THE DEVIL’S LAST THROW
Mk. 9:14-29
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. Two men met at a bus stop and struck up a conversation. One of them kept complaining of family problems. Finally the other said,
2. "You think you have family problems? Listen to my situation. A few years ago I met a young widow with a grown-up daughter, and we got married. Later my father married my step daughter. That made my step daughter my stepmother and my father became (thru my wife) my stepson. Also, my wife became mother-in-law of her father-in-law.
3. "Then my wife’s daughter, who is also my stepmother, had a son. This boy was my half-brother because he was my father's son, but he was also the son of my wife's daughter, which made him my wife's grandson. That made me the grandfather of my half-brother.
4. “This was nothing until my wife and I had a son. Now the half-sister of my son, my stepmother, is also the grandmother. This makes my father the brother-in-law of my child, whose stepsister is my father's wife.
5. “So I'm my step-mother's brother-in-law, my wife is her own child's aunt, my son is my father's nephew and I'm my own grandfather! And you think YOU have family problems!”
6. In today's text, we're going to read about another family with family problems.
B. TEXT
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 “O 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 him 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 evil 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. 28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” 29 He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer [and fasting]. Mk. 9:14-29.
C. THESIS
1. We're going to see 3 things in this passage: 1) Hope Awakened, 2) the devil's last effort to sidetrack a miracle, and 3) God's faithfulness in putting Satan under our feet.
2. The title of today's message is, "The Devil's Last Throw."
I. HOPE AWAKENED
A. A HOPELESS CASE
1. Out of Control Physically;
a. Foaming at the mouth (v. 18),
b. Gnashing his teeth (18),
c. Falling on the ground (v. 20),
d. Wallowing (v. 20).
2. Out of Control Mentally (Mt. 17:15)
"for he is lunatic"
3. Mk. 9:17, "my son, which has a... spirit." He was Demon Possessed.
4. Deaf
a. "You dumb and deaf spirit... come out of him" (v. 25),
b. No sound could penetrate those ears,
c. (Some teenagers/husbands are like that).
5. Dumb (couldn't speak)
a. (Sometimes we wish our teenagers were ‘dumb’)
b. Unable to communicate.
6. Continued for many years. "Pining away." HOPELESS! Undoubtedly the father had sought help of professionals -- physicians, the priests, possibly even so-called prophets, etc.
7. YOUR CASE? Maybe some of you feel that your situation/problem is just as hopeless.
a. You've tried to reconcile/reach out to them -- hasn't worked.
b. You've tried doctors, medicine, surgeries, psychiatrists, etc., and it seems hopeless.
c. The devil has even told you, "Lost people are doing better than you."
B. THE DISCIPLE’S FAILURE
1. This father sought help.
2. In bringing the boy to Jesus, this father went to the disciples. They couldn't cast out the spirit.
3. OUTCOME?:
a. The failure of Christ's servants was imputed to be failure on the part of Christ.
1). Is this true? No! Christ's servants fail regularly, but this doesn’t mean Jesus has failed. JESUS CANNOT FAIL!
2). We have this situation today. Don't get your eyes on servants of Christ; they will fail. Now I’m not to excusing their failure.
b. It gave a reason/ cause for the Scribes (today, the liberal left media) to criticize and question Christianity itself. It's the same today.
4. For the disciples, they wondered why Jesus left them so mysteriously, to cope with difficulties they weren't equal to.
5. This event may’ve been allowed to happen to spur the disciples onward to growth in their faith and the power of the Holy Spirit.
6. Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believes on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to my Father” John 14:12.
7. Leadership in the church is more than a title; these 12 were called "Apostles" – “sent ones.” This sometimes happens to us.
8. How many know, that if Jesus is involved, no situation is hopeless! When it couldn't get any worse, Jesus showed up. He's never late, but He’s never early.
C. THE PEOPLE’S AMAZEMENT
"The people, when they beheld Him, were greatly amazed" (v. 15).
1. They saw in His face -- always heavenly and majestic -- something even more divine...
2. His face still shown with the Light of His Transfiguration (which occurred in Mk. 9:1-13). Like Moses’ face when he came down from Mount Sinai, Exodus 34:29.
a. Gr. µeteµ??f???; the "form (µ??f?) of God" shone through the "form a of a servant."
b. The Deity of Jesus, previously veiled, now shone through.
c. Mt. says, "His face did shine as the sun and His clothing was white as the light."
d. Col. 2:9, "... in Him dwells of all the fullness of the Godhead bodily."
3. Jesus said, "Bring him to Me" (v. 19).
a. After we've done all... there's still one great Resource!
b. Jesus Christ is still alive! We can come to Him.
c. He is still working miracles! Bring all your cases, not just the hard ones, to Jesus. Don't limit Him.
II. THE DEVIL’S LAST EFFORT TO SIDETRACK
A. DEMON POSSESSION IS REAL
1. (NIV) Vs. 20, "When the spirit saw Jesus..."
2. Possession seems more common in those days, but possibly it only seems less today because we ship them off to prisons, to psychiatric wards, and dope them up.
3. As to the reality of demon possession, all you have to do is google it. Professionals now acknowledge it as real. Dr. Richard Gallagher, a psychiatry professor trained at Yale and Princeton has written extensively about its reality.
4. But the devil can take over a person just as surely by a. Alcoholism,
b. Drug addiction,
c. A spirit of lust/sexual addictions,
d. Greed can possess!
These and others can overcome you, take you over, and control you.
B. FATHER/ FRIENDS BRING SON TO JESUS
1. When our hopes are the highest, suddenly they reverse and seem worse than ever!
2. “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”(20).
3. This final resistance is observed, not just in this Scripture, but many times in regular life.
4. Many people, when they're just about to come to Christ, suddenly become resistant, violent, go the opposite direction. They become obstinate and reckless.
5. The devil pulls out all the stops, releasing fears, doubts, and ridicule to turn them back.
6. The devil tells them, "You’re too bad a sinner for God to forgive." "You'll be giving up too much; don't do it." "You'll lose your friends, if you surrender."
"God won’t take you. You don't matter to Him."
"It won't work for you."
7. Don't let it surprise you! It's Satan’s regular ploy to keep them from being saved or delivered.
8. The night is darkest, just before Dawn. The fighting is fiercest just before total victory is won. The enemy will do his worst; but through Jesus, we can outlast him!
III. GOD’S FAITHFULNESS: SATAN UNDER OUR FEET
A. IT’S NOT OVER YET
1. The true story is told of a world champion chess
player who visited art galleries during his vacation in Europe. While touring one of the galleries, he came across a painting that stopped him in his tracks.
2. It was a picture of a chess game. On one side of the painting was the devil -- laughing, excited, and joyful. He was about to make his move.
3. On the other side of the painting was a young man whose face was filled with terror. He sat biting his fingernails, his knees were knocking, and sweat was pouring down his face.
4. The chess champion understood this scenario when he saw the title of the painting, "Checkmate." The devil was about to make the final move to claim this young man's soul.
5. The chess champion was awestruck by the painting and studied it for hours. Gradually a smile came across his face. A gleam twinkle in his eye as he asked for a chess board. Upon receiving it, he set up the board precisely as it was in the painting.
6. After studying it for a while, he turned to the young man as though he were alive, and said excitedly, "Young man, I have some good news for you. Things are not as bad as they seem.
7. Even though it looks like you've lost, there's still one more move left on the board. After the devil makes his move, you will get the final move." [Excerpt from America's Only Hope: Impacting Society in the 90s, by Tony Evans, p. 161-162.
8. The Devil got his last throw at Christ at the cross, but Jesus hadn't made his yet. It wasn't until the third day that Jesus made his move; there was a violent earthquake, a brilliant light showed in the tomb, the earth trembled, and Jesus rose triumphant over death, hell, and the grave!
9. Jesus defeated him at Calvary! When Jesus is involved, NO situation is Hopeless!
B. JESUS WILL STEP INTO YOUR SITUATION
1. Jesus did heal him: of the possession, his epilepsy, his hearing and speech, and his being insane. That young man was completely saved. He could speak, he could hear and he was once again a normal happy boy!
2. In the Book of Revelation, chapter 12, Satan goes about to destroy because he knows "his time is short." The great tribulation period is Satan's Last Throw. But in Revelation 19, Jesus comes down from heaven and vanquishes all the forces of hell!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. "Overcome" is a wonderful word in the Greek. In a conflict, it means you have knocked the weapon out of the hand of your adversary.
2. Seth Joshua, a Welsh evangelist, once told the story: "When I was pitching the first evangelistic tent on the East Moors of Cardiff, on a Saturday afternoon, a burly guy who was partially drunk came up to me and said, "Hey, Mister, are you putting up a boxing tent?"
3. "Yes," I replied. "When’s going to be the first match?" "Tomorrow morning at eleven."
4. "Who's going to be in the first round?" "I'll be one of the parties." "Who's the other?" "Beelzebub." "Terrible name, but I'll back you, Mister."
5. "Come here at 11 o'clock tomorrow and we'll see what we can do." The man came and he was my first convert.
6. God knows how to lure our loved ones to salvation!
B. THE CALL
1. Are you facing an impossible situation? Have you been to many places to try to solve it?
2. Jesus says, "Bring it to Me!"
3. Prayer for people with serious needs, followed by a call for salvation.
[This message is a rewrite of Charles Spurgeon’s sermon of the same name on Luke 9:42.]
