Mark 9:14-29 "From Mountain High to Valley Low"

Good Morning Calvary Chapel Lake City!

I hope you all have come hungry today! The first Sunday of the month is always a blessed time for Calvary Chapel.

We get to have communion with the Lord and then with one another. Always a blessing!

Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 9. Mark 9:14-29 today.

We left off where Jesus had led Peter, James, and John from Caesarea Philippi up to a high mountain… probably Mount Hermon…

Where Jesus was transfigured or transformed before them. Glory burst from within Him…

His face was altered… shining brighter than the sun…

And, His clothes became shining, exceedingly white and glistening…

And Moses and Elijah appeared to talk with Jesus about upcoming death in Jerusalem.

As they were departing, Peter suggested they stay and that three tabernacles be set up for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.

But, a cloud overshadowed or covered them… Luke says they were “fearful as they entered the cloud” … so they were engulfed by the cloud.

And the Father spoke from the cloud reminiscent of the OT… and He interrupted Peter to say, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!”

Quite the marvelous scene. Witnessing Jesus’ divinity and glory… an experience Jesus instructed the disciples to keep to themselves until after the resurrection.

Which they did.

As they came down off the mountain, they had questions to clarify the role of Elijah as the forerunner as foretold in Mal 4:5-6…

And, I love that Jesus met them where they were…

We serve a God who loves us enough that He is willing stoop down to our level and meet us in our confusion.

Today, we pick up one day later… Luke 9:37 records "Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain…”

One day later… as they come down off the mountain of glory… they enter the valley of conflict as they find the disciples disputing with Jewish scribes over a man’s demon possessed son.

Thus, our message title for today, “From Mountain High to Valley Low.”

And, this is a great lesson for us on the importance of having faith even when faced with very difficult circumstances.

Let’s Pray and then see what God has for us today!

In reverence for God’s word, please stand.

Mark 9:14-29 “And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. 15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. 16 And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?”

17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. 18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”

19 He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” 20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.

21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And often he 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.” 23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” 25 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!” 26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”

Praise God for His word! Please be seated.

So, we find Jesus… Peter, James, and John fresh off the mountaintop Transfiguration experience… and now are in some undisclosed valley town…

And, they find a great multitude… a large crowd of common people… gathered around the other nine disciples who are arguing with scribes… sometimes called Lawyers… who are Jewish teachers of the Law…

And, isn’t that just typical? You go to a church conference… or a marriage retreat… or just have an amazing day of ministry…

And, you find yourself in a argument with your spouse… or someone else close.

Jesus doesn’t find Himself arguing… but His disciples are… encircled by a crowd… like it’s some sort of fight scene…

Did any of you ever see fights like that in Middle or High School? … where a crowd gathered around the people fighting?

Some of us know what it was like to be in the center of the circle.

And, that’s where the disciples find themselves.

G. Campbell Morgan wrote, “He found disputing scribes, a distracted father, a demon-possessed boy, and defeated disciples…”

That’s what Jesus is greeted with coming off the Mountain Top…

A world of need…

Peter was probably thinking, “They should have let me build those three tabernacles… we could have just stayed up on the mountain.”

But, Jesus is going to deal with this conflict…

Campbell Morgan also wrote, “He silenced the scribes, He comforted the father, He healed the boy, He instructed the disciples.”

Jesus will set all things right as we’ll see ahead.

It’s fascinating… Jesus has been gone for ONLY ONE day… and the disciples have already digressed into a fleshy state… arguing… lacking faith… perverse… all of these things are observed of them in this scene.

And hey… is this any different in our lives?

What happens when we don’t abide in Christ?

If we don’t have Jesus’ presence in our life… even for a day… if we exit being spiritually focused… it doesn’t take long for our flesh to rise up… and for us to digress into some ungodly behavior.

Lord have mercy on us!

Apart from Christ… we find ourselves in darkness… and this is one reason He came… to lead us out of darkness.

In Jn 12:46, Jesus said, “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.”

We all abide or reside / remain in something… and simply speaking… we abide either in light or darkness.

And, our life bears the result of that which we abide.

In Jn 15:5 Jesus put it this way, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

Without Jesus… without abiding in Him… we are in total darkness…

But, through abiding in Him… we bear much fruit… most notable love…

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control… many fruits of the Spirit do we bear by abiding in Him.

And we can abide in Him through the simple and daily disciplines of prayer… reading His word… listening to sermons… fasting from whatever pulls you from the spiritual realm… obedience… turning your eyes from things that draw your flesh… pursuing holiness…

Abide in Him daily and bear much fruit… otherwise drift on any given day… and you might find yourself like these disciples in the center of the ring of conflict… during this one day they were apart from Jesus.

Now… in V15… when the huge crowd of people see Jesus… immediately “the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.”

Amazed means “awestruck… utterly astonished… overwhelmed with wonder.”

What was so amazing?

Some have suggested that like Moses coming off of Sinai, Jesus may have still been glowing from the glory of the Lord… and that’s why the people were amazed.

Impossible to say.

One difference between Moses and Jesus though… is Moses reflected the glory of the Lord and the glory was fading.

Where the glory that shone from Jesus was NOT a reflection, but the glory shone from the inside out… His true essence… His glory was what Moses reflected… it was not diminishing…

It’s unlikely that Jesus displayed an afterglow especially considering that He told the disciples to keep quiet about the event until after the resurrection.

I do know this… God’s very presence and His perfect timing are always amazing…

And, for sure Jesus arrives at the opportune time… and His presence was a consistent draw for the multitudes.

In V16, Jesus asks the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?”

I like the bluntness of the NLT translation which reads, “What is all this arguing about?”

We don’t get to hear their response… as a desperate father presents his desperate need.

This Father was done with the debate, and was not going to allow any more distraction and arguing to ensue…

The disciples had proven themselves powerless… the scribes were not helping the situation… the crowds were pressing in…

But, here is Jesus… and this Dad exercises his right as a Father and speaks over them all to address Jesus… the only One who holds hope.

Remember that when you are in a desperate situation… the object of our faith must be Jesus.

Not His disciples… Not me or any other Pastor…

And, this will be at the core of the lesson for the disciples and for this Dad… and stands true for us today.

In V17, the Father of the demon possessed boy speaks up… and when we harmonize the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), we get a full picture of the desperation of the Father… and the terrible state of his son.

Matthew 17:15 displays the humility of the Father, as he comes to Jesus “kneeling down to Him and saying, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son...”

The Father bows the knee and calls Jesus “Lord” or Master.

He asks for mercy… by def. a legal term meaning “leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency of authority.”

Was this man guilty of some crime or offense?

In V21 we’ll read that from childhood by. def. “infancy”… this son has been like this.

How does one so young get demon possessed? Was this father involved in pagan practices? And, now his son has a demon?

In Mark 7 we read of the Syro-Phoenician’s daughter who was also demon possessed.

Matthew titled her a “woman of Canaan”… people known for Pagan practices.

If this father was dabbling in occult practices… and his son became a victim as a result… you can only imagine the compounded desperation and guilt he was experiencing.

Luke 9:38 captures the Father crying out, “Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child.”

You get a sense of his anguish with that statement. He is imploring or begging Jesus to look on his son… his only son.

And, indeed this was a desperate situation for this man… this was his only son… his heir…

In those days, if something were to happen to the Father… it would be the son’s responsibility to care for the mother… so she did not fall into poverty…

Women did not share the rights of women like they do today…

But, this only son could not even care for himself yet alone take on any responsibilities for the family… or carry the family name.

V17 in Mark tells us the son has a mute spirit.

Which was by the reckoning of Jewish exorcists… a terribly hopeless situation… because...

A key technique by Jewish exorcists was to interview the demon to find out what was motivating the evil spirit and especially to learn the name of the demon.

It was thought by getting the name, the exorcist could use the demon’s name to overpower it through a series of intense and invasive ceremonies involving threats and rebukes.

But, this son could not speak… he was mute. How would they learn his name to gain authority over him?

Matthew, Mark and Luke give us a graphic picture of the destructive nature of the spirit…

Matthew records the son is an epileptic and suffers severely…

Epilepsy- by def. means “moon-struck.”

Thayer’s definition notes epilepsy was “supposed to return and increase with the increase of the moon.”

KJV substitutes “epilepsy” with “lunatick” which is probably a better translation… considering the demonic element.

Interesting… the word “lunatic” comes from the Latin word “luna” meaning moon; and “tic” meaning a “distinctive and habitual feature of a person’s behavior.”

In the 1st through 4th centuries, it was thought the full light of the moon effected sleep and with sleep depravity came insanity for individuals susceptible to mental illness.

In the late 1300’s the word gained ground in the English language as it was believed phases of the moon caused periodic insanity.

The gravitational pull of the moon has been linked with high and low tides, and some believe the moon effects the brain… but research is all over the place.

Anecdotally though… police officers or mental institution workers will tell you there is a increase in wild behaviors during a full moon. So, who knows?

But this was beyond epilepsy (a purely physical issue)… the core issue was spiritual… demonic possession.

And, resulting were seizure like behaviors…sudden convulsions… his body became rigid… he foamed at the mouth… gnashed his teeth…

Luke states “a spirit seizes him” confirming his condition was beyond the physical realm… this was a spiritual plague.

The demon ended each episode with great difficulty.

The boy was seized and thrown down… he was brutalized.

Luke tells us these episodes left the boy bruised.

Mark wrote “wherever it seizes him, it throws him down...”

On the father’s mind was “where” these things would happen…

You can imagine how he was constantly walking on eggshells… because these episodes would happen at very inopportune times.

Matthew wrote “he often falls in the fire and often into the water.”

So, on top of bruises… there were burns and near drownings.

Demons so often will take the opportunity to deface their human host… as mankind was made in the image of God according to Gen 1:26.

And, so… with all these details… you can imagine why this Father was so desperate… his only child… his only son… his heir… was tortured by this demon.

And, so the Father spoke to the disciples… prior to Jesus arriving on the scene… asking them to cure his son… asking them to cast out the demon… Luke say he “implored” the disciples… he begged them as well… but they could not cast out the demon.

Which is surprising… because if you turn back to Mark 6…

Turn back there with me… we read in Mark 6:7 that Jesus sent the twelve… this was their first missionary journey…

And, Mark 6:7 reads, “And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.”

V13 states “And they cast out many demons...”

That was just a few months prior… did they lose the ability to cast out demons?

By their own power… they never had that ability… they only had the authority to cast out demons because Jesus gave it to them.

And, now… in Mark 9… they are lacking in faith… they are perverse.

That’s what we read in V19… Jesus exclaims, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?”

Matthew and Luke add… “O faithless and perverse generation...”

And, I think this is one of several factors of why the disciples could not cast the demon out.

They are in a moment of spiritual weakness.

Jesus calls them “faithless” by def. “unbelieving”…

And “Perverse” meaning “to distort or turn away… even corrupted”… one Bible translation uses the word “rebellious.”

What happened here? Faithless and perverse is just one piece of the bigger picture here…

But, this scene is a “perfect storm” of spiritual failure on behalf of the disciples.

In this one day away from Jesus… the disciples seem to be ill prepared (which we shall see in a moment)…

A Father brings an especially difficult demon to be exercised (which we will talk about in a moment as well)…

And, because the disciples were not prepared… they were powerless…

Which leads to the argument with the scribes… and this poor father being plunged into greater despair…

So, Jesus accurately states in V19 , “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.”

He tells it like it is… their spiritual failure was from a lack of faith in God… to start…

Then He asks two rhetorical questions “… how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?”

Time and again, Jesus had discipled them… trained them… and they were proving consistent in their ability to be… spiritually dull.

Jesus’ time was growing short… and the disciples were causing Him distress.

Regardless… Jesus does not fire the disciples… He once again brings them into the classroom…

Jesus will teach them… and simultaneously will answer the Father’s prayer for mercy… and for Jesus to look on his son…

Jesus says, “Bring him to Me.”

Well, of course this is bad news for the demon as we see in V20…

As they brought the child to Jesus… and immediately when the demon in the child (the spiritual root of the problem) saw Jesus… a physical attack began…

The boy was thrown to the ground… he “wallowed” or rolled around and he foamed at the mouth…

So often… when we read about demons encountering Jesus in scripture… they panic as they recognize Jesus as divine… and themselves powerless against Him.

The demons at Gadara… Legion… fell prostrate before Jesus and cried out, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.”

“And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.”

Early in Jesus’ ministry in Mark 1:23, in Capernaum… a demon possessed man was present in synagogue… and cried out “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us?”

With authority Jesus cast out the spirit, but not before the spirit convulsed the man similar to what we are reading today.

I point this out because it’s obvious that demons know that Jesus is a greater authority…

This is a great comfort… especially knowing that upon being saved through faith in Jesus Christ, the third person of the Trinity… the Holy Spirit dwells inside us…

Eph 1:13 “having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit...”

2 Cor 1:22 He “...has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”

1 Cor 3:16 states, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”

Knowing that Jesus has authority over demons… and that the Holy Spirit… who is God… dwells inside of us…

I am greatly comforted and convinced that demons CANNOT possess believers. Believers cannot be demonized.

Meaning a demon cannot inhabit or take full control of a Christian.

Why?

Well, 1 Jn 4:4 declares, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”

The Holy Spirit is in you… False prophets… who have the spirit of Antichrist… who is empower by Satan… they are in the world…

And OUR Dad is stronger then THEIR dad.

God is not going to share His temple with demons because...

2 Cor 6:14-15 “...what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial?” NONE!

Just as Paul exhorts us not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers… God certainly will not be yoked with demons…

The Holy Spirit will not inhabit the same vessel as demons.

As a believer, you are secure from demon possession. Sadly, not all Christians understand or accept this.

Now… we still need to be on guard… because while we cannot be possessed… we can be oppressed…

The devil and his minions will do all they can to attack the human race…

In 1 Pet 5:8, Peter commanded “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

Lions are opportunistic hunters… seeking the weak… the young… the injured… the easy targets.

So, as you are spiritually serious and watchful… you will stand firm against him.

Eph 6:11 also comes to mind… where Paul commands, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

The devil has schemes and strategies…

Sometimes coming as a cunning snake… Genesis 3

Tempting people with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

Sometimes he transforms himself into an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14)

Sometimes he comes as a roaring lion… seeking to devour.

Eph 6:16 “… above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”

OH and the enemy loves to shoot his flaming arrows at us…

Temptations… doubts… divisions… persecutions… whatever he can throw our way… he does.

And, it’s our faith that protects us… like a shield in battle…

There was a Roman Centurion named Cassius Scaeva who was an unlikely victor at the battle of Dyrrachium…

After the battle… Caesar was impressed as they counted over 200 holes from darts in his shield… which no doubt… saved his life.

Sometimes the fiery darts of our enemy seem just as frequent.

No wonder Paul emphasizes “above all taking the shield of faith...”

The disciples in Mark 9… must have forgotten their shield of faith on this day… as Jesus rebuked them as “faithless”… they were not able to withstand on that particular day.

Back in Mark… as the demonized boy approaches Jesus… he is once again seized by the demon…

And, Jesus in V21 asks the father, “How long has this been happening to him?”

Jesus is not rattled by the behavior of the demon who has again cast the boy into a violent seizure…

Jesus demonstrates compassion to the Father and concern his boy…

The Father replies in VSS 21-22 “From childhood. 22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.”

Since the lad was a little boy… his only child… his only son…

Never knowing normalcy…

Missing out on key moments that a Father and Son should enjoy…

Always walking on egg shells where the next episode would befall…

Fires and water were particularly stressful because there was a track record of harm around these elements.

And the Father further replies to Jesus, “But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

And Jesus in V23 replies back, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

There is no “if You can” when it comes to Jesus. “Yes He can” and always.

Jesus supernatural ability to heal… was not the question…

The question was if the Father could believe…

Not in himself… not in the disciples… the object of his faith must be placed in Jesus…

Disciples of Jesus may fail you… but Jesus never fails us.

In Jesus… all things are possible… even healing our most desperate and hopeless situations…

But do we believe Jesus can do it? Can we truly believe that He can heal… and restore… and save… ?

Jesus says, “all things are possible to him who believes.”

And, unbelief is crippling to the movement of God.

If this Father could only believe… Jesus could move mountains.

So , in V24 the Father owns it… we read…

“Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

What utter brokenness… the Father has reached a place of absolute surrender to Jesus.

He cries out or exclaims with tears in his eyes, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Help me overcome my unbelief!

What raw honesty… and in this… the father verbalizes a paradox that probably most of us have experienced at one point or another…

The internal battle between faith and unbelief… believing and doubt.

Our desire is to always trust… to always believe… but doubt sometimes creeps into the heart of man… when prayer has been raised, but God is silent.

When a family member is suffering… like this Father’s only son… and the disciples… prove powerless… the religious leaders aren’t much help either… everywhere you turn relief seems to evade you.

And, so… I can appreciate the hearts cry… the desperate tears… and the raw honesty of this father… “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

It’s an unreasonable contradiction, but it couldn’t be any more real.

Still… this was a profession of faith… the Father did believe, but acknowledged there was weakness in his faith…

And, don’t miss what the Father says to Jesus…

He cries out HELP. Help me Lord!

It’s a simple request for Jesus to handle.

But, so often we can be so stubborn to put forth the request.

Some people have to come to a place of absolute brokenness before they can utter the words… “I can’t… but you can… please help me Lord!”

It’s a simple, yet profound submission to the Lord.

And, it’s necessary for your faith journey.

You must come to a place where your faith is centered entirely on Jesus… not faith in yourself… or your network… or your resources… your hard work…

Jesus must be the object of your faith.

And, perhaps for the first time… this Father has now come to this place.

And, as he does… Jesus now moves and heals his son quickly…

The other gospel writers simply record that “Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.” Jesus “healed the child, and gave him back to his father.”

The result was exactly what the Father hoped for… for the first time in years… he had his son… without demonic influence…

Now Mark gives us a few more details that must have impacted Peter…

V25 Jesus sees that a crowd was gathering quickly… and this is the moment He chooses to heal the boy…

I’m not sure if Jesus does heals the boy quickly to try to fly under the radar of the multitude… since so often they wanted to seize Him to try to make Him King… prematurely.

Or, does Jesus now heal for this crowd to witness His power?

They had already witnessed the powerlessness of the disciples… and the argument between the disciples and the scribes…

They witnessed the hopelessness of the Father… and the disfigured demonized son…

Now… they witness Jesus… and when you witness Jesus truly… not much else matters.

Jesus rebukes the demon… He sternly charges, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!”

Jesus has the authority to give such a command… He orders two things…

Come out and enter no more.

And, we know from Matthew 12 and Luke 11 that “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man…”

The Spirit drifts through the earth seeking a new host, but if he finds none… he will return to his former host…

And, if that house… has not become the temple of the Living God…

Well… then it’s just a cleaned up vessel… and ripe for not just that demon to re-inhabit, but the original demon is going to invite his buddies…

“… and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

So, as Jesus commands the Spirit “enter him no more!”

And knowing the Father has confessed belief…

It’s probably that Faith has entered the heart of the son as well…

And, being that the demon was causing the boy to be deaf and dumb… not hearing nor speaking…

I wonder… were these words of Jesus’ the first he heard in a very long time…

And, if you were plagued with a demon… and could not hear, but then heard Jesus’ command to exorcise the demon inside of you…

Would you not immediately believe?

The demon has no choice but to obey… for “Even the demons believe- and tremble!”

But, he will not exit without one last fight… in V26 the “spirit cried out” … no doubt a shout of defeat…

He convulses the boy greatly one final time… and then came out of him.

This was so dramatic and violent… that the boy appeared dead to onlookers…

V27 “But Jesus...”

Those sweet words… we could just close the book right there.

I love the “But God” verses in the Bible… 45x… “But Jesus” 52x…

Typically these words stand as a contrast to human failings… or human limitations… as compared to the infinite divine.

And, here… the boy appears “as one dead”… “But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.”

The Father’s son is restored…

And, then wrapping up in VSS 28-29… Jesus and the Disciples now “come into the house”

Which house we are not certain of… this is the next day after coming down off the mountain…

Which is likely Mount Hermon, but at least two other mountains have been considered as well…

“The house” typically refers to Peter’s house in Capernaum, but our group could very well still be in Caesarea Philippi as well.

“His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”

In the past they had the authority to cast out demons… what changed?

Matt 17:20 records Jesus responding, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

So, one failure on the part of the disciples was unbelief… their “little”… their “poor faith.”

Even a small amount of faith can move a mountain… like the faith of the Father…

Jesus also explains, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”

Which is just a fascinating statement…

This kind… this genos… it would appears there are different “kinds” of unclean spirits…

We know there are different kinds of angels… Michael is the archangel… Gabriel is a principle messenger of God… there’s Cherubim… Seraphim… and generally speaking- ministering spirits and elect angels…

And, perhaps some of the demonic “kinds” are reflected in Eph 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

And, whatever “kind” of demon this was… he was not some buck private demon… he held rank.

We know Satan was a Cherub prior to being cast out (Ezk 28:14)… and when he went he drew a third of the angels after him (Rev 12:4)… they all fell in rebellion to God… they are demons.

So… it would seem… the demonic realm is roughly 1/3 whereas the loyal angels are 2/3.

Of the 1/3 of demons some are reserved in chains awaiting judgement…

2 Pet 2:4 declares, “… God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment…”

Jude 6 (only 1 chapter) declares, “the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day...”

And, it would seem that we will play a role in judging these fallen angels…

1 Cor 6:3 states, “Do you not know that we shall judge angels?”

And, their end shall be met with eternal hell fire…

Matt 25:41 states, “‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels...”

Rev 20:10 declares the devil will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone… to be tormented day and night forever and ever…

So, this “kind” of demon who prevailed over the disciples… certainly was no match for Jesus…

And, ALL demons… no matter the kind are doing their best NOW to bring hell on earth…

Because they know their time is short… and they know the lake of fire is their end.

Now… the failure of the disciples in prevailing over this demon… was “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”

Some bible versions omit the words “and fasting”… but in the parallel account in Matt 17:21 “prayer and fasting” appears…

So, the disciples… we can assume… had fallen slack on their spiritual disciplines…

They had not prayed and fasted…

And, what happens when we pray and fast? We are devoted to the spiritual realm…

We deprive our flesh when we fast… to nurture our spirit… when we pray… we commune with God.

We are dependent on God…

The disciples are probably thinking, “Well cut us some slack Jesus! Had we known… we would have prayed and fasted.”

And, that’s kind of the point… you don’t know. We don’t know when or where we may encounter someone who needs that special kind of disciple who is dedicated to prayer and fasting…

Who will not stray from Jesus… the source… the vine… the object of our faith… not even for one day…

Who will not get caught up in the flesh and argue with the religious leaders…

You never know what you will encounter in the week ahead…

So, let me ask you… are you ready?

Are you pressing into the spiritual life? … prepared for whatever our enemy might throw your way.

The disciples were not ready for this kind… for they were not routinely praying and fasting.

Trusting perhaps in themselves instead… and as a result disappointed in their powerlessness and defeat.

Distracted by the powers of darkness… as they lost sight of the light of God.

(Worship Team please come)

In just a couple scenes ahead, Jesus will teach the disciples a hard lesson, and they will respond, ‘Lord, “Increase our faith.”

We all have a measure of faith, but it is not something we muster up or strive for…

It’s something the Lord does in and through us… and faith increases over time.

The disciples and this Father had faith, but doubt was present as well…

To stand victorious in our walk… there is one source we must look to…

As Heb 12:2 states, “… looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…”

He is the author or originator of our faith… and He is the finisher or perfecter of our faith.

Total dependence on God is the answer… the remedy for our spiritual problems.

And, so let’s press into that now…

Let’s pray and take communion abiding in Him and placing our faith in what He did for us… what He is doing for us presently… and what He will do in the future…

1 Cor 11:23-29 “...the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. 27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.”

Please distribute the elements...

Communion is a time for us to look three directions…

We look back remembering Jesus’ sacrifice… His broken body and shed blood for the remission of our sins.

His new covenant. Salvation by faith and in grace.

Look forward in hope of His imminent return… we proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. He is coming.

And, looking inward to examine yourself…and take communion in a worthy manner.

Time to do business with God.

Once you have prayed… take the communion elements individually.

Our worship team will play one worship song, and then close us in prayer.

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If you have never accepted Jesus as Lord...

...either let the cup pass and do not partake in communion -or- the better option...

...accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior today.

Pray to God and tell Him you believe in Jesus and accept Him as your Lord and Savior, and ask for forgiveness.

...then take communion. And, be sure to let us know. Salvation is something to celebrate!

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