Week 29 An Answer to Fear
Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and then all these things will be added
“The only answer to fear is faith in God, knowing He loves you unconditionally and individually.”
Joyce Meyer
Passage
15“Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.
16“I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.”
17And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.”
18And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once.
19Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?”
20And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.
Matthew 17:15–20 (NASB95)
"3968 Valor and Faith - Thomas Jonathan Jackson" by bsabarnowl is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Background
Quote-Pauline Joyce Meyer (née Hutchison; June 4, 1943) is an American Charismatic Christian author, speaker, and president of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Joyce and her husband, Dave, have four grown children and live outside St. Louis, Missouri. Her ministry is headquartered near the St. Louis suburb of Fenton, Missouri. Meyer also reports that during an intense prayer while driving to work one morning in 1976, she heard God call her name. She was born-again at age nine, but unhappiness drove her deeper into her faith.
Passage-The book of Matthew is a Gospel that contains Narrative History, Genealogy, Parables, Sermons, and some Prophetic Oracles. It was written by Matthew (Levi), the Disciple of Christ around 48-50 A.D. The key word in Matthew is "Kingdom" and is used 28 times.
The personalities of this book include the Messiah Jesus Christ, His parents Mary and Joseph, the Twelve Disciples, the prophet John the Baptist, and other kinds of leaders. These leaders include those in government like Pilate and religious leaders such as the Pharisees (who attempt to hinder the work of Jesus).
The book of Matthew is the first of the synoptic gospels and it was written to reveal the Lord Jesus as the Messiah, the King of the Jews, from the line of David. It also was written to convince the Jews that Jesus Christ was indeed their long-awaited Messiah.
Lesson Notes
Opening Statement
In the story about the disciples in the boat and Jesus walking on the water to them we see Peter sinking in the water and the others cowering in the boat. All are scared. The one is scared because the water is threatening to drown him immediately. The others are in the boat but scared the storm will capsize it. The answer to their fears is the same.
Ask: Re-read verse 20 of Today’s Passage. Do you note anything interesting?
Point: Let’s try it in the King James Version. Please read the following:
20And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Matthew 17:20 (KJV 1900)
Ask: Why do you suppose the King James says “unbelief” and the NASB says “little faith?”
Point: The Greek behind the King James is simply “unbelief” or “faithlessness.”
Ask: Is there more to it than simple “unbelief” or “faithlessness” as scripture suggests?
Point: Jesus sees into His disciple’s hearts and knows they do not believe the child can be helped. They have lost faith that a cure can be found.
Ask: Why is faith tied to hope?
Point: Because what we believe will become true is us operating on the hope that it will become true. The key word is will not might and it is what drives faith, the idea that it will be true.
Ask: What fuels Hope in a Christian setting?
Point: The knowledge, the certainty that God loves us as individuals. Please read the following:
14“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
15so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
16“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
17“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
18“He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 3:14–18 (NASB95)
Ask: That says God loves the whole world but does that communicate His love for us as individuals?
Point: John 3:16 covers the “whole world” end of the spectrum but doesn’t really communicate the personal nature of God’s sacrifice. This does. Please read the following:
28“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
29“Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
30“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31“So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
32“Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.
33“But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 10:28–33 (NASB95)
Ask: Does the fact that God knows us so well that He knows each hair on our head and that He sent Jesus to die for everyone demonstrate the love of God for all of His creation?
Point: Yes. Who would sacrifice their only son for something they didn’t love?
Ask: Does God’s demonstration of his love for us as individuals give us hope?
Point: It should because He was willing to sacrifice His Son for us, that should demonstrate He is willing to do other things for us too.
Ask: Does our hope fueled by God’s love strengthen our faith?
Point: Again, it should.
Ask: But we have no proof of all this as modern Christians so does that weaken our faith?
Point: It can but that is one of the reasons Jesus came to demonstrate this love, to give us hope, and to help with the doubt. Please read the following as the Closing Statement:
24But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
25So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
26After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
27Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
28Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
29Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
John 20:24–29 (NASB95)