Mark 9:17-18, "And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not."

This morning, many things in the world can lead us into unbelief.  Sometimes we encounter people that show unbelief due to unresolved emotional problems – perhaps they are still enraged over something that happened years ago that they have not ever gotten over emotionally.  Still others engage in unbelief as they are dealing with emotional turmoil that has sprung up rather quickly – they begin thinking rashly as the emotional onset has sprung upon them rather quickly.  Yet others practice unbelief because they emphasize the wrong details in a situation – they judge evidence improperly.  In the study verses above, we read about a man that came to the Lord dealing with all three things.  While he approached Christ thinking that only his son needed help, Christ pointed out his unbelief before dealing with his son's problem.

The passage before us relates an account of a man whose son is possessed with a dumb spirit.  This spirit makes the child do things of a crazed nature: foaming, tearing about, etc.  Putting ourselves in this father's situation for a moment, how would such a family situation affect us?  Would we react in anger?  Would we react in helplessness?  Personally, I cannot imagine the emotional turmoil this man must have been under watching his son in such a pitiful condition.  Doubtless, we have all either seen or read about people who blamed God for mental and/or physical afflictions in their immediate families.  The commonly repeated question by these people is, "Why would God allow this to happen to me and my family?"  Emotional duress can make us react improperly and not exercise the faith-sense that God should receive in our lives.

Furthermore, we understand from this passage that the man has first gone to Christ's disciples to seek help for his son.  They were unable to do anything about this unclean spirit (though they were blessed at previous times and then in future times to cast our spirits and devils).  Finally, the man comes to Christ, possibly at his wit's end about the situation.  When he gets to Christ, he relays his plight and begs unbelievingly for help.  The succeeding verses after ours show his unbelief when he doubts the ability of Christ.  He essentially tells Christ "if you are able, then help."  Friends, no matter how much duress we are under, we should never doubt the ability of Christ.  It is never a matter of "if He can," but rather, it is a matter of "please will He."  Our prayers to Him for help should be like a leper's prayer who said, "If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." (Mark 1:40)

How did this man get into this shape of unbelief to doubt the ability of Christ?  The answer lies in our study verses, and it is a poignant lesson for us today to not fall victim likewise as this man did.  The man admits that his son's illness, affliction, and possession came upon him as a child.  We are not given the son's age at this point, but the statement by the father shows that his son has been in this condition for quite some time.  Every day this man wakes up, he sees the problems in his son's life.  Every day, his emotions are taut – at best – to fraying.  So, he has a long-term emotional problem based on his family's situation.  Imagine the man's anticipation when he hears about the wonderful works coming in the regions that Christ visits.  He possibly hears about lepers being cleansed, deaf hearing, blind receiving their sight, etc.  In his mind, he thinks there may be hope for his son.

When he gets to the place where these wonderful works are taking place, he meets the immediate disciples and followers of the wonderful man called Jesus.  They have healed people before.  Maybe they can heal his son.  Alas!  They cannot do anything for his son!  The past emotional turmoil heightens as his current situation of hope just got dashed because of the shortcomings of this reputed Man's very apostles.  If we can, let us try to put ourselves in this man's shoes.  I can freely confess to falling victim to just as weighty a sense of unbelief in times' past, and I have not gone through anything that emotionally severe.  I can only imagine that my unbelief would have equaled – if not surpassed – this man's unbelief.  Yet, the Lord lovingly straightens out his sight and takes mercy on his son.

What is the relevance for us today?  Before getting to the main point of our study verses, remember that emotions can often cloud what is truly right and important.  Emotional decisions often turn out awry.  Because our sense is clouded by the fear, anger, sorrow, etc. we fail to remember what we should, and we recall (sometimes for long periods of time) things that we should seek to forget.  By seeing his son's condition, the man failed to see God's power and goodness.  Our own lives can be plagued by the same.

However, the problem was compounded by the disciples' inability to help him.  How many times do we see this same thing today?  Have you ever seen someone expect the minister of the gospel to do something, fix a problem, etc. that he just could not solve or fix for someone?  As ministers, we fail quite often in "living up to expectations" of others.  Something about us either rubs them the wrong way, or our abilities fail what they thought we could do.  Too often, the minister’s failings, shortcomings, inabilities, etc. take an already emotional person and further engages their unbelief.  Already frayed in thought and soul, they turn to downright unbelief in the ability and power of God.

Maybe a sermon is not blessed.  Maybe a sermon did not have the "punch" that we expected it should have had.  Maybe the minister did not answer our question quite like expected.  Maybe he could only answer our question with an "I don't know."  These and countless other examples could be employed to show that ministers do not always help people in their problems.  Perhaps we have been blessed in the past with good sermons, good answers to questions, and good emotional support during hard times.  The apostles had healed people before, but this situation did not yield the results the man yearned for.

If there is one message God's people cannot hear enough, it is this: do not judge or limit God's power and ability by the lack of power and ability in His ministers.  Judge not the Lord based on the lack of manifestation in His closest followers.  Christ will later tell these disciples in Mark 9 that the type of spirit that He just cast out can only be accomplished through prayer and fasting. (Verses 28-29) They could have – through that pattern – done what He did.  Sometimes, ministers do not have the answers, support, etc. because there is a pattern of spirituality we are not following at the time.  We are men, and we have our fair share of shortcomings.

So, sometimes ministers fail because of our lack of diligence, and sometimes we fail to live up to expectations due to something we cannot do (like raise the dead).  However, never look at a minister's mistakes and failings as some limitation of God.  Never let emotional stress cloud the sight that God has all power and authority.  This man's guilty state of unbelief came from this combination of things.  Our unbelief today comes when we become emotionally caught up in things that take our sight from God, and we find further reasons to not believe when our stressed mind is exacerbated by the people of God.  Maybe they could have supported better.  Maybe not.  Maybe the minister could be friendlier or easier to get along with.  None of these things is worthy of us doubting God.  Friends, He is so merciful to us, even in the midst of our doubting minds.  But, sometimes, the things we feel to want and need the most will only be taken care of when we see Him better and admit that we know He is God with all power.  The man's son was healed only after the dad admitted his own shortcomings.  Many of our problems resolve quickly and fade when we tearfully and prayerfully admit our faults and failures to Him and pray that He be with us in those efforts to better praise Him.

In Hope,

Bro Philip

Mark 6:52, "For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened."

This morning, certain circumstances can eventually lead to other things.  Perhaps one of the most detrimental things about lying and falsehood is that it breeds more sin.  Lies lead to other lies, and even lead to other sins as well.  Many times, we as people fail to see how certain things affect things later until the event is over.  Sometimes, we can look back over the scene of our lives and see where certain failures or successes led to other failures or successes down the road.  Many of the problems of today's modern world find direct connection with failures in the past.  For example, modern social problems as they pertain to delinquent children, diseases, etc. find direct connection to the failings of people to live up to marriage vows and honour the God-given institution of marriage.  However, one problem seen repeatedly today (even among many of God's children) stems from a failure in today's world to see and appreciate the gospel for the inestimable treasure that it is.

During Christ's ministry, He performed a great many miracles, and there are direct spiritual connections and applications in them.  Even though the miracles literally happened just as recorded, they do point to spiritual relevance in our lives.  Two miracles that occurred "back-to-back" during Christ's time were the feeding of the 5,000 with five loaves and two fishes and the miracles on the sea with Christ walking on water.  Our study verse shows that a failure of the disciples in regard to one miracle led to their problems during the next miracle.  Let us see what the relevance and spiritual application is for us today in this lesson.

Though we cannot devote much space to long proofs of the spiritual lesson of the miracles, let us briefly lay out those lessons to build upon for our application.  When Christ fed the multitudes with a very miniscule amount of food, we see direct relevance and correlation to the preaching of the gospel.  The gospel feeds our souls and cheers our spirits like nothing else in the world can do.  The food that it provides fills us in ways the world can never fill.  When in application, God uses men of His calling to distribute food and feed His sheep.  Though their efforts seem small and the amount of food so little, yet the hands of Christ make the distribution plenteous and the bounty beyond compare.  So often, the minister feels like his studies and meditations have been so small, and yet the Lord blesses the effort to not only feed the flock but also have more left over than we started with.

As Christ comes walking on the water in the sea towards His disciples in the boat, we see a direct application and relevance to Christ coming to cheer us and comfort us during the storms and tribulations of life.  Though the floods rage and the winds roar, yet His very presence can still things in the midst of the storm.  His sweet voice can drive away the doubts and gloom by the simple statement, "It is I."  Then, when the Saviour steps into the boat with us (takes care of the problem we are facing), the calm is immediate and miraculous.

In the verse before our study verse, we see that the disciples were incredulous about what had occurred on the sea.  Pulling the gospel accounts together, they had just witnessed the Saviour walking on water, Peter walking on water, and seen an immediate calm to the storm that they could not handle.  Their amazement and incredulity could best be described in a commonly made statement today, "I just can't believe it!"  They seemed unable to believe what they just experienced due to direct failure to remember a past miracle from Christ's hand.

Before moving into the spiritual realm, consider just how forgetful the disciples had been.  The feeding of the multitude had just occurred, and they quickly either forgot or failed to keep in remembrance what they just witnessed.  They also had been with Christ for quite some time by this point.  They had not just started walking with Him during His ministry.  Therefore, they had seen many things by this point and were quite experientially aware of His power and authority.  Yet, even after all of that, they found themselves in the throes of despair for failing to remember or consider what He had already done in their presence.

Moving into the spiritual realm, this account shows quite vividly that people will always fall victim and prey to the sorrows and travails of life when they fail to utilize and consider the rich treasure of the gospel in their lives.  Whenever we have those rich times with God by His Spirit through the gospel, we experience something that cannot be experienced or realized anywhere else.  Nowhere else on the world at that time would one have found a miracle like Christ performed in feeding those people.  His presence, power, and authority were on rich display, and the people there present enjoyed bounty from His hand.  We today experience His power, presence, and authority within the halls of Zion through the heralding of the gospel and receive limitless bounty from His hand.

Yet, just as the blessing on that occasion should have sustained people beyond that setting (their bellies were filled), so should the gospel sustain us beyond the initial hearing of it.  It should provide food for our souls for many moments to come.  The disciples even had a basket apiece to go with them for nourishment in the future.  Meditations of the gospel in the days following its heralding provide future sustainment in the days following church service.  The intent of the gospel therefore is not just richness for the occasion but also sustainment in the trials that will shortly follow.

So, why is it that so many (self included) fall into the pitfall of overmuch sorrow through the storms of life?  Why is it that when Christ in His mercy, comfort, and power walks on the storm, blesses us to walk on the storm, and eventually quells the storm we stand in amazement in seeming unbelief of what just happened?  The direct reason is that we fail to keep in remembrance what the gospel has given us.  Matthew 14's account of this tells us that Christ constrained them to enter the boat that night and pass over the sea.  He put them in the boat and told them to go!  Why in the midst of the storm should they have felt that He had forsaken them or sent them to die?  Why when He comes to them should they have been surprised?  Why after the amazing events on the sea that night should they have been so incredulous?  These are all consequences of failing to remember and consider the power, comfort, and sustainment of the gospel.

Whenever Monday comes (and it always does), sorrow should not be the diet of the day.  Whenever midweek arrives, life should not seem interminable and without hope.  Yet, all too often, these are the weekly rituals that we engage our minds and hearts in.  However, if we consistently consider and "chew upon" those gospel treasures that we have enjoyed in days past, we do not become overcome with anxiety about the storms of life.  When Christ comes to cheer our hearts in the midst of the storm and calls us to walk with Him, we do not stand in bewildered contemplation over the scene.

Friends, the gospel does so much for us here in this vale of tears.  One of the richest things that it does besides providing strength for today is to give comfort and sustainment coupled with hope for tomorrow.  If the same Lord has fed us so well from His table today, He will not leave us or suffer more to come upon us than we can handle tomorrow.  May we enjoy those rich times with Him at the table, and may we look for His coming on top of the waves of sorrow and listen for that sweet and cheering voice that speaks peace to our souls.  May we not stand unbelieving at His power to quell problems in our lives that we cannot handle, but may we thank Him with the same fervor in which we enjoy His sweets and dainties at the table of the Lord.  Considering that sorrow and anxiety are higher now than at any time, it should be no surprise that the gospel is less desired or treasured than at any other time.  May we desire and treasure the gospel and keep our heads up looking for Him during our trials in life.

In Hope,

Bro Philip