Help My Unbelief

Our text this morning is Mark 9:14-29.

Here in this text we see human weakness in every direction. We see a suffering demon possessed child, a desperate father with weak faith, incompetent disciples, and yet we also see a powerful savior.

Before we read the text together this morning it is important to understand it’s context.

Mark 9 starts with the transfiguration. Where Jesus takes his three closest disciples, Peter, James, and John, up a high mountain. Where they have this incredible experience. Jesus is transfigured before them, his clothes become radiant, and there next to Jesus appear Elijah and Moses talking to Jesus. Then from the clouds a voice booms from heaven and says, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him.”

This must have been one of the most spiritually intense moments in their lives. They see the two great prophets speaking to a radiant Jesus and they hear the voice of God speak.

Can you imagine how they must have felt. Can you imagine the courage, and joy coursing through their vains. Can you imagine the spiritual high they must have experienced.

You all have had spiritual highs haven’t you. A moment when it’s like you can feel the very presence of God. Maybe it was at camp when you were younger and after a week of preaching and singing something begins to happen inside of you and this overwhelming sense of joy and peace overwhelms your soul.

Or maybe you’ve been to a conference and surrounded by a thousand other christians it feels like you’ve been taken up a mountain and you hear the voice of God speaking to your soul.

Or maybe it not as dramatic. We’ve all had weeks were we are doing really good spiritually. You’re in your bible daily, your praying consistently, you’re sharing your faith with your neighbor, your serving in church. You are doing so well and it feels like you’ve hit a new level of spirituality. You’re in a spiritual high.

Isn’t that amazing? That is how this three disciples must have felt times 100. This was the most mountaintop experiences of all mountain top experiences. They were riding a high that a week of camp can’t even compare too.

But what always happens after a mountain top experience? Have you ever gotten to stay in that moment? No, we always come down. We always end up leaving that mountain.

The disciples were no different. They are with Jesus on the mount of transfiguration and then just a few verses later Jesus leads them back down the mountain.

In fact the disciples spend very little of their time in these mountaintop experiences. Because we are not made for the mountains but for the valleys.

Oswald Chambers once said, “We are not made for the mountains, for sunrises, or for the other beautiful attractions in life — those are simply intended to be moments of inspiration. We are made for the valley and the ordinary.”

The mountain top experiences are nice but the reality is the christian life is spent in the valley.

The valley is where God wants us. It’s in the valley that we have opportunities to serve those raveged by sin and death. Its in the valley that we come along side those who are hurting and suffering. It’s in the valley that we bear one another burdens.

So get used to the valley. The valley is where you were meant to live. We may take a vacation or two to the mountain top. But it’s in the valley that we build a home. We will spend eternity on the mountain. But for now lets get used to the valley.

And it’s the valley where Jesus leads his disciples next. But what we find in our text this morning is that the the God of the mountain top is still the God of the valley. That Jesus is just as good in our success as he is in our failures. That God is just as present when our faith is strong as he is when our faith is weak.

So turn with me to Mark 9:14-29 if you don’t have a bible with you this morning there should be one in the chair in front of you and if you don’t own a bible then you are welcome to take that home with you as our gift.

Mark 9:14–29 ESV

14 And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 16 And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. 18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” 19 And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

Jesus leads the three down the mountain and what does he see? There is a great crowd and the scribes are arguing with the disciples. As soon as the crowds see him they run up to Jesus and greet him and Jesus asks them, “what are you arguing about?”

And this Father speaks out. Now as we read this I want you to imagine yourself in this situation. This Father is desperate. This evil spirt has overtaken his poor boy.

Since childhood this poor boy has been possessed by this demon. When it seizes him it throws the boy to the ground, causes him to foam at the mouth and has often thrown him into water or fire.

Imagine this was your own son or daughter that this was happening too. Imagine how desperate you would feel watching this happen day after day after day.

I doubt this was the first time the Father had gone to someone to help. I’m sure he had taken his boy all over in search of someone who could heal his beloved son.

But every person he went to failed. Every healer. Every religious leader came up short.

You know how this feels. You know what it’s like to have a problem that you can’t seem to fix. What it’s like to go from person to person for help and make no progress. You know what it’s like to try method after method and still struggle.

Maybe this new technique will work. Maybe this new book will solve my problem. Maybe this new guy on youtube will fix my problems. Maybe this new religion will have the answers. Maybe this new doctor can heal my son or daughter.

You know what it’s like to feel this way. You also know how desperate you can become but also how easy it is to give up. To call it quits. To resign yourself to the idea that you will never find success. That you will never find something that can fix your problem.

That’s where we find this man. No one has been able to help. No one has been able to fix his son. But then he hears about this man named Jesus who has done incredible things.

This Jesus who has feed the 5,000 with only a few pieces of bread and fish. WHo has supposedly walked on the water and calmed the storm, who has healed the pareltic man and given sight to blind eyes. And most importantly he hears that this Jesus has cast out demons and freed those from the hell of demon possession.

Can this be true. Can this Jesus really do these incredible things. Could this be the man to make everything right. He begins to hope. To believe that Jesus may be the one he has been looking for all this time.

So he grabs his son and goes looking for this Jesus and while Jesus is on the mt. of transfiguration with Peter, James, and John this man and his son find Jesus’s other 9 disciples and he brings his boy to them.

Maybe they could heal his boy. They’ve done it before. In Mark 3 Jesus gives them authority over the demons and in Mark 6 we see them doing it.

But when the Father brings his son to them the disciples come up short. They can’t cast out the demon.

Imagine the anguish the father must have felt. How he must have been kicking himself for allowing himself to get his hopes up again only to be disappointed.

Again you know what that’s like. You get your hopes up and think this is the time I’m going to make it work. This is the time I’m going to find success. Only to be disappointed again. Only to fail again.

But then through the crowd the man sees Jesus coming down from the mountain. And when Jesus reaches them Jesus hears them arguing and asks them what is happening.

So the man speaks up and again explains his sons predicament this time not to the disciples but to Jesus himself.

Let’s pick up the story in verse 22. Mark 9:22–23 “22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”

The man says if you can do something please have compassion on us and help us. You can understand the mans statement can’t you. He’s been disappointed too many times. He’s seen to many people for help and they have all failed too many times.

He hopes Jesus can heal his son but if he were honest his faith is pretty weak.

If you can Jesus would you please help, I imagine him saying with his head hung low.

How does Jesus respond? If I can? If I can? Of course I can. Anything is possible to those who believe in me. If I can?

But look how the Father responds and notice the wording of the verse. Jesus has in his own way kind of gotten after this man for questioning Jesus’ ability to cast out this demon. Look at verse 24.

Mark 9:24 “24 Immediately (it’s like the Father cut Jesus off. Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!””

Now can’t you just feel that. Can’t you just feel that statement all the way in your bones. Doesn’t that statement describe your entire life. I believe Jesus but I also don’t believe. I believe Jesus but help my unbelief.

There are few statements in scripture that so accurately put to words what I spend so much of my life feeling.

That’s not the easiest thing to admit as a pastor and yet it’s true. I find myself, and I think you do to, teetering between faith and doubt.

Now it’s really easy to say you belief fully in God. But the book of James says faith without works is dead. James says you have faith that’s great show me your faith by your works. He is point is that your belief is always revealed by your works.

Belief is hidden. You can’t see it. But the way you behave reveals what you actually believe.

Illustration - Camp fire 100 percent believe God’s word is true.

What you believe is always revealed by how you behave.

How many of you believe in hell? You do believe there is a heaven and a hell right? But do you share the gospel with your friend who is on his way there?

Now this isn’t a guilt trip it’s a reality check. We are no different than this doubting father. He did truly believe but he also had unbelief and we do too it’s evident by the way we behave.

Now look at what Jesus does with this shaky struggling belief in verse 25

Mark 9:25–27 “25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.”

What does Jesus do with the shaky, struggling belief? He casts the demon out and commands that he never enter the child again.

Jesus does not rebuke the father for his doubt. He does not command him to leave and only come back when he has more faith. He meets the father where he’s at. He meets the father in the middle of his doubts and insecurities and he answers the fathers prayer and heals the demon possessed son.

And listen to me this morning, church. This is where He is willing to meet you. He’s willing to meet you in the middle of your doubts and struggles. He’s willing to meet you in the middle of your what if’s and I’m not sure’s. Because Jesus doesn’t run from your unbelief — He moves toward it. He met Thomas in the middle of his doubt. He met Peter after his denial. And He met the father who cried out, “I believe, help my unbelief.” That means He’s not waiting for you to have perfect confidence before He draws near. He’s not asking you to fake it until you make it. He meets you right there — in the questions you can’t answer, in the prayers that feel empty, in the moments when faith feels more like a whisper than a shout.

Church you don’t have to have it all together. You don’t have to have a rock-solid faith. Jesus doesn’t expect you to make it to the end having never doubted Him having never struggled with assurance.

“a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;”

Oh we would love to have a strong faith at all times and yet if we were honest our faith is often as week as a bruised reed — it bends under the wind of worry, it shakes under the storm of suffering, and it withers beneath the weight of waiting.

And yet Jesus comes alongside that bruised reed and keeps it from breaking.

Oh we would love to have a faith that roars like a wildfire. Unable to be contained by our circumstances. But if we were honest our faith more often than not feels liked a faintly burning wick ready to be extinguished at any moment.

But Jesus doesn’t turn his back on our faintly burning wick of faith. He draws near and he meets us where we are at.

You know it’s interesting as you read the scriptures Jesus never really tells people to have more faith. He does often condemn people for having little faith or even in this passage he calls them a faithless generation.

But in Luke 17:5–6 “5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

The disciples say they want more faith but Jesus says it’s not the amount of your faith that is the problem. It’s what your faith is placed in.

Even the faith the size of a mustard seed can have incredible power as long as that faith is placed in the right person.

Because it’s not the strength of your faith that saves it’s the strength of your savior.

Jesus says in Matthew 17:20 “For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

It’s not the size or strength of your faith. It’s who that faith is placed in.

Illustration: Camp Zip line

Now we are going to come back to that illustration in just a second.

Because I want you to see how the disciples reacted to all of this. Remember the Father had first brought the boy to them while Jesus was still coming down from the mount of transfiguration and they had failed to cast the demon out.

Mark 9:28–29 (ESV)

28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

What does Jesus mean “this kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer? Here is how one commentator answers that question.

“Jesus’ answer to the disciples’ question suggests that they did not pray before the exorcism, which they presumably attempted to accomplish with a simple command. The phrase by prayer does not prescribe an extended time of intensive prayer but merely states that prayer is necessary. Jesus’ point is this: while his personal authority allows him to drive out a demon, even a legion of demons, with a simple word of command, the disciples’ authority is delegated authority, which means that in their encounters with demons they always need to acknowledge their dependence upon God by praying that God will help them drive out the demons.”

The disciples had already been able to drive out demons earlier in the book of Mark. It’s not that they didn’t know how or lacked the confidence. But they failed to depend on God for the power to do so. They had faith. They had confidence. But it was in their own abilities. They failed to pray. They failed to bring the problem to God for him to solve. They had faith but it was place in the wrong person. It was placed in themself.

Let’s go back to the zip line. I’m up on top shaking like a leaf terrified to take my next step. While abby is sitting next to me with no fear. So after going through and making sure I had done everything necessary to secure myself to the zip line and ensure my safety. I turn to her and ask her the same questions.

Is your harness on. Is it secured to the strap and is your strap connected to the zip line. And she says no. I don’t need all that stuff. I have faith that everything is going to work out. Maybe I grow wings and fly down. aybe i’ll jump off and a giant air mattress will catch me. I’m not sure what’s going to happen but I have faith that everything is going to work out.

Now here we are. I’m secured but afraid. She’s unsecured but full of faith and without fear. We take the next stop off the tower. Which one is saved and which one falls to their death.

Well of course the answer is obvious. I make it to the other side unscathed while Abby inevitably falls to her death.

It made no difference how strong her faith was it was placed in the wrong thing and it made no difference how weak my faith was it was placed in the right thing.

The disciples placed their faith in themselves and failed. The father placed his faith in Jesus and found success.

So my question this morning is simple. What’s your faith in?

Now the context of this story is casting out demons. That’s not really something we run in to is it. But the principle can be applied to anything.

Hebrews 9:27 “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,”

Death is inevitable and so is judgement. What’s your faith in for salvation? When you stand before God and he asks you why should I let you into heaven what are you going to say?

Well I was a good person. I loved others. I sacrificed for the poor. I always tried to do what was right. Maybe you may even say. I had a strong faith in you God.

That’s no different than Abby having a strong faith and jumping off the tower without a harness. Jesus actually anticipated that people would answer the question that way. He said to the crowds in Matthew 7

On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

But God we’ve done amazing things for you. We’ve given our life to you. But if that’s what you are putting your faith in Jesus will tell you on the day of judgement. I never knew you. Depart from me.

Whats your faith in? Is it in your good works? Is it in your lifestyle? Is your faith in the strength of your own faith? If it is than your faith is worthless.

It makes no difference how strong your faith is if it’s placed in the wrong thing.

It makes no difference how strong your faith is if it’s placed in the wrong thing.

Would you place your faith in Jesus this morning. Would you rid yourself of any confidence in yourself and put what little faith you have in the person of Jesus.

Jesus tells the crowds in John 6:35 “35 “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

In John 11:25 Jesus tells Martha““I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live

In John 3:16 Jesus tells Nicodemus “16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

When that day of judgement comes and you face God and he asks you why should I let you into heaven. You can with confidence reply. Because I believed in Jesus. I put what little faith I had in the finished work of Jesus on the cross for me.

Would you do that this morning. Ephesians 2:8–9 says, “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

When God asks you why you should be let into heaven you don’t have to talk about all the good things you’ve done. How you’ve done more good than bad. You don’t have to try to defend yourself or convince him to let you in. You can point to Jesus and say. He said I could come and I believed him.

Would you repent of your sins and put your faith in Jesus this morning. Why wait.

But what about just the normal christian life. How do these verses apply to the every day christian. In what ways are we guilty of putting our faith in ourselves and not in the power of God like the disciples did.

We have several of you here this morning that teach Sunday school classes or Wednesday night classes. Many of you spend hours studying and preparing your lesson. How much time do you spend in prayer. The sanctification of the people in your class is a supernatural act. Why would we think it can be done with a cleverly produced lesson?

What about in your daily bible reading. When you sit down and read God’s Word you are trying to understand the words of a supernatural God why would we ever think we could understand God’s Word in our own power. We must in humility plead with God to open our blind eyes to see the beauty of His Word.

Think about evangelism. Maybe you’ve shared the gospel with a friend or neighbor. You explained it clearly, you answered every question—but it went nowhere. Could it be that you tried to convince them instead of interceding for them? Salvation is not the result of a perfect presentation; it’s the result of the Holy Spirit raising the spiritually dead to new life. Why would we expect God to work without praying first?

What about parenting. How often do we try to parent our children with good rules, schedules, and advice—but little prayer? You can give your child truth, but only the Holy Spirit can give them life. You can train their behavior, but only God can change their heart. Parenting without prayer is like trying to drive out demons without dependence on God.

Many of you serve in the nursery, or sound booth, or the music ministry. You show up early, you work hard—but when’s the last time you pleaded with God to work through your humble offer of service to do incredible things for His glory and the good of others. We can run ourselves ragged doing good things for God and forget to do them with God.

With all these examples I’m just asking the same question. What’s your faith in? What are you putting your trust in?

So then what role does a strong faith play in the life of a believer?

Remember, it’s not the strength of your faith that saves you it’s the object of your faith. A weak faith in a strong savior saved just as surely as a strong faith in the same savior.

So what’s the point of a strong faith.

Let’s bring it back to the zip line analogy. This time Abby isn’t acting crazy. She get’s harnessed up just like me at the bottom of snake hill and we begin to walk to the tower. The whole time I’m nervous. I know what’s coming. But Abby she’s having a good time. SHe’s waving at the other riders going down. She’s doing great.

We make it to the top of the tower and she’s looking out over the lake enjoying the beautiful view while looking down at my feet holding on to the railing. We finally climb up the last few stairs and get hooked up and I’m just miserable but Abby on the other hand is having a great time. SHe thinks it’s fun. Because she’s not afraid. We eventually both take that last step off the tower and abby starts laughing. She thinks the ride is fun. While I’m trying not to say something I’ll regret.

So we both put our faith in the same thing and we both made it to the other side. But which one of us had more fun? Which one of us enjoyed the ride? Which one of us laughed? Which one of us had to bit our tongue to keep from sinning?

Notes:

It is this last lesson that the disciples need to learn, that so many of us need to learn. I need help. I can’t do this by myself, but i can do all things through Christ who stregthens me. In contrast, I can do nothing at all that really matters without HIm. I need to let my weakness drive me to His strength. I need to let my impotence drive me to His omnipotence. I need to let my limitations drive me to His unlimited resources. I need to let my humility drive me to His suffeciency.

cross references:

John 15:5 “5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

Colossians 2:15 “15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”

Psalm 127:1 “1 Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”

Zip line a lot of faith in the wrong thing doesn’t save you. They were trying to cast out the demon without prayer

What’s the point of strong faith? HAving a weak faith doesn’t cause you to fall it causes you miss out on enjoying the ride