➡ 0 - Mt. 17 - I want to teach a little on healing… Up to this point we’ve talked about foundational stuff.
1 - Schedules - I don’t need to know the schedule before I come to town. I preach out of my life and my relationship. I never prepare what I’m going to preach. It comes out of my relationship. That’s the grace on my life. Never under pressure. Always ready. There’s a message in my heart. Grow in Jesus in such a way that there is a message in your heart. Minister out of your own reality.
2 - Each seed produces after its own kind. Stimulating knowledge vs. producing that same transforming revelation. That’s why you can preach and something will happen in their hearts on the inside. It’s the reality of God being sown into the heart with the potential of becoming that same truth in them.
Mt. 17 - When Healing Doesn’t Happen
3 - Mt. 17 - Recap of context - Coming down from the mount of transfiguration. Peter, James, John. “Hear Him.”
4 - Reading from v. 14…
14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, 15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. 16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. 17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. 18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
4 - Only place in the NT where the disciples prayed for something and the healing didn’t happen. But because it happens to us so much we ought to preach on it a lot.
4 - Jesus had a lot to say about why the healing didn’t happen. What He said is not what we say. And what we say is not what He said.
5 - When they ask,”Why couldn’t we heal the boy?” we ought to humble ourselves and listen. He’s talking to us too.
John the Baptist in Prison - Circumstances Shaking Belief
5 - John the Baptist in prison - Recap of the story. He took imprisonment personally - he let it influence what he knew and believed about Jesus. “If God loves me, what am I doing in prison?”
7 - “Are you the One or should we look for another?” - John was asking a question that he already knew the answer to. He was the only man with the revelation and he was taught by God. John knew that Jesus was the One. But when life’s circumstances suggested otherwise, he asked a question that he already knew the answer to.
7 - Jesus’ response - Blind see, deaf hear… Blessed is the man who is not offended because of me. Then He holds John high before the people.
8 - John is making the biggest mistake of his ministry. John knew that He was the One. But when unexpected circumstances arose, he sent men to ask a question that he already knew the answer to. Jesus called it offense.
9 - Be careful not to let what you are going through define you or God - (shake what you already know). You’re not letting life decide if God loves you. The definitive revelation of God’s love is Christ crucified.
10 - Love came first. Get rooted and grounded in love because faith works through love. Then face every situation from that truth - God’s love for you.
10 - Questioning God’s love. Faith is subverted because love is in question.
10 - Squeeze an orange, get orange juice. Squeeze a Christian, you should get Jesus. Be rooted and grounded in relationship. Satan’s not impressed when you wave a flag. He’s impressed when you look like Jesus.
12 - Satan will come with circumstances to try to show that we don’t know Him.
12 - If you don’t love, it’s because you don’t know Him - 1 John 4:8. Doesn’t say that you don’t see your need for a Savior, etc. If you don’t know Him you won’t love. If you do know Him, you will love. God is love.
12 - Purpose isn’t isolation with God - escaping from humanity - but to love others - to lay down your life for others.
13 - The message I preach - life giving. If you yield to it it’s life giving.
Mt. 17 (cont.) - Passing the Baton of Healing
13 - v.15…
14 - v.16 - I brought him to YOUR guys. They couldn’t heal. Happens too often.
15 - v.17 - faithless and perverse generation - means twisted minded, corrupted thinking. Perverse isn’t an insult. He’s not frustrated. The days are winding down. He’s getting close to being crucified - passing the baton.
15 - He tells them beforehand of crucifixion / resurrection but all they could hear was death.
16 - Peter’s reaction and response. Review of Peter and Jesus. Peter after the Holy Spirit came. Fearless. Something changed - called the kingdom of God.
18 - Bring him to me - He’s saying, “Guys, you are so trapped in this self-conscious way of thinking - the fall has so corrupted... - this twisted minded, corrupt way of thinking - and you fail to see who you are now that I have come. How long am I going to be here? Guys, it’s not that long. It can’t be long. You’ve got to get this. I’m about to hand you the baton of the new covenant, New Testament church. I’m going to ascend to the Father and sit at His right hand and send you the same Spirit that will raise Me from the dead. Guys you’ve got to get this because it’s about to be handed to you.”
Look to Jesus to Know God’s Will - Don’t Rely on Experience
19 - Listen to Jesus. The things I do, you will do. The enemy wants us fighting over doctrine and personal experiences. Offended at each other. As I am so are you in this world. Unlimited promises to faith.
19 - Doctrine from personal experience. Follow Jesus - His word. He is the Word.
20 - Healing didn’t happen. Some of us have never stepped into the arena because we fear that healing won’t happen. Self-preservation. You’ll never grow there . Stick to His doctrine.
21 - First sign of a believer - believer lays hands on the sick. If you don’t put hands on the sick, you don’t know what you believe.
22 - It’s hard to hear this. But if there is something that is possible don’t you want to know it?
22 - Pain of loss causes us to change doctrine - to protect us from pain.
22 - Loss of Dan’s mom - sick for 40 yrs - didn’t walk for 15 yrs - never complained - no healing.
23 - Listen to Jesus - not experience or human reasoning.
23 - Jesus healed all.
23 - Objections and answers...
24 - Jesus heals at the pool of Bethsaida. Look to Jesus to find the will of the Father - not our experience.
25 - We say a lot of things that Jesus didn’t say when healing doesn’t happen for us.
Mt. 17 (cont.) - Follow Truth - Not Your Experience
25 - Twisted minded, corrupt thinking people - You are failing to see who you are in light of Me - now that I have come everything has changed.
25 - How long? Passing the baton. Bring the boy to me. What’s He saying? “Watch closely. I’m going to show you. You’ve got to get this.”
26 - Would Jesus talk to them like that if they had no authority to heal the boy? No. Would Jesus heal the boy if it wasn’t the will of God to heal the boy? No. Did Jesus heal the boy? Yes. Was it the will of God to heal the boy? Yes. Was the boy healed when the disciples prayed? No. Ooops. We probably ought to talk about that more. We ought to stay humble.
26 - This scripture is here for a reason - to teach us - so that we don’t make mistakes.
27 - Let’s not change doctrine to protect our feelings.
27 - Provision for the believer to be able to heal. Commissioned to heal.
27 - Struggle for healing of Dan’s mom.
28 - Sickness in your own body. More challenging.
28 - Mother’s life - graveside service. No complaining. Preaching the graveside. Nurses and doctors. 1 in a million. Why she was the way she was.
31 - Living only for the now - not to manifest Him.
31 - I speak boldly from my own adverse experiences - mother - wife - daughter - son. We’ve been through fires but there’s no smell of smoke.
32 - Wife’s coma - recovery. You won’t see those results if what you believe is in question.
33 - Victory despite death. Dan’s mom. Death often shipwrecks faith.
33 - Our minds tend to spin.
34 - Move forward in faith despite whatever.
34 - Healing of MS.
35 - Healing is for every believer not to draw attention to the gifted. Signs follow the believer, not the gifted.
36 - Healing of MS (cont.) - moves her leg. So don’t change what you believe due to what doesn’t happen.
Mt. 17 (cont.) - Why Couldn’t We Cast It Out?
37 - THE question. Glad they asked it and it’s recorded. It’s the question we all ask? “Why couldn’t we cast it out?” Why couldn’t we do what you just did? Why couldn’t we heal the boy?
38 - Because of your unbelief - He wasn’t saying that they didn’t have any faith. It means: because of what you fail to see. He’s referring back to the twisted minded, corrupted thinking.
38 - Put yourself in the disciples shoes. They were looking at epilepsy - a visual. Wonder what we’re doing wrong?
39 - The problem is in your mind - It’s corrupted thinking. It’s because of what you are failing to see. It’s because of unbelief. And where does unbelief come from? Thinking wrong. Self-conscious. Getting into works - trying to pray better, harder - wave a different color flag etc. That’s not what heals people. It’s the finished work of Jesus that heals the sick.
40 - v.20b - Best promise in the NT. ...And nothing will be impossible for you. Prayer scenario why couldn’t I get healing? It’s what you fail to see… but if you see what I see, you will do what I do. And nothing will be impossible for you.
41 - v.21 - However, this kind… is He talking about epilepsy? No, He’s talking about this kind of thinking - this kind of self-conscious, perverse, emotionally driven thinking will not come out of your life unless you stay in a place of prayer and fasting - seeking Him so that who He is becomes who you are.
Unshakable in the Storm
42 - Trying to get unbelief out too late. How many of us are building the house when the storm is already raging - building faith when a crisis hits? Praying for situations that we’re not prepared for? Then condemnation comes. No. Rather… hear & become and when the storm comes it can’t shake anything.
43 - Wife in coma - praying for wife - son breaks down in the hall - “You don’t see what I see. And I don’t see what you see.” Unmoved in the face of the storm.
49 - If you see what I see, you’ll do what I do. And nothing will be impossible for you. However, this lack of vision won’t get out of your life unless you spend time in His presence.
49 - That’s grace working through faith. It’s the glory of God revealed through redeemed people. There’s always hope. It’s always possible. When isn't He Lord?
50 - Wife in coma - opened eyes hours later - no brain damage.
50 - Summary comments - Let’s stop saying what Jesus is not saying. Let’s not come up with 30 reasons that men aren’t healed. We write stuff like that to make ourselves feel better about what has caused us pain. But it’s at the cost of truth. And truth makes us free.
51 - Fix on why men can be healed. The just live by faith.
52 - I’ve been through fire. Joy of my salvation. Not afraid of the fire.
52 - Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego - worship with your life. Learn from them. Stop loving your own life.
53 - Closing prayer - that this word sticks.