Bible Guys Classics: Mark 9:14–29

You're listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a

couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun, in

practical ways. Hey, everybody, welcome to the Bible Guys.

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My name is Chris and this is Jeff and we

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And we're gonna do the best we can. We're not

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have this week.

Let's get ready.

We're going to do the best we can on this.

Wee all right, all right. We are in the middle

of a series about dangerous prayers, and today it is

faith doubt and the Dad who prayed both. How about that.

That's a good that's a good title. That'll preach man.

But before we get through that, we have all segment.

The most important segment of our show every time. Our

fans love it more than anything else. We did one

last week. Yeah, we're gonna do it again.

It's pretty crazy.

What made Chris mad this week? And for longtime listeners,

if you don't know, Chris isn't just a man raging

all day every day. No, Chris is a man who

finds himself offended on behalf of all of the rest

of humanity, yes, for the poor performance of others.

And so with that being in the back of our.

Minds, Well, that's assuming that I'm mad at a person. Okay, okay,

So because I sometimes I get mad at things and

today is actually not, I'm not mad at a person.

Well, you might be.

Tempted to say that I'm mad at I'm just mad

at the way that things are. Somebody might say, well,

wait a minute, maybe are you mad at God? No,

I'm not mad at God today, and am I mad

at mankind? I don't think I'm mad at mankind. I

think I'm just mad that the dynamics that I'm about

to complain about just exist.

Oh okay, so this is a this is your negative

side of Jerry Seinfeld's.

What's up with that? Yeah, that's right, Okay, that's right.

Okay.

I am angry that the human body is so fragile

and that the smallest thing can take you down. Think

about it, so, you know, think about your entire body

and a splinter. Yes, a single splinter can take you down.

Right, it can hurt. It doesn't take me down, but

it aggravates you.

It can depending on the splinter aggravates you. But it

definitely aggravates you, right, and it'll it'll, it'll put you out, it'll, it'll,

it'll prevent you from doing everything that you want to do.

And uh, and so the human body. Think about how

many things that mankind has invented that can kill the

human Oh yeah, right, it is so easy.

We are on a razor's edge of life all the time,

all the time.

Every time we get in our car, on the razor's

edge of life. Yes, there are things.

We're hurtling down the road at seventy miles an hour

in a in a mollow metal box, right.

Yes, and and and so think about how many things

can cut you even I mean just the skin is

so I could get hurt. Now, fall off off.

Bite your own tongue with your own teeth.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, you feel like you've been shot, right,

don't you. You bite your own tongue, and you can't

for just a split second, can't figure out what just happened?

Yeah, right, what just happened?

Right? Right?

Yeah?

The human body is so fragile. This is it, that's right.

So that's the reason why I'm saying, like I'm not

mad at God for making us fragile. So it's I

don't think. I don't think my anger is at God,

and I don't think I'm also mad at mankind for

inventing vehicles and metal things that can slice the right right,

you know, like but like I said, like if I

had an accident and and this, uh, this this chair

on wheels where to just flip, I can have a concussion, right,

And it's like it's like if I hit my head

on the stage.

So it's like, so, what is the current fragility that you're.

I cracked a molar?

You cracked? I think, I think so. I think so,

But it's hurting.

It's hurting, and I think, uh, and so what happens

is I've actually cracked. I think I grind my teeth.

In fact, I know I do, and the doctor gave

me one of those things that I don't wear, and

it's my fault.

But I've cracked lost everybody that the doctors have given

those two don't wear them.

Yeah, I know it's really difficult for me to sleep.

I know I can get used to it. But the

uh so, I've cracked two molars in the past, and

and so I know the pain of cracking a molar

and then you know, of course it's just removal extraction,

and then you have to get implants and it's a

big deal.

Right.

But I think I cracked my third molar, uh just

yesterday because I was eating something and and I and

I hit it and I heard like a and I

felt a tremendous amount of pain. I thought, I think

it's a hairline fracture because it doesn't hurt as bad

today because because some other ones were actually like wide open,

loose kind of tooth. But anyway, but I'm thinking to myself,

ge whiz, like how many nerve endings are in your mouth?

And it's like just a toothache can just like kill somebody.

I know.

The question I'm gonna ask want to get to heaven

is why the nerve endings in our teeth?

Right right?

That feels like a bad idea to me. Some some

angel is up there going watch this. He's in there.

He's got his big thick glasses on. You know those

guys that work on micro chips and stuff.

He's got those big guy fix and story. He's watch

this and he's just wiring every tooth.

Yeah right, they touched that one baby, they're just gonna

go off with because that's the other one is no toothache.

And suddenly like you feel like again you got shot

in the face, right right. You can't figure out what

happened man?

Yeah?

Yeah, although, were you implying that angels made mankind?

Designing? Yeah?

Designing?

What if what if God delegated a bunch of the

design stuff?

Oh delegation?

Yeah, yeah, so he's delegating all these all right, guys,

I want you to design teeth and I want you

to design what.

Doesn't it say that God formed man from the dust

of the ground. Yeah, so you think that it was

a complex, long.

Design, well, like uh, like the Renaissance painter. In the

Renaissance sculptors would have teams of people. They would design things,

and then teams of people would help make the models

before they actually went and made the thing, because they

only have one shot at that chunk of marble. So

they practice on all these on all these on all

these these these other things.

So maybe maybe I don't know.

It's it's like, it reminds me of.

It wouldn't diminish God that if he used others to

It reminds you would it would it would it was

the perfect creator.

Yeah, I was just gonna say, I was gonna say,

I was gonna say, like you picture you picture painted

a picture of like do you ever see endgame game? Yes,

Marbles game, Yeah, where where Vision is up in Wakanda

and they're trying to remove the mindstone from him and

and and uh and so all those lights show everything

and she's like, brother, there's a trill, there's at least

a trillion connections, and she's removing every wire by by

by hand. That these are the nerve endings in our teeth.

Right, that's exactly right. It'd be terrible, so any terrible terrible. Yeh.

So I am angry at the fact that the human

body is actually no match for almost everything that exists.

We are the most fragile thing ever, and I you

know what, I'm angry about it.

You're angry about it.

I'm angry.

Well, thank you, Chris, right now, I'm angry for my tooth.

You're showing compassion, yeah, in a way, yes, showing compassion

to all of humanity for our fragility.

Yes, I wish we were like, you know, like more

resilient and we had like an armor that could resist

so many things, and.

Yet we are resilient. That's what's weird. People live through

the most bizarre things and you die from the weirdest things.

It's true, It's it's weird.

But anyways, well, thank you Chris for that. You want

to talk about a struggle and resilience. This guy in

Mark chapter in Mark chapter nine. We've talked about this

passage a couple of times. It's one of my favorite

passages in the Bible, of interactions of humans.

With Jesus, you know, people with Jesus.

You know what, though, I'm actually convinced that every passage

is one of your favorites.

But this one is.

This one is particularly I'm fond of because of the idea,

the idea, do.

You know what I'm introduced here? You know why I

say that of this Why because I say it all

the time.

Well, yes, but even more so when you say it.

I tried to take note of it. So I'm like, oh,

he likes this one. And then I'll be like, well, okay,

I remember your favorite passage, and then you'll say it again.

I'm like, oh, he likes these two, And now I'm like, oh.

He likes these thirty three thousand verses.

Yeah, I'm like, I just I'm this is this is

one of my favorite I use this a lot when

I'm sharing the gospel. Yeah, because people struggle with how

much faith is enough faith?

Yeah yeah, yeah.

So today the idea is faith doubt and the Dad

who prayed both.

So here's what it says.

In Mark, chapter nine, verse fourteen says when they returned

to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them,

and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them.

And when the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with

awe and they ran to greet him. What is all

this arguing about, Jesus asked, Am I the right spot?

I am, Yeah, You're in the right spot.

Yeah.

One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, teacher,

I brought my son so you could heal him. He's

possessed by an evil spirit that won't let him talk.

And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently

to the ground, and then he foams at the mouth

and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. And so I

asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit. But

they couldn't do it. Jesus said to them, you faithless people,

how long must I be with you? How long must

I put up with you? Bring the boy to me?

And so they brought the boy. But when the evil

spirit saw Jesus, that threw the child into a violent convulsion,

and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at

the mouth. How long has this been happening, Jesus asked

the boy's father. He replied, since he was a little boy.

The spirit often throws him into the fire into water,

trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help

us if you can. What do you mean if I can,

Jesus asked, Anything is possible if a person believes. The

father instantly cried out, I do believe. But helped me

overcome my unbelief. And when Jesus saw that the crowd

of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. Listen,

you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak.

He said, I command you to come out of this

child and never again enter him. Then the spirit screamed

and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him,

and the boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran

through the crowd as people said, he's dead, But Jesus

took him by the hand and helped him to his feet,

and he stood up. Afterward, when Jesus was alone in

the house with his disciples, they asked him, why couldn't

we cast out that evil spirit? And Jesus replied, this

kind can be cast out only by prayer. Remember when

we talked about this a while ago. Yes, only by prayer, prayer, fasting.

Yeah, and guess what you did, the same thing that

you did before. When you read it, do you know

what I'm about to say? No, When you read it's

so funny. When you read this verse, you it says, so,

here's what the verse says. It says, the boy appeared

to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd, as

the people said, he's dead, but Jesus took him by

the hand and helped him on his feet feet, and

he stood up. And here's how you read it. You said,

the boy appeared to be dead, a murmur ran through

the crowd, and the people said he's dead. So Jesus

took him by the hand.

And I was like, I was like, so I didn't

realize that.

I know, And you didn't realize it last time.

The story, Man, this is good story.

You're right there with it. Man, it says, it says,

it's a murmur right, He's dead. Pass it on.

When you're reading, do you do you see the story?

Oh? Are you kidding me? Did you even ask me that?

I see everything?

Right?

My mind's eye just goes to everything, every reaction, every

facial expression. Which is why I see life as a movie. Right.

I see zoom in's, I hear scores. I hear scores

underneath the story.

When when I watch movies on the screen, I like them.

But when I watch a movie on the screenel like

I'm sitting outside of this really cool story. I feel

like I'm in a theater. I don't feel like I'm

in the movie.

Are you kidding me?

But when I read, that's the opposite of me. When

I read, I feel like I'm in the story.

You know what, Probably it's because I grew up that

to you, I was going to say, probably go to

movies when I was a kid.

And you know what, we could all go to the

counselor and he could probably explain this, right, the part

of the brain or the developmental years and and all

that stuff. You're what is that hippocampus whatever is that called?

But anyway, but it's a it really is it. I

learned about this in counseling a long time ago when

we talked about the strength of your experiences during those

formative years, especially in your brain and U and I

will bet you that it's just that your experience was

such because you know, the bottom mine is. I also

think that way about books, right, because you know, you

read a good book, and especially if it's like nonfiction or.

You were a big comic book guy, so you're reading

books with pictures.

Yeah, I say those are visuals, right, yeah, so those,

you know, didn't require my imagination as much.

You still had to read it though, if you're going

to take in the story, yeah, for sure read it.

And certainly well, I mean I read books too, but

the ratio between movies and reading for me as a

kid was like one hundred to one, right, I mean

it was always.

More me too, but it was the other way around, right.

Exactly, That's what I'm saying. And so I'm saying, I

bet you it's just that's what your brain it was

developed that way, because I can't imagine being in a

really great movie and not feeling like you're in the movie.

When my dad died, he left me his entire Louis Lamore, Yeah,

Cowboy book collection. It's one hundred and ten novels or

something like that.

He had the whole set.

And so I've just started at the beginning of the

second series I started. So I've always got one of

my nightstand I'll read for a little bit, for a

little bit, And yeah, it's amazing because I grew up

reading all that stuff, you know, and you just imagine

in your head, you know. Also, that's what happened on

that story. Yeah, that's what I was, just in the

middle of the story, in the moment.

Yeah, well in the uh. And by the way, that

probably explains a lot about even the art that we

talk about, right, we talk about videos and all these

kinds of things. Whereas I always find myself in the story,

which is why I cry, right, I could. I could

watch a thirty second clip and be completely immersed. I

am in that clip and I will literally cry based

on the emotion that's being conveyed, and I think, Wow,

they did their job right, they drew me in. I

was I was feeling everything that that person was feeling.

And that's I get caught up in it because.

I'll tear up on occasion. Sure, sure that that'll happen,

but it's not. I don't throw myself at a movie.

Most of the time.

When I approach a movie, I approach it like I'm

sitting in a theater and it's.

On the screen.

Yeah, well, I cried during Aspirin commercials.

So yeah, so anyways, Hey, let's cry about this guy's son.

Yeah for sure, probably get to that part.

Yeah, right, so so you know this guy we again,

we just talked. It feels like we just talked about it, right,

But I love how Jesus is asking questions like, what

is this all? What is this arguing about? Now? I

think Jesus knew what the arguing was about, right, I

believe that he knew.

This feels more like a parent walk in the room.

What's going on in here? That's what it feels like.

Right, right, right, right? And and he says, you faithless people,

how long must I be with you? How long lest

I put up with you? Bring the board to me?

That that is amazing. How Jesus responds to the fact

that the disciples couldn't cast out the evil spirit, right,

because Jesus has told them time and time again. We

didn't talk about this last time, but Jesus has told

them time and time again, if you have the faith

of a mustard seed, you can move mountains, You could

do great things, right, you can? You can? And he

says you faithless people. Now, do you think he was

talking to disciples or do you think he was talking

to the people.

Bring the boy to him disciples?

Yeah? I think so too.

Yeah, I think that he's talking to the disciples. Yeah.

And that's interesting, isn't it. So think about that because

we didn't camp on this last time. So when Jesus

tells us to believe and have trust, don't you think

that that applies to for instance, let's just say somebody

is having a hard time giving financially, right, yes, and

yet they have seen God provide in the past. Don't

you think that Jesus would show up and say, you

faithless people, how much more do I have to do

in your life to prove that I'm going to take

care of you?

Right? Yeah? I good point, you know what I mean?

Yes, I think sometimes we try to rely on Yesterday's

victories and think, well, I was ready for that battle before, so.

I'm ready for all battles forever now.

Because the Disciples two pages before cast out demons in

chapter six, So they did cast out demons before. Now

they can't cast this demon out. So I think sometimes

we're a tempted to think that religious experience took me

to a new level, and now that's my permanent level.

And if we're not constantly maintaining and building, we don't

stay where we're at spiritually. We slide back. And in

the Baptist world we are backsliders, right right, So you

automatically slide back from where you were at sparsely with God,

if you're not actively leaning in and moving towards him,

you don't just maintain. This is true in relationships too.

It's true in your marriage. Your marriage does not go stagnant.

Your marriage goes backwards if you're not moving forward. Sure, right,

in most things, it's not just a flatline.

You achieve a level, and now that's the new level.

You slip backwards.

And so the Disciples we're out casting out demons and

sharing the gospel in chapter six and now here in

chapter nine they can't cast out this demon. So sometimes

you can rely on a previous experience in your life,

a previous mountaintop moment, and think you're still that guy.

Remember when Samson got up and shook himself off, was ready,

and then found out he didn't have any.

Power, right, Right?

He didn't even know the powered left him, right.

I didn't know the powered left him.

I think this is kind of maybe what happened with

the disciples is this is the big lesson that they

learned that if you are going to maintain spiritual power,

if you're going to have spiritual power, you have.

To maintain it.

And that's why Jesus said, you guys haven't been praying

and fasting, have you. That's essentially what he's saying.

So one of my best friends for the past twenty

years is Dave Wilson who's on our staff. And David

Ann have a very famous saying, and they say, either

in your marriage, because you said it's like a marriage,

either you're working toward oneness and if you're not working

toward oneness, you're drifting toward isolation.

That's true.

Isn't that great? It's a great concept for a marriage.

Either you're working or drifting. I like the intentionality of

the words working versus drifting. Right, it's almost coincides with

your sliding back illustration. That's slighting thing.

Right.

So either you're working toward you know, and some preacher

I've heard of, some preachers I've heard say when Jesus

has follow me, Jesus walks, and so when you stop,

there's a greater distance between you and God. Right, So

either you're actively pursuing him and you're actively following him,

or if you just stop and you become stagnant, then

you're gonna you're going to be further away. Right, Because

God's actively moving, God's on mission, right, we have to

join him and follow him in life. So that's just great.

So I love the fact that this father had had

the sense maybe it was desperation, and many of us,

I think, come to Jesus out of desperation. But he

came hoping maybe Jesus can do something. And then he

says if you can, which on one side means maybe

you can't.

Right.

But the effort it would take to to bring your deaf,

mute son who throws himself violently and is just out

of control, the effort it would take to get him

out of the house, bringing through the town find Jesus.

That's a very substantial amount of work. Anybody who's had

to deal with people who are out of unable to

control themselves, you know how difficult that is to manage.

And so he believed that Jess enough that he was

willing to take the chance. And then Jesus goes, what

do you mean if I can? It's the coolest phrase.

I always think of it, almost a cowboy kind of

a kind of a thing. It's almost it almost feels

like a double dog dare to Jesus, what do you

mean if I can't? Of course I can. But he says,

everything is possible if you believe. And this is why

I think that the guy had had a significant amount

of belief. He says, I do believe.

What do you think I was.

Doing all morning? I got him clothed, I've got him

calmed down, I got him through the crowd and all

the way to you, and all of a sudden, the

demons take over again. I'm trying to get some help

from you, guys. I believe enough to come here and ask.

And he says, but then help my unbelief, I don't know.

I think I've almost given up.

Yeah, I have doubts.

Yeah, well, it sounds to me like he's saying, I

think I've almost completely given up. If you can't do it,

nobody can do it. I've just about given up. So

he's willing to admit that he's he has some doubts,

He's willing to admit that he's at the end of

his rope, he said, willing to admit that I have

nowhere else to turn. So this is why I'm here, Jesus,

what are you talking about? And I think most of

us feel like if we came to God that way, God,

I have nowhere else to turn. I'm but ready to

give up. I don't even I hope you can do

something about this. Yes, that's kind of what. I hope

you can because nobody else can. And you know, you

ever wonder how much faith does it take to get

Jesus to move on your behalth It's enough to show

up and ask. If you have enough faith to show

up and ask, Jesus will move on your behalf.

Yeah, And I love how this is recorded in the

scripture because it sort of gives us permission to see

Jesus and how he responds to somebody who's who's vulnerable

enough to say, yeah, I do have doubts, right, So

he doesn't say I can't believe you didn't have doubts.

He just says anything is possible for those who believe, right,

And so yeah, Jesus doesn't scold him for his unbelief.

You know, this man comes to Jesus and says, I

do believe, right, So the challenge is, hey believe and

he says I do, but please help me in my unbelief.

And then Jesus doesn't scold him. So I think it's

important to understand that you don't have to be a

super Christian. It's exactly what you just said, just enough

faith to go to go and ask. But it's also

okay to admit that you're a skeptic. It's also okay

to admit that, hey, that's a fault that I have.

I have some doubts. I don't know why I w

they weren't there. But God, you know me, You already

know this. You already know that I doubt. Please help

me with my doubts. And I think that you know

I feel I feel terribly guilty all the time. That

I'm a skeptic. You know that, right, Maybe maybe you don't,

but I don't say it often enough. But I am

a terrible skeptic. I don't know why. I don't know

why I'm wired that way. I have thirty three years

of thirty four years of being a pastor. Technically, I

was a pastor before I was married, and and then

and then even a few more years than that than

being a Christian. So most of my life I've been

involved in this. And yet I'll hear people say things

and they'll say, oh, this miraculous story happened, and I'll

say did it?

Did it? Though? Yeah?

Yeah, you know, and and I don't know why that's

my first reaction. And even though that, I'll it may

be a millisecond and then I'll just I'll get over

it and then I'll believe. Right, But my first reaction

is always skepticism.

Well, the Bible says to test the spirits, right, to

test and see whether or not the claims that are

being made are true. Not everything is from God, and

God's not the only one who does miracles. Satan does

all kinds of crazy things, right, right, So it is

fair for us to when somebody steps up that we

don't know entirely the story and they make some giant

spiritual claim. It's not unreasonable for us to test to

see is this the true spiritual claim? Because if you

just believe a miracle, but you're not testing to see

where did it come from? And is this consistent with

what we know about God, you can It's one of

the things that can lead whole people groups astray. It's

because some miracle happened, you know, because the devil will

also do amazing things, and so a little bit of

skepticisms there is. Okay, I don't think you have to

feel guilty about that, but it's doubting God is the

challenge for us sometimes when that happens too. Sometimes, I mean, hey,

even people like you and me, you have these moments

when we go God, I just I don't know how

many more times I need to pray about this?

Right, Maybe you just don't care.

Read through the Book of We've spent quite a bit

of time in the Psalms, and we will over the

next few weeks.

And David all the time.

There's several times when David goes, I don't even feel

like you're paying attention to me. Why is it that

my enemies are prospering and I'm the one suffering, right,

And he's like, you're not paying attention and so, and

that's just the normal, I think, a human response. And

God doesn't get mad at David there, that's right. God

just shows himself to David. So how much does it

take to get God to move on your behalf? Enough

faith to just go and ask him to But what

you find here is there's a desperation. This isn't enough

faith to go ask God? Hey, God, would you give

me a Mercedes?

Right? This is God.

I've turned everywhere and i don't know where else to go,

and I'm at my wits end and I need you.

There's a desperation in this Dad.

So I think it's that desperation combined with enough guts

and faith to ask that's when God shows up.

That's great.

Yeah, I'm desperate for you.

Well that's a great place to end. That's our time.

So hopefully we will see you on Monday as you

tune in for another episode of the Bubble Guys.