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Help my unbelief
Text: Matthew 17:14-21
It’s amazing how selective we can be when it comes to what we believe in God’s words and believe about God.
Chronic spirit of psychological torment
- Duration of this psychological torment
- This trouble with his son has gone on for a long time. This son is not a boy anymore, he’s a young man at least.
- Parents probably tried many things.
- Dreading the next attack and exhausted from seeking remedies.
- Destructive nature of this psychological torment
- The young man is suicidal. He keeps trying to burn himself and drown himself.
- The world may diagnose him as depressed, manic, suicidal.
- Devils love the destruction of the flesh for no other purpose than the destruction of the flesh. I say this to make a distinction from the destruction of the flesh as a Christian to die daily for the purpose of serving God, versus the destruction of the flesh for the mere sake of the destruction of the flesh.
- Devils’ diet is death, fear, pain, and torment in a human body. (1 Corinthians 5, Turn him over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh. Then the devil argued about the dead body of Moses.)
- Deaf and Dumb characteristics of this psychological torment
- In Mark 9:17 you learn the unclean spirit is dumb meaning it doesn’t speak. So further diagnosis might be that he’s autistic. He doesn’t communicate.
- Then when Jesus casts the spirit out in Mark 9:25, He says it is deaf as well as dumb. That can be very frustrating to family and friends trying to communicate because people think they’re being ignored when they’re talking to someone who can’t hear. They’re not being ignored; the person can’t hear them.
- A devil is the source of this psychological torment
- Lunatick is the dad’s word for his son, meaning he is mentally ill.
- The LORD identifies it as a devil.
- There are physical problems that the LORD addressed in people but this is not one of them. This is psychological torment.
- Things characterized as psychological torment like suicidal thoughts, or depressions, or paralyzing fears, the Bible calls that an evil spirit or an unclean spirit.
- Deliverance from this psychological torment
- By Christ a devil possessed man goes from mentally tormented to clothed, seated, and in his right mind (Mark 5:15)
- Sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7), Renew your mind (Romans 12:3), We have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), Let this mind be in you (Philippians 2:5), Be not soon shaken in mind (2 Thessalonians 2:2), Sober minded (Titus 2:6), Gird the loins of your mind (1 Peter 1:13), Armed with the mind of Christ (1 Peter 4:1), Ready mind (1 Peter 5:2)
- So you may not have access to a glorified body, but you do have access to a glorified mind.
- HELP MY UNBELIEF
Christ’s frustration with the faithless
- Frustrated with the dad in verse 17
- Frustrated with the disciples in verse 20
- Yet again I’m convicted when I read the scriptures. These disciples have given up their lives to follow the LORD, yet the LORD is frustrated with their lack of faith?! How unconvinced He must be of what we call faith!
- Frustrated with the damage unbelief causes people
- Unbelief is perversion in verse 17.
- Unbelief is powerless Christianity in verses 19-20.
- Powerless to speak when you need to speak about the LORD.
- Powerless to be kind when you should be kind.
- Powerless to give when you could be generous.
- Powerless to help when you should be able to help.
- Powerless to control your mouth.
- Powerless to control your spirit and your temper.
- HELP MY UNBELIEF
- Next time you’re tempted you ought to remember how frustrated God is with unbelief. It says the LORD marveled at unbelief.
- You have a verse in Hebrews 11 that says without faith it is impossible to please God. In these verses God is frustrated with faithless people.
Characteristics of belief
- Mustard seed like faith to move mountains shows the point is it’s not the size of the task, it’s the size of the faith. The LORD says to the disciples I sent you out with power over devils and had I sent you out with a commandment to move mountains you could’ve done that too. The issue is never the task, it is the faith.
- Moving mountains is not a general promise to every soul. The comment about moving mountains is about the disciples commission by the LORD.
- God’s power is the easy part, but finding faithful people is tough. Hence the LORD’s frustration.
- Jesus says to the disciples, Look, if I had sent you out to move mountains instead of cast out devils then moving mountains wouldn’t be a problem. All you have to do is trust what I say. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. The issue isn’t the size of the task, it’s the size of the faith.
- What that means to you is you can do anything God told you to do. The breakdown is unbelief and leaning on your own understanding..
- You don’t have a biological excuse for anger or drunkenness.
- You don’t have a family excuse for hatred and wrath.
- You don’t have a medical excuse for joylessness or hopelessness.
- You don’t have a financial excuse for lack of service to God.
- You don’t have a work excuse for abandoning God in a local church.
- You don’t have an education excuse for ignoring God to serve your own causes.
- People want to know about faith that moves mountains won’t even move you to be kind to someone you don’t want to be kind to. Moving mountains? Are you kidding? Whatever you’re calling faith won’t even move a dollar out of your wallet to contribute to God’s work even though you get fed breakfast every Sunday morning. Moving mountains? How about moving your mouth for the LORD instead of complaining and gossipping?
- HELP MY UNBELIEF
- Faith is a powerful life of keeping the words of God and living out eternal life. Jesus said nothing shall be impossible to you, specifically, nothing I tell you to do is impossible.
- Matthew 19:23-26 – trusting God is the hard part when the world looks so trustworthy.
Charge to an unbelieving parent
- Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. (vs 21)
- In Mark 9:21 Jesus asks the dad how long has this been going on? This highlights a faithless generation. Since this kind comes out by prayer and fasting, it means mom and dad have pursued every other option to help their son except trying to get a hold of God through prayer and fasting.
- 2 Chronicles 16:11-12
- Rather have a pill than get right with God
- Say the word of God is true, but will consult a doctor before seeing what God says about it?
- What does God say about depression?
- What does God say about addictions?
- What does God say about heart trouble?
- What does God say about headaches?
- What does God say about paying attention?
- While God may say, Take medicine, our first course of action really reveals who we trust.
- Remember what the dad said here? “Your disciples wouldn’t help me.” Well, a little faith on your part would’ve solved this problem.
- You learn that belief would’ve been manifest in dad’s life as prayer and fasting.
- But dad does end up with the right answer; help my unbelief! (Mark 9:14-29)
