The Bible Baptist Church located
at 2015 Beulah Road in Madisonville, Kentucky would like to invite
you to listen to a message of the sovereign grace of God in
the Lord Jesus Christ by their pastor David Edmondson. In the Gospel of Mark chapter
9, we discover that the Lord had just come down from the Mount
of Transfiguration, and when he was returned to his disciples,
he found the scribes questioning them. And in verse 16 of Mark
9, Christ asked the scribes, What question ye with him? And
one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought
unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit. And wheresoever
he taketh him, that being the spirit, he teareth him, and he
foameth, and he gnasheth with his teeth, and he pineth away. And I spake to the disciples
that they should cast him out, and they could not." Now, this
is what I want you to see. Christ is the only one who can
help. Christ is the only one who can
deliver. And Christ is the only one who
can save. The words of Christ, all his
elect, is just this, bring him unto me. Bring her unto me. Bring them unto me. Verse 20,
and they brought him, that being the afflicted son, they brought
him unto the Lord Jesus, and when he, Christ saw him, straightway
the spirit tear him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed foaming. The Lord asked this man's father,
how long has this been going on? Now let me say this, the
Lord knew how long. He knows all things. He just
wanted everyone else to know. The father answered since he
was a child. And the evil spirit cast him
into the fire and in the water for the purpose of destroying
him. Now what a picture of sin this
is. Your sin is out to destroy you. Now I want you to notice
very closely the words of this broken hearted father. He said,
in off times, being the spirit, the evil spirit, this infirmity,
cast him into the fire and into the waters to destroy him. And then he says this, but if,
But if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us and help
us. Now, the word if is never to
be used in conjunction with the Lord's ability. To question anything
that a sovereign God can do is nothing but doubt and distrust
and lack of faith. Jesus Christ is God, and God
is sovereign. How can men and women believe
that God is sovereign over everything except salvation? Our Lord said,
for without me, you can do nothing. Now, I don't know, but I think
nothing still means nothing. I know a lot of things have changed,
but nothing still means nothing. God does not need our help. God
asked Abraham a very direct question. He said, is anything too hard
for the Lord? Job said, I know that thou canst
do everything. Now, everything still means everything,
doesn't it? Especially salvation. Jonah said
salvation is of the Lord. Where is man's part in that statement? Anything less than complete confidence
and trust in Jesus Christ is nothing but doubt. Now the question,
is never lord if you can the question is always lord if you
will that's what the leper said he said lord if thou will you
can make me clean the question is never if you can he can do
anything he can do everything the question is if he will He
said, I'll have mercy on whom I'll have mercy. Maybe he'll
have mercy on me. Maybe he'll have mercy on you.
Paul said, I know whom I have believed and am persuaded. Persuaded of what? Persuaded
that he, God, is able, able to do all that the believer commits
to him. Jesus Christ said unto this man,
if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
The if is not in Christ's ability to do, the if is in our ability
to believe. Verse 24, in straightway the
father of the child cried out and he said with tears, Lord,
I believe. Help thou mine unbelief. Now, every true child of God
believes, every believer has full confidence in Christ, but
it's equally true that every believing child of God battles
with the enemy of unbelief. We pray, Lord, I believe, help
out my unbelief. Every child of God has some degree
of faith, but they do not boast in their believing or in their
faith, but like this man with tears, they repent of their unbelief. And in a day where religious
men and women boast of their supposed great faith, the true
child of God repents for their lack of it. They have enough
faith to ask for more faith. They understand who they need
to ask for more. But their chief concern is their
unbelief. Now faith is what overcomes doubt. Yet faith itself is the gift
of God and only God can give it. The scripture says, for all
men have not faith. The Lord destroyed the world
in a flood, and out of the whole world at that time, how many
souls were saved? How many people were saved? Only
eight, just eight. Up to three million people came
out of Egypt, and only two over the age, not two million, two
men over the age of 20 entered into the promised land. Joshua
and Caleb. Friends, there are many called,
but few chosen. Only few are saved. For you see
your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh,
not many mighty, not many noble are called. The Lord said, strive
to enter in at the straight gate, for many, I say unto you, will
seek to enter in and shall not be able. For wide is the gate,
and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there
be which go in there it. Why should we make our calling
in election sure? Because straight is the gate,
and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few, few
there be that find it. Matthew 7, 13 and 14. Now you ask somebody if they're
a Christian, and they'll always answer this way, or similar to
this way. Why, yes, I'm a Sunday school
teacher at my church. Why, yes, I'm a deacon down at
the first church. But is that what being a Christian
is? There's no salvation or eternal security in a church position
or in a religious profession. We live in a day and time when
almost everyone claims to be a Christian, but in most cases,
you find that those who claim to be don't believe in Christ
at all. Men call America a Christian
nation. It's not. America is a religious
nation, but it's not a Christian one. Did you know that the word
Christian is only found twice in the Bible and in both places,
it simply means followers of Christ. Followers of Christ. That's what a Christian is. One
who follows Christ. Our Lord told the fishermen Peter,
Andrew, James, and John, he said, follow me and I'll make you fishers
of men. And they followed him. Matthew,
the Lord's disciple, was sitting at the receipt of custom and
Christ told him, follow me. And the scripture says, and Matthew
arose and followed him. Christ, he told that rich young
ruler, he said, if thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that
that thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure
in heaven and come and follow me. And yet that young man went
away sad because he had great possessions and he couldn't give
it away. Salvation has to do with following
Christ. It's trusting Christ to take
all your sin away by the sacrifice of himself and the shedding of
his own blood. Yes, it seems everyone today
believes in God. Many believe the Bible is the
word of God, yet few read it, few heed it, and few believe
it. Many people today claim that
they're sinners. The sorcerer Balaam said, I've
sinned, and King Saul said, I've sinned, and Judas said, I've
sinned in that I've betrayed innocent blood. And friends,
all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but simply
confessing your sin won't save you. But your sin must be dealt
with, it must be punished and paid for, and only Christ can
do that. Christ died on the cross to satisfy
the holy law and justice of God in the room instead of His people.
Salvation is not knowing simply that you're a sinner, though
it's true that Christ came into the world to save sinners. They're
the only folks that God saves. But knowing that alone won't
save you. Salvation is not knowing about
Christ. Salvation is knowing Christ. It's knowing Him personally and
intimately. As a woman knows her husband,
and as a husband knows his wife. Many believe in Christ, but few
have bowed to Him. Many confess Christ as their
Savior, but they never bow to Him as their Lord. And there
are many preachers and deacons and elders and Sunday school
teachers who've never been conquered and bowed to Christ. And the
biggest deterrent to sinners bowing to Christ is they do not
see their need. They do not understand the depth
of their sin. They do not understand the danger
of their sin. Now listen, sin is not only an
outward act, but when God truly saves a sinner, He'll show them
that sin is not what they outwardly do, but what they inwardly are. It's out of the heart that precedes
evil thoughts, and murders, and adulteries, and fornications,
and thefts, and false witnesses. Salvation is all about faith
in Christ. He that believeth on the Son
of God hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ? In Hebrews chapter 11, Noah,
Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Sarah, and Rahab all had
one thing in common. What was it? Faith in Christ. We read it over and over again.
By faith, Noah being warned of God, prepared an ark. By faith,
Abraham was called out of the land of idolatry to a place that
God would show him. By faith, Enoch walked with God. Our Lord told this poor father,
all things are possible to him that believeth. I confess to
you this morning, I believe. But every true believer is going
to add this, Lord help thou mine unbelief. Here in verse 25 of
Mark chapter nine, when Jesus saw that the people came running
together, he rebuked the foul spirit and said unto him, thou
dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him and enter
in no more. And the spirit cried and rend him sore and came out
of him. And he was as one dead and so much that many said he's
dead. And I love verse 27, but Jesus
took him by the hand and lifted him up and he arose. That's what
our Savior has done for every believing child of God. He took
us by the hand, He lifted us up, and we arose. Salvation is
of the Lord. Now, if you're not saved, may
the Lord be pleased to save you today. You have been listening
to a message by David Edmondson, the pastor of Bible Baptist Church
in Madisonville, Kentucky. If you would like a copy of this
message or to hear other messages of God's free, sovereign grace
in Christ, you can write to our mailing address at P.O. Box 652
Madisonville, Kentucky 42431 or log on to our website at FreeGraceRadio.com. If you would like to come and
worship with us, we meet at 2015 Beulah Road, Madisonville, Kentucky. And our service times are Sunday
morning Bible study at 10 o'clock a.m. Worship services begin at
11 o'clock a.m. Wednesday evening services at
7 o'clock p.m. Please tune in again next Sunday
morning at 10 o'clock a.m. for another message of God's
free and sovereign grace in the Lord Jesus Christ.