Mark 9:14-29

Introduction

Jesus Heals the Epileptic Boy

Mark 9:14–29 KJV

14 And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. 15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. 16 And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? 17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. 19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. 20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. 22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. 23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. 25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. 26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch 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 was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? 29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

The Faith of the Father

Mark 9:14–15 “14 And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. 15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him.”

Jesus, Peter, James, and John come back down to an argument between the scribes and the other 9 disciples with a crowd around them that has gathered

When the crowd sees Jesus they run to greet Him

Mark 9:16–18 “16 And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? 17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.”

sounds like epilepsy but beware materialism - Bible

DO NOT SAY ANYONE WITH EPILEPSY IS POSSESSED! Dumb - this is a specific situation spoken of in scripture and we see the evidence in the next few verses

Mark 9:19 “19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.”

faithless generation isn’t the disciples alone

the natural man will use the failure of the follower of Jesus as an excuse against the truth of Jesus

South Carolina pastor’s wife Mica Miller - cause of death just released is suicide - the world says if a “pastor” did this, why should I want to be a Christian?

Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart?

Jack Kevorkian vs. family Dr.?

Mark 9:20–21 “20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.”

This is an evil spirit possessing the boy

Mark 9:22–24 “22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. 23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”

to destroy him

1 Peter 5:8 “8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

John 10:10 “10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

Man pleads with Jesus to heal - “If you can do anything, have compassion on us, and help us

If you can? - Jesus repeats his question to point out the lack of faith the man had in Jesus

all things are possible to him that believes in Jesus. He’s pointing out it’s not the amount of faith the father has but the One the father is believing in

The honesty of the father here hung me up

Mark 9:25–27 “25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. 26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. 27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.”

foul = unclean spirit

Mark 9:28–29 “28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? 29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”

Often times we think of this as a formula to follow rather than a picture that points.

prayer and faith go had in hand

Hebrews 11:6 “6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

It wasn’t the actions of prayer and fasting. It wasn’t the ineffectiveness of the prayers of the disciples. It’s only by the Word of the true God of the universe as Jesus Christ that cast out the demon and healed the boy

Conclusion

We tend to read this story and we get caught up in the unbelief of the father and the faithlessness and lack of prayer the disciples show.

What is faith?

Hebrews 11:1 “1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Chapter 11 in Hebrews gives example after example of those that trusted God without “proof”

there is a kind of immediate, intuitive certainty that is more fundamental and reliable than the certainty that comes from observation and logical reasoning. -Bavink

The observations only come after the gut feel gets us to look for them

Jesus points out to us in the example of the father: it’s not belief in yourself, it’s not your belief in the Jewish religion or the disciples, IT’S YOUR BELIEF IN JESUS

We are told to pray in faith for healing and salvation.

James 5:13–16 “13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. 14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

“In the Christian religion, faith is not understood as a so-called historical faith (that is, the acceptance of testimony concerning historical miracles and facts) such as we practice in the sphere of general or national history. But faith—true, genuine, Christian faith—is entrusting one’s heart in the grace of God, which has been revealed in Christ Jesus. God revealed himself first in the law, and in it He made His commands known to us: “Do this and you will live.” 5 However, righteousness on account of works is no longer available for us because the law has become powerless as a consequence of the sinfulness of our flesh. That is why God, in accordance with the riches of His grace, has revealed another righteousness in the gospel, a righteousness apart from the law, a righteousness acquired by Christ and contained in His person, a righteousness that becomes ours through faith. Therefore, true faith has as its object a person who is the righteousness, wisdom, holiness, and redemption given to us by God, namely Christ—in particular, Christ as He is portrayed to us in the Holy Scriptures.” -Bavinck

This is from “Faith and Love” by Herman Bavinck. The point he’s making here is Christian faith is not simply intellectual assent to historical facts. It's a deeper trust and reliance on God that shapes our entire lives

This is the point I want to leave you with this morning. It’s not the amount of works we do that make the difference. It’s the faith we have in the one we work for.

It feels like we are facing a culture that is hostile to Jesus and faith in anything because the spirit of the age doubts everything.

When we are facing situations that look hopeless and without answer: whether that’s culture, illness and even death; we put our faith in Jesus! He is the one that the wind and seas obey, the demons fear, and all illness and situations bow to!