In Jesus' Name, Amen

Summary of sermon on Matthew 17:14-23 from Pastor Lance Shumake.

As Jesus, Peter, James, and John came down from the mountaintop where the transfiguration took place, they found Jesus’ disciples in a crowd, arguing with religious leaders (Mark 9:14).

The scribes were criticizing the disciples for not being able to heal a demon possessed boy.

Jesus’ response to His disciples was harsh. In verse 17 he says to them, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?”

In this moment we catch a glimpse of Jesus’ humanity. The disciples’ lack of faith and their blatant unbelief exasperate Jesus.

This picture of Jesus’ humanity must be placed right next to a picture of the cross. Because as much as He was frustrated, He kept going with His plan. In spite of our unbelief and rejection of Him, Jesus’ love for us and His desire to rescue us was so much bigger. He continued to pursue us straight to the cross.

Matthew tells that after Jesus healed the boy, the disciples came to Him privately and asked why they weren’t able to cast the demon out.

In this moment, Jesus rebuked them, saying, “because of your little faith.”

(When Mark tells this story from his perspective, he adds that Jesus said, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”)

Lack of prayer shows a lack of faith.

It shows self-reliance.

When we’re not living a life devoted to prayer, it’s showing that we are more reliant on ourselves than we are reliant on God.

“Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” - Corrie Ten Boom

It shows up in self-confidence.

“If you are not praying, then you are quietly confident that time, money, and talent are all you need in life.” - Paul Miller, A Praying Life

It shows unbelief.

When Jesus rebuked his disciples for having “little faith”, what He really meant was that they had no faith in the moment they were trying to do the healing. They stopped believing.

Jesus makes it clear that it doesn’t matter how much faith one has, because faith like a grain of mustard seed is enough to move a mountain.

Prayer moves mountains

“Only God can move mountains, but faith and prayer move God.”

—E.M. Bounds

· We should ask boldly

· We should surrender completely

· We should pray in Jesus’ name

John 14:13–14

"Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. [14] If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it."

“We know God will answer us when we call because one terrible day he did not answer Jesus when he called. . . . Jesus’ prayers were given the rejection that we sinners merit so that our prayers could have the reception that he merits.”

— Tim Keller

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Freed to Serve

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Born Again

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