"Now it happened on the next day, that when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Him. And behold, a man from the crowd shouted, saying, "Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only one, and behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams, and it throws him into a convulsion with foaming at the mouth, and only with difficulty does it leave him, mauling him as it leaves. And I begged Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not." And Jesus answered and said, "You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here." Now while he was still approaching, the demon slammed him to the ground and threw him into a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy and gave him back to his father. And they were all astonished at the majesty of God."
Good Morning beloved,
We welcome you to worship today in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We're glad you're here. If you have been enjoying your time with us, growing in the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord, we'd like to encourage you to invite others whom you believe would benefit. Our goal is to glorify God, to see Christ lifted up and exalted, so that we might have a deep fellowship with Him and in this world that’s sometime not so easy to do. As most of you know, I am deeply concerned for the church in so many ways. In today's rapidly changing world, where societal values and cultural trends are constantly shifting, the church's mission is to uphold its core principles and beliefs, I believe it's imperative to recognize that the future of the church is not about the preferences of it's members, it's about being faithful in service to the Lord.
In an attempt to reach the world more effectively, to convey spiritual truths to sinners, many churches have compromised with the world, seeking to please the congregation rather than remaining steadfast in her dedication and service to the Lord. It's one thing to attract new members to the church, it's something different to maintain them, by helping them to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. While some church members might prefer a contemporary style of worship music, and others might prefer traditional hymns, it seems to me an unnecessary struggle because the Word of God is so explicit as what is most essential in the life of the church. I confess, I find it perplexing that the people are struggling to figure out what the church should be. True worship should not be overshadowed by senseless debates over musical styles, quite frankly, I believe such conduct is appalling. God is not the Author of confusion.
There is nothing in Scripture indicates that the Holy Spirit works by stirring up our emotions. Emotionalism, experientialism and subjectivism are the driving force behind a demonic movement that leads to liberalism and will erode the unity of the church, affecting the stability of the church as a whole, and will result in a fragmented church where factions interpret worship according to their own subjective desires, personal experiences. It is crucial to understand that when one's individual emotions and personal experiences become the primary lenses through which worship is interpreted, it won't be long until the foundational Truths of doctrine, which are intended to be universal and unchanging, will quickly become diluted or misrepresented. Any church that is divided by conflicting priorities, will struggle to present a unified front with an unwavering commitment to God and will therefore, struggle to present a clear and consistent message to the world, and ultimately limit our overall impact on a sinful society and our ability to advance His Kingdom.
In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul writes, "Yet even lifeless things, either flute or harp, in producing a sound, if they do not produce a distinction in the tones, how will it be known what is played on the flute or on the harp? For if the trumpet produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle?" If God's Name is to be hallowed on earth as it is in Heaven, our voice must be distinctive from the noise of the world. Therefore, it is essential that church leaders must diligently strive to cultivate unity, eradicating internal discord by addressing the evil present within the church, who brings Heaven down on earth. The church is unique, there is no other human institution capable of fulfilling that divine mission. If you go to any contemporary church today, you are likely to hear some sort of pagan non-sense about experiencing God, the presence of the Holy Spirit through emotionally seductive worship music designed to invoke the senses.
Tragically, this phenomenon is becoming more and more prevalent in the community of faith, including many evangelical churches. Despite the fact that you cannot invoke the presence of God, or increase fellowship with the Holy Spirit through some kind of emotionally charged musical formula designed to alter the mind, creating the illusion that something is happening that clearly is not. True worship is not based on our individual feelings or personal emotions, it is genuine God centered worship, focused on the finished work of Christ. Anything we feel must come from the overflow of our praise and worship, not some carefully crafted music that seeks to manipulate our emotions. That's unfathomable! Beloved, we must resist the allure of anything that tempts us to prioritize self over the oneness and unity found in Christ, Who calls us to deny self, by setting aside our personal ambitions and desires by refusing to entertain anything that might disrupt the collective spirit of unity. It's time for the church to stop straddling the fence! The spirit of the anti-Christ is alive and well, therefore, we must slam the door shut to every spirit that comes along seeking to bring in an damning aberrant theology in the name of God. In 1 John 4, the Apostle John says, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." We are God's people not because we have experienced something, but because we have believed what God has revealed to us in His Word.
Let's pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, thank You for You Word which is absolutely crystal clear, worship is not about us and our musical preferences, it's about honoring You, exalting Christ and acknowledging our on going dependence on Him in every aspect of our lives. Scripture teaches that we have been given the mind of Christ through Your revealed Word, not the emotions of Christ through music that seeks to prime the pump, which aims solely to evoke an emotional experience without fostering genuine spiritual growth. Lord, I pray that we strive to conduct our lives with integrity that would reflect the transformative power of Your love and the Spirit of unity as we seek to love another with the same selfless love You have shown us, so that we might lay a solid foundation ensuring that our individual testimony as well as our collective witness is believable. We humbly ask and pray this in Jesus' Name.
Amen.
Today's Message: Lord, I believe
Open our Bibles and turn them to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 9. Luke 9:37-43a. I would like to encourage you to follow along with me as I read these verses to set the text in our minds, I invite you to not just listen but to hear it well to truly understand and embrace what our Lord is saying to each of us.
"Now it happened on the next day, that when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Him. And behold, a man from the crowd shouted, saying, "Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only one, and behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams, and it throws him into a convulsion with foaming at the mouth, and only with difficulty does it leave him, mauling him as it leaves. And I begged Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not." And Jesus answered and said, "You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here." Now while he was still approaching, the demon slammed him to the ground and threw him into a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy and gave him back to his father. And they were all astonished at the majesty of God."
This is a very powerful message about faith. The Christian life must not only be received by faith, it must also be lived by faith. The Word of God tells us everything we need to know, it's what anchors our faith! In the Old Testament the word faith is often translated as trust, which is a concept that appears 152 times. In
the New Testament the word frequently used for faith is the word believe, which is mentioned 114 times. So, before we begin, I'd like to take a moment to talk about "What is faith?"
Over the years, I’ve met many people who talk about their faith and often say, "It's my faith that keeps me going." Yet when posed with the question "What is faith?" they often struggle, finding themselves grappling with articulating a clear definition. Faith is believing in God's Truth that never fails. Faith that isn’t tied to God’s Truth, accomplishes nothing. The writer of Hebrews 11, says "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Faith, in the simplest of terms, is believing what God said because He said it. Faith is believing what God said simply because He said it.
Faith means acting on what God says in spite of what our personal opinion is or what we can see. One of my favorite illustrations of faith is found in Luke 5, when Jesus instructed Peter, who had been fishing all night and caught nothing, to put out into the deep water and let down his nets and he would catch fish. To which Peter replied, "Master, we labored all night and caught nothing, but at Your word, I will let down the nets." And when they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish. And their nets began to break."
According to the Cambridge Dictionary; Faith is defined as great trust or confidence in something or someone who the speaker believes is the only true one. Merriam-Webster describes faith as something that is believed especially with strong conviction. Faith, then, is not merely an intellectual knowledge of what God says, is believing God to the point of action, even when our human reasoning does not compel the action. Faith is not some mystical power that magically causes our circumstances to change independently of the divine plans, purposes or will of God. Faith operates within the framework of God's overarching plans and trusting in His timing. In 2 Timothy 3, Paul writes to young Timothy, his spiritual son in the faith, "All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be equipped, having been thoroughly equipped for every good work."
This profound statement highlights the origin of the Word of God is God Himself, and therefore, every word is inspired by God. Because I hold a steadfast belief in the authenticity and authority of every Word that has come out of the mouth of God, I endeavor to conduct my life in the way the Bible instructs me to, striving daily to align my actions and decisions with those convictions, allowing them to shape my character in all aspects of life. It is my absolute faith in God and believing what God says no matter what that controls every aspect of my life, including they way I conduct myself toward unbelieving people in this fallen world. In today's vernacular, we would say that I hold a "biblical worldview," meaning I take everything that God says at face value, trusting His interpretation of everything and all that goes on in that world around me, even when I can’t see the outcome, and that is at the heart of everything I do. However, it is quite common today, for people to believe something is true simply because they "feel" it is true or because they have some "experience" that leads them to conclude that it is true, that is not an appropriate kind of faith and it's not from God. I'm not looking for a "fresh word" or some " new revelation" from God, I already have everything God intended to reveal in His written Word, from Genesis to Revelation, which is clearly illuminated by the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 3:17, God said "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased" because Jesus always believed what His Father said and He always obeyed His Father. Yet, many today believe they can somehow please God apart from obedience to His Word. You cannot please God unless you respond to His Word believing it, simply because He said it.
It was by faith that Abraham left his settled life in Ur, without questioning, to become a nomad wandering all over the place just because God told him to. It was by faith Noah obeyed God, spending 120 years of his life building an ark, simply because he was acting in faith to what God said, "It's going to rain and flood the earth," even though it had never rained nor had there ever been a flood. Faith, then, is taking God's Word at face value, without questioning and acting on it.
Let's look at verse 37, "Now it happened on the next day, that when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Him." The next day, after the remarkable event known as the transfiguration of Jesus, the miraculous event where Moses and Elijah from the Old Testament appeared and were having a conversation with Jesus about His impending death, resurrection, and ascension from Jerusalem, highlighting the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies, the very next day after Peter, James and John were privileged to witness this extraordinary moment of seeing the glorified Lord and audibly heard the voice of God Himself, affirming Jesus as His beloved Son, leaving an indelible mark on their hearts; it was the next day that they came down from the mountain, with the revelations of that momentous preview of the Kingdom of God still fresh in their minds, and as always they were met by a large crowd eager to see Jesus began running up to greet Him.
Verse 38, "And behold, a man from the crowd shouted, saying, "Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only one." No sooner than they come down the mountain and were met by the large crowd. Matthew records he called Him, "Lord," asking Him to have mercy on his son, saying "for he has seizures and suffers terribly; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water." Mark fills us in that when they returned some scribes arguing with the other disciples. And He asked them, "What are you discussing with them?" And, a man from the crowd immediately shouted, "Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only one." Matthew adds that when the man came up to Jesus, he fell on his knees before Him. There are a number of things that we could consider here, but I believe that we would be missing the point Jesus is trying to make, faith is believing what God has said just because He has said it and acting upon what God has said, absolutely convinced that it is true. In Christian circles, we often hear that faith accomplishes great things, faith can move mountains, however, I often wonder if we really believe the many testimonies to the power of faith, both in Scripture and throughout history. I can assure you with utmost confidence that it is because of the power of faith that God grants me the gift of life today. According to a number of healthcare professionals and medical specialists, with extensive knowledge and years of experience, my survival continues to surpass human comprehension and defies scientific explanation, therefore, remains a mystery to them. Nevertheless, here I am today, living beyond expected medical prognoses as a testament to the remarkable power of faith in God.
It is important to recognize that Satan's ultimate goal is to undermine our faith, by relentlessly employing various tactics to weaken the foundation of our faith, or worse, destroy our faith. He knows that a united body of believers, rooted deep in the Truth of God's Word, has the immense power prayer, which can advance God's work in profound ways, therefore, he seeks to sow discord and creating conflicts and division among church members to undermine the work of Christ in our lives. Regardless of how it appears, we are never alone in this battle. God equips us with the Holy Spirit, Who empowers and strengthens us to resist Satan's strategies.
Verse 39, "And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams, and it throws him into a convulsion with foaming at the mouth, and only with difficulty does it leave him, mauling him as it leaves." Mark adds further detail, noting that the spirit hurls him to the ground, rendering him rigid as he gnashes his teeth." And he's been afflicted this way since childhood. Jesus frequently encountered demon possession throughout His earthly ministry. These spiritual battles are still around today working in the lives of those who do not belong to Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God. The world is divided by two distinct kinds of people, those who belong to the kingdom of God or those who belong to the kingdom of darkness, a captive of Satan. There is no middle ground, you're either a children of God and a child of Satan.
So often today, we hear there are many roads that lead to heaven, I want you to understand something, the Word of God does not teach that. In John 14:6, Jesus definitively declared, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me." This bold proclamation underscores the exclusivity of Jesus as the singular path to God and the Kingdom of Heaven. Furthermore, in Matthew 7:21, Jesus provided additional clarity by stating, "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter." This verse highlights the importance of not only professing belief in God but also actively living in accordance with His will,
and in obedience to God's commands. From the time we arise in the morning to the time we go to bed at night, all of life is made up of choices. All of God's preachers have been tasked with the responsibility of confronting men and women with the inevitable choice that effects their eternity. We are nearing the point of no return on whom you will serve, God and the kingdom of Light or Satan and the kingdom of darkness, those are the only two possibilities to choose from. It's time to make up your mind.
Verse 40, "And I begged Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not." You can literally feel the desperation and helplessness of this boys father knew this was demonic possession that rendered his son unable to hear and to speak, and sought to endanger his life by trying to drown him in a pool or slam him on the ground, throwing him into a fire. By the way, open fires were common in that day, for providing warmth and a means for cooking, so there were always open fires around somewhere. Despite being given the authority by Jesus to cast out unclean spirits, they found themselves unable to rise to the challenge, by demonstrating the divine power they were entrusted with. Their failure was not just a matter of losing face in front of the scribes or the crowds, but a humbling experience in the presence of Jesus Himself.
Scripture doesn't tells us why this demon targeted this young boy, or at what age it started because it's not important. What is important is apart from the protection of the Lord Jesus Christ, everybody is under the power and influence of Satan. I believe we can easily attribute much of the evil behavior we see occurring in the world today as demonic activity. I'll not go into all the various elements of that again, because we've done it before, so I'll just say, Satan has always sought to destroy or pervert what God has perfectly created, and he's been going after children and the traditional family for sometime.
Verse 41, "And Jesus answered and said, "You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here." What a scathing indictment. He’s not talking to the scribes or the religious leaders, but to those who follow Him for their inability to cast the demon out of the young boy, despite having previously succeeded. The scribes seized the opportunity to mock and ridicule the disciples, questioning the authenticity of their mission and the power they claimed to have been given. No wonder they didn't say anything. I believe we all know how disheartening moments of failure can be, particularly in the face of previous successes. Jesus not only gave them the power to do it, He commanded them to do it. This is a crucial lesson in humility for us all, our abilities are not inherent but godly gifts granted to us, they can only be effectively utilized through unwavering faith and prayer. I can tell you from my own personal experience, a lack of trust
from those you love, those you've dedicated your life to and have
suffered for is a very difficult thing to handle. It can feel like a profound betrayal. However, my experience is nothing compared to what Jesus, the perfect Son of God, must have felt when those who walked with Him so closely were found wanning in their trust. I believe this is a very serious problem that is plaguing the church today. They don't believe in the power of God because they have no trust in the One Who promises He can deliver them from their sin! If God says it, believe it.
Verse 42, "Now while he was still approaching, the demon slammed him to the ground and threw him into a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy and gave him back to his father." After indicting the disciples, Jesus then instructed the father to bring his son to Him, and no sooner than the demon comes face to face with the Lord, he springs into action, throwing him into convulsions, it's a very strong verb in the Greek, "susparassó," meaning to violently throw to the ground, to tear apart by force. Then, being tormented, he began frantically rolling around and foaming at the mouth, in the midst of being violently slammed on the ground. This is a very intense physical and spiritual struggle! Mark adds the father said "But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!" It's the Greek verb "boétheó," a military term for responding quickly to an urgent distress call for help. This desperate father is saying "If You are moved by compassion, please respond to our urgent need and help us!" Jesus healed many people who didn’t believe, the power of God is not bound by anything, that's not the issue here. The real issue is unbelief cannot please God. I am convinced there is a direct correlation between the way we live our Christian lives and the kind of faith we have.
Do you really believe that God can do all things? If so, do you believe it enough to totally commit yourself to living for Him today? In Mark 9:24, we learn "Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief." mark records Jesus said, "You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again." Jesus reacted quickly, not because He needed to prove anything to them, it was because the crowd was starting to grow. Matthew tells us after "Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once." Mark tells us the demon demonstrated one last final violent protest before it came out of the boy, leaving him just lying there so physically exhausted, they thought he was dead. So Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up. What a beautiful illustration of our Lord tenderness and compassion. Jesus is teaching His disciples a lesson, with an emphasis on faith, He's demonstrating that this same power was available to them. All they needed was enough faith to believe. If we're willing to humble ourselves and ask Him to give us whatever we're lacking, He will dispel our doubts and fears, helping our unbelief. The Lord doesn't expect perfect faith, not because He's unworthy of it, but rather He knows He’s ever going to get perfect faith out of imperfect people. God will honor His promises, not matter how impossible it may seem for us.
That brings us to verse 43a, "And they were all astonished at the majesty of God." They were all astonished at the greatness of God. They knew it had to be God Who had done this, because there is no other explanation. The Greek verb "ekpléssó" is used to convey a sense of astonishment in response to a miraculous event that challenges their understanding. In other words, they were out of their minds, what happened was beyond their capability to comprehend. If we're not dependent on Jesus, we will never have the ability to overcome the insurmountable circumstances in our life. The author of Hebrews 11:6, tells us "He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." When the people of God come to Him in faith, God moves powerfully. Believe me, Jesus is still in the business of delivering sinners with a perverse heart, He will forgive all your sins and give you a new heart, one that longs to please Him. However, you can't expect God to act if you haven't taken it to Him in prayer.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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