What do I know with Isaac Carroll
What do I know with Isaac Carroll
Mark 9, Help My Unbelief: Finding God When Doubt Creeps In
Have you ever found yourself praying, "I believe, but help my unbelief"? This raw, honest confession from a desperate father in Mark 9 creates one of scripture's most relatable moments and serves as our entry point into exploring faith's complex terrain.
Mark's ninth chapter takes us from mountain heights to valley struggles. We journey alongside Peter, James, and John as they witness Jesus transfigured in blinding glory, conversing with Moses and Elijah, and confirmed by the Father's voice from heaven. This spectacular vision fulfills Jesus' promise that some would see "the kingdom of God come with power" before tasting death. Yet these same disciples quickly stumble from this spiritual high into failure, unable to heal a boy tormented by an evil spirit.
The chapter challenges our understanding of spiritual authority, greatness, and sin. Jesus redefines greatness by placing a child—the lowest-status person in ancient society—at the center of his teaching. "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all," he declares, overturning conventional wisdom. His graphic language about cutting off hands and gouging out eyes that cause us to sin isn't a call for self-mutilation but rather a vivid demand for radical commitment. We must approach sin with surgical seriousness, aggressively removing whatever threatens our spiritual health.
Where do you see yourself in this narrative? Are you standing in awe on the mountaintop, struggling with doubt in the valley, arguing about status, or wrestling with persistent sin? Wherever you find yourself, Jesus meets you there with both compassion and challenge. Listen to his words afresh today and consider how they might transform your understanding of discipleship.
May God bless you and lead you always.
Welcome to the podcast. I'm Isaac Carroll, and this is what Do I Know? Alright, in today's Bible study we're going to be in Mark, the ninth chapter, and we're going to begin at verse one. And he said to them Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God, after it has come with power, and after six days, jesus took with him Peter, james and John. He led them up to a high mountain by themselves and he was transfigured before them and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, so as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus Rabbi, it is good that we are here, let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah. For he did not know what to say. But they were terrified and a cloud overshadowed him and a voice came out of the cloud this is my beloved son, listen to him. And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them, but Jesus only. And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them, but Jesus only. And as they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen until the Son of man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. And when they asked him, why did the scribes say that first Elijah must come? And he said to them Elijah does come first to restore all things and how. It is written of the Son of man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt. But I tell you that Elijah has already come and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it was written of him. All right, let's stop here at verse 13 for a moment, as it was written of him. All right, let's stop here at verse 13 for a moment.
Speaker 1:Jesus says that there were some there who would not taste death until they saw the kingdom of God coming with power. All right, let's review Luke 17, verses 20 and 21. It says when asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, jesus replied the kingdom of God will not come with observable signs. Nor will people say look, here it is or there it is, for you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst. So what did Jesus mean by some there would not taste death until they saw the kingdom of come with power and glory. Well, we understand that. Six days later, jesus took with him Peter, james and John and went to the mountain, and I believe this is best explained by 2 Peter 1, verses 16 through 18. And it reads like this For we did not follow cleverly devised fables when we made known to you the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty, for he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the majestic glory saying this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And we ourselves heard the voice Now Peter's, testifying to the Mount of Transfiguration when they saw Jesus being transfigured. And they were eyewitnesses of this, they saw it, they heard it and they're making that known to us. So when Jesus says someone would not taste death until they saw the kingdom coming with the power, this is what Jesus was referring to.
Speaker 1:All right, let's talk about Elijah, all right. So the Old Testament talks about Elijah coming and making the path straight. Well, who made the path straight for Jesus? We know it was John the Baptist. If you remember, in Matthew 11, verse 14, jesus says this and, if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who was to come, referring to John the Baptist. So when Jesus is talking about Elijah coming first, he was talking about John in the spirit of Elijah. So when they asked John if he was Elijah, he said no, he was not, because he wasn't Elijah, he was in the spirit of Elijah. He was proclaiming what Elijah proclaimed when he says Behold, I send my messenger ahead of you who will prepare your way before you. Now, this is the verse that was in Elijah. All right, so let's move on to verse 14.
Speaker 1:Now, when they 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 him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him to greet him. And he asked them what are you arguing about with them? And someone from the crowd answered and said 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, but they were not able and he answered them O faithless generation. How long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.
Speaker 1:They brought the boy to him and when the spirit saw him, immediately he convulsed the boy. He fell to the ground and he rolled about foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father how long has this been happening to him? And he said From childhood. And as often it cast him into fire and into the water to destroy him. And 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 the one who believes.
Speaker 1:Immediately the father child cried out and said I believe, help me with my unbelief. And when Jesus saw the crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying you, mute and deaf spirit, I command you come out of him and never enter him again. After crying out and convulsing him terribly, he 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, the disciples asked him privately why could we not cast it out? And he said to them. This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer. All right, let's stop here at verse 29.
Speaker 1:This is one of the better interactions for me personally. Personally Now, as a follower of Christ and as a believer in Jesus, a man who's seen things and has witnessed things that only God can do, I personally believe that I believe that I have faith. This man who comes to Jesus and he asks Jesus if he would have compassion on him, if he could do something for them, and Jesus says if I can, all is possible for those who believe. He says I believe, but help me in my unbelief. And this is such a great example of ourselves myself.
Speaker 1:We have belief, but we still fail in our belief, and what I mean by that is that a lot of times we believe Jesus said something. A lot of times we believe that Jesus does stuff. We see some people healed tumors completely gone that doctors can't explain is completely gone, that doctors can't explain. But then sometimes such easy things, like when we're going through a time of trial or when things aren't going our way and it seems like God's so far away and we question in ourself, you know, do I have faith or do I believe, or is God really with me? Well, if we truly believe, we would never doubt these things, because his word tells us that he would never leave us nor forsake us. Why do we fall so easily into temptation? I understand it's human nature, I get that. But my point is that, even though we believe, we still fail in our belief.
Speaker 1:And this man prays help me in my unbelief, and this has become an active prayer of mine. I don't always see my unbelief, but I know it's there and I pray God that he makes it known to me and then helps me with that unbelief, that I can move past it and into complete conformity to Christ and putting all my hope in him, because that's all I have. That's all I ever wanted was to put my hope in Jesus, because I know that's all there is. That's why this is one of the stories that really, for me, really hits home, because and it's so easy for us to miss these things. Now I was going to go into a discussion about evil spirits and them, praying over them, and why certain spirits had to be, you know, prayed out of people, which always brings us back to prayer. We should be praying all the time, and it bothered me that this man said that the spirit had been with him since childhood. We don't want to believe that children can be possessed with evil spirits, because it seems so unfair that a child can be taken advantage of by an evil spirit. But this just doesn't happen. Back then, and these evil spirits, they didn't just go away. They're still here today, verse 30.
Speaker 1:They went up from there and passed through Galilee and he did not want anyone to know, for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them the Son of man is going to be delivered into the hands of men and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days, he will rise. But they did not understand the saying and were afraid to ask him. When they came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house, he asked them were you discussing on the way? But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest and he sat down and called the twelve. He said to them if anyone of you would be first, he must be last of all and the servant of all.
Speaker 1:And he took a child and he put it in the midst of them and, taking his arms, he said to them. Whoever receives one child in my name, receives me. And whoever receives me, receives not me, but the one who sent me. And John said to him Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to stop him because he was not following us. But Jesus said Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me, for the one who is not against us is for us. For truly, I say to you, whoever gives a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will not by no means lose his reward.
Speaker 1:Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if he had a great millstone or hung around his neck and he was thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands and go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched For everyone. Who will be salted with fire? Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will it be made salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another. All right. That concludes Mark 9. There's a lot being said here, man.
Speaker 1:Jesus talks about who's the greatest. If you want to be great, truly want to be great, then be the servant of everyone. And then he goes into talking about a child. A child there is much like a child of old, where they are to be seen but not heard. They are the lowliest of the family, they're with the least authority. The father of the house has the most authority and the child, the young child, has the least authority. And that's the kind of example Jesus gives about how we should be. We should count ourselves least in the household of God. Jesus saying see yourself as the lowliest and then you will always have the right mind frame to do what is right and have the right spirit. And he says children, they're a gift from heaven, and if anyone causes a little one to sin, it'd be better for that person to have a millstone tied around their neck and then cast into the deepest part of the sea. Praise God, because people hurt kids all the time. It's very sad and then Jesus goes into.
Speaker 1:It almost seems like Jesus is telling us to maim ourself, but that's not what he's saying. He said if your eye offends you, gouge it out. If your hand offends you and causes you to sin, cut it off. He's telling you to be aggressive with your sin. It's important that we are aggressive in cutting out sinful things in our life. I mean to be aggressive with it. To cut off our arm is I don't know how much more aggressive you can be if your arm has offended you, that you'd be willing to cut it off for the sake of the kingdom, that you'd be willing to cut off your sin.
Speaker 1:Too often we, especially these days and times too often we are so caught up in our grace that we live freely in our sin, and this is just wrong. This is not what Jesus is saying at all. Jesus is saying that we should be aggressive in cutting out our sin, so much so that it looks like tearing out your eyes and cutting off your feet. It's aggressive. You're taking your salvation seriously. Alright, so I'm going to end this one here. We'll be in Mark, the 10th chapter, in our next Bible study. Until then, I love you guys. God bless you. Goodbye.