Sermon Tone Analysis
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THIS TEXT IS TAILORED TO TEACH US THAT WE HAVE BEEN SAVED NOT TO EXORCISE DEMONS BUT TO EXERCISE FAITH.
Are people today still possessed by demons?
Yes.
Are we called to a ministry of exorcism?
No. Moments but not a ministry.
There are only two occasions of exorcism after the ascension of Jesus (Acts 8 & 16).
Martin Luther was correct when wrote in His great hymn “ A Mighty Fortress is Our God” - “this world with devils filled”.
This world is filled with demonic spirits but not every is filled with a demonic spirit.
Some people are possessed by an demon(s) but the vast majority are only possessions of Satan
Only two kinds of people in our world children of the light or children of darkness.
Those who are possessions of Christ or those who are possessions of the devil.
The focus of the text is not the exorcism of demons but the exercise of faith.
Our world doesn’t need a church who sees Satan in everything or in nothing.
It needs a church who understands this world is full of sinners and evil spirits.
A church who knows that her battle
and her transmission of victory
History repeats itself.
Faithlessness is not creative it is a repeat of what has been done in the past.
“greatly amazed” = the action of teenage girls at a boy band concert.
The world needs Jesus for it is full of evils that need to be remedied, full of work to be done.
Their argument centered on the legitimacy of their discipleship.
It was believed in Jesus day that true disciples replicated their teachers teachings.
The boys need is not to be healed physically.
He is not sick - he is possessed by a spirit.
Their inability to cast out the demon called in to question their claim as well as Christ.
Remember our earlier verses in Mark 3 and 6 - they had been given the authority to perform this work.
Their failure was a failure of faith.
They had begun to trust their own abilities rather than God’s.
There is a powerful reminder in this text - the forces of Satan seek to ruin those they rule.
Remember our context - beginning in chapter 8 Jesus shifts the focus of His ministry from the crowd to His core 12.
He is preparing them for his departure and they are in need of many more of His touches.
The Lord is not perplexed by their actions and yet he is not pleased.
He uses their failure as a means of further discipleship.
He know our fragility - our weakness and he seeks to strengthen it.
Jesus words point to the urgency of the moment.
Jesus will use the remainder of this story to show us two types of faith and the type of faith he wants His disciples to possess.
The presences of Jesus often brings conflict before peace.
Don’t miss evil’s aim - to destroy him { to abolish, put to an end, to ruin entirely}.
The father knows that Jesus can deliver him (teacher I brought my son to you) (I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they were unable to).
When Jesus is not present their is no power.
The father’s faith had become feeble because of the disciples failure.
He came believing Jesus could deliver to “if you possess any ability to help - be compassionate and help us.
Jesus says “I’m not the issue” to which he cries out “I believe; help my unbelief”.
Faith in its most basic sense is simply the reliance placed by one person in or on another, the reliance of one person in the power and the faithfulness and the truthfulness of another.
You make a statement of fact to me about something I could not otherwise know and faith is that state of mind in me that accepts your statement as true, so true that I am willing be base my behavior on it.
Faith is not the cultivation of an optimistic outlook on life with a kind of spirituality attached to it?
A holy hoping for the best?
Faith is the confident assurance in events not yet seen.
Faith is not a mindless stab in the dark
It is not a crossing of the fingers and hoping for the best.
It is not a leap into apparent nothingness It's a word that speaks of reasoned, careful, deliberate, intentional thought.
Thought upon what?
God and his promises.
If you are absolutely gripped by the coming realities that have been promised to you by God, then how you live your life in the present will be radically different than if you did not possess that certainty.
This is what faith is, my friends!
Positive certainty expressed in action.
Authentic faith is not merely believing in God.
It is believing God.
Taking God at his word, living in obedience to his revelation whatever the cost because you know down deep in your bones that God will always do what he says, that his speaking is his doing.
It is an abiding assurance in God and his promises that animates you to persevere in your obedience to Him.
Do you wish to be a more consistently obedient, steadily persevering Christian?
A stronger Christian?
A more courageous and outspoken Christian?
Then you need to strengthen your faith!
Your faith instinctively strengthens in direct proportion to the expansion of the object of your faith!
You expand your understanding of the object of your faith and faith itself will obediently follow.
The object of your faith--if indeed you are a Christian--is Jesus Christ and all of his promises Is your faith weak?
It is owing to the fact that you don't know the object of your faith well enough
But when Jesus Christ becomes progressively bigger, or better yet, your understanding of who he is progressively conforms to reality, your faith will become increasingly stronger.
But how does that happen?
By immersing yourself in the faith-arousing Word of God.
Read of Jesus Christ!
The same powerful Word that long ago brought the universe to life is the same Word that can bring you to life and furnish you with a faith that is truly and authentically Christian.
Isaac Watts, one of the church’s greatest hymn writers, said on his deathbed concerning the promises of God, “I believe them enough to venture an eternity on them.”
Prayer is the exercise of faith.
A failure to pray dooms our efforts.
Their failure to pray was a failure of faith.
Christians must live by faith!
Faith is the key to Victory.
Failure to pray is a declaration of self-reliance.
Praying first is a declaration of spirit dependence.
How easy is it for our faith to fail?
Let Jesus get out sight and failure will follow.
When Jesus says “this kind” I believe He is speaking of more than demon possession but the permeation of evil’s presences.
When people of faith live out their faith the presences of evil will manifest itself in conflict.
Our ministry is the ministry of Christ righteousness and as we minister His righteousness we might find ourselves momentarily participating in the ministry of exorcism.
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