Avoiding Unbelief
Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him.
Matthew 4:23And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
I. Jesus Went About Healing All
A. Man with leprosy healed
B. The Centurion’s servant healed
C. Peter’s mother-in-law healed
D. Jews and Gentiles healed
E. Noblemen and outcasts healed
F. Male and female healed
G. Rich and poor healed
II. Cities with Lack of Repentance and Filled with Unbelief
A. Chorazin
B. Bethsaida
C. Capernaum
III. Capernaum
A. City from which Jesus’ ministry was based
B. Only city of which Jesus said “You are exalted to heaven; you will be brought down to hell” (Matthew 11:23)
C. The man let down through the roof was the only one healed in the synagogue
1. The power of God was present to heal them (Pharisees)
2. A lack of faith was present
Matthew 9:23-24 And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making noise,
He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth, And they laughed him to scorn.
Sleepeth: indicates that Jairus’ daughter was a believer; believers do not die as unbelievers do, they “sleep” and will one day be resurrected.
IV. Healing of Jairus’ Daughter
A. Jesus found Himself surrounded by the unbelief of Capernaum
B. Jesus removed unbelief from the room where Jairus’ daughter laid
“Give place”: Jesus was really saying “Get out!”
1. Minstrels/singers were removed
2. Mourners were removed
3. Unbelief was removed not for Jesus sake, but for the sake of Jairus’ faith
a. Jairus’ faith was shaken when he was told that his daughter had died
b. Jesus reassured his faith by saying “only believe”
V. Jesus Talks About Unbelief
Matthew 13:58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Mark 6:6 And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages teaching.
VI. Results of Unbelief
A. Jesus could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. (Mark 6:5)
B. Stopped Jesus from producing great miracles
C. Stopped people from receiving a great move of God
Matthew 17:29-20 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verity I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove: and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
VII. Disciples Unable to Cast Out a Demon
A. Disciples came to Jesus shocked that they could not cast out a demon
1. Jesus gave the disciples authority over demons (Matthew 10)
2. 70 disciples returned to Jesus rejoicing and saying “Even the devils are subject to us through your name.” (Luke 10)
B. Reasons the disciples could not cast out the demon
1. They began to listen to the crowd
2. They began to listen to the religious leaders
a. Religious leaders questioned the disciples’ authority to cast out demons
b. Religious leaders questioned the disciples in front of the crowd
3. Disciples had their eyes on the circumstances surrounding them
a. The boy’s father who was watching them
b. The little boy who was wallowing on the ground and foaming at the mouth
c. The pressure of the crowd and religious leaders who were against them
4. The disciples were overcome by unbelief and when they tried to cast out the devil, it did not work
C. Jesus walked into the same atmosphere of unbelief and cast the devil out of the little boy
D. The wanted to know why they could not cast out the devil and Jesus told them it was because of their unbelief
XIII. Disciples Upbraided for Unbelief After the Resurrection
A. Disciples knew from the Word of God that Jesus would be resurrected
Matthew 12:40For as Jonas (Jonah) was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
John 2:19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
B. Peter, John, Mary, Martha and multitudes saw the resurrected Jesus
C. Thomas would not believe that Jesus was resurrected
1. The Word said Jesus would be resurrected
2. Jesus prophesied that he would be resurrected
3. Thomas would only believe if he could feel and see
Mark 8:22-26 And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.
And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw aught.
And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.
IX. Blind Man from Bethsaida Removed from Unbelief
A. A group brought the blind man to Jesus
B. Jesus took the blind man away from the group and away from the city (Mark 8:23)
X. Jesus Confronts the Blind Man About His Faith
A. Jesus wanted to isolate where the blind man’s faith was in regard to his healing
B. Jesus wanted to know if the man really wanted to be healed
XI. Reason Blind Man Needed Hands Laid on Him Twice
A. First time hands laid on the blind man, the man saw “men as trees”
B. Needed hands laid on him a second time because of the unbelief that surrounded him in Bethsaida
XII. Three Instances Where Jesus Used Spit
A. Healing of the blind man (Matthew 9)
B. Healing of a man who had a speech impediment and was deaf (Mark 7:33)
C. Made clay for healing a blind man (John 9:1-7)
XIII. Spit in the Bible
A. Spit was always a curse
B. If an individual was spit on, according to Leviticus 15:8, that person was considered unclean
C. Jesus was spit on just before He was crucified (Matthew 26:67)
D. Aside from words, this was the lowest form of a curse
XIV. Jesus Spits on the Works of Satan
A. On blindness
B. On infirmities
C. He spit and cursed the curse
XV. Jesus Became a Curse for Us
Galatians 3:13-14 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree.
That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
XVI. Jesus Instructed the Blind Man to Go Home
A. Did not want him to lose his healing because of unbelief
B. Home is where we worship God
C. Home is where we pray
D. Home is where we fellowship with God
E. Home is where we gain strength to go back into the community around us
XVII. The Time to Isolate Ourselves from Unbelief and Saturate Ourselves with the Word of God
A. When the pressure of the world around us becomes too strong
B. When a believer has been believing God for a long time for the manifestation but the fullness of the promise has not come
XVIII. The Desire for Healing/Blessing Must be Strong Enough for the believer to be willing to isolate self from unbelief
