In response, Jesus commands the unclean spirit to come out of the boy and the boy is completely healed. In other words, all who believe in Jesus the Messiah are included in the blessing of Abraham. Aramaic Bible in Plain English And immediately the father of the boy cried out weeping and saying, “I believe my lord; help the lack of my faith.” GOD'S WORD® Translation God promised Abram in Genesis 12:2-3, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you . The Lord knew what the man said-and what he meant by it. That was Jesus’ view. I do not receive glory from people. And don’t say, “of course I know God.” Do you really know Him? weak. Do you honor God? Also, The Old Testament is precious to Christians because it’s a book about God’s work with Israel in preparation for the Messiah who would come not only to save Israel but to save the world from the power and punishment of sin. Scripture tells us we are to always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you … (1 Pet 3:15) And can you? The measure of knowing God, honoring God, and loving God is knowing, honoring, and loving Jesus. A “no brainer” as we might say! But don’t ever let me think it is strong enough or that I have any hope of stoking it and keeping it alive apart from you. He writes how his faith has been joined with doubts. So the entire Old Testament is precious to Christians, because all Christians are counted by God as true Jews—beneficiaries of all the promises made to the covenant people. And so I ask God for all of us this morning, “Lord, help my unbelief.”. A Faithful Version And the father of the little child cried out at once, saying with tears, "Lord, I believe. Do you really love God? God said things and did things in the Scriptures which, if the Jews had understood the Scriptures, would have seen them for what they are, a glimpse of Jesus and the Scriptures would have prepared them to recognize him and receive him when he came. Let’s look at three of these implications. I believe; help my unbelief! If not, let me point you to a book everyone should have on their shelves. When you are struggling to believe, that is not the time to avoid Christ or to be ashamed of your struggle. Were you listening? and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Paul shows us that this promise is fulfilled in the gospel of Jesus, the Messiah. Nothing offends Him like unbelief. ‘LORD, HELP MY UNBELIEF’ – Mark 9:20-24. Before we will trust others with something precious to us, we first try to find out if they are trustworthy. Do you have enough Scriptural knowledge to give such an account? Now back to John 5:39: “You search the Scriptures,” Jesus says, “because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.” So Jesus is saying that the Old Testament, the Jewish Scriptures, our Scriptures, taken as a whole, witness to Jesus. You can test yourself and others as to whether you know God, or honor God, or love God. I said earlier that the implications of John’s fifth chapter for ourselves and for people of other religions are huge. In John 6:44-45, Jesus teaches that no one comes to him unless the Father draws him. I think this is an incredibly beautiful picture of the Christian life. Nothing more sweeping could be said about the way the Old Testament witnesses to Jesus. Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he made this prediction, because he was given a vision of the Messiah's glory. Help my unbelief." I say the problem of unbelief is not unique to the disciples because the focus of this passage is on the unbelief of someone else. He doesn’t argue that something happened. This is a good place for this focus because twice in this passage Jesus says that the Old Testament Scriptures are written about him. Lord God, Father of Jesus the Christ, help our unbelief this morning. As a sin, unbelief grieves the Spirit; but, as a weakness, mourned and confessed, it secures His help. Therefore, Christian, embrace your Scriptures. Lord, Help My Unbelief November 15, 2009 John 5:33-47 In Experiencing God Day By Day, Henry Blackaby quotes Mark, chapter 9:24 which says: Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe! “Please open your Bible to the Book of John, chapter five, and we’ll read verses 33 through 47 You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Both Old Testament and New Testament. John 10:35 is one of the most important references to the Scriptures in John’s Gospel because after referring to Psalm 82:6, Jesus says, “Scripture cannot be broken.” This is one of the strongest claims for the infallibility and inerrancy of the Bible in all of Scripture. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. The Old Testament is a lesson book for the nations that keeps shedding light on the work of Christ. “He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me’” (John 13:18=Psalm 41:9). Rather, Jesus wants to help you with your belief. In John 7:42, the enemies of Jesus draw attention to the fact that the Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem, referring to Micah 5:2, because they didn’t think that’s where Jesus was born. First question Do you know God? What is He telling you to do? If you are struggling to believe that God can take care of Good Shepherd Community Church, it is because you don't know Him as He wants you to. The most decisive thing about this New Covenant is that Jesus, the Messiah, died for sinners so that both Jews and Gentiles who trust him would become the heirs of the Old Testament promises. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. I. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. Notice Jesus words in verse 19. With Josh McDowell’s book, the Lord can help your unbelief. He can not only meet your need, but He will also give you faith to trust Him to provide for you. . If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” The fact that these adversaries do not know Jesus—do not perceive his deity or Messiahship or his role as the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53) shows that they didn’t know God. And because God saw, God could witness. A Prayer to Build Us a) A Prayer to Pray Contritely b) A Prayer to Pray Continually 1. Spurgeon.) You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. Help my unbelief!”. Do you really honor God? The implications of this for ourselves and for people of other religions are huge. But the people couldn't believe, for as Isaiah also said, "The Lord has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts— so their eyes cannot see, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them." All of the Old Testament is an amazing window onto Jesus. We to need focus on something that is massively important, namely, the way Jews viewed the Old Testament Scriptures and how those Scriptures relate to Jesus, and what difference it makes for us. And all who don’t believe in Jesus are excluded from the blessings of Abraham. - is a fairly clear example, it seems to me, of "commitment with mental reservation". “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots” (John 19:24=Psalm 22:18). He knew his faith was mixed with unbelief, and He called him on it. Jesus said in John 5:42-43, “But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. If you claim to honor God but reject Jesus as the divine Son of God and crucified and risen Savior and Messiah, your claim is false, and you do not honor God. In John 6, Jesus reminded the Jews that their fathers had eaten manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16:15) and then applied it to himself and said, “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33). Regardless of how certain your convictions, How focus your faith, and How resolved you are in your resolutions. Then test yourself and test others who claim to know God. When Isaiah saw the glory of God revealed from heaven, he was seeing the glory of Jesus. Hopefully we will say “yes Lord! . Help my unbelief!" His frustration comes because of ongoing unbelief. But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. If his unbelief was understandable, it was also sinful! Perhaps the most astonishing statements about the Scriptures in the Gospel of John is John 12:37-41 But despite all the miraculous signs he had done, most of the people did not believe in him.