Need For Prayer And Faith

Scripture Reading:

Mark 9:14–29 NASB95

When they came back to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed and began running up to greet Him. And He asked them, “What are you discussing with them?” And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.” And He answered them and said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. “It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again.” After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!” But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up. When He came into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, “Why could we not drive it out?” And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”

I. Introduction

a. Transfiguration

b. This week focuses on Faith and Prayer

II. The Need For Prayer and Faith

a. In this passage the key verses are

Mark 9:23 NASB95

And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.”

Mark 9:29 NASB95

And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”

b. John 16:24

John 16:24 NASB95

“Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.

c. Luke 11:9-13

Luke 11:9–13 NASB95

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. “Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? “Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

d. Do we really believe that God will give us what we ask for?

1 John 5:14–15 NASB95

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

III. Need for Prayer with the Crowd

a. First we see the scribes arguing with the disciples

why?

b. Then when they see Jesus, they come running up?

c. Jesus asks, what are you discussing?

d. The Father speaks up.

e. Jesus rebukes the crowd and especially the disciples

IV. Need for Prayer with the Disciples

a. They tried to cast the demon out on their own power.

b. How do I know that, listen to the father said,

Mark 9:18 NASB95

and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.”

c. Jesus said:

Reason they couldn’t cast it out was unbelief

Jesus stated how long will I be with you, making a statement to the disciples.

Bring him to me, that is why we need prayer. We need to bring things to Jesus.

How to put this in our lives.

i. Question: Do we actually bring things to Christ?

ii. Or do we try to handle it on our own?

iii. Or do we not truly believe that He will do it?

iv. Or are we are impatient and figure that well he didn’t answer it after to two or three requests?

Luke 18:1–8 NASB95

Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. “There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ “For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’ ” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

V. Need for Prayer with the Father

a. Jesus wanted the Father to see how desperate he was.

Jesus knew how long this child was like this, but He wanted to the father to realize how desperate and powerless he was to help his son. Lesson to be learned.

Jesus wanted to show the father his unbelief. The father recognized it and said I believe, help my unbelief. Prayer to be said on our part.

Notice the demon resisted the command of Jesus to come out.

VI. Summary

a. The disciples ask why couldn’t we cast it out.

b. Jesus said by prayer

Is us humbling ourselves know that our source of power is Jesus Christ.

By faith we come to Him instead of taking it upon ourselves to try to fix it and just trust in God and prayer does that.

Matthew 26:40–41 NASB95

And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Hebrews 11:6 NASB95

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Caution: There are many folks today walking around thinking they have the power to deliver people, cast demons, etc… I want us to realize that we cannot take on the devil under our own power, even Michael the Archangel take on the devil but rebuked him by the Lord.

Jude 9 NASB95

But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

I want us to take to heart this scripture we heard today and step out in faith and start taking all things to Jesus Christ. Listen if you don’t get an answer, keep on going. Unless God pulls and audible on you like He did with Paul, keep asking, keep seeking and keep knocking.