Don’t Stop Believin'
Today in our passage of Scripture we’re going to see a group of people who were on the verge of not believing. They had lost hope b/c of the circumstances they were in. But Jesus came along and gave them a message that we can still use today. And that message is “Don’t stop believing.”
Mark 9:14-27 NIV - 14 When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.16 “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”19 “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
Bckgrd: Jesus and His followers always had a difficult time w/the religious leaders of the day. When He came along they saw Him as a threat to their way of life, as someone who was trying to pull people away from their religion. But Jesus had come to give them freedom. He’d come to give them life.
-The problem was, and still is, that this world is rough! We face disappointments, busted relationships, financial hardship, loss of job, and the loss of people we love. We live in a world of great uncertainty. And so the belief that we have a God who loves and cares for us can be hard to grasp when put in the light of our present reality.
-In our text, a man has a son who’s demon possessed. His son was overwhelmed w/the presence of evil in his life and the dad was desperate for help; he was desperate for deliverance. But his biggest obstacle in seeing it was the belief factor.
-I know there are people here who face the same thing. They want freedom but they don’t know where to find it. It’s here Jesus shares w/us some reasons we need to hang on to belief in Him.
Believing is called Faith
"Faith is the art of holding on to things in spite of your changing moods and circumstances" CS Lewis
The Bible says in Matthew 9:29 “According to your faith it will be done unto you.” That’s one of my favorite verses in the Bible. What are you expecting God to do in your life? This is the law that God has established. It’s called the Law of Expectation. The fact is, we tend to get what we expect out of life. We tend to see what we expect to see. We tend to hear what we expect to hear. We tend to feel the way we expect to feel. We inevitably accomplish what we expect what we’re going to accomplish. This is the law of faith. God says you get to choose. Because “According to your faith it will be done unto you.”
Faith is… To have trust or assurance, confidence, conviction, belief, reliance in what God says. Trust that produces actions.
Believing when I donʼt see it.
•(Def) To accept as true or real, to expect, to have firm faith, to have confidence, or trust.
(Hebrews 11:1 KJV) “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Amplified - Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, [a]the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].
“If you believe”....Numerous times in the Bible we are told that if we only believe THEN God will fulfill His promises. It starts with believing. There is incredible power in belief.
•Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible, and receives the impossible!
Romans 4:16-17 ESV - 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
(John 20:24-29 NIV) - 24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
•“Faith is like a light bulb. You turn it on when you can’t see”
•”Faith is to believe what we do not see; and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe” –Augustine
Believing = Great Power
Ephesians 1:17-19 NIV - 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[a] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength
Result - Ephesians 3:20 NIV - 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, (The MSG: “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!”)
“If you believe you can, or if you believe you can’t, you are right.” Henry Ford
Faith comes in Can’s & Doubt comes in Can’ts
1840 –“Anyone traveling at the speed of 30 mph would surely suffocate. 1878 – “Electric lights are unworthy of serious attention” 1901 – “No possible combination can be united into a practical machine by which me shall fly” 1926 – “(From a Scientist) “This foolish idea of shooting at the moon is basically impossible” 1930 – (another Scientist) “To harness energy locked up in matter is impossible”.
There will always be people who say it can’t be done. That is what the “experts” said. The real tragedy is 99% believed them. BELIEVE~~
Dare to Believe and Activate Your Faith
Believing is receiving and receiving is believing; Why?
Because we must first believe in something if we want to receive and manifest the abundance of it into our lives.
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” – Mark 11:24
“If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” – Mark 9:23
“Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s power ends.”- George Muller
The world tells us to believe it when we see it. However, when we operate by God’s principles, we must learn to believe first, and then we will manifest in the natural what we have already believed and received in our heart.
Believe is the verb form of faith, so believing is faith in action. Faith holds a powerful force just waiting to be used.
Believing is the process of receiving and manifesting the reality of our hopes into our lives. Believing also requires actions that reflect what we believe. For Christians, faith in action is believing and obeying the Word of God. Christians are called believers for a reason – they believe.
Faith is God’s reality, and believing is putting action to that reality and tapping into the abundance of God.
John 11:40 NIV - Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
“I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when not feeling it. I believe in God even when He is silent." - Inscription on a wall in a cellar in Cologne, Germany, where Jews who eventually perished were hiding from the Nazis.
Persisting When I don’t Feel like it
Def - Continue firmly or obstinately in an opinion or a course of action in spite of difficulty, opposition, or failure. Don’t GIVE UP~
(Hebrews 11:27) “By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the kingʼs anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.”
“Persistance in spite of all obstacles, discouragement, and impossibilities: It is this that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak”
James 1:12 NIV - Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
i. “By perseverance the snail reached the ark.” - Charles H. Spurgeon
ii. “In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins. Not through strength, but through persistence.”- Unknown
Philippians 1:6 NIV - being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
“We conquer by continuing.”- George Matheson
“The most common trait I have found in all successful people is that they have conquered the temptation to give up.”- Peter Lowe
How? Prayer
The persistent widow - Luke 18:1 NIV – “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”
Mark 11:22-24 NIV - 22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly[a] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
•There is no situation in your life too difficult for God to turn around. Only believe! We get what we believe for!
•When we have a problem, God’s got a promise! II Corinthians 1:20 “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”
•The law of believing is the greatest law in the Word of God. Believe and ye shall receive.
• “I can get more out of God by believing Him for one minute than I can by shouting at Him all night.”- Smith Wigglesworth
Philippians 4:6-7 NIV - 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Matthew 7:7 NIV - 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
•"You are coming to a King, Large petitions with you bring, For his grace and power are such, None can ever ask too much." - John Newton
•I John 5:14-15 NIV – “This is the confidence we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us- whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.”
God does not answer our prayer simply because we have a specific need – He answers our prayers when we pray persistently & believe!
•“When we work, we work; but when we pray, God works.” - Max Lucado
•“God will do nothing on earth except in answer to believing prayer.” - John Wesley
•"The less I pray, the harder it gets; the more I pray, the better it goes.” - Martin Luther
“See the invisible; believe the incredible; do the impossible.” - Vernon Grounds
“Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s power ends.” - George Muller
Will You let your faith go to waste? God is searching for those who will believe and receive.
(Hebrews 11:6 NIV) “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
In Closing, The Believer is promised 4 Things:
Nothing will be impossible to you
Ask what you will, and it will be done
Ask anything in Jesus’ name, and He will do it!
Whatsoever things you desire when you pray, you shall have them!
John 1:12 ESV But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
John 3:16
