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Faith and the Transfiguration 0:10 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Alright. Is it okay to ask for more faith? We're gonna find the answer as our journey takes us today to Mark chapter0:21 9 verse 24. Immediately, the father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief. Okay. Verse 1 of0:33 chapter 8 is kind of a carry or verse 1 of chapter 9 is a carryover from chapter 8. Then we go to the transfiguration. Now this occurs approximately 4 months prior to the crucifixion of Jesus. He and his0:45 disciples are still in the northern part of Israel. So scholars believe that the high mountain was probably Mount Hermon, which is presently in modern day Syria. The southern slopes of0:56 Mount Hermon are under Israeli control. That's the Golan Heights. Verse 2, now after 6 days, Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves, and he was transfigured1:08 before them. His clothes became shining exceedingly white like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. Kinda reminds me of that slogan from tide a many a number of years ago, tide1:20 gets out the dirt, you get into. Well, nothing nothing comes close to the holiness of God. In fact, it is the righteousness of Jesus that gets the sin out of us, and we're sanctified1:33 by the word and the Holy Spirit. Verse 4, and Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. So what was this about? Alright. From a practical standpoint, it1:45 served to confirm the faith of his apostles. Although, as we'll see, they fully they they still didn't fully understand what they were witnessing. Post resurrection, it all1:56 made sense to them. They were seeing the divine nature of Jesus Christ. Now this revealed to them that Jesus was the 1 who all the old testament prophecies2:10 had he was he fulfilled all of those old testament prophecies. Now from a theological standpoint, it was the law, that is Moses, Moses represented the law, and the prophets2:22 represented by Elijah, finding their fulfillment in the grace of God, Jesus Christ. Now remember what Jesus said in Matthew 5 verse 17, do not think that I came to destroy the law of the prophets.2:35 I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill. Moses and Elijah were handing the baton to Jesus who was going to finish the race. Verse 5, then Peter answered and2:47 said to Jesus, Rabbi, it is good for us to be here, and let us make 3 tabernacles, 1 for you, 1 for Moses, and 1 for Elijah. I mean, Peter Peter thought they were gonna be there for a while, but I I I love Peter. He's a2:58 man of action. Didn't always think about it, but he takes action. Verse 6, But because he did not know what to say, he he just spoke without thinking, for they were greatly afraid. And a cloud3:10 came and overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud saying, this is my beloved son. Hear him. Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no 1 anymore, but only Jesus with themselves. Now as they came down3:22 from the mountain, he commanded them that they should tell no 1 these things that they had seen till the son of man had risen from the dead. So they kept his word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead3:33 meant. So they get back to the rest of the disciples and this is what they find. Now we've read this before, this next account in both Matthew and Luke, but we have greater detail inDemonic Activity and Spiritual Warfare 3:45 Mark's account that gives us kind of a fuller understanding of this encounter that Jesus had with his father. Verse 14, and when he came to the disciples, he saw a great multitude around them,3:57 scribes disputing with them. Immediately, when he's they saw him, all the people were greatly amazed and running to him greeted him. And he asked the scribes, what are you discussing with them? Then 1 of4:09 the crowd answered and said, teacher, I brought you my son who has a mute spirit. And whatever whatever whenever wherever, rather,4:21 it seizes him, it throws him down. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. So I spoke to your disciples that they should cast it out, but they could not. He answered and said to them,4:33 oh faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to me. So who was Jesus talking to here? Some say it4:45 was the scribes, you know, the religious crowd, others, the disciples. I believe it was the latter. He had been with these guys for nearly 3 years. He was going to entrust them with the4:57 advancement of the kingdom, but they still didn't get it. They didn't understand. Now later in the chapter, I think we see some of, Jesus' why he was frustrated because they were5:08 arguing over who was going to be the greatest. I think that was again, I I think this was that was part of Jesus' chastisement here. Their focus was on the celebration, not the sacrifice. As we will see5:20 in just a moment, Mark's gospel includes the reason that they could not cast this demon out, the need for prayer and fasting. Fasting is a form of humbling ourselves. Fasting5:32 is a sacrifice, not a celebration. Verse 20, then they brought him to him, that is they brought the the boy, to Jesus. And when he saw him, immediately5:44 the spirit convulsed him. He fell on the ground and wallowed wallowed foaming at the mouth. So he he asked his father how long has this been happening to him, and he said from childhood.5:57 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and to the water to destroy him. The the demon has tried to kill him. But if you can't do anything, have compassion on us and help us. Well, that's the right6:09 thing because Jesus has compassion. Now I I just wanna pause here for just a moment. And and I've talked about this before, but it bears repeating. And that is the demonic activity. It's here. Right?6:21 It's in the word of God. Now many say, well, it's it's no longer here. That was that was when Jesus came, and he was on the earth in the introduction of the kingdom. Well, I believe based on scripture that as we6:33 saw in the introduction of the kingdom, a a rise in this demonic activity when we've come to the fulfillment of the kingdom and its physical manifestation, the scripture says the antichrist is coming, the6:45 lawless 1. So I think you're gonna see, and I think this is why we're seeing an increase in demonic activity in our day. You know, there there are over a dozen occasions in the gospel where Jesus delivers someone from6:56 demonic possession. Now this activity is not restricted just to the ministry of Jesus Before his crucifixion and resurrection, the apostles after the ascension7:09 of Jesus were casting out demons. We are spiritual beings, and when we begin to see the world without understanding, all this begins to make sense. I mean, I saw it as a police7:20 officer. I saw it. I I've I've I've been a part of of of seeing people set free from demonic possession. I I've I've experienced7:32 this. And, and I have adult children who are in the the the field of law enforcement and in the medical field. A lot of what we see in our hospitals today, is related to7:43 demonic activity. There is a rise in demonic activity. I know that may that may some people may not wanna believe it. Well, I'm just telling you, it's real. When you consider a lot of what is happening in our culture7:55 today beginning with abortion, gender confusion, climate change, it makes little sense politically. But you but when you begin to look at this from a spiritual perspective and the demonic8:07 powers, not just that are controlling individuals, but are influencing as Paul talks about in Ephesians 6. The the the the the the spiritual warfare that we're engaging,8:19 it's its powers, principalities against the rulers of the darkness of this age. It's happening. It's real. It's in the scripture. Jesus dealt with it. The apostles dealt with it. And I believe we have to deal with it as8:31 well. Alright. Verse 23, Jesus said to him, if you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes. Immediately, the father child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe. Help my8:43 unbelief. Now here's where we can see that this account is coming through the eyes of Peter, a man who understood the frailty of our faith. Lord, I think8:54 this to be true. I trust you, but help my lack of faith. Notice that the lord doesn't criticize the father for admitting that he is struggling.9:06 For what Jesus does, it is clear that he answered the father's request and gave him the boost in his faith that he needed, and this would be consistent with what Jesus did9:18 for the disciples as well. In Luke chapter 17, Jesus was teaching the apostles about their need to forgive. Even if someone, you know, offended you 7 times in 1 day and they came back and repented, you needed to9:30 forgive them. And the apostles responded in verse 5 of chapter 17 in the book of Luke said, increase our faith. We can't do that on our own. Increase our faith. Help us to9:42 believe. It is the will of God that our faith be strong. In in Mark 14 38, watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The9:54 spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak. In John, first John chapter 5 verse 14, now this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his10:05 will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of him. You need more faith to believe10:17 in the promises of God and to believe in his word and stand on his word. Guess what? Ask him. He will answer. That is God's will for us that we10:29 believe, that we have the faith to trust him and take him at his word. In verse 25, when Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit saying to it, deaf and dumb10:41 spirit, I command you come out of him and enter him no more. Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly and came out of him and he became as 1 dead. So many said, he is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand and10:52 lifted him up, and he arose. And when and this is a little bit late in verse 28, and when he had come into the house, the disciples asked him privately after11:04 the crowd had kinda gone away. They said, Lord, why could we not cast it out? Verse 29. So he said to them, this kind can come out by nothing but prayer and11:15 fasting. Father, we thank you for your word. And and, Lord, we know that this is preserved and written in the gospels for us. Your word is truth. And, Lord, we are set free11:28 by by your truth. Lord, by an understanding of this world in which we live, that there is a spiritual dimension. We are spiritual beings in this physical world. But, Lord, we11:40 wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual host of wickedness in heavenly places as Paul wrote. Lord, help give us eyes to11:50 see, ears to hear, and may we be fully equipped with the full armor of god that we could withstand the devices of the devil, and we could see others12:03 set free because of our stand for your truth. Guide us, Lord, on this journey. We thank you for your word. We thank you for the Holy Spirit. We thank you for Jesus and your grace and mercy that was displayed12:15 through him and manifested, Lord, through the cross and the defeat of the grave as he was resurrected. And now as he sits at your right hand making intercession for us,12:27 may you increase our faith in this hour. In Jesus' name, amen. Alright. Thanks for joining this morning. And let me just remind you, coming up, this weekend, if you're in the Baton Rouge area, we have our stand on theStanding on the Word 12:39 word monthly meeting at our FRC facility. If you'd like to find out more about joining us, just email me, tony at tony perkins dot com, or you can watch on the app. It'll be on the Stand12:50 Firm app, Saturday evening. So until then, actually, until tomorrow, keep standing on the word.13:00 Today's study comes from the Stand on the Word Bible Reading Plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you13:11 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 Faith and the Transfiguration3:34 Demonic Activity and Spiritual Warfare12:31 Standing on the Word
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