WEBVTT 00:00:02.479 --> 00:00:05.200 Thank you for joining us on the CCW podcast. 00:00:05.360 --> 00:00:11.039 Make sure you connect with us on social media to stay up to date on ministries and events happening at CCW. 00:00:11.279 --> 00:00:14.960 We hope you're encouraged, inspired, and motivated by today's message. 00:00:15.119 --> 00:00:19.120 To find out how to connect with us, keep listening after the message ends. 00:00:21.280 --> 00:00:23.039 Good morning, Saints. 00:00:25.039 --> 00:00:30.239 It is my pleasure to bring you greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:33.600 If you haven't met me, my name is Eli Alexander. 00:00:33.679 --> 00:00:36.079 I'm the family and children's pastor here at the church. 00:00:36.240 --> 00:00:56.079 And so I'm normally not uh wearing uh khaki pants in the summertime, but I figured on an occasion such as this, being able to preach in front of the main congregation, it was the time to bust out my khaki pants, maybe even iron them, put on my uh grandfather's hand-me-down penny loafers that I inherited not too long ago. 00:00:56.159 --> 00:01:03.920 Uh, I spared no expense on uh presenting myself before you in a nice fashion. 00:01:04.159 --> 00:01:12.879 It is uh not lost on me that I am uh bringing to you a word from God's word on faith and prayer. 00:01:13.040 --> 00:01:23.519 Uh specifically on a baptism Sunday where uh I had the privilege to baptize sweet little Henley, one of my closest little CCW kids' friends. 00:01:23.680 --> 00:01:28.000 Uh that's not something that we take time to curate. 00:01:28.079 --> 00:01:36.079 Oh, yeah, let's make sure that we're talking about faith on Baptism Sunday and make sure that we're singing about faith and prayer, because Eli's talking about faith and prayer. 00:01:36.239 --> 00:01:42.079 That's not something that we get together and curate as a staff to try to play Christian manipulation with you. 00:01:42.239 --> 00:01:46.719 No, that is that is a God-ordained happy little accident. 00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:50.560 And as we know, God doesn't make accidents, everything is for a purpose. 00:01:50.719 --> 00:02:19.759 And so as I sat in worship and I listened to this new song that Benji and the team led us through, on faith and on prayer, and on the friend that we have in Jesus, and as I a few weeks ago realized, oh wow, I'm gonna be teaching on faith and prayer on baptism Sunday, all these, like like I said, maybe accidents uh come into a better view as actually a God-ordained plan that is not lost on me and is very, very special to me. 00:02:19.919 --> 00:02:28.719 So, as you guys have known, we've been on our summer series, and the text that uh Rick asked me to teach from, I was so excited that it was in the New Testament. 00:02:28.800 --> 00:02:31.520 In case you were here the last time I was here, it was in Joshua chapter 9. 00:02:31.599 --> 00:02:39.840 And I love God's word, Old and New Testament, but Old Testament is some uh, you know, if you're a weightlifter, that's like maxing out, that's like PR. 00:02:40.240 --> 00:02:43.120 Getting ready for some Old Testament text can sometimes be challenging. 00:02:43.360 --> 00:02:46.319 The New Testament is just amazing. 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:50.000 I love to just swim in the New Testament and God's word in the New Testament. 00:02:50.080 --> 00:03:00.800 So when Rick said Matthew chapter 17, verses 14 through 20, talking all about having faith the size of a mustard seed. 00:03:01.039 --> 00:03:06.400 If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can tell that mountain to move from there to there and it will move. 00:03:06.560 --> 00:03:07.759 That's verse 20. 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:09.039 That's verse 20. 00:03:09.199 --> 00:03:10.800 And that's where we're gonna be today. 00:03:10.960 --> 00:03:16.159 We're gonna be in Matthew chapter 17, verses 14 through 20. 00:03:16.479 --> 00:03:30.000 But I'd also like you to turn in your Bible, if you have two tassels, if you're one of those super Christians that's got a double tassel Bible, you can flip to Mark chapter 9, verses 14 through 29. 00:03:30.159 --> 00:03:38.960 And the reason that I tell you that you should want to have both of those verses handy is because of the nature of the gospels. 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:41.840 Now you might be saying, Eli, what are the gospels? 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:46.719 I've heard the gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ, but you said gospels plural. 00:03:47.039 --> 00:03:50.800 I'm so glad you asked, is what I always tell my kids when I ask rhetorical questions. 00:03:50.960 --> 00:03:52.000 I'm so glad you asked. 00:03:52.159 --> 00:03:54.879 The nature of the gospels is this. 00:03:55.599 --> 00:04:10.639 The gospels are the first four books of the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and these are four corroborating autobiographies, or not autobiographies, excuse me, biographies of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 00:04:10.800 --> 00:04:12.159 That's what the Gospels are. 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:16.639 They're the same story with a little different flavor in each one, right? 00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:20.000 And Mark, Mark is known as like the immediate gospel guy. 00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:26.240 If you read the book of Mark, you'll read immediately they went, immediately they went, immediately they left, immediately they prayed, immediately they healed. 00:04:26.319 --> 00:04:27.519 It's the immediate gospel. 00:04:27.680 --> 00:04:28.720 Mark was urgent. 00:04:28.879 --> 00:04:31.839 Mark was getting to it and keeping it moving, all right? 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:34.399 Some of the other guys, like Luke, Luke was Dr. 00:04:34.560 --> 00:04:35.920 Luke, and so Luke is a genius. 00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:40.639 So he uses big words, and that's one of the trademarks of Luke's gospel. 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:44.399 So each one has a little bit of a different flavor to it. 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:47.199 I described it to the kids a couple weeks ago like this. 00:04:47.439 --> 00:04:54.079 I said, it's almost like if I picked four of you guys to write about my every move. 00:04:54.399 --> 00:05:04.319 But one of you was in the lobby, one of you was right here, one of you was outside on the security team watching the parking lot, and one of you was serving them kids. 00:05:04.560 --> 00:05:08.480 Everybody's gonna have a little bit of a different flavor of what I did. 00:05:08.639 --> 00:05:12.879 Someone would say, I saw Eli walk up on the stage and preach a sermon. 00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:17.360 Someone might say, I heard Jesus, or I heard Eli preach a sermon. 00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:19.199 Not Jesus, heaven help me. 00:05:19.439 --> 00:05:22.639 I heard Eli preach a sermon because they're out there in the lobby. 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:24.160 They didn't see me walk on stage. 00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:29.519 Does that mean that I levitated out here on stage just because the person in the lobby didn't see me walk out here? 00:05:29.839 --> 00:05:31.439 No, that's not what that means. 00:05:31.680 --> 00:05:41.519 So I want to present to you in this way an illustration of what it means to be contradictory versus what it means to be supplementary. 00:05:41.759 --> 00:05:44.800 First example is gonna be funny, I hope. 00:05:44.959 --> 00:05:47.360 Second example is gonna be not so funny. 00:05:47.600 --> 00:05:51.439 So, to talk about what it would mean to be contradictory. 00:05:51.759 --> 00:05:53.680 Parents, think back. 00:05:53.920 --> 00:06:02.399 Some of you it was long ago, some of you it's right now, to when your child was smart enough to speak, but not smart enough to use the toilet. 00:06:02.959 --> 00:06:10.800 Smart enough to spend all their time on an iPad, like they're a computer programmer, but not smart enough to know that they shouldn't eat their boogers, right? 00:06:10.959 --> 00:06:16.000 That's where I want you, like that age, I don't know the number, but I that's where I want you to be. 00:06:16.399 --> 00:06:22.959 And think of this child at say 7.30, bedtime's at 8 for this child, all right? 00:06:23.199 --> 00:06:27.519 7.30, child goes to mom and says, Mom, I want a cookie. 00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:28.639 Can I have a cookie, please? 00:06:28.800 --> 00:06:31.360 And mom says, No, it's too close to your bedtime. 00:06:31.439 --> 00:06:32.639 You can't have a cookie. 00:06:33.040 --> 00:06:34.800 Child thinks back. 00:06:35.439 --> 00:06:39.839 How can I be the most brilliant, manipulative child possible? 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:49.040 And goes to dad, who is in another room in the house, and let's just picture this like it's my household and it's my sister, and my sister can get anything from my dad. 00:06:49.120 --> 00:06:54.399 And so my sister goes to my dad and she says, Dad, I'm really hungry. 00:06:54.639 --> 00:06:55.920 Could I have a cookie? 00:06:56.160 --> 00:06:58.560 And my dad, of course, would say, Yes. 00:06:58.879 --> 00:07:07.920 And then my sister, of course, would take the cookie and happily go eating it right in front of my mom, so that my mom would say, I told you not to get a cookie. 00:07:08.079 --> 00:07:10.720 And she would obviously say, Well, dad told me that I could. 00:07:10.879 --> 00:07:13.920 And then ensues World War III, right? 00:07:14.160 --> 00:07:17.920 So those are contradictory stories. 00:07:18.399 --> 00:07:21.360 Mom said no, dad said yes. 00:07:21.600 --> 00:07:23.680 There's no way we're reconciling this. 00:07:23.759 --> 00:07:27.600 It's not a matter of black, or it is a matter of black and white, there is no gray. 00:07:27.839 --> 00:07:29.600 Mom said no, dad said yes. 00:07:29.680 --> 00:07:31.519 They are contradictory story. 00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:33.519 No reconciliation there, right? 00:07:33.920 --> 00:07:36.639 Then, here's my boring story. 00:07:37.199 --> 00:07:38.000 Vitamins. 00:07:38.240 --> 00:07:39.839 Did you all take your vitamins this morning? 00:07:40.079 --> 00:07:42.160 Vitamins are a supplement, right? 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:45.759 Vitamins are there to supplement your diet and your exercise. 00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:50.959 You were not supposed to get 100% of your daily nutritional value from the vitamins that you take in the morning. 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:52.399 That's just not how that works. 00:07:52.639 --> 00:07:58.560 Otherwise, I'd wither away if all I had to do to be nutritionally sound was eat my vitamins. 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:00.000 So that is a supplement. 00:08:00.160 --> 00:08:04.399 They come alongside, they come alongside your diet and nutrition. 00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:08.079 In the same way, the gospels are supplementary to one another. 00:08:08.319 --> 00:08:14.800 Where one is lacking in a part of the story, we can luckily glean from another part of the story to take its place. 00:08:14.959 --> 00:08:21.120 And so that's what I want you guys to think of because we are going to go a little bit between Matthew and Mark. 00:08:21.279 --> 00:08:24.000 It's the same story, but there are some differences. 00:08:24.240 --> 00:08:25.199 There are some differences. 00:08:25.279 --> 00:08:29.120 So I want you to keep that in mind as we go through these two texts. 00:08:29.920 --> 00:08:38.320 The last thing I want you to know as far as context is that this is immediately following the transfiguration. 00:08:38.720 --> 00:08:40.399 Now, what is the transfiguration? 00:08:40.480 --> 00:08:41.840 I'm so glad you asked. 00:08:42.080 --> 00:08:46.399 That's a whole sermon series in and of itself, as far as what was the transfiguration. 00:08:46.559 --> 00:09:02.879 But in short, for us to understand this message here, the transfiguration was Jesus and some of his disciples on top of a mountain, where Jesus took the form that he originally had in heaven before clothing himself in man's form. 00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:17.279 Jesus assumed the heavenly form on top of that mountain where he met with Elijah and Moses, and the disciples were there to just see the shining light in this heavenly holy meeting and just say, wow! Like that's the transfiguration. 00:09:17.519 --> 00:09:24.960 Like just otherworldly witness that the disciples had, just to be on a fly on the wall for that meeting. 00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:30.080 That just happened before we jumped into our text, the transfiguration. 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:41.600 So I want to first hope by now y'all have gotten to Matthew chapter 17, verses 14 through 20, and I'm going to start reading in verse 14. 00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:55.519 And it says this When they came to the crowd, a man came up to him, and kneeling before him said, Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. 00:09:55.840 --> 00:09:59.039 For often he falls into the fire and often into water. 00:09:59.200 --> 00:10:02.240 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him. 00:10:02.480 --> 00:10:07.600 And Jesus answered, O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? 00:10:07.840 --> 00:10:09.440 How long am I to bear with you? 00:10:09.600 --> 00:10:11.279 Bring him here to me. 00:10:11.679 --> 00:10:16.480 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. 00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:21.840 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, Why could we not cast it out? 00:10:22.240 --> 00:10:25.679 He said to them, Because of your little faith. 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:40.240 For truly I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. 00:10:40.559 --> 00:10:41.600 Let's pray. 00:10:48.879 --> 00:10:53.519 That I would preach only you and you crucified and resurrected. 00:10:54.240 --> 00:11:10.720 That we as a church body would grow from your living word, that it would cut to our hearts, that it would grow us where we need to grow, that it would prune us where we would need to be pruned, so that we may grow as faithful disciples of you. 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:14.159 I pray that you would be with me. 00:11:14.480 --> 00:11:16.480 I pray that you would comfort me in my nerves. 00:11:16.559 --> 00:11:23.440 God, I pray that you would be with those who are here struggling with faith, struggling in prayer. 00:11:24.960 --> 00:11:29.840 God, where we lack, you are there in full abundance. 00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:32.080 I pray that you would be with us today. 00:11:32.240 --> 00:11:34.320 And I pray all of this in Jesus' name. 00:11:34.639 --> 00:11:35.279 Amen. 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:40.240 Alright. 00:11:40.480 --> 00:11:41.759 Are y'all ready? 00:11:42.639 --> 00:11:44.320 Oof, got one ready. 00:11:44.559 --> 00:11:45.840 Are y'all ready? 00:11:46.159 --> 00:11:47.120 Alright. 00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:51.039 I asked that because I was getting cotton mouth, alright? 00:11:51.519 --> 00:11:58.879 The first point that I got for you guys in your notes, and just by the way, if you guys notice any difference in what I'm reading versus what you're reading or on the screen, I'm not sure. 00:11:58.960 --> 00:12:02.399 Uh, Pastor Rick typically preaches out of the New King James Version. 00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:04.639 I preach out of the English Standard Version. 00:12:04.720 --> 00:12:06.240 So I'm not making this up as I go. 00:12:06.320 --> 00:12:08.159 It's just a difference of translation, okay? 00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:11.360 Don't want you to come come for me with torches and pitchforks. 00:12:11.759 --> 00:12:19.360 But the first point that I have for you is that in this text we see a formidable opponent. 00:12:20.720 --> 00:12:23.840 We see a formidable opponent. 00:12:24.080 --> 00:12:32.879 Fun fact about me, and if you got our blog that goes out in the email every week, I love the idea, or I'm just interested, I don't love the idea. 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:34.240 That makes you sound like a boring person. 00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:39.919 I'm interested by the idea of coffee mug Bible verses or bumper sticker Bible verses. 00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:43.759 You might ask me, Eli, what is a bumper sticker Bible verse? 00:12:43.840 --> 00:12:44.720 I'm glad you asked. 00:12:44.960 --> 00:12:51.120 A bumper sticker Bible verse are those Philippians 4.13s, those John 3.16s. 00:12:51.200 --> 00:12:52.799 They're those good verses. 00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:55.840 They're nice and short, so they fit on a coffee mug or a bumper sticker. 00:12:56.080 --> 00:13:01.360 They're nice and short, and there's so much good packed into those verses. 00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:10.320 I would argue that Matthew 17.20 certainly qualifies as a coffee mug Bible verse. 00:13:10.559 --> 00:13:12.559 In fact, my mom, she even proved it to me. 00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:20.320 She said she had a charm when she was younger, and it was, it had the scripture inscribed on it, just the reference, surely, and then it had a mustard seed. 00:13:20.480 --> 00:13:22.240 A nitty-bitty mustard seed. 00:13:22.399 --> 00:13:24.080 And it was on her little charm bracelet. 00:13:24.159 --> 00:13:32.480 So I can promise you that uh the Christian industry has uh monetized this verse for the sake of coffee mugs, t-shirts, pens, and bumper stickers. 00:13:32.559 --> 00:13:33.519 And that's a good thing. 00:13:33.679 --> 00:13:36.960 It's good to keep our eyes before verses that encourage us, right? 00:13:37.120 --> 00:13:40.080 I'm not gonna tell you, oh, you should read John 3.16 less, right? 00:13:40.240 --> 00:13:41.840 I mean, that's just that's foolish. 00:13:42.080 --> 00:14:03.120 So there is a downside potentially to this ever-so common coffee mug Bible verse, and it's that when we hear something over and over and over and over and over and over again, we can sometimes fall for the temptation to just not care about it that much anymore. 00:14:03.279 --> 00:14:06.960 It's like, yeah, Jesus died for my sins, got it for the whole world. 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:08.159 Ooh, yep, got it. 00:14:08.320 --> 00:14:09.120 Next verse. 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:11.679 Ooh, faith the size of a mother seed. 00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:12.159 I've got faith. 00:14:12.320 --> 00:14:13.200 Next verse. 00:14:13.919 --> 00:14:14.960 I can do all things. 00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:15.759 That sounds awesome. 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:16.399 Next verse. 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:23.360 When we've heard heard things all the time, over and over and over again, it can be tempting to get kind of jaded on it. 00:14:23.600 --> 00:14:27.759 To not even care so much about it because we've heard it so many times. 00:14:27.919 --> 00:14:35.360 And so, what I want to challenge you is this don't grow complacent over verses that we've heard all the time. 00:14:35.519 --> 00:14:37.519 We've heard them all the time for a good reason. 00:14:37.679 --> 00:14:48.480 And so we should continue to glean the truth from those verses over and over again, as many millions of times that we read it, because there is good truth found in the living word of God. 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:49.519 There is. 00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:52.720 And so, I want to give you this illustration from C.S. 00:14:52.879 --> 00:14:55.120 Lewis's novel, The Screw Tape Letters. 00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:58.559 If you've read it, uh, awesome, you're cool, I want to talk to you after. 00:14:58.720 --> 00:14:59.919 If you haven't read it, that's okay. 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:01.519 I'll give you the uh Cliff Notes. 00:15:01.679 --> 00:15:10.399 The Cliff Notes version is that Screw The Screw Tape Letters is a novel about two demons just chit-chatting about trying to possess uh a human. 00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:18.399 And they're talking about all the strategies and tactics that they can use to try to get this guy and condemn him to eternal damnation. 00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:19.440 Sounds fun, right? 00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:22.240 It's a great book because C.S. 00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:32.159 Lewis is just such an illustrative author, and he crafts just beautifully the ways that an enemy would try to win our souls. 00:15:32.399 --> 00:15:44.399 And so one of the things that is constantly mentioned in this book is that these demons are trying so hard to lull the Christian into a sense of complacency. 00:15:44.559 --> 00:15:50.320 They often say, if we can get this Christian to be complacent, we got him. 00:15:50.559 --> 00:15:55.840 And so that's where I want to encourage you not to say, oh great, Eli's teaching about faith the size of a mustard seed. 00:15:55.919 --> 00:15:56.960 I've heard this a thousand times. 00:15:57.120 --> 00:16:03.120 I want to encourage you to stay in tune and see what God's word has to offer. 00:16:03.360 --> 00:16:08.080 Because complacency is the enemy for a growing Christian. 00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:19.120 Now, another common verse, I wouldn't put it on a coffee mug, because it's pretty it's it's pretty scary to be to be completely frank, would be John 10 10, specifically the first part. 00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:20.480 All of you will know it once I start. 00:16:20.559 --> 00:16:26.879 It says, the thief only comes to steal and kill and destroy. 00:16:27.759 --> 00:16:36.960 And that brings me to my first sub point of this text, which is that this opponent desires your destruction. 00:16:37.679 --> 00:16:41.360 This opponent desires your destruction. 00:16:41.919 --> 00:16:46.320 Going back to the screw tape letters, it's not just complacency for complacency's sake. 00:16:46.559 --> 00:16:51.679 It's not so it's like, oh, they're not a super Christian, so they won't affect me and my demon possession, you know. 00:16:51.759 --> 00:16:52.639 That's not what it's saying. 00:16:52.720 --> 00:16:58.960 They know that complacency leads to the Christian's ultimate destruction. 00:16:59.200 --> 00:17:00.320 Because it's lukewarm. 00:17:00.399 --> 00:17:02.480 There's no true faith there, right? 00:17:03.919 --> 00:17:06.319 This opponent desires your destruction. 00:17:06.480 --> 00:17:09.279 We don't have to look any farther than our text from today. 00:17:09.519 --> 00:17:10.000 We don't. 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:11.440 What do we what do we read here? 00:17:11.680 --> 00:17:17.680 Jesus heals a boy with a demon, is what I'm reading, is my subtitle in my text. 00:17:17.839 --> 00:17:29.680 This demon, in order to try to destroy this boy from the inside out, casts him into fire, into water in fits of seizures in order to try to burn him or drown him. 00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:33.680 It rendered him mute and deaf. 00:17:34.799 --> 00:17:41.839 What other means other than to completely destroy its host? 00:17:42.160 --> 00:17:43.359 What other means? 00:17:43.519 --> 00:17:49.359 There's no other benefit other than to completely destroy his host. 00:17:49.599 --> 00:17:52.880 We often will joke about this Bible verse almost. 00:17:53.119 --> 00:17:56.079 We'll claim this verse when we have car troubles. 00:17:56.319 --> 00:18:01.599 We'll claim this verse when we've kind of had a rough week at work or any other trivial manner of things. 00:18:01.759 --> 00:18:03.519 But the reality is this. 00:18:04.880 --> 00:18:13.279 The reality is this that there is an enemy that has no greater joy than your ultimate and complete destruction. 00:18:14.240 --> 00:18:16.319 Physically and spiritually, full stop. 00:18:16.559 --> 00:18:24.079 There is a real enemy that desires nothing but your complete and total physical and spiritual destruction. 00:18:24.720 --> 00:18:27.519 And this might feel uncomfortable to sit with. 00:18:28.559 --> 00:18:32.319 I admit that when I was studying this text, it made me uncomfortable to sit with it. 00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:34.319 Like, wow, like my life isn't that hard. 00:18:34.400 --> 00:18:36.960 Is he really out there to just destroy me? 00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:38.559 And the answer is yes. 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:43.440 The answer is yes, that he actively seeks to completely annihilate you. 00:18:43.599 --> 00:18:46.079 That is this enemy's job. 00:18:47.279 --> 00:18:56.319 There's another scary truth that comes from this text, and it's the second sub point, and it's that this opponent is stronger than your little faith. 00:18:58.000 --> 00:19:01.920 This opponent is stronger than your little faith. 00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:09.680 My first sub point is that the opponent's desire is your destruction, then my second is that he is stronger than your little faith. 00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:20.880 Now, before I continue, it's important to distinguish that no enemy ever has or ever will be stronger than the power of God. 00:19:21.119 --> 00:19:23.279 Hallelujah, what a savior. 00:19:23.440 --> 00:19:28.079 There is no enemy that will ever be stronger than the power of God. 00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:31.440 But that's not contradicting what this point says. 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:40.079 The truth of the matter is that there very much can be enemies that are stronger than a little faith. 00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:43.680 Once again, we don't have to go farther than the text. 00:19:45.680 --> 00:19:49.359 The father takes his son to the disciples, the messengers of Jesus. 00:19:49.519 --> 00:19:50.480 Surely they can do it. 00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:51.279 They've done it before. 00:19:51.359 --> 00:19:53.519 They've been by his side the whole time. 00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:55.599 But what does this father tell Jesus? 00:19:55.759 --> 00:20:01.519 He says, I took him to your disciples, and they could not cast it out. 00:20:03.519 --> 00:20:13.759 Now, if I'm wearing my grandfather's penny loafers, my other grandfather is also here today, and he was kind enough to introduce me as a child to a little show called Andy Griffith. 00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:15.119 The Andy Griffith Show. 00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:25.440 Now, if you don't know, if you've been living under a rock and you haven't seen the Andy Griffith show, uh Andy Griffith is the upstanding, fantastic sheriff of the town of Mayberry. 00:20:25.599 --> 00:20:31.279 And then he's got this goofy, good for nothing, can't use a bullet in his gun, deputy named Barney Fife. 00:20:31.759 --> 00:20:35.279 And Barney just gets into all sorts of trouble, and thus the show goes. 00:20:35.440 --> 00:20:48.960 Well, if we take that silly example and we apply it to this text, if Jesus is the sheriff of the town, he has entrusted his disciples as his deputies to be the hands and feet of Jesus' ministry on his behalf. 00:20:49.119 --> 00:21:01.759 And he absolutely gave them the power to accomplish this mission, but they absolutely messed it up, did not deliver because of a little faith. 00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:09.599 It wasn't Jesus' power that was the problem, it was the disciples' small faith that was. 00:21:10.400 --> 00:21:16.079 And we aren't left to imagine just how frustrating this was for Jesus. 00:21:16.559 --> 00:21:19.839 Because remember our context of this text. 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:23.759 This is right on the heels of the transfiguration. 00:21:25.039 --> 00:21:36.799 The disciples witnessed with their eyes a heavenly figure of Christ meeting with Moses and Elijah on top of a mountain, shining with a bright light. 00:21:36.960 --> 00:21:38.400 They witnessed this with their eyes. 00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:39.680 They saw it. 00:21:40.240 --> 00:21:47.039 And yet, a few paces later, not it doesn't even say days, they came down from the mountain a few paces later. 00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:51.759 They have too little of faith to accomplish this task. 00:21:52.720 --> 00:21:54.559 Too little of faith to accomplish this task. 00:21:54.640 --> 00:21:56.480 Read his frustration in verse 17. 00:21:56.640 --> 00:21:59.599 He says, Oh, faithless and twisted generation. 00:22:00.880 --> 00:22:02.960 How long am I to be with you? 00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:05.599 How long am I to bear with you? 00:22:06.160 --> 00:22:07.279 That's frustration. 00:22:07.440 --> 00:22:13.599 We don't have to imagine how frustrated Jesus might be at his disciples because he says it right there. 00:22:15.039 --> 00:22:18.559 Now, all this isn't to say that the disciples had no faith. 00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:19.680 Surely they did. 00:22:19.839 --> 00:22:29.440 They had performed miracles, they'd seen Jesus' miracles, they had a faith in Jesus, but it's plain to see that their faith that they had wasn't enough. 00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:35.279 Now, the disciples aren't the only example of faith that we can see in this text either. 00:22:35.440 --> 00:22:39.200 On the one hand, we see the disciples' faith, and it's lacking. 00:22:39.519 --> 00:22:44.160 On the other hand, we see a father's faith, and it's lacking. 00:22:44.400 --> 00:22:54.720 So if you got your thumb in the Mark text, and you want to flip over there, we can read verses 20 through 24. 00:22:54.799 --> 00:22:56.319 I'll read them out loud. 00:22:57.119 --> 00:22:59.279 It says this in verse 21. 00:22:59.359 --> 00:23:03.440 It says, And Jesus asked his father, How long has this been happening to him? 00:23:03.839 --> 00:23:10.400 And he said, From childhood, and it has often cast him into fire and into water to destroy him. 00:23:10.799 --> 00:23:14.960 But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. 00:23:15.440 --> 00:23:22.720 And Jesus said to him, If you can, all things are possible for one who believes. 00:23:22.960 --> 00:23:30.079 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, I believe, help my unbelief. 00:23:32.480 --> 00:23:35.599 If you can, if you can. 00:23:36.799 --> 00:23:39.759 You can see Jesus' frustration with that remark too. 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:42.799 It's like a sassy retort from Jesus, right? 00:23:42.960 --> 00:23:50.240 If you can, Jesus says, if I can, if I can, what kind of what kind of little faith is this, right? 00:23:50.400 --> 00:23:52.000 What kind of little faith is this? 00:23:52.240 --> 00:23:56.319 If you can, I can do anything. 00:23:56.640 --> 00:23:57.759 This is what Jesus is saying. 00:23:57.920 --> 00:24:02.640 If you believe we can do anything, is what Jesus is saying in this text. 00:24:03.119 --> 00:24:06.880 So, to backtrack, we've seen two examples of a little faith. 00:24:07.599 --> 00:24:10.160 But we do see from the Father a brilliant response. 00:24:10.400 --> 00:24:11.839 We do see his brilliant response. 00:24:11.920 --> 00:24:18.079 After he says, if I can, after he gets a slap on the wrist, gets told off by Jesus saying, if I can, I can do offerings. 00:24:19.279 --> 00:24:25.279 We hear the Father say this: a brilliant confession and a petition. 00:24:26.319 --> 00:24:31.680 Says, I believe, but help my unbelief. 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:35.440 I believe, but help my unbelief. 00:24:35.599 --> 00:24:44.720 This sounds kind of confusing, but this could just as easily read, I'm on my way, but I'm not all the way there yet. 00:24:45.279 --> 00:24:49.359 Or I believe, but I'm struggling. 00:24:50.400 --> 00:24:53.759 I believe, but I also doubt. 00:24:54.319 --> 00:24:54.960 Right? 00:24:56.240 --> 00:25:05.759 Dear friend, if you can echo this father's prayer, and I pray that we as a church would be a church that prays that we believe, but God help us with our unbelief. 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:11.279 If you can echo this father's prayer, find encouragement in this. 00:25:12.559 --> 00:25:18.000 In our text today, our second point, we find an effective faith. 00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:27.599 We find an effective faith through the first sub point: Jesus, God's faithful son. 00:25:29.200 --> 00:25:34.880 We find an effective faith through Jesus, God's faithful son. 00:25:36.480 --> 00:25:42.160 Jesus exemplified faithfulness in his life on earth. 00:25:42.480 --> 00:25:48.160 In his prayer life, in his ministry on earth, he came to seek and save the lost. 00:25:48.880 --> 00:25:58.480 And yet, his ministry was not completely and totally consumed by healings and teachings, though that certainly was a major component. 00:25:58.960 --> 00:26:09.839 Another major component of Jesus' ministry was to treat to retreat in silence and solitude for time spent alone with his heavenly Father. 00:26:10.799 --> 00:26:20.079 Where we lack in faith in God, where we doubt, where we are tempted and fail, Jesus never has. 00:26:20.720 --> 00:26:32.640 Where our relationship with the Father is at times distant or strained, and let me tell you this, dear brother and sister, and as I tell it to myself, if that is the case, it is not his fault. 00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:37.200 If our distance from the Father is there, it is not his fault. 00:26:40.720 --> 00:26:54.079 And if we are distant from the Father, we can know and be rest assured that there is a Savior Jesus who has never for an instant been out of tune with the will of the Father. 00:26:54.240 --> 00:27:03.519 There's no clearer proof of this willingness to perform the Father's will, because he was willing to perform the Father's will even unto death on a cross. 00:27:03.920 --> 00:27:13.359 I see it best in the Garden of Gethsemane in Luke chapter 22, where Jesus begs, begs, sweating blood, tears alone. 00:27:13.519 --> 00:27:16.640 His friends have betrayed him because they've fallen asleep at the watch. 00:27:16.799 --> 00:27:29.200 And Jesus praying to his father, seeing the cross, seeing the cross to come, he begs, if you could let this pass from me, if you could just let this pass from me. 00:27:29.839 --> 00:27:32.480 Jesus doesn't want to do this. 00:27:33.119 --> 00:27:37.279 If you could let this pass from me, take it. 00:27:38.319 --> 00:27:41.920 But above all, let your will be done. 00:27:52.559 --> 00:27:55.119 Jesus is God's faithful son. 00:27:55.680 --> 00:28:06.400 We have to remember, because we can be so tempted to forget this, that the Trinity, one and three, three and one, has been eternally existent. 00:28:07.039 --> 00:28:08.480 Eternally existent. 00:28:08.880 --> 00:28:15.680 Jesus wasn't born in the form of he began existence for the first time in the book of Matthew. 00:28:15.839 --> 00:28:18.640 That's not when Jesus enters the scene. 00:28:18.880 --> 00:28:24.799 The Holy Spirit doesn't enter the scene in the book of Acts at Pentecost. 00:28:26.160 --> 00:28:38.559 The three parts of the Godhead, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, have been eternally in existence in perfect harmony since the beginning of time. 00:28:40.640 --> 00:28:49.920 It is this faithful sonship that equips Jesus to be our second point, our Jesus, our faithful Savior. 00:28:51.680 --> 00:28:58.720 This harmonious and perfect relationship with the Father means that Jesus has never lacked faith and has thus never lacked power. 00:28:58.880 --> 00:29:04.640 If we contrast our story and we see the disciples' failure, we see Jesus' success, right? 00:29:05.119 --> 00:29:09.440 Jesus has never lacked faith and thus never lacks in power. 00:29:09.680 --> 00:29:13.359 Jesus is greater than any enemy and any lack of faith. 00:29:13.519 --> 00:29:18.079 Look at the debt that is stacked against Jesus in our text today. 00:29:18.319 --> 00:29:20.079 He comes down from the mountain. 00:29:20.319 --> 00:29:28.079 His disciples who had just seen the most amazing thing ever are now facing a faith crisis. 00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:29.839 They have too little of faith. 00:29:30.079 --> 00:29:32.799 There's a father with too little of faith. 00:29:33.039 --> 00:29:38.319 There is a son who is physically and spiritually possessed and crippled. 00:29:38.559 --> 00:29:41.759 And there is a crowd that is watching. 00:29:42.319 --> 00:29:50.640 And I don't know if you guys are pessimists or optimists, but I can promise you that this crowd isn't there because they believe in Jesus 100%. 00:29:51.279 --> 00:29:53.440 This crowd is there because they just want to see something happen. 00:29:53.599 --> 00:29:56.079 Good or bad, they're going to see something cool happen, right? 00:29:56.240 --> 00:30:02.880 Either this guy's just going to be demon-possessed, and that's awful that we like to see a train wreck as human beings. 00:30:03.119 --> 00:30:05.279 Or Jesus will save and oh, that'll be cool. 00:30:05.359 --> 00:30:06.640 I've got my entertainment for the week. 00:30:06.720 --> 00:30:07.920 Let's go about our business. 00:30:08.079 --> 00:30:11.519 They're not all there because they believe in Jesus. 00:30:11.759 --> 00:30:16.799 The lack of faith in the environment of our story today is ripe. 00:30:16.960 --> 00:30:18.480 There is not a lot of faith. 00:30:18.720 --> 00:30:21.440 Not a lot of faith in this story today. 00:30:22.880 --> 00:30:36.000 But Jesus, in seemingly no manner of difficulty, is faithful and powerful enough to immediately save this boy. 00:30:36.480 --> 00:30:42.079 Immediately save this boy from both his physical and his spiritual affliction. 00:30:44.079 --> 00:30:44.880 Let's read it. 00:30:45.759 --> 00:30:47.759 In Matthew 17, it says this. 00:30:48.160 --> 00:30:54.480 It says here in verse 18, Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. 00:30:55.119 --> 00:30:55.920 Instantly. 00:30:56.079 --> 00:30:57.279 That's coming from Matthew. 00:30:57.359 --> 00:31:00.079 Remember, I said Mark was the immediately guy. 00:31:00.319 --> 00:31:05.359 Mark was the immediately guy, but Matthew says the boy was healed instantly. 00:31:05.519 --> 00:31:12.079 And you don't have to flip there, but in Mark, it says that the boy dropped like a corpse after Jesus rebuked the demon. 00:31:12.319 --> 00:31:17.839 But as soon as Jesus grabbed the boy's hand and stood him on his feet, he was fine. 00:31:18.079 --> 00:31:26.960 Jesus had the power to immediately heal, to immediately save, in spite of the faith vacuum. 00:31:29.119 --> 00:31:36.640 In Hebrews 3 in the New Testament, it describes Jesus as faithful to the one who appointed him. 00:31:38.079 --> 00:31:45.839 God the Father appointed Jesus to seek, secure, and save the lost. 00:31:47.279 --> 00:31:50.240 He is the faithful Savior still today. 00:31:50.720 --> 00:31:56.160 And his arm is not too short to reach and save you. 00:31:59.119 --> 00:32:03.599 Next point of this message is that there's an open invitation. 00:32:04.240 --> 00:32:11.920 I want to read both texts and just see what exactly it is that we are being invited to participate in. 00:32:12.160 --> 00:32:18.880 So in the chapter 17 in Matthew, it says this in verses 19 and 20. 00:32:19.119 --> 00:32:22.880 It says, Then the disciples came to Jesus privately. 00:32:23.279 --> 00:32:23.599 Right? 00:32:23.680 --> 00:32:26.079 They didn't want to get told off in front of the crowd. 00:32:26.160 --> 00:32:27.440 They didn't want to be embarrassed. 00:32:27.599 --> 00:32:33.200 So the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, Why could we not cast it out? 00:32:34.160 --> 00:32:38.000 He said to them, Because of your little faith. 00:32:38.640 --> 00:32:50.319 For truly I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. 00:32:50.559 --> 00:32:52.240 That's our Matthew text. 00:32:52.559 --> 00:32:56.480 Mark says this in verses 28 and 29. 00:32:58.160 --> 00:33:06.559 Said when he entered the house, his disciples, once again privately, not to be embarrassed, his disciples asked him privately, Why could we not cast it out? 00:33:07.440 --> 00:33:15.039 And he said to them, This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer. 00:33:16.160 --> 00:33:22.000 By anything but prayer is the reason on one hand. 00:33:23.119 --> 00:33:25.759 Little faith, the other hand. 00:33:25.920 --> 00:33:31.599 So one hand, the disciples weren't prayerful enough, other hand, disciples weren't faithful enough. 00:33:31.759 --> 00:33:32.480 Which is it? 00:33:32.720 --> 00:33:33.119 Right? 00:33:33.279 --> 00:33:34.160 Which is it? 00:33:34.480 --> 00:33:36.960 Well, remember what we talked about? 00:33:37.279 --> 00:33:40.240 Contradictory versus supplementary. 00:33:40.640 --> 00:33:46.319 We don't have to take Mark's word on the matter more so than Matthew's word on the matter. 00:33:46.559 --> 00:33:55.279 We don't have to believe Matthew more for whatever reason or Mark more for whatever reason because these two go together. 00:33:56.319 --> 00:33:57.279 They go together. 00:33:57.519 --> 00:34:07.599 I have never seen, and you can correct me if I'm wrong, I have never seen a faithless prayer warrior. 00:34:09.280 --> 00:34:15.440 I've never seen a faithless prayer warrior, someone who is constantly on their knees petitioning the Father in heaven. 00:34:15.599 --> 00:34:18.079 I've never seen a faithless prayer warrior. 00:34:18.239 --> 00:34:26.239 And on the flip side of that, I've never seen somebody pray who doesn't have faith. 00:34:26.400 --> 00:34:30.719