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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to Matthew chapter 17. Matthew chapter 17. Remember the specific context, 
the Lord Jesus and his disciples are in route to Jerusalem. The 
Galilean ministry proper is finished, however in our passage specifically 
at verse 22 it says they were staying in Galilee. Again, they 
are passing through, heading to Jerusalem so that the latter 
events of the Gospel account, the Gospel record can be accomplished. Namely, the death and the resurrection 
of our Lord Jesus. Our passage this morning is Matthew 
17, verses 14 to 23, so I will read that and then we'll pray 
and ask God's help upon our study. And when they had come to the 
multitude, a man came to him, kneeling down to him and saying, 
Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers 
severely, for he often falls into the fire and often into 
the water. So I brought him to your disciples, but they could 
not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, 
O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? 
How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to me. And Jesus 
rebuked the demon, and it came out of him. And the child was 
cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus 
privately and said, Why could we not cast it out? So Jesus 
said to them, because of your unbelief, for assuredly I say 
to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say 
to this mountain, move from here to there, and it will move, and 
nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does 
not go out except by prayer and fasting. Now while they were 
staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, the Son of Man is about 
to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And the third day He will be 
raised up. And they were exceedingly sorrowful. Amen. Let us pray. Our God and our Father, we come 
to Scripture now and we pray for the ministry of Your Holy 
Spirit. We know, God, that apart from Christ we can do nothing, 
and that includes the right understanding of Holy Scripture. So we pray 
that You would provide that which we lack. First and foremost, 
forgive us for all of our sins and its darkening influence. 
Cleanse us in the blood of the Lamb. and Lord, supply richly 
the Holy Spirit of God, that we may be led into all truth, 
and that we may appreciate the glory, and the mercy, and the 
kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ. As well, Father, for those outside 
of Christ, may today be the day of salvation. We do not appeal 
to men to make good decisions. We do not appeal to men to act 
upon their free will. We know and affirm with the Apostle, 
it does not depend upon him who wills, nor upon him who runs. 
but upon God who shows mercy. We pray to you, our sovereign 
God, that you would be well pleased to reach down, and in your kindness 
and in your love, call sinners out of darkness into marvelous 
light. Father, I pray especially this morning for us as parents, 
as we see a man who is burdened for his child. Give us great 
confidence and great hope to likewise go to the Lord Jesus 
Christ on their behalf. Bless our time together, we pray 
and we ask through Jesus the Lord. Amen. As I've already mentioned, 
the very specific context will get right to the exposition of 
the passage. I wanted to include verses 22 
and 23 with what precedes. Most of the commentators do not 
see a strict or a tight connection between the preceding or the 
following with reference to this announcement concerning the crucifixion 
and resurrection. Notice how in verses 22 and 23 
we have What is the second formal announcement of the Lord's coming 
death and resurrection? As I said, some do not see it 
connected to the preceding. They certainly do not see it 
connected to the payment of tribute tax in the following. So I'm 
going to connect it with the preceding and give a couple of 
reasons why I think at least it can be helpful to consider 
verses 22 to 23 with what has preceded in terms of the healing 
of a demon-possessed boy. So we'll break down our passage 
this morning into four broad concerns. First, the request 
for mercy in verses 14 to 16. Secondly, the rebuke from the 
Lord in verses 17 and 18. Thirdly, the instruction concerning 
faith in verses 19 to 21, and then finally the emphasis upon 
the cross in verses 22 to 23. Now as I was thinking about this 
particular passage this morning, as I'm considering this particular 
text, One of the things I think it does illustrate for us in 
the providence of God is something we looked at two weeks ago. You 
remember that I preached from 1 Samuel chapter 8 and I tried 
to highlight there that there is a contrast in kingdom. There is a contrast between a 
subjection to the God of heaven and earth and to a subjection 
to the devil. And I think that this passage 
truly does illustrate that in a very wonderful way. As we work 
our way specifically through verses 14 to 21, we see that 
Jesus traffics or deals in mercy in the government of his kingdom. 
When we consider the devil, however, look at how his subjects conduct 
themselves in this particular passage. Self-destruction. This demon possesses this boy 
and causes him to seize violently and then to cast himself into 
fire or into water. So you see very vividly in this 
small compass of verses something that the Bible everywhere readily 
acknowledges. There is a contrast. In Christ, 
there is blessing. In Christ, there is hope. In 
Christ, there is joy. In Christ, there is great peace 
and comfort. In the devil, however, there 
is bondage. In the devil there is self-destruction. In the devil there is ruin, death, 
and all manner of bad things. I was musing on this as we sang, 
God my King, thy might confessing. It speaks very specifically in 
verse 5, or stanza 5. It says, "...full of kindness 
and compassion, slow to anger, vast in love. God is good to 
all creation. All His works His goodness prove." 
It dawned on me that if they do sing in hell, which I seriously 
doubt, they are not singing to extol the mercies and the grace 
and the kindness of the devil. So if you are outside of Christ 
this morning, I want you to witness firsthand what it looks like. Now the devil may not have possessed 
you in such a way so as to produce violent seizures, or to produce 
in you a desire to jump into the fire, or to jump into the 
water. Mark details more vividly the 
effects of this malady upon this young boy. It says that he foamed 
at the mouth. It says that he had a mute spirit. The devil may not do those particulars 
to you, but self-destruction is part of it. Self-destruction, 
whether it's jumping in a flame or jumping in water in order 
to drown, whatever you pursue that is not God will ultimately 
destroy your soul. It is either life eternal and 
the blessings of Christ or it is self-destruction with the 
devil and his angels. That is the only two opportunities 
or the only two options. And I say with Elijah at the 
outset, How long will you halt between two options or two opinions? If Yahweh is God, serve Him. Come to the Lord Jesus Christ 
and know the blessing of everlasting life and the freedom from this 
self-destructive tendency that manifests itself all over the 
earth today. We see self-destruction in young 
people, self-destruction in children, self-destruction celebrated in 
the media, self-destruction praised, and perhaps if he is such a malevolent 
figure that actually does laugh, the devil laughs at the entirety 
of it all. And then one final thought before 
we proceed. Consider the reality that the 
devil, as I've already mentioned, wants your destruction. You say, 
how do you know that? Well, Luke chapter 8, in Jesus' 
parable of the sower, he tells us very specifically that that 
first seed that was thrown out there was gathered up by the 
birds. The birds maliciously come and 
take the seed that the farmer has planted and they will not 
be able to produce a crop. Now, I said maliciously. Birds 
aren't malicious. I have yet to see a bird with 
a big evil smile, sitting up on a wire, waiting for the farmer 
to go out and cast his seed, so that the bird can go down, 
and not just fill its belly, but to deprive that farmer. He 
wants to see the farmer bankrupt. He wants to see the farmer a 
beggar. That's not what the bird does. It's simply an analogy 
or an illustration. But the devil, however, does. 
Jesus says very specifically that the devil operates in such 
a way so that he snatches up the seed lest you hear the word 
and lest you believe the word. Now, it could be my inability 
to make this material interesting this morning. But just think 
about it. This is an interesting story. What do we look for in 
storytelling? We look for exciting characters. We have them in our passage. 
We look for a particular conflict. We don't read story without conflict. There has to be some sort of 
tension that keeps our interest. That's present. Have you ever 
thought and wondered and considered why it is that you come to church 
and you hear very interesting things, but you could care less? 
You couldn't think less about it? All you want to do is get 
out of here? Do not underestimate the power 
of the devil. Do not underestimate the reality 
that he is seeking to pull up those seeds, lest you hear the 
Word and believe it. Resist that tendency, listen 
to the Word of God, and see where mercy is to be found in the person 
and the work of the Lord Jesus. Note first this request for mercy. We see the particular setting. Jesus comes down from the Mount 
of Transfiguration. Jesus has just communed with 
His Father. Jesus has just been affirmed 
or confirmed by His Father. The claims that Jesus has made 
concerning His person, the fact that He is the Son of God, the 
Messiah of God, has been affirmed to Him by His Father. And He 
leaves that particular mountain and He comes into contact with 
the multitudes Scribes are present, according to Mark's gospel, and 
to the rest of the disciples, the other nine. Remember, it 
was Peter, James, and John that went on the Mount of Transfiguration 
with him. But it's kind of similar to what 
Moses faced, isn't it? Moses went up on the Mount and 
he communed with God. Moses went up on the Mount and 
he saw the face of God as it were. And then he comes down 
onto the earth and he sees the misery of man. He sees Israel 
engaged in idolatry. He sees Israel engaged in all 
manner of defection and revelry. He sees Israel as symptomatic 
of the misery of man. It's the same as what Jesus finds. C. H. Spurgeon says, down from 
communion with saints and the confirmation of his claims by 
the Father's voice, the Lord comes to give battle to the devil. So we see the glory of God, the 
beauty of Christ. He comes now to the misery of 
man to give battle to the devil. The man approaches Him. Notice 
the text. It says, And when they had come 
to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him, 
and saying, We see in this man a desperate condition. Luke records 
for us that this is his only son. As I said, this son is in 
bad shape. Verse 18 makes very clear what 
his problem is. The boy has a demon. The boy 
has some malevolent spirit that causes him to foam at the mouth, 
to cry out, to seize violently, to go rigid. he has within him 
this demon that causes him to try and destroy himself in fire, 
probably fire for cooking, probably water that was around the town 
so that he could try and drown himself. Certainly the father 
is not content with this sort of thing with reference to his 
son. He loves his son. He is endeared to his son and 
he wants his son free. He wants his son healed. He wants 
his son happy. John Gill says, concerning this 
man's approach, he addressed Jesus with great marks of honor 
and respect. Not only by gesture, but by words. He craves mercy, pity, and compassion. Is that us as parents? We crave 
mercy, pity, and compassion. Let us learn from the Father 
to whom we ought to go. Brethren, when your children, 
perhaps not demon-possessed like this particular son, but nevertheless 
your children under the influence of this world, the influence 
of the devil, the influence of their own flesh, is engaged in 
some manner of evil, our hope comes in Christ. Our hope is 
in the Redeemer. Our hope is in God Most High. 
Our hope is in the Sovereign of the Universe that is merciful 
and kind, that did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him 
up for sinners. That is the One to whom we go. 
Remember that instance in John chapter 6, when persons ate the 
bread that Jesus gave them, and then Jesus speaks to them of 
high doctrine, and then the persons turn away from following him. 
And then he says to his inner disciples, he says, do you also 
want to leave me? And what does Peter say? Something 
I think is paradigmatic for every one of the saints of God. Lord, 
to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal 
life. Brethren, certainly when something 
is plaguing your child, fetch the appropriate help with reference 
to men. Seek prayer from the brothers 
and the sisters. Seek encouragement from the eldership. But seek deliverance from God 
Most High. He is our recourse. He is our 
hope. He is the one that proffers grace 
and mercy. Dill says he craves mercy, pity, 
and compassion, for the case he had to present was a miserable 
one, and his earnestness and importunity he hoped might be 
excused, since it was for a child of his own. Luke adds, for he 
is mine only child. And therefore, his affection 
for him must be thought to be very strong. And he greatly concerned 
for his grievous affliction and earnestly desires of his health 
and life. Notice what the man says in verse 
15. Lord, have mercy on my son. Brethren, I hope that's your 
prayer for your kids and for your grandkids. Lord, make my 
son a CEO. Lord, make my son sterling among 
men. Lord, make my son intelligent 
and bright so he can do well on his exams. I'm not suggesting 
that we ought not to pray for some of those things. But Lord, 
have mercy on my son. Lord, have mercy on my daughter. Lord, save them, deliver them, 
because this is a battle to the death. You see, they're in the 
clutches of evil. They are in bondage, and the 
only hope of deliverance is sovereign grace and sovereign power. I would never want to be an Armenian. 
I would never want to be a Pelagian. I would never want to be a heretic 
when I'm going through the trials of fathering a child that has 
difficulty. I want the strong name of God 
as my refuge. I want to be able to fetch mercy 
from the throne of grace. And I want to be able to say 
with this man, Have mercy on my son." Notice the specific 
malady. It says, he is an epileptic and 
suffers severely. For he often falls into the fire 
and often into the water. As I've already indicated in 
verse 18, it tells us that he is demon-possessed. Now with 
reference to epilepsy, we need to learn something here. Not 
every epileptic is demon-possessed. No more than every mute person 
or every deaf person or every blind person is demon-possessed. You'll see healings already in 
Matthew 9 and in Matthew 12. Men had physical manifestations 
of problems, muteness, deafness, blindness. And when Jesus cast 
out the demon, those senses came back. But we are not to walk 
around and consider anybody and everybody that has epilepsy as 
having some sort of a demon. Epilepsy isn't one particular 
thing. It is a descriptor, an identifier, 
of several different neurological disorders. The Bibles, the English 
versions, translate this word in various ways. It is epileptic 
in the New King James and in the ESV. It has seizures in the 
NIV. It is lunatic in the Geneva Bible, 
the King James, and the New American Standard. Now, I realize that 
lunatic is a word that has come from the past and it sounds a 
bit odd to us. The word lunatic comes from the 
word lunar. The idea is one being moonstruck. The moon had an effect upon this 
person such that they had these fits or such that they had these 
particular disorders. We need to understand that epilepsy 
or these seizures or this foaming at the mouth or this self-destructive 
pattern of seeking to destroy himself in the water or fire 
is as a result of the demon. So please don't think that somebody 
who has a seizure in front of you is demon-possessed. Do not 
go the realm or the way of those whack jobs that tell us that 
that's just a lack of faith and that's just an obvious sign that 
somebody is demon-possessed. No, there are neurological problems 
and real organic issues going on with people's brains. And 
so we ought not to judge them of being demon-possessed when 
they're simply biologically challenged, you see. Joseph Hall, the good 
bishop. speaks concerning this particular 
boy. So you need to understand, it's 
demon possession. It's manifested or evidenced 
in these epileptic seizures, in this suffering severely, in 
this falling into the water, and often into the fire. Paul 
says, out of hell there could be not a greater misery. Out 
of hell there could be not a greater misery than what we find in this 
particular passage. We need to enter in. We need 
to feel this man's pain for a minute. We need to understand what's 
in view at this particular time. The boy's in a desperate spot. 
The boy is in a very difficult place. And again, my dear beloved 
brethren who happen to have children, as Ryle tells us in his expository 
thoughts, let it be a settled principle with us. When we read 
of our Lord's miracles, never to despair of the conversion 
of any soul. Praise God. Right? Let it be 
a settled principle with us when we read of our Lord's miracles, 
never to despair of the conversion of any soul. Don't give up. As my dear wife always says, 
while there's breath, there's hope. Don't get to the point 
where you say, that's it, I can't stand it, it's just over. God 
is in the heavens. God is on his throne. God is 
sovereign. God is glorious. God is unchanged 
and unchanging. God is full of mercy, full of 
pity, full of power. Brethren, do not despair the 
reality that there is a sovereign God in the heavens that is for 
his people. Fetch mercy from the Lord God 
Most High. The man is desperate. Notice 
what he says. I brought him to your disciples, 
but they could not cure him. He's desperate now, isn't he? 
He's tried. And there's some background here 
that we need to appreciate. And in many respects, this whole 
narrative, or this whole section, the focus really isn't on the 
malady. The focus really isn't on the 
cure. It's very summarily reported. If you put Matthew next to Mark, 
you see that Mark details the malady and he details the cure. Matthew gives us a very abbreviated 
version of the malady and of the cure. Matthew examines And 
Matthew focuses upon and Matthew highlights the faithlessness 
of the disciples. That becomes the primary lesson 
in Matthew's account of this particular situation. But consider 
the disciples. They had been given the authority 
in chapter 10, verse 1. They had been given the authority 
in chapter 10 at verse 8. It was not wrong for this man 
to come to the disciples and ask for their help. According 
to Mark 6.13 and Luke 10.17, the disciples actually did affect 
some of these particulars in their earthly ministry. So it 
wasn't wrong that the Father comes to them. It's not wrong 
that the Father seeks help from them. It's not wrong that He 
comes asking them to cast out the demon that plagued His Son. But notice the desperation. It's 
the reality that they were not able to cure him. I've come to 
your disciples, they were invested with your authority, they were 
given your instruction, they were your representatives, and 
they were not able to bring a cure. They have not helped him. They 
have not fixed him. They have not brought that relief 
to him. Perhaps the boy himself at that 
particular time could have been foaming at the mouth. The boy 
himself could have been having a seizure. The boy himself could 
have been engaged in all manner of evil. That's how Mark describes 
him to us. And then notice, that brings 
us a rebuke from Jesus. Verses 17 and 18. He rebukes 
two parties. First the crowd and secondly 
the demon himself. First, the crowd. It's a little 
bit difficult to unpack what's going on in verse 17. Faithless 
and perverse generation. Is he talking to the nine disciples 
that were not able to cast out the demon? Is he calling them 
faithful and perverse? Remember, there is a multitude 
that is gathered. Mark tells us that scribes were 
in the multitude as well. Calvin indicates that the rebuke 
primarily was to the scribes. I take it as a general rebuke 
of the nation of Israel as a whole at this particular time. What 
is unfortunate is that those nine disciples were thinking 
like that generation. They were engaged in that manner 
of mindset. They too fall under this particular 
reproof because they are functioning faithlessly and perversely. unbelieving, 
two-minded on this particular situation. This is a rebuke that 
our Lord employs earlier in Matthew's Gospel, and it's one that comes 
out in Deuteronomy 32, a section that Pastor Cam read. God, through 
Moses, calls Israel a faithless and a perverse generation. Paul 
the Apostle describes the world in that way in Philippians chapter 
2. We are let our lights shine before 
men. We are to do so in this crooked 
and perverse generation. So you see what Jesus is doing 
is he is reproving this crowd for not understanding and highlighting 
and realizing the fact that the God of Israel has power. The God of Israel is massive. The God of Israel is able to 
cast out demons. So the target is most likely 
the crowd. The background is Deuteronomy, 
and I think the two questions that Jesus poses, something similar 
to Numbers 14, when the Father speaks to Moses, but something 
we see throughout the prophets. I think it is a prophetic exasperation. A prophetic exasperation. Notice what he says. How long 
shall I be with you? Some have seen in it something 
of a prophetic announcement that the incarnate Son of God was 
going to return back to heaven. That's certainly taught in the 
Bible, and it's certainly taught in Matthew's Gospel. But I think 
here it is a prophetic exasperation, something to the effect of, you 
still don't get it? You still don't understand? You 
still are not processing? It's like when your kid says, 
I forgot to put the lid on the toothpaste. I know we've had 
this discussion a thousand times, maybe. I'm sure we have. Have you not got it yet? Hasn't 
it sunk into your melon yet? Haven't you got it in your head 
now? They even make toothpaste now 
that flips up and you can't lose the cap. They still don't shut 
it. A thousand times we've gone through 
this and you still don't shut the toothpaste. I don't want 
things walking into my toothpaste. I don't want disease. I'm a bit 
of a freak that way. I don't want airborne viruses. 
I certainly don't want it sitting next to my toilet being open. Do me the favor of shutting the 
toothpaste. There is a bit of fatherly exasperation 
on that thousand and first time when I take my child and I say, 
put the lid on the toothpaste. That's what I think Jesus is 
doing here. How long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? And then the word of power, and 
authority, and the word of answer. What does the man request? Lord 
have mercy on my son. What does Jesus do? He rebukes 
the crowd. He makes the command, bring him 
to me. My disciples may not have cast 
out the demon. My disciples may not have been 
able to. My disciples may have exerted 
or have demonstrated their inability, but Christ has ability. Christ 
has power. Christ has efficacy. Christ has 
the authoritative word that when He speaks, the demon will come 
out of that boy. So he says, bring him to me and 
now he rebukes the demon. Says, and Jesus rebuked the demon 
and it came out of him and the child was cured from that very 
hour. Isn't that beautiful? Imagine 
you had this son and you'd seen him in this state all his life. You couldn't go on a picnic because 
if there was a body of water he'd try to drown himself. You 
certainly couldn't go on a camp out because if you made a fire 
to roast marshmallows, he'd try to throw himself in it. You couldn't 
take him out in society without people looking at him because 
he's foaming at the mouth and having seizures. You were very, 
very restricted in the way that you could relate to this child. 
This had been a lifelong thing. We don't know how old the boy 
is, but the words employed indicate that he's probably not 2, probably 
not 18, but he's not 2. The young man who's been demon-possessed, 
and with a word. The voice of Christ, like the 
voice of Yahweh in Psalm 29, breaks the cedars of Lebanon, 
breaks the demon's back, casts him out. Again, there's no elaborate 
description. Turn to Mark 9 later, and Luke 
9 later, and you can review it and compare it and see it. Matthew 
is focused here. Matthew shows us the authoritative 
Word of Christ. And Matthew underscores what 
he does elsewhere concerning Jesus' miracles of healing. When it speaks very specifically, 
the child was cured from that very hour. This demonstrates 
the efficacy of our Lord Jesus. France says the cure is as immediately 
visible as was the disciples' failure. The cure was as immediately 
visible as was the disciples' failure. It's interesting in 
Luke 9.43 it says, and they were all amazed at the majesty of 
God. This faithless and perverse generation 
was amazed at the majesty of God. You'll see that in other 
instances in our Lord's ministry. You'll see Him do miraculous 
and mighty and powerful things and it tells us probably unconverted 
people were amazed at the power of God. How come we as converted 
people aren't always amazed at the power of God? How come we 
as converted people come in here and sing and mutter when we don't 
think and contemplate that God has saved our miserable souls 
from a Christless eternity? God has delivered us and bought 
us via His Son. We have been redeemed. We have 
been bought with a costly price. Certainly it demands more amazement 
from the people of God. Has amazing grace not been so 
amazing in our lives? If we turn this morning to 402, 
would we just mutter out, amazing grace, how sweet the sound that 
saved a wretch like me? Or do we contemplate? Do we focus? Do we consider? God saved me. I was hellbound. I wasn't foaming 
at the mouth, and I wasn't seizing and falling into water and fire, 
but I might just as well have been You see, what you have, 
perhaps, in your self-righteousness, and in your polish, and in your 
appearance to others that looks very respectable, is at essence 
the very same as this wretched youth that is falling on the 
ground and throwing himself into the fire. You say, well, I would 
never do that. But what self-destructive patterns 
and habits have you imbibed? You may be too young yet to be 
under crack cocaine. I'm not saying yet like you should 
be. You may not be addicted to internet porn at this particular 
time. You may not be addicted to all 
the sorts of things that are not freedoms, but are bondage. Do you see how paradoxical life 
has become? We think that sexual immorality, 
and I don't mean we as the church, we better not, but the world 
sees that as liberty. That's bondage. Bondage. Wretched, horrible, satanic, 
ungodly bondage. So yours may be more polished 
and it may be more respectable. We talked about this two weeks 
ago in 1 Samuel 8. Might be your friends, might 
be peer pressure, might be fun. It might be the idea that I don't 
want Christ because all he brings is oppression. All Christ brings 
is things that I don't want. That is bondage to something 
other than Jesus, and it's self-destruction. There is a way that seems right 
to a man, but its end is destruction, Solomon tells us. There is a 
way that appears to be the way that brings most happiness and 
joy. There is a way that appears to 
be the means by which I will fully be satisfied, but its end 
is destruction. You see, destruction is what 
you get outside of Christ. You get mercy, grace, kindness, 
love, joy, blessing, peace in Christ. I've said this before 
and I'll say it again. Ask your parents. Ask a friend. Ask anybody that's actually a 
Christian. I'm not talking about the sorts 
of people that show up in churches today and say, I love Jesus, 
and then go out and live like the world. But those who, by 
God's grace, believe the gospel. By God's grace, they've been 
justified freely. They've received the forgiveness 
of sins. They've been clothed with the righteousness of Christ. 
As a result, by God's grace, they are pursuing those things 
which are pleasing to the Father. Not perfectly, with fits and 
starts, with ebbs and flows, with forwards and backwards, 
all those sorts of things. But you ask a genuine Christian, 
would you give up what you have in Jesus for what you had without 
Him? To a man they'll say, absolutely 
not. Do you imagine going and finding 
Christian on that road to the Celestial City and say, do you 
want to give up everything you have with the Master and go back 
to the City of Destruction? Why would I want to go back to 
the City of Destruction? I'd rather fight Giant. I'd rather 
go to Giant Despair and Doubting Castle. I'd rather go through 
the River Jordan fighting my way and clawing my way every 
step of the way because I know at the end I shall see him as 
he is. I will be in the presence of 
the one the Bible says is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. 
I gotta tell you, before my life in Christ, there was nothing 
in my life that was altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. 
Certainly not my friends. certainly not drugs, certainly 
not immorality. Wow, I really want to go and 
be in bondage again. You see, the world has sold you 
a bill of goods that is a big fat lie. There's only freedom 
and blessing and privilege and liberty and joy in the presence 
of God and we go through Christ to the Father. Brethren, this 
man saw right before his eyes the demon cast out. Notice, thirdly, 
the instruction concerning faith. The disciples come to Jesus and 
they say, they come to him privately and they say, why could we not 
cast it out? It's interesting. Always heard 
that adage. I remember learning it in business, 
or not business like I went to business. I was in a business. 
I was in a big corporation. And they used to say, praise 
publicly and rebuke privately. It's a good rule of thumb. It's 
a good rule of thumb. Praise publicly. Somebody's done 
something good, tell them you did something good around others. It's okay. I'm not talking about 
the pride and, oh, they're going to get a big head and all that 
sort of thing. But if you've got to rebuke them, take them away privately. 
Do that kind of business behind the door. Don't embarrass people. Don't make it worse for people. 
These disciples come to Jesus privately and say, why didn't 
it work? I don't know what the words they used very specifically, 
but they understood they had been clothed with authority from 
the Christ, and they had done this before, Mark 6.13 and Luke 
10.17, and now they've tried it with this man and his demon-possessed 
son, and they have come up short. They have come up lacking. They 
have come up wanting. And so they want to know, why 
could we not cast it out? So Jesus now instructs them concerning 
faith. Notice his response. He highlights 
three things in particular. First, he highlights the importance 
of faith. Secondly, the power of faith. 
And thirdly, the means that accompany faith. Let's look at these in 
turn. First, the importance of faith. 
He says, because of your unbelief. Why couldn't we do this? Because 
you didn't believe. Now, when I speak about the power 
of faith, And when I highlight the importance of faith, realize 
I am not treating it like it's some active force that we possess. It's not some intrinsic power 
that I own. I don't have the ability to raise 
my hand on high, open up my hand and let the whammy fly down. 
And with that faith and power that I have, I can affect cures 
and changes and all manner of good things. It's not magic. The power of faith is simply 
acknowledging the power of God. That's what's in view. So when 
he talks about its importance, and then he talks about its power, 
if you believe, you can say to mountains, go jump into the ocean. I think Davies and Allison say 
what I'm trying to say a lot better than I'm trying to say 
it. It is crucial to observe that in the first gospel, Matthew's 
gospel, faith is never a power in and of itself. It is not positive 
thinking or some active force. Isn't that how it's treated in 
some wings of the church? Isn't it? Well, you don't have 
faith, so you're all messed up. Like it's a power, a deposit, 
or an active force that we have right here and I'm going to unleash 
a little bit for everything to be good. No, it's a grasp of 
God is what faith is. It's an acknowledgement of God. 
It's an understanding of God. It's a realization of God. It's 
the idea that God can do this and to walk in that confidence. They say, nor does it give the 
possessor, its possessor, power to will. Faith, as trust and 
hope, instead, calls upon God to act on its behalf. Lord, save! We perish! They mention that 
one may therefore say that the eye of faith, like the physical 
eye, contemplates not itself but the object before it, which 
for Matthew should always be God in Christ. Now listen to 
this last statement again. You'll find something very similar 
in J. Gresham Machen. I suspect that 
they got this from J. Gresham Machen. Or, independently, 
two men had the same idea and illustrated it the same way. 
Probably Machen and Davies and Allison got it from a Puritan 
before them, but whatever the case, listen to what they say. 
One may say, therefore, that the eye of faith, like the physical 
eye, contemplates not itself. Does your eye look at your eye? 
Well, yeah, once in the morning and once in the evening when 
you're brushing your teeth, you look at your eyes. But that's 
not its function, right? What's the purpose of the eye? 
It is to affix on the object. That's what faith is. It affixes 
on the object. It lays hold of God. It understands 
God. It knows God. They say, "...contemplates not 
itself, but the object before it, which for Matthew should 
always be God in Christ." Notice, specifically, this reference 
to the power of faith. He says, because of your unbelief. 
That highlights its importance. Now notice its power. For assuredly, 
I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say 
to this mountain, move from here to there, and it will move, and 
nothing will be impossible for you. It's a beautiful statement, 
isn't it? It's a glorious testimony. That 
ought to cause us to say with the Father in march parallel, 
Lord I believe, help my unbelief. That's where that term or that 
phrase comes from. It's on the father's lips in 
this same narrative. When Jesus makes this statement 
concerning faith, according to Mark, as he understood, as he 
saw, as he interpreted this whole situation, again, theology is 
in their view, it's the father, or the father says, Lord, I believe, 
help my unbelief. That ought to be our prayer, 
because we believe, don't we? But we got a lot of unbelief, 
too. We believe, but we need to grow. We believe, but we don't have 
what Jesus speaks of here. And that doesn't mean, with the 
health, wealth, and prosperity idiots, that you really can tell 
a mountain to jump in the lake. He doesn't mean with them, in 
terms of nothing will be impossible to you, that big cars, big houses, 
and big everything is in your future. That's not what the passage 
means! Isn't it getting old and tired 
that people keep abusing the same texts? Maybe it just bugs 
me because I happen to be a preacher. But it does bug me, and it should 
bug you, that people abuse passages. But he speaks of this little 
faith Some of your versions might say 
little faith because of your little faith in verse 20. The 
New King James has that in the margin. It's a bit of a textual 
variant there. You say, well, wait a minute. 
Jesus says because of your little faith. And then he says, if you 
have the little faith of mustard seed, well, that's going to move 
mountains. There's a discrepancy there. No, I think unbelief probably 
captures the idea better. That's what's in view. You didn't 
have faith. Perhaps the disciples grew a 
little bit arrogant. Perhaps the disciples thought 
they had the whammy power. Perhaps the disciples thought 
this would be no big deal. This demon possessed boy will 
be able to click our fingers and snap it out of him and he'll 
be eating supper at home later and not foaming at the mouth. 
They didn't stop to ponder. They didn't lay hold of God. 
Their faith wasn't affixed to the power that is there. And when they say Or when Jesus 
says, however, I'm sorry, move from here to there and it will 
move and nothing will be impossible for you. Again, this doesn't 
mean that you can be an astronaut if you can't see. You know, we 
do that with Philippians chapter 4. I can do all things through 
Christ who strengthens me. I'm going to be the best basketball 
player the Lakers have ever seen. That's not what Paul means. I 
can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That does 
not mean you can put a gun to your head and pull the trigger 
and not die. Please do not interpret the Bible that way. I can do 
all things through Christ who strengthens me. I can jump over 
the moon. You can't. Context limits verses. And in the context, this nothing 
shall be impossible to you is not you realizing your full potential 
as a preacher on the circuit making big bucks. Nothing shall 
be impossible to you doesn't mean set up a booth at the carnival 
and throw the whammy on people and you'll heal them for bucks. 
That's not what Jesus is talking about. He's talking about God 
glorifying kingdom-driven Christ serving sorts of things that 
bring glory and honor to our triune God. I think Gil is a 
much more worthy, worthy proponent of what he means here than these 
other nutty people. He says, you shall not only be 
able to perform such a wonderful action as this, were it necessary, 
but any and everything else that will make for the glory of God, 
the enlargement of my kingdom and interest, the confirmation 
of truth, and the good of mankind." And then notice verse 21. This 
is a verse that is missing if you have the ESV or the NIV. 
Really, you should just get the New King James. You don't have 
to do this. Or it's in parentheses. You probably 
have verse 21, but it's a lot of parentheses with a marginal 
note that says, the oldest and the best manuscripts do not contain 
this verse. As we approach verse 21, I do 
want to underscore and highlight that prayer and fasting are not 
a surefire way to get what you want. Okay? That's not what Jesus 
is saying. I want a new car. Oh boy, I'm 
going to go pray and fast and then I'll get the new car. Remember 
in our studies in Samuel, God is not a lucky charm. God is 
not one we manipulate. God is not a holy horseshoe that 
we use to get what we are after. So that's the first thing we 
ought to understand. This kind does not go out except 
by prayer and fasting. This is in Mark's account of 
this situation, though fasting is not in Mark's account. I think 
what Jesus is saying here, not a formula, do this, get this. But the reality, 1 John tells 
us that greater is he that is in you than he that is in the 
world. But we do need to understand 
that he that is in the world is strong, he is powerful, He 
roams about like a lion seeking whom he may devour. I mean, if we had to picture 
him, we wouldn't see him as a little pussy cat. We wouldn't see him 
as a white cuddly cat. We'd see him as a lion. We'd 
see him as one who had power. And I think Jesus is underscoring 
this here. There are certain instances, 
there are certain seasons and certain times in your life, and 
battling the devil is certainly one of them where prayer and 
fasting are helpful means to accompany faith. Again, parents, 
there may be seasons, there may be times, there may be challenges, 
there may be issues where you cry with your brother man in 
Mark's gospel, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. And then you 
go to God in prayer and you chasten the soul with fasting. Calvin 
gives a gloss. That means he gives a bit of 
an amplification or a bit of a translation or interpretation. And he takes it this way. When 
Jesus says, however, this kind does not go out except by prayer 
and fasting, Calvin says, you are effeminate exorcists, said 
he. And seems as if you were engaged 
in a mock battle, got up for amusement. But you have to deal 
with a powerful adversary who will not yield until the battle 
has been fought out. Your faith must therefore be 
excited by prayer. And as you are slow and languid 
in prayer, you must resort to fasting as an assistance. Again, 
we want to minimize or get rid of the idea that if I pray and 
fast, I get what I want. But we want to encourage the 
reality that when we're going up against a peculiarly difficult 
foe, we consider prayer and fasting. certain means and helps and aids 
to faith. Spurgeon says, he that would 
overcome the devil in certain instances must first overcome 
heaven by prayer and conquer himself by self-denial. You see, brethren, some of the 
maladies that affect our kids or some of the maladies that 
affect our wives or our husbands or some of the maladies that 
affect a friend that we're witnessing to may not be got out without 
some prayer and fasting. may not be got out with us humbling 
ourselves before the high king of heaven and laying out our 
burdens before him." Again, I'm not preaching a formula. I'm 
not saying, go do this and you'll get what you want. Please do 
not misinterpret my words that way and please do not twist them 
that way. I do not believe that God is 
like Baal. I do not believe that we manipulate. 
I do not believe that we appease and then He spits out the blessings 
accordingly. But I do believe, my brothers 
and sisters, that we are those who believe but need to cry out 
to the Lord, help my unbelief. And there are seasons and there 
are times, certainly prayer and fasting can be means and assistances 
and helps in this pursuit of mercy from on high. So hear the 
word of our Lord. And then notice verses 22 to 
23, the emphasis upon the cross. Now while they were staying in 
Galilee, Jesus said to them, the Son of Man is about to be 
betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and the 
third day he will be raised up, and they were exceedingly sorrowful." 
The next section is when Jesus tells Peter to go find the fish, 
and then go pay the taxes. It's hard to know how the resurrection, 
the death and resurrection, connect to that payment of tribute tax. You know, as I was working through 
this, and I encouraged the brothers yesterday, always be aware, beware 
of coming up with a new thing in theology. I am totally against 
that. Do not, I mean, not totally against 
it. If you come up with a new thing, good, but make sure, please 
make sure it's right. If Calvin and Gil didn't see 
it and you did, there might be a problem, okay? I'm not saying 
there is, but there might be. So I step out here with a bit 
of hesitancy and reticence because I didn't see at least the commentators 
I have. None of them made the connection. But I don't kind of want to just 
see the death and resurrection sort of floating out there, unconnected 
to the preceding and to the following. If I had to take a position, 
I think it connects to the preceding. And I think it connects in these 
two ways. I think in the first place, Matthew is keeping us 
focused. Matthew is keeping us with the 
cross before our eyes. There are three formal announcements 
of the Passion. 1621, this passage in 1722 and 
23, and then again in 2017. But there are, however, several 
informal announcements of the Passion. When the bridegroom 
is cut off or taken away, Matthew 9.15. There's another informal 
statement in 10.38. By informal, I don't mean he's 
not accurate, but he's not addressing all the disciples and he's not 
highlighting the several points involved. And then even in our 
own text in 17.12, at verse 1712b, and they did not know him, but 
did to him whatever they wished. Likewise, the Son of Man is also 
about to suffer at their hands. So you see, there are references, 
informal, as I will call them, but the three formal are given 
to us in 16, 17, and again in 20. I think this is setting the 
stage, it's preparing the context, it's ushering into the reality 
of the latter chapters of Matthew's Gospel. What's the emphasis? What's the focus? What's the 
highlight? We had the power of Christ manifested 
in His Word in Matthew 5-7, His teaching in the Sermon on the 
Mount. We see the power of Christ manifested in his actions, his 
healing ministry in chapters 8 and 9. And then punctuated 
from then on, we have this idea, peppered along the way, we have 
this idea that the cross is in the horizon. And I think that's 
what Matthew wants. Yes, you've witnessed the demonstration 
of the power of Christ. And you're going to witness other 
things along the way. But don't forget this, reader. Don't let 
this escape you, reader. Don't let this lose you, reader. The emphasis and the rest is 
on the cross. And then I think as well, and 
again, I'm being very hesitant, very reticent. I'm probably wrong, 
but just take it for what I suggest here. What's the ultimate victory 
over the devil? What's the ultimate time when 
the foot of the mighty Christ will crush the head of this serpent? It's as if we are given this 
view of this wretched, miserable boy. We see him in his destitution. We see the father in his desperation. We see the son in bondage. We see the son in slavery. We see and hear the power of 
Christ cast this demon out and immediately he's cured. And then 
Matthew tells us, the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into 
the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He 
will be raised up. Brethren, that is the decisive 
blow against the devil and his kingdom. That is the crushing 
victory. Reader, you've been prepared. 
Reader, you see the power of Christ. You understand His ability 
to cast out this demon from this poor little boy. But there's 
a day coming when Christ on the cross will usher in something 
even more glorious. It'll be the promise of Genesis 
3.15 come to pass. It'll be the soul-crushing seed 
of the woman who brings that decisive death blow to the devil 
himself. And this is precisely what Colossians 
2 tells us, precisely what Hebrews 2 tells us, it's precisely what 
1 John tells us, that Christ was manifest to destroy the works 
of the devil. I don't think it's accidentally 
put here. I think Matthew, again, I could be wrong, wants us to 
consider that demon possession has met its match in the person 
and in the work of our Lord Jesus. Notice the disciples' response. 
They weren't exceedingly sorrowful. They don't hear the resurrection, 
do they? They don't hear it! He will be 
betrayed, which incidentally the word betrayed that is used 
there is not necessarily a bad thing. Now let me just qualify 
that. The word has as its fundamental 
idea handed over. It could be through betrayal 
vis-a-vis Judas, but it could speak with reference to Romans 
8.32. God did not spare His own Son, but 
delivered Him up for us all. The Lord God Most High handed 
Him over for us all. In Jesus' words, when He talks 
about the betrayal, we immediately conclude that what is in view 
is the betrayal by Judas. And I don't think that's absent 
from the text, but if we translated it, handed over or delivered, 
we might get the idea that Christ is proceeding according to plan. Christ is doing what He's supposed 
to as covenant mediator in the pactum salutis or covenant of 
redemption. The Father said, I give you a 
miserable lot of sinners, and if you are willing, you go, you 
die, and you save them. And it is the Father who hands 
Him over. It is the Father who delivers 
Him up. It is the Father who sends the 
Son on this particular mission of love to save His people from 
their sins. There might be some of that in 
there too. These disciples, perhaps it's still little faith. Perhaps 
it's a bit of unbelief. Perhaps there's some of us in 
each of these disciples, but we hear betrayal, we hear death, 
but we don't hear He'll be raised the third day. He will be raised 
the third day. These brethren missed it. We 
are not to miss it. Certainly we have the rest of 
the New Testament documents to underscore the importance. Well, brethren, in conclusion, 
As we have seen, and as I will remind you, the importance of 
faith. Faith seems to be a primary theme 
in Matthew's treatment of this narrative. He doesn't go into 
detail with the malady or the healing, but he does rebuke the 
crowd. He does say to his disciples, 
because of your unbelief, listen to Ryle. Faith is the key to 
success in the Christian warfare. Unbelief is the sure road to 
defeat. Once let our faith languish and 
decay, and all our graces will languish with it. Courage, patience, 
long-suffering, and hope will soon wither and dwindle away. 
Faith is the root on which they all depend. Brethren, faith. John Owen made this comment. 
The root of all backsliding, of all apostasy, whether it be 
notional or practical, gradual or total, lies in unbelief. If you say with that father, 
Lord, I believe, help my unbelief, you had better back it up by 
reading scripture. What feeds faith? What increases 
faith? Remember before they were outlawed, 
people had these things in their houses, they were called fireplaces? Imagine, of all things, to outlaw. 
But with some fireplaces, you had this big wooden thing that 
had that little accordion thing in there, and you sort of blew 
it to get it going. Because as everyone knows, I'm 
the least scientific among us, but I know you have to have air 
to have fire. And so that big accordion thing 
would fan it and send air in there as a portion of the fuel 
necessary to make that fire grow. Shame on us if we cry to God 
in private and say, Lord out my unbelief, we neglect his word. What feeds the soul? What nourishes 
the heart? What increases faith but a lively 
apprehension of Jesus? Do you get that lively apprehension 
of Jesus in the Progress or in the Times or on whatever site 
you like to frequent? Or do you get that lively apprehension 
of Christ in the Scriptures? He is altogether lovely and chief 
among 10,000 and those who struggle with unbelief ought to seek him 
in his word. Brethren, faith. Secondly, we 
see in this passage the misery of man. The Lord Jesus descends 
from a mountain where his father confirmed him into the arena 
of sin and misery where he meets a father that is destitute and 
desperate over the condition of his own son. I mentioned this 
earlier, and I will mention it again. There is a contrast in 
kingdoms. If there is singing in hell, 
it is not to extol the mercy of the devil. When they're singing 
in heaven, you know what we will do? We will cry, salvation belongs 
to our God and to the Lamb who sits upon the throne, for He 
has redeemed us. He has washed us in His blood. He has saved us from every tribe 
and tongue and people and nation. You are in one of two camps this 
morning. You are either under Christ, 
where he deals in mercy, or you are under the devil, where he 
deals in destruction. The destruction may not be a 
foaming mouth, it may not be seizures, it may not be a desire 
to destroy oneself and fire a water, but the desire to destroy is 
certainly there. The devil, perhaps, has gotten 
a little more technologically advantage or advanced nowadays. Perhaps it is via the computer. 
Perhaps it is through the media. Perhaps it is through foolish 
friends. Perhaps it is through a whole 
host of things that he gets your soul. Remember, he's like a bird 
that plucks up the seed so that you won't hear and you won't 
believe. Resist that. There's mercy to be had in Jesus. 
There's mercy to be had in this one who answered the prayer of 
this man. He said, Lord have mercy on me. What happens? Jesus says, get 
him. Bring him over here. And he cures him. That's what 
you get coming to Christ. Isn't it beautiful when you believe 
the gospel what happens? Oh, I'm going to go agonized 
for 15 years in a hole. No. You come to Christ, you don't 
have to go camp on a pole. Do you know that monks in the 
history of the church did that? They had big poles and they'd 
sit at the top of a pole. Guess what? You don't have to 
sit at the top of a pole. You don't even have to come forward. 
You don't have to close your eyes and raise your hand and 
bow your head. You don't have to sign a card. You don't have 
to sing. I have decided! You just have 
to, by the grace of God, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
right now, right here, you will be saved. Isn't that beautiful? 
Isn't that what happened with us? Wasn't there this time when 
we kind of came under conviction so we went and lived on a pole 
and then we really saw the light? No, by the power of the Holy 
Spirit. We see the glory and the majesty of Jesus and we by 
God's grace believed. And what happens? The moment 
we believe, justification. We have been forgiven of our 
sins and we have been given the righteousness of Christ. It just 
doesn't get better. Why anybody would ever say, I 
don't want Christianity. I don't want Christianity. I 
don't like Christianity. It's so oppressive. It's so dark. 
It's so bad. It's so mean. Are you kidding me? You don't 
know anything about Christianity. Wherein lies true happiness? Christ. Right? That's it. That's where happiness is. It's 
in Jesus. And I would suggest that this 
text teaches us something of the parents and the disciples' 
privilege. You see, we as parents may meet 
with some difficulties in our children or our grandchildren. Some of us now are getting the 
joy of that reality. It's hard to imagine that these 
beautiful little bundles of joy are one day going to rise up 
and say, But they are. I'm ready and willing, not willing, 
but I'm ready for it. I knew that when my little bundles 
of joy could do that, their little bundles of joy certainly can 
do that too. But if we don't have parents, or we don't have 
children, and we're not grandparents or parents, isn't there a help 
for the disciple here? Perhaps we're married to an unbeliever. 
Perhaps we work with unbelievers. Perhaps we want to fetch mercy 
for someone. We go to Christ. We say, Lord, 
have mercy. Listen to what Spurgeon said, 
commenting in this regard. He said, God, grant us faith 
to bring our boys and girls to the Lord Jesus with confidence 
in his power to cure them and cure them for all future life. Even though young people may 
have become violent in temper and precocious in vice, the Lord 
can at once subdue the evil power. I already mentioned Ryle, but 
I don't think we ought to forget it. Let it be a settled principle 
with us when we read of our Lord's miracles. Never to despair of 
the conversion of any soul. We press them. We bring 22 and 
23 to bear. There was a man, his name was 
Christ, and he was betrayed by a wicked man, but he was delivered 
by his Father. He died a horrific death, which 
he did not deserve. We deserved it. We should have 
been there. We should have suffered the wrath 
of God on our own behalf. But he went. He paid it all. 
He was a substitute. He took the penalty. He satisfied 
divine justice. We press this upon them. We teach it to them. Certainly 
teach them the law. Tell them not to steal. Tell 
them not to fornicate. Tell them not to take drugs. 
All those things are blessed to be sure. But tell them, there 
is a fountain open for sin and uncleanness. And that fountain 
is drawn in Emmanuel's veins. We tell them that he died, but 
on the third day he rose again. And that all who by God's grace 
come to him will have everlasting life. Brethren, may that be the 
parents and the disciples' privilege. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for your word and we thank you for this account 
of our Lord's wondrous miracle in casting out this demon. Thank 
you for the wondrous work at Calvary and ultimately defeating 
the devil. We thank you for your grace and 
your mercy. I pray that you would extend 
it to sinners here, that you would be well pleased to save 
for your glory and for the good of souls. And we ask this through 
Christ our Lord. Amen.