WEBVTT 00:00:01.350 --> 00:00:03.950 Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton, 00:00:04.129 --> 00:00:07.269 the official podcast of Cross -Christian Fellowship, 00:00:07.290 --> 00:00:10.769 Route 66, in the heart of Albuquerque, New Mexico, 00:00:10.990 --> 00:00:14.150 where Burton is the lead pastor. We're glad you're 00:00:14.150 --> 00:00:19.370 here. Let us pray. Father, we thank you for this 00:00:19.370 --> 00:00:20.910 day. We thank you for this time in fellowship, 00:00:21.070 --> 00:00:22.730 this time in growth, this time in your word. 00:00:22.809 --> 00:00:26.890 We ask that you open the eyes of our hearts, 00:00:26.949 --> 00:00:30.600 our mind, our ears. Let us see and hear everything 00:00:30.600 --> 00:00:32.500 that you have to speak to us today in Jesus name. 00:00:32.619 --> 00:00:38.179 Amen. All right. So last week we were talking 00:00:38.179 --> 00:00:40.840 a bit about that feeling of unworthiness that 00:00:40.840 --> 00:00:44.600 we have, right? And how it's a snare of the devil, 00:00:44.679 --> 00:00:47.119 right? So it's one of those tools that Satan 00:00:47.119 --> 00:00:49.179 and his ministers like to use. And this week 00:00:49.179 --> 00:00:51.439 we're going to be using, or we're going to be 00:00:51.439 --> 00:00:55.259 not using, looking at another one of his tools 00:00:55.259 --> 00:00:59.359 that they like to put up out there. And it's 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:05.859 doubt. We all come up upon that snare once in 00:01:05.859 --> 00:01:10.319 a while, don't we? In a multitude of ways. Unfortunately, 00:01:10.480 --> 00:01:14.659 one of the hardest times that we deal with it 00:01:14.659 --> 00:01:17.780 is when it comes to our faith. It's that little 00:01:17.780 --> 00:01:23.959 voice saying, I don't think so, Tim. The odds 00:01:23.959 --> 00:01:27.489 don't look so good. It's not in your favor. In 00:01:27.489 --> 00:01:30.609 other words, it's uncertainty. It creates a lot 00:01:30.609 --> 00:01:33.890 of uncertainty in you. A lot of turmoil. And 00:01:33.890 --> 00:01:37.750 when it creeps into a believer's life, it's especially 00:01:37.750 --> 00:01:40.950 hard. And it tries to a lot. It really does. 00:01:42.790 --> 00:01:45.109 It's that tool that goes all the way back to 00:01:45.109 --> 00:01:50.090 the Garden of Eden. When the serpent was speaking 00:01:50.090 --> 00:01:52.969 to Adam and Eve. Did he force them to do anything? 00:01:53.049 --> 00:01:57.349 No. He said, just a little bit. To create that 00:01:57.349 --> 00:01:59.590 doubt, though, to get that uncertainty. It's 00:01:59.590 --> 00:02:01.189 like, well, is that really me? Is he holding 00:02:01.189 --> 00:02:04.590 something back from me? Right? They started questioning 00:02:04.590 --> 00:02:06.870 what they knew about God and what they knew about 00:02:06.870 --> 00:02:12.169 his character. You know, and as Christians, when 00:02:12.169 --> 00:02:14.009 we have it, it creeps in and we start looking 00:02:14.009 --> 00:02:18.590 at it in our faith. We start asking ourselves, 00:02:18.689 --> 00:02:20.810 like, am I really saved if I have doubts in my 00:02:20.810 --> 00:02:24.430 faith? You know? What if I have questions about 00:02:24.430 --> 00:02:25.849 the Bible because something doesn't necessarily 00:02:25.849 --> 00:02:27.610 make sense because I've been taught something 00:02:27.610 --> 00:02:30.689 different throughout my life, right? Or I've 00:02:30.689 --> 00:02:33.189 seen something that just, it doesn't quite add 00:02:33.189 --> 00:02:38.229 up. So doubt's in there, you know? Sometimes, 00:02:38.310 --> 00:02:39.469 you know, people are out there, it's like, well, 00:02:39.490 --> 00:02:42.550 a good Christian doesn't have doubt. Hogwash. 00:02:44.930 --> 00:02:47.330 Christians have questions all the time, every 00:02:47.330 --> 00:02:51.509 single one of us, you know? And unfortunately, 00:02:52.560 --> 00:02:54.020 The thought that's out there, though, is like, 00:02:54.060 --> 00:02:56.620 oh, good Christian doesn't have doubts. I must 00:02:56.620 --> 00:02:58.099 not be a good Christian. That means I'm going 00:02:58.099 --> 00:03:02.659 to hell. No, you're not. You're okay. That's 00:03:02.659 --> 00:03:06.360 the enemy whispering in your ear. Don't listen. 00:03:08.919 --> 00:03:10.840 In the words of Jesus, Satan be gone, right? 00:03:14.539 --> 00:03:16.900 So this is a big place that we have to look out 00:03:16.900 --> 00:03:19.180 for. So let's look at our first scripture here 00:03:19.180 --> 00:03:27.199 in 1 Peter 3. So 1 Peter chapter 3, specifically, 00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:30.939 we're going to be looking at verses 14 through 00:03:30.939 --> 00:03:38.080 16. Try to get everybody a minute there. I know 00:03:38.080 --> 00:03:40.199 I kind of go fast there sometimes. So 1 Peter 00:03:40.199 --> 00:03:44.280 3, 14 through 16, the word says, But even if 00:03:44.280 --> 00:03:47.500 you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you 00:03:47.500 --> 00:03:51.000 are blessed. And do not be afraid of the threats, 00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:55.229 nor be troubled. But sanctify the Lord God in 00:03:55.229 --> 00:03:58.050 your hearts and always be ready to give a defense 00:03:58.050 --> 00:04:01.090 to everyone who asks you for a reason for the 00:04:01.090 --> 00:04:03.550 hope that is in you. With meekness and fear, 00:04:03.750 --> 00:04:07.569 having good conscience, that when they defame 00:04:07.569 --> 00:04:12.150 you as evildoers, those who revile your good 00:04:12.150 --> 00:04:18.389 conduct in Christ may be ashamed. Pastor, what's 00:04:18.389 --> 00:04:22.560 that have to do with doubt? Right? A good question. 00:04:22.779 --> 00:04:27.680 I'll answer it. How do you tell others about 00:04:27.680 --> 00:04:31.199 your faith? What defense do you have in your 00:04:31.199 --> 00:04:37.000 life? Now, in other words, it's asking, why do 00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:41.180 you believe what you believe? And if we're honest 00:04:41.180 --> 00:04:42.939 with ourselves, most of the time we don't really 00:04:42.939 --> 00:04:44.560 have an answer because we haven't really thought 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:47.319 of that, have we? It's like, I just believe. 00:04:48.600 --> 00:04:52.050 Really? Well, where's that going to fly? It's 00:04:52.050 --> 00:04:53.990 like your parents say, he's like, why do I have 00:04:53.990 --> 00:04:59.269 to do that? Because I said so. Really? Does that 00:04:59.269 --> 00:05:01.769 really tell them what? Does that teach them anything? 00:05:03.170 --> 00:05:05.050 Well, when we tell people, oh, I just believe. 00:05:05.310 --> 00:05:06.910 Well, we're doing the same thing because I said 00:05:06.910 --> 00:05:09.850 so. We're not giving a defense. We're not teaching 00:05:09.850 --> 00:05:11.569 them anything. We're not explaining anything. 00:05:11.730 --> 00:05:17.449 We're certainly not witnessing for Jesus. So 00:05:17.449 --> 00:05:24.670 it's not good enough. So we start thinking about 00:05:24.670 --> 00:05:31.970 it. I just do. Is that good enough for a non 00:05:31.970 --> 00:05:33.550 -believer or somebody who's just starting to 00:05:33.550 --> 00:05:36.310 come, who's trying to get answers to those questions? 00:05:39.069 --> 00:05:42.089 That's one of those places that we, the church, 00:05:42.149 --> 00:05:45.810 fail sometimes, actually fairly often, because 00:05:45.810 --> 00:05:49.149 we don't have a defense. We haven't even thought 00:05:49.149 --> 00:05:54.610 of one. So we're unprepared. Right? We're caught 00:05:54.610 --> 00:06:00.529 off guard. And we miss an opportunity to bring 00:06:00.529 --> 00:06:04.370 somebody and introduce them to Christ. Let that 00:06:04.370 --> 00:06:09.769 sink in for a minute. How many opportunities 00:06:09.769 --> 00:06:15.529 have you missed? I think we've all missed more 00:06:15.529 --> 00:06:19.490 than our fair share, haven't we? So we ask ourselves, 00:06:19.589 --> 00:06:23.819 why do I believe? What is the answer for my defense 00:06:23.819 --> 00:06:26.079 of the hope that is within me, the answer for 00:06:26.079 --> 00:06:28.779 the faith, the trust in God that I carry with 00:06:28.779 --> 00:06:33.319 me? And when we start thinking about it, if we 00:06:33.319 --> 00:06:35.079 can't think of an answer right away, ooh, the 00:06:35.079 --> 00:06:39.560 snare has us. Now we start to question all of 00:06:39.560 --> 00:06:42.680 it. I've been saying I'm a Christian, but am 00:06:42.680 --> 00:06:47.160 I really? Have I been saved? Well, that's the 00:06:47.160 --> 00:06:50.180 enemy whispering in your ear, trying to sow those 00:06:50.180 --> 00:06:55.819 seeds of doubt. You know, how am I a Christian 00:06:55.819 --> 00:06:58.420 if I can't even answer for why I have the faith 00:06:58.420 --> 00:07:01.100 that I have? Am I, you know, like, uh -oh, and 00:07:01.100 --> 00:07:03.680 the cat gets your tongue. That creeps in. And 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:05.800 let me make it clear. You're not the first person 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:07.699 to feel this way. You're not the first person 00:07:07.699 --> 00:07:10.660 to ask these questions, nor will you be the last. 00:07:12.199 --> 00:07:14.399 You're not alone, and it doesn't make you any 00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:18.060 less of a Christian. Actually, on the contrary. 00:07:19.959 --> 00:07:22.019 Because as Christians, as followers of Christ, 00:07:22.120 --> 00:07:25.250 we're students, are we not? Students should have 00:07:25.250 --> 00:07:29.029 questions. If you don't have questions, something's 00:07:29.029 --> 00:07:34.610 not right. I can tell you even now, I still have 00:07:34.610 --> 00:07:40.310 questions. Everybody should have questions. That's 00:07:40.310 --> 00:07:44.790 why we have the Bible to answer a lot of those 00:07:44.790 --> 00:07:48.430 questions. So I'm going to share a quote with 00:07:48.430 --> 00:07:54.459 you here from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Give 00:07:54.459 --> 00:07:56.560 me the benefit of your convictions if you have 00:07:56.560 --> 00:07:59.660 any, but keep your doubts to yourself for I have 00:07:59.660 --> 00:08:04.800 enough of my own. Isn't that the truth? We all, 00:08:04.899 --> 00:08:07.600 like I said, we all already have questions. We 00:08:07.600 --> 00:08:10.720 already have a lot of things on our plate. From 00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:12.920 our day -to -day lives to even just reading the 00:08:12.920 --> 00:08:17.319 word, we have questions. None of us want somebody 00:08:17.319 --> 00:08:20.100 coming in and piling their garbage on top of 00:08:20.100 --> 00:08:23.680 what we already have going for us, right? What 00:08:23.680 --> 00:08:25.839 are you saying? It's not just in the word, it's 00:08:25.839 --> 00:08:29.160 in life. Don't bring that nonsense. No, get out 00:08:29.160 --> 00:08:36.200 of here. So really what we should be asking are 00:08:36.200 --> 00:08:37.940 the questions we have. Do we have good questions? 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:42.519 And who are we going to with those questions? 00:08:43.480 --> 00:08:45.639 That's the big thing right there. Who are we 00:08:45.639 --> 00:08:47.440 going to with those questions? Are we preying 00:08:47.440 --> 00:08:50.919 on it? Are we talking to a fellow believer? Maybe 00:08:50.919 --> 00:08:52.480 somebody who's a little further along in their 00:08:52.480 --> 00:08:55.340 walk, a little bit more mature? Or are we just 00:08:55.340 --> 00:08:57.559 going to our buddy and going, you know what? 00:08:58.080 --> 00:09:03.480 I got a doubt. And that buddy might not even 00:09:03.480 --> 00:09:11.080 have faith. And I go, whoa. I don't know. Right? 00:09:12.779 --> 00:09:17.899 We shouldn't be burdening people. With our own 00:09:17.899 --> 00:09:20.419 stuff. We should be going to people that we trust, 00:09:20.460 --> 00:09:22.500 that we know might be able to help us find that 00:09:22.500 --> 00:09:24.440 answer if they don't have it themselves. We should 00:09:24.440 --> 00:09:27.899 be praying, first and foremost. We should always 00:09:27.899 --> 00:09:31.139 be taking it to God, right? That's why he's given 00:09:31.139 --> 00:09:33.360 us the Holy Spirit, so that we have someone, 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:35.860 right? That comforter. Because what happens when 00:09:35.860 --> 00:09:38.639 we start to doubt? We start to get frustrated. 00:09:38.820 --> 00:09:42.279 We get angry. We get nervous. We get anxious. 00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:52.120 We become fearful. The Holy Spirit is the comforter, 00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:55.899 is he not? So we should be starting with him. 00:10:04.759 --> 00:10:07.000 All this, it's only fitting that I show in the 00:10:07.000 --> 00:10:09.799 word, a good demonstration. Now we're going to 00:10:09.799 --> 00:10:11.720 go through, we're going to read through all this 00:10:11.720 --> 00:10:13.539 real quick, just so we have the context of what's 00:10:13.539 --> 00:10:16.659 happening. But don't worry, we're not going to 00:10:16.659 --> 00:10:19.399 go through all. of the whole thing, for time's 00:10:19.399 --> 00:10:24.740 sake. But let's flip over to Mark 9, verses 14 00:10:24.740 --> 00:10:32.580 through 19. So Mark 9, 14 through 19. I like 00:10:32.580 --> 00:10:35.440 saying that, Mark 9. Makes me feel like I'm on 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:39.279 Star Trek or something. It's a Mark 9 torpedo! 00:10:44.940 --> 00:10:47.259 A little nerdy, I know. So this right here, though, 00:10:47.379 --> 00:10:49.379 this right here is a story of Jesus with the 00:10:49.379 --> 00:10:56.159 demon -possessed boy. Okay? All right. And when 00:10:56.159 --> 00:10:58.860 he came to the disciples, he saw a great multitude 00:10:58.860 --> 00:11:02.019 around them and scribes disputing with them. 00:11:02.500 --> 00:11:05.740 Immediately, when they saw him, all the people 00:11:05.740 --> 00:11:08.740 were greatly amazed and running to him, greeted 00:11:08.740 --> 00:11:12.019 him, and asked, he asked the scribes, what are 00:11:12.019 --> 00:11:15.919 you discussing with them? Then one of the crowd 00:11:15.919 --> 00:11:19.220 answered and said, Teacher, I brought you my 00:11:19.220 --> 00:11:24.519 son who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes 00:11:24.519 --> 00:11:27.059 him, it throws him down. He foams at the mouth, 00:11:27.179 --> 00:11:31.059 gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke 00:11:31.059 --> 00:11:33.159 to your disciples so that they could cast it 00:11:33.159 --> 00:11:38.649 out, but they could not. He answered him and 00:11:38.649 --> 00:11:40.889 said, oh, faithless generation, how long shall 00:11:40.889 --> 00:11:43.889 I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? 00:11:44.029 --> 00:11:48.269 Bring him to me. Then they brought him to him. 00:11:48.549 --> 00:11:52.889 And when he saw him immediately, the spirit convulsed 00:11:52.889 --> 00:11:56.370 him and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming 00:11:56.370 --> 00:12:00.490 at the mouth. So he asked the father, how long 00:12:00.490 --> 00:12:02.929 has this been happening to him? And he said, 00:12:02.990 --> 00:12:06.840 from childhood. And often he has thrown him both 00:12:06.840 --> 00:12:10.039 into the fire and into the water to destroy him. 00:12:10.779 --> 00:12:14.960 But if you can do anything, have compassion on 00:12:14.960 --> 00:12:20.059 us and help us. Jesus said to him, if you can 00:12:20.059 --> 00:12:23.320 believe, all things are possible to him who believes. 00:12:24.240 --> 00:12:26.919 Immediately, the father cried out and said with 00:12:26.919 --> 00:12:33.179 tears, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. When 00:12:33.179 --> 00:12:36.320 Jesus saw that the people came running together, 00:12:36.580 --> 00:12:39.980 he rebuked the unclean spirit saying to it, deaf 00:12:39.980 --> 00:12:43.559 and dumb spirit, I command you come out of him 00:12:43.559 --> 00:12:46.860 and enter him no more. Then the spirit cried 00:12:46.860 --> 00:12:50.379 out, convulsed him greatly and came out of him. 00:12:51.940 --> 00:12:57.240 And he became as one dead. So that many said 00:12:57.240 --> 00:13:01.850 he is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand. lifted 00:13:01.850 --> 00:13:06.009 him up, and he arose. And when he had come into 00:13:06.009 --> 00:13:07.929 the house, his disciples asked him privately, 00:13:08.370 --> 00:13:12.929 Why could we not cast it out? So he said to them, 00:13:13.450 --> 00:13:21.250 This kind can come out by nothing but prayer 00:13:21.250 --> 00:13:27.320 and fasting. Excuse me there. I said, we're not 00:13:27.320 --> 00:13:29.360 going to go through this whole week. As a matter 00:13:29.360 --> 00:13:30.879 of fact, we could probably do a whole series 00:13:30.879 --> 00:13:33.320 on this. I'm not going to do that to you. You're 00:13:33.320 --> 00:13:38.539 welcome. We're going to look at a few key pieces 00:13:38.539 --> 00:13:41.580 of this, though. Like I said, we needed to go 00:13:41.580 --> 00:13:42.759 through the whole thing, though, because we needed 00:13:42.759 --> 00:13:44.440 the context, what was happening, what was going 00:13:44.440 --> 00:13:49.259 on, right? Like I said, context is king. We should 00:13:49.259 --> 00:13:50.679 always be reading, right? We should always be 00:13:50.679 --> 00:13:55.360 like the Bereans, studying. So at the very beginning 00:13:55.360 --> 00:13:57.399 of this, Jesus and the disciples, they had just 00:13:57.399 --> 00:13:59.600 come down from the mountain where some of his 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:01.639 disciples were with him and they had just witnessed 00:14:01.639 --> 00:14:07.720 the transfiguration. So basically they were up 00:14:07.720 --> 00:14:10.179 in a very beautiful place seeing something absolutely 00:14:10.179 --> 00:14:13.120 gorgeous. And then they come back down the mountain 00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:16.259 and they come into the town. And because of that, 00:14:16.299 --> 00:14:19.720 it's pretty easy to imagine that this ugly scene 00:14:19.720 --> 00:14:24.220 probably appeared a whole lot uglier. Not to 00:14:24.220 --> 00:14:25.700 say that there's anything really pretty about 00:14:25.700 --> 00:14:27.360 it to begin with, right? I mean, a demon -possessed 00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:29.340 boy foaming at the mouth, sneezing the whole 00:14:29.340 --> 00:14:32.039 bit. That's pretty crazy. There's a lot of chaos 00:14:32.039 --> 00:14:37.659 there. They went from the presence of God to 00:14:37.659 --> 00:14:43.320 absolute evil. Witnessing absolute evil. We see 00:14:43.320 --> 00:14:48.220 a lot of that in our streets. In any case, it's 00:14:48.220 --> 00:14:51.019 a scene of pure horror. This is the type of thing 00:14:51.019 --> 00:14:54.269 that they make movies about. You look at the 00:14:54.269 --> 00:14:56.090 people and how they're responding. Oh, they're 00:14:56.090 --> 00:14:59.450 cheering. Hey, teacher, teacher. There's no fear. 00:15:00.669 --> 00:15:05.250 There's no fear. Why is there no fear? Because 00:15:05.250 --> 00:15:07.389 Jesus is there. There's no need to fear. Jesus 00:15:07.389 --> 00:15:13.629 is here. When Jesus is walking with us, we don't 00:15:13.629 --> 00:15:16.730 have any need to fear. When he has our backs, 00:15:16.929 --> 00:15:20.250 we know we're good. But when we go back here 00:15:20.250 --> 00:15:27.639 and we look at verses 18 through 19, The father 00:15:27.639 --> 00:15:31.320 clearly believed in Jesus, you know, and he believed 00:15:31.320 --> 00:15:32.840 in his disciples. He believed that they could 00:15:32.840 --> 00:15:36.460 help him. So he took his son and faith and he 00:15:36.460 --> 00:15:39.960 takes them to them. Say, hey, help me. I need 00:15:39.960 --> 00:15:47.179 your help. He's desperate. Heal my boy. And the 00:15:47.179 --> 00:15:49.340 disciples, they tried. This is something that 00:15:49.340 --> 00:15:53.440 they've done before. So they're like, oh, I got 00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:55.200 this down. I know what I'm doing. I'm golden. 00:15:56.250 --> 00:15:58.450 We'll knock this out. They'll be home for lunch, 00:15:58.529 --> 00:16:04.769 right? But it failed. It didn't work. Uh -oh. 00:16:06.250 --> 00:16:07.750 You don't think that there wasn't a little bit 00:16:07.750 --> 00:16:09.490 of doubt starting to creep in here at this point? 00:16:10.669 --> 00:16:13.909 Here's a desperate father in need. Oh, they can 00:16:13.909 --> 00:16:17.509 do it. Oh, it's not working. Here's the disciples. 00:16:17.710 --> 00:16:22.429 Oh, we can do it. Oh, it's not working. Why isn't 00:16:22.429 --> 00:16:27.269 it working? So it wasn't for lack of effort. 00:16:27.330 --> 00:16:32.250 Something was amiss. I'm going to tell you, I'll 00:16:32.250 --> 00:16:34.070 bet the disciples were probably kicking themselves 00:16:34.070 --> 00:16:37.269 right and good and feeling kind of silly when 00:16:37.269 --> 00:16:42.350 they realized what it was. You see, back then, 00:16:42.350 --> 00:16:44.769 where we see it in other parts of the Bible, 00:16:44.870 --> 00:16:48.889 when a demon was being exorcised, typically what 00:16:48.889 --> 00:16:51.850 would happen is the person who was doing the 00:16:51.850 --> 00:16:54.149 exorcism would go and they would ask the demon, 00:16:54.570 --> 00:17:00.169 for its name. Aha! They don't have the demon's 00:17:00.169 --> 00:17:02.250 name. They don't have a way to communicate with 00:17:02.250 --> 00:17:08.630 it. Deaf and dumb. Right? They have the boy's 00:17:08.630 --> 00:17:10.390 name. They have the information the dad gave. 00:17:12.250 --> 00:17:13.890 But they can't do it the way that they used to 00:17:13.890 --> 00:17:15.730 do. It's like, hey, what's your name? Demon, 00:17:15.769 --> 00:17:21.890 be gone. They can't even invoke the demon. Instead, 00:17:22.009 --> 00:17:25.359 they... Stand there at its pleasure while it 00:17:25.359 --> 00:17:29.059 laughs at them. You can't get me in any booboo, 00:17:29.059 --> 00:17:36.440 right? So try and try as they might the normal 00:17:36.440 --> 00:17:38.339 tactics weren't going to work with this demon 00:17:38.339 --> 00:17:44.079 when things didn't work out Scenarios been set 00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:50.519 it's closing in We've all done this in our lives, 00:17:50.579 --> 00:17:54.049 haven't we? It's like, oh, I got this in front 00:17:54.049 --> 00:17:56.329 of me. I got this down. Let's do this. Let's 00:17:56.329 --> 00:18:00.190 rock. But then something's changed and it doesn't 00:18:00.190 --> 00:18:03.609 work. Something new has entered into the equation. 00:18:04.809 --> 00:18:07.650 You have to go back to the board and start problem 00:18:07.650 --> 00:18:11.990 solving. And it can get frustrating real quick. 00:18:14.470 --> 00:18:16.450 Sometimes things get so frustrating. We sit there. 00:18:17.210 --> 00:18:21.630 We get that mindset. I can't do this. Just can't. 00:18:27.109 --> 00:18:29.069 The enemy is working real hard at that point 00:18:29.069 --> 00:18:35.049 and they're smiling because they got you. We 00:18:35.049 --> 00:18:39.069 get that pattern down. We do things. It's our 00:18:39.069 --> 00:18:41.089 go -to. We fall back on it. We like to do things 00:18:41.089 --> 00:18:43.049 over and over the same way, right? We're creatures 00:18:43.049 --> 00:18:46.690 of habits. We like our habits. We don't like 00:18:46.690 --> 00:18:52.369 change. You ever have something like that come 00:18:52.369 --> 00:18:55.019 up at work? or someplace else, like, hey, this 00:18:55.019 --> 00:18:56.839 isn't working. Oh, we've always done it like 00:18:56.839 --> 00:18:59.099 this. We don't need to change. Something there 00:18:59.099 --> 00:19:05.259 needs to change. Really? No. No. It's time to 00:19:05.259 --> 00:19:08.599 change the tactic. Marine Corps, it's what we 00:19:08.599 --> 00:19:13.359 say, adapt and overcome. And with Jesus, it's 00:19:13.359 --> 00:19:16.259 really easy. We go to him, he tells us how to 00:19:16.259 --> 00:19:19.599 adapt, and he helps us overcome. That's our go 00:19:19.599 --> 00:19:26.079 -to, right there. But that doubt gets in there 00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:29.700 and we have to evolve to try to figure out what's 00:19:29.700 --> 00:19:32.039 happening there. So the father, he's gone. He's 00:19:32.039 --> 00:19:34.099 taken his son. He's taken his son straight to 00:19:34.099 --> 00:19:40.920 Jesus at this point. If you can. If. Right? If 00:19:40.920 --> 00:19:47.700 you can. Jesus at this point, King James Version 00:19:47.700 --> 00:19:51.779 says it. If you can believe, all things are possible. 00:19:52.250 --> 00:19:54.109 One straight sentence. Kind of like the way the 00:19:54.109 --> 00:19:57.329 NIV breaks it up. If you can, it has a question 00:19:57.329 --> 00:20:00.769 mark there. If you can, said Jesus, everything 00:20:00.769 --> 00:20:04.170 is possible for one who believes. I think that's 00:20:04.170 --> 00:20:05.589 a little bit better of a translation because 00:20:05.589 --> 00:20:08.190 he's like, if? Really, if? Do you not know who 00:20:08.190 --> 00:20:11.029 you're talking to? Are you kidding me, buddy? 00:20:11.190 --> 00:20:14.990 You know I got this. Come on. It's like, are 00:20:14.990 --> 00:20:23.150 you out of your mind? If. Oh, please. Get out 00:20:23.150 --> 00:20:25.349 of here with that nonsense. Bring me the boy. 00:20:25.430 --> 00:20:31.369 Come here. Come here. Right? Piece of cake. And 00:20:31.369 --> 00:20:33.569 I like the way it says it, though. The way he 00:20:33.569 --> 00:20:36.769 rebukes him. All things are possible to him who 00:20:36.769 --> 00:20:40.210 believes. Does this sound familiar to anybody? 00:20:42.009 --> 00:20:43.829 Does this sound a little bit like Philippians 00:20:43.829 --> 00:20:50.369 4 .13? I can do all things through Christ who 00:20:50.369 --> 00:20:53.950 strengthens me. Right? Some translations, I can 00:20:53.950 --> 00:20:55.589 do all things through Christ who gives me strength. 00:20:55.670 --> 00:21:01.930 Same thing. Doubt's just another tool that Satan 00:21:01.930 --> 00:21:05.069 and his ministers like to use to take our eyes 00:21:05.069 --> 00:21:08.849 off of Jesus. We get caught up in ourselves and 00:21:08.849 --> 00:21:11.670 the stuff that's in front of us. And we stop 00:21:11.670 --> 00:21:13.430 thinking about the one that we should be thinking 00:21:13.430 --> 00:21:18.829 about the most. Instead of going to Jesus, We're 00:21:18.829 --> 00:21:20.730 trying to do it in our own devices and it doesn't 00:21:20.730 --> 00:21:26.089 work that way. We fail. We fall short every single 00:21:26.089 --> 00:21:32.670 time. You know, and with this, you know, Jesus, 00:21:32.710 --> 00:21:34.450 he isn't saying like we can just do anything. 00:21:34.549 --> 00:21:38.190 Like we're some kind of a superhero, right? We 00:21:38.190 --> 00:21:41.369 don't get to leap buildings in a single bound, 00:21:41.549 --> 00:21:46.069 right? Exactly. We're not faster than a speeding 00:21:46.069 --> 00:21:51.140 train. We don't have that magic ring, the power 00:21:51.140 --> 00:21:57.019 of light, right? Unfortunately, none of us are 00:21:57.019 --> 00:22:00.319 like Batman with the billions of gadgets. It's 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:02.380 like, who needs superhero tricks? Watch this. 00:22:02.720 --> 00:22:06.720 Push a button. Pow! Right? Those bright words 00:22:06.720 --> 00:22:09.859 pop up in front of us. Pow! Zap! Smack! Wouldn't 00:22:09.859 --> 00:22:15.359 that be cool? No, he's not saying that. Rather... 00:22:16.299 --> 00:22:18.619 What he's saying is that anything is possible 00:22:18.619 --> 00:22:25.700 to the believer and that nothing is too hard 00:22:25.700 --> 00:22:29.299 for God to do because as long as we have faith 00:22:29.299 --> 00:22:33.680 in him, we will have everything that we need 00:22:33.680 --> 00:22:39.859 to serve him. Aha! There's the trick right there. 00:22:40.500 --> 00:22:43.480 We will have everything we need to serve him 00:22:43.480 --> 00:22:47.400 because we have to remember, It's not about us. 00:22:48.339 --> 00:22:53.519 It is about him. We had people who paved the 00:22:53.519 --> 00:22:55.680 way for us to come to know Jesus. It's on us 00:22:55.680 --> 00:22:58.779 to continue to pave the way and build up a way 00:22:58.779 --> 00:23:05.799 for others to come to know him. We were the future 00:23:05.799 --> 00:23:07.599 generation once. Now we're setting things up 00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:12.039 for the next. That's what that verse really means. 00:23:12.160 --> 00:23:15.450 That's what Jesus is saying to the father. It's 00:23:15.450 --> 00:23:16.769 like, there's nothing too hard for me. I got 00:23:16.769 --> 00:23:19.970 this. What do you mean, if? I got this. You believe, 00:23:20.109 --> 00:23:23.190 don't you? You believe. Check it out. We got 00:23:23.190 --> 00:23:27.250 this. You came to the right person. You're going 00:23:27.250 --> 00:23:29.170 to have everything that you need because you 00:23:29.170 --> 00:23:32.769 came straight to the source. I'm going to take 00:23:32.769 --> 00:23:36.369 care of you. I got you. I got your back. It's 00:23:36.369 --> 00:23:42.710 exciting, right? So going back into Mark 9, 24. 00:23:44.680 --> 00:23:47.380 We see a prime example of what it is to believe, 00:23:47.500 --> 00:23:50.339 yet still have doubt in our lives. It doesn't 00:23:50.339 --> 00:23:52.240 make you less of a Christian. It's perfectly 00:23:52.240 --> 00:23:55.359 okay. Immediately, the father of the child cried 00:23:55.359 --> 00:23:57.319 out and said with tears. He's crying, right? 00:23:58.019 --> 00:24:01.720 Lord, I believe. I believe. Help me with my doubts. 00:24:01.779 --> 00:24:06.079 That's what he's saying. Take away my fears. 00:24:06.259 --> 00:24:10.079 In other words, I believe you. That's why I came 00:24:10.079 --> 00:24:17.539 to you. But I'm scared, man. Help me. He knew 00:24:17.539 --> 00:24:21.819 Jesus could. He just wasn't sure if he would. 00:24:24.539 --> 00:24:28.900 Oh, we've all been there, haven't we? Lord, answer 00:24:28.900 --> 00:24:31.720 my prayer. Please answer my prayer. I'm desperate. 00:24:32.460 --> 00:24:39.640 I can't do this. But we don't necessarily hear 00:24:39.640 --> 00:24:41.400 the answer right away, or at least not the answer 00:24:41.400 --> 00:24:43.819 we're looking for. And we become frightened. 00:24:44.299 --> 00:24:48.579 We're like children all over again, right? Doubt 00:24:48.579 --> 00:24:53.480 has us. Thing is, we have to remember when it 00:24:53.480 --> 00:24:56.119 comes to faith, it's not this tangible thing, 00:24:56.259 --> 00:24:58.559 this tangible cure -all, like a pill that we 00:24:58.559 --> 00:25:00.480 take when we're not feeling good, or a shot that 00:25:00.480 --> 00:25:03.880 we get to prevent, like the flu. Right? It's 00:25:03.880 --> 00:25:07.339 nothing like that. Growing in our faith is a 00:25:07.339 --> 00:25:09.900 constant. It happens every day. It's tested every 00:25:09.900 --> 00:25:15.900 day. Every single day. It's going to be a part. 00:25:16.440 --> 00:25:20.059 Of your daily walk with Christ. That's the way 00:25:20.059 --> 00:25:24.180 it is. That's the way it's meant to be. Because 00:25:24.180 --> 00:25:26.980 you're going to have questions. You're supposed 00:25:26.980 --> 00:25:30.839 to have questions. Questions are important. Questions 00:25:30.839 --> 00:25:33.539 are good. It doesn't mean that you're lacking 00:25:33.539 --> 00:25:37.619 in your faith. It just means you need knowledge. 00:25:37.640 --> 00:25:40.140 You need understanding. Because this is something 00:25:40.140 --> 00:25:45.009 that you don't know yet. It's okay. None of us 00:25:45.009 --> 00:25:51.109 knows everything. I've worked on a lot of fields 00:25:51.109 --> 00:25:55.569 in my life, but you know what? I don't know a 00:25:55.569 --> 00:25:58.369 single thing about building a nuclear missile. 00:26:02.849 --> 00:26:09.430 I don't know a single thing about building a 00:26:09.430 --> 00:26:14.220 building from scratch. I know some of the premises, 00:26:14.480 --> 00:26:16.660 right? I think we all do. Oh, you got a foundation? 00:26:16.940 --> 00:26:22.039 Okay. You got your frame? Okay. How many of us 00:26:22.039 --> 00:26:25.859 in here are construction workers, though? So 00:26:25.859 --> 00:26:27.480 it's safe to say that they probably know things 00:26:27.480 --> 00:26:29.440 that we don't. That's why we call them, right? 00:26:29.940 --> 00:26:32.220 Something goes wrong at home. You got a leak. 00:26:32.339 --> 00:26:35.680 You call the plumber. Some of us have skills 00:26:35.680 --> 00:26:38.339 to deal with simple stuff ourselves, but not 00:26:38.339 --> 00:26:42.289 everything, right? Power goes out in a room, 00:26:42.329 --> 00:26:44.009 it won't come back on. You go to the fuse box, 00:26:44.130 --> 00:26:45.390 things still aren't working. Who do you call? 00:26:46.049 --> 00:26:51.730 Not the Ghostbusters. Call an electrician, right? 00:26:56.009 --> 00:26:57.369 There's different things out there. You want 00:26:57.369 --> 00:26:59.470 to do some building on your property. You own 00:26:59.470 --> 00:27:01.789 the property. You have to call somebody to come 00:27:01.789 --> 00:27:03.150 out and mark things. Make sure you don't start 00:27:03.150 --> 00:27:05.089 digging and hit a gas line or something, right? 00:27:06.690 --> 00:27:12.769 You call a professional. God wants us to have 00:27:12.769 --> 00:27:14.390 questions. That's why he's given us the Bible, 00:27:14.470 --> 00:27:16.569 so we can get to know him personally as we start 00:27:16.569 --> 00:27:18.829 to grow. Something that we haven't come across 00:27:18.829 --> 00:27:20.430 yet, or maybe we just haven't gleaned what we 00:27:20.430 --> 00:27:23.349 needed to from it yet. You know? It's there. 00:27:23.910 --> 00:27:26.170 We all grow. He's given us the Holy Spirit to 00:27:26.170 --> 00:27:32.329 help us out. He knew. That's the reason why we 00:27:32.329 --> 00:27:35.130 have a Bible. He knew that there would be people 00:27:35.130 --> 00:27:38.630 out there twisting it, perverting it, trying 00:27:38.630 --> 00:27:42.119 to make it fit their narrative. because they 00:27:42.119 --> 00:27:44.880 don't like the way it's worded and taught over 00:27:44.880 --> 00:27:48.960 here. It doesn't matter if you like it or not. 00:27:49.140 --> 00:27:51.619 God's word is the same yesterday, today, and 00:27:51.619 --> 00:27:54.019 forever. It will not change. If God says it's 00:27:54.019 --> 00:27:56.819 so, it is so. If God says it's not so, too bad, 00:27:56.839 --> 00:28:01.400 pumpkin. That ain't on you. If it hurts, change. 00:28:02.359 --> 00:28:04.380 Not the word, because the word ain't changing. 00:28:04.759 --> 00:28:07.740 You can try to twist it all you want. All you're 00:28:07.740 --> 00:28:10.500 doing is teaching a false gospel. You're condemning 00:28:10.500 --> 00:28:14.819 yourself and other people to hell. It means you're 00:28:14.819 --> 00:28:16.880 being convicted. You need to change something 00:28:16.880 --> 00:28:22.500 in you. Dig deep. Just going to bring us to our 00:28:22.500 --> 00:28:25.900 last passage here. I'm going to flip all the 00:28:25.900 --> 00:28:31.259 way back to 1 John. 1 John 4, verse 1. So 1 John 00:28:31.259 --> 00:28:33.839 4. It's going to be kind of back towards the 00:28:33.839 --> 00:28:40.680 back of your Bible a little bit. It's kind of 00:28:40.680 --> 00:29:00.039 a short book. So 1 John chapter 4. I know I got 00:29:00.039 --> 00:29:01.740 the King James Version up here on the screen. 00:29:01.779 --> 00:29:03.240 I'm actually going to read from the NIV because 00:29:03.240 --> 00:29:05.680 that's what I have down here on my notes. Dear 00:29:05.680 --> 00:29:08.319 friends, do not believe every spirit, but test 00:29:08.319 --> 00:29:10.319 the spirits to see whether they are from God, 00:29:10.480 --> 00:29:14.140 because many false prophets have gone out into 00:29:14.140 --> 00:29:18.380 the world. Well, you know what? I'll read the 00:29:18.380 --> 00:29:20.359 King James as well. Beloved, do not believe every 00:29:20.359 --> 00:29:22.240 spirit, but test the spirits whether they are 00:29:22.240 --> 00:29:24.500 God, because many false prophets have gone out 00:29:24.500 --> 00:29:26.119 into the world. They're not that different, right? 00:29:29.400 --> 00:29:31.559 If a doubt comes into your head, don't hesitate 00:29:31.559 --> 00:29:34.819 to turn around and ask Jesus, hey. What's this 00:29:34.819 --> 00:29:38.019 mean? What are you trying to say here? It's okay. 00:29:38.200 --> 00:29:42.519 He wants you to ask the hard questions. He wants 00:29:42.519 --> 00:29:44.559 you to ask what's on your heart, what's on your 00:29:44.559 --> 00:29:47.319 mind. If it's there, it's there for a reason. 00:29:47.799 --> 00:29:52.339 This is how we grow. This is how we build our 00:29:52.339 --> 00:29:56.059 relationship. I mean, if we have a friend and 00:29:56.059 --> 00:29:58.079 they're doing something like, what are you doing? 00:29:58.240 --> 00:30:02.440 We don't hesitate, do we? Are you stupid? What's 00:30:02.440 --> 00:30:05.440 going on over there? What's this all about? Well, 00:30:05.480 --> 00:30:07.099 they're doing something pretty cool, right? You're 00:30:07.099 --> 00:30:11.420 like, oh, what's this? What do you got going 00:30:11.420 --> 00:30:14.640 on over here in your garage? That's cool. Right? 00:30:14.720 --> 00:30:19.380 You building a Camaro? Sweet! Right? We don't 00:30:19.380 --> 00:30:24.039 hesitate. Family member? A sibling? You have 00:30:24.039 --> 00:30:26.859 siblings, you know, as well as I do. You have 00:30:26.859 --> 00:30:28.839 no problem with reaching over and tapping your 00:30:28.839 --> 00:30:31.440 4 -assist right upside the backside of the head. 00:30:37.639 --> 00:30:40.619 Right? It happens. Yeah, exactly. Just like that. 00:30:45.339 --> 00:30:49.259 It's love. It shows trust. It shows that we care. 00:30:49.319 --> 00:30:54.400 It shows that we're bonded. When we go to Jesus 00:30:54.400 --> 00:30:58.720 in the same way, it shows the same thing. And 00:30:58.720 --> 00:31:01.160 that's what he wants with each and every one 00:31:01.160 --> 00:31:03.519 of us. He wants that relationship. He wants that 00:31:03.519 --> 00:31:11.680 bond. It's important. I'm going to leave you 00:31:11.680 --> 00:31:18.440 all with this quote from Dr. Israel Isidore Isaac 00:31:18.440 --> 00:31:22.740 Rabi. He's a nuclear physicist and a Nobel Prize 00:31:22.740 --> 00:31:27.940 winner in physics. A friend once asked Dr. Rabi 00:31:27.940 --> 00:31:33.910 how he became a scientist. He replied that every 00:31:33.910 --> 00:31:36.430 day after school, his mom would talk to him about 00:31:36.430 --> 00:31:39.829 his school day. She wasn't so much interested 00:31:39.829 --> 00:31:42.609 in what he had learned that day, but she always 00:31:42.609 --> 00:31:47.569 inquired. And she would ask, did you ask a good 00:31:47.569 --> 00:31:56.369 question today? Hmm. It's a good one. Asking 00:31:56.369 --> 00:32:00.930 good questions, Rabi said, made me become a scientist. 00:32:02.730 --> 00:32:05.809 And I'll say to you, especially when doubt comes 00:32:05.809 --> 00:32:10.170 into your mind, asking questions strengthens 00:32:10.170 --> 00:32:14.569 you as a Christian and makes you a better person. 00:32:16.150 --> 00:32:20.390 Do not be afraid to ask questions. And when the 00:32:20.390 --> 00:32:23.529 devil starts whispering in your ear and trying 00:32:23.529 --> 00:32:26.309 to spring that snare of doubt and uncertainty, 00:32:26.609 --> 00:32:35.559 tell him to be gone. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, 00:32:35.700 --> 00:32:37.819 we thank you for your mercy, your grace, your 00:32:37.819 --> 00:32:39.960 love, this time here today with each other and 00:32:39.960 --> 00:32:43.359 with you and your word. Forgive us when we stumble 00:32:43.359 --> 00:32:46.240 and we fall, those moments of unbelief and the 00:32:46.240 --> 00:32:48.619 uncertainty that we have in our lives. Just forgive 00:32:48.619 --> 00:32:54.339 it all. Guide us in overcoming them. Help us 00:32:54.339 --> 00:32:58.299 to be an example to others for what they need 00:32:58.299 --> 00:33:00.240 to do and how they need to respond when they 00:33:00.240 --> 00:33:04.490 fall into this trap themselves. Teach us to step 00:33:04.490 --> 00:33:10.690 up and boldly ask those questions. Let us ask 00:33:10.690 --> 00:33:12.630 those hard questions so that not only we gain 00:33:12.630 --> 00:33:16.369 the knowledge that we need, but the understanding 00:33:16.369 --> 00:33:18.910 that we need in order to apply it to our lives. 00:33:18.930 --> 00:33:21.250 Not only just apply it to our lives, but to teach 00:33:21.250 --> 00:33:25.869 others what you've taught us. Let it to be a 00:33:25.869 --> 00:33:28.809 witness to Christ and a part of our testimony 00:33:28.809 --> 00:33:32.849 to bring people to you. And show them who you 00:33:32.849 --> 00:33:35.109 are and what you're all about. And teach them 00:33:35.109 --> 00:33:39.170 about your love. And all these people said, amen 00:33:39.170 --> 00:33:41.210 and amen. Remember, when you leave here today, 00:33:41.309 --> 00:33:43.750 you are loved and you are blessed. So go and 00:33:43.750 --> 00:34:11.420 be the church. Until next time, take care and 00:34:11.420 --> 00:34:12.300 God bless.