Matt 17:14-21
Focus On Faith
************ went to the hospital on Friday, May 12, with what was
thought to be bad gallbladder. The doctors were to operate on Sunday,
May 14, Mother’s Day, to remove the gallbladder, but the surgery was
stopped when they discovered cancer. Over the next few weeks, it was
determined that chemotherapy was needed and plans were put into
motion to start those treatments, but the doctor called ***** in last
Friday to tell him that the last numbers on his liver reveal that the
it is too far gone. For that reason, hospice has been called in and
the doctors are saying that ***** might live for only a few more
weeks.
Such news is always shocking and even devastating. Some might wonder
if God has failed ***** or us. Some might wonder what faith does.
Some might doubt God at all. Let me state with clarity, ***** has not
doubted God at all. His faith is strong and he is preparing himself
for whatever God’s will is.
But for a few moments this morning, let us consider these issues.
I. \\#18\\ We are in a warfare.
Matt 17:18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he
departed out of him: and the child was cured from
that very hour.
A. This boy had a sickness and the Bible tells us the cause was
the devil.
1. The disease the young man had was a disease of the mind
which affected his behavior.
2. I am absolutely NOT saying that all mental disease is
caused by the devil.
3. However, I will say that some mental disease is caused by
the devil. This boy’s disease was and I am certain that
the devil had not retired out of that field of
affliction.
B. Not only so, the Bible makes it clear that some physical
maladies are caused by the devil.
Matt 9:32 As they went out, behold, they brought
to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.
33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb
spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It
was never so seen in Israel.
C. From the book of Job, we learn that financial loss, health
problems, and even death itself can all come as a result of
Satanic attacks.
D. So what happens to our bodies and in our bodies can be
affected by spiritual beings, demons and the devil.
1. To forget that is to forget a key truth of the Scriptures.
Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that
ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the
devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places.
2. In a day when people are becoming more heath consciences,
we need to spend more time before Doctor Jesus and far
less time being influenced by the devil.
a. It may be that more prayer would require fewer bills.
b. It may be health doesn’t come only with exercise
of the body but also by exercise of the spirit.
c. It may be that leaving off unhealthy habits would not
do our bodies as much good as leaving off unholy
habit.
d. The words holy and healthy may be closer related than
we ever dreamed.
E. Before you walk out thinking that I believe all sickness is
demonic in nature, let me also say the devil is not our only
enemy.
Ro 6:23 For the wages of sin is death….
1. We are living in a sin-cursed world and in sin-cursed
bodies.
2. That means that some of what happens to us is just the
natural progression of sin.
a. We call it the "cycle of life."
b. That is a pleasant way of putting it.
c. It would be better called the inevitable destination
of death.
F. So the warfare we are in is against the devil, sin, and the
curse of sin. And in this life, we all lose.
1. Even the great healers die.
2. Paul, Elisha, Peter - All raised people from the dead but
they all died.
3. I point this out to you not to disillusion you but to help
you prepare for the inevitable.
a. We are all sinners and so, in this life, we will all
lose.
b. To deny that is not only foolish but worse, it is
false doctrine.
c. But until that times comes and even when it comes…
II. Faith Is the Victory.
A. This is an absolutely true statement.
1. Notice Jesus’ rebuke.
Matt 17:17 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.
2. Jesus made it very clear to His disciples that the
reason they could not fend off the devil’s attack on
this lad was because they lacked faith.
3. That was a common rebuke.
Mt 6:30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of
the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast
into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you,
O ye of little faith?
Mt 8:26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye
fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and
rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a
great calm.
Mt 13:58 And he did not many mighty works there
because of their unbelief.
B. Why is faith so important?
1. Faith is the bridge from God to man.
a. Jesus is the Bridge from man to God but faith is the
bridge from God to man.
b. God never guarantees us anything that does not come
on the bridge of faith. (There is the Mercy Bridge
as well but those things are not guaranteed.)
c. Even God’s greatest gifts and promises must travel
that bridge.
(1) Salvation
Ac 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy
house.
(2) Prayer
Mr 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things
soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye
receive them, and ye shall have them.
(3) The Word
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God.
(4) EVERYTHING
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible
to please him….
2. By faith, God’s supernatural will is brought into this
world.
a. God desires to do great things in this world, but He
will not do all of the things He desires if we will
not walk in faith.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord… is… not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to
repentance.
James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing
wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave
of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall
receive any thing of the Lord.
b. Now, I must emphasize. We are speaking of God’s
supernatural will being brought into this world, not
ours.
(1) Our claiming something in no way obligates God to
do it.
(2) That is a blasphemy that reduced God to man’s
servant.
(3) However, that erroneous teaching of faith is no
worse than faith-dead believers who won’t
believe God for anything.
(4) As usual, we have two extremes in faith that are
both equally wrong and insulting to God.
c. Faith has a process.
(1) Faith must always be built on God’s known will.
James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye
ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your
lusts.
1Jo 5:14 And this is the confidence that we
have in him, that, if we ask any thing according
to his will, he heareth us:
(a) It is not God’s will to give us everything we
imagine.
(b) In fact, I believe it is NOT God’s will to
give us most of the things we imagine
because we are carnal wanting the things
that will make us happy.
(c) How do we learn God’s will?
Matt 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but
by prayer and fasting.
i. Some believe this means we must beg
God to give us what He doesn’t want us
to have, as if we are to change God’s
mind. You and I will never change
God’s mind about anything.
ii. I believe this means we have to fast
and pray to find out God’s will.
(2) Then we must pray and fast, believing.
(a) At this point, we must pray and keep on
praying, knock and keep on knocking, seek
and keep on seeking—always in faith.
(b) Why does God want us to pray, fast, and
trust for so long?
i. I don’t know.
ii. Maybe so that we will know it is God
that gives not doctors, banks, or
chance.
(3) We must wait on God to give it.
(a) The last step in getting from God is
patience.
Heb 10:36 For ye have need of patience, that,
after ye have done the will of God, ye might
receive the promise.
(b) The last step is just as hard as the first.
III. Truths about Faith
A. Faith can be shared.
1. Outsiders can interceded for someone else.
James 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call
for the elders of the church; and let them pray
over him, anointing him with oil in the name of
the Lord:
15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick,
and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have
committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
2. It takes a lot of faith on the part of others to intervene
for someone else.
3. Shared faith still has the same requirements: praying,
fasting, believing, and waiting.
4. And it demands a righteous and holy life on the part of
those doing the interceding.
James 5:16 …The effectual fervent prayer of a
righteous man availeth much.
B. You cannot guess the will of God.
1. God does not honor guessing the will of God.
2. You must know it.
3. How? Pray and fast until you do.
C. Faith cannot quit.
1. A faith that quits is not necessarily wrong but weak.
2. A faith that fizzles before the finish had a fatal flaw
from the first.
As I close let me say that what the doctor has said is based on his
education, experience, and on statistics. I appreciate doctors and
believe they give us the best they can give. However, if God wants
to, God can heal. It makes no difference to God whether cancer is
large or small, stage 1 or stage 4, treatable or terminal. The only
thing required for God to heal is that it be His will to heal and the
only way we are going to know what is will is in this matter is to
fast and pray.
Fast and pray first to know God’s will.
Fast, pray, and believe to bring God’s will from heaven to earth.
Fast, pray, believe, and wait until God brings His will to earth.
I recommend we focus on faith.
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