How Long Has This Been Happening To Him

This is the Truth Network. We are standing with our Jewish brothers and sisters against every evil, every kind of evil, attempting to destroy them. They are God's people and also to steal. The thief comes to steal God's land.

I mean, that's really something. That is God's land. Israel belongs to the Lord Himself. Those who perpetrate evil, attempt a coup, an overtake, a division of that land, put themselves in the precarious position of being against Almighty God. Plain and simple.

That's as clear as it gets. You know, Jesus taught us, always confront evil. Where, when we find it, we are to confront the evil that the enemy inspires among mankind.

Wherever we find it. Mark 9 is an example of such a confrontation. You know, it's Jesus' encounter with an evil spirit that was intent on the destruction of a human life. So His example belongs to us.

He gave that example. He is the teacher. We are the student, we are the student, the disciple. So it belongs to us.

We can own it if we choose. It is ours clearly to imitate a demonstration of, underline, supernatural elements that God makes available. For example, His words here in Mark chapter 9, all things are possible to the one who believes. So right here, right now, for the one who believes, this is who He's talking to, who we are. This is the category of the upright, those who know the joyful sound. And I've heard, you've heard, I'm sure it's said by those who specialize in government, in governance, in the area of foreign policy, that weakness attracts evil.

It attracts those who are wanting, looking for an opportunity, an open door to usurp authority. So weakness is not, you know, this weakness is not attributed to the believer. Weakness is not a part of the kingdom that Jesus died for. He gave us the strength and the power. Yes, compassion. Yes, humility. But wow, wow, you got to get this clear.

We have to get it really clear in our thinking and then bring it home to apply to our lives as well as to those that we are praying for in the land of Israel, among the Jewish people, and really worldwide. You know, evil is trying to take over, is it not? So I believe this principle that weakness attracts evil, attracts the usurper, I believe it's true because the Bible clearly lays it out for us plain as day. Therefore, as a believer, I am without excuse. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I know the truth. So it's too late to say anything different. Persuade me differently.

Jesus' words to those who refuse to believe in the face of evil, he said, oh, faithless generation. That's what we're looking at today. Mark chapter nine. I love this.

I gave this title. How long has this been going on? How long has this been happening to your friend? How long has this been happening to the person you love?

How long has this been happening to him? Jesus said. Let's read it. Mark chapter nine, beginning in verse 14. This is right after the transfiguration earlier in Mark chapter nine, where now Jesus, along with Peter, James, and John, are coming down from the high mountain from that story of the transfiguration. Verse 14. And when they, Jesus, Peter, James, and John, came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them and the scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw Jesus, were greatly amazed and ran to him and greeted him.

And he asked them, what are you arguing about with them? Meaning the scribes. Verse 17. And someone from the crowd answered him, teacher or rabbi, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. Verse 18. And whenever it, the spirit, seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his mouth, grinds his teeth, and he becomes rigid. And he becomes rigid, foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, becomes rigid. So I ask your disciples to cast it, meaning the spirit, out, but they were not able to.

So just pause right here, some clarification. There's a reason, because of what was going on in the ancient world at that time, this father understood what was happening. He understood the spiritual element. He understood the evil spirit aspect element of what was taking place, and he identified it. He said, the cause of this affliction, the cause of this distortion of my son's personality, of his character, it is an evil spirit. The father referred to it.

Okay? So verse 17. And someone from the crowd answered him, teacher, I brought my son to you. Fast forward, verse 19. And Jesus answered them, O faithless generation, how long have I been with you?

How long am I to bear with you? Bring the boy to me. And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit, the it, saw Jesus immediately, it convulsed the boy.

And he fell on the ground, rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked the father, how long has this been happening to him? And he said, from childhood.

So again, just pause right here, listen. This was happening in real time. The father identified the problem. He brought the child to Jesus, the boy. When the spirit that had taken over the boy saw Jesus, he manifested.

The spirit manifested. He caused the boy to convulse. He threw the boy to the ground. The boy rolled about.

The boy foamed at the mouth. You see this manifestation of evil, of evil working through the conduit of this human body, the boy. And Jesus asked the father of the boy this question, how long, you know, has this been happening to him? You know, he's saying, how long has this been going on? And the father said, really, his whole life. Now I'll bet many of you listening right now can relate. Because we have children, we have sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters, and great grandsons and great granddaughters who have been afflicted this way.

And it is assumed that there's just something wrong with them, maybe inherently, you know. But listen, Jesus had another take. He had another take on the problem, the source of the problem here, as did the father.

The father of the son discerned what was taking place. We're talking about the manifestation of evil that comes to destroy human life. So verse 22, and it has often cast him into fire and into water to destroy him. But if you, Jesus, can do anything, have compassion on us, help us. And Jesus answered, if I can, if I can, listen, all things are possible to the one who believes. So you see, Jesus put the qualifier here, back in the hands of the father.

This has been going on a long time, but your part is to believe I've got the power, okay? And so immediately the father of the child cried out, verse 24, and he said, I believe, help my unbelief. And when Jesus saw that the crowd came running together, what that means is, when Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering around them, we can, that's another story right there, but he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, Jesus spoke to it, to the spirit, you mute and deaf spirit, I command you come out of him and never enter him again.

Let me say that again. He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, you mute and deaf spirit, I command you come out of him 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 the people, this crowd that was gathering, that was quickly gathering, said, oh, he is dead. Verse 27, but Jesus took him by the hand, lifted him up, and the boy arose. The boy was healed of this occupying evil force because Jesus spoke the words, commanding it to leave.

Hold that thought. So the disciples rushed in when they left the scene and entered the house, and they said, why couldn't we deal with this? And Jesus said, this kind, meaning this evil, this level of evil, this depth of occupation, only responds to prayer.

And let me just interject this right here. There's so much in that statement, because you see, prayer does affect things as Jesus answers our prayer, but the main effect that prayer has is on you and me. As we pray, as we give ourselves to pray, you and I are changed. We become more like him because we're completely dependent on him. We're appealing to him.

He has the power. His is the kingdom, the power and the glory. We are his disciples, his conduits in the earth. We are his messengers. We are his containers. And so you see, he's referring to this transfer of power that comes into us because of our lifestyle of prayer.

Oh, and there's so much more there. But listen, how then should we be thinking about things? Keep Israel in mind. Keep the Jewish people in mind.

Keep the hostages that are in captivity in what is known as the Gaza Strip right now, held by these evil tormentors, Hamas. How do we think about such things? James 1 5, we have wisdom.

How to think about a certain situation? If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God. So we have it. Romans 8 34, who condemns us? Who makes us think that we're not qualified to step up at this time? Who brings a charge against you when it is God who justifies?

Who condemns you when Jesus has died for you to free you from condemnation? That's how we think. We have wisdom and we're not lowly. We're not broken and powerless, condemned by what we know to be our own frailty. Because God knows and understands evil. You and I have wisdom from him. We're not condemned but rather justified by the blood of the Lamb. And Mark 9 20, when the evil spirit saw Jesus. Listen, here's the principle. Evil is revealed when it comes in contact with good.

Good. See, the goodness of Jesus, the goodness in him, automatically drew out the manifestation of that evil spirit. This kind comes out by prayer, by the goodness that you embody, by the godly lifestyle that you choose, not perfection. Hey, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory. So we know who we, you know, we're not anything or anybody, but we are carriers of the one who is everything and holds everything together by the word of his power.

C.S. Lewis wrote it this way, think of evil as a parasite. A parasite can only live on the life of another to spoil the goodness that is within that other entity. My version of what Lewis wrote, good attracts good, yes, but evil is attracted to good. You know, men called Jesus good. They called him good teacher and he quickly replied in correction, there is only one who is good, the Father.

So that is the line of inheritance from the Father to the sons and those of us who are disciples of his, the sons and daughters of almighty God. And just to close right here concerning Mark 9, how long has this been going on in your life and the life of someone you know? Jesus said, how long has this been happening?

How long has this been happening? When you have wisdom, James 1 5, you are not condemned, Romans 8 34. When the evil spirit sees you, it, it, it thinks it is seeing Jesus because he lives in you. So stay with me here now, stay with me. This parasite is evil. It's drawing its life from the situation and you are the one standing between the evil and deliverance. So you say, this is what you say, you mute and deaf spirit. I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.

Never enter him again. The person or situation responds. In other words, things get worse. Things get worse.

Underline, things get worse. Verse 26 of Mark 9, and after crying out and convulsing him terribly, the spirit came out and the boy was left limp. And then you reply, you reply by taking the individual by the hand and lifting them up.

Because see now they're more alive than ever, ever before. They've been delivered. This is Jesus deliverance ministry available to the church, available through you. The Lord is waiting for us to step in and step up and deliver the innocent and those who have been taken over by spirits that are too strong for them and to speak the word and to say and command the spirit, in this case, a deaf and dumb spirit.

But there are others, unclean spirits, spirits of murder, spirits of infirmity. You got to say it with authority. So, you know, this is the obvious question, the elephant in the room. Why do you suppose we don't do that? Why don't we imitate Jesus this way?

I want to tell you something. It takes courage and it takes a single mind to admit why we allow such delivering power to be squandered. You know, it's because we want to be socially okay. It's because secretly we know we're spiritually weak. And by the way, back to our principle about foreign policy, anytime you are weak, it attracts evil. Spiritual weakness grows. We get more and more weakened.

And honestly, there's a laziness that is unwilling. So you get excuses all over the place when in fact you and I have the authority, we have the power, we have the compassion of almighty God, we have his love and his humility because he said, go into all the world. Go with this gospel, with this truth. You know what your actions should be in a situation like this?

You need to find a way. Jesus said, Matthew 12 36, we will give an account. Paul wrote, Romans 14 12, we will give an account. The question looms.

How long has this been happening to him? And Jesus answers. And this is your answer.

It's my answer. It's the church's answer. And we speak this answer in the direction of our beloved Jerusalem and the land of Israel and the Jewish people. We say to evil, come out of her and never again, never again in the world ever again, enter. We say to those around us who are afflicted and tormented, the Lord Jesus says, how long has this been going on? And we rise up in power and authority and we say, come out and never enter them again. And we take them by the hand. We pull them up to a standing position to fully occupy who they really are, have always been, but for the presence of evil dominating their life to destroy it. The precious blood of Jesus Christ has made it all available. Let the strong reply, yes and amen. We'll see you next time. Thank you.