Unbelieving Belief - Part 2

Christian some people don't want to exit the cross on the rug pulled off of the early Christians around the problem is that I will never go on the Jeremiah returns to Mark chapter 9 Jesus demonstrated the beauty of coming to him with simple childlike message believing learning as we have studied the book of Mark that our faith is important, but it's not important in terms of how much of it we have. It's important in terms of we have placed the object of our faith is the real issue and I will learn more about that today, as we open our Bibles together Mark chapter 9 Mark 314 and 15 says he appointed 12, that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and have power to heal sickness and cast out. It was that they couldn't do it or that they hadn't done it just couldn't do it this time and this man was frustrated and he was desperate so Jesus stops everything in the middle of this discussion and you just said look, bring the boy to me words of demonstration in verse 20 and they brought him to Jesus. And when he saw him immediately.

The spirit convulsed in him and he fell on the ground and wallowed foaming at the mouth. The frightening life story of this boy is being played out before Jesus eyes and before the eyes of all those who gathered in that moment the seizure is not a coincidence. Because if you study this situation in the New Testament you will find out that often when a demon was aware of the presence of Jesus. That demon acted out convulsed the very presence of Jesus was a traumatic thing to a demonic spirit and followed a demonic spirit even though Jesus is. I promise you they know who Jesus is. The Bible says the devils believe in God and they tremble book of James. I tell you this, the devil knows more Scripture that a lot of Christians do is very acquainted with what he needs to do to create issues for us and this demon was aware that Jesus was in the room and when he became aware of that convulsed in the boy. We probably never seen anything like that… And somebody have a grand mal seizure and he's on the ground, foaming at the mouth and now we have roots of clarification, Jesus looks at the father. This is really interesting to me. He doesn't feel the boy immediately.

Betty looks at the father and he says how long has this been happening to him and he said from childhood often has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us father's pilgrimage to faith is going to begin with the simple question how long has he been like this and the question allows the father to tell his story, but the boy has been afflicted since childhood and it also allows the father to declare his heart. The question of Jesus invites the father to come to him as a total person with hard facts and with human hopes and say if there's anything you can do to help us which help us but you notice if you read the story this father cries for help from Jesus, not something to be ashamed of.

I just like to point that out Jesus Lord, could you help us. Sometimes I think if we go to church all the time.

It would been in the church a long time.

I think I should be asking Jesus to help me with this I mean that's beneath the dignity of savior of its never wrong, save Jesus, help me never miss the most simple human cry. How many have ever prayed Lord help me in traffic traffic that you say that you just get right you say help. Jordan knows that the Lord hears the prayer like he hears this prayer. This man comes and he says the Jesus if there's anything you can do to help me choose help one of my favorite authors is a man who is in heaven now's name is Lewis needs and wrote a little bit about this passage in one of his books. I remembered that he said that sometimes he came to the insight that this father's cry for help is the cry of most of us as we come to worship the Lord on Sunday morning. It's probably the crimes of your hearts today is what he wrote. He said ordinary people come to my church on Sunday but I did not recognize them in the early days. I know now why I did not recognize them. I did not want them to be ordinary people. I wanted them to be spiritual athletes shoulder strong to bear the burdens of global justice that my prophetic words laid on them every Sunday while I was offering them the precious promises and walloping them with the heroic mandates of the word of God.

Many of them were secretly praying God, I don't think I can get through this week. Help me. What most people have in common is a sense that everything is all wrong. What matters to them most and what they desperately need is a miracle of faith to know that life at the center is all right. Lord help me become to the words of invitation. In verses 23 and 24 Jesus said to him, if you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes in the father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. This is a statement of great importance. What does Jesus mean when he says all things are possible to him who believes. Listen carefully to what I have to say here. He was not talking about his faith.

Jesus doesn't mean faith was certainly not talking about the quality of the father's faith was simply saying if you have faith in me. There are no limits to what I can do for you.

So often we get into these discussions about healing and exorcism and all that we lay the burden of faith on the subject was involved in the need. Please note that in this text. There's no mention whatsoever of the boy having anything whatsoever like faith. He's an incidental player in the story the faith is on the part of the father to believe that he is brought his boy to the one who alone can help you. It's just simple faith in Jesus. Jesus said if you really believe in me a miracle worker, all things are possible. If you believe notice it doesn't say if you believe a lot doesn't say if you give me about stuff in your life it's wrong and get right with me and repent of your sin get clean and all that and then believe it, just as know if you believe all things are possible. Father certainly was on the verge of despair. Was he not. The Bible says there's tears in his eyes. Jesus presses him on his unbelief. He sees that his biggest failure is not his inability to fix his son that would be impossible doing his own human strength is biggest failure is to trust his son to the Savior, and yet even that is not enough to keep him from Jesus. Aren't you glad that our unbelief doesn't keep Jesus away from the door of our heart. When we don't believe he keeps coming when we don't believe he keeps working. And here's the thing so often when you hear people talk about stuff like this talking about healing. It comes down to okay if you had more faith you would be healed. When I was sick with cancer. I got letters from all over the country.

People tell me Dr. Jeremiah.

You just need ask you just need to cultivate more faith in your life you get enough faith God will heal you while sick with cancer. I was innocent faith. I was interested in what I can get out of bed in the morning and I didn't have any faith much receipt. Healing is not about how much faith the person who needs to be healed has it's about how much grace and ability.

The healer has you don't need a lot of faith in a big God have a little God, it might take a lot of faith to get there but you just need a little faith. If your God is big. I used to tell the story.

I probably told here about these guys who posed this question to go fishing in the wintertime and you got to the lake and you stood at the edge of the lake and get ready to go out on the ice. Here's the question. Would you ask this question many times the people have been witnessing to.

Would you rather have a little bit of faith on 4 feet of ice or a whole bunch of faith on a half-inch of ice that you not going to believe this but if I took statistical numbers. About 90% of the people answer. I would rather have a lot of faith in a little bit of ice and I put down. Don't ever go ice fishing with this guy is a great picture.

You can have all the faith in the world but if you walk on because you can, but if you have much faith if the ice is 2 feet thick.

You can walk out there with confidence to go fishing not even worry about what happened. Listen when it comes to faith in Jesus Christ is not about how much we have to bring to the table.

It's about what he brings to the table and he brings everything doesn't is a God of great power and grace and ability what Jesus was saying to this man. If you just grab hold of who I am. Just look at me just believe, all things are possible and then this man responded. This is the core truth of this message. This man responded like we do this one.

I love this story because I feel myself in the story, did you said, he said, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. Lord, I want to believe. I'm trying to believe, I do believe, but I don't know if I believe enough father Christ, for God's help, honestly confessing the poverty of his faith in the Lord answers, not according to the poverty of the asking. According to the riches of his grace he accepts humbly the Lord's estimate of him and he pleads for divine mercy, not for what he deserves. It is interesting to note that the faith of the child is not mentioned. In fact, I mentioned this earlier and not one single exorcism in the gospel of Mark is ever contingent on the faith of the demon possessed person. Not one time you hear something healer Sable. If you have more faith you can be healed has nothing to do with is this not an incentive to intercede for our friends because the Lord uses our faith.

Remember they brought the boy to Jesus, letting down to the roof was at the faith of the guy was the foreman who brought what an incredibly clarifying story. This is so were almost finished with these 10 different kinds of words.

Here's number nine words of exhortation, Jesus exhorted the demon come out when Jesus saw that the people came running together. He rebuked the unclean spirit saying to it, deaf and dumb spirit, I command you come out of him and enter him no more and the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly and came out of him and he became as one dead. Have you been watching this thing. You would think this thing is really gone bad.

You brought your son to the disciples they couldn't do anything.

If I get Jesus attention and he says something to the boy he dies laying on the ground like is that what is not Jesus reaches down and takes about a him and lifts him up. Tim Keller wrote in his book on Mark that Jesus could've told the man I am the glory of God in human form purify your heart confess all your sins get all your doubts and your double mindedness. Once you have surrendered to be totally and can come before me with a pure heart that you could ask for the healing you need.

But Jesus does not say that at all. The boy's father says I'm not faithful I'm riddled with doubts. I can't muster the strength necessary to meet my moral challenges but help me that saving faith faith in Jesus instead of in yourself. Perfect righteousness is impossible for us and if you wait for that you will never come into the presence of God. You must admit that you are not righteous that you need help and when you say that you are approaching God to worship. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. You say in the quantity of his faith. How much was faith in him which was unbelief. I don't know but it doesn't matter just needed a little bit of faith because the object of his faith was this one was illuminated on the mountain challenging the open pit of hell and saying I am the Lord God of heaven don't need a lot of faith to do that some of you say well.

Dr. Jeremiah become a Christian, but I just can't summon up enough faith, you will need a lot of faith because when you have faith in his great God just a little bit of faith to say is this man said, Lord, I do believe just help my unbelief. Know what the firm I got saved some years ago out of Islam. I remember the day he came to see me in my study, and he had all these questions yellow pencil questions and I dealt with them for two hours and finally I just said to him, I said Sam you can wait till you get all your questions answered you not get say what if you will just express faith in Jesus Christ and say that you believe that he's the son of God. Once you make that decision. Your questions will get answered communities is that makes sense. We get on her knees in my study, he prayed and invited Christ in his life now is written a book to help other people understand what happened in his life. It's incredible.

I read that it and we think the Christian faith is so hard. We want to make it something something similar when I get ready when I get my life in order. When I get some things carried for that I'm not doing right when I stop doing this is come to him in the simplicity of your simple faith and say Lord I believe there's a lot I don't understand, but I believe that's what starts. And finally we have these words of explanation. Remember when the couldn't cast out the beam and the disciples know is why and when he had come into the house his disciples came into the house with them and they said to Jesus, why couldn't we cast it out. And Jesus said to them this kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.

Just make this location. If you have any bottle of any kind is probably little AA or something next to the word fasting and sits down at the bottom of that word is not in most of the best manuscripts. I think that's an accurate statement for number of reasons disciples were never encourage the fast because you don't fast when the bridegroom is with you. Wait till he's gone. I don't mean that you should never fast and pray.

I'm just saying it doesn't show up in this passage probably what Jesus said you didn't catch this email because you were pretty you can get this picture can you is probably easier to cast out demons when Jesus is in the surrounding area. But Jesus been on the mountain. These disciples are down the valley and they forgotten that the exorcism techniques not been exorcism school song works. It works by the power of Jesus apparently when Jesus got out of sight. He got out of mind" praying and so they tried to do this in their own strength based upon what they've experienced in the past and they fell flat on their face. Can I get a witness whenever we try to do the work of God in your own strength. That's what happens is I can testify to that been down that road many times what lesson we learn from this.

It wasn't that they didn't have the ability it was they didn't have the ability, in themselves, their ability had never been in themselves. And it always been delegated to them by Almighty God and given them the authority and they had separated themselves from that authority.

And so they couldn't do it with the father. Jesus highlights the importance of faith with his disciples, highlights the importance of prayer. Just a good reminder to us that as we serve the Lord God, and we attempt great things for God. We should expect great things from God. But we should never think that it's because of us. We should always remember that our only hope is to stay in touch with one in whom the power resides. Apparently the disciples had failed to cultivate a life of prayer and that is also kind of in unbelief. If you want to know the truth well at the end of this message I want to tell you a story that perhaps will help all of us understand how we can have unbelieving belief in his book the Art of prayer Timothy Jones tells this story is like to stand speechless or stammering before God, but that doesn't mean God holds it against us. When we do this, and I remember vacation with my parents in France when I was in high school I had just completed two years of French hardly enough to make me fluent. Here we were tourists wanting to make the most of our time.

So when we needed a bathroom, when we want to find a café when I lost my glasses. I felt really use my butchered French. I was trying to politely suppress laughter of others to speak the language, but I remember more than the townspeople's bemusement. I remember how they warmly received my efforts they strained to hear past my fractured sentences and honored me by responding and then he said if God is God. Could he be any less generous with our prayers. He hears all that arises from us, he hears the words of our mouth.

He hears the longings of our heart, the thoughts of our minds. The intentions of our will to regret the grief the thanksgiving the hope God hears our emotions, not just our grammar because of his grace is never our eloquence is always his grace and his power.

Even if we stammer God hears us.

So does God hear the prayer Lord, I believe what I don't have a whole lot of belief. I just believe absolutely you here today and you been waiting to drum up summon up enough faith to trust God. I just want to tell you you don't need a lot of faith because the God you work with faith and is so great he will take the little bit of faith you have and he will turn it into the most wonderful thing you've ever experienced. If you been holding back and trusting the Lord because pastor Jeremiah there so many things in my life that I have to get right. There's not anything in the world that you have to get right to set get right with God and you get right with God through prayer and you, simply as this man didn't say Lord I believe there's a lot I don't understand. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief in the moment of humility and honesty and admission Almighty God comes and he changes your life from the inside out and you will never be the same. And guess what, the more you get to know him and who he is, the more your faith will grow in your unbelief will shrink because it's really not about you it's about him you know him the more you know how worthy he is of your faith and how my knee is to change your life. I hope if you don't know him you would take the faith that you have in your heart and use that faith to ignite a relationship with the great God of heaven through his son Christ used to tell people the story about somebody icefishing and I would say to them what you if you went icefishing would you rather have a lot of faith in a thin piece of ice or a little bit of faith in a huge piece of ice. I was shocked at how many people thought that it would be better to have a lot of faith in a little little thin piece of ice and I made notes in my notebook not ever to go fishing with those people because you see it isn't how big your faith is that makes the difference. It's the object of your faith, promise you that when you put your faith in Jesus Christ never fail you, your faith is secure in Jesus Christ. He is the rock he is one you can trust while you listen to Turning Point on David Jeremiah were studying the book of Mark was the message you just heard originated from Shadow Mountain Community Church with Dr. David Jeremiah serves as senior is not how Turning Point keeps you spiritually strong point about the I 38 San Diego, CA 92163 or visit our website at David Jeremiah.old/radio legal copy of the Bible Jesus every five you can also download the free Turning Point in my Latvia private smart device for searching for keywords Turning Point ministry is the next programs visit Jeremiah.old/radio join us tomorrow as we continue the series in search of the Savior is here on Turning Point. Jeremiah