Hello, and welcome to another edition of the Weekend Sermon. I am glad to be with you once again this week.
This week, I would like to ask everyone to pray for Hong Kong. Hong Kong does have a substantial Christian population. In fact, I had a piece of devotional writing published in Hong Kong. However, Christianity is a minority religion in Hong Kong. Let us all pray for an outpouring of the Gospel in this area.
Today, we continue with our series of messages concerning the miracles of Jesus. At the beginning of Mark 9, Jesus went up on a mountain accompanied by Peter, James and John. While Jesus was on the mountain, He was transfigured before them. Jesus clothes became exceedingly white, and both Moses and Elijah came and talked with Jesus on the mountain. Later, a cloud descended and a voice came from the cloud saying, "This is my beloved Son. Hear Him!"
After the events that transpired during the transfiguration, Jesus came down from the mountain with His three disciples. Jesus found a great multitude of people gathered around the other nine disciples. There was a man who had brought his son to be healed. The boy was seized by a spirit and thrown to the ground. The boy's father asked Jesus' disciples to heal his son. However, the nine disciples that Jesus left behind were not able to bring deliverance for the boy.
This exasperated Jesus. He said, "Faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?"
Jesus asked that the boy be brought to Him and said, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." The father replied, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief."
Jesus commanded the spirit to depart, and the boy was made whole.
Later, the disciples asked Jesus why they were unable to bring about deliverance for the boy. Jesus said that this was possible only through prayer and fasting.
I find a lot of meaning in this miracle of Jesus. First of all, this miracle teaches me not to think too highly of myself. Look at the disciples. These nine men were among Jesus' closest followers, yet they were not able to cast out the spirit. Their position did not mean that they were as close to the Lord as they needed to be. They were relying on their own strength and reputation to perform good deeds, and they were not placing their total reliance on the Lord.
Sometimes, I get full of spiritual pride. I think that since I have been a Christian for a long time and that I have been to seminary that I am a really good Christian. I need to realize that I am nothing apart from Jesus. He is the source of my salvation and strength. Without Him, I can do nothing and I am nothing. All things are possible only through the grace of the Lord Jesus.
This miracle also teaches me something about Jesus. It shows not only Jesus' divinity, it demonstrates His true humanity. Jesus often became frustrated at His followers and the people that He dealt with. It is easy to see why. Jesus experienced what it was truly like to be a human. However, Jesus was without sin. Because Jesus experienced what we experience, He is able to show us great compassion in our weaknesses and our infirmities. He understands what we are going through and how hard it is to make it through life. Jesus is able to help us and guide us because He had been in the same situations that we are in. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.
I also learn about faith from this miracle account. Jesus told the boy's father to believe. The father asked Jesus to help his unbelief. We need to have faith and believe that Jesus will do what He said He will do. At the same time, we must realize that we need Jesus. We do not have the strength within ourselves to even believe. Faith is a gift from the Lord. In fact, we can not even work up enough faith to believe in Jesus for salvation. Faith comes to us by the unmerited favor of the Lord.
If we are struggling to trust the Lord for deliverance from a problem, or if we are asking for something in prayer, we need to ask the Lord for the gift of faith to believe in the wonder working power of the Lord.
Finally, this miracle teaches the importance of the spiritual disciplines of prayer and fasting. Prayer is vital. Is the means by which we communicate with the Lord. It involves the aspects of both listening and speaking. So often we forget about the listening part. We need to spend time just listening to let the Lord speak to our hearts.
Fasting is also important. It is a time of self-denial when we are to turn our attention away from the temporal things of life and focus on the eternal things which do not pass away. It is an important time of communication with the Lord.
Let each of us believe in the Lord. Let us pray and fast and stay in fellowship with our risen Savior.
On Wednesday, I will try to post a book review. I am working long hours, so it may not be until Thursday that I post a review. I will post the sermon on either Friday or Saturday. May God bless you. Amen.
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