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Unlimited Possibilities
Mark 9:14-29
“If you can?” said Jesus.
“Everything is possible for him who believes.”
Mark 9:23
Over the past few weeks, we have looked at some wonderful passages of Scripture.
I have titled this series --- Presence – Promises – Power – Possibilities and Purpose.
You could call it the five “P’s”!
The first week we learned that God is with us and will never leave us or forsake us.
The second week we looked at the promises of the Bible and even sang, “Standing on the Promises.”
What promises are you standing on today?
Last week, we looked at one of my favorite passages found in Ephesians 1:15-23.
In this prayer Paul tells us we have been given an incomparably great power.
We learned that the Greek word for power is “dunamis” and it means that we have this dynamite, this incomparable power to live in this world.
Today we turn to a reading in Mark about a miraculous healing of a demon-possessed boy.
This miracle is recorded in three of the four Gospels.
You can read this account in Matthew chapter 17:14-21, Luke 9:37-43 and in our reading today found in Mark.
This marvelous miracle comes right after Jesus was transfigured.
Next week we will look at transfiguration to transformation.
Before we go to God’s promises of unlimited possibilities, let us come to the Lord in prayer.
“God of all possibilities, come today and enter into our hearts and help us to truly believe that all things are possible with You.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.”
Mark 9:14-29
When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them.
15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.
16 “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.
17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech.
18 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.”
19 “O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you?
How long shall I put up with you?
Bring the boy to me.” 20 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.
21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”
“From childhood,” he answered.
22 “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.”
23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus.
“Everything is possible for him who believes.”
24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit.
“You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out.
The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.”
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” 29 He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”.[i]
In 1996, a survey was taken of 521 clergy and laymen attending the National Council of Churches: General Assembly in Miami Beach.
The survey showed a movement away from traditional belief:
v Little more than half believed Jesus to be divine.
v Only one-fourth thought biblical miracles literally happened.
v One-third declared the devil “definitely does not exist.”
v Only sixty-two percent looked forward with “complete certainty” to a life after death.[ii]
In 2018 Pew Research did an extensive research on what people believe.
Here are a few highlights: 80% of Americans believe in God but 19% do not believe in a god or higher power.
Of the 80% who believe in God, only 56% believe in the God of the Bible.
Some interesting notes made by Pew Research: the higher a person was educated the less they believed in God.
The younger generations, aged 18-40-year-olds, 30% do not believe in the God of the Bible.
One of the fastest growing religions in America with over half a million people is Wicca, which is white witchcraft which elevates the self or the “god-within” as the higher power.
So What?
My “So what?” question comes early this morning!
So what do you believe about God?
So what do you believe about Jesus?
So what do you believe about the Holy Spirit?
So what do you believe about faith, grace, love, mercy, justice healings, miracles, or the resurrection?
So what do you believe?
Do you believe Jesus is divine?
Do you believe miracles happen today?
Do you believe there a devil?
Do you believe that there is life after death?
Is everything possible to those who believe?
MOUNTAIN TOPS --- TO VALLEYS BELOW
I don’t know if you know by now --- but I love the Lord Jesus and I believe in Him with all my heart!
I love to read about Him, talk about Him and see his glory manifested here on earth.
In my years of ministry, I have had many opportunities to see the majesty and the mystery of God’s greatness and glory.
I have also witnessed some who were possessed with some forms of evil.
Peter, James and John had been walking with Jesus for a little over two years.
They had seen plenty of miracles.
They had seen the greatness of God manifested in the calming of the storm, the feeding of the five thousand, the healing of the sick and the raising of the dead.
The three of them were up on the mountain top and they saw Jesus transfigured, talking with Moses and Elijah.
What’s the first thing Peter wants to do? Stay on the mountain top.
“Let’s build three huts and stay here awhile.”
I find it funny that Peter only offered to build three huts, there were six men on the mountain!
One main principal we can glean from today’s reading is that as much as we’d like to, we can’t stay up on the mountaintop for the rest of our lives.
Whenever we have a mountaintop experience, where we get a glimpse of God’s glory and greatness, we need to remember that very soon we will have to go back down the mountain into the valley of REALITY.
Here are a few biblical examples: Way back in Exodus, Moses went up Mount Sinai to talk with God; Moses had a very powerful mountaintop experience.
God gave him the Ten Commandments.
I am sure Moses couldn’t wait to get down the mountain to tell the people what had happened!
“I have two hand-carved tablets of stone with ten simple rules!”
Instead, while Moses was up on the mountaintop, his people were making a golden calf from their gold items in order to worship the calf.
(Exodus 32) Moses had just returned from a powerful mountain-top experience only to crash into the valley of life.
The second example I want to use is found in 1 Kings 18-19.
We are told of another powerful mountaintop experience.
Elijah, one of the greatest of all the prophets, confronted all 450 false prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.
While there, God showed up in a mighty way and brought fire down from heaven to consume the sacrifice.
The people of Israel turned back to God and killed all the false prophets.
So far, so good, but now Jezebel, King Ahab’s wife, threatens Elijah.
Jezebel says that she will do to Elijah what was done to her prophets.
Fearing for his life, Elijah runs from Mount Carmel mountaintop into the desert--where he lays down and wants to die.
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