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LOJ #92: ‘Possessed’
Andover Baptist Church-January 30th, 2011
Opening
A. Text for today is Mark 9:14-29 and our sermon is titled
‘Possessed’
B. Scripture NET:
“14 When they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and experts in the law arguing with them. 15 When the whole crowd saw Him, they were amazed and ran at once and greeted Him. 16 He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 A member of the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that makes him mute. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they were not able to do so.” 19 He answered them, “You unbelieving generation! How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I endure you? Bring him to Me.” 20 So they brought the boy to Him. When the spirit saw Him, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 It has often thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if You are able to do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 Then Jesus said to him, “‘If you are able?’ All things are possible for the one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 25 Now when Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 It shrieked, threw him into terrible convulsions, and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He is dead!” 27 But Jesus gently took his hand and raised him to his feet, and he stood up. 28 Then, after He went into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we cast it out?” 29 He told them, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”
C. Children’s Sermon (SLIDE)
1. Fear of the unknown, fear of monsters, etc
2. You should pray (what is prayer?)
3. It’s when you talk to God and you can do that anywhere
D. Introduction
1. Surge in demonic interest in the last few decades
2. Books, games and especially in the movies
3. Exorcist/Exorcisms of Emily Rose/Paranormal
Activity/the Rite (opened just this last week)
4. But demons are not to be a source of entertainment, they
are enemies of God and enemies of us
5. Today we see Jesus confront and defeat a demon in one
of the most vivid of the pictures of demonic oppression
in the Scriptures
Sermon
READ: Mark 9:14, 15 (Scripture slide)
“14 When they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and experts in the law arguing with them. 15 When the whole crowd saw Him, they were amazed and ran at once and greeted Him.”
A. Jesus and the three (Peter, James and John) come down from
the Mt. of transfiguration
1. Luke 9:37 tells us that this took place on the next day
after the transfiguration
2. Again don’t know where exactly they are but it is likely
near a town
B. They find a large crowd around the 9 other disciples
1. The disciples who were left while Jesus went onto the
mountain were not idle but like before without Him
they get themselves in trouble (cf. the boat ride in Mk
6:45-52)
2. It appears that the experts in the law were arguing with
the other 9 disciples
3. And it seems as if the disciples were getting a thumping
from the experts in the law (hostile disagreement)
4. Bet the disciples were glad to see Jesus
C. The crowds enthusiasm for the debate quickly switches to Jesus
1. They ran to Him
2. The entire ('whole') crowd ran to Him
3. Some say they were amazed because Jesus' face was
still shining…but the text gives no indication of this
and to say that would be simply speculation
READ: Mark 9:16-19 (Scripture slide)
“ 16 He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 A member of the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that makes him mute. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they were not able to do so.” 19 He answered them, “You unbelieving generation! How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I endure you? Bring him to Me.”
A. 'asked them'
1. Jesus ask a question (He always have a reason to ask
questions as He obviously knows the answer too it)
2. The question deals with what they were all arguing
about
B. The man who spoke up
1. Notice that none of the scribes volunteer to explain
2. One of the people involved is the father of a possessed
boy and it was them that started the debate
3. Mt 17:14 tells us that the man knelt in front of Him
4. Calls Jesus 'Teacher'
5. If you don't come to Jesus with your problems don't
expect Him to work in your life
C. The possessed son
1. The man had brought his demon possessed son to Jesus
2. Luke 9:38 tells us that this is the man's only son
3. 'possessed' = literally 'seized'
4. Possession here = mute, seizes the boy (must come and
go), throws him down, foams at the mouth, grinds teeth,
becomes rigid
5. It appears to resemble a grand mal seizure
a. Story is often called 'The Epileptic Boy'
b. It may have been that the demon was afflicting
the boy with epilepsy
c. The Bible does not equate all sickness to demons,
when Jesus heals someone that just as a physical
malady the text indicates it, when it is derived
from a spiritual oppression the text tells us that
as well
D. Disciples unable to cast it out
1. Likely the man had brought his son to see Jesus, but
seeing as Jesus was up on the mount of Transfiguration
he went to what he thought was second best: the
remaining disciples
2. The man tells Jesus that he had asked Jesus' disciples to
cast out the demon but they were unable to do so
3. Likely they invoked the Name of Jesus and still failed
4. While one set of disciples were experiencing victory the
others were experiencing defeat
a. Embarrassing circumstance for the disciples
b. The disciples had been given the commission to
cast out demons in Mk 3:15; 6:7
c. Without Jesus we really are powerless
5. Discipleship and lack of faith
E. Jesus' response
1. Jesus was upset with them all (the man, the crowd, the
scribes, His disciples)…all of them in one way or
another were without faith!
2. Jesus is tired of the lack of faith in Him and He
characterizes the generation He is dealing with as
'unbelieving'.
3. Mt 17:17 has Jesus saying that the generation is
'unbelieving and perverse'
4. Jesus bluntly exclaims that He wonders how much
longer He can stand and endure them
5. I would say that unbelief would define or signify our
generation…treat the Bible like it is fairy tales, Jesus
like a nobody and like they have more insight into how
things are than God Himself
6. But even as agitated as He was, Jesus does not hesitate
to have the boy brought to Him
READ: Mark 9:20-24 (Scripture slide)
“20 So they brought the boy to Him. When the spirit saw Him, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 It has often thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if You are able to do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 Then Jesus said to him, “‘If you are able?’ All things are possible for the one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
A. 'When the spirit saw Him'
1. Upon sight of Jesus the demon throws the boy into a fit
2. Even demons recognize Jesus (recall the one in 5:6 that
ran and bowed down before Him)
3. This verse proves that it is not a medical condition but a
spiritual one
4. If it is epilepsy it a front conjured by the demon to hide
behind
5. In the presence of God the devils revolt, let that be a
lesson that when we do what God calls us to do the devil
won't be silent…that right before Christ is about to work
all hell might appear to break loose
B. 'How long'
1. Jesus as the father how long that this has been occurring
and is told it has been taking place since childhood
2. Could you imagine what kind of toll this must take on
the boy's father…always having to watch him, always
on edge always having to try and intervene;
hopelessness (maybe some of you have children like
this, maybe even adult children….isn't it better to
commit them into the hands of Jesus?)
3. The boy is the one that is possessed, yes, but the entire
family is affected
4. Does He ask this so the crowd knows how long the boy
had been suffering to see the power of Jesus?
5. What has been with the boy for years is in but a moment
gone at the command of Jesus
C. 'destroy him'
1. Word for convulse here is used in Greek for instances
when a dog is ravaging a carcass
2. The demon's intent was to destroy its host
3. The father continues sharing that the demon seeks to
destroy the boy by throwing him in fire and water (devil
seeks to kill, steal and destroy)…hates mankind
because God loves mankind
D. 'if you are able'
1. This man's next statement shows that his faith in Jesus is
very shallow: he asks Jesus two things which if he
knew Jesus there would be no need to ask 1) Help IF
you can 2) begs for compassion (it is Jesus' compassion
that brought Him into the world and was currently
taking Him on the road to the cross)
2. 'compassion' = composed of two words: 'cry' and
'run'…see the word picture there? Someone sees
someone cry out and they run to them
3. The Father affirms Jesus, but these foolish people do
not!
E. Jesus balks
1. Jesus balks and says, 'If you are able?'
2. There is no question about Jesus' ability and power
3. “The question is not whether I am able but whether you
believe,”
4. It’s not what Jesus does that is as important as Who He
is
5. Jesus challenged the man to believe
F. The man’s desperate cry
1. One commentator said that this father's confession was
"perhaps the most human confession in all the Bible"
2. The man felt like he had faith, but he knew that it was
imperfect
3. The man himself asks for healing from unbelief
4. He desperately wants faith and he looks to Jesus as the
source of it.
5. We should cry out to God in our own weaknesses
6. In our imperfect human nature we too at times doubt,
that is when we need to look at Jesus as the source of
our faith and pray
7. If you think that you have perfect faith, I would question
if you have any faith at all, because true faith knows
how small it really is
READ: Mark 9:25-27 (Scripture slide)
“25 Now when Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 It shrieked, threw him into terrible convulsions, and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He is dead!” 27 But Jesus gently took his hand and raised him to his feet, and he stood up”
A. 'crowd quickly gathering'
1. This is likely the same crowd that had been hanging
around the disciples
2. Jesus saw that a large crowd was assembling, and likely
not to draw even more attention to Himself, spoke to
the unclean spirit to cast it out.
B. 'rebuked the unclean spirit'
1. No sense talking to the boy as he was not in control
2. Exorcists often tried using roots and concoctions and by
calling on higher spirits….Jesus just speaks
3. The rebuke of God shakes the heavens (Job 26:11)
4. Jesus commanded the demon to come out and never
come back (spiritual baring)
Matthew 12:43–45 (NET) “12:43 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it passes through waterless places looking for rest but does not find it. 12:44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’ When it returns, it finds the house empty, swept clean, and put in order. 12:45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so the last state of that person is worse than the first. It will be that way for this evil generation as well!”
5. Note that lack of faith does not keep Jesus from working
6. We Jesus' absolute control and authority over the
spiritual realm
7. Demons bend to His will
8. Jesus succeeded where the disciples failed
C. The demon’s response
1. The spirit was classified as a mute and deaf spirit (but it
sure can shriek)
2. The boy couldn't talk but the demon will scream
3. Another demon cried out in Mk 1:26
4. The shriek = pain and frustration
5. Resists to the end
6. Likely it was rolling the boy on the floor
7. Ask Chip how evicted tenants tend to treat the houses
they were being evicted from
8. In its final pathetic attempt it convulsed the boy and
came out. never to return
9. Now it was the spirit who has control yanked from him
10. While demons may be able to resist the disciples at
times, they in no way can resist Jesus
11. MT: God's power over evil
D. Boy looked as if dead
1. The demon was still throwing the boy around when
Jesus commanded it out….so the boy went from
extremely violent spasms, and a scream, to complete
stillness…no wonder they thought the boy was dead
2. The boy laid still and his color must have been drained
for people though that he was dead
3. Did the father's heart skip a beat for a second at the
thought that his son might be dead?...it might have been
his first test of faith
4. Note Jesus' gentleness and compassion as He gently lifts
the boy up by the hand
5. Luke tells us the crowd was amazed
READ: Mark 9:28, 29 (Scripture slide)
“28 Then, after He went into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we cast it out?” 29 He told them, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”
A. 'house': likely staying at someone's home
B. 'disciples asked Him privately'
1. Not wanting to loose even more face in front of the
crowd, privately asks Jesus why they could not cast out
the demon
2. Likely brought up the question, 'What did we do
wrong?'
3. They had had success before in casting out demons?
Why not now?
C. Hierarchy of demons
1. MT: different spiritual powers (i.e. 'this kind')
Ephesians 6:12 (NET) “12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.”
Daniel 10:13 (NET) “13 However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia was opposing me for twenty-one days. But Michael, one of the leading princes, came to help me, because I was left there with the kings of Persia.”
2. Recall that no one could tame the demon in Mk 5:4
either
3. MT: our place against evil
4. If demons could possess anyone the choose they would
do so to every baby born
5. What kind of power does the demonic world have over
the believer? The devil had to ask permission for Job
to be attacked as he had a hedge of protection around
him, obviously tempting, the shifting of Peter as if
wheat
James 4:7 (NET) “So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
Ephesians 4:27 (NET) “Do not give the devil an opportunity.”
6. Cannot possess the believer: greater is He that is in you
than he that is in the world; would mean that they Holy
Spirit would be evicted or share you…nope; by their
fruit they will be known
D. 'only by prayer'
1. Some manuscripts have 'prayer and fasting' here
2. The problem appears that the disciples did not pray, but
tried on their own authority to cast out the demon
instead of relying on God
3. Because the disciples relied on themselves they failed!
John 15:5 (NET) “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me – and I in him – bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing”.
4. Mt 17:20 has Jesus telling the disciples they were unable
due to their little faith and mentions the mustard seed
5. If you don't have faith in the One you are praying too
why pray?
6. One who has little faith prays little
7. One theologian stated, 'Prayer is faith turned to God'
8. Faith is the gasoline in the engine of prayer
9. Our inadequacies should not cause us to bow our heads
in defeat but to lift them up to Him
10. It is Jesus and He alone that empowers us…don't look
at your sister or brother in Christ and bemoan that they
are able to do so much more in Christ than
you….because they don't! A Christian who does not
seek Jesus and His will loses, a Christian who seeks
Jesus and His will wins.
11. Jesus calls us to do things that we cannot do….He calls
us to do things that we will fail at…that is if we try to
do them without His power and Spirit
Application (slide)
A. You can resist Jesus until the end, but the outcome will not be
good for you
B. SONG HE 'LIFTED ME'
Invitation
Let us sing our last song # ,
[pic]
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