Living Hope Church
BibleStudy-Standard
      • Bible Trivia
        Loading...
      • Bible Trivia
        Loading...

      • Matthew 5:16NKJV

      • Exodus 20NIV2011

      • Exodus 24:12–18NIV2011

      • James 4:8NIV2011

      • Psalm 16:11NIV2011

      • Matthew 7:7–8NIV2011

      • 2 Corinthians 3:18NIV2011

  • In the Name of Jesus
  • There Is Power In The Blood (Power In The Blood)
  • Victory In Jesus (Christ Won The Victory)
  • I'll Fly Away
  • Seas Of Crimson
  • Holy Forever
  • Nothing Else
  • I Have Decided To Follow Jesus
  • Moving Forward
  • I Have Decided To Follow Jesus
  • Majesty
  • Majesty

      • John 1:5NKJV

      • Acts 2:37–40NKJV

      • Matthew 13NKJV

      • Psalm 139:23–24NKJV

  • This morning we are going to talk about faith.
    We hear about faith
    We want to be faithful (full of faith)
    But what is faith, and what keeps it from growing in our lives?
    Hebrews 11:1 NKJV
    1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
    This is the Biblical definition of faith.
    It is not empty - it has substance.
    Mark 9:14-26 Text: Mark 9:23–25 “All things are possible for the one who believes…”
    Mark 9:14–29 NKJV
    14 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. 15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. 16 And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?” 17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. 18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.” 19 He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” 20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. 21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” 25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” 26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
    Definition of Faith: Trusting God even when we don’t understand.
    Mark 9 gives us a father whose faith is flickering. He believes… but he’s struggling. His story shows us exactly what causes people to lose faith—and how Jesus restores it.

    I. WHEN CIRCUMSTANCES OVERWHELM US

    (The father’s son had suffered “from childhood”—long battles drain faith.)
    Mark 9:22 – “It has often thrown him into fire and water…”
    Psalm 13:1–2 – David asks, “How long, Lord?”
    2 Corinthians 4:8–9 – Pressed, but not crushed.

    Why this causes loss of faith

    Long-term struggles make us question whether God is still working. When pain feels permanent, faith feels impossible. WE FORGET HIS FAITHFULNESS!

    Illustration

    A phone battery drains faster when multiple apps run in the background. Life’s “background apps”—stress, grief, fear—slowly drain spiritual battery power until we feel empty.

    II. WHEN DOUBT FEELS LOUDER THAN BELIEF

    (The father says, “If You can do anything…”)
    Mark 9:23–24 – “I believe; help my unbelief!”
    James 1:6 – The doubting person is “like a wave of the sea.”
    Hebrews 11:6 – Faith pleases God.

    Why this causes loss of faith

    Doubt doesn’t need to be big to be dangerous. It just needs to be loud. Doubt whispers, “Maybe God won’t… maybe God can’t… maybe God isn’t listening.”

    Illustration

    Static on a radio doesn’t eliminate the music—it just makes it harder to hear. Doubt is the static. Faith is still there, but the noise makes it hard to recognize.

    III. WHEN WE TRY TO FIX THINGS WITHOUT GOD

    (The disciples tried to cast out the spirit but couldn’t.)
    Mark 9:28–29 – “This kind only comes out by prayer.”
    Proverbs 3:5–6 – Trust in the Lord, not your own understanding.
    John 15:5 – “Apart from Me you can do nothing.”

    Why this causes loss of faith

    When we rely on our own strength, we eventually hit a wall. Self-reliance leads to spiritual exhaustion, and exhaustion leads to discouragement.

    Illustration

    Trying to start a car without the key. You can sit in the seat, turn the wheel, press the pedals—but without the key, nothing moves. Prayer is the key that activates faith.

    CONCLUSION

    The father in Mark 9 shows us that faith isn’t the absence of struggle—it’s choosing to trust God in the struggle.
    What causes us to lose faith?
    Overwhelming circumstances
    Loud doubts
    Self-reliance instead of God-reliance
    But Jesus meets us where faith is weak and strengthens what remains.

      • Hebrews 11:1CSB

      • Hebrews 11:1NKJV

      • Mark 9:14–29CSB

      • Mark 9:14–29NKJV

Living Hope Church
pastor@livinghopecogop.org
325-500-4763
http://livinghopecogop.org
4 members