Help my unbelief Sermon

After a brief welcome and prayer, the narrative moves into a close reading of the transfiguration recorded in Matthew 17, where Jesus is transformed before Peter, James, and John — his face shining like the sun and his garments dazzling with light. Moses and Elijah appear and converse with Jesus, and God’s voice affirms Jesus as “my Son” and commands the listeners to heed him. The scene underscores Christ’s continuity with the story of Israel and the decisive shift toward the suffering and glory of the Son of Man.

The account then turns to the desperate father in Capernaum whose son is afflicted by a violent spirit. The disciples had failed to cast it out; Jesus rebukes the generation’s unbelief, calls for faith, and when the father confesses, “I do believe; help my unbelief,” the spirit is driven out. The preacher emphasizes that this raw honesty before God — admitting belief and unbelief simultaneously — is the hinge of real encounter and promising power.

Matthew’s unique inclusion of the temple tax incident follows, where Jesus instructs Peter to catch a fish and retrieve a four-drachma coin from its mouth to pay the tax. This peculiar miracle presses the congregation to accept that God’s provision often comes by unexpected means and to trust the Word even when it confounds common sense. The sermon connects such surprises to other biblical “odd” prescriptions — Naaman’s dips in the Jordan, for instance — arguing that obedience to God’s strange economy is a discipline of faith.

Practical application centers on the ache of suffering and the temptation to anger, judgment, and despair. Real-life losses — a beloved mentor on a ventilator, personal family struggles — are not sugar-coated; rather, they are held under the claim that God works all things for good for those called according to his purpose. The congregation is pressed to honest confession, humble dependence, and practical engagement: maintain a right heart while serving in outreach and community ministries. The closing call is to lay struggles before the high priest, ask for help with unbelief, and step into kingdom work marked by both faith and truth-telling.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Transfiguration reveals Christ's glory The mountain appearance is not merely spectacle but a theological hinge: the Law and the Prophets stand with the incarnate Son, and God’s voice redirects hearing toward Jesus. This scene reframes messianic expectation as both suffering and exaltation, demanding that disciples recalibrate loyalty from tradition alone to the living Word. The bright cloud both humbles and orients: worship accompanies mission. [02:39]
• 2. Honest faith: "Help my unbelief" Confession of fragile faith is itself faith; the father’s cry models spiritual candor that invites healing rather than hiding doubt. Admitting the tension between belief and unbelief refuses false piety and opens the soul to transformational grace. Prayer that names weakness expects divine strengthening and reorients action from self-reliant striving to dependence on Christ. [09:20]
• 3. Obedience trusts God's strange means God’s providence often arrives via odd, counterintuitive commands — a coin in a fish, a dip in a river — which test willingness to obey beyond reason. Such commands teach reliance on God’s authority and an economy where divine provision transcends ordinary expectation. Obedience to the odd refines faith into a living posture that receives God’s surprising care. [12:28]
• 4. Providence amid pain and loss Suffering and grief are not nullified by theology but are held within the promise that God can weave them into redemptive purpose. The presence of heartbreak — mentors on ventilators, family illness — challenges neat answers and calls for persistent trust that God is not passive amid sorrow. This trust is gritty: it names pain, petitions God honestly, and looks for how present trials may shape capacity to minister to others. [18:24]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:40] - Opening Prayer
• [01:00] - Week 18: Transfiguration Overview
• [02:39] - Reading: Matthew 17 (Transfiguration)
• [09:20] - Healing in Capernaum: Help My Unbelief
• [12:28] - Temple Tax and Coin in the Fish
• [18:24] - Wrestling with Loss and Providence
• [24:05] - Call to Honest Surrender
• [29:04] - Kairos Prison Ministry & Outreach
• [33:59] - Closing Invitation & Next Steps

Here is a Bible study guide based on the sermon summary:

Bible Reading

Matthew 17:1-13 (ESV)
> 1 After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus charged them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 And his disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he had spoken to them of John the Baptist.

Mark 9:23-24 (ESV)
> 23 And Jesus said to him, “ 'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

Matthew 17:24-27 (ESV)
> 24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the half-shekel tax came to Peter and said, “Does your teacher pay the half-shekel tax?” 25 He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings take tolls or taxes? From their sons or from others?” 26 When he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook, take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take it and give it to them for me and for yourself.”

Observation questions

1. What was the immediate reaction of the disciples when they heard the voice from the cloud during the transfiguration? [04:12]
2. How did the father of the afflicted boy describe his own faith when speaking to Jesus? [09:20]
3. What was Jesus' instruction to Peter regarding the temple tax, and what was the surprising source of the payment? [12:28]
4. The sermon mentions that God's provision often comes through "odd, counterintuitive commands." Can you recall an example from the sermon, besides the coin in the fish, that illustrates this? [14:45]

Interpretation questions

1. The transfiguration scene reveals Jesus' glory and affirms his identity as God's Son. How does this divine affirmation, alongside the presence of Moses and Elijah, help to reframe the disciples' understanding of the Messiah's path, which includes suffering? [04:59]
2. The father's cry, "I do believe; help my unbelief," is presented as a pivotal moment. What does this honest confession reveal about the nature of genuine faith and its potential for transformation? [09:20]
3. The miracle of the temple tax involves a seemingly bizarre instruction to find a coin in a fish's mouth. What might this unusual method of provision teach us about trusting God's authority and His economy, which often transcends our logical expectations? [12:28]
4. The sermon acknowledges the reality of pain and loss, such as a mentor on a ventilator. How does the promise that "God works all things for good" provide a framework for holding onto hope and trust amidst such difficult circumstances? [18:24]

Application questions

1. The transfiguration highlights Jesus' glory and redirects the disciples' focus to Him. In what ways can we intentionally shift our focus from earthly expectations or traditions to the living Word of God, especially when facing confusion or doubt?
2. The father's honest admission, "I do believe; help my unbelief," opened the door for healing. Where in your life do you find yourself holding onto a tension between belief and unbelief, and how can you bring that honest struggle to God for His help? [19:18]
3. God's provision can come in unexpected ways, like the coin in the fish. When faced with a need, what are some ways we can practice trusting God's surprising economy, even when the path to provision seems illogical or unconventional? [14:45]
4. The sermon acknowledges the pain of suffering and loss. When you encounter difficult situations, like illness or personal struggles, how can you actively practice holding those pains within the promise of God's redemptive purpose, rather than succumbing to despair or anger? [18:24]
5. The call is to lay our struggles before our High Priest and ask for help with our unbelief. What is one specific struggle you are currently facing where you need to honestly confess your unbelief and ask Jesus for His strengthening power? [24:05]
6. The sermon encourages maintaining a right heart while serving in outreach and community ministries. As we engage in serving others, how can we ensure our actions are rooted in humble dependence on Christ, rather than self-reliant striving? [33:59]
7. The sermon emphasizes that God uses all things for good for those called according to His purpose. What is one area of your life where you are currently experiencing pain or loss, and how can you begin to look for how God might be using this trial to shape you for future ministry or growth? [21:16]