All Things Possible

Problems with veteran with me if you would like chapter the gospel of Mark and will you be looking at verses nine through 13. To begin with. As they were coming down the mountain he charge them to tell no one what they had seen till the Son of Man had risen from the dead, so they kept this matter to them sales questioning what is rising from the dead might mean and I asked him one of the scribes say that first Elijah must come in he said to them, logic does come first. Restore all things.

How is it written of the Son of Man, that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt. But I'll tell you that Elijah has come in they did to him whatever they pleased as it is written of him that with me as we got our Lord in prayer.

Heavenly father, we come before your throne nailed to lift up those in our congregation are struggling going through rough times right now. Pray for Chris Williams, Lord.

He would be with him in power. The was terribly hurt this week injured and is in the hospital recovering Lord teenager hail pray that you put your loving arms around demon helping to recover quickly. Friendly father for main Samba as she is in the hospital and has had a stroke and it's affected her mind. Pray father the you administer her. Give her peace that passes all understanding bring healing to her body only father. The Scripture before us today is a great challenge to great reminder to us that we are and will be in spiritual warfare until either we die or Jesus returns father. This passage reminds us to refuse to depend on self or programs or abilities or even our knowledge help us to learn what the disciples learned that as our dependence must be on you and you alone. Help us not to be alarmed or distressed uncomfortable situations or flagrant evil demonic attack by these situations remind us to run to you for wisdom, power and assurance to study the passage. This passage this week was moved by the disciples compassion for this young boy who was so bound up physically, emotionally and spiritually. Lord, give us a grace church that same kind of compassion. Help me to preach your word faithfully this morning. Help me to preach it with clarity. Pray that Jesus would be exalted price you edify this congregation.

What is the precious holy name of Jesus that we pray. Amen may be seated want you to picture this in your mind, Jesus, Peter, James and John coming down Mount Herman. It's a mountain it's 9000 feet tall and there is great joy in the story disciples.

Where is that joy come from. They have just experienced the Transfiguration of Jesus. Jesus stood before them and begin to radiate his glory. As I share with you last week.

This is not a situation where the glory of God came down and descended upon Jesus. This was a situation where the glory of God. His godliness emanated from within and when I helped. He stood there, he became so bright, brighter and brighter and brighter till it was as bright as the noonday sun and then to add to their shock all of a sudden to me and appeared there before Jesus.

These two men didn't walk up.

They didn't climb up the mountain to get tooling. I just appeared with Moses and Elijah. The Scripture tells us that they had come there to talk to Jesus about his decease or his death.

If coming to. I believe prepare him for his crucifixion. Perhaps they said to Jesus, Jesus, you remember how your pal, our heavenly father.

How he told us what was going to happen and we told us that you were going to go to the cross to be a substitutionary atonement for the sins of your people and you. Jesus agreed that you would go to the cross and you would suffer the hail of every child of God who would ever live as they're doing that all of a sudden impetuous Peter jumped up and Peter jumped up and said, Lord, what would you like me to make for us three tabernacles one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah and then just as quickly as Moses and Elijah appeared all of a sudden they disappeared and there was no one left there, Jesus and the disciples watching his glory diminished and diminished until he was just his normal self.

Jesus turned around of the disciples. He said it's time for us to go and then they walked in they walk right back down the mountain.

They kept walking right down the mountain and they knew they were going to the place where the nine other disciples had camped out Peter, James and John are literally field with joy and excitement. I'm sure that Peter said to himself. Man I can't wait to tell my wife about this. I can't wait till I tell my brother Andrew about what happened. I can't wait till unable tell my friend Matthew about what took place. They are going to be having a life change like we had to be so excited. That's what Peter's thinking Jesus can read their thoughts and Jesus stops, he turns around to them and he says to them guys do not speak this out to anyone else.

Keep this to yourself. Keep it quiet. Don't say a word about this until after I had been raised from the dead looking neighbors. 10 verse 10 says that they kept the matter to them sales but were questioning what the rising of the dead might mean they believed in a general resurrection they neither the time was coming when Jesus is going to return to this earth. And when that happened, though the just and unjust. The sheep and the goats can be resurrected and there will be the judgment day and then he will usher in the new heavens and the new earth. I knew about that. This is not what Jesus was talking about and they knew it for Jesus was talking about his own resurrection. It was going to take place in just a few months after he's been nailed to a cross. Three days later he would be raised from the dead, so they did these three abate Jesus's command.

They kept it quiet until Jesus died and three days later he was resurrected.

Can you imagine how tough that would be man air. If I had seen Jesus transfigured turn blood dazzling, gloriously white RBC and must have man I can't wait to send hears about this man she's going to go bonkers. This is going to be great for her.

She's gonna love it and then I would not be able say a word. Let's count how Peter James and John must've failed while a steel just Jesus and the three they asked Jesus a question and they cite him, Lord, what is the scribe say that Elijah must come first. Surely the appearance of Elijah brought this thought to their mind about this question up member a few weeks ago we were looking at Peter's great confession of faith we say Jesus you are the, the Christ, the son of the living God.

But before that Jesus asked all the disciples this question, who do people say that I am one of the disciples jumped up and said, some say that your Elijah. Why would they say that because in the last book of the Old Testament the prophet Malachi had prophesied that Elijah was going to come back, turn the hearts of the fathers to the children in the hearts of the children to the fathers of the doubt.

Peter, James and John. They knew that Jesus was not Elijah that they knew that they that thought never even entered their mind, they said, Jesus. We want to know what is Elijah coming back when Zegna happened.

Jesus said lodges already come in they did to him whatsoever they wanted to know the words that yielding folks this idea about Elijah returning was a big deal in Israel when I have Passover meal so once a year together. They would always have a empty seat in the empty chair and they put it into tables for each family and I would have a empty plate they would have a glass of wine. They are, and that was supposed to be for Elijah and for anticipation that Elijah is coming back and they believe that also still goes on today with Orthodox Jews. They still do that same thing every Passover. So Jesus said if this prophecy is already been fulfilled. Lodges already come to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children the hearts of the children to the fathers.

Lodges already come to preach a message of repentance and to get the world ready for the Messiah that's already taken place.

Very interesting statement despite not here, but over in the Gospel of Matthew were gotten the Gospel of Matthew is doing the same subject, but this statement is added. Matthew 1713 says this, then the disciples understood that Jesus was speaking to them of John the Baptist. I think Jesus was saying they murder John the Baptist and they're getting ready to kill me or after the experience of a lifetime. Jesus, Peter, James and John walked down the side of of Mount Herman get down where the disciples are in all of a sudden they realize it's not just the disciples the huge crowd. They are there scribes. There's just people better watch and there's all kind of confusion and arguing and just junk that's going on.

Have you ever heard people talk about a mountaintop experience mountaintop experience there said you know that's a time when your own just an emotional high, and they said that's great to have these mountaintop experiences.

Sooner or later you gotta come back down to the real world. And when you come back down to the real world. It's going to be tough. Once again, I'm not sure that that this story that were looking at here is not where they got that from well and share with you today 55 points. The first point is demonic activity. Look with me if at verses 14 through 18 a. When they came to the disciples I saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them and immediately all the crowns when they saw him were greatly amazed and ran up to him and reading, and he asked him what are you arguing about with him and someone from the crowd answered him, teacher, I brought my son to you free has a spirit that makes a need and whatever it seizes him. It throws them down any phones and grind his teeth and becomes rigid. Can you feel what Peter, James and John must've felt when I got to the foot of the mountain. That's I all that confusion and arguing it and all that stuff going on. You probably experience that you gone to church one Sunday and I man it was just a glorious day the whole day he got there for Sunday school. The teaching was powerful. You heard the sermon.

It rang her bail though the music was so great it just lifted up Jesus and you came back Sunday night.

You experience the same thing and you went home and you were just rejoicing because the Lord had been so real and so good that day.

You got up the next morning on Monday and you are just spiritually still pumped up and then you got to work. The bottom falls out your bosses in a bad mood. Your secretary calls and says she's got coven won't be in for two weeks and then you got customers colony and everybody's mad there to start in your ball stage. You gotta work through lunch and not only that, but you gotta stay like and you just breathe a sigh of frustration access with the disciples were experiencing here. I can hear the thing let's forget about all this stuff down here and just go back up on the mountain where is just us three and Jesus, I have felt that way. A lot of times, but this life is a sin so soaked world when the crowd sees Jesus what they do. The crowd runs to him and reminds me a little bit of Moses coming down from Mount Sinai. You remember Moses and Joshua Moses.

He just received the 10 Commandments is got the stone tablets in his arms.

He's walking down with Joshua I get about halfway down and they start hearing noise is sensuous noise, frivolous noise is noise of something that just sounds wrong and then I finally get down to the foot of the mountain and Aaron, Moses brother has been talked into making him a golden calf and people are over there and they are worshiping the Golden calf.

Needless to say Moses was not a happy camper and folks in this passage Jesus is not a happy camper.

Either Jesus hears the scribe screaming at the nine disciples and Jesus says to the disciples, what is discussing before they can answer Manchester Jesus. My son is meet.

He is being constantly attacked by demonic spirit. That spirit convulses him that spirit mixing foam at the mall that feed spirit stiffens him up and makes him rigid as a board, Jesus. We brought him here because we knew that you could helping you weren't here.

The disciples have not been able to help some liberal scholars have laughed at this idea that this malady was demon possession there said that this boy just had a problem with something that was a Kenyan to epileptic seizures and and they said that this thing is just is time crazy and and is this not normal, just a physical malady, what it isn't, so the disciples didn't understand it, they have never seen this, think alone before so they don't know that it's medical problem. Something like an epileptic seizure.

I don't realize that so they just, going along with it will. But this was not a medical issue. This was a demonic attack. Jesus did not tell the disciples that this boy he needed a prescription people. This was a problem with demons and Jesus agreed with the father John MacArthur had some good insight here. He said this demons have been actively doing Satan's bidding in the world ever since the fall. They do not usually make their presence known. Choosing rather to operate covertly by disguising themselves as Angels of light during Jesus's earthly ministry.

However, they launched an all-out assault against him manifesting themselves more often openly and to some degree more willingly, then, is their normal practice.

But Jesus unmasks them, forcing them to reveal themselves even when they were unwilling to do so. This demon would likely have preferred to have remained undiscovered in the boy.

Although his father had discerned that his son's condition was a result of demonic activity. Others may have diagnosed him as having some kind of mental disorder. In fact, in Matthew's account of this incident. His father described his son.

Symptoms as those of a lunatic and epileptic. Those symptoms may have stemmed from his from the physical battering the demon inflicted on his unfortunate victim.

Luke records at the father spoke of the demon mulling his son using the verb that could be translated to crush to shatter to break in pieces vividly describing the violence of the demons assault on the boy folks in today's world we see similar reactions to the reality of demonic activity. We have liberal theologians who totally reject even the possibility of demonic existence. They view it is just a fairytale that they view it as as as nothing but just misdiagnosing a medical problem and then we have people in our society today who are actually worshiping the devil, the devil, who hates them with a bitter hatred, then we have those who are just radical extremist and they say that everything is a problem of demons. If there's an accident. If there's a CN.

If there is a dilemma there's some problem in this godly demons that didn't they see a demon behind every bush which we need to be wise and to be wise is to be biblical.

The biblical stances.

This that we are to put on the whole armor of God, that we might stand against the wiles of the devil. We have more than the devil to fight. We have our flesh to fight. We have the world to fight as well is Satan that takes us to point to the disciples weakness.

Look at verse 18 B3 19 try ask your disciples to cast it out. They were not able and he answered them, oh faithless generation, how long am I to be with you, how long the mother bear with you bring him to me. The interjection O here expresses a motion on Jesus part he is speaking primarily to the disciples. Here in the disciples weak faith was painful to Jesus. Jesus had empowered them. Jesus had taught them. Jesus had commanded them to go out. Jesus had been an example to them and they had gone out and they had done spiritual warfare before, but in this situation. They had no success at all. No success at all and use the Lord's name they had commanded the demons to come out of. They had tried all of this. Nothing worked and the demons had thrown the demon had thrown this boy to the ground convulsed him and he was actually five minutes the mail. But Jesus is not happy with these disciples. He calls them a faithless generation and says how long shall I be with you.

In other words, how long shall I have to put up with you. Jesus calls these guys they call them men of little faith. Jesus is thinking ahead to his crucifixion. He knows that time is soon coming just a few months down the road when he is not going be able to be with is not to be able to personally vocally speak to them about what they need to do is not going be able to help them out. He's not will be able to do for them physically what they can't do for them. Sales he is going to be in heaven.

Holy Spirit will help them but he's not gonna be there personally. Jesus calls these men. Men of little faith. Now how we view the situation we say to our sales done, disciples were trying that they were doing what they've always done before overusing the Lord's name they will command in the demons to come out just nothing was happening it wasn't working from the back of our minds were we thinking thinking Jesus might be a little too harsh here. We need to realize is he's not being too harsh. The disciples were being too timid in the disciples are not acting in faith. We live in a society today that loves to be coddled. We don't like being corrected.

We want to be patted on the back for just trying Denville character doesn't it doesn't sharpen our skills and it doesn't help us to strive for excellence. Jesus knew what was ahead for these disciples. All of them were going to be martyred for their faith, except John Johns can be thrown into about a golden oldies to live through it. Jesus knew that once they got out on their own. Even with the power the Holy Spirit. Satan is going to attack them try everything he could to keep the gospel from getting into the ears of the lost world they were going to go out Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria. The uttermost parts of the earth would you do that, but it was going to be a struggle against the tannic attack, but they didn't need coddling, they needed to get tough. I need you to be have a bulldog stick to witness and Jesus knew that we should bring the boy to me Texas to .3 desperate pleading look at verse 23, 24 and I brought the boy to him and when the spirit saw him immediately convulsed the boy and he fell to the ground and rolled about foaming at the mouth and Jesus asked his father how long this is been happening to wing shift from childhood and is often K in it is often cast them into the fire and into water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us and Jesus said to him, if you can, all things are possible for one who believes immediately the father the child cried out and said I believe help my unbelief. Father was told by the disciples to bring the boy to Jesus. He took the board by the hand and he brought him right up to Jesus feet when that happened, there was an immediate demonic attack and the boy started convulsing. He failed into the ground shaking and act and trembling and and foaming at the mile. I wonder if the disciples failure in dealing with that demon had given confidence to the demon and I wonder if he said I made a fool of the disciples. Now go make a fool of the disciples, Lord will affect what he thought of another thought coming. Jesus says to the father. He says how long it's been going on in the father says since his childhood is that sometimes the demon will throw him into a fire. He might be burned up and die, sometimes restarting into of pool water that he might drown to death. The story in John chapter 9 that the man who had been born blind and disciples came up to Jesus safe Jesus.

Why was this man born blind was it because of his parents. Ian was because a history and Jesus said neither that this man was born blind in order that the glory of God in the works of God might be manifested in him. And then Jesus put mud on the man's eyes and he gave when I washed his eyes and and immediately he saw and saw with perfect clarity and what happened because of that God was greatly glorified is exactly what's happening here.

This young man had been miserable absolutely live in in a literal hell all of his life. And then Jesus just like this delivers him from that demon. It's never to bother him again and and the boy is feel with joy. His parents are filled with joy, his friends or feel with joy the disciples were filled with joy and Jesus is greatly glorified in the father gets antsy and says if you can do anything. Please take pity on us and help us and Jesus says if I can if I can really you're asking me that question is do you not realize the power that I have over the demonic world demons coming to my presence, and they absolutely tremble. Peter, James and John are remembering just a little while back up with a self on top of that mountain and Jesus just begin to be transfigured before them at the glory of God, the goddess of God begin to emanate from his being and begin to radiate out into the world and did that and I remember seeing him like that Lisa man we know exactly who this Jesus is. We know exactly and then they remembered Moses and Elijah. And you know I have a feeling that when Moses and Elijah appeared that they not only talk to Jesus about his crucifixion. I think they buy out before him, and I believe they worshiped him. So disciples are standing there together these three in there pumping each other in the in the rehabs in their second did this father say if you can, to Jesus, so man they get ready to find out what Jesus can do for Jesus says to the father.

All things are possible to him who believes the father says to Jesus, I do believe, help them out. Unbelief. The man was honest enough to express his doubts and to acknowledge his lack of faith, Texas to .4 that his divine power. Verse 25 to 27 Jesus saw the crowd came running together to review the unclean spirit say into it you mute deaf spirit, I command you come out of him and never interim again and after crying out convulsing terribly came out in the boils like a corpse so that most of them said he is dead.

But Jesus took him by the hand lifting them up and he arose the word got out quickly that Jesus was there crowd started running to Tish to see what Jesus would do. Jesus took complete control. He spoke to the demon they called him a mute deaf spirit, and then he said this to him.

I command you to come out. Listen to this and never enter him again. In other words that's it. Your control of this man is over and you will never ever ever touch him again.

The demon had no recourse but to leave. As he left he threw the boy into a convulsion again. The boy fell to the ground.

He looked like a corpse. There are some Bible scholars who believe that he actually died, Jesus resurrected him from the day and I don't know if that's true or not but he looked like he was an Jesus was dealing with eating. Not only did the demon have to leave what you know he left permanently. He was never able to attack this boy to enter into him ever again folks have Lori Cynthia's when the Lord cleanses your heart. When he takes a bad habit on your life and he removes it and it's gone forever and ever and ever. I experience that is 21 years old when the Christian yet. I had already developed a drinking problem.

I was out I would go out I drink too much. I feel horrible segment I'm never doing this again it's it's over.

I'm not doing that ever again. Three days later be doing the same thing that I came to know Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

I was converted my life was change my heart was transformed and with that, and with a stronger brilliant rebuke from my friend Chip Sloan.

I went to the Lord and I took this habit to him and I said, Lord, I know this habit that I have with alcohol is is not bringing you in the glory.

This is nothing but a reproach on your name and I'm asking you now by the power of your spirit to take this from me. I make it available for you right now I will never ever touch this again and and brothers and sisters. I can promise you it happened immediately.

All of a sudden, the desire for it was completely gone, absolutely gone and fact when I smell it, even to the day is deplorable to me. I have no desire for this is going off the last 50 years. Not one desire God gave me that victory. He gave me that victory not just for a one time shot but for ever and ever and ever nestle weight was with this boy, folks. It was not a chore for him for the rest of his life. It was joy with me with alcohol. It was not a chore anymore.

Dick dealing with that. It was an absolute joy, for he took the desire away little boys lined there like a corpse. Jesus reached down, took him by the hand lifting them up.

He took his hand, he put it on his dad Sam according to Luke nine and the little boy was a complete new person though, that he was no longer mute or death.

He could speak with perfect clarity.

There was no more convulsing was no more stiffening up like a board.

He was absolutely absolutely free this spot. This man had a prayer that he prayed to Jesus he said, Lord, help thou mine unbelief you think this miracle did anything that unbelief I'll guarantee you it did instead of unbelief. He had a steadfast faith in Christ. RC Sproul had a great comment here so I can only imagine that this boy's father looked at his son and then look to Jesus and he was filled with faith because Jesus had done what he said he would do in human relationships. It takes a long time to develop trust between people in only five minutes to destroy it.

You trust in this world. How much faith you have in your spouse and your children and your friends when you can come to the place we can put trust with people with those things that are most precious to you, you found something priceless people, let us down.

They break our trust. Unfortunately, we sometimes project the mistrust that we experience in our relationships with other people onto our relationship with God, however, is reasonable and rational to trust God always.

Indeed, nothing is more treatment irrational than to not trust God because God is perfectly trustworthy. He has never broken a promise and he never will. He does not know how to betray his people in man .5 decisive prayer. Look at verse 28 to 29 and we need enter the house. His disciples asked him privately. Why can we not cast it out and he said to them this kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer Jesus tells the disciples that their problem was a lack of faith and they needed to deal with it. They needed to deal with this dilemma and the way there to deal with it was to prayer first when Jesus tells them to pray.

He's reminding them to quit dependent on them sales start depending on God. What is prayer part of prayer is faith and dependence because we know that our power and our ability is limited. Now if you got the King James version. You'll notice that the ESV that I read from Lee's idle word I believe is an important word.

It's used in golf in the Gospel of Matthew. But it's not used here in the ESV seen the King James, what is it say it says that this kind of demonic activity is only stopped by prayer and fasting and fasting this coming Wednesday our session has gathered together to ask you to fast and pray all day long. Delete and use that time of not needing to pray get your heart ready for corporate prayer Wednesday night to meet together Wednesday night after we fasted that day was at fasting mean the fasting is done and in order that we might realize that our dependence is up in God and not upon us.

Why are we calling for a day of fasting, but we have some families in our church right now that are going through some difficult times mention the families names with her some families. I believe that are being attacked by the enemy. One of the ways that we defeat the enemy is not only by prayer by fasting. We are asking you to come together to stand firm to fast and pray really gathered together corporately.

Wednesday night I asked you to come. I ask you to fast. I asked you to minister to these families is probably heavenly father.

This passage hit me hard. It forced me to look at my lack of faith. It helps me to remember that with God all things are possible. Jesus in this passage you set a demon possessed man three.

You made them into a new creation. Every single person in this congregation as unsaved loved ones who are lost and need to become new creatures. Please help us to be faithful witnesses and then doing them.

What we don't have the power to do our sales is in Jesus holy and precious name that we pray.

Amen