his demonized son to the nine disciples, begging them to deliver him; but they could not.
The scribes had noticed their failure and were using it as a reason for argument.
And while the disciples were defending themselves, and the scribes were accusing them, the demon was all but killing the helpless boy.
Wait, Pastor Chuck we didn’t read that
And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them.
And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him.
And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”
“When Moses came down from the mountain he was confronted by Israel’s apostasy (Exodus 32); so on Jesus’ return from the mountain he enters a scene of spiritual conflict and unbelief.”
“It is easy to feel Christian in the moment of prayer and meditation; it is easy to feel close to God when the world is shut out. But that is not religion – that is escapism. Real religion is to rise from our knees before God to meet men and the problems of the human situation.”
Matthew 17:14 marks the beginning of a special period of instruction by Jesus to the Twelve that continues through chapter 20.
Having given them a revelation of His person as King and of His program for the kingdom, He now gives them further principles for living in the kingdom.
The first is the foundational principle of faith.
Just as spiritual life must be received by faith, so also it is to be lived by faith
This morning we are going to see the power of faith and our need for it
I. Show Me My Need for Faith vs. 14-16
I. Show Me My Need for Faith vs. 14-16
To learn the power of faith you often need to be shown your need for it
You have a desperate dad who needs to be shown the importance of faith
A lot of people don’t see the need for God until the need arises
When I was in Boston this week that figure that was thrown around by every pastor was that only 4% of the area was Christian and they were skeptical of that
People who are Christian won’t go to church unless it is in an established in a building that looks like a church
It’s the culture out there
You know what changes that
A crisis like an epileptic child brings you to your knees
When all of man’s solutions don’t work you the only place you have to turn is God
That dad cries out for mercy
Have mercy means to demonstrate sympathy and compassion
In his deep anguish, the father pleaded with Jesus to have compassion on his son and restore him to health.
His son was an epileptic and suffered from seizures
The Greek word there is Lunatic
An expression based on the ancient belief that mental illness or madness was caused by the influence of the moon
This particular boy’s epileptic symptoms were demonic in origin
This particular boy was very ill, It was so severe, that he often falls into the fire, and often into the water
The narrative in Mark 9:14-29 tells us that the boy was made deaf and dumb by this demon.
Sometimes Jesus’ followers fail, but Jesus never does.
The man was wise for going straight to Jesus when His followers failed.
On previous occasions, the disciples did cast out demons (Luke 10:17).
Yet here they could not cure him.
Their failure was in fact good for them.
Their failure taught them.
It taught them not to get into a rut of mechanical ministry.
It taught them the great superiority of Jesus.
It taught them to wish for the presence of Jesus.
It taught them to come to Jesus with the problem.
but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
II. Help My Unbelief vs. 17-18
II. Help My Unbelief vs. 17-18
To see the power of faith you need help with your unbelief
It’s okay to be lacking in faith if you are in the dad’s situation
Not so much if you are one of the disciples
The disciples’ faithless impotence not only grieved the boy’s father but Jesus as well
There is a sense that Jesus is frustrated with His disciples.
His season of ministry before the cross was coming to an end, and perhaps He felt frustration that the disciples did not have more faith
As you grow as a disciple you need to grow in your faith
Otherwise you will
And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
To exercise the power of faith you have to ask Jesus to help you with your unbelief
III. Faith Starts Small vs. 19-21
III. Faith Starts Small vs. 19-21
The power of faith starts small
for we walk by faith, not by sight.
Faith is complete dependence upon God
It includes emptying oneself of self-will, confidence, and, effort
Faith is trusting Jesus’ infinite wisdom to what is best, even if it is a denial of what you are asking.
After Jesus cast the demon out the disciples came up to him privately and asked him why they couldn’t do it
Because of your unbelief: Jesus laid the inability of the disciples to cast out the demon at their unbelief.
To be successful in a battle against demons, there must be trust in the Lord GOD who has complete authority over the demons.
If you have faith as a mustard seed:
The faith that we must have has more to do with what kind of faith it is than with how much faith there is.
A small amount of faith, as small as a mustard seed (a very small seed), can accomplish great things if that small amount of faith is placed in the great and mighty God.
Little faith can accomplish great things; but great faith can accomplish even greater things.
What matters most is what our faith is in, the object of our faith.
“The eye cannot see itself. Did you ever see your own eye? In a mirror you may have done so, but that was only a reflection of it. And you may, in like manner, see the evidence of your faith, but you cannot look at the faith itself. Faith looks away to itself to the object of faith, even to Christ.” (Spurgeon)
You will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there”:
“Jesus here in effect calls faith an ‘uprooter of mountains,’ a phrase current in the Jewish schools for a Rabbi distinguished by legal lore or personal experience.”
IV. Faith in the Midst of Sorrow vs. 22-23
IV. Faith in the Midst of Sorrow vs. 22-23
The power of faith helps us in the midst of sorrow
This is the second time that Jesus has told the whole group that he has to go to Jerusalem to die and be resurrected
The disciples are focused on Jesus being delivered into the hands of men and being killed
They aren’t even hearing that he will be raised on the third day
This brings great sorrow and distress on the disciples
Jesus is using it to prepare the disciples for the next six months
It is a time for faith
He will die, but will defeat death
To them it’s like a cancer diagnosis
You have six months to live, but you’re saved so at least you’ll be in heaven
It doesn’t help
V. Faith for Provision vs. 24-27
V. Faith for Provision vs. 24-27
The power of faith extends to trusting God for all provision