Turn with me to Mark chapter
9. Mark chapter 9. verses 14 through 24. Mark 9,
verses 14 through 24. And it begins reading this way, and when He, that is
Christ, came to his disciples, he saw
a great multitude about them and the scribes questioning them. And straightway, all the people
which, when they beheld Christ, were greatly amazed and running
to him, saluted him. And he asked the scribes, what
question ye with them? And one of the multitude answered
and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which had a
dumb spirit, And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him,
and he foameth and gnashes with his teeth, and pineth away. And
I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out, and
they could not. And he answered him, and saith,
O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long
shall I suffer you? Bring him unto me. him unto Christ. And when he
saw him, straightway the Spirit tear him, and he fell on the
ground and wallowed foaming. And Christ asked his Father,
How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of
a child. And oftentimes it hath cast him
into the fire and into the waters to destroy him. But if thou can
do anything, have compassion on us and help us. And Jesus
said unto him, if thou can believe, all things are possible to him
that believes. In a straight way, the father
of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe. Help thou my unbelief. We'll stop right there before
we go any further. We come on this scene It's a
rather unique and a stubborn affliction which was upon this
boy. Obviously, the disciples, they
couldn't cast him out. And Christ tells us later sort
of a reason why they couldn't, but this is a particular stubborn
and unique affliction. He had this horrible disorder
since he was a child, is what he says in verse 21, which is
like us, we're born in sin, so from childbirth forward, we're
spiritually in a similar state to this boy we're possessed,
whether we like to believe so or not. But then in verse 22,
The Father makes this statement. It's a woeful statement. On the
top part of it, it looks harmless. But this statement is one like
us. It's said so often. This statement
that he utters is full of unbelief. And I want us to see this. This
is how we ask and how we speak. We know God is sovereign, but...
We know God is in charge, but... We know this, but... You know,
that's how we... We tell somebody, we preach to
somebody that God is sovereign, and yet we do things and act
and speak in such a way that it is unbelief. It is full of
doubt. It is full of sinful lack of
faith. What he says in verse 22, as
he answers Christ, he says, oftentimes it hath cast him into the fire
and into the waters to destroy him. But if you can, If you can. The title of this
message is the two ifs. This man puts this if in the
wrong place. And Christ will set it straight
in the next verse. So he says in verse 22, this
man, he's distraught, the father of this child, if you can. If you can do anything. If. If. If. Does this man not know
who he is addressing? Does this man not know who is
standing before him? If you can do. Now this is not
the same phraseology, and it's not even the same Greek word,
so I'm told. I've looked this over in several different studies,
this is not the same as the leper that came down and he says, if
you will. It's not the same phraseology,
it's not even the same construction. If you will, he's saying salvation
is completely up to you and I'm at your feet. He's not questioning
his ability. This man is questioning Christ's
ability, if you can do anything. Why, he's speaking to the Lord
of Glory, the same One who the Scripture says, God who at sundry
times and in divers manners, spake in time past unto the fathers
by the prophet, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His
Son. The same Son that is standing
before this man. whom God hath appointed heir
of all things, by whom also He made the worlds." This is the
one the Father says, if you can do this. If. This is the one
who made the world. Verse 3 in Hebrews, "...who being
the brightness of God's glory, and the expressed image of His
person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when
He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand
of the Majesty on high." This is the one, the faithless or
weak faith or doubting lack of faith, Father is addressing. This is the same Christ who it
is said in, and I'll just read these passages to you, it is
said in Psalms 33 and verse 9, for He spake and it was done. He spake and it was done. He commanded and it stood fast. This is the same one, the same
Lord Jesus, who it is said in Isaiah in the ninth chapter,
for unto us a child is born, for unto us a son is given, and
the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall
be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. This is the Christ whom this
man addresses, and sometimes we do the same thing. It's not like James. The Lord's
will be done. I'll go to town and I'll shop. It's the Lord's will. We understand that. But our language
and our heart and our flesh betrays us. We say if far too often. Far
too often. This Christ, the one whom this
Father is addressing, He came into Jerusalem in Luke 19. He can make the very rocks and
stones sing Hosanna if He so chose to do. If the people stop
saying that and if people stop laying palm leaves down when
they got rebuked, tell them to stop. He says if they stop, these
stones are going to do it. This is the same Christ who He
spoke to, who brought the dead to life in Luke 7, Luke 8, John
11. And in Matthew 27, He brought
many to life when the earth shook and many saints were seen walking,
it says. This is the Christ. This is the
power. This is the Sovereign whom He's
addressing. This if brings into question
the sovereignty of our God. It brings into question the goodness
of our God, the mercy of our God, His tender care towards
us, His daily tokens of affections and love to His people. How many times have I, have we,
tempted our ever adoring Redeemer with this little word, if. If. Yet it's a huge tell-tale sign
upon us for worse. I'll do this if God does that. We're trying to barter to God. Try to reason with Him as we
would reason with a man. How many times do we take thought
for tomorrow? How many ifs? We've acted out, let alone spoken
in regards to His watch, care over us. How many times are we
concerned about what we're going to wear, or how we're going to
be fed, if we have enough money to be fed, what He's promised
us, the lilies of the valley, the sparrows, the hairs of your
head. And are we not, says the Scriptures,
much more to Him than these are? How often do we, like this Father, if you can do, if you can do. Our health, our wealth, our jobs. Brethren, these things ought
not to be so. These things ought not to be
so. He's going to take care of His
people. And He may not take care of His people, take care of us
the way we think. But how often in a fit of anger
or fit of worry or concern, which is all humanly correct. He's the father. His son is,
you know, it's a horrible, horrible condition, horrible situation.
So, like I said, it's unique. But the man still puts the question
mark. If you can do. That's not where the if goes.
That's never where the if goes, especially to a saved sinner. Now let's look at this passage
again in verse 23 and let's see where the if belongs properly.
The if belongs properly. Often times you cast them in
verse 22, the fire destroys them, if you can do anything. And Jesus
said, if you can believe. Now He's not saying, I've done
all I can. The rest is up to you." No, this
is not what we're talking about. This is what we're talking about,
and what you'll see later on, that this is a weak, troubled,
lack of faith, doubt, a believer, because he says, I believe, but
Lord, help my unbelief. And he acknowledges his weakness. What I'm saying is that we ought
to adorn the Gospel we believe the door in the gospel we preach,
and take this if, and cast it away. Lord, if you
will, would be a proper use of that if, Lord, you can do all
things. And David in the Psalms, we've
seen so many times, we've read so many times, I was in trouble,
I cried, and the Lord delivered me out of all these troubles. Here is the proper place for
this if to be. And Jesus answered his son, if
thou can believe all things are possible to him that believeth. Christ sets the proper table
with the true place of this if, if you can believe. Here's the
rub, here's where the problem lies. Man fell in the garden,
not God. Man left his first love, not
God. Man abandoned any hope of eternal
life, not God. Here's the issue with man. Not
only are we born in sin, but a cold heart, heart of unbelief. We can't do anything to remedy
this. But Christ simply says, You must
believe in Me, upon Me, and by Me. And I ask myself this as
I write it down. Do we? Do I? Do you? Or when we get done, here in
the Word, we're going to go out, and then that IF is going to
pop up again. That IF is going to pop up. Bless the Lord, O
my soul. He will always hear a genuine
heart cry for mercy. Verse 24. and straightway, the
father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I
believe." Let's look at that. Lord, I believe. Why? How? Because God in Christ takes
out the stony heart of unbelief and places a warm fleshly heart
of desire and trust upon the Messiah. or said in another way,
and I've been wanting to get to this verse, I thought I would
preach this verse, but I can't. There's too much here, but turn
with me to Psalms 27. This is something I've been looking
for for years. How to describe the working of
the Spirit and the response of the Spirit to the Father. Psalms 27, and if you have time,
Charles Haddon Spurgeon has a message called Echoes of the Redeemed. The echo of the heart. It is
very, very good. Psalms 27. This is what this
man, this is what's going on. This is what happens when faith,
when God gives faith, grace, and strength to His people. They
say, I believe. Psalms 27, and look with me at
verse 8. When thou saidest, the Holy Spirit
says through the preaching of the Gospel, through the reading
of the Word, through prayer, seek ye my face, my heart, said
unto thee, my heart echoes, it whispers back, the love of Christ
constrains me, thy face, Lord, will I seek. You see that? It is absolutely beautiful. This
is Psalms 110, verse 3, where He makes us willing in a day
of His power. But I love how this is worded.
When God says, when God's through the preaching of the Word, when
God whispers the comfort of the Holy Spirit, when God shows us
what we are and what we can and cannot do, He says, Seek ye My
face, and a heart, a new heart, a heart of flesh, says unto Him,
Your face will I seek. Your law will I abide. Your way
will I obey. The brethren I will love. I will
add to faith virtue, virtue, peace. These things all come
with it. But when you say to me, seek
my face, my heart replies, I will do it. Grace placed in the heart
will always answer to its Creator or will always answer to its
origin, which is the Lord of glory and of grace. Grace in
the heart will answer with grace in action. We're going through
Peter. That's why these things are going
to happen. That's why the believer does the things he does, and
the flesh included. It's just two natures. We're
never going to get rid of the old man until we're dead. But
there's a new creature. One who lives and strives and
desires to glorify Christ. And when God says, seek my face,
that nature says, I'll seek it. That's what James is talking
about. Faith without works. If you want
to know the definition of James, that one verse, Psalms 27 and
verse 8. That will help you out in your study and you're looking
at James. That's what it is. That's what we do. We are, as
it were, we're coming home. It says we're wandering sheep.
We didn't find the house. We didn't find our home. We were
wandering, lost. The shepherd got the sheep and
brought us back, but we are going home. We're being brought back.
Faith imputed will show itself by faith in earnest, which is
the fruit of the Spirit, which is good works as in James, which
is in the enabling of the Holy Spirit. That's this man. He's rebuked. He's rebuked. The Lord dealt tenderly with
him. But no, the if is in the wrong place. I can do all things. Isn't that what Paul said? I
can do all things through Christ that strengthens me? God's things
are not impossible. No, that's no, no. If you can believe. And let's look again at the father
of this child, verse 24. He cries out with tears. There's
a broken heart and a broken spirit, contrite. And he says, Lord,
okay, King, Sovereign, Father, Helper, not Rabbi, not Teacher,
Lord, I believe. I believe as in 2 Timothy 1,
verse 12, for that cause, nevertheless, I am not ashamed for I know whom
I believe, that I am persuaded that He is able to keep that
which I have committed unto Him against that day. I believe.
I know. Or as Peter says, and you don't
have to turn here, I'm just going to read these to you. In 1 Peter
4 verse 19, Wherefore, let them that suffer according to the
will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well-doing
as unto a faithful Creator. I know who I believe, and I'm
going to commit. I'm going to commit. And as Job, if you want to turn
these, these are good, Job chapter 13. These two, Job 13 and Job 19. This is what he's saying, I believe
with tears of repentance. He accepted the rebuke. You're
correct, the if does not belong with you, the if is me. I'm the problem. Job 13 and verse
15, though He slay me, though Christ slay me, though God slay
me, He just slayed me by this gentle rebuke. He just slew me
and broke me. Yet will I trust in Him. Yet
will I trust in Him. That's what the Father is saying.
Lord, I believe. Or in Job chapter 19 and verse
25, look at this one. Job says, For I know that my
Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day
upon earth, and though after my skin worms destroy this body,
yet in my flesh I will see God, whom I shall see for myself,
and mine eyes shall behold, and not another, though my reins
be consumed within me. I know. I know whom I believe. 1 Peter, I'm committed. Job 13, I'm going to trust in
Him. Job 19, I know. I believe. And in that fabulous
passage, which we won't have to turn there, 2 Samuel 23, 5,
the last words of David. He's made with me an everlasting
covenant, ordered in all things and sure. This is all my desire. This is all my desire. God says
to me, seek my face, my heart, says I know, I've committed,
I'll trust you, love you, and it's all my desire. Though He
make it not to grow. Though it may not have the end
result that we would like, yet we are submissive, completely
submissive, And whatever God does, however He leads, we're
fine with that. But look at what He acknowledges.
He says, I believe. And this to me is the dual nature
in the believer. I don't know how else to phrase
it. I believe, help thou my unbelief. Help thou my unbelief, or that
is actually, help my lack of faith. Lord, help me to mortify
the deeds of the flesh. Help me to walk in faith, love
and forbearance. Help me to see that we need not
fear, for You are with us unto the end. Help me to keep us ere
we perish, to keep us near You, to keep us in love with You. I know this and you know this,
these ifs, it's a warfare that tears within and brings chaos
without. We doubt our Lord, we doubt His
abilities, we doubt His sovereignty, we doubt His protection, we doubt
His care. Yet He will cause us to follow
Him wherever He leads, however He leads. Knowing that as He leads, whether
it's through thick or thin, whether it's through a mountain, over
a mountain or in a valley, rough seas or calm seas, whether it's
through friendlessness or true, genuine fellowship, whether it's
through being alone or with company of God's people, whether it's
over Jordan and into Canaan, we know that He leads best, He
leads wisest, and He leads the surest. Lord, I believe help
my unbelief. And thank you for giving me that
mild rebuke. I doubt you far too often. We
know that He is kind, compassionate, and worthy to follow. So what's
the end result? Every believer, what's the end
result? Such cries as within this now new heart, the heart
that when He says, seek my face, my heart, not my mind, Everything,
my heartness typifies the whole being, says thy face Lord I'll
seek. Verse 27 in our text, Jesus took
this boy by the hand and lifted him up and he arose. The true genuine heart cry for
compassion and mercy and help will always be answered. Always. He rose, and so shall every last
sheep of His fold. We'll raise a newness of life
under the everlasting arms. So let us stop, and I know we can't,
but let us diligently seek to stop these ifs. Let's just realize we're the
sinner. We need to help. And he says,
if you believe, if you believe. And I could go into a whole other
path on the promises of God. These promises are given for
the believer to fit every need and every situation. Why? Because look who's talking, look
who's addressing, look who's speaking to us. The Lord of Glory,
the One who spoke and the worlds were. And all things are for
His people. Bruce, would you close us please?