Micro-Faith and Mountainous Obstacles, Part 1

Under pressure, the apostle Peter tended to talk rather than listen shelters Peter don't talk nothing when you talk to learn when we talk would be less listen to what he wants to tell you he's glowing. It's obvious that he is deity and flesh. It's obvious my hand is on a piece my son, the beloved one. Listen the wife is full of surprises right.

Some are delightful. Some of the surprises are unwanted, but all of them completely unexpected today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll invites us to engage in a surprising scene recorded in Matthew chapter 17. In this passage we see how Peter responded to a shocking moment following the miraculous Transfiguration of Jesus, Peter started talking. He was filled with suggestions for clearly God wanted Peter to listen rather than fill the silence with words. Chuck titled today's message micro faith and mountainous obstacles. When Paul was writing the great letter to the Romans, which was I've often called it his magnum opus, as he declared our theology for us so clearly erases a bit of a climax at the end of the 11th chapter.

It's almost a bullet is a doxology with in the letter itself and and he writes oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable is Willey's is that it is not a great way to express it. How unsearchable are God's judgments and unfathomable his ways. We actually waste a lot of our time trying to figure out God is all as our president said when I graduate from Dallas seminary. Don't try to unscrew the inscrutable always thought that's good counsel. If it's inscrutable you can't unscrew it if it's unfathomable you can't reach the depth of leave it with him.

Trustee rely on him. The section were looking at today in Matthew's gospel chapter 17 beginning in verse 14, down through verse 20 has that sort of as the subtle background music behind the words where when we find ourselves facing those mountainous obstacles.

All that's really needed is the size of a mustard seed of faith we often tell people he argued they didn't have enough faith for this, but on the contrary, all you really need is a tiny amount just enough to point people to the one who is able to handle impossibilities so to read for your from the new living translation the verses that are before us in the Matthew 1714 to 20 at the foot of the mountain. A large crowd was waiting for them.

A man came and knelt before Jesus and said, Lord, Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly ill and falls into the fire or into the water. So I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn't healing Jesus said you faithless and corrupt people. How long must I be with you. How long must I put up with you. Bring the boy here to me.

Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy and it left him from that moment the boy was well afterwords. The disciples asked Jesus privately. Why couldn't we cast out the demon you have enough faith. Jesus told I told you the truth if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain move from here to there and it would move. Nothing would be impossible thank, in your mind. Think of something you have considered impossible maybe recently may be just since the turn of the year. Maybe for quite a while and remember with our God.

Nothing falls in that category doesn't mean he will do what he what we wanted to do or he will do it at the time, we expect him to do it, or that he would even agree that's what's best, but he will handle the impossible is way and in his in his time. Study the book of Matthew Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures by going to Insight world.or/study another message from Chuck titled micro faith and mountainous obstacles. Mountaintop moments are designed to change our perceptions in life not change our residence. There are times that the Lord pulls us aside to be alone just with him happens on hospital beds after an illness or an accident or maybe some lingering disease has finally forced us to be there and Mike Thompson were alone along with our thoughts along with him. Those are not lost moments. Those are moments found who he connects with us sometime. They come in the midst of a horrendous crucible of testing we wait we can't seem to see our way through it and a rather than things lightning up they intensify, and rather than simplifying the get complicated and we have times back often think what on earth is this about those or clarifying moments we will see them as very special moments when God is attempting to get our attention, to remind us that we don't have a corner on life that we don't have things figured out. These are essential moments when we were stopped in our tracks and he connects with us in a way that hopefully we will never forget.

Speaking of that friend in my high school years who was a bad to the bone. I mean, he was one tough guy. He played both ways on the football team. He was both linebacker on defense and he was a running back on offense wasn't necessarily the star of the team, but he was rugged. He was wrong. He was to the degree determined in life Laura Harley looping leather jacket just sort of the type you would pick for the for the tough guy in the school is no place in his life for God or the or the things of God.

To him, life was about, however he shaped it one. As I recall one Friday or Saturday evening he decide to put his boat in the Galveston Harbor and MVD turned on the bulletin and alone was a racing across the waves of not at nightfall, but shortly before and a wave hitting just across the bow and his boat flipped and he was suddenly in the and in the water. No logic.

And of course in an he wasn't able to hang on anything so we began to swim toward the jetties. The problem, if you're familiar with jetties is that barnacles grow all over those rocks that are in the water all the time is all he had to hang onto. But he got there he grabbed hold of one of those that did shut it up out of the water and in the barnacles simply began to rake the skin off the front of his body and he was up and down in the in the swells of the surf. It was to Florida sure for him to swim and and he realized that the blood in the water would attract the sharks and they're all over that that area that will water the Galveston Bay and for the first time in his life ever.

As he told the story later, he prayed. He did know how to pray. So he just yelled out the name of God and and he made got a promise he said if you rescue me will do anything and if you mostly raises the ministry as if that is the ultimate worst possible thing he could promise pre-child do whatever just since.

And wouldn't you know it. Wouldn't you know it, around the end of the jetties came a small Coast Guard boat that normally search the area for just such a situation they found them and rescued them and he crawled in in their vessel soaked with blood. It wasn't long after that that he summarily forgot all of that except he said every time he he would shower at night and stand in front of the mirror telling all the scars that were across his chest and stomach and finds in fee were were mutual reminders of that moment when God heard him to another chilling event that really got his attention. It was a near death experience. He realized God serious on his in moments like that. And in fact he did study for the ministry in serve Christ faithfully.

He came to the Lord. He was converted to the Savior and scream his life preaching the cross of Christ to look tuned to all who would listen. He pastored a church he's now gone and I he leaves of his legacy, a congregation, the to this day. Love Sam with her whole heart. Life changed in a mountaintop movement is not something that occurs on a mountain that we can.

It may occur as a spiritual retreat, my family and I used to go to work retreat. Every summer place called Mount Herman Christian conference center in northern California, we were 33 consecutive years.

One summer after another. We would go and not be there to speak for a week sometime would stay a little longer would use that as a place from there we go on our vacation together, but I would meet people all the time who would come there because they wanted to be alone with God, and they wanted God to speak to them wasn't was of the mountain. It was named after a mountain in the in the New Testament but not that not actually own a mountain was very near's sea level but the great redwoods grow their and there were trails to walk in places to sit and be quiet cabins to stay in and in there, the Lord, and you would meet and number of people before they would leave the week would say we wish we could just we could just live here as if there's something sacred about the place, but remember my opening line those mountaintop moments are not designed to change your residence there designed to change your whole perception of life, so that up until then you looked at life one way, but after this we really got your attention. You look at it from that angle because you were different. Your address had been changed you a change. Hopefully this will often say the people don't forget a pad in the pan when you go to the hospital or if you keep one, don't forget your journal sometime when we are at those crossroad moments in life we get our best thoughts they'd been distilled through fear. Fear of the unknown fear of what this means or may mean to my world. As I've always known it.

Those are moments when he gets our attention again this message like that because in the section were looking at today in Matthew 1714 to 21 just a few verses all of this revolves at the foot of a mountain. We show you something you may have missed it in a previous message. When we dealt with it like a chapter 17 verse one and you will see that the Lord led three disciples up a mountain happens to be Mount Herman most likely in the three her name to Peter, James and John so we selected three of the 12 took them with him and they went up at least along the slopes of the mountain.

Maybe not all the way to the top, but they went up the mountain something happens there that's very significant.

They look at verse nine got that mark in my Bible. They went back down the mountain. So between 19 something happens on the slope of the mountain. In verse nine but they they leave and he tells them to keep it quiet would get that moment and then in verse 14 there at the foot of the mountain see that one to go up nine they're coming down 14 there at the base of the mountain. What happens on the mountain, a mountaintop moment Jesus is what is commonly called by theologians transfigured what is that mean look at verse two, as the men watch the man would be the three disciples, Peter, James and John as they watch Jesus appearance was transformed. Your Bible may read transfigured, then it explains what that means. His face shown like the sun, so there was a brilliance. There was an aura there was a shining that came from his face that they had never seen before and never been there before. Read on his clothing became white as light so he is aglow.

If you will, in the Old Testament there is a light that comes from heaven down into the holiest place in the tabernacle called Shekinah the Shekinah glory of God like a laser light beeping down brilliant casting away all shadows and coming down on the subject of that holy place here is on Jesus look closely. His clothes became white as light.

The three disciples are seeing this I know I'm no doubt there stunned by what they see something occurs that's phenomenal look. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. They have not lived for over a thousand years. More than that for Moses out of eternity.

They appear in the disciples see them. Matthew records it and Jesus converses with them were not told what the dialogue was about but they were talking together it's all phenomenal and and and so Peter I will go. Peter always ready to do something practical, always ready to do something so he says to them. Lord is wonderful for us to be here great beginning, but unfortunately he went on.

If you want only three shelters of Memorial words. Let's just stay here but remembering mountaintop moments is not to make you stay there, is to get your attention there but you don't need a shelter to draw from the moment what the Lord is teaching you, Peter Mrs. it. He thinks what we want to children one for you, one for Moses, one for logic that said I'll do it, I'll find the word out that was showed no no no no no.

While Peter is coming up with that bright idea.

Please observe what happens as he spoke, his verse five. Look at your Bible as he spoke another phenomenon occurs, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said this is my son, my dearly beloved one literally. This is my beloved son who brings me great joy and in the most important of all, listen to him shelters. Peter don't talk. You learn nothing when you talk. None of us learn when we talk.

We learn what we listen. Listen. Listen to what he wants to tell you for your appear.

He's glowing. It's obvious that he is deity and flesh. It's obvious my hand is on and he's my my son, the beloved one listen to him.

The disciples were terrified. They fell down on the ground. I would imagine I would imagine they shook the trim there down the ground and Jesus came over and he touched just reached down and and and he touched and he said get up don't don't be afraid when they looked up Moses and Elijah were gone and they saw only Jesus finally got there gaze right in mountaintop moments were to fix our eyes on Christ look only at him.

Listen only to him.

If more was said were not told when I say that your latest side or you're in the middle of the test and the Lord speaks I don't mean your hearing a voice let's get past that. Maybe something the Lord reveals from from his word. You have a testament with you in your reading it.

You see something you never seen before is what he speaks to you is deep within your heart. Hear me when I say this.you can't articulate what he tells you in words. Maybe it's a peace that comes over you as if he is as if he is saying it's going to be all right. I'm in charge.

I know what I'm doing. What was a surprise to you is no surprise in my plan. You're right where I want you to be calm down rest in me. Whatever you may have said to them, they were changed that this is what I call a sacred moment because he says to them as their own. Their way back down the mountain look verse nine he commanded them, don't tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the date part of the reason is you can't describe it in word we do our best to understand it when it's in print, but we have to imagine something like Transfiguration. We don't even know if there were more things in so try to tell anyone anything about just remember what happened to you, Lori grace of Jesus, shine brightly in Matthew chapter 17, and in many respects his amazing brilliant grace is the cornerstone of this daily program you're listening to the Bible teaching of Chuck Swindoll to see what resources we have available for today's topic, please visit us online@insightworld.org Garrett Insight for living we're committed to helping you understand the power of simple faith, even a tiny seed of faith when it's firmly rooted in the fertile soil of God's word. To that end, we encourage you to pursue a deeper understanding of these matters at your own pace and on your own schedule to equip you with a tool that will guide your learning where recommending an eye-opening book from our teacher. It's his hallmark book called the grace awakening thousands of readers point to this classic as the turning point in their spiritual walk as they truly understand the depth and reality of God's glory and grace. And if you're prepared to shed the legalism that was first imposed by the Pharisees in Matthew's gospel that we highly recommend this book from Chuck in the grace awakening he clearly describes what it means to embrace our freedom and liberty in Christ purchase a copy go to insight.or/offer or call us listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888.

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Call us listening in the United States style 1-800-772-8888 four. Give online@insight.or have a great weekend. Join us again Monday, when Chuck Swindoll continues to study through the gospel of Matthew right here on insight for living. The preceding message micro faith in mountainous obstacles was copyrighted in 2017 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R.

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