Remember What the King has Done

INTRO:

Infant Child Dedications

14 Children | 8 families

Senior Recognition Today

Story — Amnesia/Memory Loss

TENSION:

What have you forgotten?

TRUTH:

Overview & Context

This passage is not dissimilar from many of the passages we have already covered in the Gospel of Mark.

Jesus engages with the Pharisees (Negative)

Jesus interacts with his Disciples — the disciples “don’t get it” and miss what Jesus is saying — Jesus rebukes them

We are coming to the very middle of the Gospel of Mark. — 16 Chapters total

We are sort of marching to the middle — Where Peter will declare that Jesus is the Christ — The Transfiguration

The rest of the Gospel marches toward the cross, and moves rather quickly toward this.

Because we have encountered many similar passages & this passage is very straightforward, it will be Application Heavy…

Mark 8:11–21 ESV

The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side. Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

The bones for understanding our passage are 3 things — A question that helps us Apply this passage.

1) Pharisees Demand a Sign, 2) Disciples are Focused on the Wrong Thing, 3) Disciples Forget What Jesus Has Done

1) Pharisees Demand a Sign

Mark 8:11–13 “The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.”

IMMEDIATELY the Pharisees are there to argue.

Seems to be a difference — they typically wait for their opportunity — something to accuse Jesus & his disciples of…

“Seeking a ‘sign from heaven’” — “to test him”

1) They are NOT engaging in good faith — their agenda is very clear — Mark notes that immediately.

2) It is not by accident that this comes shortly after the 2 Bread Miracles — If that is not a sign — feeding thousands with just a few loaves of bread!

3) Jesus’ response reveals that he understands what they are doing…

Jesus is EXASPERATED by this question and interaction — SIGHS

This is important, but it is DIFFERENT from what Jesus does when he looks up to heaven before he heals the deaf man who cannot speak.

That is the root word of the word used here — but in Mark 7 the word is understood to mean: to groan or sigh as the result of deep concern or stress

Sigh deeply = the word here — Exasperation…

Jesus lumps the Pharisees with many others — “This generation” — A couple of things here…

Jesus seems to be referring to the generation of Jewish leadership.

He has obviously performed many “signs” already — to the crowds

Healings — driving out demons — Bread Miracles

Sign = an event with regarded as having some special meaning.

It is these leaders (Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, Sanhedrin, etc.) that have led the Jewish people astray and away from God.

Jesus’ disgust is heightened in the passage by the fact that he immediately leaves the area —> to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee

Map

From where Jesus fed the 4,000 to Dalmanutha (Magadan) - Pharisees —> Bethsaida - where Jesus has been active in ministry.

How often are WE like the Pharisees here — Demanding a Sign from Heaven?

We want sort of a Personal Confirmation — Seeking Wisdom, Guidance, & Direction is NOT the same.

Big decisions — we should pray — seek wise counsel — and see where the Lord affirms.

But we can often be paralyzed by indecision — if we feel like we don’t have sufficient confirmation.

Seeking the Lord’s Will — God does call us to specific things in life that He has uniquely equipped us and gifted us for — But there is also a General Will that we should all seek to fulfill…

Make Disciples (of Jesus Christ) who Make Disciples who make Disciples.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

Living out the Fruit of the Spirit…

As long as we are fulfilling these things — We are not outside of His will for our lives.

In many ways we are often like the Pharisees AND the Disciples in this passage…

2) Disciples are Focused on the Wrong Thing

Mark 8:14–17a

“Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread?”

The focus on Bread is not accidental…

They are worried about not having enough — RIGHT after Jesus has provided enough Bread for 5,000+ AND for 4,000 people!!

Jesus is on a different wave length — still thinking about the interaction with the Pharisees — Training.

Warns the Disciples — Leaven is typically NEGATIVE in the Scriptures — Influence

Pharisees and Herod — Very different —>

What do they have in common — Reject Jesus as the Messiah — lead others to do the same…

“Discussing with one another” — Implies that they are trying to have a hushed side conversation — but it is likely getting a little heated.

Remember the disciples argue about who is the greatest among them…

Even with Jesus in the boat — The disciples are more focused on the Problem than the Provider.

They were focused on the Wrong thing…

How do WE focus on the WRONG things in our own lives?

Obstacles — All the things that keep us from Faith & from fulfilling the Will of God.

Time —

Schedule —

Distance —

Awkward/Uncomfortable —

Financial —

Lack of Ability/Knowledge —

To refer to another example in the Gospels, we tend to focus on the wind and the waves — instead of Jesus (the provider).

So why do the disciples focus on these obstacles?

3) Disciples Forget What Jesus has Done.

Mark 8:17b–21“Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?””

The word’s Jesus begins his rebuke with mirror Mark 4:12 “so that “ ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’ ””

Where Jesus is alluding to Isaiah 6:9-10 where Isaiah is speaking of the leaders of Israel

There Jesus was speaking of the crowd & he would later explain to the disciples — “b/c the secret of the Kingdom of God has been given to them”

Basically asking, “Have you already forgotten all of this” — to be fair - a lot more has happened in the lives of the disciples and Jesus than the 3 Chapters we read in Mark.

BUT these were a pretty big deal — That the disciples participated in!

They helped pass out this Bread to the crowds…

How long did this take?

How many times did they have to come back to the provider?

They took up the LEFTOVERS.

Jesus points this out — 12 & 7 — Fulfillment & COMPLETE provision.

12 Tribes of Israel — 12 Disciples (Literal provision for their physical needs) — Fulfillment

7 - Considered a number of perfection in many cultures, including Jewish culture.

The number 7 appears throughout the Scriptures, (Creation, Pharaoh's Dream - 7 cows, seige of Jericho, etc.)

7 days per week — “Lucky number 7” —

Jesus provides both of these — A NEW Generation

How do we forget his provision? — Students!

How many times have you looked at your budget — There was more going out than coming in?

Maybe for some of you that was a long time ago. (not so long ago for us…)

How many times have you sought wisdom for a decision and the Lord has led you in that decision?

“Can you see God? You haven't seen him? I've never seen the wind. I see the effects of the wind, but I've never seen the wind. There's a mystery to it.” - Billy Graham

2 or 3 examples in the past several weeks — things that we thought were going to become an issue or difficult — the Lord orchestrated the exact changes we were hoping to see!

BIG QUESTION

How do we Endeavor to Remember?

If the disciples have already forgotten that Jesus in the boat with them has provided bread for 1000s of people — They are worried about only having 1 loaf.

How prone are we to forget 1) the goodness of God 2) God’s provision throughout history — to His people & 3) His provision in our own lives?

“Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.”

God gave his people ways to remember:

All in 7s - The feast of Passover (Ex. 12:15, 16), the feast of Weeks (Deut. 16:9), of Tabernacles (16:13), and the Jubilee (Lev. 25:8).

God also directed his people to remember through Moses:

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 (ESV)

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Momento: Movie by Christopher Nolan (2000) — Not an endorsement (Rated R). Not going to Spoil,

- Main character (Leonard) has a traumatic brain injury that produces a condition where he has NO short term memory — When he wakes up every morning - everything is brand new!

- Trying to solve a mystery, hard to do you when can’t remember anything!

- Begins to Tattoo important information on his body — you can’t lose that!

The Point is not to get a bunch of Tattoos, but we are far more like Leonard than we realize.

It’s often like we have Spiritual “short term memory loss”.

This is what Moses means when he says, “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand & frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on your doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Orient your life so that everything reminds you of what God has done for you & for His people.

Schedule —

Wake up early on a Sunday and spend 2-3 hours with giving of yourself in Worship & Community.

1|168 is NOT ENOUGH!

Bible Study | Home Group | Personal Reading | Memorizing Scripture

Our Feelings are Fickle — Our God is Not

Tranthams (Infertility) — Goodness of God

My story (Anger) - James 1:19–20“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

On my door mirror through High School — in my memory & on my lips.

Not perfectly — but MUCH better than it used to be!

Sanctification — at any one month I may not have noticed much difference, but 15+ years later I see the change (my wife sees the change in the last 11 years!)

If we don’t force ourselves to remember — it’s easy to hope, etc.

BIG QUESTION

How do we Endeavor to Remember?

PRAY

1) Pharisees Demand a Sign, 2) Disciples are Focused on the Wrong Thing, 3) Disciples Forget What Jesus Has Done

Cross of Jesus Christ!