Entrusting Your Life to Jesus - Matthew 17:14-27
All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. - 2 Tim. 3:16-17
All the Scriptures were perfectly written between 1500 BC & 100 A.D. But the printing press wasn’t created until A.D. 1455. That means every fragment and copy of the Bible was hand-copied before the printing press.
Why we can fully trust that the Bible we have from copies is TRUE:
Tens of thousands of copied manuscripts, unlike any ancient document.
Remarkable consistency across 2 MILLION pages of biblical text.
Understandable differences as copies were made over centuries.
Earliest texts to help clarify what the original text said.
In today’s text we are going to see Jesus interact with people during some very frustrating moments in life. We will see Him exhort us all with words and deeds that show we can entrust our lives to Him.
Matthew 17:14-27
Disciples have to entrust family member’s health to Jesus - V. 14-18
Jesus’ words in verse 17 seem harsh at first, but remember that He had just been up on the mountain and got to interact with ancient saints known for great faith and focused living for God. But now he’s back with disciples caught up in unbelief and petty arguing.
Mark 9:21-24 lets us know that Jesus can do anything we ask Him to do. We can approach Him with full confidence that if healing now is His will, it will happen. But if you struggle to believe that, use this father’s words to voice your prayer to Jesus – “Lord I believe; help my unbelief.”
Disciples have to entrust their frustrations to Jesus - V. 19-21
When you are frustrated and ‘in the flesh’ sin blocks you from focused prayers and successful ministry to others. You are blocked from trusting God and entrusting your situation to God.
“If I regard iniquity (sin) in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” - Ps. 66:18
The key to faith is not the amount of it but the object of it. What confidence our faith in Jesus brings! If it is His will for the mountain of our circumstance to move, He will say ‘Yes’ to our prayer. If He says ‘No’ or ‘Wait,’ we can be confident the no will be for a greater ‘Yes.’
“Even a small amount of faith can move a mountain, assuming that the move is in God’s will.” - David Jeremiah
Disciples have to entrust what distresses them to Jesus - V. 22-23
Suffering and death are not the worst things that will happen to a believer – failure to live by faith in the midst of our circumstances is. Prosperous circumstances and things going our way often keep us from growing faith.
Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. - 1 Peter 4:1-2
Disciples have to entrust their finances to Jesus - V. 24-27
With all the travel and experiences Peter must have been physically and emotionally exhausted when he got home to Capernaum. And what does he encounter there? The tax man!
This tax was the Temple tax going all the way back to Exodus 30. Men over 20 years of age were to pay this tax every year for the upkeep of God’s house in Jerusalem.
Knowing all things, including what Peter was feeling, verse 25 says Jesus spoke to him first. Jesus knew Peter needed encouragement in this time of distress, and He gave it to Peter. He knows you and I need it too!
Jesus is saying He is the Son of God here. Prince’s don’t have to be taxes in their father’s house. Since Jesus is the Son of God, He doesn’t need to pay taxes to support His Father’s house!
A stader was worth 4 drachma, enough to pay off their tax bill and model good citizenship.
