Sermon Tone Analysis

Believing and Praying in a Faithless Generation

Believing and praying are essential components for effective God honoring ministry.

Like the disciples, we minister in the midst of:

Conflicting religious viewpoints

A comparatively faithless generation waiting to see Jesus

Physical and spiritual battles

Those whom only Jesus can help

Belief and unbelief

The need for more prayer

In Mark’s recounting of Jesus’ healing a boy with an unclean spirit, we are afforded insights into how ministry unfolds for most of us in a context that is very similar to what the disciples faced.

Some of us are coming down off the mountain, while others are overwhelmed in the valley by -

The Scriptures do not sidestep the very real tension and at times very real conflict and disparity between special times with the Lord and those ministry and life situations that stretch us and bring us to our knees pleading with the Lord for help.

Moses came down from Mt Sinai - after seeing God’s glory & receiving the 10 commandments and other directives re living, the Sabbath and festivals, renewed promises re Canaan, covenant confirmed, sanctuary ark of the covenant, furnishings for and layout of the tabernacle, priests and garments, census tax - to be confronted by the image of a golden calf with offerings being brought to the golden calf as the people worshipped and sacrificed to it.

All of this coordinated by Aaron - DEEPLY DISAPPOINTING AND DISCOURAGING!

Knowing how this and because it also grieved Him, God warned Moses that the people had corrupted themselves.

Ex 34:

Moses pleaded with God on behalf of the people - before going down from the mountain.

Elijah left an intimate time on Mt Horeb - after prophets of Baal had been defeated and God sent rain - when the Lord reminded him that the Lord spoke to him not always through the great strong wind or the earthquake or the fire but the low whisper - still small voice - to again face to the impact of the paganism and Jezebel and Ahab - anoint new kings - Hazael over Syria/Jehu to be king of Israel - plus call Elisha - God warned him that the future would not be smooth sailing BUT

1 Kings 19:

Jesus - from His Father’s affirmation when baptized to 40 days in the wilderness - confrontations with Satan

Here after the Mt of Transfiguration - dispute between the Scribes & the other 9 disciples - a father pleading for help for his son who was being abused by an unclean spirit /his faith - his belief and unbelief.

Ar base of Mt - 3 groups - crowds, religious leaders, ministry needs/demon possessed

Other disciples carried on ministry.

But without Jesus seemed to fall into crises - cc storm when crossing Sea of Galilee on their own -

Mark’s account 3 times as long as & - indication how this impacted Peter

Conflicting religious viewpoints

Not the focus but noted as being the focus before Jesus became the focus and allowed to take charge.

Arguing - combative connotations - used by Mark re altercations with religious authorities - 8:11; 9:14, 16; 12:28

Jesus directed the attention of the Scribes from the disciples to Him - What are you arguing with them about?

Arguing distracts from ministry.

What does Jesus, what does the Word say?

Ministry needs

Confrontation with the Scribes was pushed aside by the real ministry needs of the desperate father - son with a spirit that made him mute.

Not all muteness unclean spirit related - Earlier Jesus healed a man in Sidon who was both deaf and mute - no reference to an evil spirit -

Pressing need displaced with the question - “Teacher, I brought my son to you = disciples, for he has a spirit that makes him mute - unable to speak

When the spirit seizes him - throws him to the ground, foams, grinds his teeth, becomes rigid.

Matthew identified him as epileptic - - Luke did not mention epilepsy, but then Luke did not witness the events first hand

Mark’s account alone notes that the boy had a demon/unclean spirit that prevented him from speaking.

Later, Jesus referred to the spirit as “mute & deaf”.-

9:25.

I would suggest that we give the most weight to Jesus’ diagnosis.

The spirit prevented the boy from hearing and verbalizing.

The boy was not only ill but assaulted.

That is probably the indicator that this was more than a petit or grand mal epileptic seizure.

I found this generic definition of an epileptic seizure.

It does not speak as to the cause of the abnormal neurn

“A seizure is an attack that occurs right after a surge of abnormal neuronal activity in the brain due to complex chemical changes taking place in the nerve cells.

The outward impact of a seizure episode can affect how an individual acts for a brief period.”

Medically and theologically it is wrong and misleading to suggest that all seizures are demonic in origin and that all unclean spirit influence results in epilepsy.

The indicator of demonic control here would be that rather falling to the floor and convulsing, the unclean spirit often cast him into fire and water to destroy him - 9:22

A comparatively faithless generation

With the father’s report of his son’s need and the disciples’ inability, Jesus’ exclamation shifted the focus from the disciples to the crowd.

Mk

Reference to and to the wider context of the children of Israel who had bowed to worship but had not heard God’s voice and in so doing had put God to the test.

That being the case, God said that He loathed them, those who had gone astray and had not known Him.

For that reason they would not enter the promised land.

In the book of Hebrews - ; - this is applied to salvation.

to 4:10 is a NT exposition of .

The application of the writer of Hebrews was that true rest does not come through Moses or Joshua.

It comes through Jesus.

Therefore let us strive to enter that rest!

Ps

Ps 95:

Heb 4:

Jesus’ lament echo previous prophetic grievances - , ; ;

2. Those in the midst of physical and spiritual battles need to see, hear and trust Jesus -

The father and the crowd equated bringing the boy to the disciples, to bringing the boy to Jesus -

Believers individually and collectively are most people’s best connection with Christ.

Caring people rather than an organization or building

People rather than programs

Transformed believers who embody the Word of God and the Son of God who indwells them by His Spirit

Believers who model the NT pattern of believers who walk by faith and in so doing worship and serve with total reliance on God.

They believe that the God still transforms live and makes new those who repent and believe the Gospel.

Some physical battles are clearly spiritual battles

Jesus did not allow the doubts and disbelief of the crowd or the limitations of His disciples to dissuade Him from caring for the boy.

While others might not have understood or demonstrated God’s power, Jesus embodied the truth.

God will fulfill His promises even though some might not receive those promises because of their unbelief.

Rom

When the boy was brought to Jesus, the boy was seized with convulsions and thrown to the ground.

The boy might have been epileptic, but the epilepsy was used as a veiled front to destroy the boy.

Parallels previous events when there were demonic eruptions in the presence of Jesus.

Man with unclean spirit -

Gadarene demoniac -

We are prudent not to attribute to Satan that which is not clearly Satanic.

The unbelieving scribes wrongly attributed Jesus power to Beelzebub, the prince of demons - Mk 3:22

Jesus rebuked the wind but made no reference to demonic activity - - all of creation was thrown off by the fall and sin.

When the disciples first saw Jesus walking on the water they incorrectly thought is was a ghost/spirit -

The initial result of the effective presence of Jesus is not peace, however, but conflict; not resurrection, but suffering.

Eduard Schweizer’s insight is correct: “This indicates how the presence of God can produce storm and stress before anything constructive is accomplished.”

The dialogue between Jesus and the father is recorded only by Mark - 9:21-24

For Matthew and Luke the focus was not the miracle - BUT healing the boy.

For Mark though there were 2 miracles - the expression of and the strengthening of the father’s faith plus the healing of the boy.

BOTH were miracles.

Jesus’ simple question encouraged the father to tell how long his son had been afflicted and almost destroyed.

Jesus was not asking because He did not know.

He wanted to hear to father’s pain.

He wanted the father to articulate for all there, including the scribes the extent of what the boy was faced with or controlled by.

From childhood - all of his life - there not due to sin on the part of the boy or the father.

Often cast him into fire and water to destroy him.

The father was not coming to an impersonal forces but to a sympathetic, merciful Lord.

“If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”