RTW 2023

At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd was waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. So I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.” 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.” Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy, and it left him. From that moment the boy was well. Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out that demon?” “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.”

Matthew 17:14-21

The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”

Mark 9:24

• Immediately after the transfiguration, Jesus, Peter, James, and John came down the mountain to a multitude in the valley.
• The father brings his son to the disciples to be healed, but the disciples could not heal him.
• Jesus healed the boy.
• This miracle is recorded in three gospels, and it always follows the account of the transfiguration.
• There is a lesson here for the disciples of Jesus, then and now.
• The faith that the disciples claimed on the mountain must be put into action in the valley in real everyday life.
• Mountaintop experiences of faith are rare.
• We don’t live on isolated mountaintops.
• God places us in the dark valleys of the world to live out our faith.
• How are we doing?
• Are we, by all evidence, living like Christian atheists?
• Jesus’ disciples did not pray, expect, and witness wonderful things in the valley.
• They got off mission.
• They got distracted in the flesh.
• They possessed faith that should have been useful and valuable, but it wasn’t acted on.
• We need faith.
• We must pray and trust God.
• We must act on our faith, not hide it.

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We have a Great Commission. We have little to no abilities. We have the power of God to do His work. Pray and trust Him. Live out our faith to the world around us!