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And this is the passage dealing with the Mount of Transfiguration. There are some other things in this chapter but I'm really gonna focus on this Mount of Transfiguration probably for a lot of the sermon here. And so just a very interesting passage dealing with this and sometimes I think we read over things like this we just say oh okay that was a cool little event but you don't really think about like what's the significance of it is. But look back at verse 28 of the last chapter. So that last verse it's kind of just in there you're just like what in the world? In verse 28 it says, verily I say unto you there be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. Okay now this is where a lot of preterists okay you're like what in the world's a preterist? A preterist is is someone that basically believes that Jesus has already come back and you know the the vials and the trumpets and all that stuff are already been poured out and basically we're in the millennial reign. Which makes zero sense because it's been like 2,000 years since his resurrection right? So all that to say is that they'll point to this and say well see there were people there that weren't gonna die until they saw Jesus coming in his kingdom therefore he had to have come in his kingdom during their lifetime right? Well the answer is actually in verse 1 of the next chapter okay and I'm gonna prove this to you and and just kind of hit some different aspects of this in verse 1 of chapter 17 it says in after six days Jesus taketh Peter James and John his brother and bringing them up and into an and high mountain apart and was transfigured before them and his face did shine as the Sun and his raiment was white as the light okay so this is where we get that term the Mount of Transfiguration the mountains not transfigured Jesus is transfigured and they just happen to be on a mountain okay so that's where you get that kind of terminology from but go to go to Luke chapter 9 Luke chapter 9 covers this as well and Mark also covers it but Luke chapter 9 verse 28 it says and it came to pass about eight and eight days after these things he took Peter and John and James and went up into a mountain to pray and as he prayed the fashion of his countenance was altered and his raiment was white and glistering and behold there talked with him two men which were Moses and Elias who appeared who appeared in glory and spake of his deceased which he should accomplish at Jerusalem okay so we see the same thing and Moses and Elijah are in this story as well where where he's basically they're down there and he's just talking to him about how he's gonna have to go die at Jerusalem and all this and so actually what I meant to show you there and I don't think I put that verse but the verse before that I believe in Luke chapter 9 so Luke chapter 9 verse 28 28 yeah verse 27 it says but I tell you of a truth there be some standing here which shall not taste of death until they see the kingdom of God so what I really wanted to show you there is the fact that that's going right into it so it's not like this big time gap you know sometimes when you look at chapter 16 chapter 17 you're like oh you know how much time was a lapsing here well it says six days since he said that okay now in this in Luke it says eight about in eight days so this is where you get into the fact of how you counting the days okay was it six days like you know six full days or where you're you know and then you look at eight about eight days it depends on what part of the day you're counting from does that make sense it could have been in the evening and in Matthew it wasn't really counting that day because it's pretty much done does that make sense and so don't get caught up on that type of stuff it just happens to be and it says about two so we're seeing that it's not exactly eight days so it's probably just a little piece at each end that Luke's taking in an account whereas Matthew's like it's it's six full days like 24 hour days right so anyway you don't need to know that but all I have to say is that when he's hot when this mounted transfiguration I believe this is where they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom okay now obviously Jesus hasn't literally come in his kingdom as far as him coming in the clouds yet okay but go to second Peter chapter 1 second Peter chapter 1 I'm gonna prove to you that this mountain transfiguration is what he was talking about when he says some of you shall not taste the death and guess who those some were Peter James and John okay and it was literally six days later that they they actually saw this okay and so it's not saying that all the stuff in Matthew 24 is actually Matthew 24 sermon hasn't even happened yet okay so but in in second Peter chapter 1 notice what it says in verse 16 so second Peter chapter 1 verse 16 it says we for we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made note unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but were eyewitnesses of his majesty so what is he talking about the coming of the Lord right the power and coming of the Lord and he's saying we were eyewitnesses who's wait by the way second Peter who wrote that Peter where was Peter on the mountain transfer was he there yeah he was there notice in verse 17 for he received from God the Father honor and glory when there came such a voice to him from the exceeding glory excellent glory this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased in this voice which came from heaven we heard when we are with him in the holy mount and you say well you know this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased that's when he was baptized no yeah they did say that when he was baptized but notice in Matthew chapter 17 so if you keep your finger in Matthew 17 obviously as we go through here Matthew 17 in verse 5 it says while he yet spake behold a bright cloud overshadowed them and behold a voice out of the cloud which said this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased hear ye him so in second Peter he's recounting this and saying hey you know this is what happened when we were on the mountain with him the transfiguration we saw him in his glory and coming into his kingdom okay and now this hasn't happened yet technically this is like a preview does that make sense he's like basically shown a preview of what's going on and notice it go to Matthew chapter 24 Matthew 24 is Jesus talking about when he's actually gonna come in the clouds and in his glory I do want you to show you that that makes sense when he says that there's gonna be some of you that aren't gonna taste of death until you see this and then six days later he's on the mount of transfiguration he's transfigured before them so they're seeing him coming in his glory right and second Peter is validating that that's talking about the coming of the Lord does that make sense it's validating that that's the time that they saw they were eyewitnesses of his majesty and of the power and coming of the Lord okay now in Matthew chapter 24 verse 29 it says immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the Sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory and he shall send his angels from with a sound of a trumpet with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other and so we see that when he's coming in the clouds notice it uses this phrase the power and great glory and and second Peter talks about the power and coming of our Lord right and and also when he was transfigured it says that is his face did shine so when it uses the term glory it's talking about that exactly and I don't have the verse in front of me but when you think about the resurrection it says that one stars glory is different from another right and I'm paraphrasing a little bit but it uses that phrase of glory when you look at a star what is that talking about how how how much it shines right or the glory of the Sun compared to the glory of the moon what are you talking about obviously the Sun puts off more brightness or light than the moon and so it's talking about the difference in brightness or the difference in the shining of that right and so it makes a lot of sense that that's what it's talking about here in this mount of transfiguration so if you understand that then then you won't get caught up in this preterism stuff where it's like well you know they didn't see they weren't gonna see death until this happened okay so 70 AD had nothing to do with the coming of the Lord by the way okay so when Jerusalem now Jerusalem was demolished and completely decimated Jesus said that was gonna happen but that's different from the coming of the Lord okay yeah I mean he did say there's not gonna be one stone left upon another okay he said that to them but then obviously him coming in the clouds hasn't happened yet okay now and another point about this mount of transfiguration that's a great point is this puts modalism to the bed okay go to 1st Timothy chapter 6 because these modalists now are trying to say well no one's ever seen Jesus which is crazy okay because you know there's plenty of people I mean 500 brethren at once saw his resurrection right but what they'll say is well he was veiled by the flesh right so what they saw was just his flesh right and so they'll go to a verse like this in 1st Timothy chapter 6 which I'm gonna show you is just ridiculous that David ate it you know they're missing some some grammar here but in a verse set for verse 13 just get some context and get the whole sentence here it says I give thee charge in the sight of God who quickeneth all things and before Christ Jesus who before Pontius Pilate witness a good confession that thou keep this commandment without spot unrebucible until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ which in his times he shall show who is the blessed and only potent ate the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who only hath immortality dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto whom no man hath seen nor can see to whom be honor and power everlasting amen so the most will say well Jesus is that light which no man can approach unto no it says he's dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto him no man has seen nor can see right and so they'll say well you know no one has ever seen Jesus that's ridiculous okay to say a statement like that okay but you know what's great about the amount of transfiguration is they saw Jesus in his glorified state right they saw the glory of the Son of God past the veil of the flesh right and they saw him you know they saw the brightness of his glory when he was you be coming into his kingdom they saw that on the mount so yes they saw Jesus and whatever state you're wanting to talk about there okay and first John chapter 1 also demolishes this idea that no one has ever seen you know his deity so to speak right and first John 1 and verse 1 it says that which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon in our hands of handled of the Word of Life see they're their big thing the modalist is is that well you know the word is his deity the Sun is just the flesh right that's their that's their big argument is that the Sun that's what came into being and the word was always there right the word it says that they looked upon they saw with their eyes the Word of Life and it says and the life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witness and showing to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us so that Word of Life that life was manifested unto them and they saw it they handled it they looked upon it and not only that but you know tell me that that was his flesh that they were seeing shining you know like the Sun okay and so it's a great thing to just know you know this this story of the Mount of Transfiguration because it puts a lot of false doctrine of it there's preterism is gone modalism destroyed right at least a part of them not seeing Jesus right trying to say well he's the father because no man has seen him at any time right no no man seen the father at any time and no man can approach him to that light or see that light at this at this time but we can see the light of Jesus and guess what his disciples saw it before they tasted to death and if they if this was the father at the Mount of Transfiguration they would all be dead well they're all dead right now obviously right you know but what I'm saying is like back then they would have died right and so it just kind of puts all that stuff to bed just different things like that but there's also interesting things that are going on during this event in the fact that Moses and Elijah show up on the scene right that should be something interesting you see Moses and Elijah standing there on the mountain you should probably be thinking what in the world's going on here right now go to Revelation chapter 11 so what I believe actually when you when you look at this in the fact that hey this is actually he's referencing the his second coming right because what is he said you're not gonna taste of death until you see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom and then second Peter saying we we were eyewitnesses of his majesty and of the coming of the Lord right and so then you see these two men Moses and Elijah I believe you know pretty much without a shadow of a doubt that this is the these are the two witnesses that revelation talks about okay so in Revelation chapter 11 verse 1 revelation chapter 11 verse 1 it says and there was given me a read like unto a rod and the angel stood saying rise and measure the temple of God in the altar and then that worship therein but the court which is without the temple leave out and measure it not for it is given unto the Gentiles and the holy city shall they tread underfoot forty in two months now when does that happen when is the when did they tread tread down the Jerusalem and all that at the abomination of desolation okay I don't have time to go that we're gonna get to that in Daniel you're like man you're just on end times yeah well it just happens to be that this is sometimes when we get it when I get to chapter 24 I'm sorry but that's just what the chapter is about but all that to say is that that's the timeline and I believe these two witnesses are in that same exact timeline so 42 months what is that three and a half years right and then verse 3 there it says now we'll give power unto my two witnesses and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and three score days clothed in sackcloth so what's 1260 days three and a half years okay so in revelation it keeps using it talks about this three three and a half year periods right two three and a half year period periods and it'll use 42 months 1260 days or a time times and half a time okay so it's basically all of that just means three and a half years and I've kind of only preached on this the reason that it does that I believe is so that you can't confuse the fact that it's talking about three and a half years okay meaning that people are gonna say well that's 1260 years right well that's 42 years right in order they try to change what the timing is and this is when you use them interchangeably like that you know what that tells you is that it can only be three and a half years okay it's the only way to interpret it now in verse four there it says these are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks standing before the god of the earth now that's interesting because if you go to Zechariah it talks about this but it's a little more cryptic so we're not going back there because it's just really cryptic but but think about this what are these two men doing standing before the god of the earth they're standing next to Jesus Christ right and you think about what are they talking there he's talking to them about how he's got to go down to Jerusalem and die and be raised again the third day and these two witnesses that are always standing before the god of the earth you know that's who you have is Moses and Elijah right standing there before he's gonna die and notice it as you go on there it says and if any man will hurt them fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies and if any man will hurt them he must in this manner be killed so I believe actually this is already calling to one of the things that that these two men can do what did Elijah do or you know when you think about you know he called down fire right and even they said you know shall we call down fire on these people like Elijah did you're like you don't know what spirit you're of right Jesus was rebuking them because they were wanting to do that same thing that Elijah did and these and you think about Moses also with the plagues with the hail and the fire and all that stuff that's going on but in verse 6 there this is really clear it says these have power to shut heaven that it rained not in the days of their prophecy so when you're dealing with these two witnesses you're dealing with time past prophets right because in the days of their prophecies that means that there was a time that they prophesied does that make sense and so it's pointing you back saying in the days of their prophecy they did this okay and so who shut you know the heaven from rain Elijah okay and it says and have power over waters to turn them to blood and to smite the earth with all plagues as often as they will hmm that sounds interesting what was one of the first things that Moses did when he came into Egypt was turn the water in the blood and then he smote them with all the plagues of God right and then it says and when they shall have finished their testimony the beast that's ascended out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them and shall overcome them and kill them so obviously they're gonna die and then after three and a half days the Bible says then they they're they're caught up in heaven now what's interesting is that there's a lot of things that really kind of prove that this is Elijah and Moses now a lot of people there's not that many people that don't believe Elijah is one of them right that one's I mean I think super crystal clear because you think about when he shut the heaven with rain how long did he do it for well in James chapter 5 verse 17 it says Elias was a man and you can turn there if you want to just to see it but in James 5 17 it says Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain and rain not on the earth by the space of three years and six months how long is their testimony three years and six months exactly and so you think about just all of that stuff that lines up Moses and Elijah's it happened to be standing there when Jesus says hey I'm gonna show you my coming you know of the coming of the Lord that Moses and Elijah's are standing there so I believe it's a crystal-clear clue hey here's your two witnesses that are standing before the god of the earth here's your two witnesses that are gonna be coming here's all the stuff that they did in the days of their prophecy who else did that right so it's very clear that those are the people that you're dealing with think about this too in Jude you have the case where Michael the archangels contending with the devil about the body of Moses that's interesting because in Deuteronomy chapter 34 I don't have this written down but you can look at it later Deuteronomy chapter 34 the last chapter in Deuteronomy it says that they don't know where he was buried where Moses when Moses died the Lord buried him and it says they don't know where his sepulcher is unto this day and then you have Michael and the devil disputing about the body of Moses and in Elijah when Elijah was caught up in a whirlwind the heaven what did everybody want to do they went up into the mountain looking for his body isn't it interesting that they both were looking for his body in a mountain where was the amount of transfigured well I just said it just gave it away so obviously the mount of transfiguration and I'm not saying like they were on the exact Mount of Pisgah okay you know that this happened okay it could have been I'm not sure I don't know you know where exactly they were standing what mountain they were on but anyway I believe it's very crystal clear as you're dealing with the two witnesses as Moses and Elijah when they're standing there on the mountain and it's a significant story if you link all that because that really does to me prove that it's Moses and Elijah you know if you didn't have that story I think you can still pretty much come to that conclusion right because of what what they did in the days of their prophecy but when you have the amount of transfiguration you know I think it's crystal clear now going Matthew chapter 17 verse 9 we see them asking you know Jesus a question dealing with Elijah and kind of going into this this whole thing with Elijah and the witnesses still a little bit here and first it says in verse 9 it says and as they came down from the mountain Jesus charged them saying tell the vision to no man until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead well we saw him say it in second Peter so he was risen from the dead so he eventually did right and it's actually for all eternity written in the Bible of that account right now obviously it's written in the Gospels too but what I'm saying is that Peter eventually did write about it you know in one of his epistles but going on there in verse 10 it says in his disciples asked him saying why then say the scripture say the scribes that Elias must first come so you may to me it kind of makes sense why they're asking this because they just saw Elijah right they just saw Elijah on this mountain and they're asking this question saying why do the scribes say that Elijah must first come notice Jesus response here it says in verse 11 it says in Jesus answered and said unto them Elias truly shall first come and restore all things but I say unto you that Elias is come already okay that's interesting so a lie Elijah's already come and it says and they knew him not but have done unto him whatsoever they listed likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist okay so he's saying Elijah truly must come first and he did okay and this is where you get into the fact of Elijah you know coming in or John the Baptist coming in the spirit and power of Elijah but I want to show you where this prophecy is at so when the scribes and everybody's saying that Elijah must come first go to Malachi chapter 4 Malachi chapter 4 and Malachi chapter 4 is dealing with the day of the Lord okay but what we're gonna see with this passage of the coming of Elijah the Prophet is it it's a dual prophecy okay you say what are you talking about meaning that it happens more than once okay this happens with the abomination desolation right where it happened back before Christ but then really what that's supposed to that store the whole reason of telling us that story is because the true thing is gonna happen with the Antichrist in the future right there's kind of like the picture that to show what's actually going to happen and so there's a lot of cases where there's kind of a dual prophecy where it's gonna happen and it's gonna happen again and in this case with John the Baptist it happened in the fact that he came in the spirit and power of Elijah but I still believe that Elijah the Prophet is going to come okay meaning that it is gonna be the man Elijah the Prophet okay now in Malachi 4 we're just gonna read the whole chapter because it's all talking about the same subject but in verse 1 it says for behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven and all the proud yay and all that do wickedly shall be stubble and the day that cometh shall burn them up set the Lord opposed that it shall leave them neither root nor branch but unto you that fear my name shall the son of righteousness arise with healing in his wings and he shall go forth and shall grow up as calves of the of the stall and he shall tread down the wicked for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet and the day that I shall do this set the Lord of hosts remember ye the law of Moses my servant which I commanded unto him and Horeb for all Israel with the statutes and judgments behold I will send you a lie to the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers lest I come and smite the earth with a curse so there's a lot packed in here honestly because you're dealing with they Lord and shall burn as an oven you think about how the elements are gonna melt or you know the heavens are gonna melt as fervent heat or the elements are gonna melt as fervent heat and the day of the Lord and you think about the fire that's gonna come down and all that the fact that we're gonna tread down the wicked and you think about the fact we're gonna come on white horses eventually with double-edged swords in our hands and and all that stuff that goes down but it's interesting that it mentions Moses in the same passage too because it mentions the fact remember ye the law of Moses and then it goes into behold I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord so that day the Lord is you throughout the Bible as far as talking about the day that Jesus Christ is gonna come in the clouds okay and when you see this quoted in Luke chapter 1 as far as verse 6 okay so in verse 6 of Malachi talks about he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the to the children the heart of the children to their fathers lest I come and smite the earth with a curse in Luke chapter 1 and verse 17 talking about John the Baptist it says and he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the expedient to the wisdom of the just to make ready a people prepared for the Lord so it's not actually Elijah the person right and this is where we you know I kind of talked about this and linked this to the fact that Jesus Christ was gonna be called the everlasting father but he came in the spirit power of the father he wasn't the father in person does that make sense so John the Baptist was his own person but he came in the spirit power of Elijah well Elijah does the same thing he gets the double portion of Elijah spirit so it's not unprecedented that that would be the case but I do believe that Elijah the Prophet is actually gonna come before the great and terrible day of the Lord as well okay so obviously when John the Baptist was fulfilling the scripture is before the day of the Lord guess what it's still before the day of the Lord right right right now when does when do the two witnesses come on the scene at the abomination desolation which is what before the day of the Lord so the two witnesses actually come on the scene before the day of the Lord which would make that prophecy true even in there so you have kind of a dual thing where you have John the Baptist who came in the spirit power of Elijah and he says he's already come right so when Jesus says you know he shall come and he's already come you kind of seen the fact that he's saying he's already here and he will come to meaning it's kind of like both and it's a hard saying he's like if you will receive it this is John the Baptist right so he's it's basically kind of a hard saying because he's saying hey this was fulfilled with John the Baptist but there's still the the main application so the main application to that verse is more so dealing with the end times application before the great and terrible day of the Lord come that Elijah the Prophet's gonna come on the scene but you know obviously it applied to when Jesus came the first time so Jesus comes the first time guess who shows up first Elijah right in the spirit and the spirit power of Elijah when Jesus comes the second time who shows up on the scene first Elijah so the first coming second coming you have Elijah preceding that coming right so it's kind of amazing just to see how the Bible how calm how it can kind of be complex like that but it fits like like a puzzle and it just fits perfectly and so the you know the amount of transfiguration is just a great thing to understand a lot of these these truths now going back to Matthew chapter 17 always find it interesting you know that that Peter is saying hey let's build you three temples right one for you one for Elias one for Moses you know one for you and it really comes down to this that Peter was really excited afraid and what the Bible is going to say here so in Matthew chapter 17 verse 4 it says then then answered Peter and said unto Jesus Lord it is good for us to be here if thou wilt let us make here three tabernacles one for thee and one for Moses and one for Elias now go to Luke chapter 9 because it's gonna it's gonna clarify that when he said what he was thinking when he said this okay so obviously it was wrong and that's why he's kind of getting he's getting rebuked when when God the Father comes out of the cloud and says this is my beloved son hear ye him right and so but what it comes down to is he didn't know what he was saying he was afraid and Peter kind of speaks before he thinks sometimes too right but Peter's one of the most zealous of them all right sometimes it's you know I'd rather have that person that just kind of says things without a filter but they're zealous for the Lord does that make sense then the person that has a that that just doesn't say anything but then he don't do anything kind of thing so in Luke chapter 9 of verse verse 32 there it says but Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep and when they were awake they saw his glory and the two men that stood with him and it came to pass as they departed from him Peter said unto Jesus master it is good for us to be here and let us make three tabernacles one for thee and one for Moses and one for Elias not knowing what he said okay so it says he doesn't he didn't know what he was saying right now in mark 9 same accounts mark 9 in verse 6 it says for he wished not what to say for they were sore afraid okay so he kind of just blurted this out he's like you know what to say he wanted to say something right it's kind of like I need to say something right I'm seeing Moses and Elijah standing next to Jesus I need to say something right I need and you can imagine that he probably just wants to honor that he just wants to like do something good for them and you know his heart was in the right place he didn't know what to say and he just blurted out let's make some temples for you right so obviously not the right thing to say but basically they were afraid he didn't know what to say and he didn't know what he was saying you know it was just kind of blurred it out there so so I just I always find that funny when just certain things that people say you know say in the Bible and you're just like yeah you just see the human aspect because sometimes people look at Peter and they look at these other apostles and stuff like that and they it's like they're there I don't know you watch these movies about like biblical things and they have this like this this air about them that's kind of mystical you know it's like they're not normal you know I mean like Peter was a normal guy like you and me okay he didn't just levitate above everybody and just like and he didn't have this demeanor I remember the the movie Ten Commandments like when he saw Moses or you saw a God in the bush right he comes down and he's just got this like this this weird look on his face it's like he's a completely different person right he doesn't even want to look at his wife anymore it's like it's just really weird okay that the way they portray people in the Bible in these films and stuff like that so obviously so it's not accurate okay nothing anything that you find on film it's not accurate okay it's never accurate every time I've ever seen anything I'm like that's not in the Bible they're elaborating they're adding stuff they're taking away stuff but I love seeing these type of things like this because it really just shows you that Peters just like us so when you see the great things that Peter did remember that he said he wanted to build three temples for Moses Elijah and Jesus right and you just think about the fact that he denied Christ and just the humanity of these men is shown in the scripture and it's funny at times too so but by going back to Matthew chapter 17 so that's the amount of transfiguration obviously very interesting stuff dealing with end times prophecy and I know I touched on that with the with the two witnesses before but just so much stuff in there and I'm sure I'm yeah then another thing you know you think of Malachi 4 where it talks about the son of righteousness shall rise with healing in his wings what did his face shine like the Sun that's UN by the way right the son of righteousness shall rise so it's saying that it's gonna be day you know when Malachi is saying it's gonna be burning it's we're gonna tread under the wicked and but it says but those that fear his name Christians it's gonna be the son of righteousness with healing in his wings so notice the contrast of the day of the Lord that for us it's gonna be great fantastic healing and the Sun why because when he comes in his glory he's gonna come with great power and glory he's gonna shine as the Sun okay the Matthew chapter 17 verse 14 we see this this man who has a son who is lunatic I can relate I don't have sons but you know sometimes I'm like man you know it's a supply to me I need a prayer and fasting right no I'm just kidding but verse 14 it says and when they were come to the multitude there came to him a certain man kneeling down to him and saying Lord have mercy on my son for he is lunatic and sorvaxed for often off times he falls into the fire and off into the water and I brought into the disciples and they could not cure him so you have you have this this this man and in another story you know we're dealing with a man that's possessed with a devil and you always see with these Devils that they're always trying to hurt the person right I kind of talked about what does the mark in the beat the mark of the beast and stuff like that they don't want you to take the mark of the beast they want you to die right they want to hurt you you know that the devil's you know the devil himself and all his fallen angels they just want to inflict harm on people but it's the same they just wanted to die because they can't possess them and they can't like you know torment them like they are these other people but but anyway he's saying you know your disciples couldn't cure him notice Jesus's response in verse 17 it says in Jesus answered and said Oh faithless and perverse generation how long shall I be with you how long shall I suffer you bring him hither to me now it doesn't really say now it does get into the fact that he's talking to his disciples about having faith right but when you're dealing with these situations it's not only the faith of the person that's casting it out but it has a lot to do with the faith of the person that's getting the miracle done to them right so when he says this it's not it may not be just to his disciples he may be saying it to them all and saying listen you're all faithless and perverse and basically you're not believing and so he just kind of I think puts that out to everybody there in verse 18 it says in Jesus rebuked the devil and he and he departed out of him and the child was cured from that very hour then came to the disciples to Jesus apart and said why could not we cast him out okay so a legitimate question right they couldn't cast him out but Jesus could in verse 20 it says in Jesus said unto them because of your unbelief okay so he's stating to them hey it's unbelief and that's always the case remember he would go Jesus would go into places and he couldn't heal them because of their unbelief so even Jesus in cases but it had nothing to do with his unbelief but it had to do with the unbelief of the person they were supposed to be doing America he was doing the miracles on and he's saying because of your unbelief for verily I say unto you if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed you shall say unto this mountain remove hence to yonder place and it shall remove and nothing shall be impossible unto you howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting and so he's making a point saying hey this is this is a little difficult more of a difficult case so it's because that you don't have as much faith as you need in order to do this miracle okay and you know this also shows you two of the fact of how much faith we really have okay if you think about it if we had the faith of the grain mustard seed we could be moving mountains and trees and stuff like that that shows us that our faith is very small but here's the thing when it comes to salvation it doesn't matter how small your faith is it's it's where you're putting it okay it doesn't really matter if you have this great mountain moving faith or not you could have ground mountain moving faith and not be saved and in the aspect of like just how big your faith is in something and so people are like you know I don't know if I'm really believing that as much as I should you know it's just whatever you have wholeheartedly put it in Jesus you know that it's really that simple and so some people have the gift of faith does that make sense like it talks about that in 1st Corinthians chapter 12 meaning that some people just you know God is just kind of giving them a little more faith than other people have and obviously God knows what he's doing when it comes to who what kind of gifts he's giving you and what you need right and stuff like that but he's saying that this this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting by the way that's not in the new versions that phrase where it says how be it this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting you've literally lost your answer on how to deal with this situation doesn't make sense he's basically saying is it's because you're unbelief and if you have faith of the grain of a mustard seed you can do this and then it just just ends like you've lost the the key to the so it's like that's the key to the problem here is the fact that you need to pray and fast if you really want to have more faith okay so this is actually a great passage to show us how to increase our faith okay and just to prove that to you go to Luke chapter 17 that I do believe this is talking about increasing our faith now this is like second to second Peter chapter chapter 1 where it talks about adding to your faith virtue in the virtue knowledge right there's things you can add or you can increase it but you have it okay that's the key but in Luke chapter 17 verse 5 is as an apostle said unto the Lord increase our faith so they're asking him to increase their faith and what does he say and the Lord said if you had faith as a grain of a must of mustard seed you might say unto this sycamine tree be thou plucked up by the root and be thou planted in the sea and it shall obey you it should obey you so notice that's the same thing that's being said only it's with a tree instead of the mountain and so when he's saying to them this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting he's giving them the key on how like a step in order to increase their faith okay and you know the only other place that I can see where it talks about something like that is James chapter 2 so prayer and fasting is a way to increase your faith but also doing the works okay go to James chapter 2 James chapter 2 so James chapter 2 obviously is taken out of context most all the time by heretics and just people that don't understand it but James chapter 2 is a great place to see how to perfect your faith okay and you can look at that as the same as increasing it right if you're perfecting it you're obviously increasing it but in James chapter 2 verse 21 it says was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar see is thou how faith wrought with his works and by works was faith made perfect so how do you perfect your faith do the works do what God commands you to do now for sake of time I'm not getting into the fact of you know James chapter 2 because verse 23 really answers this it says in the scripture was fulfilled which said Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness and he was called the friend of God so what we're dealing with here is being the friend of God and to be the friend of God you have to do the works you have to keep his commandments you're my friends if you do whatsoever command you but it's showing us that hey you know you want to increase your faith prayer and fasting you want to perfect your faith works but the face there to begin with right if you never prayed or fasted you still have faith and if you didn't do the works you still have faith it just wouldn't be perfected does that make sense you wouldn't be the friend of God because you're not doing his commandments and so that it's a great passage in Matthew 17 to really just show you hey here's a step and just keep it simple right when it comes to God's will and what we need to do it's actually very simple it's just not always easy right because fasting is not easy praying is not easy you know going soul winning is not easy as far as you know easing the fact of no labor and involved in it right I think fasting is worse than at all right not eating that's huge and so obviously if you are gonna fast you need to be smart about it some people can't do it as much as others so you really need to be smart about when you fast you know if you're if you're gonna do like a triathlon or something like that don't fast on that day okay be smart and know if you're gonna be working out in the field somewhere don't fast on that day you know you need to like you need energy okay so you almost have to have a time where you know that you're gonna be able to handle it okay but it is something it talked about when you fast you know don't don't do it to be seen a man so it's implying that you will but some people may fast for eight hours some people may fast for a day some people people may fast for longer than that right I don't think anybody here's gonna be doing 40 days and 40 nights right but all I have to say is that it is a way to increase your faith because what it does is it starves the flesh and get you close to God that makes sense when when you starve the flesh like that it gets rid of those desires those fleshly desires it's kind of the physical way of doing it but it's kind of working on the spirit as well and get ready rid of all that stuff and then obviously prayer getting a hold of God so go back to Matthew chapter 17 we'll finish up the chapter here so in verse 22 he's gonna tell him again that he has to die and he's gonna be raised again so if you remember in Matthew 16 the chapter before this was really the first time when he just started to tell him this okay so he just he's from that day forward he was saying listen I'm gonna die and we raised again and he even said that to Peter James and John on the mountain he said don't tell anybody about this until I'm raised again from the dead so he kind of already said to them you know after that as well but this I believe he's talking to him to all his disciples in verse 22 it says and while they abode in Galilee Jesus said unto them the Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of men and they shall kill him and the third day he shall be raised again and they were exceeding sorry okay so it's obviously he's telling him this he's telling him this and it's really just kind of falling on deaf ears a little bit like they're sorry but I think what's going on there is they're probably thinking this isn't literal right there's something that's going on here you know what's what's this what's this mean and then hindsight's 2020 you know when it happens they're like oh yeah he did say that like a bunch of times right we're only seeing it when it says it here but who knows how many times he said it you know John talks about if there if if they were to write all the books of all the things that Jesus did you know the world wouldn't be able to contain it so obviously there's a lot of things that Jesus did that aren't that aren't written down now in Matthew chapter 17 in verse 24 this is the last portion of the chapter there is what Jesus has to say about taxes okay so in verse 24 this discourse goes between Peter okay and and so Peter and Jesus and so in verse 24 it says and when they were come to Capernaum they that received tribute money came to Peter and said doth not your master pay tribute okay so what's tribute tribute is like another word for taxes okay tribute taxes dues whatever you want to call it and notice what Peter says and and he said yes and when he was coming to the house Jesus prevented him saying what thinkest thou Simon of whom do the kings of the earth take custom and or tribute of their own children or a stranger so he's coming in you know and Jesus already knows what's going on with the people that are collecting they're wanting to collect taxes Peter said yes he does he comes into and he's basically saying here think about this for a second who does a king or a nation take tribute of of their children or strangers and notice what Peter says and Peter said unto him of strangers so it's common knowledge that taxes are supposed to be taken of those that aren't of that country right this isn't something like like Peter didn't say the wrong answer here he knew what the answer was that it's supposed to be strangers how are we supposed to pay for the rose how we supposed to pay for this you know like I have an answer for you actually Jesus said it you know and Peter Peter answered the question notice what Jesus said Jesus said unto him then are the children free so think about that if Jesus said if they're taking tribute of strangers and not of the children then are you free what would the opposite mean that you're not free oh but we're the land of the free you know are we are we really free how about where the Spirit of Lord is there is Liberty and our nation is a godless nation right now and so whether we have taxes or not the Spirit of Lord is not abiding in this nation right now with all the the babies being murdered and all that stuff that's going on but notice Jesus thoughts and this is my this is the way I approach it taxation taxation on US citizens from its own government is theft and it's bondage but that's not my battle notice what Jesus says in verse 27 it says not withstanding lest we should offend them so that's my attitude on this is that I pay my taxes if there's any taxes that they would put on our church or something like that we'll pay it let their money perish with them because yes it's tax taxation is theft it's it's bondage but you know what if it's not Jesus's battle it's not my battle if Jesus isn't protesting about it I'm not gonna protest about it that makes sense and and so yeah I don't like it just as much as you don't like it and just as much as Jesus I'm sure didn't like it but that's just the way it is he said lest we should offend them go thou and well I wish we could do this right go down to the river and find some fish that have our tax money in it right but notice what it says it says and when thou hast opened his mouth thou shalt find a piece of money that take and give unto them for me and thee you know the way I look at this too when it when it comes to this you know the the taxes that they put out I believe God will bless you know if they if they if Bernie Sanders gets in and he starts taking 75% of my paycheck or 90 or whatever he was wanting to take I believe God will give me enough in that 10% to live and if you say well you're crazy to give 10% to God when the government takes so much as it is so be it God deserves his they don't they stole it but God will bless and God will give me money out of the mouth of the mouth of the fish if he has to and so I believe this is kind of showing you hey listen you know don't you know just so you don't have to deal with the government go to prison for tax evasion or whatever they're trying to do pay your taxes but I believe God will give it back I believe God will take care of it when it comes to tithing God already says that prove me that I will not you know fill fill up your cup you know fill up your store you know fill up the house the storehouses you know and meaning that you'll have everything you need just give me the 10% and I'll take care of the rest I believe even with taxes knowing the fact that hey we're following what Jesus did that he will bless in that and I'm not talking about our tax refund listen that's just them giving you back part of the money they stole okay but I mean it could be you know in just different blessings you think about the fact of maybe your car doesn't break down as much maybe there's certain things that God will provide to where whatever they took from you he'll make sure that you won't need that money that they took okay and so that's just my personal belief that I see on this but either way you know I believe Jesus is teaching yeah it's wrong yeah it's bondage notwithstanding unless we offend them you know pay the man you know and so you know that might not be the best revolutionary speech you've ever heard right because isn't that why we went to the Revolutionary War and listen I'm not against the Revolutionary War and I'm not against all that stuff when it comes to our nation and how we rebelled against the king I'm for I was I'm all for that right but what I'm saying is that you know we're not gonna have a revolution now with with the atom bombs and all the other stuff that I got on this rabbit trail telling Holly that I got on this rabbit trail looking on how atom bombs work so random okay but it was very interesting but all I'd say is that we're in Babylon USA we're not gonna fight the man when it comes to that type of thing anyway so we just need to try with what with all that's in us to live peaceably with all men and you know just do the work of the Lord that when we can do it and how we can do it and all that so but that's Matthew chapter 17 great chapter obviously some fun stuff in there but let's end with the word paradigm I follow what we thank you for this evening and just pray to you to be with us as we go throughout the rest of the week with our with our jobs and pray to be with those that maybe not be feeling well or that are dealing with sicknesses whether headaches or sinuses or allergies or anything like that and just pray to you to be with brother Richie as he's coming in I'll be with him and his family keep them safe and Lord just pray that you to be glorified in everything that we do in Jesus Christ name amen