Today, we begin a series devoted to the subject of “Prayer” to launch us into 2010! We’ve talked over the past few weeks about what it is that God wants to do through us in this coming year and this coming decade. Last week, I shared a mission statement with you:
In 2010 and beyond, I will ACT RIGHT, STAND STRONG, STAND TOGETHER, FEAR NOTHING and ENDURE ANYTHING all with the ultimate goal in mind of BRINGING GLORY TO GOD!
Today we begin the process of seeing how we live that out in our lives. Through this year, the sermons we share will all be focused on living out that statement. And, there is no way we can live out that statement in our lives unless we start with prayer. My Father always reminded us of this Biblical Maxim (for successful Christian life & for strong spiritual growth):
“Nothing of Eternal Importance Is Ever Accomplished Apart From Prayer!”
– Dr. Jerry Falwell
Christ Himself taught the statement my dad shared many times over in Mark 9. Here, in this brief account of His interaction with a father & a son, Jesus taught this very maxim to His Own Disciples!
Mark 9:14-29 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. 15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. 16 And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?” 17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. 18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.” 19 He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” 20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. 21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” 25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” 26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
Did you CATCH Jesus’ response to the Disciples?
Mark 9:29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
“kind” (GEN-oss) NOTE: “G” like the “G” in “Game” not like the “G” in “Gem.” The word means “this SORT of thing.” Question: What “kind” or “sort” of thing? Answer: Whatever the context/story is talking about. In THIS situation, it refers to a number of life-changing, significant things:
1) It is referring to a young boy’s life being healed,
2) it is referring to the father’s faith being strengthened, and
3) it refers to the faith of the Disciples being softly rebuked (or ‘reproved’) for not praying enough in order to have spiritual power
“can come out” (ex-AIR-come-my) = “be produced by” or “flow out of/from” So, in essence, Jesus was saying the VERY SAME thing to His Disciples that MY Father had been saying for over 50 years: “This kind [of LIFE-CHANGE…ETERNAL IMPACT…HEALING…HIGH LEVEL OF FAITH...ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT] can come out [“be produced by” or “flow out from”] by nothing but PRAYER(!) and fasting.”
Jesus was not beating around the bush as to what he wanted them to know. Jesus didn’t for a moment veil His true feelings about what He KNEW produces power in a person’s life! He EXPLICITLY assessed the problem as to why the Disciples were POWERLESS in this situation. He said, “Disciples, come here & listen carefully – Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can… Nothing truly impactful, Nothing profoundly important, Nothing spiritually life-changing, AND “Nothing of Eternal Significance…Can Ever Be Accomplished Apart From…Prayer!”
Matthew 10:1 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.
SO, why were they POWERLESS? HOW do these Apostles all of a sudden became “powerless” in this situation? Simple: You can bear the title “LEADER,” but that doesn’t make you an affective “leader!”
Likewise, you can have the ‘authority’ or ‘access’ to a power source but it is meaningless unless you tap into the power source.
And this is the same thing Jesus is telling us today. If you want spiritual victory in 2010, the only way we as a church will experience spiritual victory – and you as an individual will experience it – is through one means: PRAYER! “Prayer” brings the ‘ability’ to the authority.
1. “You Will Never Eternally Impact an Unbeliever…apart from Prayer”
If you don’t remain in a continual state of prayer, Doubters will become empowered in their objections to Christ because they will not witness any evidence of the power of God in your life!
Notice, that what precipitates this entire scene is the fact that everyone is talking about how the Disciples could NOT heal the boy!
Mark 9:14-18 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. 15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. 16 And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?” 17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. 18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”
Notice the reference to “scribes” – almost always referenced in the Bible as very ‘hostile’ to Christ & other believers! They CAN’T WAIT to run to Jesus to tell Him that His own followers were POWERLESS!
And it is how the world reacts when a follower falls morally today in our society. When we don’t lean on the Lord, trust Him in our work situations & we react inappropriately or without restraint with the people in our homes/work/community – people then question the true worthiness of our faith in Jesus Christ. When we constantly worry about the ‘cares of tomorrow’ and don’t exhibit a trust in God that is ANY different from how the world deals with tough times. When we don’t love and value people any different from how the world deals with certain people. Like when a person is teased/ignored/hated at school or work – and you join in. they say, ‘so, what is so ‘different’ about how you’re acting? THIS IS THE ISSUE OF ACTING RIGHT!
Again, If you don’t remain in a continual state of prayer, Doubters will become empowered in their objections to Christ because they will not witness any evidence of the power of God in your life!
2. “You Will Never Experience Miracles in your Life…apart from Prayer.”
No Prayer = No Miracles
Mark 9:18b “…So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”
You see, miracles don’t occur in the life that simply focuses on factual knowledge about the scriptures – frequent attendance in church – having a great singing voice – or knowing the right church lingo… Miracles occur in a life that does all that AND bathes ALL THEY DO in PRAYER!
3. “You Will Never Stretch Your Faith…apart from Prayer.”
Mark 9:19a He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?”
“bear” (ahn-ECHO) – a VERY interesting word that refers to something that “props you up; holds you up; or temporarily bears a load” – like a ‘crutch’ aids a person who has a broken leg!
In other words, Jesus was saying, “Sure, I can come in ANY situation and perform a miracle and persuade everyone that I am God…but the way I have designed this is that MY DISCIPLES (all believers) should have the spiritual power in their lives to make the same impact!”
And what happens next is very significant: The next four words Jesus says to the people carrying the sick, young boy – was the EXACT REMEMDY that brings power back into a person’s life!
“His Disciples could NOT…but God said, ‘I Can!’”
Mark 9:19b “…Bring him to Me.”
Mark 9:20a Then they brought him to Him.
That’s when eternal impact happened!
4. “You Can Experience God’s Power in your Life…Through Prayer.”
Notice again these two verses we just read. A six-word prayer that the Lord will ALWAYS answer!
Mark 9:23-24 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
It was a prayer that says, “God, I love you & I believe in you…but life is hard & I am admitting today that I KNOW that I CAN’T make it on my own --- I CAN’T --- but I KNOW that YOU Can!”
And the Lord says, “My child, I would want nothing more than to be close to you this year! So, here’s how we’re going to stay close this year --- so you can experience all that I desire for you this year…”
Mark 9:29 “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
Or, “Nothing of Eternal Significance Is Ever Accomplished Apart From Prayer!”
