I Believe Help Me Overcome My Unbelief

I preached this sermon first in October. In Tillsonburg during the month of Oct. we saw lawns decorated w/ jack-o’-lanterns, fake tombstones, bed-sheet ghosts, huge spiders on webs, and giant plastic skeletons. Did you see that stuff in St. Thomas?

What about on TV and online: did you see ads for movies about ghosts, witches, and evil powers?

As the hours of daylight grow shorter, people tell stories of battles b/t good & evil. Fall is a season our culture pays attention to spiritual forces. The rest of the year, most people seem blind to the spiritual realm.

Galilee in the first century was different. The crowds described in Mark’s gospel have no doubts about spirits and angels. They’re sensitive to the spiritual realm. Healers were aware of evil spirits. Every illness, from leprosy to epilepsy, has a spiritual component.

Not just in Galilee; throughout the Roman Empire, there were temples to Aesculapius, a false god of healing. His symbol is a staff w/ a snake coiled around it. Doctors back then couldn’t prescribe antibiotics or other drugs, so they used herbs, hot and cold baths, anointing oil, animal sacrifice, magic writing, amulets, and potions for healing. It all cost $, lots of $!

In desperation, the father in Mark 9 brought his son to Jesus’ disciples. When your boy has been foaming at the mouth, gnashing his teeth, and then lies rigid - when you’re watching lest he tumble into fire or water - you’ll go anywhere and try anything for a cure.

This father heard about Jesus’ miracles of healing. Maybe he heard how Jesus raised a 12-yr-old girl from the dead! Desperate, the father brought his son to Jesus’ disciples.

It might seem odd, but disciples learn from their teacher. Disciples do what their teacher does. A few chapters earlier, Mark reports:

They (the 12) went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. Mark 6:12–13 (NIV)

This was an important part of their mission. Jesus’ disciples drove out demons and healed sick people.

Yet when the father asked Jesus’ disciples to free his boy from demon possession, they couldn’t do it. Their failure led to a confrontation with the religious authorities. Experts in the OT law argued with Jesus’ disciples.

That’s what Peter, John, James, and Jesus walk into after their mountaintop experience. On the mountain, Jesus’ clothing became dazzling white, Moses and Elijah appeared, and a voice came from a cloud, saying about Jesus, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” Powerful experience! Imagine going from a powerful spiritual retreat into a squabbling crowd.

Jesus’ arrival is good news for the father. He’s done with the disciples; the Master has arrived! When Jesus asks what the argument is about, the man blurts it all out:

Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not. Mark 9:17–18 (NIV)

Jesus’ reaction is surprising: he laments how the crowd is mired in unbelief.

You unbelieving generation, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?

Jesus laments people’s lack of faith regularly in Mark’s gospel. He’s amazed at lack of faith in his disciples, his hometown, the crowd. Even after Jesus’ death and resurrection, Jesus’ disciples struggle to believe.

Big Q: What does it take to have more faith?

How can people - like this dad - move from unbelief to faith?

These questions are at the heart of being a disciple of Jesus. It’s something we ponder at Crosspoint, maybe you do at Destination too. Where does faith come from? How does it grow?

When the boy is brought to Jesus, the evil spirit flexes its muscles by throwing him into a convulsion. The son rolls on the ground, foaming at the mouth. The evil spirit is defiant towards Jesus.

Like other evil spirits described in the gospel, this spirit recognizes Jesus. Yes, Jesus is 100% human like the disciples and the rest of the crowd. But unlike everyone else, Jesus is also 100% divine.

Jesus is the Creator of the world. He created everyone in the crowd and every spiritual power. John’s gospel puts it this way: “Without him nothing was made that has been made.” John 1: 3

This spirit’s defiance comes from rebellion against God: Father, Son, and HS. It’s an evil spirit.

As the boy is rolling around, foaming at the mouth, Jesus asks how long he’s been like this. You can hear desperation in the dad’s voice as he answers. There’s skepticism too.

“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” Mark 9:21–22 (NIV)

Maybe you can relate to his doubts. I suspect this isn’t the first healer he brought his son to for a cure. The disciples couldn’t help. How could their Master do any better?

Jesus just commented on the unbelief of that whole generation. Now he responds to the dad’s skepticism

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Mark 9:23 (NIV)

How does faith that makes “everything possible for one who believes”?

When I was 17, my 15-yr-old brother got sick. After 2 mo. at Sick Kids in TO, he died. More than once, while my brother was in the hospital, people told us that if we had more faith, Ron would be cured. Maybe you’ve heard the same balderdash.

Thankfully God’s mighty acts of healing and salvation are not dependent on how much faith we have. I’ll say that again: We always want to grow in faith, but God’s gifts of healing and salvation don’t depend on how much faith we have. Healing and salvation depend on WHO we have faith in.

God is our loving heavenly Father. He knows precisely what we need. He has our best interests at heart. He knows all the variables. He sees all possible outcomes. God always does what is right: out of love for his creation, love for his people, and his love for you. Our heavenly Father is worthy of our faith.

The boy’s father gives the most appropriate response when Jesus challenges his skepticism. Do you remember what he said?

I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.

Where else can he turn? Who offers better help overcoming unbelief than Jesus?

Jesus is on a rescue mission. He has come into his creation to rescue the world from sin, darkness, and evil powers. Jesus recognizes how stuck people are in disobedience and darkness. Jesus knows better than anyone the dangers of persisting in sin and living in rebellion against God. Jesus knows the force of God’s holy and righteous anger when I – we – reject God’s love, reject God’s instructions for holy living, and reject God’s gracious gift of life.

When you read further in Mark’s gospel, you discover how Jesus allowed himself to be arrested, convicted, and crucified. At the cross, Jesus shouldered your sin and shame. Jesus died to rescue you from death and eternal torment.

When Jesus rose from the grave 3 days later, he offers victory and everlasting life to all who believe. Jesus’ gift of life frees us from brokenness and evil powers.

We get a picture of what that looks like when Jesus frees the boy from the deaf and mute spirit. At Jesus’ command, the spirit came out of him. Although the boy looked dead,

Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. Mark 9:27 (NIV)

Sounds like resurrection, doesn’t it? New life; rebirth?

Jesus does something similar for all who put their trust in him. By faith in Jesus, you too will be raised to new life. To make you truly alive, Jesus sends his HS, so you can be Jesus’ disciple too, growing more and more like him as your faith matures.

Don’t you want to stand beside the father in Mark 9 and tell Jesus, “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief”?

It’s a gut-level cry for Jesus’ help. It our confession that we can’t muster up faith in Jesus w/o his help. The only way to be rescued from rebellion and punishment, the only way to deal with evil spirits, addictions, or any other illness is to put your faith in Jesus and pray for his help.

No matter what else Jesus does in answer to your prayers for help, I promise Jesus will strengthen your grip on his promises. Your faith will grow when you appeal to Jesus.

That’s the problem with the disciples’ earlier attempts to cast out the evil spirit. Afterwards, when the disciples ask Jesus privately why they couldn’t drive out this spirit, do you remember how Jesus answered?

He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” Mark 9:29 (NIV)

Is it possible they were trusting their own authority as Jesus’ disciples? Did they forget to pray for God to intervene? That’s dangerous.

When you pray to God, you’re admitting that you don’t have the power to deal with stuff yourself. Perhaps you’ve heard it said, “When you work, you work. When you pray, God works.”

Why in the world would you try to tackle evil spirits, sickness, addictions, or any other difficulty in your own strength when God invites you to appeal to him?

Probably we should start with the dad’s prayer: I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.