Help Thou Mine Unbelief

Title: "Help Thou Mine Unbelief"

Title: "Help Thou Mine Unbelief"

Text:

Series: Convinced: Jesus is the Son of God (Book of Mark)

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 392 How Ramsay Was Convinced

392 How Ramsay Was Convinced

Over 100 years ago, William Ramsay, a young English scholar, went to Asia Minor with the expressed purpose of proving that the history given by Luke in his gospel and in the Acts was inaccurate. His professors had confidently said that Luke could not be right.

He began to dig in the ancient ruins of Greece and Asia Minor, testing for ancient terms, boundaries, and other items which would be a dead giveaway if a writer had been inventing this history at a later date as claimed. To his amazement, he found that the New Testament Scriptures were accurate to the tiniest detail. So convincing was the evidence that Ramsay himself became a Christian and a great biblical scholar. We still look upon Sir William Ramsay’s books as being a classic as far as the history of the New Testament is concerned.

Setting: Jesus returns from a place where faith has been encouraged (v. 14-15)

Conflict: Jesus reveals the faithlessness of the disciples/people (v. 16 - 19)

Climax: Jesus gives the condition of faith for the miracle to happen (v. 20 - 24)

Resolution: Jesus heals the boy in response to belief (v. 25 - 27)

New Setting: Jesus gives further explanation that aims faith (v. 28-29)

Caution:

Caution:

If we are not careful, we will place emphasis on the activities in the passage.

Illustration: When our son was small, I would start rough housing with him. He would then come up to me and hit me. My response was to throw myself forcefully backwards as if it was his strength that accomplished my demise.

These activities include:

People running to Jesus

Father weeping over his son

Encouragement to pray & fast

These activities are not the point of the passage.

These activities are not what ultimately caused the healing.

What caused the healing in the passage is the OBJECT of belief.

What caused the healing in the passage is the WHO of the faith.

The words of the boy's father are instructive for us: "help thou mine unbelief".

The father did not have confidence in the strength or level of his own faith.

Explanation:

What matters most is not the tears or even the desperation. What matters most is the OBJECT of our faith. The only object of faith that will deliver the oppressed is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Proposition:

Be certain that the object of your faith is Jesus Christ and not in the sincerity of or strength of your own faith. Have faith in Jesus and not in your ability to have faith.

(1) A rightly directed faith gives you rest from trusting in faithless men

1 Timothy 4:10 KJV 1900

For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 KJV 1900

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

10,000 Sermon Illustrations God Is Able

God Is Able

I know my God is able to deliver;

Able to save from direst human ill;

Able, as when He saved the Hebrew children—

Almighty still.

But if, perchance, His plans are not my plans;

If hid in darkness should my pathway be;

If when I plead He does not seem to answer,

Nor care for me—

Then, though men scoff and bitterly deride me—

Listen! I fling my challenge to the sky!

God may deliver, but if not, I’ll trust Him,

And trusting, die!

M. Mannington Dexter

(2) A rightly directed faith gives you rest from trusting in the sincerity of a past decision

How much sincerity was enough sincerity?

Our deliverance is found in Jesus Christ.

NOT IN ME

No list of sins I have not done, No list of virtues I pursue, No list of those I am not like Can earn myself a place with You. O God, be merciful to me– I am a sinner through and through! My only hope of righteousness Is not in me, but only You.

No humble dress, no fervent prayer, No lifted hands, no tearful song, No recitation of the truth Can justify a single wrong. My righteousness is Jesus' life, My debt was paid by Jesus' death, My weary load was borne by Him And He alone can give me rest.

No separation from the world, No work I do, no gift I give Can cleanse my conscience, cleanse my hands; I cannot cause my soul to live. But Jesus died and rose again– The power of death is overthrown! My God is merciful to me And merciful in Christ alone. My righteousness is Jesus' life, My debt was paid by Jesus' death, My weary load was borne by Him And He alone can give me rest.

Ill: I received Jesus Christ on July 24, 1994; but it was not the sincerity of that decision that saved me. It was Jesus Christ that saved me. Now, the test of that sincerity and the truthfulness of that faith is found - not in the date but in the current posture of my heart towards Jesus…etc

(3) A rightly directed faith guides you in practices that direct you to Jesus

Application:

For the insecure Christian, the question is not, "Was I sincere enough?" but rather "Is THIS Jesus the object of my faith?"

Are you looking unto Jesus today or are you so stressed out because of constantly wondering about the strength of your faith?

For the unsaved, the question is not, "Do I have enough faith?" but rather "Will I allow THIS Jesus to be the object of my faith?"

Are you saved? Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

For the secure Christian, the question is not, "Do I have faith in THIS Jesus?" but rather "Am I intentionally taking steps to increase in faith in THIS Jesus?"

Where is prayer, fasting in your life? What intentional activities have you submitted your being to so that you would know more the fullness of what you have in Christ?

Colossians 1:9–10 KJV 1900

For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Colossians 1:

Conclusion:

Be convinced that Jesus, the Son of God, is the One who is worthy of our increasing faith. Allow the cry of this faith to be your cry, "Help THOU mine unbelief!"