Mark 9:14-29
The Power to Fix Problems
The background for this miracle is a cluster of problems. Christ is just coming
off the mountain from His transfiguration; and before He gets down good, He is
confronted with problems - not His, but others.
NOTE: Problems can come at any time, but watch especially after those mountain-
top experiences.
There are three sets of problems that confronted Christ. Let’s look at the
problem and the power that fixed them.
I. The boy’s problem \\#Mark 9:17-22\\
A. He was demon possessed.
1. That is, a demon had taken up residence with him.
2. Some may doubt the reality of demons today; but this boy did not.
B. In order to comprehend the power of this miracle, we must see the
torment of this child!
1. "dumb" - He couldn’t speak. \\#17\\
2. "he taketh him" \\#18\\
a. The father likewise knew this attack was demonic.
b. The HE refers to the demon.
c. This demon would take control of the boy’s thoughts and
actions whenever it desired, doing violent things with him.
3. "teareth him" \\#18\\
a. The word seems to mean some kind of violent convulsions.
b. At the least some kind of violent act was being committed
against the lad so that if someone did not watch, the child
would likely die.
4. foameth \\#18\\
5. gnasheth his teeth
6. pineth away
7. throws him in the water or fire \\#22\\
C. This child is being tormented by Satan and his demons.
1. Sadly, this is not the only child being tormented by Satan!
2. The symptoms of our society cry out Satanism!
3. We are afflicted with the five major Bible symptoms of demon
activity.
a. drugs
b. violence
c. rebellion
d. sex
e. suicide
D. That really should not surprise us since our children are exposed to
Satan more than ever.
1. Our entertainment is Satanic: the music, movies, & television.
a. In everything from Harry Potter to the violent video games and
movies, Satan is glorified.
b. Some of today’s music includes lyrics of moral deprivation,
anti-God rants, boasts of violence and crime, and even prayers
to Satan.
c. Tattoos are often demonic pictures, prayers, and emblems that
the person who wears them doesn’t even understand!
d. Movies are filled with gore, violence, and even human
sacrifices.
e. No longer are the spiritual powers which influenced these
movies hid from the plot, but often, demons and devils
are openly written into the script.
2. Cults and religions are opening the doors for the acceptance of
public occultic practices and religions.
a. Horoscopes, Ouija boards, Wicca, false gods, idol worship,
and out-in-out worship of Satan are all around us today.
b. We are taught to be tolerant of any and every wicked and
demonic religion that exists—even it the basic tenants of that
religion are publicly espoused to butcher, maim, and destroy
those who will not follow it.
3. Most do not know it, but drug abuse is a common form of occultic
worship.
a. The Greek word, PHAR-MAK-E-IA (5331), is the word that we get
our words pharmacy and pharmaceutical.
b. In the Bible it is translated witchcraft 1x \\#Gal 5:20\\
and sorcery 2x \\#Rev 9:21, 18:23\\.
c. It’s root PHAR-MAK-EUS (5332) is translated sorcerer
\\#Rev 21:8\\.
d. Those familiar with the Bible have always know that drug
reliance and drug abuse opens the human spirit up to demon
influence and possession.
4. Likewise, overt, lewd, and perverted sexual acts have always been
a sign of demonic empowerment.
a. All weekend pictures of New York celebrating what their
legislature did on Friday have been plastered over the
internet.
b. It looked like people danced openly in the streets.
c. And the demons of this world smiled….
5. The sad and strange there here is that people still laugh at
preachers who preach that this power will destroy its
practitioners, as well as, the nations that allow it. They do
not even see that the destruction we have preached would come is
happening all around them!
E. We need to see the torment of this child and the children around us
because the only solution is to do what this man did—GET THEM TO
JESUS!
1. We are the disciples in this story.
2. People all around are looking for help and we must be able to point
them to the only One who can help—Jesus.
3. The cure for the violent, the drug and alcohol addicts, the porn
addicts, the perverted, and the tormented is Jesus Christ!
4. Years ago Charles Wesley captures the thought in a hymn entitled
"O for A Thousand Tongues."
He breaks the power of cancelled sin,
He sets the prisoner free.
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.
G. \\#18\\ But what happens if when do our best to get someone to Jesus,
but nothing happens?
1. That is NOT what happened in this account.
2. But I know of some who have done their best to seek Jesus, to move
others to trust Jesus, and what they expected to happen did not.
a. \\#23\\ - Keep on believing!
b. Keep on serving!
c. Keep on working!
3. Sometimes our efforts may fail but we that will not change the
truth—Jesus is the only Hope for those caught in the throws of
Satan’s destruction.
a. I will promise you that if a few we point to Jesus do not
get the deliverance we expect, far more will than will be
helped by anything that this world has to offer.
b. My own perspective is that if there is a failing, it is on
the part of us, the disciples, not on the part of our Savior.
c. Perhaps the battle is greater than we are, but we can grow
in grace and power if we do not quit.
II. The father’s problem \\#Mark 9:21-24\\
A. The only one who hurts more than the tormented ones are the ones who
love the tormented ones.
1. Imagine what this father had endured.
a. Here was a father who was afraid to go to sleep at night for
fear that his son might do himself or another harm while he
was asleep.
b. Here was a father who could not work during the day, wondering
what might be happening to his son.
c. Here was a father who had to stay on guard 24/7 just to keep
his son alive.
d. For every scar that child had on his body, the father bore
the guilt of not watching him closely enough.
2. I do not know the age of his child but it doesn’t really matter.
a. Any loving parent would rather suffer themselves than to see
their child suffer.
b. That does not change with age.
3. I have seen the high toil of guilt and concern take years off the
lives of parents, often, in the end, to only fail for a second
and see death, rage, or murder take their beloved child,
B. How do you help someone like this?
1. Get the parents to Jesus!
2. Here is a case when what is good for the goose is good for the
gander. Both the afflicted and the family of the afflicted need
Jesus.
3. No human being, no matter how motivated by love, can defeat or
fend off a demon.
4. Spiritual power must be defeated by spiritual power and there are
only two powers.
a. There is Satan the afflicter.
b. There is Jesus the Healer, Helper, and Comforter.
C. Jesus has a unique way of comforting hurting people.
1. He cures them.
2. No one who comes to Jesus, surrendering all, will leave
disappointed.
D. By the way, when I say, "Get them to Jesus," I do not mean get them to
church or to religion.
1. I mean get them to Jesus Christ.
a. Once you get a person to Jesus, that person will want to get in
a good, Bible-believing church.
b. However, a church has no power to deliver than those disciples
did.
c. The power is in getting them to Jesus!
2. And how does one get to Jesus? By being saved.
a. By believing that Jesus is the Son of God come in flesh, that
He died on the cross for our sins, was buried according to
the Scriptures, and rose again on the third day.
b. And by turning your life over to Jesus Christ to control and
direct.
3. Jesus is the One and only Solution for those afflicted and
tormented.
III. The disciples’ problem \\#Mark 9:28-29\\
A. The disciples recognized they had a problem - no power!
1. They knew this was not the way they were supposed to be.
2. The disciples of Christ are supposed to have power!
3. At least they had the good sense to go ask Jesus why they did not.
a. That puts them head and shoulders above some of us.
b. Some who are saved today do not know that we are supposed to
have power.
c. And some who do never get around to asking why we don’t.
B. Jesus saw the disciples problem, too.
1. \\#19\\ He rebuked them.
a. Jesus is not calling the crowd a faithless generation.
b. He is calling His disciples faithless.
c. What an awful condemnation, but one I know that I am worthy of
as well.
2. Why the rebuke?
a. Because Jesus was using the Power that He left for them to
use—the same Power that He used—the Holy Spirit.
b. If they had truly been watching, listening, and learning from
Jesus, they would have the Power the same as He!
c. I do not say that it is easy or simple, but I say that God is
still in the helping people business and He is still looking
for those who will pay the price to have the power that He
offers.
C. You might notice that more is required to help others than to be helped
yourself.
1. All Jesus said to the father was "BELIEVE." The father could help
himself by just believing who Jesus was and what Jesus would do.
2. However, to the disciples, who did not have a sickness but wanted
to help those who did, Jesus gave two commands.
a. Much fasting
b. Much prayer
3. Fasting is to refuse this world’s cheap substitutes of what God
offers.
a. The world offers bread for sandwiches. What we need is the
Bread of Life.
b. The world offers security in riches. What we need is security
in Christ.
c. The world offers satisfaction in pleasure. What we need is
satisfaction in God’s presence.
d. The world offers the flesh all it wants. What we need is to
give the spirit what it craves.
e. Fasting is telling the flesh who is boss and then showing it.
4. Praying is to set yourself in earnest fellowship and communion with
God.
a. It is more than just asking for something and then walking away.
b. It is developing an intimate, personal, permanent fellowship
with God.
(1) Don’t expect to flatter God with a 15 minute prayer or
even a few days or weeks of holiness.
(2) God will not fall for it.
(3) God sees the outcome from the beginning and unless you are
going to give it all, He will not hearken unto you.
Folks, the world has had problems since man sinned. We are Christ’s disciples.
We are supposed to be part of the solution. How? By getting those who are
hurting to Jesus and by making ourselves vessels through which His power may flow.
Will you be one of those vessels.
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