THE TREACHERY OF LEAVEN

THE TREACHERY OF LEAVEN Mark 8:15 January 31, 1999 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introductory There is a massive conspiracy going on all over the world today. In fact, it has been going on for many years. Living in millions of households at this very minute there are living creatures growing and developing right under people’s noses. Only a few of the household members know about these creatures. The creatures themselves are not human, nor or they accurately plant or animal. They are chemical, but very much alive. They usually live virtually unnoticed in refrigerators. Under the cover of darkness, while the refrigerator doors are closed (yes, the light really does go off!) these living creatures are growing, expanding and according to the plan of their co-conspirators, they will soon be inserted into the food of the people who live in the household! Meanwhile, secretly, they are growing. In their little bodies are special bacteria and sugar substances which mix with another living element, saccharomyces cerevisiae. When that chemical joining takes place, well, there results a kind of fermentation and the emission of carbon dioxide and ethanol. But, don’t worry--these gases don’t escape into the atmosphere of your refrigerator, they are caught and trapped by the creature, creating tiny bubbles causing the creature to grow at a rapid rate. It is then, that the co-conspirator in the household, usually the wife or mother, apprehends the organism and inserts it into the very food you eat. And the rest of the victims in the household are caught unawares. Not only do they not know what they have eaten, they are actually heard to compliment while they are eating the creature, “Mmm-mmm, this is good!” Nor are they aware of the rest of the intrigue--the co-conspirator wife-mother has not served all of the creature to her unsuspecting family. She has actually cut off a part of the organism and stuck it back in the refrigerator to grow again and to feed you even more of it! In fact, co-conspirators have actually been known to give living sections of it to neighboring women. And the conspiracy continues! I am speaking, of course, of the dreaded . . . yeast bread, or sourdough bread. Yes, that little lump of dough that looks like a ball of mashed potatoes wrapped in saran wrap and resting in the corner of the refrigerator shelf, is very much alive. And what makes it go through the chemical reactions and grow, and what makes it eventually taste good, once baked, is the secret ingredient--YEAST. The function of yeast is to interact with the sugars in the dough and cause it to “rise”. It is a very interesting process of fermentation, but what fascinates me the most is how the yeast can “creep” all through the dough. It doesn’t just sit there and leaven a small section, it moves, quietly and thoroughly, leeching its way through every part of the dough lump. The Textual Teaching The New Testament refers several times to yeast or leaven. Once Jesus uses a reference to leaven in a positive sense when He compares the kingdom of God to leaven “which a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough,” illustrating how the kingdom grows quietly as people are reached with the gospel one at a time until soon all of society is positively affected by it. The rest of the times when leaven or yeast is mentioned in the New Testament it is used as a negative illustration. Such is the case in 1Corinthians 5:6, where the apostle Paul is writing to the church in Corinth and exhorting them to purify their congregation from immorality. Someone in the church has been sleeping with his step-mother, and the church has not done anything about correcting it. In fact, the believers have even been boasting about how tolerant and non-judgmental they were. Paul clears the matter up in no uncertain terms by telling the church to expel the immoral brother. And he adds this warning, “Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?” Then again, in Galatians 5:6, Paul quotes the same proverb concerning the “leaven” of legalism in the church, where some false teachers had been urging the Christians there that their salvation depended not just on Jesus’ sacrifice for them, but also on their good works. Our text this morning is one of those comments of Jesus to His disciples that is at first hard to understand. Mark 8:15 - “Jesus warned them, ‘Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.’” (some translations: ‘...and that of the Herodians’”) Matthew records Jesus as saying also, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees (16:6). A quick look back in the gospel of Mark, and a little bit of reflection, reveals what the yeast symbolized for Jesus. In the sixth chapter, there is a recounting of how Herod had John the Baptist beheaded. I can pick out a few reasons why he had done it: 1) he and his wife were angered because John had said it was wrong for Herod to marry his brother’s wife, 2) even though Herod secretly admired John’s pluck, when his wife tricked him into killing John, he did it against his own conscience, and 3) he killed John because he didn’t want to let his guests down, even though it distressed him. Yeast in that case was the kind of thinking Herod did: 1) he refused to be corrected, 2) he did what he knew in his heart to be wrong, and 3) he bowed to the pressure of the crowd not wanting to be seen as weak or moralistic. He was stubborn, rebellious and wishy-washy. That, friends, is leaven--wrong thinking that, once worked into your soul, causes you to act immorally. But what about the yeast of the Pharisees? You’ll recall the story line of the ministry of Jesus recorded in these chapters in Mark. He miraculously fed the crowd of 5,000 in chapter 6. He started with vie loaves and two fish and had twelve basketsful of leftovers. Shortly thereafter, another crowd of 4,000 was fed miraculously by Jesus. This time He began with just seven loaves of bread and after feeding the 4,000, they ended up with 7 basketsful of leftovers. In 8:11 we read: “The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test Him, they asked for a SIGN from heaven. He sighed deeply and said, ‘Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given it.’ Then he left them, got back in the boat and crossed to the other side. The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat.” It is at this point that Jesus warns them, somewhat cryptically, to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod. What was the yeast of the Pharisees? Simply this, they wanted God to serve them on THEIR terms, and not on HIS terms. Jesus was not saying that God would never give a sign to people--He had, in fact, just given several miraculous signs, feeding 9,000 men, not to mention their women and children; in public view He had just cast a demon out of a Greek woman’s daughter; and He healed a deaf-mute! It is God’s will to work miracles--and John 20 explains why: “Jesus did many miraculous signs...these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you might have life in His name.” So, why was He disgusted when the Pharisees asked for a miraculous sign? Three things come to mind: 1) They wanted a sign from God when THEY wanted it, and they wanted a sign like THEY wanted: 2) closely related, they wanted to control the Lord, making Him do their bidding, dance to their music, march to their cadence, be their puppet--what the Lord provided them already as signs wasn’t enough for them, because they had not ordered it; and 3) thirdly, they were interested in analyzing, discussing and philosophizing about the miracles--they were not interested in BELIEVING IN JESUS (in the text it says as much - “TO TEST HIM”). The yeast-like wrong thinking that is revealed in the Pharisees is clear: 1) telling God what He has done for us is not enough; 2) wanting to BE God instead of obeying God; 3) reducing the dynamic relationship God wants to have with people to mere religious form and data. Jesus’ response to this kind of thinking is to say in no uncertain terms: “GOD IS GOD, AND YOU’RE NOT” and “IF YOU DO WANT A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LIVING GOD IT IS AVAILABLE, BUT YOU MUST COME TO HIM ON HIS TERMS, NOT YOUR OWN.” The yeast of wrong thinking. Jesus says to those who want to follow Him -“Guys, WATCH OUT FOR THIS YEAST, THESE WRONG IDEAS. THEY ARE LIKE YEAST--ONCE YOU ENTERTAIN THEM, ONCE YOU LET THEM INTO YOUR MIND, THEY GROW AND LEECH AND INFEST YOUR THINKING, UNTIL, SOON, YOU DON’T KNOW RIGHT FROM WRONG, YOU DON’T KNOW GOD FROM A GURU, YOU DON’T KNOW WISDOM FROM FOOLISHNESS, YOU DON’T KNOW SIN FROM SHINOLA. Exhortatory Teaching Before I really start preaching, let me ask you a question, WHERE DOES WRONG THINKING ORIGINATE? Jesus talked about the source. He called him the “Father of lies” - “the prince of this world” - “the deceiver” - “the Accuser” - “the devil” - “the adversary” - “the tempter” - “the liar”. Please notice that the SOURCE of all deception and godless thinking is Satan, the Evil One--he inspires and provokes this kind of thinking. Why? He has an agenda to pull our thoughts away from God and godly thinking. He will do anything in his power--and he has a lot of power--to get us to think antithetically to God. His goal in your life is to get you engaged in ‘stinkin’ thinkin.’ Now, he can’t invade your mind, but he can manipulate circumstances in your life to deceive you into godless ways of thinking. He can create havoc in your material wealth, do things to your car, your house, your job, even your health. Now the Christian who is thinking correctly and godly knows this is true, but also knows God is in ultimate control, and He has His program going. God will use the negative things in our lives to make us stronger, deeper and purer--to build our faith--to remind us of the devil’s power. But we have this promise that he cannot do anything to us without God’s giving us all we need to make it through. So, when you’re thinking right, you are certain that in Christ, you can’t really lose. But, if and when you’re NOT thinking in healthy ways, you are vulnerable to the devil’s attack. You end up in depression, fear, doubt or all of the above. Once you’re there, the devil can have a heyday with you. Why? Because the LEAVEN OF BAD THINKING is infiltrating your soul. And Satan is a sneaky devil (!). He will do his best to manipulate your thinking to where you are not ready to believe God, or you’re actually opposed to God. Ephesians says he will use “the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.” He will bring to you people teaching the “doctrines of demons” and the ideas of those whose consciences are seared. And I’m not talking about heavy theological doctrine here--I’m talking about the kind of practical lies that are being told everyday all around us. Satan’s servants are bringing you his demented propaganda everyday: • YOU’RE DESCENDED FROM AN APE, JUST ANOTHER LINK IN THE EVOLUTIONARY CHAIN • YOU’RE THE ONLY ONE WHO MATTERS - IF YOU DON’T WATCH OUT FOR YOURSELF, NO ONE WILL - TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND NUTS TO EVERYONE ELSE • YOU’RE LIKE DUST IN THE WIND, JUST A DROP OF WATER IN AN ENDLESS SEA--ALL WE DO CRUMBLES TO THE GROUND THOUGH WE REFUSE TO SEE (the man who wrote that lyrics when he was lead singer of the group, “Kansas”, kept seeking truth until he found Jesus) • SEX OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE IS FINE--THOSE CHRISTIANS ARE JUST PRUDES-- • YOU ARE THE SUM TOTAL OF WHAT YOU MAKE AND WHAT YOU HAVE--SO GET ALL YOU CAN AND CAN ALL YOU GET, AND BE HAPPY • MARITAL MONOGAMY IS OLD-FASHIONED--WHO NEEDS GOD’S MORALS--EVERYBODY DOES IT! • A LITTLE CHEATING NEVER HURT ANYBODY • SO, WHAT’S A LITTLE COCAINE GONNA’ HURT? • I DON’T CARE IF IT DOES LOOK LIKE A BABY--I CALL IT FETAL TISSUE AND AN INCONVENIENCE--GET RID OF IT The trouble with these ways of thinking is not only that they are godless and therefore wrong, but they are also LEAVEN - YEAST - they grow up into bigger lies which lead to further destruction. And if you can’t see that, you are already steeped in the leaven of lies. Kimberly was 15 years old, a sweet, gullible girl, learning disabled, slightly overweight, starved for friendship. So she was excited when a few of the “normal” girls invited her to sleep over with them at Jessica’s house. As the slumber party wore on into the evening, the girls went out into the woods together to meet some boys and they all began to talk about their secret plan to run away together to Florida. Kimberly spoke up to say that it was wrong and they shouldn’t. One of the girls spoke up complaining that Kimberly would snitch on them. Jessica said, “No problem,” and she put a noose around her neck, slung the other end of the rope over a maple branch and she and 18-year old Aaron Straw yanked with all their might. A minute or two later when Kimberly’s lifeless body was dropped to the ground, 16-year old Jessica Holtmeyer smashed her face with a basketball-sized rock. Then she laughed and suggested they could “cut Kim up, scatter her all over the woods and keep one of her fingers for a souvenir.” This past Thursday in the courtroom in Clearfield, PA, three of the teenagers were convicted of the crime. You know, that kind of behavior doesn’t just come up all of a sudden. There was some leavening going on for years to get a girl to that point of hardened criminality. The other night on a news program there was the story of three young teen age boys who dragged a young, innocent girl into a field and raped her, then one of them repeatedly stabbed her with a silver-bladed knife. Was that a sudden impulse idea or had there been some lies leavening his mind before hand? He admitted he was acting out the lyrics he’d memorized from a song by heavy metal band he liked. Leaven. I have a straightforward exhortation for young people: the words that enter your mind from the songs you listen to, the garbage that comes into you from the bad company you keep and the filth that you allow into your soul today is tomorrow’s tragedy. It’s all leaven. The word of God is clear--and you just studied it this past week in teen cells: “Bad company corrupts good morals” “A righteous person is cautious in friendships, but the way of the wicked leads them astray” “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” Jesus said it this way: “Watch out for the yeast of those who are giving godless advice.” There is a strong, collective effect to this kind of leaven. You hear a little, you begin to think it doesn’t sound so bad. Then you hear some more, and it’s beginning to make sense. Another dose and you believe a lie. LEAVEN. The zebra is distinct from all other members of the horse family because of its startling striped color pattern and its resistance to being trained. Zebras are strong, fast and very fierce fighters. They are alert to their chief enemy and predator, the lion. But they will often underestimate the danger of an even more successful predator: the cape hunting dog. One cape hunting dog is not very large or strong--one could never bring down a zebra. But they travel in packs of twelve to twenty at a time. Their hunt begins with following the lead dog in single file, stalking a zebra. The lead dog picks out a target and they chase it up to thirty miles an hour. The lead dog catches up to the zebra and locks its jaws into any flesh it can read and with its strong bite, hangs on. As the clinging predator hangs on the zebra is weakened. Soon the others catch up and begin to bite any vulnerable spots they can reach. Soon the whole pack converges on the zebra, and it is brought down. The pack begins feeding even before the animal is dead and in thirty minutes the zebra is picked clean. The lead lies you encounter are the leaven that set you up for destruction. I would like to itemize a couple of the most widespread, subtle and deceitful beliefs, perpetrated by the father of lies, that are setting up Christians for the kill. Once these crafty little lies are believed, they spread like leaven in the mind and heart of their victim. The are personal, emotional and deadly. False belief #1 - I must meet certain standards to feel good about myself. This false belief leads you into very unhealthy patterns of perfect-ionism, fear of failure, manipulating others so it looks like you are succeeding, even self-delusion to make yourself believe you’re OK when you’re not. God’s Truth - I am, or can be, JUSTIFIED. God has not only offered me forgiveness because of Jesus’ sacrifice, but He has given me His righteousness. Because of what Jesus has done for me I am fully pleasing to Father God. False belief #2 - I must be accepted or approved by certain others to feel good about myself. This false belief will lead you inexorably to a fear of rejection, doing anything and everything to please others no matter the cost, being overly sensitive to criticism, and even withdrawal from others in order to avoid criticism God’s Truth - I am, or can be, RECONCILED. This means that, although I once was hostile toward God and alienated from Him, I am now forgiven and accepted, having been brought into intimate relationship with Him through Jesus. I am fully accepted by God--He said so. False belief #3 - Those who fail (especially myself) are unworthy of love and deserve to be punished. This thinking will cause you to be afraid of correction and punishment, to punish others and blame them for your personal failures, to withdraw from God and His people, to become “driven” God’s Truth - I have, or can have, SENSE OF BEING LOVED AND ACCEPTED. By His death on the cross for me, God rightful judgment of me has been “satisfied” and I can be at peace in His love for me False belief #4 - I am what I am. I cannot change. I am hopeless. This lie will cause you to feel constantly a sense of shame, inferiority, hopelessness, isolation, loss of creativity, withdrawal from others and from God God’s Truth - I am, or I can be, REGENERATED. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice for me I am a “new creature” in Christ, inhabited and empowered by His own Holy Spirit. I can become what He wants me to be. Invitation In 1988, 41-year old David Mease, squatted alongside a dirt path in a rural area of Southwest Missouri with a 12-gauge shotgun cradled in his arm. When his drug partner drove by on an ATV with his wife and grandson, Mease opened fire, killing all three of them in cold blood. He was caught and convicted and has spent the past 11 years on death row in the prison in Potosi. He was scheduled to be executed one week from Wednesday. But last Thursday he got the word from Governor Mel Carnahan, an avid supporter of capital punishment, that Mease’s death sentence was commuted. In his visit to St. Louis, Pope John Paul urged Gov. Carnahan to lift the sentence--and he did. Mease’s defense attorney, Laura Tyler, said Mease was was “awestruck” when he got the news. It seems during his incarceration, Darrell Mease came to faith in Christ and, according to the lawyer, he “has remained very steadfast to his faith in that he would receive relief from God.” Said the lawyer, “I’d say this sure looks like a miracle.” I don’t know what you believe about capital punishment--and it really doesn’t matter. But, Darrell Mease sure knows the meaning of grace today. He had someone step in on his behalf in a most astonishing way, and now, what he deserved to receive has been withheld from him. The Bible is clear that everyone has fallen short of God’s expectations of us. We all deserve nothing but the death penalty of eternity in Hell--absolute and torturous separation from God forever. Someone stepped in for us. It was Jesus the very Son of God. He said that, in order to satisfy the punishment for YOU He would pay the ultimate price--He would die in your place. Being the sinless Son of God, he qualified to do just that. Now, if you will receive Him you can know that your sentence of the second death has been commuted. The Bible says He bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness, by his wounds. To anyone who will receive Him, who will trust in His name, He gives the right to become children of God . . . born of God. .       [Top]