Mark 8_1_21 Outline

Text: Mark 8:1-21

Title: Spiritual alertness

Intro: Jesus has been spending time with His disciples, they had been in Tyre and Sidon, the deserted regions in between there and the Decapolis. Jesus is nearing the cross and He is ready to teach and prepare them for the cross.

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. Mk 8:31.

But they are not ready they are spiritually dull.

They have witnessed some incredible things yet faith is based on belief without seeing.

CPS: We need to be Spiritually alert and grasp what Jesus is doing in our midst.

Jesus Refreshes the Multitude1-9

The multitude has been listening to the master teach and preach for three days.

I struggle to preach for 35 minutes but Jesus is the Word of God and I imagine He was always ready to bring an applicable message for any crowd.

Imagine hearing Him preach, would you be captivated for three days? I have a hard-enough time keeping someone’s attention for 30 minutes, but Jesus had a message for the multitude and they were so caught up in it…. the fact that they had nothing to eat hasn’t kept them from leaving.

Now a days… come 12:00 our stomach is gnawing through our backbone.

Jesus gets ready to leave but He realizes they haven’t eaten in 3 days and would have difficulty making the far journey home.

His Compassion

Compassion (vs.2) to be deeply moved in one’s inner being

Jesus being deeply moved by the people’s circumstances acted upon them.

Jesus knows what it’s like to be hungry (40 days in the wilderness without eating.)

The Bread of life is going to feed this multitude

Nothing (vs2) Not – without food

fasted for 3 days they didn’t have the strength or energy to make the trip.

Faint – grow weary and pass out

Jesus shows them compassion

Jesus desires to show us compassion and stands ready to give us what we desperately need….. all of Himself

His Provision

The disciples question? (Vs4) From whence can a MAN satisfy these men in this wilderness?

Had they not witnessed the 5,000 feed?

They were right, no man could satisfy them – But Jesus is God clothed in humanity …. The God man

His question….. How many loaves? Answered….. 7

His actions ….. He took the seven loaves – they were not large (flat cakes)

He commanded 4,000 people to sit down (they obeyed- to receive Jesus’s wonder working power in our lives we must obey)

He gave thanks …… Never acted independently … (All things come from God, do you thank Him!) – do you thank God for your provisions

Illustration: Logan’s – cookville TN – prayed – a man bought my dinner – I was able to share the gospel with him and the waitress.

He broke the 7 loaves of bread and placed it before 4,000 people

Imagine – Jesus breaking the loaves – He just kept breaking and breaking – The disciples kept coming back time and time again.

Could you imagine the joy in the hearts of the disciples as they watched Jesus provide?

Fish (few small fish) mostly bones not a lot to satisfy anyone.

Blessed the fish and commanded the disciples to place them in front of the people - (sometimes being a disciple of Jesus means you are a servant to others)

THEY ATE!!!

Did each receive a crumb?

Filled (vs8) – there appetite was satisfied!

Took up 7 baskets full!

Before - 7 loaves

After – 7 baskets

Baskets (Chpt. 8) - σπυρίς spuris, spoo-rece – woven Hamper

Baskets (Chpt. 6) - κόφινος kŏphinŏs, kof´-ee-nos – small basket (offering plate)

Paul in Damascus – Acts 9:25 Lowered over the gate in a spuris

*** Jesus’ provisions always exceeds what our earthly mind is able to comprehend

**** We ask Jesus for a little – but Jesus wants to give a lot (He wants to give you all of Himself)

As they ate of the bread from the hands of the master, they were refreshed, renewed with strength to go on their way.

Jesus Refuses the Pharisees10-13

Travels to the western side of the sea of Galilee to Dalmanutha (exact site of Dalmanutha is unknown) in the region of Galilee. There He encounters the religious leaders, the Pharisees.

A sign demanded

The Bible says we are to walk by faith not by sight, ….. but we always want a sign from God to assure us.

These pharisees had seen and heard of Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000 Jews

They had seen Him heal people and cast demons out of possessed people they certainly heard of Jesus raising Jairus’s daughter

Now…. they wanted another sign BUT NOT JUST ANY SIGN

A sign from heaven – They didn’t want to see another healing or exorcism or feeding…. they wanted something greater

“Moses” had brought down bread from heaven (John 6)

The bread of heaven stood before them – the bread of life was in their midst!

NB) They wanted an apocalyptic manifestation – something that would prove beyond all doubt that He had God’s approval. He was Messiah!

The only thing that would have satisfied them was to see Jesus coming in His glory with His legions of Angels and with the words of His mouth destroy the Roman Army and destroy all the enemies of God and enter Jerusalem in His might and power and take His eternal seat on the thrown of king David.

That is not what Jesus came for – this time He came as the suffering servant of Isaiah 53

But one day He will come in the style of Revelation 1:7 – On a cloud for all the world to see Him

But until then we are to live by faith

A sign denied

Sighed – Sighed deeply – Not the sigh we saw last week – groaning over the consequences of sin on humanity

Jesus sighed at their unbelief.

– Why does this generation seek a sign, because your heart is calloused

“No sign will be given to you”

MATTHEW (15:39 – 16:4) – Jesus says you can read the signs of the sky and tell what the weather will do but you can’t tell the signs of the time.

The forerunner came in John the Baptist (the spirit of Elijah)

Miracles occurring that no other man has ever done

Soon Jerusalem will be destroyed by the Romans

Jewish state will be decimated

But here I am right now the Savior who desires to give you a future.

The only sign you will receive is the sign of Jonah

As Jonah was in the belly of the fish 3 days and 3 nights then delivered from the abyss

I will be crucified and in the tomb 3 days and will arise.

This will be the sign of doom for those who refuse Him

And the sign of a future for those who embrace Him

We walk by faith not by sight ….. I’d rather have Jesus in my heart and in my life than any sign Jesus could perform.

Jesus Rebukes the Disciples14-21

The disciples are in the boat with Jesus again and they forgot to pack bread, they had just one loaf.

He cautions them

(Vs. 14) Beware of the leaven and the Pharisees.

Jesus was talking about one thing and they were thinking of another.

You can get yourself into embarrassing situations like that

Illustration: Boy and girl dating …. Sitting in the backyard at night in the swing… The crickets were chirping, down in the valley below the church choir was practicing…. The boy loved the evening he was tuned into the sounds of the crickets, the girl was enjoying to the music… thinking of the church choir she said “isn’t that the most beautiful thing you have ever heard?” He said “yes and they tell me they make those sounds by rubbing their legs together.

Jesus was teaching them, but they were not getting the message because they were not spiritually alert. They were not in tune with Jesus

Their minds were focused on the lack of bread

Have they not received and witnessed Jesus’ provision and experienced how it exceeds our own expectations?

Jesus was warning them about corruption

Leaven in the Bible is a symbol of sin and corruption

Beware of the leaven of (p) Legalism

Beware of the leaven of (h) materialism

Heaven help the church that is legalistic – there is no grace found there only bondage to rituals

Illustration: Daniel and the Christmas tree

Heaven help the church that is materialistic – they are worldly and haven’t rightly experienced Christ.

He is not the center of their dedication.

He questions them

Drills them with nine questions

Why reason the?

Because you have no bread?

Do you not understand?

Is your heart hardened?

Are you unable to see?

Can you not hear?

Do you not remember? All I have done? I just fed 4,000

They were not spiritual alert, and Jesus was arousing them from their spiritual dullness

Application: Are we Spiritually dull?

Don’t quite get the message?

Not tuned into the things of God?

Tune in to Jesus message to the disciples

#1 Use your mind, use the facilities God has given you!

Use your power to reason! Use your Spiritual eyes!

Use your spiritual ears!

Get tuned in to the things of God again. Get in the Word of God.

Start digging in the Word. Let God speak to you out of the Word. See the things of God with your spiritual eyes. Hear the things of God with your spiritual ears.

Examine your heart! Is your heart hardened?

Hardened – to be insensible

It’s like have a callous on your heart.

A callous is just an old hard tough place on your skin.

Illustration: Beginning Guitar….. callouses on fingers my fingers became hard and I was no longer sensitive to the strings cutting in to my fingers.

It’s easy to get a calloused heart ……. The Pharisees were callous, the Disciples seem callous.

Maybe you totally reject the things of God and are living in sin.

Perhaps your mind goes along with what Jesus says but your heart doesn’t follow.

Perhaps you have forgotten what Jesus has done for you.

Do you have a great love Jesus? A great love for Jesus, that will cure spiritual dullness and keep us Spiritually alert. Start thanking Him and praising Him and loving Him and rekindle those spiritual fires in your heart.