Sermon Tone Analysis

Hanging On In Need of Power

GOD IS SUCH A HOLY GOD AND THIS IS HIS HOLY WORD LET’S HONOR HIM BY STANDING

PRAYER!!!

Prayerless Disciples Become Powerless Disciples

Inside your house is a television, a washer and dryer set, a refrigerator, and hopefully an air conditioning unit and heater.

You have ceiling fans and chandeliers with light bulbs.

Those things are wonderful inventions, but, none of these electrical items in your house are working, despite all cords being plugged in the socket and the switches in the on position.

What could be the problem?

You walk outside and realize the power that resides at the top of the pole does not flow down into your house.

There is power on high at the pole in the name of Ameren, but without the power at the pole being connected with the power box at the house, nothing electrical you have will work nor anything electrical you seek to do will be effective.

We are today’s disciples of Jesus Christ gathered in a place we call God’s house, not because it is the temple, but because His temple is gathered inside it.

For God’s pastor in this house to be fruitful and effective at what he does, he must have the power at the pole connected with the box at the house (this pulpit).

For God’s people in this house to be fruitful and effective, and for what we have (our ministries) to work successfully, we need the power to flow from the pole and through the house.

Christian Life, Faith in

Telephone-pole climbing is an art.

In order to climb, one must have a belt that goes around the pole and wear spiked shoes.

The secret is to lean back and depend on the belt so the spikes can dig into the pole.

Depending on the belt is hard to learn; often a beginner slides down the splintery pole because he won’t depend on his equipment.

It only takes a few such experiences to convince the beginner that it is better to depend on the belt.

In the Christian life, God wants us to climb by depending on him.

When we are hurt by splinters, we should recognize that they are reminders that we need to depend on his strength and loving protection.148

There is power on high in the name of Jesus and prayer is our pole climbing belt.

Prayerless Disciples Become Powerless Disciples

Our text tonight reveals this truth to us without question.

Notice, first:

The Problem

A. Powerless Captives

A young boy’s life is hanging in the balance.

v.15 - The boy is described, by his father as having seizures, some, because of the symptoms have translated the word as epilepsy.

The Greek Word used only here in the NT, literally means “to be moon-struck.”

The Greek culture thinking that insanity was caused by the moon goddess, Selene and that it waxed and waned (VBS Galactic Starveyors) with the same phases of the moon.

That’s where we get our phrase “lunatic.”

You have heard the old saying about what a fool moon does to people.

(They all go to Walmart the next day at noon in their pajamas.)

The context of the event gives the fuller picture.

v.18 reveals what is behind the scenes.

This boy is a captive of satan, tossed about into the fire or water by the demon that possessed him.

His family is held captive by the fear of what could happen to their loved one.

Left in this condition, he, possibly, will soon be found dead.

The scene describe in the another Gospel reveals even more how powerless the boy was and how powerless the father felt to do anything to help his son.

Mark 20

v.16a - The dad, thinking about the ones he felt were surely most capable and willing, goes to Jesus’ disciples looking for help, then to Jesus and “falling on His knees.”

He knew he was powerless.

In the NASB it has crying out for pity.

The Apostle Paul in Ephesians gives us an even bigger look behind the scenes of the world.

Many people see a news story of a mom who kills all 5 of her kids, or a story of a pedophile trafficking young girls all over the Midwest and ask, “How can someone do such a thing?”

Paul reveals the true answer to that question.

People without Jesus are Powerless.

If this

There’s a new song - Chainbreaker.

Describes Him perfectly.

There is one part of the problem in this text that doesn’t make good sense.

B. Powerless Disciples

When Moses came down from the mountain he was confronted by Israel’s apostasy (); so on Jesus’ return from the mountain he enters a scene of spiritual conflict (v.

18) and unbelief (vv.

17, 20).

When Moses came down from the mountain he was confronted by Israel’s apostasy (); so on Jesus’ return from the mountain he enters a scene of spiritual conflict (v.

18) and unbelief (vv.

17, 20).

v.16b & 19 - These Christ followers were unable to do any good to help the father.

They found themselves powerless to do the kingdom work Jesus had just recently given them the power to accomplish.

Their expression could not shows that they recognized that they lacked the power.

They had failed at a ministry they had been sent forth by Christ to fulfill, and their expression to Jesus, showed they were fully aware of their lack of power for the ministry.

When Moses came down from the mountain he was confronted by Israel’s apostasy (Exod.

32); so on Jesus’ return from the mountain he enters a scene of spiritual conflict (v.

18) and unbelief (vv.

17, 20).

v.17-18 - The words Jesus speaks is not directed at any nearby crowd.

Matthew makes the disciples center stage in his account.

No, Jesus’ rebuke is directed at the ones He expected and commissioned to help set the captives of satan free.

Jesus not only called His disciples “unbelieving” but He gets very harsh with them declaring them no different than obstinate Israel and its leaders - the perverted generation.

The word implies something being distorted to the point uselessness.

Jesus empowered His disciples to draw upon His authority to advance the kingdom of heaven.

His disciples had failed miserably because they failed to depend on His power to accomplish their ministry.

I have said it many times.

When people think or speak about the Great Commission, they always leave out the most important verse.

Church we have been given a Commission and a ministry in various forms, look around you.

We have powerless people all around us who are captives to the dark forces at work behind the scenes.

We are not seeing many set free these days.

What would Jesus say to us right now? Are we as humble as the disciples in our recognition?

Do we want to ask the question like they did?

Do we want the answer to the problem?

Second Notice with me:

The Answer

Matthew goes out of his way to stress the danger of lack of faith.

He has had a lot to say about the failure of the disciples in this department already.

It is an important lesson, and the more settled and established a church becomes, the more it needs to learn afresh that it can achieve precisely nothing without sincere dependence on the Lord, a point highlighted by the many manuscripts that add after verse 20, ‘But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting’—a marvellous rebuttal, incidentally, of the charge that Jesus performed exorcisms by magic.

Instead, they happened as a result of implicit faith in the power of the Lord, claimed by prayer and from time to time reinforced by fasting.

v.21 - Is likely added later in Matthew by a scribe but can be found in similar form in the original of another gospel.

The Message of Matthew The Messiah’s Frustration (17:14–21)

v.19 - notice it says they came to Jesus privately.

Prayer must always begin in the private places, not just talking but listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

v.19 - notice it says they came to Jesus privately.

Prayer must always begin in the private places, not just talking but listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew goes out of his way to stress the danger of lack of faith.

He has had a lot to say about the failure of the disciples in this department already.

It is an important lesson, and the more settled and established a church becomes, the more it needs to learn afresh that it can achieve precisely nothing without sincere dependence on the Lord, a point highlighted by the many manuscripts that add after verse 20, ‘But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting’—a marvellous rebuttal, incidentally, of the charge that Jesus performed exorcisms by magic.

Instead, they happened as a result of implicit faith in the power of the Lord, claimed by prayer and from time to time reinforced by fasting.

v.19 - notice it says they came to Jesus privately.

Your prayer must always begin in your private places, not just talking but listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

The Pharisee prayed the way he did in public because he had not prayed the way he should in private.

Pray in private so you can pray like the publican did in public.

v.20 - When Jesus says the problem is their little faith he is not talking about size.