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SERMON
Today's question is this: Does God still heal people? The short
answer is "yes." But there's more to healing than simply curing a
medical condition. If you want to know what happened to that boy, you
can read about his physical healing in the next few verses of Mark 9.
But today I want us to look at the healing that was going on in his
father. Because, for my money, that healing was every bit as
significant.
One day a distraught father came to Jesus and said, "If you can do
anything, take pity on us and help us." Those are the words of a
man who had run out of options. So he turned to Jesus and asked him to
do anything. I wonder how often our prayers are like that?
"God, I don't even know if you're there. But if you are there, and if
you care, and if you can do anything – anything! – please help."
That sort of prayer, I suspect, is most often uttered by those who look
to God for healing. It's understandable. When someone we love is
hurting, we're desperate for any kind of help we can get.
"If you can do anything…" he said. At first the issue
seemed to be whether Jesus could (or would) heal the boy. But healing
and faith, it appears, are inextricably tied together. And when Jesus
replied to the father "Everything is possible for one who believes,"
he made it clear that the deeper issue was faith.
The man immediately replied, "I do believe; help me overcome my
unbelief." That man's double confession has long been one of my
favorite Bible verses, and I'll tell you why. It's because it rings true
in my life. That unnamed father could be my patron saint. His words
reveal what goes on in my heart. I know I'm a Christian. But I still
struggle between belief and unbelief. And I know I'm not alone. In fact,
I suspect almost every one of us in the family of faith plays host to an
ongoing tug-of-war between faith and doubt.
Doesn't it ring true with you? Here we are in worship. But some of you,
I know, don't want others to take your presence here to mean more than
it does. You may not feel like a person of deep faith. And sometimes the
hymns and prayers and creeds express a confidence you don't really feel.
So occasionally you'll hear a voice in your head whispering, "This
isn't you. It's too much. You really don't belong here." On the
other hand, here you are – because you know that to stay away would
affirm too little. You do believe (just not as strongly as some
might think you do). So here you are today, perhaps secretly hoping that
something may happen here that will fan your half-belief into a flame of
confidence.
I think it's because we recognize this struggle within ourselves that
this man's statement has a kind of universal appeal. Here was at least
one person in the Bible who felt like we do. And it is a huge relief to
learn that he brought his struggle of faith to Jesus and he wasn't
rejected. In fact, this story is valuable not only because it reflects
our condition so graphically. It also lays out a helpful strategy for
dealing with that condition. It shows us how to move from where we are
in our faith to where we want to be.
"I do believe," he said, "help me overcome my unbelief."
Allow me four observations about that one memorable verse. First, the
man was honest about his limitations. Second, he affirmed the
faith that he had. Third, he was willing to act on that faith.
And fourth, he knew where his faith belonged.
1. First, notice that the man was honest about his
limitations. He said, "…help me overcome my unbelief." He
didn't pretend to a level of faith that he didn't have. He laid out his
spiritual condition as clearly as he understood it. He is so unlike
those who would never admit to having any doubts about their faith. For
them everything has to be controlled and predictable and safe. Do you
know anyone like that?
Even among those who think we know better, there's a temptation to
assume an air of certainty that we don't really feel. Be honest. If you
were asked point-blank to state your faith, might you be tempted to
state, not what you in fact do believe, but what you would like to
believe, or what the church believes, or what you think you're expected
to believe? That's not honest. But my guess is that we're tempted that
way, not only because we want to appear sure of our faith, but because
we really want to convince ourselves that our faith is stronger than we
know it is.
Not so with this man. He was transparent about his limitations and
willing to face the truth. And while we're on the subject of truth, keep
this in mind. God is pure truth. That means that it's impossible for you
to love God and not desire the truth. Let me put it in positive terms.
One sure way for you to love God is to embrace the truth – especially
the truth about yourself. The first lesson our text teaches us is that,
if you want your faith to grow, be honest about your limitations.
2. Next, I want you to notice that this man not only
acknowledged his limitations, he affirmed the faith that he had.
In fact that's where he began. He began by saying, "Lord, I do
believe…" I wish the rest of us were always that wise.
Unfortunately, we often pay first attention to the unbelieving part of
us rather than the believing part. There's a word to describe the sort
of people who focus their primary attention on the unbelieving part of
themselves. The word is "agnostic."
Do you know the difference between an atheist and an agnostic? I know
there's a technical difference. An atheist is a person who believes that
God does not exist. An agnostic, however, doesn't know whether God
exists or not. That is the theoretical difference – the dictionary
distinction. But in a practical sense, often there is no real difference
at all. If you're a true agnostic, your creed won't allow you to deny
God's existence. But you can become so preoccupied with the unbelieving
part of yourself that, for all practical purposes, you're denying God's
existence by your behavior.
If you're an agnostic you might say, "I don't know if God exists or
not," but then not bother to find out. In the meantime you're acting
as though God doesn't exist. I suppose that's why George Bernard Shaw
with his acerbic wit once said that an agnostic is just an atheist who
doesn't have the courage of his convictions. But the man who came to
Jesus wasn't like that. He allowed the believing part of himself
priority. He had what William James called "the will to believe."
That's a powerful idea – "the will to believe." It doesn't mean that by
some monumental effort of the will you force yourself to believe the
implausible. What William James meant by "the will to believe" was a
willingness to allow the believing part of yourself its rightful place,
and a refusal to allow the unbelieving part of yourself to grab all the
attention. But why should you allow your believing side to claim center
stage? I'll give you two reasons.
First, it's because belief makes things possible, while unbelief is a
dead-end. Faith, by definition, is a priority item. For example, what
would you think of a person who approached everybody with suspicion, who
had no faith in others? Would you think they were mentally healthy? No,
you would probably see their standoffish behavior as a sign of a
disordered personality. We know that the normal, healthy way to approach
people is with openness and trust. Now granted, sometimes that trust is
misplaced. Sometimes people will disappoint and hurt us. But if you
consistently meet people with suspicion, you're not likely to have any
good relationships. We start with faith because faith itself is a
precondition for knowing people – and that includes knowing God. Belief
makes things possible.
Here's a second reason why you should allow your believing side a
chance. It's because none of us knows how long we have to enter into a
relationship with God. Even if you're a long time agnostic, you know
that some kind of faith on your part is necessary for you to have good
relationships with others. So if there's a part of you that believes in
God (even if it's only a very small part) you'd be wise grab the
opportunity while its there to strengthen that faith.
But you might counter by arguing that you have doubts about your faith.
I don't see any problem with that. We all have doubts about our faith.
But if you use your doubts as an excuse for avoiding church, or any
other meaningful opportunity to resolve those doubts, that doesn't make
much sense. Of all the gracious notes I have received in my ministry,
perhaps none is more precious to me than one I received from a high
school teacher many years ago. He began coming to church with his family
despite the fact that he was an inveterate agnostic. One day I received
a card that read:
Dear Alan,
Thank you for making your sermons interesting and meaningful. They kept
me coming back.
Thank you also for being understanding enough to help me overcome some
of my misconceptions and reservations about religion and what it means
to be a Christian.
I guess what I'm trying to say is – Thanks for being around when I
needed your help in asking God for his.
Sincerely,
Jim
That's what the man in our text today did. He came to Jesus and,
despite whatever reservations he may have had about his own faith, he
began with "I do believe…" He gave what faith he had its proper
place and he trusted Jesus to honor it. The same is true for you – if
you want your faith to grow.
3. The third thing I want you to notice is that this man
was willing to act on what faith he had. No, his belief
wasn't perfect. But there he was, asking for help. To him, faith wasn't
something you seek, it was something you act on. It's easy to fall prey
to the temptation to keep on asking for more faith, while failing to act
on the faith we already have.
What is it that keeps you from growing into a deeper faith? Is it that
you don't know enough? Ask yourself if you have been faithful to what
you already know. Do you think it's a case of needing more light? Ask
yourself how well you're walking in the light that you already have.
Learn from the example of the father who came to Jesus. Set aside what
you would like to believe, what you think you are expected to believe,
what you pretend to believe. And when you get down to what's left, what
you really do believe right now, act on it. What do you believe? Start
with that. You know that love is better than hate, that courage is
better than cowardice, that truth is better than falsehood, that honesty
is better than deceit. That's enough. Begin with what you know – act on
it – and you will see your faith grow.
4. That father who came to Jesus was honest about his
limitations. In spite of that, he affirmed the believing part of
himself. Then he was willing to act on what faith he had. Here's one
last point. He knew where his faith belonged. He pointed
his faith in the right direction. It was to Jesus that he said, "I do
believe; help me overcome my unbelief." He knew that the
proper object of his faith was Christ.
The best way to strengthen your faith isn't to analyze it, but to look
to the one in whom you have faith. The only way you'll learn to trust me
more is to know me better. It really won't help much to contemplate the
nature of trust. C. S. Lewis said that as soon as he asks himself if he
has faith he begins to lose it, because he's looking at faith instead of
looking at Christ. It's like trying to improve your vision by looking at
your glasses instead of through them.
It's just as true of faith. There's a school of thought that suggests we
begin every morning by standing in front of a mirror and saying with
increasing conviction, "I believe. I believe! I believe!"
You'll never catch me doing that. (Carol would probably have me
committed.) I don't strengthen my belief by saying, "I believe!" I don't
want to strengthen my belief in belief or my faith in faith. I want to
strengthen my belief in God and my faith in Christ. So I look to them.
And do you know what happens? I find my faith increased.
The father who came to Jesus knew exactly what to do with whatever faith
he had. He brought it to Jesus, and he found it multiplied. So here you
are in worship. If you're normal you are probably living with a mix of
belief and unbelief. You don't want others to take your presence here to
mean more than it does. But you also know that staying away would affirm
too little.
If that sounds like you, I'd encourage you to take a lesson from this
father who stood before Jesus. He was honest about his limitations. He
affirmed what faith he had – however limited. He was willing to act on
it. And he had the good sense to know that having faith in his faith was
nothing. But by placing his faith in Christ he found everything.
Does God still heal people? Yes, he does. And if you or someone you care
about needs healing, that's important for you to know. But I want to
make it as clear as I can that the most important healing that will ever
take place is the healing of your relationship with God. Because that is
the only healing that will last forever.
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