Mark 9:14-29,

14 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. 15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. 16 And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?” 17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. 18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.” 19 He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” 20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the Spirit tare him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. 21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” 25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” 26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”

I)                The disciples could not cast out the mute Spirit.

A.    Jesus said to them “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you?”

1.     O how many times does God grieve when we do not us the resources, which He has given us?

2.     Who do we go to first when we have a problem?

3.     Do we have the faith that is needed?

B.    How real is all this to you each week?

1.     Do you try to fix things our selves first?

a)      You get some of it done your self and than what you can’t do you go to God for help.

b)     What we should do is go to God first and asked His wisdom and grace and direction to go through it.

II)              In verse 23 it says, “If you can believe that all things are possible.”

A.     It is not enough just to say it, do you really believe.

1.  The disciple thought they had faith, but did not.

B.     Our spiritual ability comes with complete dependence on God’s power.

1.   We cannot depend on past success.

2.     We have to grow each day.

3.     Ephesians 6:12,12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

C.    Faith must be cultivated continual.

1.     Romans 10:17,17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

2.     Romans 10:14,14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

3.     Psalm 119:105, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

a)      The Bible is a Lamp and we are in a dark room and don’t know which way to go?

b)     The Bible which is our lamp, when we use it lights up the path and we know which way to go.

(1)   The Yellow brick road.

III)            Christ said here at the end of verse 29 that we must be in much prayer and fasting.

A.     The father of the child asked Christ to help his unbelief.

4.     Notice that the father (prayed) asked Christ.

a)      Prayer is talking to God.

5.     The father asked for more faith to believe.

a)      The father had toughs. Verse 22 and cries out to help his unbelief Verse 24

B.      The father believed, but he did not know if that was enough faith.

1.     Do we have enough faith when we pray to God for some of the problems we have?

2.      We need to continually ask God for help in our unbelief.

3.      Some things are going to require more faith than others and we must be prepared.

D.    And than there is fasting.

1.     How serious are we about what you want from God?

2.     How far will we go to get God’s blessings?

3.     How far will we go to be in God’s will?

4.     Fasting shows God how serious we are for Him.

Conclusion:  Faith is not something that we happened to have. As I said earlier, it must be cultivated. So much has happened in our lives lately. Were we ready for it? And will we be ready for the next one? You can be.

Sunday Morning Biker Service 10/30/05