Promise to Answer

Well it’s January 4th how are those resolutions going? This year i decided to make a goal or resolution that had to do with each of the kids. For ten year old ben he and I agreed me teaching him to ride of bike this year would be a good one. Just haven’t quite got there yet. Now Ben also made a resolution to try new foods this year. So January 1st he took a nice long sip and looked at me and said how can you guys drink that stuff? January 2nd we hit the drive thru at Wendys for breakfast and I handed him a seasoned breakfast potato which I think Pastor Colton has actually rated as one of the best things that’s ever come out of Wendy’s. He’s in the back seat of the car staring at the potato, trying to muster up the courage to stick this fancy breakfast french fry in his mouth, and I said come on Ben you said you were going to try new foods this year so you have to try it. He looked at me with great confidence and said hey sherlock I don’t remember you teaching me how to ride a bike yesterday? Ben gave the potato a medium (sideways thumb) and today he will try a new thing for the 4th time this year, I’m sure of it. We want you to try a new prayer life this year.

Intro book and commitment card again

Mark 9:14-29

Series Intro: Why not pray all year long? Why 21 days? Is it because someone wrote a book? Are we exploiting everyone’s propensity towards change because we flipped the calendar to 2026? We’ve all heard the theories of 21 days to start and quit habits. I’m going to be praying over your commitment cards and really appreciated that someone put they were going to pray 10 days. Not to say that 21 wouldn’t be better, but perhaps that was someone who hasn’t had much of a prayer life lately, or perhaps someone who knows that their schedule is so packed that they would need to be intentional about carving out time every other day to make this part of their life. Whoever you are, I prayed for you this week. And I’m thankful you are planning to pray! I’m not sure if we will focus on 21 days of prayer every January but I think we are in a season where renewing our prayer life both individually and corporately makes sense.

If you brought your 21 promises book with you today, this week we are going to focus on the promise of an answer. This sermon is inspired by chapters 2 and 3 of our book and we may reference the book throughout the series if you want to follow along any. Let’s go ahead and look at our story today found in Mark chapter 9.

As you are finding your way there, we need to provide a little context. The first 6 words of the passage say” When they came to the other disciples.” The They here is Peter James and John and they were coming to the other disciples because they had just come back down from a mountain with Jesus where they saw Moses and the prophet Elijah who had passed away hundreds of years ago appear and have conversation with Jesus, and a voice from heaven telling them to listen to Jesus. They had just got to see Jesus in all of His glory and they were kind of coming back down off of cloud nine as it were. Let’s pick up the story in verse 14.

Mark 9:14–27 “When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked. A man in the crowd answered, “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.” “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “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.” “ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.”

We are talking today about the promise to answer, and while this story doesn’t necessarily express God’s promise to answer explicitly, instead we see it in live action. Chapter 3 of our prayer books highlights Matthew 7 that says we find when we seek, and we receive when we ask. In my own life, at least 3 specific and significant times I can remember where I saw God intervene in a situation when I prayed in a manner of “God I need you to handle this situation because I know that I can’t.” I don’t see a way out, there is no way the details will take care of themselves. I’ve certainly prayed that more than 3 times in my life, but sometimes God’s intervention isn’t immediate or in line with our understanding of what we think an answer should look like. Let’s start this morning with considering what the possibilities are when we pray.

The Possibilities

When it comes to God’s promise to answer our prayers, I’m sure we have all experienced frustration with hearing others prescribing prayer as the answer. We’ve prayed long, hard, and multiple different ways. We don’t see an answer… certainly one that doesn’t align with what we believe the solution to be.

I think often when we read the Bible, it’s easy to move over a passage quickly and miss a bigger picture. In our story today, a man came to Jesus, AFTER the disciples couldn’t do it, before that I bet he tried someone else. I wonder if before the boy was demon possessed that the man just thought he was disobedient, perhaps needed stronger discipline. Maybe he had seen specialist at school, and talked to the doctor about his mental health. Though Jesus healed the boy in an instant, the condition may have been long term. At very least we know the passage today said OFTEN the boy had been thrown into the water or fire to kill him. OFTEN! I have 3 boys all whom have never attempted to drowned or burn themselves to death. The God of the universe could have ceased the affliction of this boy or this father at any point before this in the story, but in the spiritual realm the stages were being set for an encounter with power.

The delay in deliverance caused the father of the son to have deeper resolve. The absence of the answer would astonish a crowd. The perfect timing of this performed miracle displayed the possibilities of power that can take place.

But that might not help you right now huh? Not when you are hurting over your child, not when you are that child, not when you are confused like the disciples. What if you knew right now that everything is possible to those who believe? Because Jesus said that in this story… I count it as a promise. What if you knew that no matter how much darker and difficult your situation is going to get that HIS POWER in your story is possible in any given moment, and the longer it takes for the answer to come, the greater He will use your testimony to cause others to believe in the God of your deliverance. Everything is possible, possible through His power. We can count on his promise to answer because He is all powerful.

But what is the PROBABILITY that He answers?

The Probabilities

Some of us in here have what I would call terminal unanswered prayers. Just by show of hands. Has anyone ever prayed for someone to not pass away but then saw them pass away anyhow?…………..

What do we do with that?

We preached recently from the book of James that we don’t receive what we pray for because we pray selfishly, towards our own desires. Now don’t hear me wrong, I don’t think it’s ever selfish to pray for someone’s healing or longevity of life. But I do think it’s important that our perspective about God’s will is aligned with the powerful being that we say that we believe that He is.

READ FROM BOOK IF YOU REMEMBER IT

Page 21 of our books reads like this. Be Patient. “I claimed one of God’s promises by faith in prayer once, and nothing happened.” I understand. Let’s not forget the big picture. There is only one true God in the universe…and you are not Him. Yes, God is our heavenly Father, and He loves to bless His children. Yes, He is the “Promiser” and “Guarantor” of amazing promises that He has the full ability to keep. But God is also the supremely wise and absolute Ruler of the universe. What this means is, while He may long to bless you, He may not fulfill your promise when or how you want it done. He is entitled to fulfill it exactly when and how HE wants. Often, He knows it is not best for us if we get what we want when we want it. Often what is best fo us is to wait. Also, in His wisdom, He may choose for us to do without small blessings now, so He can pour out huge blessings later.

In my experience the most difficult thing to wrap our heads around, but most crucial aspect of God’s will is TIMING. He is drawing all humankind to Himself. He is working to heal creation. He is not willing that any would perish but all would come to repentance, but why not right now? The best i can tell, our story today and so many places in scripture, the delay in the answer has to do with the need for GREATER BELIEF. The man says He believes, but prays for increased belief.

All that is undone in this life will ultimately be brought together by belief. Perhaps God is waiting for you to believe that the prayer will be answered… Perhaps He is waiting for the person you are praying for to increase their belief… Maybe He is waiting so that when your situation seems more hopeless, that more will be brought to belief by your story. The probabilities that come forth when we pray are those which are bound and released in His sovereignty. The possibilities are unlimited by His power, the probabilities that He will act in His… and our eternal best interest… is the perspective we must work towards through an increased belief in Him. It’s POSSIBLE He will do it without ANY faith in Him, but it becomes PROBABLE when our faith is in ONLY Him. REPEAT

Transition: The possibilities, the probabilities and …

The Predictabilities

There are so many who excuse themself from a belief in God because there are aspects of Him which they can’t understand or comprehend. To be ok, I would not be ok with worshipping and serving a God who I could fully understand. If God is just the best human we might encounter, that’s not a God I want to worship. People want a God they can fully comprehend because it would bring a sense of comfort and control.

I love when I ask for what I THINK is best, and God ignores this and does what He KNOWS is best. In fact I think many times people (including me) struggle to do the right thing, the hard thing, because we aren’t willing to trust God with the outcome. We focus on our loss, and what the decision might cost us, instead of trusting in a God who is the master of sorting out and healing all things. The mystery of God is part of what makes Him a God to be worshipped. Who could have known in our story today that they were going to witness Jesus commanding a demon to leave a young boy. The disciples inability to cast out the demon opened the door for this man to meet the savior of the universe.

Throughout scriptures we see characters, often great heroes of the faith struggle with God’s mysterious ways and lack of predictability.

Abraham would be remembered as the father of the Israelite faith, yet he did not believe that God would give Him a child through Sarah and took another woman to bear him a child.

Moses, The man who God chose to lead his people out of slavery, argued with God that He was not the man for the job when God said that He was.

Jonah was called to preach the greatest revival of all time, but didn’t think Nineveh deserved the opportunity to repent when God told Him to preach to them.

Before Peter became the man upon whom Jesus would build the New Testament church, he was a broke fisherman who hesitated at Jesus’ order to cast his nets out of the boat again.

In every situation the mystery of God’s sovereignty, methods, and timing blew everyone away.

When we try to predict how and when God might answer, we diminish our perspective of His sovereignty. We assume that we know what’s best, which implies that HE does not know what’s best. Our attempt to predict how God will deliver on His promises is to not have the belief required to see Him do so.

We continue in our own rationale. And while I’ll never diminish education and intelligence, unless it is submitted to an all powerful, all knowing, sovereign God, our own reasoning will remain the greatest obstacle to our faith.

Response: Invite team

We return to a 21 day prayer focus this year because too many unanswered prayers are represented in this room. But Praise God when we take inventory, many more prayers have been answered. So we move forward…

ONLY BY PRAYER

The next two verses of our passage today say this…

Mark 9:28–29 “After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.””

The disciples prayed much. So that day they heard… pray more. The disciples prayed according to God’s will.. So that day they heard… they need to pray less of their own will.

I believe every blessing that you have received is an answer to a prayer. From some place, some person, sometime. Maybe not exactly how and when they prayed it, but exactly how God… and when God… knew it to be answered best.

READING FROM 23

Like we said before… our story today said this miracle required belief. He can do it without it but it sure does sound like He wants that buy in. Page 23 of our prayer book says that in prayer, the word ASK is very much a two-sided word. On one side is our insufficiency, and on the other lies God’s all sufficiency; on the one side is our weakness, on the other, God’s strength. on one side is our dependency, on the other God’s dependability.

Let’s stand this morning, and if you have your books we will look at the prayer Dr. Earley shares on page 21, maybe you want to get out a pen and fill it out or something you can do when you get to the reading of this chapter in your personal time this week.

READING FROM 21

Father in Heaven, I know You are a good and generous Father. I thank you that You are also the infinitely strong and intelligent God. You know that I need BLANK. You have promised BLANK, therefore I come to You asking You to BLANK. I believe that You desire what is best and will do it.

Altars are open this morning and here’s the challenge. Where have you forgotten that everything is possible? Have you forgotten that the increase of your faith increases the probability of the prayer coming to pass? Will you remember today how He blew your mind with His mystery? Answering in a way that you didn’t see coming, on a different timeline than He expected. Would you come and pray this morning like you believe He will answer.

He promises to answer.

PRAY

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