Matthew 17:14-16..Ready

Matthew 17:14-16..Ready

17:14 When they came to the crowd (People who populated the Northern Galilee area, They had no real intent to follow Jesus, they were only there for the entertainment value in seeing what other sings the disciples might do..-(New) Along with the other nine disciples who did not join Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration.)  a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 15 “Lord, (He probably did not understands the full implications of what he was saying. It may have simply been a title of deep respect, honor, reverence to Jesus. That His miracles and healing powers were unequal to anyone else-(New) )have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures (Greek-“Moon-struck”. In ancient  times pagan people believed that seizures were caused by the cycles of the moon, like the tides or a full-moon. It is often associated with lunacy, violence, and supernatural powers. We find it portrayed in movies where a man turns into a Werewolf. Today we use the term “Lunatic” which is also related to the moon.) and is suffering greatly. (The Gospel of Mark adds “deaf and dumb as well. That he couldn’t hear or speak-(Mark 9:17, 9:25) He often falls into the fire or into the water. (Portrays a picture of self-destructive behavior 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” (The disciples botched a exorcism. The disciples  have had success before, but this time they couldn’t do it)  (For Complete Expository See Book)

    Extended Sermons

“Teaches when we have no where else to turn we can take our desperate needs to Jesus for help and compassion.” ⇒ The first step if your going to go to Jesus for help is to recognize your desperate need for Him. If you don’t see an urgent need you won’t come to Jesus. If you don’t see you’re a lost and broken sinner who desperately needs to be Saved, you won’t come to Jesus. This man went to Jesus for help because he saw his desperate need that Jesus was the only one who could help him. When we think about coming to Jesus it is really that simple. You don’t need to get your act together first. You don’t have to have every line of theology figured out. You don’t need a Seminary course. All you need to do is know your need for Jesus. This man did four things. The First thing the man did was he came in “Humility”, bowing and kneeling down before Jesus, recognizing Jesus’ greatness, who was worthy of reverence and homage (He may have not understood everything about who Jesus was as the Son of God, but he knew Jesus was special) The second thing the man did was He came ”Informed”, he knew who Jesus was and he knew what the issue was and acknowledge it. He wasn’t generic, he didn’t beat around the bush. He detailed exactly what was going on with his son and what the issue was. That his son falls into fires and falls into waters. Sometimes were to embarrassed to admit things. Or will hint about it and talk around it informalities, never getting to the true issues or taking personal accountability. The third thing the man did was he came “Earnestly” pleading Lord have mercy on my son. Sometimes we come to God in prayer perfunctorily, just a formality and routine we go through. We say things because that’s what we’re supposed to say.  We pray “Lord thy Kingdom come, thy will be done”.  Are we earnestly wanting to see the Lords’ work done in our lives and the world around us. Or is it because these are things we really need and want done? When it comes to your own spiritual growth are you begging God help me grow. When it comes to the Salvation of a loved one are you begging God to Save them. When it comes in in our struggle with sin are you begging God help deliver me? When it comes to issue you’re dealing with are you begging God to work in your situation. The fourth thing the man did was he came “dependent”. He didn’t come to Jesus way of rights or what was owed him. He didn’t come by way of deserving because of all of the good things he had done. He didn’t use his poor upbringing, he didn’t use something that happened to him in the past as an excuse.

“Warns how we can have mountaintop experiences one moment and the next back in the valley of struggles and trials below.” ⇒ Have you ever felt that way, one minute your on top of the world. Your experiencing the bliss of church, Christian retreat, camp-outs., baptism, etc. Your communing and fellowshipping with the Lord’s people. Singing, worshipping, studying scripture. Your enraptured with Jesus, being in His presence. And the next day your back in the world of more work, more school, more classes, more of reality. A world filled with pain, chaos, and idol worship. Remember Moses after his mountain to experience on Mount Sinai when he received the Law from God who appeared in glory in a cloud of smoke, lightening, and thunder  And how Moses came back down that mountain to find his brother Arron leading the people into gross idolatry as they worshiped a golden calf.-(Ex. 32:1-29) Or remember after Elijah had who had come back down from Mount Carmel. Where he had this mountain top experience where he saw God’s glory and His supremacy over false god’s as He consumed that sacrifice on the top of Mount Carmel and then  Elijah defeated the prophets of Ball. And it wasn’t much time after that a threat came upon Elijah’s life from queen Jezebel which cause to flee and fear into the wilderness where he prayed for the Lord to take his life.-(1-Kings 19, 19)  . When the euphoria of spiritual awakenings fades, remember: you carry the light of that experience within you, a quiet flame that cannot be snuffed out by the shadows of daily struggles. Mountain tops are meant to transform you by the glory of God, and valleys are designed to conform you to be more like Christ by the grace of God.

“Teaches even when everyone else has failed you, you can always come to Jesus for mercy &  help in your time of need”→ Know that when others are powerless to help you. When the church has failed you, when Pastors have failed you. You can still go to the Lord. Don’t let the failures and letdowns of others keep from going to the Lord.  Don’t let the failures of others, or even your own, keep you from seeing Jesus as He truly is: loving, wise, patient, and true. Assess Him for yourself—His words, His actions, His grace. And if you have experienced hurt at the hands of those who claim His name, remember: their imperfection is not His. Do not let anyone’s failing keep you from Jesus.

“Warns how our failures and lack of faith can have a damaging affect on others, hindering their ability to believe and come to Jesus.” ⇒ If your not a member of the Church or someone who had a interaction with a Christian and it was a bad experience. Please do not use that as a reason or an excuse for not thinking about Christ or considering becoming a believer. Thinking if that’s what Christianity is like and that is what His followers act like. I don’t want any part of Jesus. Instead will you make your assessment directly off of Christ. Off His words, His claims, His actions, His life, His love, His perfection. And then say is Christ someone I want to follow or not. Even Jesus says in the text, “Bring the boy to me”. Jesus is the person who will solve the problem. Jesus is the person who will prove Himself true and trustworthy. So it is when evaluating Christianity don’t do it with someone who is fallible and imperfect as they are. Many whether intentionally or unintentionally have perverted the message and Christ’s image. Do you, as a follower of Jesus, make it easier for people to believe in Jesus or do you make it harder? If you argue, get angry, and talk and act just like people who don’t know Jesus, you are making it harder for people to believe.

“Calls for not allowing the failures and shortcomings of others  to negatively affect us, or keep us from coming to Jesus.“ → Do not be discouraged when others around you falter, or when you encounter failure—whether your own or that of those you trusted. The shortcomings of people, even those who bear the name of Christ, are not a reflection of His character. The Lord remains steadfast and true, always ready to receive you with open arms. When all earthly supports seem to crumble, you can still call upon the name of the Lord for help. His wisdom, patience, and love are not diminished by human imperfection. If you have experienced pain or disappointment at the hands of others, do not let that steal from you the hope and light that Christ offers.

“Even today, it’s a great shame and disservice to Christ when the lost and hurting come looking for answers in their time of need only to find nothing that we can offer, eventually causing them to look elsewhere, that maybe Jesus isn’t as powerful as we claimed.” ⇒ Have you ever been approached by someone and they asked you to pray for something (direction, healing, wisdom, restoration in a relationship, etc.) but nothing happened. No change occurred.

Additional Notes & Applications

Calls for staying spiritually disciplined in our walk with Jesus or our faith can start to wane.

Warns how oftentimes we don’t always represent Jesus as well as we should.

Calls for not evaluating Christianity based on Jesus’ imperfect followers, evaluate it on the power, character, and actions of Jesus Himself.

Displays how people are just waiting for us to mess up so that they can criticize and gloat over our failures. Nothing makes people more happy than what they see us fail.

Warns how we can go through the motions and mechanics of religion with very little faith. It’s not about saying all the right words, it’s about the heart that is believing.

For those who don’t know “Epilepsy” is a neurological condition that causes repeated seizures. These seizures are caused by sudden, abnormal electrical activity in the brain. There are many types of epilepsy, each with its own symptoms. The one the boy was probably suffering from is what is called “Tonic-clonic seizures” that causes a loss of consciousness and violent convulsions and muscle contractions. It’s the type of seizure most people picture when they think about seizures. During a seizure, there’s a burst of electrical activity in the brain that causes changes in behavior and movements. When people have tonic-clonic seizures, they are not aware of what’s happening. In tonic-clonic seizures, the muscles become stiff, often resulting in injuries, causing the person to fall. Then the muscles alternately flex and relax. Tonic-clonic seizures have two stages: In the Tonic phase someone will often make a sound, such as a groan or yell. There may be saliva or foam coming from the mouth. The muscles suddenly get stiff causing the person to fall down. Loss of consciousness occurs.  Occasionally, people may have abnormal or combative behavior after a tonic-clonic seizure while the brain is recovering. This phase tends to last about 10 to 20 seconds. In the Clonic phase. The muscles go into rhythmic contractions. The arms and legs often jerk. They alternately flex and relax. Convulsions usually last 1 to 2 minutes or less. (See Video https://youtu.be/Nds2U4CzvC4

According to Marks Gospel it says the boy was possessed by a demon that had robbed him of his speech.-(Mark 9:17b) Which would suggests the scribes were probably mocking the disciples because based on Jewish theology you could not cast a demon out without knowing it’s name. Therefore because the boy was “mute” they were making fun of the disciples in how they were going to kick a demon out if you don’t know his name, your just wasting your time guys.

https://youtu.be/tWKmypmTdPQ