Go a little deeper
Pastor Keith Kirkpatrick turns to Mark 9, introducing the book as Mark's account of Jesus' life, ministry, and mission, with Jesus traveling toward Jerusalem knowing he will die, be buried, and rise. He offers a warning that Hollywood-shaped ideas about exorcism distort a right view of God, then reads the story: Jesus, Peter, James, and John return from the transfiguration to find the other nine disciples surrounded by a crowd and scribes arguing with them, and a father explaining that the disciples could not cast the spirit out of his son.
The father pleads that if Jesus can do anything, he would have compassion and help. Jesus answers that all things are possible for one who believes, and the father cries out that he believes and asks for help with his unbelief. Jesus rebukes the spirit, the boy appears dead, but Jesus takes him by the hand and he rises; privately the disciples ask why they failed, and Jesus says this kind comes out only by prayer, with some translations adding fasting. Pastor Keith draws from the scene that Jesus does not require a perfect person, and that faith and doubt can coexist without doubt becoming the dead end of faith.
Much of the message applies the father's prayer to the hearers: desperate prayers can be the best prayers, the father's conditional request carries real doubt, and doubt is at most a speed bump rather than a wall. Pastor Keith shifts the focus from what God might fix around us to the request that God help his unbelief, drawing also on Jesus' teaching about serving and welcoming children and the overlooked, and on the idea that the church's flaws should not become grounds to give up on God. He closes in prayer, invites a response, and invites the congregation to sing a final song before they leave.
Take this with you
Desperation is welcome before Jesus
In the Mark 9 account of the father and his son, the man does not arrive with a polished prayer; he arrives worn down by years of watching his son suffer. Pastor Keith argues that the church often performs having life together, while Jesus meets people exactly where they are. The invitation is not to clean yourself up first but to bring the real need, even a shaky and doubting request, honestly before him.
Doubt is a speed bump, not a dead end
Against the idea that faith and doubt cannot coexist, Pastor Keith calls that a lie and describes doubt as something that slows you down toward greater dependence on God, not something that ends the journey. In Mark 9, Jesus does not shame the father or send him away for insufficient faith; he responds to the desperation he sees in him and keeps teaching.
Let prayer start with your own heart
In Mark 9 the father's request shifts from fixing his son to asking help for his own unbelief. Pastor Keith draws the application: it is easier to pray that God would change someone else, fix finances, or correct the people who hurt us. Beginning with ourselves, asking God to reshape what we see and believe, is presented as the deeper move of the prayer.
Faith connects you to the one who acts
Pastor Keith insists it is not human effort or willpower that produces change but faith in Jesus, described as the bridge to God and the connection that lets fruit grow. Drawing on Jesus' teaching that the disciples' small faith could move a mountain, he treats even small faith as enough because its power lies in the one believed rather than in the strength of the believer. Self-reliance and personal striving are not the point; dependence on Jesus is.
The overlooked matter to Jesus
Pastor Keith returns to Jesus taking a child in his arms in Mark 9 to teach that greatness means serving and receiving the overlooked. Children, the vulnerable, and the voiceless are held up as those who matter most to God, including an encouragement toward children's ministry, rather than an afterthought.
The conversation,
in their words.
Transcript from the recording’s captions. Select any timestamp to hear the original audio.
[Music] well today I want to turn you attention to a story found in the Book of Mark chapter 9 so if you brought your Bible turn to Mark chapter 9 if you're new to church new to reading the Bible Mark is one of 66 books that make up the Bible this story of Mark is all about Jesus Mark is the author and he he shares with us the life of Jesus the ministry of Jesus even the mission of Jesus and as
we pick up in Mark chapter 9 today Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem he's on a mission he knows what he's here to do he's going to die on the cross he's going to be buried and on the third day he's going to rise from the grave so we pick up in this story today in Mark chapter 9 I want to give you a preface before we read the story especially for those who might be new to reading the scriptures I want to give this preface because it might seem strange has to do with a child and a demon and an exorcism some of us we've gotten our theology from Hollywood so we think of exorcism as something done by a priest who's wearing the Right Guard carb and the right robe with maybe a a cross in hand with a Bible and some girl whose head spins uh may I just Proclaim today we should not be getting our theology from Hollywood come on an amen to all
those in Middle School who are allowed to watch whatever they wanted you know uh you realize how warped we are in our views that that there are some things that are strange because we don't understand a correct view of who God is and I just think about things today that are strange where a man can call himself a woman and compete in women's sports or individual could be called them or they these are things that might seem strange but we don't need to be afraid of anything in the world as we will learn from the scriptures Jesus has all authority over the natural and the spiritual so we want to understand how we live who we are according to who Jesus is and sometimes that that's weird sometimes that's hard so let's let's dive into the text I'm going to read a long story just just track with me here as we'll begin to understand this and I'll just give commentary at the
beginning and then I'll I'll read the story Mark chapter 9 starting with verse 14 and when they came to the disciples who are they well let's just pause there all you got to do is read back a few verses in the text Jesus just went on a hike up to the mountains and he took with him Peter James and John and while on this hike he was transfigured he was transformed into the full glory of God Jesus is 100% God and he's 100% man man and in just a moment Peter James and John got to see the full glory of God in Jesus he had Moses on one side and Elijah on the other representing the law and the prophets it was spectacular and what do you do in a moment when you experience the fullness of the glory of God Peter opens up his mouth and says let's let's build
something Peter was was known for for putting his foot in his mouth Peter was known for trying to do something when you should just be present Peter was a perfect picture of a man sometimes men we just need to be present sometimes it's okay not to do something but to just be present in the in the glory of God it's hard just to be present it's a lot easier to try to do something with your life to try to fix something to try to memorialize and it's in this moment that that you don't need to build a memorial for God's glory you just need to be present in it for these moments do not always last for in just a moment Elijah and Moses are gone and they find themselves walking back and all of a sudden Mark
picks up in this story they meaning Jesus Peter James and John joined the other nine disciples there were 12 disciples total these are the students of Jesus Jesus is the rabbi the teacher so they joined the nine when they Peter James and John came to the disciples they saw a great crowd around them and the scribes these the religious teachers of the day arguing with them have you ever seen the world transformed through arguments neither have I the devil's just been doing the same thing from the beginning he's trying to divide the world you got the religious arguing with Jesus students and immediately all the crowd when they saw Jesus they were greatly amazed and they ran up to him and greeted him and Jesus asked them I
believe he was looking at his disciples what are you arguing with with them I wonder if he would ask some of you that same question today what are you arguing about do do you really think it's effective what are you arguing with them and someone from the crowd blurts out does not even give an opportunity for the disciples to answer the question someone from the crowd answered him teacher I brought my son to you for he has a spirit that makes him mute and whenever it seizes him it throws him down and he Foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid so I asked your disciples to cast it out and they were not
able and Jesus answered them who's them more than likely the 12 disciples as he's looking at them oh faithless generation how long am I to be with you how long am I to bear with you bring him to me it's in this place that Jesus is going to demonstrate for us who he is and they brought the boy to him and when the spirit saw Jesus immediately it convulsed the boy and he fell to the ground and rolled about foaming at the mouth and Jesus asked his father how long has this been happening to him and he said from childhood I could almost hear the suffering in this father's tone from
childhood for years we've been dealing with this and it's often cast him into the fire and into the water to destroy him but if you can do anything have compassion on us and help us and Jesus said to him if you can all things are possible for one who believes and immediately the father of the child cried out and said I believe help my unbelief and when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together he rebuked the unclean Spirit saying to it you mute and
deaf spirit I command you come out and never enter him again and after crying out and convulsing him terribly it came out and the boy was like a corpse so that most of them said he is dead but Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up and he arose and when he had entered the house his disciples asked him privately why could we not cast it out and Jesus said to them this kind cannot be driven out by anything but
prayer some translations say this kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting now can I cut to the chase today we do not need a perfect person Christianity I don't know about you but I'm dumb with those that look like to have their life together I'm talking about sharing meemes to make it look like your faith is better than it actually is I'm talking about showing up to church and looking like you have your life together meanwhile everything on the inside is falling apart I I mean enough of this type of Christianity where it looks like we actually have it all figured out does anyone have it figured out I remember growing up without a dad
I thought every other family had it all figured out like the fathers were these great father figures until I became a father and I realized nobody's got it figured out that's just a facade that the devil wants us to think that everyone else has it figured out while our lives are falling apart Jesus does not need you to be perfect because there are no such things as perfect people no such thing that that's who Jesus is he he meets us right where we are and the last thing we could ever do is figure out Jesus that's why it's so important to study the life of Jesus CU you can't figure him out one moment the guy is making a Whip and driving out those in the temple and you're like whoa this guy's like an MMA fighter the next moment he he's bringing a child forth and bringing him on his lap and blessing him he's willing to touch the Untouchable and they're healed he's
willing to bring sight to the blind he's willing to take the stuck and says move and they do you see with Jesus we're constantly surprised with who he hangs out with where he goes what he says and it's here with Jesus we start to understand the application to our lives that Jesus changes everything he cannot leave you the same and he brings us to the place where we are changed that it's not by our efforts it's not by trying harder it's by faith faith is believing faith is believing that God is who he says he is that God's able to do this and we're able to see that God is able to meet us where the world says it's impossible Jesus says I can do
that at at a time in history where children were overlooked literally they were not a priority in society Mark records for us the next thing Jesus does is teach a leadership lesson to his disciples look at Mark 9:35 Jesus sat down he called the twel and he said to them if anyone would be first he must be last of all and servant of all this is backwards upside down so so you want to be great in God Kingdom it's not being served it's actually serving and then he took a child verse 36 he took a child and put him in the midst of them could you imagine this leadership moment with Jesus the rabbi say I'm going to teach you a kingdom principle in a world where children were
not to be tolerated he takes a child puts them in the midst and taking him in his arms Jesus is hugging this child and he said to them whoever receives one such child in my name receives me and whoever receives me receives not me but him who sent me so you really want to be transformed by God you really want to get into heaven Ser in Journey kids church come on you you really want to see what matters most to God who who really matters to the Lord Jesus it's the ones who are overlooked it's the vulnerable it's the ones that may not have a
voice Jesus wants to teach us a leadership lesson here that it might not be what you think it is it's it's not having it all figured out that in your times of trouble God has not abandoned you he's actually giving you an opportunity to see more clearly who he is and we see it through this desperate dad who's got this Trifecta of troubles he's got a a son who by all accounts accounts can't speak he's mute and he's deaf he's epileptic and we learned in this story that this is so much more than just mental and physical we do live in a in a natural world that there are times that there are are things that need to be corrected and God by his grace has given us the opportunity that some people are gifted
to be doctors or psychologists and and may I just say today you should never be ashamed or embarrassed to go to a doctor if you've got a headache and your headache doesn't go away and you take Advil and the Advil doesn't work I'm telling you you should go to the doctor but there are some things that even doctors can't do because not only was this child mutant deaf and epileptic but it appears that there's something more have you ever experienced something more this is often what's not talked about this is spiritual something's happening in your family something's happening with your children something's happening in your marriage something's happening with your relationship with your parents with your s something is
happening and it's more and in this particular case this father is explaining to Jesus that that whatever is happening it's casting him into the fire is casting him into the water to destroy him this Dad month after month year after year is witnessing something more is happening here something's trying to kill destroy my son and lest you be naive there is a real enemy of God that wants to steal kill and destroy you and when you love the Lord he goes after that which you love which is your children nothing's worse than watching your children hurt it hurts there's been many moments as a father that I've pleaded with the Lord
when my kids are sick I can remember when they get fevers they'd get sick you know there's that season where where where you have a child and you realize you're just going to be sick like the next 10 years right they they put everything in their mouth they hang out with all the sick kids and remember that all that but preco it was like you just expect that when you have kids you get sick and then two years we didn't get sick and now we're all back to getting sick again so things are normal right I just as that moment I remember just praying over my kids because I believe in Jesus I remember they'd have a fever and I'd touch them and their their their head would be radiating heat and I'd be like Lord please I'll take the sickness' just stop it because it was so hard to watch someone you love hurt and here a father is hurt he's so desperate he does not even care that the world sees what his his deepest needs
are his dream and desires are are not that he would succeed in his career it's not that he would have a healthy sex life in his marriage no no no I just want my child well this is dream and desire that he brings before Jesus if you can what kind of prayer is that you're before the creator of all things that can speak and it it comes into existence if you can could you just have some compassion on us prayer is conversation with god so that's that's what we're going to call this as prayer prayer is talking to the
Lord now if I was to come before you today and say I want to teach you how to pray you may think we' look back at the monastic fathers and say what did they do in the desert as they learned to be one with the Lord we might look at the great Heroes of Faith throughout the ages our our church fathers that were willing to reform and stand up for truth and oh the eloquent words that they would bring forth as as they conveyed the scriptures and and they brought them into prayer what what kind of prayers would I teach you to pray well may I suggest that sometimes the most desperate prayers are the best prayers I I don't know about you and your prayer life but my prayer life has often been more like this father's if
you can could you please have compassion on us I mean I've been praying I've been trying I've been going to the doctor I've been trying to do everything I can and nothing is happening I know you could do it but I'm not sure you're going to do this if you can I mean listen to that prayer it sounds like anything but courageous and strong and confident and holy it's hardly any of those things if you can the Greek here is even more emphatic it implies complete doubt it's a question if you if you can it's implying I know you've done great things I I've known you've stopped the storms I've known you multiply uh bread and you've done Miracles after Miracles you you've caused the Leer to
have Clean Skin you've caused the the bleeding woman to to to be well you you've caused the blind to see I I know you've done all these things but I doubt you'll do it for me I I doubt it's going to happen in my life I doubt it's going to happen in my child's life and maybe many of us feel that way today I've heard God's done great things I've heard he's the god of history but I've not experienced it in my life and some of you may feel like this desperate dad you're hurting and you don't know what else to do but ask I may I say today that's a great starting place just ask don't give up on God faith is the belief in something you
can't see the writer of Hebrews says it's the Assurance of the things that that you hope for so you don't have them yet but your faith is a dependence on a God that's able to do for you what needs to be done faith is not I'm going to be able to do this I'm going to have it figured out faith is saying God has it figured out now prayer is the avenue to Faith prayer is the conduit it in which you have access to God through faith so if you want God you've got to pray and when you pray may I just say start somewhere start with asking even if it has doubt in it see the enemy would love to say that faith and doubt cannot coexist and that is a lie of the enemy you see in faith you can have
doubts but do not allow your doubts to be the dead end of your faith doubts are not the dead end they're just more like a speed bump they're just slowing you down so that so maybe you might even enjoy the scenery don't you hate those speed bumps going through neighborhoods but they're trying to they're trying to get you to slow down because there might be something valuable important like children running around see doubts are not meant to stop you sometimes they just slow you down so that you would have a greater dependence on God and I want you to see this with Jesus today he's so much greater than our doubts he he doesn't stop us he doesn't shame the dad he doesn't blame the dad he doesn't send him away and say you don't have enough Faith but rather he sees the
desperations he sees the weariness he he sees what's happening in this father's soul and this is a man that does not have it figured out but at least he's gone to the right place so today if you don't have it figured out I just want to say you're in the right place because here a journey is all about Jesus it's not about what we can do but what he's done for us and really doubt should only bring us to the greater place of the curiosity if if it's possible if it's possible and now I'm wondering today if some of you are wondering that if God can help my heart if God can help my finances if God can help my marriage if God can help that relationship in my life and Jesus
as the great Rabbi as as what he's called by this father teacher he's going to turn this moment into a lesson you know those are the greatest lessons in life those experiences none of us want them but I'm talking about those moments where you make it through it and you say oh God was teaching me something the whole time when I didn't think he was there he was trying to get my attention and Jesus said to him if you can verse 23 Jesus fixes on the if now have you ever been in class where the teacher fixes on something you said now he's going to take what this father says and use it against him if you can
if if have you noticed how important that one word is if because it can really be used two different ways if you can create something out of nothing then do it right now or if if I'm not really sure you can if see the reality is if God was with Abraham and allowed his wife Sarah to have a child when she shouldn't do it our God can do anything if God was with Isaac and provided a better sacrifice if God was with Jacob and wrestled with him and blessed him and gave him a new name if God was back in the day with Noah I said hey by the way the weather's going to change soon you should build a big
boat and if you do what I said you're going to save your family if if if that God is still God today because he's Eternal he's present today and he'll be there to if that is God if he's the one that's able to be with Moses through a burning bush if he's able to take him with some Leadership Lessons and cause him to go against Pharaoh if he would be there to lead the Israelites out of Slavery to Freedom if he able to bring Mana for food to eat and water for them to drink if if you did all that this shouldn't be too much for you if you could use a little boy to go against Goliath all I'm asking you to do today is just throw a stone defeat this giant that's in my child's life if you're the god of
impossible improbable if you're the god of extraordinary the extraordinary if you can do anything would you please do this and Jesus is fixated on the if if and this is this is the safe place because if you go to the scriptures and you've ever had doubt you are in really good company because all of the Heroes of Faith had their doubts oh don't you know the story of Abraham when he went into a city and his wife was so pretty that he's like yeah this just told him my sister we're not like together because he was worried that if people knew that she was his wife then they would kill him to get her but like yo bro that's like why would you do that or or we look over and over we see that Moses had many doubts we we look at
Elijah who brought fire down from heaven yet he runs out into the Wilderness and says Lord I just wish I was dead he was depressed and suicidal after God did great things in his life so so if you've ever had doubts or if you walked in here with doubts today wondering what God can do I want to say you're in good company if you're doubting today would you just see the ability of what Jesus is able to do even in your doubts if I can and then he says this statement all things are possible that's something our minds can't fathom all things are possible everyone shout all all do you know what the Greek word for all is here come on all you you just look this up there's no
surprises here there's no Aster well all actually means if you are good enough then I'm going to do what needs to be now all things are possible for the one who what believes this is what faith is do you believe that Jesus can do what you could never do on your own and immediately the response from the teacher to the student the father cries out in verse 24 the word cried here is literally the use of Tears he had tears tears streaming down his face he doesn't care what the whole world thinks but but Jesus and he said I believe I have faith but would you help my unbelief I have faith but I also have doubts he he's bringing his his his All to Jesus as cus
Lewis meant when he said we must lay before him what is in us not what ought to be in US you see if you come before the Lord and you look like you have it all figured out you're not surrendering the stuff you don't have figured out God God's not asking for your best he's asking for your worst he's asking for you to bring him everything your doubts your fears your insecurity every one of your sins for he died on the cross not for some sins but for all sins and this is a a perfect picture of what God wants for us to do this uncomfortable mix of I've shown up yet I've shown up in my
mess I've let down my hair and I'm crying and with my tears I I'm going to just bring you the best I can give you see God is looking at our hearts he's not looking at what we can give him how what can you give the god that owns everything and too many of us think that we can't can't come to God because we're lacking because we're empty we're hurting we're depressed everything's broken inside of us we we don't even have the faith to really muster up in us any type of eloquent prayers and we think I can't even come to God God's going to be so displeased with me but God is Not Afraid of our mess he's not afraid of our doubts but rather what he wants to do is do what he does best which is to restore us he made you so who better than to come before the god that made you and say I'm not even
sure what this looks like and I want to give this father some credit today because his faith is on life support but at least he came to the right place see your faith might be at the end of your rope today but if you come to Jesus you're in the right place Jesus made it abundantly clear it's not about what you can do John 15:5 I am the vine you are the branches whoever abides in me and I in him he it is that bears much fruit because you're connected to Jesus for he said for apart from me you could do nothing and it appears this dad got this teaching I can do nothing I don't have the ability so would you help my unbelief this Dad cries out this
dependence on Jesus look at verse 24 again immediately don't wait for a better day or another day immediately I believ in you Jesus but would you would you help my unbelief I see this man's prayer life increasing when you come before Jesus with your doubts if you can and if you allow Jesus to speak to you may I just tell you something will start to change in your prayers wait I still can stand before you you didn't send me away then would you help me I'm dependent on you I want you to notice this Father's prayer this is so important he said help my
unbelief it went from focusing on his son I need you to do this in his life to help me see what you're able to do I mean how many of y'all come before the Lord and be like Lord would you just help my husband you know exactly where he's at Lord would you help my w Lord would you fix my finances Lord would you and we come before God to to do something else but in this prayer the prayer starts on the inside God would you help me see what you see God God would you reshape me because if I can go back into my prayers instead of if you can I wish I would have said since you can since you can do anything but I didn't pray that so I'm just asking would you start with
me would you help my unbelief see what begins to happen when we shift our blame on God we do not even see what's wrong with our own Hearts see the reason we can allow doubt into our lives is because we're just broken people the Bible says we've all sinned and fall short of the glory of God this is a Level Playing Field we are sinners therefore we are broken people we are unperfect people so somewhere in our lives we do not have it all figured out God knows that and wants to restore that in us but what he wants to bring to us today is the reality of what he's able to do in us and I talked to so many people that when they get hurt by someone that's broken they want to stop there and this this comes in any form you you were hurt by your parents and so
that shapes the trajectory of your life you you were hurt by a spouse that shapes the trajectory of your life you were hurt by the church I hear this all the time I was hurt by the church I can't go to church my church now is between me and the Lord and nature that's what we're going to do may I just say that's not Church the word church actually means in the Greek Jesus said I will build my church the church was Jesus idea it means the assembly the Gathering it's why when you read the scripture says do not neglect meeting because meeting together is the church so you can be the church in other places like nature like your home like your neighborhood but the church will always be made up of Believers that gather together with one Faith with one one purpose in the Lord Jesus Christ he will build his church but there are many that get hurt by the
church and they're surprised like I was hurt by the church I'm never going back to the church again that doesn't surprise me you will be hurt by the church because the church is full of people and wherever are people there are problems so if you find a perfect Church don't go cuz now you're the problem and there's no such thing as a perfect Church there just a reality so then you get hurt by the church which is full of people people which people can suck let's just admit that we've seen that in our lifetime you kids have seen that in your lifetime we've seen it we see it with grown adults that act like toddlers right these are the ones that are supposed to be the president of the United States of America and we're like What What In the world's happening here this is so strange and we we see that people are broken so don't give up on God because of
people I mean if you have a bad meal someone burns your meal would you be like I'm Giving Up on food I'm never going to eat again cuz I was burned I was bad food I'm not going to eat food again why do we do that with God I prayed and God didn't do what I wanted him to do God I'm giving up on you I went to church and people sucked and they judged me and I'm Giving Up on Church Don't Give Up on Church this Giving Up on Church is like giving up on God we got to keep going back but instead of blaming somebody else and God would you just help those Hypocrites so you start with yourself God would you help my unbelief I don't think they can change help my unbelief help me to see what you see and we see an exorcism unlike any other this would be the last time Jesus Takes a demon that seems to be
controlling somebody I'm not saying he's possessed or oppressed I don't want to get into the theological weeds there I'll tell you the Greek reason why I don't want to get into the theological weeds I don't know but I do know this Jesus said get out and don't never come back and there was a war and I'll tell you who won that day it's the same one that wins every time Jesus but I'll tell you what the enemy tried to do he tried to get everybody to think that the enemy won it says most people looked at the child and said didn't work they they they said he's dead but we get an image of the
Resurrection here where Jesus he doesn't command it with his words he shows the heart of his father when he takes his hand into the hand of a child which is what exactly he's doing in this generation when the world looks at these kids today and says they're dead they're done there's no hope and Jesus he he causes them to rise up there's a resurrection because of Jesus it's a picture of what he would do when it looks like it's over he shows us what he's able to do rise up oh young people that's what Jesus does and he arose this is the image looking forward Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up he arose may I say all of the dark days that you've been through might be the
opportunity that Jesus is going to look at you and say rise up you've been wondering why you were tormented your whole life you've been wondering why the demons have been doing what they're doing in your life you've been wondering why your parents couldn't fix you you've been wondering why all the other kids got to have a normal household it's so that you can have an encounter with Jesus Christ and for all the parents out there that are watching their kids suffer and it seems like everyone else has their lives together at the time when the Jewish culture where children were becoming just like their fathers they were learning the trades of their fathers this dad had to watch the child suffer day in and day out nothing is wasted with God nothing Don't stop believing in God because of your circumstances God Is So Much
Greater see Jesus is not for the people who haven't figured out he even said that I I did not come for those who are well I came for the sick he's for the broken he's for the overlooked and he's for the desperate dads out there Jesus is available to anyone who's willing to believe in him even if your faith is weak we get to trust in him now to understand and better understand the stories disciples they pull Jesus aside and like hey Jesus like how could you do that and we couldn't do that I felt like that sometimes how how how can some people do things that I can't do if all things are possible for those who believe I believe Lord and they ask a very raw honest question may I say your questions are welcome with
Jesus the more questions you ask the more answers you're going to get but sometimes you may not like the answer see the reason they asked this question this is important to understand we go back in the Book of Mark which by the way if you want to study the Book of Mark it's not too late it's a small book in Mark chap 6:7 Jesus called the 12 and he began to send them out two by two he'll never send you out alone two by two he gave them authority over the unclean spirits Jesus gave them authority over the Demonic now what would they do with that Authority a few verses later look what they were doing they cast out demons they anointed many with oil who were sick and and they healed them so these guys they operated in the authority of the spirit of working in their lives I mean absolutely incredible Jesus sends them out and they
do it the the anointing is a picture of the Holy Spirit what God's able to do it's not the oil that heals it's God that heals and if you believe in Jesus you can do anything but now they're they're going around they're doing all these great things and they come to this child and the father's desperate but what they do has no impact and it appears that Jesus speaking to them in such a way saying this kind can only be driven out by prayer it appears that Jesus is saying listen you got too comfortable I don't know about y'all but there can be a time where you start going to church that you start putting on cruise control that you're not expecting God to show up in a song you're not expecting God to speak to you through a sermon and Jesus said you really want me you
really need to pray don't get too comfortable with the authority that you can just walk around do anything it's not you that does it it's the one whom you believe in in Matthew he shares this exact story but Matthew this writer goes into a little more detail when when Jesus continued to teach them in verse 20 of chapter 17 Matthew tells us Jesus said to them because of your little faith that's why you couldn't do this you had little faith you were trying to do this on your little faith for truly I say to you if you had Faith Like a grain of mustard seed you can say to this mountain move from here to there and it will move and nothing will be impossible for you now Jesus makes it sound like it's you that does the work but what is it that does the work it's faith faith is the bridge to God and there are not
many bridges to get that strength there's one bridge and that is Jesus Christ and when you have that faith God says you will able to do what you can never do on your own now in the scriptures mountains always represent immovable circumstances some of us take this so literally we go out to the mountains be like faith hope charity move B your move Jesus is talking about your circumstances that all you have to have is faith in the right place and your circumstances will change faith is the mean means to God and when you get God everything changes the writer of Hebrews simply puts it this way in 11:6 and it it
sounds so simple but he says without faith it's impossible to please God did you catch that without faith God's not pleased with good looks God's not clean with he's not pleased with clean morals God's not pleased with with with someone that does Good Deeds no no no God's pleased when you put your faith in him because it changes you and you become more like him I mean look at the the Simplicity here for whoever would draw near to God you want God you must believe that he exists and if you believe he exists I've got good news for you he rewards those who seek Him often when Jesus would do a miracle he would say something along the lines of your faith has made you well you believed in me and it happened
he would say your faith has healed you you believed in the right one I'm not going to try to understand why the Lord let some suffer for months and years maybe even decades maybe even a lifetime the point of the story is not to understand the sovereignty and the Providence of God why and when he does what he does the point of the story is to turn your attention to Jesus wherever you are wherever you've been some of you might be like that desperate dad today you need a miracle and I'm telling you to turn to Jesus some of you are more like this child you need to experience the
miracle some of us are more like those disciples could you imagine Peter James and John just went up on the mountain they saw the full glory of God and they come down here they should have been the first ones be like Jesus hey we got this handled we just saw you Elijah Moses this cool we Jesus let us show off right now they kept silent I said in your silence God doesn't give up on you so don't give up on him keep trusting him I know we all need Jesus today I would love to say these are the easiest times we've ever lived in but I believe we are in a spiritual war and you're going to do great things for God that the enem is going to go after you he's going to go after your mind he's going to cause your doubt to stop right there don't stop at
doubt bring it to the Lord and you can believe he's about to do a big breakthrough it's right where you are Would You Close Your Eyes let's pray Lord we're going to trust you today we're going to trust you with our doubts we're going to trust you with our fears we're going to trust you with our insecurities God we're going to trust you with with what we've been through that although we couldn't see you working your word teaches us that you may be doing exponentially more than we could understand so I just want to learn from you the great teacher that Although our faith might be very small today you would do great things the most important thing that you've done for us is offer us salvation just by believing in you you
give us the gift of Grace what a gift that is that we do not deserve this but you've given us the the gift of eternal life you've given us the gift of you the holy spirit thank you Lord if you're here today and you want to receive that gift you've never surrendered completely to Jesus and today you're saying yes to him just with all the eyes closed would you just throw up your hand just saying yes to Jesus say you saying yes I want that I need that right where you are you slip up your hand just as a bold Proclamation say I'm so tired I'm done I need that I want that you're saying yes to Jesus yes to the Lord right where you
are you don't have to have it figured out Say Yes to Jesus yes Lord we say yes to you just as we're having this conversation with the Lord right where we are would some of you be honest today saying I've tried but I've even given up and maybe today you would just say that prayer if you can God would you have compassion on Me Maybe it's a child whether that child's wandering or sick maybe it's in your life it's cancer and now you feel stuck this is how your story is going to end maybe it's a marriage that's failing maybe it's finances that are non-existent maybe it's dreams that
seemed dead like that child that dream is dead today if you need Jesus to bring forth his power and resurrect whatever it is in your life whether it's your health your finances a relationship a dream if you want that in your life just in this moment would you just throw up your hand today you're saying yes to Jesus you're saying yes to [Music] Jesus it's not something you can do but you're asking asking the power of God himself to do greater things than he's ever done before we say yes Jesus we have nothing to offer you but we want to be connected to you so that we can bear your fruit that the world would look at us
and want what we have to offer which is you Jesus I pray for miracle breakthrough that what you've taught us through your word would not be left in in this room but it would take a deposit in our hearts that we would act by faith that we would live by faith that God although we can't see it we're going to believe it we're not going to stop praying our prayers are going to become more bold today help our unbelief help our unbelief help us Lord help us to align our faith with you the one whom we believe in help us Lord and we always pray in the mighty name of Jesus the one that can do
anything at any time amen and amen well friends we're almost done with our time together we want to respond to God we don't want to rush out of here we want to sing one last song so before you leave would you in your heart would you take this time serious if you're able you can stand would you just Proclaim today God I'm going to give you my all maybe in this prayer say if it's possible Lord I believe in you for you are worthy
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Bringing a desperate prayer
In Mark 9 the father comes to Jesus with a son who has suffered since childhood and with a prayer that begins with uncertainty about whether Jesus can help. Pastor Keith treats this as a model: honest, exhausted prayer brought to the right place is better than pretending to have it all together. Group discussion can explore how honest we are when we pray.
Mark 9:14-24
- Where in your life do you find it hardest to pray honestly rather than with the 'right' words?
- Pastor Keith says desperate prayers can be the best prayers. Where do you see that in the father's approach to Jesus?
- Which situations make you feel you must have things figured out before coming to God or to church?
Faith and doubt together
Pastor Keith states directly that the enemy's claim — that faith and doubt cannot coexist — is a lie, and describes doubt as a speed bump that slows you toward dependence on God rather than a wall that ends the journey. In Mark 9, Jesus does not shame the father or dismiss him for weak faith, which frames the conversation: doubts can be brought rather than hidden.
Mark 9:24
- Which doubts feel hardest to admit out loud, and why?
- What might it look like to treat a doubt as a speed bump rather than as the end of your faith this week?
- What does Pastor Keith point out about how Jesus responds to the father's honest admission of unbelief?
Start with your own heart
In Mark 9 the father's request moves from fixing his son to asking help for his own unbelief. Pastor Keith applies this to common prayers that focus on other people, finances, or people who hurt us, and suggests starting with our own hearts instead. He also argues that being hurt by the church is real but is not a reason to give up on God, since the church is made up of people. He grounds this in Jesus' teaching that apart from him we can do nothing.
Mark 9:24 · John 15:5
- Which of your prayers are mostly about changing someone else or a circumstance, and how could you pray about your own heart instead?
- How can you be honest about pain caused by church without letting it become a reason to stop seeking God?
- What would it mean in practice to ask God to help you see what he sees?
Jesus and the overlooked
Pastor Keith returns to Mark 9:35-37, where Jesus teaches that greatness is service and receives a child in his arms. He connects this to children's ministry and holds up the overlooked and vulnerable as those who matter most to God.
Mark 9:35-37
- Where do you see the overlooked or vulnerable around you, and what would receiving them look like?
- How does Jesus' picture of greatness as service challenge what you are tempted to value?
- Why does Pastor Keith say children and the voiceless matter so much to God?
Faith, prayer, and our limits
The disciples ask privately why they could not cast the spirit out, and Jesus says this kind comes out only by prayer (some translations add fasting). Pastor Keith argues that authority is not a technique to take for granted and that faith is not self-confidence but trust in the one who acts; the discussion can explore what dependence on God looks like without turning it into a formula.
Mark 9:28-29 · Hebrews 11:6
- What is the difference between confident faith and trusting in a technique, and where do you notice the line in your own life?
- How does prayer keep you dependent rather than 'on cruise control' in your walk with God?
- Where do you need to keep asking even when you do not see a change yet?
Answers from this recording
Start a conversation.
What does the story of the father in Mark 9 actually say happened?+
Pastor Keith reads a father bringing a son who is mute, convulsing, and endangered by fire and water; the disciples could not cast the spirit out. Jesus says all things are possible for one who believes, and the father answers that he believes and asks Jesus to help his unbelief. Jesus rebukes the spirit, the boy appears dead, and Jesus takes his hand and raises him up. Privately the disciples ask why they failed, and Jesus ties this kind to prayer, with some translations adding fasting.
How does the way the father prays change what you might expect from a story like this?
Is it okay to be honest with God about doubt?+
Yes, as Pastor Keith frames it from the father's exchange with Jesus in Mark 9. He says the claim that faith and doubt cannot coexist is a lie, and he describes doubt as a speed bump that slows you toward greater dependence on God rather than a dead end. Jesus does not shame the father or send him away for weak faith but responds to his desperation. Pastor Keith also notes that the heroes of faith had their own doubts, so honest struggle places you in good company.
What is one doubt you would like to bring to Jesus this week?
Why does Pastor Keith say the father's prayer in Mark 9 is a model for us?+
The father brings a conditional request, unsure whether Jesus can help — a prayer Pastor Keith says carries real doubt and feels unlike a strong, confident prayer. But he came to the right place and kept asking. Pastor Keith notices that the man's focus shifts from fixing his son to asking help for his own unbelief, and treats that shift as a model: rather than asking God to manage everyone else, start by asking God to reshape your own heart. The most desperate prayers, he says, are often the best prayers.
How might you rephrase one of your everyday prayers to begin with your own heart?
Why couldn't the disciples cast out the spirit?+
Pastor Keith reads Jesus' reply in Mark 9 — this kind comes out only by prayer, with some translations adding fasting — as a challenge to the disciples' overconfidence. Earlier in Mark, Jesus sent the twelve out with authority over unclean spirits, and they had cast out demons and healed the sick. But Pastor Keith suggests they had grown comfortable, relying on their authority rather than on God. He connects this to Matthew's account, which he says ties the failure to little faith, and argues that prayer keeps dependence where it belongs rather than on a technique.
How does Pastor Keith contrast dependence on God through prayer with becoming comfortable in one's own authority?
What does Pastor Keith want listeners to do with their doubts before they leave?+
Applying the father's prayer in Mark 9, Pastor Keith closes by saying he would rather not pretend these are easy times, describing a real spiritual war, and he urges listeners to bring doubts to the Lord rather than stopping there. In the closing prayer, he names trusting Jesus with doubts, fears, insecurities, and the past, and he invites anyone who has never surrendered to Jesus to respond, saying yes to him right where they are. He says the point of the story is not to explain why some suffer but to turn attention to Jesus, and he invites people to keep trusting and not give up on him.
What would 'not giving up on God' mean in one area of your life right now?
