Behold the Glory of God
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Jesus had deputized his disciples to cast out demons in 3.15 and 6.7
20-24 - Demon controls the little boy. Father asks for help for his unbelief
25-27 - Exorcism
28-29 - Only prayer can do this...
The Disciples
The Disciples
The Debate with the Scribes 14-18
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.”
Mark 9
Arguing about a failed exorcism
Jesus had previously deputized the disciples to cast out demons
7 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.
We then see in 6.13 that the disciples indeed have cast out many demons
13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
The disciples were anointed by Jesus and given authority to cast out demons
As the disciples went out they went out with power, they were teaching, they were healing and they were casting out demons.
So when the man came to them in chapter 9 with his son, there is no reason, in the disciples minds, that they would not be able to cast the demon out of his son.
However, they failed. They were not able to rid the son of the demon.
And this failure caused a commotion among the crowd and the scribes.
The scribes were debating with the disciples.
scribes always wanting to discredit Jesus
So now that Jesus’ disciples are not able to cast out this demon they are probably attacking the disciples saying
See, we told you guys, Jesus is a fraud
If Jesus was, as he claims, the Son of Man, then you would be able to have victory over this demon.
The scribes think they are winning the crowd until.... Jesus comes back down from the mountain.
So what happens?
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.”
15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him.
5-1
A man comes forward to describes his situation with his son and how the disciples failed to cast out the demon.
How does Jesus respond?
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.”
Fa
Jesus calls the disciples, the scribes, and the crowd a faithless generation.
Yet, if we look closely we see that he is primarily talking to his disciples.
The disciples were no different than the scribes, they were faithless
They tried to cast the demon out of this boy and were unable to because they lacked faith.
They forgot the source of their power. They forgot the one from whom all authority comes.
The disciples acted with confidence in their own abilities, rather than trusting in the all sufficient power of Christ.
So what did it look like for the disciples to be faithless? (and lets remember that Jesus is speaking the the 9 disciples who did not go up the mountain with him.)
God dwelling with his people, yet they still lack faith.
What does it mean to be faithless?
The Disciples Did Not Have Faith
The Disciples Did Not Have Faith
The 9 disciples did not pray
Jesus calls them a faithless generation
Jesus calls them a faithless generation
This word ‘faith’ is a loaded word in the bible with many different ways in which it can be understood. We are used to thinking about faith as mental assent - however, this is part, but not the whole of what it means to have faith.
The disciples were unfaithful… therefore
They did not trust
They did not pledge their allegiance to Christ
They did not act according to what they said they believed
They were not loyal
Their convictions, their hearts, and their actions were not consistent.
in other words their heads, hearts, and hands were not aligned with God.
As followers of Christ when we are faithless we are inconsistent.
When we are faithless our head, heart, and hands are all striving for different things.
So when Jesus hears that they were not able to cast out the demon, he calls them a faithless generation.
The faithlessness of the disciples caused them to try and cast out the demon without prayer.
The disciples thought they could do the work on their own
The Disciples Did Not Pray
The Disciples Did Not Pray
Look with me at,
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.”
Again, their confidence in themselves led them to act against the power of darkness without consulting with the King of light.
The 9 disciples did not pray
The 9 disciples did not pray
When we pray we seek to take hold of God.
When we pray we seek to take hold of God.
Prayer is what immerses us into the power of God
Prayer is submitting with confidence to the power of God
The 9 disciples did not trust
Prayer is aligning our wills with the will of God
Prayer is when
Prayer is the conduit of God’s power and blessing
Prayer is when we give up our own power and submit ourselves to his power.
The disciples had not faith, nor did they pray.
The Disciples Did Not Behold the Glory of God
The Disciples Did Not Behold the Glory of God
You see, to be faithful and to pray is very difficult, actually its impossible, if you do not behold the glory of God.
(what do I mean by beholding the glory of God? Looking at Jesus for who he really is, as the bible presents him to us)
Beholding the Glory
Peter, James, and John just experienced the glory of Christ in an awe-inspiring way on the mount when Jesus was transfigured. They beheld his glory. They wanted to house that glory, they wanted to stay in that moment for as long as possible.
The other nine disciples were not on the mountain, they did not see the glory.
And what happens when they do not behold the glory of God? they become faithless and forgot pray.
In your life, when you begin to lose confidence in God, when you begin to doubt him,
Doubt is love
Doubt is forgiveness
doubt is sovereign rule
doubt his mercy
Doubt is plans for your life
Doubt his presence
Maybe even doubt his existence
It is not because God has changed - Its not because your circumstances are too much to handle - but its because you have not looked to God for who he is.
You have not beheld his glory.
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,”
18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.
19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,
2 Peter 1
How do you behold the glory of God? Through the prophetic word!
My friends, the Christian life is impossible apart from the Word of God!
Prayer and faithfulness will fall flat if we are not in the scriptures beholding God for all that he is.
The peace of God will not be experienced apart from time in the Word.
The love of God will not be fully felt apart from beholding the glory of God in his word
The Joy of the Lord comes when we mediate on his word
The lies we believe begin to crumble as we seek the truth of the scriptures
We doubt his righteousness when we are not experiencing Christ through the scriptures.
When we listen to what God says, we behold his glory!
And isn't this what God said to the 3 disciples on the mountain, “This is my beloved son, Listen to Him”
So when Jesus came down from the mountain he found his disciples faithless. He found his disciples trying to accomplish something that only God can do without praying. He found his disciples trying to take hold of their own glory, rather than beholding the glory of God.
But when Jesus came down the mountain he also found a father who loved his son. And wanted to see his son healed.
Father
The Father
The Father
After Jesus asks everyone why the are arguing, a man comes forward to explain.
17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute.
This man comes to Jesus asking for help. Because this demon is wreaking havic on his son.
Comes to Jesus asking for help
We have seen how demons seek to destroy the image of God in the lives of men and woman.
and the legion
and the legion
Destroyed community
kept him secluded among the tombs and the dead bones
Destroyed his body
He cut himself with stones and beat his body
Destroyed Humanity
Acted liked a beast. Howling and screaming all the time
We see this in our country all the time.
Harvey Weinstein - Sexual Assault
Hugh Hefner - objectifying women through pornography
Abortion - literally killing little image bearers
Racism - overtly hating God’s image
With the man’s son we see the demon doing the same thing..
Destroying community
Jesus asked, “how long has this been happening to him?” from childhood
21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.
Mark 9.
We don’t know how old the son is, but we do know that he is an adult, and this demon has possessed the son from childhood.
This means that this man, from his childhood never experienced true community.
He has been alone, isolated, and outcast for most of his life
God has made us to be in community with one another, and this demon destroyed that for this boy.
Destroying his body
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.”
and
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
This man’s son would have been full of scars, he would have more than likely lived constantly concussed from being thrown down by the demon.
Destroying humanity
The demon was seeking to destroy this boy’s body.
Destroying humanity
The demon did not allow this boy to experience true humanity
On the mount we see Jesus as the perfect picture of true humanity, of what it means to bear the image of God in its fullness, without sin
Jesus was radiant, he was seen with the full majesty of God, he was glorified before them
And look how Mark contrast Jesus on the mount in his glory with the boy possessed with the demon
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.
The contrast is stark. Jesus has come to bring hope, he has come to restore humanity to God, and we see a picture of what that looks like at the Transfiguration, and then immediately we see this demon destroying this boy.
This is what Satan does, this is the strategy of the enemy - he wants to distort and destroy the image of God. And he is still doing a great job of this even today.
This is the strategy of the enemy - he wants to distort and destroy the image of God
We see this in our country all the time.
Harvey Weinstein - Sexual Assault
Hugh Hefner - objectifying women through pornography
Sex Trafficking - kidnapping and selling young boys and girls
Abortion - literally killing little image bearers
Racism - overtly hating God’s image
And now we have this father, bringing his tormented son to Jesus hoping that Jesus can restore humanity back to his child.
Zach and I were talking about this passage and we were struck by the reality of what the father might have been going through in raising a son who had a demon that was trying to destroy him.
We often think about the son and the pain he went through, but what about the father?
Look at 9.22
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.”
When he asks Jesus for help he says, have compassion on US and help US.
The father was in need of compassion and help as well. not just the son.
This shows again how devastating sin and the powers of darkness can be. It not only affects the one who is enslaved to them, but it effects those around you as well.
So I want to take a few minutes and focus on the father, what would he have experienced having raised a son who is inflicted by this demon.
There are six emotions I believe he would have experienced to one degree or another.
And these are six emotion we all experience to one degree or another.
Helplessness
Helplessness
Helplessness
There is nothing he can do.
doctors?
Priests?
I mean there is just nothing he can do for his son
Apply
Helplessness is something that we all experience to one degree or another.
Loss of a child or miscarriage - there is a feeling of helplessness
being a victim of abuse
Health issues
And in those times of helplessness, where do we find strength? where do we find peace?
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Like this father we bring our helplessness to Jesus, as he is our help, he is our strength.
The Father would have also experienced fear
Fear
Fear
Helpless
We fear when we are not in control.
Fear for his sons safety
Fear of what people will think.
Fear that people think he’s a bad father, or maybe his son is this way because of something he had done.
Fear leads to paranoia
When we fall into distress we often fear, we stop trusting the people we love, we become paranoid. We refuse to processes the situation the right way because we think everyone is against us.
We become isolated, fearful that people will discover our faults and use them against us.
Yet, as believers we serve a God not of fear, but a God of love. And perfect love casts out all fear!
When we are fearful, we need to follow the this fathers example and bring our fears to Jesus.
Another feeling the father would have experienced to one degree or another is responsibility
Guilt
Guilt
He would have asked, “what could I have done to prevent this?”
Could I have prayed more?
Could should I have not let him play with those friends when he was a child.
Is it my lack of faith that allowed the spirit come and destroy my child?
Seeking to blame himself for his sons condition would be a difficult
The father would struggle to not take responsibility for what the demon is responsible for.
Apply
Now in life, there are two sides of this coin. There are times when you need to take responsibility and refuse too.
A few years ago I did some marriage counseling with a couple who refused to take any responsibility for themselves as to why the marriage was in shambles.
The refusal to own what you need to own will keep you from experiencing the joy that is available.
The father would struggle trying to take responsibility for what the demon is responsible for.
It breaks my heart when I’ve sat down with parents who have experienced a miscarriage and the mother is taking responsibility. It is not your fault.
Or I have talked with victims of sexual abuse ridden with guilt because they think its their fault.
When we feel this responsibility, this guilt, we look to Jesus, for he is the one who holds all things in his hands, he is the sovereign one, he is the one who by his blood sprinkles clean the guilty conscience.
The Father of the boy would also be grieving over the bond he wanted to have with his son.
Bond
Bond
A Father, excited to have a son, ready to teach him what it is to be a man.
To play with him, to build that relationship, to offer wisdom and advice, and this demon has broken that bond by trying to destroy the child.
The Father would also be dealing with anger.
Anger
Anger
Angry with God, angry with people, angry with himself
Angry because there is an injustice going on everyday in the life of his son, and nothing is changing.
He might have been a good father, not deserving of this sort of torment.
And now he’s angry and he is need of justice. It is not right, therefore he is angry.
And though its good to be angry about the things God is angry about, We know that, as James says,
20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
The fathers anger will not produce righteous action, therefore he needs to go to the one who is righteous, the one who does produce the righteousness of God.
He, as do we, when we are angry, need to take our anger to Jesus.
And perhaps the strongest emotion the father would have felt was Grief.
Grief
Grief
The grief of this boys condition is ever before the father. Like dealing with ongoing sickness
Grief can be one of the most powerful emotions, and one that never fully goes away.
Yet, as we grieve, we are to go to the one who is near to the broken hearted, to the one who will, on that glorious day, wipe ever tear away.
And this father, knowingly or not, brought not only his child, but his grief to Jesus for healing.
Angry with God, angry with people, angry with himself
Apply
The father brings all of himself and his boy to Jesus.
He brings his
helplessness
his fear
his guilt
his bond
his anger
his grief
He brings all of himself to Jesus.
Does he go to Jesus with upmost confidence? NO.
Does he take him to Jesus with upmost confidence? NO.
What this man needs, like the disciples, is faith,
what this man needs is to behold the glory of God!
He needs all his emotional pain to be healed, and for that to happen he needs to behold the glory of God.
Behold the Glory of God
Behold the Glory of God
Lets go back to the conversation with Jesus and the Father
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.”
Mark 9
We see the man has some confidence in Jesus, but not a lot.
You see, he doesn’t realize that he is talking to the one who has all authority over the demonic realm
He’s talking to the one who
has all authority of the demonic realm
who spoke all things into existence
the one who not only spoke all things into existence, but also sustains all things
He is the one who walks on the waters
He’s the one who tells the winds and the waves to bow down before him, and they obey.
The man didn’t know who he was talking too
The man says, “if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us”
And look how Jesus responds
23 And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
If you can!
I’m the one who created you
I’m the one who put breath in your lungs
I’m the one who created the dirt your standing on
He then says, “all things are possible for the one who believes”
The father responds,
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
Now the man is getting it! now the man is wanting to behold the glory of God.
The man recognized his helplessness while looking into the eyes of the creator of the world and asked for help! 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.
25-
Jesus displayed the glory of God in his presence during the transfiguration
He comes down the mountain and displays the glory of God in his actions by saving the boy’s life.
Notice the response of the people..
the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “he is dead”
They thought the demon had killed the boy
Imagine the fathers feelings now! looking at his son not knowing if he was dead or alive.
And then Jesus acts again,
Up and down the mountain
Up and down the mountain
Power of Jesus
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
Jesus takes this seemingly dead boy by the hand and resurrects him.
If you can… if I can!
this is the same word used in verse 9 when they are coming down the mountain and Jesus tells his disciples not to tell anyone until the son of man had risen from the dead.
The father cried out, I believe, help my unbelief!
The father cried out, I believe, help my unbelief!
And Jesus answered, he allowed the man to behold the glory of God
Power of Jesus to raise the dead
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.
Jesus brought the boy from death to life
mark 9. 23-
from slavery to freedom
From the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light
The boy and the father were redeemed, renewed and restored.
They didn’t have to be on the mount to behold the glory of God, they only had to look to Jesus and listen to him.
Church, we can all identify with the disciples we do not have faith as we ought, and we do not pray as we should.
We can all identify with the father, believing but needing help in our unbelief
What will you do with your...
What will you do with your...
Helplessness
Fear
Guilt
Greif
Anger
Bond
Take it to Christ, ask him for help, go to the word and behold the glory of God!
By the grace of God we will be a people who behold the glory of God which will lead to a deeper faith and we will respond by being a people who pray.