Mark 9:14-27

TROUBLE ABOUNDING

LIFE OF CHRIST #33

 

The photographer for a national magazine was assigned to get photos of a great forest fire. Smoke at the scene hampered him and he asked his home office to hire a plane. Arrangements were made and he was told to go at once to a nearby airport, where the plane would be waiting. When he arrived at the airport, a plane was warming up near the runway. He jumped in with his equipment and yelled, “Let’s go! Let’s go!” The pilot swung the plane into the wind and they soon were in the air. “Fly over the north side of the fire,” yelled the photographer, “and make three or four low level passes.” “Why?” asked the pilot. “Because I’m going to take pictures,” cried the photographer. “I’m a photographer and photographers take pictures!”

 

After a pause the pilot said, “You mean you’re not the instructor?” http://www.bible.org/illus.asp?topic_id=1603

 

This is just one of many jokes which I have heard or told about trouble.  But if you’ve even been in trouble, and you have, you know that trouble is usually no laughing matter.  We tend to laugh about trouble after it’s over or when someone else has the trouble.

 

Trouble often follows high points in our lives. I’ve learned that when there are high points in my experiences, the very lows are sure to follow!

 

Last week we saw Jesus and three of his apostles, Peter, James, and John on a mountain where Jesus was transfigured before them and they saw Jesus in his glorified state as God.  They also heard the voice of God saying out of a cloud saying, This is my beloved Son, hear him!

 

As they come down the mountain to meet the other nine disciples, they walk right into trouble!

 

DISCIPLES IN TROUBLE – Vss. 14-15

 

Vs. 14 – Jesus shows up to find the scribes, copiers and interpreters of the Law, the Jewish Scriptures, arguing with the disciples.  There was also a great crowd of onlookers.

 

The disciples were busy defending themselves because they had failed.  As we’ll see in a minute, a man brought his demon possessed son to Jesus.  Because Jesus wasn’t there, the disciples, who had been commissioned to cast out demons, tried to and failed.

 

You and I can relate to these disciples.  We know all about failure.  We’ve failed often enough, even when we were trying to serve the Lord and do His business.

 

We’ve failed in witnessing.

We’ve failed to be victorious over sin.

We’ve failed to help the Christian who has needed physical or Spiritual help.

We’ve failed to believe, to pray, to be a good example.

 

Vs. 15 – At this very crucial time, in the midst of their failure, Jesus shows up.  I believe the people were surprised to see Jesus because they weren’t expecting Him at that moment, and because the discussion had somewhat to do with Him. 

 

You see, when we disciples fail, it is a reflection on our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.  When we blow it, He very often gets the blame.

 

The moment Jesus showed up, the attention was no longer placed on the disciples, but on the Master!

In our day and age, because Jesus is always with us through His Holy Spirit, we don’t have to wait for Him to show up.

 

What we need to do is recognize that He is present and place our attention on Him.  Let’s bring Him the trouble. Whether it is our failure or any other problem, let us give it to Him so that He can handle the problem and show us what to do.

Psalm 46:1 - God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

 

Psalm 55:22 - Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

 

BOY IN TROUBLE – Vss. 16-18

 

Vs. 16 – Notice something here.  When Jesus is brought into a problem, He’ll take over if you let Him!

 

Right away Jesus is on the defense of His disciples.  This won’t let them off the hook as far being accountable for their mistakes, but it does mean that Jesus is there to help, fix, and defend.

 

Jesus asked the scribes what the problem was and evidently there was a deafening silence.

 

Vs. 17 – A man in the crowd tells Jesus what the problem is.  There’s a boy in trouble. It is His boy, in fact, it’s his only son.

 

The man was saying, “I brought Him to you Lord. He has a dumb spirit.”  That means he couldn’t talk.  Evidently he couldn’t hear either, because when Jesus healed the boy he removed a “deaf and dumb” spirit.

 

Vs. 18 – The boy’s problem becomes more detailed and more troubling.  The boy is having seizures. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes as stiff as a board.

 

This was evidently a form of epilepsy complicated by demon possession.

 

And to make the boy’s problem even greater, the disciples could not help him.

 

Are there children and teens in trouble today? Yes!

·       There are many who have trouble with smoking, drugs, and alcohol.

·       There are many that have trouble with rebellion against authority.

·       There are many who trouble with sexual activity long before marriage.

·       There are many who have trouble with peer pressure and wanting to feel accepted.

·       There are many who know nothing about the Lord Jesus and His saving grace.

 

And the trouble is the church, our church, is not reaching them!  The disciples of Jesus in most cases are doing nothing to help!

 

And that’s just the children and teens!

What is the church doing to reach their parents, who have similar and more complicated struggles?

There are people hurting spiritually, emotionally and physically all around us, and the church in general, and our church in particular is having little impact.

 

GENERATION IN TROUBLE – Vs. 19

 

Jesus was talking to the disciples, and putting them in the same boat as the generation in which they lived.

 

The disciples had tried to cast the demon out of this boy and couldn’t.  But they had been commissioned to do this.

 

Mark 3:14-15 - And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, [15] And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:

 

They had some success.

Mark 6:12-13 - And they went out, and preached that men should repent. [13] And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

 

Now, they were powerless.

They, like the rest of the generation, were faithless.

They had tried to cast out the demons in their own power, without relying on the power of the Lord Jesus.

 

There faith was evidently not in God, but in their own abilities, and they failed.

 

Jesus was distraught with them. He was wondering out loud how long He had to put up with their obvious lack of faith.

 

J.D. Jones – “What a person can give out depends upon what he has within. The power he exerts depends upon the power he possesses.” J.D. Jones, Commentary on Mark, (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Kregel Publications, 1992) pp. 305-306)

 

The boy was still hurting because the disciples were faithless.

Many of the people around us are still hurting because we are faithless.

What little we do try to help people, we try in our own power.

I’m not saying don’t try to help.

I’m saying that we need to try to reach out, but we must do it in faith, relying on the Lord Jesus to work through us.

 

Jesus said about the boy, “Bring him to me.”

 

As we’ll see in a few moments, we must learn to bring the troubles of people to Jesus by faith.

 

FATHER IN TROUBLE – Vss. 20-24

 

Vs. 20 – The demon saw Jesus and seemed to tighten his grasp on the boy. A severe convulsion took place.  It seems that when the devil senses that he is trouble, he often intensifies his attack.

 

Vss. 21-22 – Jesus asked the Father how long this problem had been occurring.

 

The Father responded that it had happened since the boy had been a child,

He added that the demon had such a hold on the boy that he even cast him to fire and water trying to destroy the lad.

And notice the father’s impassioned plea, “If you can do anything have compassion on us, and help us.”

 

The father’s faith was in trouble.

It was wearing thin over the years of no relief.

It had worn thinner because the disciples couldn’t help.

And now his last hope is Jesus.

 

Vs. 23 – Some translations leave out the word “believe” here.  The thought is that Jesus is responding to the father’s “If you can” with “If you can!”  The implication is that the Father shouldn’t doubt Jesus ability to help.

 

How often do we doubt God’s willingness to help us?

How often do we doubt God’s ability to help us?

How often have we in our minds rendered things impossible?

 

Next Jesus says, “All things are possible to him that believes.”

 

Jesus is not saying that whatever I want I can have if I just believe.

The man here was standing before the Son of God, and what the man wanted was the healing of his son.  Jesus is showing that the healing of the son is God’s will and indicating that Jesus had the power to do it.  What he needed was the faith of the Father.

 

Our faith should always be based on the clear teaching of the Word of God. If God promises something, we can believe He will do it if we ask by faith.

 

If the Spirit of God clearly impresses us that something is God’s will, we should then believe that God will provide it in answer to prayer.

 

1 John 5:14-15 - And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: [15] And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

 

Vs. 24 – Immediately the father of the child cries out, “Lord I do believe”!  It was a like a lunge forward.  “Based on what you just said Lord, I believe that you are going to heal my son.”

 

But now notice how transparent the man is!

We should all be so honest!

“Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief.”

The man’s faith was imperfect and he admitted it.

Now instead of asking for help for his son, he’s asking for help for himself!    

 

Your faith won’t always be perfect. This man’s wasn’t.

And when your faith is not perfect, admit it and ask for help!

 

LORD OVER TROUBLE – Vss. 25-27

 

Now we see the power of Jesus at work.

 

Vs. 25 – Evidently the discussion with the man was of a more private nature.  Now the people were coming together again. Jesus commands the spirit to come out and not to return.  He uses his authority as God.

 

This is why we are pray and trust. It is God that has authority not me.  And when God takes action there is no doubt that there will be submission on the part of others. They have no choice.

 

Vs. 26 – The demon left kicking and screaming. He so worked on the boy that he appeared dead.

 

Vs. 27 – But Jesus lifted him up and he was healed. The demon was gone.

 

The boy’s trouble was a demon.

The father’s trouble was that his boy had a demon, and both he and son were helpless to do anything about it.

The father submitted his trouble by request and faith to the Lord Jesus.

He placed the trouble under Jesus’ authority.

 

What problem, what trouble, what gut-wrenching situation in your life needs to be put under the authority of Jesus?

Is it time for you to cry out, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief”?

 

ANTIDOTE FOR TROUBLE – Vss. 29-30

 

Vs. 29 – The disciples asked the logical question, “Why did we fail?”

Jesus had given them authority over demons, and yet they couldn’t handle this one.

 

Perhaps you have asked the same question, “Why did I fail? I thought I was on the right track.”

 

Why did I fail to witness?

Why did I fail when I witnessed?

Why did I fail to teach effectively?

Why did I fail to handle this problem in the right way?

Why did I fail to have victory over this sin?

 

Or we might ask, “Why has the church failed to have an impact on the community, to attract younger people, to win souls, to grow?”

 

Jesus had already indicated that their lack of faith was a problem.  Now Jesus adds another reason for failure, which was also an indication of a lack of faith.  There was a lack of prayer!

 

Vs. 29 – The problem was so great that the only solution was prayer!

 

Jesus stressed the need for persevering prayer.

Matthew 7:7-8 - Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: [8] For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

 

Jesus stressed the importance of believing prayer.   

 Mark 11:22-24 - And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. [23] For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. [24] Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

 

All through the Epistles there is a call to persistent, faithful, believing prayer.

 

Ephesians 6:18 - Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

 

Colossians 4:2 - Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;

 

1 Timothy 2:8 - I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

 

James 5:16-18 - Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. [17] Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. [18] And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

 

1 Peter 4:7 - But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

 

For personal problems – pray!

For family problems – pray!

For church problems – pray!

For church growth – pray!

For more effective preaching – pray!

   

And what about fasting?  There is some question as to whether the word belongs in the text or not.  But the Bible Knowledge Commentary explains it well when it says, “But the words, if original, refer to a practical means of focusing one’s attention more fully on God for a specific

purpose, for a limited period of time.” John F. Walvoord, Roy F. Zuck, Editors, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament Edition, (Wheaton, Illinois, Victor Books, 1983), p145 

 

If God moves you to fast to concentrate on seeking God’s face in prayer, do it!

   

As we close this message, what does this passage of Scripture teach us?

WHEN TROUBLES ABOUND, THE ANSWER IS PERSISTENT, BELIEVING, RELIANT PRAYER!