Spoken at SGBC
11-24-96
Luke #81
Luke 9:37-45
"Little Faith and No Prayer"
(Luke 9:37-45 NASB)
"And it came about on the next day, (The day after the Transfiguration.) that when they had come down from the mountain, a great multitude met Him. {38} And behold, a man from the multitude shouted out, saying, "Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only boy, {39} and behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams, and it throws him into a convulsion with foaming at the mouth, and as it mauls him, it scarcely leaves him. {40} "And I begged Your disciples to cast it out, and THEY COULD NOT." {41} And Jesus answered and said, "O unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you, and put up with you? Bring your son here." {42} And while he was still approaching, the demon dashed him to the ground, and threw him into a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked (admonished or commanded with great authority) the unclean spirit, and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. {43} And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. But while everyone was marveling at all that He was doing, He said to His disciples, {44} "Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men." {45} But they did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they might not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement."
One common factor presented to us by Matthew, Mark and Luke, all of whom record this event, is the difference between what happened on the mountain and what was going on at it's base. At the top was the glorious sight of Moses, Elijah, and of Christ transfigured. Down below was chaos, sickness, sorrow, and confusion, all caused by sin. So, in a very real sense Christ and the chosen three left a mountain top experience and returned to the reality of a sin cursed world. Christ had taken them to the mountain to get away from the crowds for an uninterrupted time of prayer and worship. They had been blessed and no doubt refreshed, but now they must get back to the work.
It might be a stretch to compare the two but sometimes we set time aside to "get away" from it all. To rest from the day to day grind of physical and spiritual labor. We go somewhere away from the phone, the television and even away from those we love. We do this for both spiritual and physical refreshment but always with intent of returning. We might speak of building a cabin on the sight that pleases us most and offers us insulation from the world but this is not reality. Christians were not put on earth to hide from the battle. We are referred to in the scriptures as soldiers. We are called upon to pick up our tailor made cross and follow after Jesus. We are called upon to separate ourselves from the corruption that is in the world but NOT from the world itself. We must always return to our work and responsibilities. That work is described in a thousand different ways but always consists of fearing God and keeping His commandments in all the situations of life. In this way we evangelize our individual worlds. In this way we fight the good fight and run a good race. You see, the Christian must be a realist, not a dreamer. Life does not consist of a gentle pine scented breeze, seventy degree temperatures and, twenty inch trout, not every day at least. That is the sort of thing we call a vacation, a time of refreshment for the express purpose of coming down off the mountain to get back to work. Jesus would not let Peter build shelters for them to stay in, they had work to do.
It was the day after the transfiguration. Jesus, accompanied by Peter, James, and John, have completed their descent from the mountain. The four are met by a large crowd.
(Luke 9:38-39 NASB) "And behold, a man from the multitude shouted out, saying, "Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my ONLY boy, {39} and behold, A SPIRIT SEIZES HIM, and he suddenly screams, and it throws him into a convulsion with foaming at the mouth, and as it mauls him, it scarcely leaves him." (That is, the spirit rarely leaves him.)
From the midst of this great crowd steps a desperate father. He knows who Jesus is, he has heard of and perhaps has seen the miracles He performed. He begs our Lord to help his son, his only son, for he is Demon possessed. The symptoms were those of Epilepsy a disease which the boy may have had all his life but which was aggravated by and used by this Demon to torture the boy and his family.
This child was a demon's captive. He was so to such an extent that his life was in danger. For the demon would cause seizures at just the right time to make the boy to fall into fire and water. We learn from Mark's record that the boy was also a deaf-mute, a result of the possession. How long this had been going on we do not know. What we do know is that the father had set out to find Jesus, his last hope. What he found was nine of Christ' disciples who, to their surprise, could not cast out the Demon. The distressed Father says to Christ ". . . I begged your disciples to cast it out, and they COULD NOT." (Luke 9:40)
A question comes to mind, especially to those of us who have been working our way through Luke's Gospel. The question is this, "Are not these the same men gifted by Christ for healing and dealing with Demons? The answer is yes they are.
(Luke 9:1-2 NASB) "And He called the twelve together, and gave them POWER and authority OVER ALL THE DEMONS, and to HEAL DISEASES. {2} And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God, and to perform healing."
Why is it then that these gifted men were not able to cast out this Demon and heal this boy? Luke doesn't get into that part of the story but Matthew and Mark do. Each of them provide part of the answer. Let's look both Matthew and Mark.
(Matthew 17:19-20 NASB) "Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" {20} And He said to them, "Because of the LITTLENESS OF YOUR FAITH; for truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you." Mark provides the rest of the story.
(Mark 9:28-29 NASB) "And when He had come into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" {29} And He said to them, "This kind cannot come out by anything but PRAYER."
The Disciples failed on two counts. One, their faith was weak and two, they failed to pray for God's intervention. Fact is, the two problems are really one for prayerlessness is a symptom of little faith.
Real faith, says Jesus, is like a mustard seed. The seed itself is tiny and completely impotent on its own. However, when it is planted and remains in uninterrupted contact with the soil, water and nutrients necessary for growth it becomes a great tree. Remove the seed from the soil at any point in time and it will never produce fruit.
The same can be said of faith. Weak, or little faith will remain so until it is brought into close and constant contact with that which nourishes and makes it grow. That soil is made up of many things not the least of which is the word of God. The Bible declares that, "Faith comes by hearing, and applying the word of God?" So, God's word is a factor both in the birth of faith and in it growth as well. Then there is fellowship with God and His Christ. They nourish us as we fellowship with them through the study and application of the word of God and through prayer. We must also stay in fellowship with the visible Church which is the major means of grace to God's children. This is the soil in which little faith becomes great faith. We must stay in constant contact with these sources of life and growth or we will find ourselves powerless to live like Christians. Powerless over the evil within and around us, unable to cope with the hardships and sorrows of life. The scriptures speak of this need to abide in the means of grace which is, in the final analysis, Christ the Lord.
(John 15:4-5 NASB) "ABIDE in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it ABIDES in the vine, (The vine is the source of nourishment, growth and strength for the branch.) so neither can you, (Bear fruit.) unless you ABIDE in Me. {5} "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for APART FROM ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING."
Little faith has no hope of growing if it is not planted in the soil that is constant fellowship with God and His Christ by use of all the means of grace.
One of the proofs that faith exists is prayer. One will not pray if he or she does not have confidence in the one he prays too. Prayer is the child of faith and is evidence that faith exists. Prayer is the weak crying out to the powerful for intervention and help. It can rightly be said that the Christian who does not pray all the time about everything is a person with little faith in God and little respect for His word. For in His word He commands us to pray. Then He promises to meet our needs through the prayer He commands. He promises to relieve our anxieties through prayer. He promises to accomplish His will on earth through prayer. He tells His children to pray at all times for all things without ceasing and to do so forever, (see the Lord's Prayer). Therefore, the one who does not pray all the time about everything is a person who has little or no faith in what God has said, commanded and promised. Prayerlessness reveals faithlessness. It also indicates the presence of pride and self confidence as opposed to complete reliance on God and Christ for every need.
Great faith is evidenced by much and persistent prayer, which is something God promises to honor and answer.
(Matthew 7:7-11 NASB) "Ask, (Pray) and it shall be given to you; seek, (Continue to pray.) and you shall find; knock, (Keep praying.) and it shall be opened to you. {8} "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened. {9} "Or what man is there among you, when HIS SON shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone? {10} "Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? {11} "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask (or. . pray to) Him!" All three words, "Ask, Seek and Knock" are imperatives and they are in the present tense. This means that we must "Ask, Seek, and Knock and we must continue to do so without end so long as we live.
The Disciples were gifted in ways that men today are not. Nevertheless they were required to lean by faith and prayer on God through Christ for the exercise of their unique gifts. The moment they failed to do so they failed to live up to their calling. Little faith evidenced by prayerlessness resulted in these men being of no use to those around them and it resulted in personal confusion. Brother and Sisters, we must take what faith we have and plant it in the fertile soil of truth, fellowship with God and fellowship and with His people in the assembly. Then we must water that faith with ceaseless prayer. In this way faith will grow and mature. In this way we will discover that nothing God demands of us will be impossible so long as we walk by faith and not by sight. Or to put it another way, so long as we lean on Him and not upon ourselves.
To the anxious man's report of the Disciples failure Jesus replies.
(Luke 9:41-42) "And Jesus answered and said, "O unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you, and put up with you? Bring your son here." {42} and while he was still approaching, the demon dashed him to the ground, and threw him into a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father."
At this point in time Jesus' ministry had lasted almost three years. I think we might hear a note of frustration in His voice, a bit of longing perhaps to go, by way of the cross, back to glory. To heaven where sin cannot molest, where all is peace and joy and rest. "How long shall I be with You", He asks? Not long for the cross is close by. "How long shall I put up with you?" Well, one more time at least for He says, "Bring the boy to me!" If we do see frustration here. If that emotion was experienced by our Savior we also see it overcome by mercy. In mercy He calls the weak and unbelieving to Himself to meet their needs, to heal their bodies and souls. The man did come bringing his son and, he came praying.
(Mark 9:22-27 NASB) "And it has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But IF YOU CAN DO ANYTHING, TAKE PITY ON US AND HELP US!" (This is a prayer if there ever was one.) {23} And Jesus said to him, 'IF YOU CAN!' All things are possible to him who believes." (Of course of Lord had perfect faith in His Father's capability and willingness to heal both physically and spiritually.) {24} Immediately the boy's father cried out and began saying, "I DO BELIEVE; (as best I can. . .) HELP MY UNBELIEF."
All things God commands his children are possible for them to be or do if they have faith. Even little faith will do if that faith abides in the God and Savior of our souls. There it will grow, mature and become strong. However, we can always legitimately pray, "I do believe but not perfectly as I should, Lord, help my unbelief." This is asking, seeking, and knocking and it will not go unheard or unanswered.
{25} And when Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again." {26} And after crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, "He is dead!" {27} But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up." Luke adds that Jesus returned the boy to his father.
(Luke 9:43 NASB) "And they were all amazed at the GREATNESS OF GOD. . . . "
All amazed, but not all saved! Have you ever heard someone say "I wish God would do something big or amazing, or miraculous in this persons life, surely then he would be saved". I've heard such things many times and said them myself before I knew better. The truth is, a person might be amazed and captivated by a shocking or miraculous event but no one has ever been saved by them. This is because men are not saved by the persuasion of their wills. Men are not saved by some external influence which causes them to feel this way or that. Rather, they are saved by a internal miracle of grace whereby God gives them a new heart and therefore renews their wills. The Bible tells us that the most amazing external influence cannot change the heart of the unbeliever, even one coming back from the dead. Look with me to Luke chapter sixteen beginning with verse twenty four. The person speaking is an unbelieving rich man who has died and gone to hell.
(Luke 16:24-31 NASB) "And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, (Lazarus was a poor man who had "hoisted his anchor and sailed to heavens port." He had died.) that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.' {25} "But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. {26} 'And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, in order that those who wish to come over from here to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.' {27} "And he said, 'Then I beg you, Father, that you SEND HIM TO MY FATHER'S HOUSE-- {28} for I have five brothers-- (Who are also unbelievers.) that he may warn them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' {29} "But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' {30} "But he said, 'No, Father Abraham, but IF SOMEONE GOES TO THEM FROM THE DEAD, THEY WILL REPENT!' {31} "But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, NEITHER WILL THEY BE PERSUADED IF SOMEONE RISES FROM THE DEAD."
Salvation is not accomplished by that which we see, feel and experience be they ordinary or miraculous experiences. Salvation comes from the inside out. It is caused by God giving a person a new heart, new eyes, new ears, and a new mind. With these he understands for the first time his sin against the Holy God. For the first time he believes that in the judgement he will condemned to hell and rightly so. Then he is caused to hear and understand the Gospel, the Good news that Jesus saves sinners like himself when they come to Him by faith. This understanding creates in him new desires that redirect the will. This man turns away from sin to trust in Christ for salvation from the wrath to come.
There were many who followed Christ for the side show, for the miraculous but they were not converted because of what they saw. They were not converted because they were amazed. If they were saved, and some were, they were saved by grace through the exercise of faith in Christ as the only Savior of their souls. All of the truly believing are amazed at the power of God but not all who are amazed are true believers.
The lessons of the day are these:
1. Faith will grow and mature but ONLY if it is planted in good, nutrient rich, soil. That soil consists of the word of God. It has as a major ingredient fellowship with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and with the Saints in the assembly of the Church. It has mixed within it ceaseless prayer. Little faith that is planted to the garden called, "The Means of Grace", will grow and enable the Christian to live like he wants to live.
2. Secondly we have learned to turn to Christ precisely because our faith is small and weak. The anxious Dad prayed, "Lord I believe, help my unbelief". We would do well to follow his example.
3. We have been reminded that salvation is entirely the work of God. It does not depend upon the manipulation of a mans emotions or will by something shocking or miraculous but upon an internal miracle of grace. Therefore, we must be much in prayer for the salvation of God's lost sheep for it is "not of him who wills or of him who runs but of God show shows mercy." Let us bow together and pray for God's mercy.