TRAINING: Faith – Death & Taxes
Matthew 17:14-27
Video McFadden – Bring that wood
QUESTION: Have you ever been on a team where the coach gave a great pep talk?
Received – 1973 – Our coaches never gave pep talks, all business, till the last game – named the prior coaches – “we
asked them” and we’ve never lost the conference. We have to win this last game.
Gave – Boys Club – last game to go undefeated – “You may never get a chance again in your life to be on an undefeated
team!”
Pep Talk 1 Two lessons back, Jesus said “the gates of hell will not prevail” against the church. PLAY ON THE
OFFENSE
Pep talk 2 Last week The Transfiguration was like a MIRACULOUS PEP TALK for the future leaders that will move
the Kingdom of God forward.
SLIDE: FOCUS – the disciples TRAINING continues: FAITH – DEATH – TAXES
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy
14 At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd was waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus and said, 15
“Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 So I
brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.” 17 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.” 18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon in
the boy, and it left him. From that moment the boy was well. 19 Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why
couldn’t we cast out that demon?” 20 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell 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.”
1) Where did Jesus’ power come from to cast the demon out of the boy? Where did it not come from?
Straight from God, here we see Jesus as fully God. It did not come from an incantation or ritual summons a “god.” It was
straight up Jesus. His word of rebuke to the demon is all it took.
2) V17 This time there was no pep talk. There was a rebuke. What did Jesus say to the disciples?
Rough: Faithless, corrupt, how long have I got to train you, how long have I got to put up with you?
No way to sugar coat it.
SLIDE FAITH
CONFIDENT DEPENDENCE
QUESTION: What did they do wrong? He’s sent them out before and they performed miracles. So, what’s happened?
They were looking to themselves, not to Jesus for the power. And they failed.
QUESTION: What things do we try to do in our own power?
– Overcome the power of addiction. I’ve gone for a while on sheer will power. I can handle it. What happens?
Where’s God’s will? Learning, you have to serve others.
– Decide on a JOB/CAREER. Realizing right now you just want a good paying job to get on your feet. But later
on…
– They seem to want me, so it must be a good route for MY career. What happens? Stuck economically having to
make $XXX to stay afloat. What happens? Where’s God?
– My dad did … I want to do what he did. What happens? Where’s God?
– Joe Blow made a lot of money doing … I think I can do that. What happens? Where’s God?
– I know I can make $XXX and we will be comfortable. What happens? Where’s God?
– MINISTRY – Here we see the disciples leaning on their power. 1 st time sent out, God’s power. (not talking just
about ministers, but anything we do for God? Podcast: Prays for congregation more that he studies. Wow!
TRAINING – that’s what’s going on, and the trainer is getting frustrated ��
3) V18 What good thing came out of this situation?
A boy was healed!
QUESTION: What things do you wish would be miraculously removed from your life? Temper
Let’s stop and pray.
4) V19 Where have they fallen short in their “TRAINING?”
Their Faith. They need to train to be depend completely on God.
SLIDE > OXYMORON > a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction
SLIDE> CONFIDENCE & ABILITY coming from CONTINUAL DEPENDENCE
Continual dependence on Jesus, RATHER THAN simple belief in who he is, THAT’s strong faith!
TABLE QUESTION 1: What do you want to confidence and ability to do?
Teach well, encourage well, mentor well, live it out well.
TABLE QUESTION 2: What does a typical day look like for you when you totally depend on God? Be specific.
Prayer 1 st , Bible 2 nd , Exercise, Talk with Dian, Listen in car podcast or silence to listen to God, Work hard & help out,
Dinner & time focused on Dian, Books or people or fun. Need to learn to rest/sabbath better.
5) V20 Mustard seeds and moving mountains, what did Jesus mean?
Mustard seed – power potential (tiny seed – tree) It is faith that releases the power of God to mature you & display God’s
power. (We have to pay attention and notice the miracles.)
ONE MORE thing about faith: Failure to appreciate the unseen forces affecting our lives PREVENTS us from utilizing
the power of faith promised by Christ.
SLIDE Jesus Again Predicts His Death
22 After they gathered again in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his
enemies. 23 He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” And the disciples were filled with
grief.
6) What three things did Jesus say would happen?
Betrayed – Killed – Raised from the Dead.
QUESTION: Which is hardest to believe? Raised from the dead.
7) Why were the disciples filled with grief regarding Jesus’ announcement?
He’s going to be betrayed by someone. How sad. He was going to be killed. They just didn’t understand being “raised
from the dead in three days.” They couldn’t grasp it.
AND THIS: Jesus has accepted that he will be rejected by the official leadership of Israel BUT to find himself let down
by His own disciples evokes a rare moment of human emotion from Jesus. (That is a sad statement.)
SLIDE Payment of the Temple Tax
24 On their arrival in Capernaum, the collectors of the Temple tax came to Peter and asked him, “Doesn’t your teacher
pay the Temple tax?” 25 “Yes, he does,” Peter replied. Then he went into the house. But before he had a chance to speak,
Jesus asked him, “What do you think, Peter? Do kings tax their own people or the people they have conquered?” 26 “They
tax the people they have conquered,” Peter replied. “Well, then,” Jesus said, “the citizens are free! 27 However, we don’t
want to offend them, so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will
find a large silver coin. Take it and pay the tax for both of us.”
Jesus’ point is that the sons of kings don’t pay taxes imposed by their father. So, he was exempt from the temple tax. The
temple belongs to who? To God. A lesson about his deity – he’s the Son of God.
But go get the money from a fishes mouth. LOL No time to get into with folks. He had more important things on his
mind.
Maybe this was one more gig at the disciples and their faith?
END:
Who are we? Sons and daughters of the King.
But the world doesn’t recognize our status and position.
Adopted by God
We can know our status
SLIDE We can live in CONFIDENCE using our ABILITIES coming from CONTINUAL DEPENDENCE on
our Father.
SLIDE FAITH