WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.580 Let's take our Bibles and open up to the Gospel 00:00:06.580 --> 00:00:12.179 according to Mark. Mark chapter 9 looking at 00:00:12.179 --> 00:00:16.760 verses 14 through 29 as we continue our sermon 00:00:16.760 --> 00:00:20.679 series through some of the miracles of Jesus. 00:00:20.719 --> 00:00:23.359 We're not covering all of them. That would take 00:00:23.359 --> 00:00:26.660 a very long time. But we're seeing several of 00:00:26.660 --> 00:00:30.690 these and this one that we look at today This 00:00:30.690 --> 00:00:34.789 is a remedy for the weak heart. And so if your 00:00:34.789 --> 00:00:37.509 heart is weak, if there are things that are weighing 00:00:37.509 --> 00:00:40.450 you down today, I pray that you would be strengthened 00:00:40.450 --> 00:00:44.390 by God's Word. And so would you give an ear to 00:00:44.390 --> 00:00:50.969 it now? Mark chapter 9, verses 14 through 29. 00:00:52.869 --> 00:00:55.409 And when they came to the disciples, they saw 00:00:55.409 --> 00:01:00.109 a great crowd around them. scribes arguing with 00:01:00.109 --> 00:01:03.850 them and immediately all the crowd when they 00:01:03.850 --> 00:01:07.329 saw him were greatly amazed and ran up to him 00:01:07.329 --> 00:01:11.209 and greeted him and he asked them what are you 00:01:11.209 --> 00:01:14.810 arguing about with them and someone from the 00:01:14.810 --> 00:01:18.450 crowd answered him teacher I brought my son to 00:01:18.450 --> 00:01:22.189 you for he has a spirit that makes him mute and 00:01:22.189 --> 00:01:25.069 whenever it seizes him it throws him down And 00:01:25.069 --> 00:01:28.250 he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. 00:01:29.010 --> 00:01:32.670 So I asked your disciples to cast it out. And 00:01:32.670 --> 00:01:35.689 they were not able. And he answered them, oh, 00:01:35.709 --> 00:01:38.909 faithless generation, how long am I to be with 00:01:38.909 --> 00:01:41.870 you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him 00:01:41.870 --> 00:01:45.989 to me. And they brought the boy to him. And when 00:01:45.989 --> 00:01:49.170 the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed 00:01:49.170 --> 00:01:51.590 the boy and he fell on the ground and rolled 00:01:51.590 --> 00:01:54.500 about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked 00:01:54.500 --> 00:01:58.120 his father, how long has this been happening 00:01:58.120 --> 00:02:02.840 to him? And he said, from childhood. And it is 00:02:02.840 --> 00:02:06.120 often cast him into fire and into water to destroy 00:02:06.120 --> 00:02:10.060 him. But if you can do anything, have compassion 00:02:10.060 --> 00:02:12.719 on us and help us. And Jesus said to him, if 00:02:12.719 --> 00:02:17.479 you can, all things are possible for one who 00:02:17.479 --> 00:02:20.960 believes. Immediately, the father of the child 00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:25.030 cried out and said, I believe, help my unbelief. 00:02:25.349 --> 00:02:28.229 And when Jesus saw that, a crowd came running 00:02:28.229 --> 00:02:31.090 together. He rebuked the unclean spirit saying 00:02:31.090 --> 00:02:35.370 to it, you mute and deaf spirit, I command you, 00:02:35.490 --> 00:02:39.210 come out of him and never enter him again. And 00:02:39.210 --> 00:02:41.650 after crying out and convulsing him terribly, 00:02:41.870 --> 00:02:46.270 it came out and the boy was like a corpse. So 00:02:46.270 --> 00:02:50.650 that most of them said, he is dead. But Jesus 00:02:50.650 --> 00:02:52.990 took him by the hand and lifted him up and he 00:02:52.990 --> 00:02:56.509 arose And when he had entered the house his disciples 00:02:56.509 --> 00:03:00.409 asked him privately Why could we not cast it 00:03:00.409 --> 00:03:04.189 out? And he said to them this kind cannot be 00:03:04.189 --> 00:03:09.229 driven out by anything but prayer This is God's 00:03:09.229 --> 00:03:17.110 holy word Let's pray Father we we bless you and 00:03:17.110 --> 00:03:21.939 we thank you for your infallible word. And we 00:03:21.939 --> 00:03:25.460 ask today that as we look at this text that you 00:03:25.460 --> 00:03:28.419 would strengthen our faith just like you strengthen 00:03:28.419 --> 00:03:31.740 the faith of this man within this text. This 00:03:31.740 --> 00:03:39.900 we ask in Christ's name. Amen. I know that I've 00:03:39.900 --> 00:03:43.560 shared this illustration before, but maybe you'll 00:03:43.560 --> 00:03:47.009 hear it like it's the first time. You might remember 00:03:47.009 --> 00:03:51.430 the great preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Spurgeon 00:03:51.430 --> 00:03:55.389 was the pastor of a very large church in London 00:03:55.389 --> 00:03:59.889 called the Metropolitan Tabernacle. It was very 00:03:59.889 --> 00:04:03.169 impressive, just lots and lots and lots of people 00:04:03.169 --> 00:04:06.509 worshiped there Sunday after Sunday after Sunday 00:04:06.509 --> 00:04:09.270 and showing up throughout the week for Bible 00:04:09.270 --> 00:04:12.449 studies and for prayer and things. And people 00:04:12.449 --> 00:04:16.959 in London would often ask Spurgeon, How do you 00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:20.600 keep this church going? How is the ministry here 00:04:20.600 --> 00:04:24.639 so successful? And on more than one occasion, 00:04:24.660 --> 00:04:28.360 he said, you want to know? Come with me. And 00:04:28.360 --> 00:04:31.060 he would take those visitors down into the very 00:04:31.060 --> 00:04:36.819 basement of the church. And he would say, I owe 00:04:36.819 --> 00:04:39.980 the success of this church to our heating apparatus. 00:04:40.660 --> 00:04:43.910 You want to see? And they would say, what are 00:04:43.910 --> 00:04:46.009 you talking about? I don't need to see that. 00:04:46.970 --> 00:04:50.029 But in the basement, there was a room. And it 00:04:50.029 --> 00:04:52.769 wasn't so much a physical heating apparatus as 00:04:52.769 --> 00:04:56.509 it was a place that was filled with people praying. 00:04:57.350 --> 00:05:01.829 And he would say, this is the engine room of 00:05:01.829 --> 00:05:05.250 the church, the prayer meeting. And that's what 00:05:05.250 --> 00:05:08.529 we see from this text. We see how important, 00:05:08.689 --> 00:05:13.569 how crucial, how powerful prayer is and how Christians 00:05:13.569 --> 00:05:17.990 have to be men and women, boys and girls of prayer. 00:05:19.370 --> 00:05:22.050 But we also see the necessity of faith in here. 00:05:22.069 --> 00:05:24.810 So that's what we're looking at today, faith 00:05:24.810 --> 00:05:28.990 and prayer. But we also must note the context 00:05:28.990 --> 00:05:32.209 of this episode. If you have your Bible still 00:05:32.209 --> 00:05:34.970 open, which I hope that you do, look at just 00:05:34.970 --> 00:05:38.350 what happens prior to this episode in Mark chapter 00:05:38.350 --> 00:05:43.449 nine. This is the transfiguration. It's very 00:05:43.449 --> 00:05:47.689 important to note that. It's also to note who 00:05:47.689 --> 00:05:51.170 is actually involved in this episode. Verse 14 00:05:51.170 --> 00:05:54.370 says, and when they came to the disciples, who 00:05:54.370 --> 00:05:59.410 is they within this text? It's Jesus and it's 00:05:59.410 --> 00:06:02.430 his inner circle of disciples. Peter, James, 00:06:02.550 --> 00:06:06.189 and John come with Jesus to see this great crowd. 00:06:06.800 --> 00:06:09.100 What were those three doing with Jesus? Well, 00:06:09.100 --> 00:06:12.240 we know from that context that those three were 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:16.480 on the mountain with Jesus They have seen Jesus 00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:19.740 there with him and they come down from that mountain 00:06:19.740 --> 00:06:23.480 and they see this great crowd and these disciples 00:06:23.480 --> 00:06:27.560 and there is some sort of commotion that is happening 00:06:27.560 --> 00:06:31.540 and It's a commotion of unbelief This should 00:06:31.540 --> 00:06:35.420 remind us of the time that Moses was on Sinai 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:37.959 You remember when Moses spends a long time on 00:06:37.959 --> 00:06:40.920 Mount Sinai, such that the Israelites down below 00:06:40.920 --> 00:06:43.120 are like, we don't know what happened to him, 00:06:43.360 --> 00:06:48.040 let's make a god. And they make an idol, the 00:06:48.040 --> 00:06:51.319 golden calf. And Moses is on the mountain, and 00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:53.959 he hears the commotion. And this grieves him 00:06:53.959 --> 00:06:57.120 to the core, for he sees the unbelief of the 00:06:57.120 --> 00:07:01.220 people. This is a situation that Jesus and the 00:07:01.220 --> 00:07:04.019 disciples see. They come down from this mountain. 00:07:04.439 --> 00:07:07.220 and they see what's before them, and they see 00:07:07.220 --> 00:07:12.759 the scribes arguing with them. And in the midst 00:07:12.759 --> 00:07:16.839 of all of this, somebody comes up to Jesus and 00:07:16.839 --> 00:07:20.800 says, teacher, I brought my son to you, for he 00:07:20.800 --> 00:07:24.939 has a spirit that makes him mute. And so we have 00:07:24.939 --> 00:07:29.160 this man who is desperate for help for his son. 00:07:29.660 --> 00:07:32.339 His son has been sick since he was very young 00:07:32.339 --> 00:07:35.810 as a boy. And he's got these seizures, right? 00:07:36.110 --> 00:07:40.069 And more than that, he's got this demon possession 00:07:40.069 --> 00:07:42.889 that's happening that has many times tried to 00:07:42.889 --> 00:07:45.970 cast the boy into the fire or into the water 00:07:45.970 --> 00:07:51.990 seeking to destroy him. And so this man is truly 00:07:51.990 --> 00:07:55.709 desperate here, but there is a big crowd around 00:07:55.709 --> 00:07:59.269 him. And Jesus offers this rebuke, doesn't he? 00:07:59.350 --> 00:08:05.279 Look in verse 19. Oh, faithless generation, how 00:08:05.279 --> 00:08:08.779 long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear 00:08:08.779 --> 00:08:11.579 with you? Why is Jesus offering this kind of 00:08:11.579 --> 00:08:16.240 rebuke? What's going on? Well, some have had 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:19.660 difficulties trying to understand who is Jesus 00:08:19.660 --> 00:08:22.980 rebuking here? Is he rebuking everybody who's 00:08:22.980 --> 00:08:26.379 listening, the whole crowd? Well, I don't think 00:08:26.379 --> 00:08:30.060 that that's the case, because the whole purpose 00:08:30.060 --> 00:08:33.659 of this has been that there is this boy who's 00:08:33.659 --> 00:08:36.480 got this demonic spirit and nobody has been able 00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:38.340 to do anything about it. So we wouldn't expect 00:08:38.340 --> 00:08:41.679 the crowd to do anything about this. Perhaps 00:08:41.679 --> 00:08:44.080 it's the scribes, those religious leaders. They 00:08:44.080 --> 00:08:46.759 can't do anything about this either. They may 00:08:46.759 --> 00:08:50.019 try, but I doubt it. What I really think is going 00:08:50.019 --> 00:08:53.899 on here is that Jesus is rebuking his disciples. 00:08:54.600 --> 00:08:57.379 He is lumping them in with the, oh, faithless 00:08:57.379 --> 00:09:01.000 generation. as if to say, you must trust me. 00:09:01.139 --> 00:09:04.940 You must depend upon me in order to do anything. 00:09:06.379 --> 00:09:09.480 Now, we might say to Jesus here, this this sounds 00:09:09.480 --> 00:09:12.679 a little harsh. Lighten up, Jesus. Why? Why are 00:09:12.679 --> 00:09:16.879 you getting onto their case? But you must see, 00:09:17.139 --> 00:09:21.220 friends, that the entire ministry of the disciples 00:09:21.220 --> 00:09:24.240 will be contingent upon faith. They won't be 00:09:24.240 --> 00:09:28.100 able to do a single thing for Jesus. without 00:09:28.100 --> 00:09:35.500 faith in Him. Without faith, they, we are unable 00:09:35.500 --> 00:09:39.519 to accomplish anything. And what is Jesus doing 00:09:39.519 --> 00:09:43.700 but training them, preparing them for the opposition 00:09:43.700 --> 00:09:48.580 that they will face? The context shows us this. 00:09:48.860 --> 00:09:51.559 What immediately follows this episode? Look at 00:09:51.559 --> 00:09:55.820 verse 30 and on. They went on from there and 00:09:55.820 --> 00:09:58.740 passed through Galilee. he did not want anyone 00:09:58.740 --> 00:10:00.940 to know for he was teaching his disciples saying 00:10:00.940 --> 00:10:04.460 to them the son of man is going to be delivered 00:10:04.460 --> 00:10:08.519 into the hands of men and they will kill him. 00:10:09.500 --> 00:10:13.639 That's what follows. Also look at what precedes 00:10:13.639 --> 00:10:19.139 this episode in chapter 8 verse 31. and began 00:10:19.139 --> 00:10:21.559 to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer 00:10:21.559 --> 00:10:24.940 many things and be rejected by the elders and 00:10:24.940 --> 00:10:27.740 the chief priests and the scribes and be killed. 00:10:28.919 --> 00:10:32.080 Jesus knows one day he's going to the Father. 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:34.740 He's preparing them for this. But if they don't 00:10:34.740 --> 00:10:39.799 have faith to trust in God, they will not have 00:10:39.799 --> 00:10:43.179 a ministry and it will not continue. And so Jesus 00:10:43.179 --> 00:10:46.879 is giving them on the field training right now. 00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:49.720 That they will be able to do teaching, they will 00:10:49.720 --> 00:10:52.539 be able to do healing, they will be able and 00:10:52.539 --> 00:10:56.240 have been able to cast out demons. But friends, 00:10:56.519 --> 00:10:59.320 we cannot do anything for God without trusting 00:10:59.320 --> 00:11:04.039 in him. We cannot. If you will, just listen to 00:11:04.039 --> 00:11:10.600 this from Matthew chapter seven. Matthew seven, 00:11:10.860 --> 00:11:15.909 21 through 23. And these are words we need to 00:11:15.909 --> 00:11:22.210 pay attention to. Matthew 721, not everyone who 00:11:22.210 --> 00:11:25.289 says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom 00:11:25.289 --> 00:11:28.470 of heaven, but the one who does the will of my 00:11:28.470 --> 00:11:31.909 Father who is in heaven. On that day, many will 00:11:31.909 --> 00:11:34.470 say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in 00:11:34.470 --> 00:11:36.909 your name and cast out demons in your name and 00:11:36.909 --> 00:11:40.629 do many mighty works in your name? And then I 00:11:40.629 --> 00:11:44.340 will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart 00:11:44.340 --> 00:11:48.919 from me, you workers of lawlessness. Friends, 00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:53.860 faithlessness and ministry don't mesh. Faithlessness 00:11:53.860 --> 00:11:58.840 and ministry, they don't work. True disciples 00:11:58.840 --> 00:12:04.039 of Jesus trust Jesus and true disciples of Jesus 00:12:04.039 --> 00:12:07.700 feed their faith as the Holy Spirit sanctifies. 00:12:08.360 --> 00:12:10.720 So you might say, well, how is that? How can 00:12:10.720 --> 00:12:14.269 we grow in our faith? I don't have an exotic 00:12:14.269 --> 00:12:17.909 answer here. It's really quite simple. H .B. 00:12:18.009 --> 00:12:22.529 Charles Jr. says, it's scripture intake. Scripture 00:12:22.529 --> 00:12:27.889 intake. It's kind of like exercise. Pretty much, 00:12:28.070 --> 00:12:30.450 I think everybody in here would say, yeah, I 00:12:30.450 --> 00:12:33.110 want to be in good shape from our oldest to our 00:12:33.110 --> 00:12:35.629 youngest and in between, right? We want to take 00:12:35.629 --> 00:12:38.730 care of our bodies, right? But if you never go 00:12:38.730 --> 00:12:43.909 for a walk. If you don't eat well, you're not 00:12:43.909 --> 00:12:47.629 going to see that progress, right? We really 00:12:47.629 --> 00:12:52.269 have to take in the good and cast off the bad, 00:12:52.590 --> 00:12:55.450 right? And that's the way it is with our faith. 00:12:55.750 --> 00:12:59.809 If you will, just listen to 1 Peter chapter two, 00:13:00.110 --> 00:13:06.450 verse one. So put away all malice and all deceit 00:13:06.450 --> 00:13:09.360 and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. So put 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:13.539 those things away like newborn infants long for 00:13:13.539 --> 00:13:17.740 the pure spiritual milk that by it you may grow 00:13:17.740 --> 00:13:22.360 up into salvation if indeed you have tasted that 00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:26.019 the Lord is good. So we have to put off those 00:13:26.019 --> 00:13:29.600 things which do not help our faith, which hinder 00:13:29.600 --> 00:13:33.320 our faith and put on good things like scripture. 00:13:34.019 --> 00:13:36.500 And so friend, have you tasted that the Lord 00:13:36.500 --> 00:13:40.179 is good? Have you? And if so, you might say, 00:13:40.399 --> 00:13:43.299 well, how do I have more? Again, it's the very 00:13:43.299 --> 00:13:46.139 word of God. This is the time of year when people 00:13:46.139 --> 00:13:49.159 make resolutions. Why not make a resolution that 00:13:49.159 --> 00:13:52.179 you can actually keep by the power of the Holy 00:13:52.179 --> 00:13:55.299 Spirit helping you, that you can give yourself 00:13:55.299 --> 00:13:58.539 to the word of God? Now, maybe you're out of 00:13:58.539 --> 00:14:01.200 the habit, kind of like exercise. You're out 00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:03.059 of the habit. That doesn't mean that you should 00:14:03.059 --> 00:14:06.440 go run a marathon right away. It doesn't mean 00:14:06.440 --> 00:14:08.600 that you go to the gym and you You know, you 00:14:08.600 --> 00:14:10.639 get on the bench and you try and bench press 00:14:10.639 --> 00:14:13.559 whatever the previous person had before you. 00:14:14.080 --> 00:14:16.840 Baby steps. And so if you're out of the practice 00:14:16.840 --> 00:14:21.080 of reading scripture or listening to it, just 00:14:21.080 --> 00:14:24.720 take a verse a day, at least a verse a day, just 00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:28.519 to listen, to read it, to meditate upon it, hide 00:14:28.519 --> 00:14:31.460 it in your heart. Recently, I've begun a practice 00:14:31.460 --> 00:14:35.320 of taking one scripture, usually the scripture 00:14:35.320 --> 00:14:38.110 for Sunday. and I print it off on a note card, 00:14:38.470 --> 00:14:42.169 just very small, and I put it in my pocket, or 00:14:42.169 --> 00:14:45.490 I put it in my bag, such that everywhere I go, 00:14:45.789 --> 00:14:48.649 I have immediate access, can pull that card out 00:14:48.649 --> 00:14:51.590 and look at it and reflect upon it. Do something 00:14:51.590 --> 00:14:55.750 like that, small steps, to begin absorbing more 00:14:55.750 --> 00:14:58.669 and more of the Bible. But we also recognize 00:14:58.669 --> 00:15:01.529 that we need the ministry of the word. I'm preaching 00:15:01.529 --> 00:15:04.409 to the choir here, because you are here, but 00:15:04.409 --> 00:15:06.769 we need the preaching of the word. But we also 00:15:06.769 --> 00:15:09.789 need time of strengthening from other believers. 00:15:10.450 --> 00:15:13.769 And so make this the year in which you say, yeah, 00:15:13.769 --> 00:15:16.909 I'm planning to be there for Sunday school. I'm 00:15:16.909 --> 00:15:20.129 planning to be there for Wednesday nights. Join 00:15:20.129 --> 00:15:23.029 in with our wick or our men of the covenant or 00:15:23.029 --> 00:15:26.470 children taking part in those programs that we 00:15:26.470 --> 00:15:31.590 have. Times together of learning scripture. But 00:15:31.590 --> 00:15:35.330 not only that, we need times together of prayer. 00:15:36.199 --> 00:15:39.159 Right? We all need to be people of prayer and 00:15:39.159 --> 00:15:41.539 that's really what Jesus is teaching here So 00:15:41.539 --> 00:15:45.360 we've seen Jesus offer that rebuke, right? But 00:15:45.360 --> 00:15:48.820 then what does Jesus do? He asked for the boy 00:15:48.820 --> 00:15:51.960 And so as they bring the boy to him who's got 00:15:51.960 --> 00:15:55.960 this Demonic spirit within him as soon as that 00:15:55.960 --> 00:15:58.679 spirit is into the presence of Jesus near him 00:15:58.679 --> 00:16:03.379 It sends the boy into convulsions Translations 00:16:03.379 --> 00:16:06.360 will say that this is epileptic seizures, and 00:16:06.360 --> 00:16:09.539 while that's true, it all happens because of 00:16:09.539 --> 00:16:13.440 demon possession. And so the demon possesses 00:16:13.440 --> 00:16:16.399 and makes the boy mute and makes him deaf, and 00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:19.779 yet those things do not hinder Jesus from speaking 00:16:19.779 --> 00:16:23.039 right to that spirit and saying, get out of him. 00:16:25.659 --> 00:16:30.889 Look in verse 22. You can see how desperate the 00:16:30.889 --> 00:16:34.590 father is. It's often cast him into fire and 00:16:34.590 --> 00:16:37.690 into water to destroy him. But if you can do 00:16:37.690 --> 00:16:43.370 anything, have compassion on us and help us. 00:16:45.429 --> 00:16:49.289 Here, we might look at that and say, well, probably 00:16:49.289 --> 00:16:51.090 shouldn't have said it like that, if you can 00:16:51.090 --> 00:16:54.230 do anything. But before we begin to criticize 00:16:54.230 --> 00:16:59.980 this father, Let's think to ourselves, do we 00:16:59.980 --> 00:17:05.420 struggle with unbelief? Do you ever struggle 00:17:05.420 --> 00:17:10.980 with unbelief? I would say that you do, because 00:17:10.980 --> 00:17:16.859 I know at times that I do. Calvin said of this 00:17:16.859 --> 00:17:20.500 passage, he declares that he believes and yet 00:17:20.500 --> 00:17:23.779 acknowledges himself to have unbelief. These 00:17:23.779 --> 00:17:26.440 two statements may appear to contradict each 00:17:26.440 --> 00:17:29.740 other, but there is none of us that does not 00:17:29.740 --> 00:17:35.099 experience both of them in himself. And so the 00:17:35.099 --> 00:17:38.559 Christian can say the very prayer that this man 00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:44.019 offers, help my unbelief. And we know this to 00:17:44.019 --> 00:17:46.720 be true not just of ourselves, but of faithful 00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:49.839 men and women throughout scripture. Perhaps you 00:17:49.839 --> 00:17:52.259 remember Hebrews chapter 11, what's called the 00:17:52.259 --> 00:17:55.460 hall. of faith where you have this listing of 00:17:55.460 --> 00:18:00.380 faithful men and women who loved God and yet 00:18:00.380 --> 00:18:03.980 struggled with sin. People like Noah and Abraham 00:18:03.980 --> 00:18:08.099 and Moses and Samson and Rahab and Samuel and 00:18:08.099 --> 00:18:13.099 David. And yet when we struggle with unbelief, 00:18:13.400 --> 00:18:16.940 is not Jesus compassionate with us? He certainly 00:18:16.940 --> 00:18:20.019 was towards this man because he corrects the 00:18:20.019 --> 00:18:22.579 man But he doesn't offer a rebuke here. Look 00:18:22.579 --> 00:18:26.720 in verse twenty three. Jesus said to him, if 00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:32.920 you can. All things are possible for one who 00:18:32.920 --> 00:18:36.579 believes. This has me reflecting upon Christmas. 00:18:36.900 --> 00:18:39.619 For you remember when Gabriel speaks to Mary 00:18:39.619 --> 00:18:41.940 and she's wondering, how is this whole thing 00:18:41.940 --> 00:18:45.259 going to work? Because I'm a virgin. And Gabriel 00:18:45.259 --> 00:18:50.089 says nothing will be impossible with God. You 00:18:50.089 --> 00:18:52.329 see, friends, nothing can stand in the way of 00:18:52.329 --> 00:18:55.529 what Jesus wills to do. All things are possible 00:18:55.529 --> 00:18:58.930 for the one who believes. And so we need to check 00:18:58.930 --> 00:19:03.569 ourselves here. Do we really believe that? Do 00:19:03.569 --> 00:19:06.529 we really believe that Jesus can do all things? 00:19:07.049 --> 00:19:09.609 Well, if you struggle with that answer, please 00:19:09.609 --> 00:19:12.650 see the remedy here. God gives the remedy within 00:19:12.650 --> 00:19:18.440 the text, prayer with repentance. For you see 00:19:18.440 --> 00:19:23.099 in verse 24 the word immediately the man wastes 00:19:23.099 --> 00:19:28.359 no time Confessing his unbelief. He says I believe 00:19:28.359 --> 00:19:35.019 help my own belief Somebody once said that living 00:19:35.019 --> 00:19:39.579 without faith is like driving in the fog I Would 00:19:39.579 --> 00:19:42.720 say living without faith is like driving 90 miles 00:19:42.720 --> 00:19:45.339 an hour in the fog. It's the most dangerous thing 00:19:45.339 --> 00:19:49.819 you can do to try and live without faith in Jesus 00:19:49.819 --> 00:19:53.400 Christ. We need to read this man's words as prayer, 00:19:53.980 --> 00:19:57.220 because while there were others who could perform 00:19:57.220 --> 00:20:00.019 exorcisms, and there were others who could perform 00:20:00.019 --> 00:20:03.380 healings, who else could help a man with his 00:20:03.380 --> 00:20:07.440 unbelief but Jesus? And so this man now sees 00:20:07.440 --> 00:20:14.039 Jesus as the Savior, as the Messiah. This is 00:20:14.039 --> 00:20:18.309 his prayer, help. my unbelief. And this needs 00:20:18.309 --> 00:20:22.210 to be our prayer, too. For we can do nothing 00:20:22.210 --> 00:20:26.230 to help ourselves here. It must all be from Jesus. 00:20:26.609 --> 00:20:29.670 You cannot help your unbelief anymore that you 00:20:29.670 --> 00:20:33.390 can save yourself. And so friends who struggle, 00:20:33.809 --> 00:20:36.210 friends who struggle with unbelief, have this 00:20:36.210 --> 00:20:41.190 prayer on your lips. Have it at the ready. Memorize 00:20:41.190 --> 00:20:47.000 just this short phrase. I believe. Help my unbelief. 00:20:47.480 --> 00:20:49.900 You've heard Brittany already saying these words, 00:20:50.380 --> 00:20:54.019 I would but can't repent, though I endeavor oft. 00:20:54.440 --> 00:20:57.680 This stony heart can never relent till Jesus 00:20:57.680 --> 00:21:02.759 makes it soft. Help my unbelief. My help must 00:21:02.759 --> 00:21:07.000 come from thee. And so the man needs help, the 00:21:07.000 --> 00:21:10.500 disciples need help, and here is Jesus to help. 00:21:10.759 --> 00:21:15.000 with this boy he casts out this demon and it 00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:18.099 reacts violently such that the boy is laying 00:21:18.099 --> 00:21:21.359 there and people are saying he must be dead but 00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:24.220 remember the compassion of Jesus to reach down 00:21:24.220 --> 00:21:28.400 to stoop down with his hand and to raise the 00:21:28.400 --> 00:21:33.920 boy and everybody is in amazement including the 00:21:33.920 --> 00:21:36.539 disciples but what do the disciples want to know 00:21:36.539 --> 00:21:39.880 they want to know why couldn't we do that We've 00:21:39.880 --> 00:21:41.960 done this before. Why couldn't we do it this 00:21:41.960 --> 00:21:45.619 time? And so you see here their problem. You 00:21:45.619 --> 00:21:48.660 see the disciples have been well trained by the 00:21:48.660 --> 00:21:51.880 master. They have authority over these kind of 00:21:51.880 --> 00:21:56.759 things, but it's ineffective without prayer. 00:21:58.660 --> 00:22:02.920 Sinclair Ferguson says, Jesus is emphasizing 00:22:02.920 --> 00:22:05.660 to them the danger of thinking that because God 00:22:05.660 --> 00:22:08.500 has called you to a certain kind of ministry, 00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:11.920 that you are therefore simply by that call and 00:22:11.920 --> 00:22:15.420 able to fulfill that ministry. You can only fulfill 00:22:15.420 --> 00:22:19.079 that ministry by constant dependence on the Lord 00:22:19.079 --> 00:22:25.279 in prayer to him. Friends, I know many of you, 00:22:25.279 --> 00:22:28.079 you made some really good food over the last 00:22:28.079 --> 00:22:31.960 week for Christmas. In my house, we had a ton 00:22:31.960 --> 00:22:35.799 of cookies, a lot of sugar cookies. What happens 00:22:35.799 --> 00:22:39.390 if you leave the sugar out of a cookie? It ain't 00:22:39.390 --> 00:22:43.230 good. It's not a good cookie. It's barely a cookie. 00:22:44.109 --> 00:22:46.609 Friends, if we attempt ministry without the ingredient 00:22:46.609 --> 00:22:50.190 of prayer, it won't be ministry. It will not. 00:22:51.130 --> 00:22:53.490 Disciples could have done everything right. They 00:22:53.490 --> 00:22:55.369 could have been gentle. They could have been 00:22:55.369 --> 00:22:57.890 pastoral. They could have been confident. They 00:22:57.890 --> 00:23:00.410 could have done everything just like they saw 00:23:00.410 --> 00:23:04.130 Jesus to do. But if they were not dependent on 00:23:04.130 --> 00:23:07.029 God exercising prayer, it would not have been 00:23:07.029 --> 00:23:09.880 effective. And so this is a lesson for them. 00:23:10.720 --> 00:23:13.359 But it's not just that Jesus tells them to pray. 00:23:13.680 --> 00:23:17.240 Jesus has also shown them his own prayer life. 00:23:17.759 --> 00:23:21.720 You might remember how Jesus, ahead of turning, 00:23:22.140 --> 00:23:24.039 ahead of multiplying the loaves and the fish, 00:23:24.079 --> 00:23:27.759 what did Jesus do? He prayed. You might remember, 00:23:27.779 --> 00:23:29.539 and we haven't looked at this one yet in the 00:23:29.539 --> 00:23:32.200 miracles of Jesus, but you might remember Jesus 00:23:32.200 --> 00:23:34.559 raising Lazarus. Before he does that, what does 00:23:34.559 --> 00:23:41.240 he do? He... Praise There's also good news here 00:23:41.240 --> 00:23:46.099 though For the disciples, I think they take this 00:23:46.099 --> 00:23:52.019 to heart because in Acts chapter 4 We see some 00:23:52.019 --> 00:23:56.500 of them praying Before they can do anything so 00:23:56.500 --> 00:24:02.160 in Acts chapter 4 Versus 29 and onward we see 00:24:02.160 --> 00:24:06.779 their prayer and I'll read just part of it And 00:24:06.779 --> 00:24:10.960 now Lord look upon their threats and grant to 00:24:10.960 --> 00:24:13.500 your servants to continue to speak your word 00:24:13.500 --> 00:24:17.240 with all boldness. So this is their prayer. While 00:24:17.240 --> 00:24:20.559 you stretch out your hand to heal and signs and 00:24:20.559 --> 00:24:23.579 wonders are performed through the name of your 00:24:23.579 --> 00:24:26.880 holy servant Jesus. And when they had prayed 00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:29.099 the place in which they were gathered together 00:24:29.099 --> 00:24:32.319 was shaken and they were all filled with the 00:24:32.319 --> 00:24:35.420 Holy Spirit. and continue to speak the word of 00:24:35.420 --> 00:24:39.259 God with boldness. It's like I've said many times, 00:24:39.279 --> 00:24:43.619 quoting John Bunyan, you can do nothing until 00:24:43.619 --> 00:24:47.099 you have prayed. And so did they forget prayer? 00:24:47.240 --> 00:24:51.440 Perhaps in Mark chapter six, Jesus gives authority 00:24:51.440 --> 00:24:54.440 to them over the unclean spirits. And so perhaps 00:24:54.440 --> 00:24:56.859 the disciples thought, this is sufficient. I 00:24:56.859 --> 00:24:59.660 have authority from Jesus so we can do this thing. 00:25:01.000 --> 00:25:04.059 They sought to tough it out. on their own. And 00:25:04.059 --> 00:25:06.160 as Americans, I think we like these kind of people. 00:25:06.420 --> 00:25:09.900 We like tough people, gritty people, people who 00:25:09.900 --> 00:25:12.259 can pull themselves up by their bootstraps. In 00:25:12.259 --> 00:25:15.319 a lot of ways, that's an admirable quality. But 00:25:15.319 --> 00:25:18.740 not in your walk with Jesus. Not in your walk 00:25:18.740 --> 00:25:25.700 with Jesus. You must depend upon Jesus. Indeed, 00:25:25.740 --> 00:25:30.220 many of you have been gifted beautifully. by 00:25:30.220 --> 00:25:33.980 the Holy Spirit with gifts. Every believer has 00:25:33.980 --> 00:25:38.420 a gift to exercise, but the gift alone is not 00:25:38.420 --> 00:25:42.460 enough. You must depend upon Jesus to exercise 00:25:42.460 --> 00:25:46.000 that gift, whatever it is. Maybe you're a teacher 00:25:46.000 --> 00:25:50.079 within the church of children or of adults. Maybe 00:25:50.079 --> 00:25:52.880 you have musical abilities and you sing in the 00:25:52.880 --> 00:25:55.839 choir. Maybe you're an evangelist and you love 00:25:55.839 --> 00:25:59.740 to tell people about Jesus. Maybe you're an officer 00:25:59.740 --> 00:26:02.720 within this church. These things are wonderful. 00:26:02.859 --> 00:26:07.099 Praise God for them. But you must exercise faith 00:26:07.099 --> 00:26:10.799 in prayer in order to perform those responsibilities. 00:26:12.400 --> 00:26:14.480 And so whatever your gift is, there's something 00:26:14.480 --> 00:26:17.000 you must understand. You can only use your gifting 00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:20.039 with prayer. There is a direct connection between 00:26:20.039 --> 00:26:24.079 unbelief and prayerlessness, right? But prayer 00:26:24.079 --> 00:26:28.180 is an expression of our faith. Prayer is an expression 00:26:28.180 --> 00:26:32.420 of our faith. It puts our faith to words whenever 00:26:32.420 --> 00:26:37.799 we pray to God in the name of Jesus. But you 00:26:37.799 --> 00:26:40.099 might say, well, prayer is difficult for me. 00:26:40.220 --> 00:26:44.440 I really struggle with that. What kind of practical 00:26:44.440 --> 00:26:47.400 help is there for me? Well, from this text alone, 00:26:47.420 --> 00:26:50.039 we see something beautiful. We see something 00:26:50.039 --> 00:26:53.920 very helpful that you can be honest within your 00:26:53.920 --> 00:26:57.309 prayer life. This man is honest because he knows 00:26:57.309 --> 00:27:02.329 that Jesus knows I believe help my unbelief We're 00:27:02.329 --> 00:27:07.049 probably not all that eager To express to one 00:27:07.049 --> 00:27:10.369 another that we struggle with unbelief But you 00:27:10.369 --> 00:27:13.809 can certainly express that to Jesus you must 00:27:13.809 --> 00:27:17.450 express that to Jesus and know That he helps 00:27:17.450 --> 00:27:21.930 those who ask right and so be honest in your 00:27:21.930 --> 00:27:25.390 prayer, pray about prayerlessness and unbelief. 00:27:25.549 --> 00:27:29.170 In the case of this father, something very unfortunate 00:27:29.170 --> 00:27:32.630 led to the recognition of his unbelief. But it's 00:27:32.630 --> 00:27:35.410 the kindness of God to even use the difficult 00:27:35.410 --> 00:27:40.190 things in our lives to draw us back to him. And 00:27:40.190 --> 00:27:42.829 so friends, I know the things that you go through 00:27:42.829 --> 00:27:45.609 are painful, the suffering, the illness, the 00:27:45.609 --> 00:27:48.890 job loss, whatever it might be, but do not waste 00:27:48.890 --> 00:27:51.859 the sufferings that you go through. but instead 00:27:51.859 --> 00:27:55.819 see them as opportunities to draw near to God 00:27:55.819 --> 00:27:59.660 in prayer. This man asked for help and unbelief 00:27:59.660 --> 00:28:04.460 and what did Jesus do? He helped him. Will Jesus 00:28:04.460 --> 00:28:07.720 not also do the same for you? Of course he will. 00:28:08.039 --> 00:28:10.559 And so what's weighing on you today? What is 00:28:10.559 --> 00:28:13.940 too heavy for you? What has you saying, I don't 00:28:13.940 --> 00:28:19.299 think I can go on? You feel like your faith is 00:28:19.299 --> 00:28:22.519 weak. But friend, don't you know that God is 00:28:22.519 --> 00:28:25.900 near? He's nearer than the fog, and He listens 00:28:25.900 --> 00:28:28.140 to your prayer. Don't you know that Jesus is 00:28:28.140 --> 00:28:31.559 the author of your salvation? Don't you know 00:28:31.559 --> 00:28:35.400 that you can call upon God in prayer at any moment, 00:28:35.819 --> 00:28:39.759 at any time of day or night, that God is listening 00:28:39.759 --> 00:28:44.660 for His children? And He, as you pray, He will 00:28:44.660 --> 00:28:47.980 strengthen you, and He will help you, and He 00:28:47.980 --> 00:28:50.279 will help your unbelief.