← ArchiveGotta Have Faith (Mark 9:14-29)DateNovember 10, 2024SpeakerDr Josh BurnhamTextMark 9:14–29TranscriptMachine transcribed · click any line to jump0:00To be continued... To be continued...0:30To be continued... ...because we put the nicest chairs in the middle.1:00...because we put the nicest chairs in the middle. Hoping that you would sit in the middle. So, well done. Listen, today we are back in this location because of your generosity and your prayers. You're giving. You're serving. So, we're going to give ourselves and those who are new a big round of applause. Really, we're giving God the glory, but we're thanking Him for what He has done in our lives. So, on the count of three, we're going to clap. One.1:30One. Two, three. God is doing so many wonderful things in our midst. And if we are only aware of two or three, that is enough of God's glory among us. So, for the next several weeks before Christmas, we are going to go back to the building blocks of our faith. So, the next three to four weeks, we're going to look at the essence of what it means to be a Christian.1:57So, the next three to four weeks, we're going to look at the essence of what it means to be a Christian. And the basics of the gospel, we ask the Lord to set our hearts and reset our hearts in Christ. To recharge our beliefs and to strengthen our souls. And it might not come as a surprise to you that the basics of the Christian faith is actually faith. Ephesians 2 says it.2:25Ephesians 2 says it. It says, but you are saved by grace through faith. It is God's gift, lest no one boasts. And if honest, most would be quick to admit that faith is a difficult thing to grasp. We know what it is, but we have a difficult time explaining what faith looks like. And even more than the concept, it's difficult to live out and to practice our faith.2:54And even more than the concept, it's difficult to live out and to practice our faith. And if you believe that, you're not alone. Take, for instance, Thomas, the apostle, the disciple. He was with Jesus Christ and he found it difficult. He found it so difficult that when his friends came to him and said, Hey, Jesus has risen just like he said. Remember, have faith in the promises of God. Thomas says, if I don't see the mark in the nails of his hands, and if I can't put my finger into the mark of the nails,3:23Thomas says, if I don't see the mark in the nails of his hands, and if I can't put my finger into the mark of the nails, and if I can't put my hand in his side, he says, I will never believe. John 20, 25. Really, Thomas says, I will never have faith unless I have proof. And many of you feel that way.3:52And many of you feel that way. You say, I know Jesus taught me about faith. I know I saw him model faith, but faith is difficult. You're not alone. Faith is not just a concern of people of faith. Some of the most famous atheists that have ever lived, for instance, Richard Dawkins, proclaimed that faith is the great cop-out. Why would a man who doesn't care about faith care so much about faith? Unless God really is who he says he is.4:22Unless God really is who he says he is. Again, Bertrand Russell, another non-believer, posited, We only speak of faith when we wish to substitute emotion for evidence. Again, why would a person of non-faith concern themselves so much with faith? Because, church, faith changes everything. Faith changes everything. So today, we're going to confess, and then I'm going to preach.4:53So today, we're going to confess, and then I'm going to preach. Our confession is, Lord, we believe. Help our unbelief. So if you have your Bibles, join me to Mark 9, verse 14 through 29. Mark 9. Verse 14. Mark is in the New Testament, second book, Matthew and Mark, then Luke and John. Today's message is entitled, Gotta Have Faith.5:26Today's message is entitled, Gotta Have Faith. Mark recounts this miracle of Jesus with these words. When they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and scribes disputing with them. When the whole crowd saw him, that's Jesus, they were amazed and ran to greet him. And Jesus asked them, what are you arguing about?5:52And Jesus asked them, what are you arguing about? Now again, Jesus is not asking for information. He's asking for confession. He's asking them, are you going to tell me what I already know is true? Someone from the crowd answered him, teacher, I brought my son to you. He has a spirit that makes him unable to speak. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down. He foams at the mouth. He grinds his teeth and becomes rigid.6:21He grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive him out, but they could not. And Jesus replied to them, you unbelieving generation, how long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to me. So they brought the boy to Jesus. And when the spirit, that's the little S, the demonic spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into convulsions.6:51it immediately threw the boy into convulsions. He fell to the ground and he rolled around foaming at the mouth. How long has this been happening to him? Jesus asked the father. From childhood, he said, and many times it has thrown him into the fire or the water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us. Help us. Jesus said to him, if you can, everything is possible for the one who believes.7:14Jesus said to him, if you can, everything is possible for the one who believes. And immediately the father of the boy cried out, I do believe. Help my unbelief. When Jesus saw the crowd was gathering quickly, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to him, you mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.7:39you mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again. This is not the only time Jesus roasts that demon. Because there will be a day at the end where he will roast in hell, away from the presence of God. Then it came out shrieking and throwing him into terrible convulsions.8:07Then it came out shrieking and throwing him into terrible convulsions. The boy became like a corpse, and so that many said he is dead. But Jesus, taking him by the hand, raised him and stood him up. He had gone into the house. His disciples asked him privately, why could not we drive the spirit out? And Jesus told them, this kind can come out by nothing but prayer. Let's pray.8:37Let's pray. Father, give us faith to believe. Lord, when we struggle with belief, we do believe, but help us in our unbelief. Lord, we thank you as we see in the promise of your word today. Everything is possible to the one who believes.9:04Everything is possible to the one who believes. Lord, give us faith to believe again today. We ask in Jesus' holy name. Amen. And amen. So can you imagine the scene? The disciples, well, the disciples minus Peter, James, and John. So Peter, James, and John have been with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration.9:31So Peter, James, and John have been with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration. Most likely Mount Tabor. But maybe not. They are seeing the glory of God. And now they happen upon the scene. So there's nine people, disciples, arguing and disputing with other people. So you had the disciples who knew Jesus. And you had the scribes who knew the word of God. And they were still arguing and chaos ensues.9:59And they were still arguing and chaos ensues. And this is a great reminder for church people, church folk. You might know Jesus and you might know his word. But the reminder is when you get away from Jesus, chaos always ensues. Because the nine had been with Christ and yet Christ was on the mountain. And when Christ had left them or they had gone away from Jesus, their world began to fall into crisis. And so in the midst of this chaos, a singular voice emerges, right?10:30And so in the midst of this chaos, a singular voice emerges, right? Jesus asked the nine or the scribes or all of them, hey, why, tell me what you're arguing about. It's, again, it's the parent who says, who broke it or what happens? And they already know. They've already pulled up the video footage. And now it's time for confession.10:59And now it's time for confession. And from this crisis scene, a unique voice emerges. Teacher, I brought my son to you. Now that's mostly true. But the whole truth is first, this man brought his son to them. Because he said, hey, y'all have been with Jesus. And I know the power of Jesus Christ. I know the faith of Christ. So if I bring my son to you, then you can help him. And yet, he was not helped in that moment.11:29And yet, he was not helped in that moment. They were no help, actually. And it's the reminder, because we see in this man's life, he was just a somebody in verse 17. He did not have a name yet. And it's the reminder that you can be in a crowd of people and still feel all by yourself. Maybe that's you today. Maybe you're here in a room full of people. And you feel like, no one knows my name.11:58And you feel like, no one knows my name. I'm just a somebody. But look what Jesus does. Jesus doesn't just hear his voice. And Jesus doesn't just know his need. But Jesus knows this man. He doesn't have a name right now. But Jesus begins to look at his life individually. If you feel like God doesn't know me, listen to this man. He does. You're someone in Christ.12:27You're someone in Christ. He calls him away from the crowd. And if you say, well, I feel that way. What do you do? What do you do when all hope is lost? Maybe not only do you feel like I'm stuck in the crowd and no one knows me, but I'm stuck in the crowd and I don't have hope. I've come to the church and the church doesn't have the answer. I've come to the disciples and the disciples don't have the answer. God, what can I do? There is no hope. And so the man says to Jesus, okay, now I'm going to bring my son to you.12:57And so the man says to Jesus, okay, now I'm going to bring my son to you. There's something in this man's life that he realizes when all hope is lost, there's still hope in Jesus. Maybe he doesn't articulate it that way. Maybe he doesn't know how to yet. But he realizes, listen, Jesus is uniquely beautiful. Now the demon knows what's up. The demon is shrieking and throwing this man upon the fire and in the water.13:25The demon is shrieking and throwing this man upon the fire and in the water. That's actually what the boy's father says. He says he's been throwing him and trying to drown him. He's trying to burn him. You see, Satan wasn't trying to harm the son. Satan was assaulting the son. Church, listen to this warning in Scripture. Satan does not want to harm you. He wants to destroy you. He doesn't want to harm your faith or diminish your faith. He wants to destroy your faith.13:54He wants to destroy your faith. Because Satan knows if you have faith at all, it is game, set, match for Satan. If you think that spiritual realities are not true, let the word be a reminder that there is spiritual realities happening all around us. So the man says, teacher, I brought him to you because they could not help me.14:18So the man says, teacher, I brought him to you because they could not help me. Verse 17 and verse 18. So turning to the crowds, Jesus begins to speak. In verse 19, he replied to them, you unbelieving generation. Now, who's the them? It's time for audience participation.14:48It's time for audience participation. Who's the them? Us? That's interesting. I'm not that old. Some of you might be. Some of you might be. Okay. Us? Who else? Is it the nine? Is it the scribes? Is it the demonic? Is it the father?15:17Is it the father? Is it the son? I think it's ambiguous for a reason. I think that this, the them has not given us a name so we can say this is us. Because if the them had a name, we would say, look at those unbelievers. But we can say, Lord, is it I? So the dispute and the disbelief and the doubts, even the brokenness of the moment, don't undermine the Messiah.15:41So the dispute and the disbelief and the doubts, even the brokenness of the moment, don't undermine the Messiah. Look what he says. You unbelieving generation. How long will I be with you? And how long must I put up with you? But look what Jesus says next. Bring him to me. So the chaos of the moment, the crisis of the moment, the doubts of the them, the struggle of the them.16:11So the chaos of the moment, the crisis of the moment, the doubts of the them, the struggle of the them. Who knows? Who knows? It could have been a bad business meeting. But the chaos of the moment doesn't stop Jesus from doing spiritual work in their lives. Aren't you glad that we have a Savior that is greater than our doubts? Greater than our chaos? Greater than our struggle? So he says, bring the boy to me.16:39So he says, bring the boy to me. Bring the boy to me. And it's a reminder, your darkest day does not diminish the ability of Jesus to shine his glory and his light in your life. The darkest day, the most chaotic moment in your life is not too dark for the light of Jesus Christ to enter into your life. So they brought the boy to Jesus.17:08So they brought the boy to Jesus. And when the spirit saw Jesus, he immediately threw the boy into convulsions. He fell to the ground. He rolled around, phoned at the mouth. He threw a demonic temper tantrum.17:28Jesus is like, get your act together. Because, see, Jesus is not terrified of the demonic. Actually, the Father has already cast them out of heaven, and one day he will cast them into hell. Jesus is not doing this for the demonic's sake. He's not doing this for his sake. He's doing this so that we might believe. Jesus, the demon, is still throwing a temper tantrum.17:57Jesus, the demon, is still throwing a temper tantrum. And Jesus in 21 says, how long has this been happening to him? Jesus is like, stop. Get your act together. I know you're a demon, but come on now. And Jesus then asks the Father what has happened to him. You see, the Father has a need, and at first he's a somebody, and now Jesus looks at him. Now he knows his name. He knows who he is. See, Jesus doesn't only know your needs.18:29See, Jesus doesn't only know your needs. He knows you. And Jesus begins to look at this man and begins to speak. Now it's interesting. This miracle is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. But the conversation only is recorded in Mark. It's as if this conversation so captivated the heart and the mind of Mark that when the Holy Spirit was inspiring him to write this, he said, the church needs this conversation.18:49It's as if this conversation so captivated the heart and the mind of Mark that when the Holy Spirit was inspiring him to write this, he said, the church needs this conversation. Yes, there's a miracle. Yes, there's faith. But church, don't miss the conversation. So Jesus asked the Father, how long has it been happening? And he said, from childhood. Can you imagine? And many times it has thrown him into the fire or the water to destroy him.19:16And many times it has thrown him into the fire or the water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. And Jesus said to him, if you can, everything is possible for the one who believes. And immediately the Father said, well, I believe then. And then I think the most authentic words that you've ever heard in Scripture. The man says, Jesus, I want to believe.19:43The man says, Jesus, I want to believe. But help my unbelief. And we're going to pause right there. We're going to see how Jesus responds to that. In this conversation, we experience the if of faith. If you can, this Father begs. Jesus says, if? If I can? He says, everything is possible for the one who believes. The father of the tormented child is most concerned about the ability of Jesus to heal him.20:10The father of the tormented child is most concerned about the ability of Jesus to heal him. You see, I think the Father says this. Look at verse 22. I think the Father says, but if you can do anything. The emphasis is on the can. The emphasis is on the ability. Because as a father, he wants his son restored. He's saying, Jesus, do you have the ability to set him free?20:41He's saying, Jesus, do you have the ability to set him free? And Jesus is not really worried about the ability because Jesus knows he has the power. I think Jesus responds this way. Jesus said to him, if you can. There's a difference here. Can do anything is a question of ability. But Jesus brings the question back to faith. It's the if of faith.21:12It's the if of faith. What a beautiful truth. The brokenness does not prevent Christ from working. Demonic activity does not prevent the Messiah from acting. The most severe obstacle to God's active work in your life is faith. Jesus doesn't look at the man and says, don't you see the unbelieving disciples? I'm not sure if I can do this. Don't you see the scribes who know the law, the Torah? They know the power of God worked in Exodus and Leviticus and Deuteronomy.21:39They know the power of God worked in Exodus and Leviticus and Deuteronomy. I don't know if I can do anything. Can't you hear all the noise? I can't concentrate. Jesus doesn't say any of that. Jesus says everything is possible to the one who has faith. The sole bridge between your frailty and God's all-sufficient strength is faith. The sole bridge between our frailty and God's all-sufficient strength is faith.22:08The sole bridge between our frailty and God's all-sufficient strength is faith. This is not the first time Jesus reminds us that faith is needed. Think about Matthew 9. We're seeing their faith of the paralytic's friends. Jesus heals him. Think about Matthew 9.22. To the woman who had suffered a bleeding disorder for 12 years. When Jesus healed her, he proclaimed,22:37When Jesus healed her, he proclaimed, Have courage, daughter. Your faith has saved you. To the disciples, the Messiah proclaimed, A mustard seed-sized faith will allow you to move the Appalachian Mountains. To the blind man, in Luke 18, Jesus wonderfully spoke, Receive your sight, your faith. My faith can save you.23:07My faith can save you. Why does Jesus not say, My power saves you? My ability saves you? My strength saves you? My all-sufficient merit saves you? Which is all true. Jesus doesn't focus on the can because he knows he can. He focuses on the if because your faith is the sole bridge of God's all-sufficient power in your life. Church, don't we often get stuck on the can?23:35Church, don't we often get stuck on the can? Don't we get stuck in, God, can you do this? God, can you accomplish this? God, can you cast the check that you wrote? God, can you? And Jesus says, no. Do you believe? It's not can, it's if, if we trust, if we have faith in God. Everything is possible to the one who believes.24:00Everything is possible to the one who believes. And the Father says, I'm in. I believe. If belief is what it takes to heal my son, I believe. And I don't know if it was the words of the Savior or it was the tone or the authority, but something penetrated this man's heart.24:21And I don't know if it was the words of the Savior or it was the tone or the authority, but something penetrated this man's heart. He said, help, help my unbelief. I do, but I don't. I want to, but I don't know if I can. Lord, I'm frail, but I need your strength. God, help us. And Psalm 51 reminds us, it's the soil of a broken and contrite spirit where faith grows.24:48And Psalm 51 reminds us, it's the soil of a broken and contrite spirit where faith grows. So if you think you're somebody, it's not until you realize you're nobody that God can do work in somebody's life. We need this faith. And so I read this and I wonder, what did it take for this man to become honest with the Lord?25:10And so I read this and I wonder, what did it take for this man to become honest with the Lord? Let me ask a better question. What did it take for you to become honest with the Lord for the first time? To say, God, I do believe. Help my unbelief. God, I need you. God, I can't do it on my own. God, I know there's sin and I know that it separates me from your love. God, help me.25:38God, help me. There is no beautiful, more beautiful prayer than the prayer of God. I want to believe. Help. Because it's the soil of a contrite spirit where faith grows. And here's the power of the gospel in the heart of God. The man says, I do believe. Help my unbelief. So it's fascinating what Jesus hears and how Jesus acts.26:08So it's fascinating what Jesus hears and how Jesus acts. The last thing the man says is what? Verse 24. So the last word the man says is what? Unbelief. But Jesus doesn't respond to his unbelief. Jesus responds to his faith. And maybe that's you today.26:39And maybe that's you today. Maybe you think, God, I know there are parts of me that don't believe. And God, I'm worried that the unbelief is going to prevent you from working. Listen to how Jesus works in this man's life. The man says, I do believe. Help my unbelief. But Jesus saw the crowd was quickly coming. He rebukes the spirit. And then he commands the spirit to come out. And he heals this young boy. It's a reminder, O ye of little faith, take heart. Jesus readily responds to your faith.27:07Jesus readily responds to your faith. So, Pastor, I have little faith. Jesus responds to faith. Pastor, I have weak faith. Jesus responds to faith. Pastor, I have faith mixed with unbelief. The Father would say, Jesus responds to faith. Pastor, my world is chaotic. I have people who know the word creating disagreements. I have your disciples creating confusion. God, it doesn't make sense.27:35God, it doesn't make sense. Jesus responds to faith. Do you have belief? This miracle reminds us that imperfect people will never have a perfect faith. But your faith is not the object of action. Even imperfect faith in a perfect Savior is enough for God to act. Because he is acting through the blood of his perfect Holy Son that washes you from your sins.28:01Because he is acting through the blood of his perfect Holy Son that washes you from your sins. God doesn't act on the strength of your faith. He acts upon the strength of your faith and the power of his Son. Faith is not the power. Faith is the bridge to Jesus Christ. Even a faith plagued by fears and doubts is a faith that works. I don't know about you, but I need to remember that some days.28:27I don't know about you, but I need to remember that some days. Now, you might think, well, I want this. I need faith. I need it now. And it can't be that hard. I just believe everything will happen like I want it to happen. But listen to the Father again. When Jesus asks about the condition, what does the Father say?28:52When Jesus asks about the condition, what does the Father say? He says, verse 17. He speaks pretty easily, it sounds like. Teacher, I brought my Son to you. He has a spirit that makes him unable to speak. And whatever it seizes him, it throws him down and foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn't.29:21I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn't. The man does not have much struggle speaking about the condition of his Son. But when Jesus asks about his faith, what is the Father and how does he respond to that? Immediately, the father of the boy, verse 24, did what? Verse 24, Mark chapter 9.29:48Verse 24, Mark chapter 9. He cried out. Why can the Father speak of the Son's condition, but all he can do about his faith is cry? Because faith is not easy. But it's worth it. If you're here today and you say, well, all these things have happened and I can tell you that story, but I can only cry out, I can only cry about my faith.30:14but I can only cry out, I can only cry about my faith. If all you can do is cry out, the Father would say, cry now. Cry quickly. Because even the faith that is cried out through tears is heard by Jesus Christ. You see, the risk of faith is more costly to the Father than even the healing of his Son. Faith is not easy, but it is always worth it. It is always worth it.30:42It is always worth it.30:50So let's go back to where it all began. The basic building block of the Christian faith is faith. This should come not as a surprise. Because we are saved by grace through faith. And I wish it were that easy. I wish we could speak of faith and we would have faith. I wish we could preach of faith and we would practice faith.31:18I wish we could preach of faith and we would practice faith. I wish we could sing of faith and we would walk in faith. But if we're honest, there are times where we say, God, I believe. But help my unbelief. God, I believe, but I need to believe more. God, help my unbelief. You see, faith is the recognition that, left to your own devices, you will always lack.31:44You see, faith is the recognition that, left to your own devices, you will always lack. Faith says, Jesus, I believe a little. And there are parts of me that don't believe a lot. So help me. Help the recesses, the darkest recesses of my soul. I believe if the Father could speak to us today, he would say what Soren Kierkegaard once said about faith.32:11I believe if the Father could speak to us today, he would say what Soren Kierkegaard once said about faith. This great Christian philosopher said, faith sees best in the dark. Faith sees best in the dark. Some of us today don't have any faith. And today the Spirit is stirring your soul to cry out to God for the first time.32:40And today the Spirit is stirring your soul to cry out to God for the first time. And if you say, Pastor, I don't know what to cry, this father would say, that's okay, I didn't know either. But if you cry out to Jesus in faith, the words don't matter. Because Jesus knows your heart. If you've never confessed Jesus as Lord, if you can't go to sleep tonight knowing that your heart is pure and your conscience is cleansed,33:05If you've never confessed Jesus as Lord, if you can't go to sleep tonight knowing that your heart is pure and your conscience is cleansed, if you can't go to bed tonight knowing that if you died, you would be with God, would you cry out by faith today? And say, God, I believe you sent Jesus, your one and only son, to die on the cross for me. He died because my sin separates me from you. Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.33:34Help my unbelief. God, I believe he died on the cross and I believe he rose again, but I don't know how it happened. Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief. And God, I believe you said that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. God, I believe. Help my unbelief. Would you today cry out to God for the first time? Say, Pastor, I have a little faith. That's enough. Pastor, I have frail faith.34:04Pastor, I have frail faith. It's strong enough. Pastor, I have rocky faith. God will get you through. Pastor, my world is dark. Faith sees best in the dark. Pastor, I have imperfect faith. No, you have faith in the one who is perfect. And maybe today, if you know Christ, you need to cry out again. And maybe with authentic tears and say, God, I believe, but help my unbelief.34:33And maybe with authentic tears and say, God, I believe, but help my unbelief. Praise be to God that faith is the bridge of God's holy work. If he can, God can do anything. The question is if. Because everything is possible for the one who believes.35:04Because everything is possible for the one who believes. Father,More from Mark →
