Micro-Faith and Mountainous Obstacles, Part 2

Today from Chuck Swindoll will even a day when demons are seen as some kind of hero is in charge. They are not in charge. Nothing to fear in the presence of the supernatural, because we have the Savior we should we learn what a point to him because he will take over and handle what we cannot handle in Matthew chapter 7 we read about a distraught father who approached Jesus with his ailing son. The boy was demon possessed, and was often overcome with dangerous seizures. Matthew describes the miracle of his healing and credulous disciples looked on.

They wondered why their attempts never succeeded. Jesus said if you had faith even a small as a mustard seed, you could move mountains.

So what barrier are you facing something getting in your way today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll continues his message about micro faith and mountainous obstacles to privilege it is to pray, Frank is not simply talking with our eyes closed, is connecting with the one who hears our every thought our every word you bring before him. What is on your heart. I'll do the same as our leaders may rebel. Thank you father that you care all things you care about each one of us and you care about each of us the same you play no favorites alter your plan because some have a certain position in life, or they make a certain amount of money because they are they are influential in the others lives. Your plan is your plan. You do according to your will, in the angels of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can stop you or start you or change you. You are our God, give us a sense of release and peace in that maybe find comfort in it. Maybe be relieved from feeling so much rest on our shoulders choice from these words that you recorded through Matthews pin. Sure, some things we need to hear. I pray that you would keep them simple guard me from being obscure or oblique in the things I say so when we leave. We understand not only what you have written that you mean this and that is for our good and is for your ultimate glory.

Thank you for caring for working and for protecting for guiding the comforting watching over the events simply oppose things around the world that are international, but the events that happen in our own homes, places where we live or rework in our cars with our families.

Thank you in advance for the way you will work this week doing what you please and give us relief that we are privileged to be a part of that plan.

Take care of those who today are in dangerous places, and those you work with people who are sick. Those who are on the street watching over those who were there. We pray that you would your protection to those who are our protectors not father these offerings that we give come from parts that are full of gratitude and that's why we give with great joy in the name of Jesus master Lord, we pray you and everyone said amen study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures.

Studies by going to Insight world.org/studies another message from Chuck titled micro faith and mountainous obstacles. Sometimes 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. Those are moments when he gets our attention this section were looking at today in Matthew 1714 to 21 just a few verses. All 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 your 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.

Jesus is what is commonly called by theologians transfigured was at me like a burst to as the man watched the man would be the three disciples, Peter, James and John as they watch Jesus appearance was transformed. Your Bible may read transfigured that it explains what that means. His face shown like the sun, so there was a brilliance. There was a overwrought, there was a shining that came from his face that never seen before and never been there before. His clothing became white as light so he is aglow.

If you will 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 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 will make three shelters of Memorial words. Let's stay here Peter misses it. He thinks what we want to sheltered one for you, one for Moses, one for logic that said I'll do it, I'll find the word bill 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. The disciples were terrified.

They fell down on the ground.

I would imagine. And Jesus came over 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 this is what I call a sacred moment because he says to them as they are on 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 dead part of the reason is you can't describe it in words we do our best to understand it when it's in print, but we have to imagine something like the Transfiguration.

We don't even know if there were more things said so don't try to tell anyone anything about this. Just remember what happened to you. I don't know if many of you listen to Christian music but every once in a while but if you do you'll come across the singing of a duet by Lauren L. Harris and Sandy Patty mean is there a better couple to sing a duet. Then Warren Ellman and Sandy. They sing a piece that has to do with words that came from those who saw the Lord of the resurrection morning. I quote from the refrain I just seen Jesus I tell you he is alive just seen Jesus our precious Lord alive and I knew he really sought me to, as if till now I've never lived all that I done before won't matter anymore I just seen Jesus and I'll never be the same again. I swear the disciples were. They had seen a manifestation of the deity that resided in the Christ in the Lord Jesus that no one else had ever seen.

Only the three of them and they'll never be the same again because of that mountaintop. Now that all of that prepares us for what they then faced soon as they got to the base of the mountain there hit in the face with raw reality. There is no period of preparation soon as they stepped down onto Flatland they made a crowd and a father, a large crowd waiting for them.

A man came and knelt before Jesus before you go any further.

Imagine the man in front of the crowd, kneeling that that took a bit of courage in itself.

Chances are good you've never done that. I've never done that.

But the man in that moment of great need is so preoccupied with the need he doesn't care what anyone may think he falls down on his knees and he pleads for mercy on behalf of his son look at it. He said Lord have mercy on my son. He has seizures and and and and he suffers terribly.

He often falls into the fire or into the water. Don't go any further. Have you ever witnessed a seizure.

Most haven't when you have, you never forget it. It's a writhing tragic scene, often called an epileptic seizure. I read in Webster's that seizures definition is an act of seizing the state of being sees and then a sudden, often acute part eroticism as an epileptic convulsion to see this in a broader light we need to read Mark's account of the same event hold you place look at Mark chapter 9. Again, the same event told by another eyewitness verse 17 one of them in the crowd spoke up and said teacher. I brought my son so you could healing. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won't let him talk so along with this, Matthew doesn't mention the boy is mute.

He's lost his ability to speak and whenever the spirit this spirit seizes him. Note the word it throws him violently to the ground that he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid so III ask your disciples to cast out the evil spirit but but they couldn't do it.

Verse 20, so they brought the boy but when the evil spirit saw Jesus which tells your spirits can see they have intelligence they might be invisible but they are not in the defense of all notice when they saw Jesus when the spirit saw Jesus it through the trial into a violent convulsion. He fell to the ground writhing and foaming at the mouth. I take it back to Matthew Mel that when he was thrown into the fire or the water this evil spirit controlling him through him in the direction of open fire and toward a pool that would be deeper than the boy could swim in and there was a life-threatening seen. It was absolutely absolutely tragic and when you read your Bible and you come across settings like this. Paul's forget about the time and how far your reading and let your imagination take you to that seen enter into the world of that father what I did was imagine back when my children were smaller and it's as if it had been one of my boys or one of my daughters suddenly I my heart went out to this day, and I think he would go to some of the. The other nine disciples and asked him to help and they couldn't they couldn't do anything about it and I'm sure the father must've thought if they can't, what hope is there that I ever find relief for my son who can't even express how he feels because diesel is not able to speak with the evil spirit in Jesus doesn't waste time when he hears this he told the disciples to bring them bring into it and notice at the very end. They brought the boy here and in verse 17 Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy and it lifted. What is that me. How did this exorcism occur. The details are not spelled out, but you know how much it took from Jesus to release the boy to take the demon out one word out exit member the words of Martin Luther and though this world with devil's food should threaten to undo us. We will not fear for God's will is truth to triumph through us. The Prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him. His rage we can endure for low. His doom is sure one little word shall fell him out could have been missed one word we live in a day when demons or are seen as some kind of fantasy heroes as though they are in charge. They are not in charge. We have nothing to fear in the presence of the supernatural, because we have the Savior and we listen to him as we should.

We learn what a point next to him because he will take over and handle what we cannot handle, which seems to be at least one of the major themes of these verses of Scripture look at this when Jesus my first response to them. It sounds ladylike is cruel. How long you want to put up with you. Bring me the boy well I imagine there's a little frustration because he is been with them for many many many months and are still trying to do things on their own. There's still trying to take care of things in their own strength. Sound familiar, in spite of all we have heard over all these years things happen and we still mess it up by getting in the middle of it. We need to fix it. When is the last time you really fixed anything that was impossible. You can't quit trying. You know what you need. Jesus tells us what we need. When the disciples asked in verse 19. Why couldn't we cast out the demon. He said all you need is the size of mustard seed of faith smallest seed known in that time of any seed on earth. All you need is a tiny tiny amount enough to point to me. Leave it with me is the right of the Hebrews says, looking at the Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.

Just focus on him.

I don't mean that as a bromide or is a cliché.

I mean that sincerely and seriously, you're facing a mountainous obstacle learn where to point your need is not an enormous amount of faith.

That's nonsense all you need is an update to point to the one who can handle the situation and leave it with him, you who learned that the three disciples on the mountain.

I think it was the nine disciples who were unable to help this father. The three kept her mouth close because Jesus had told him not to share it but I believe they thought in their hearts they would only turn that over to him.

We see the side of him. They haven't seen we see Jesus in his full deity and were never going to be the same again and I love it when we read from that moment the boy was well the ending of our passage reads nothing would be impossible.

What is true when we leave it all with him now.

There are many things we could say by application up with your little room of the bottom of the outline regarding how this relates to life as we know it. Three thoughts came to my mind when I was preparing what I shared with you and your they are each begins with the word never never forget what the Lord taught you in a mountaintop moment. That's what you want to write it down for you want to memorize what the Lord showed there are certain places in my life where I can go back to and I was up against a mountainous obstacle. Some of my own making. Often, not of my own making. But they were huge and the Lord broke through and showed me some things in those moments that only he could've shown me and it was a breakthrough in my own life and I've not forgotten is been the foundation of much of my ministry is drawing upon the things he is shown me what I've been alone with him, listening to learning from him midway through a message from Chuck Swindoll.

Based on our study in Matthew 17 entitled micro faith and mountainous obstacles. This is insight for living. To learn more about this ministry or to see what resources are available for today's topic, please visit us online@insightworld.org church description of the panic. Father resonates with us because most of us understand what it's like to hold a sick child with no means to provide instant healing. So along those lines.

Once the mountain or obstacle that you're facing today. Maybe it's the physical suffering of someone you love.

Perhaps it's a spiritual mountain. For some it's a hangup with the church because the place where you grew up, was steeped in legalism. Unfortunately that heritage gave you a twisted view of what it means to walk in truth and grace. Well, if there's one book in Chuck's collection that's been known to liberate readers from the grip of legalism is the one I want to recommend right now called the grace awakening the timeless biblical principles and Chuck's book if applied will guide you toward a God centered lifestyle as you learn to walk in truth and grace to purchase a copy of the grace awakening go to insight.org/offer or give us a phone call if you listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888 and then as God prompts you to give a donation, please follow his lead. Your contribution is channeled directly into helping others like yourself learn to walk in truth and grace. Recently we received a note that said, Chuck. I grew up listening to you with my father and then this person added after a rebellious. It was your radio ministry that I searched for fine renewed focus on the Lord. That's a wonderful outcome was made possible in part by people like you who support insight from give a gift today because you listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888 or give a donation online insight.org is again when Chuck Swindoll continues his message about moving mountain Tuesday on insight for living.

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