Sermon Tone Analysis

The Enemy Within

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“Tough Love” - “an expression believed to have originated with Bill Milliken’s 1968 book of the same title - used when someone treats another person harshly or sternly with the intent to help them in the long run” - Wikipedia

Horror of too tough and not enough love and grace

Also horror and heartache when no one has the grace to say something is wrong and disruptive can be almost as painful in other ways.

Need of considered balance of grace, truth and love.

Having spent almost 3 years walking with, teaching and discipling those whom He called and loved, Jesus’ heart must have ached because of the disciples’ continued glaring lack of perception and understanding as to who He was and what He was about to do.

Perhaps that is why He so pointedly questioned and warned them.

Perhaps that is why through the Word and the Holy Spirit He also asks us some hard questions.

Before we proceed, we would do well to remind ourselves of a couple of facts.

Although the disciples had extended time with Jesus, there is no Scriptural reference that they were indwelt/filled by the Holy Spirit in the sense that all.

Without the Holy Spirit, the disciples would not have had that indwelling guide in truth.

The flip side of that is that we as believers, have Holy Spirit to guide us into ALL truth as well as the Word to teach, reproof, correct and train us.

We should not surprised when through the Word, we are prodded so that,

2 Tim 3:16-

When we allow the Word of God to teach us, reprove us, correct us and train us for righteousness, it will be profitable - produce a change because we are profitable and equipped for every good work.

WHAT DOES THE WORD OF GOD SAY - SAY TO US?

We need to remember that question.

Jesus wants to talk to me, to you, to use as a congregation.

When we hear

most of us remember the very moving picture of Jesus standing outside the door of a house knocking.

The context here is not one of Jesus knocking at the door of the heart of an individual who has yet to open his heart to Jesus.

While that could be the meaning and a third degree application, THIS JESUS KNOCKING AT THE DOOR OF THE LUKEWARM CHURCH IN LAODICEA.

The heart braking fact was that they were lukewarm and did not seem to know.

Even sadder, we have no indication that they heard Jesus knocking.

In the portion open before us, the majority of the text is the Son of God, the living Word speaking, teaching, reproving, correcting and training the disciples.

The Pharisees argue with Jesus -

provides the location for this confrontation - Dalmanutha - travelled by boat to NW quadrant of the Sea of Galilee

In Matthew’s parallel account, he recorded that they travelled by boat to the region of Magdalan .

Both of which - NW Sea of Galilee

Matt

Most of the verbs suggest an aggressive confrontation on the part of the Pharisees.

Came - exelton - came out - as if in military rank

Argue - ask too gentle - question or dispute with a view to gain control - ask with a view not to know but undermine.

Test - not objective prejudiced or weighed to discredit.

Used 4 times by Mark - Satan’s tempting, 3 times opposition of the Pharisees.

- For another greater sign from heaven

For another greater sign from heaven

In both the NT and OT seeking signs was spoken of negatively

1 Cor

Even in the OT, however, signs were not regarded as proof positive of God’s will.

A prophet who commanded something contrary to the Torah but performed a miraculous sign was still a false prophet, for example (Deut 13:1–5).

On

Deut

From Deuteronomy to verification that a prophet and the prophecy was true, it was understood in Deuteronomy that a prophet should never contradict the Word.

It is ironic that even though Jewish commentators agreed that a miraculous sign did not declare a prophet true, they contradicted their commentators by seeking a sign.

To test Him

Looking for a sign indicating divine authentification was a pattern in Judaism and prominent in some part of their history/

Moses - staff became a serpent and serpent became staff - ; unnamed signs in sight of the people - ; God commanded sign of staff to serpent at Pharoah’s request - - intended to be accepted as proof of his mission.

Elijah - called fire from heaven -

Isaiah - God took the initiative in through Isaiah commanding Ahaz to ask a sign - - virgin conceive - Immanuel

Through Isaiah God assured Hezehiah’s prayer to extend his years & deliver Hezekiah and Jerusalem from the King of Assyria - sun turned back 10 steps on the dial -

All signs were not to be considered miraculous or to be trusted - , ; ;

Disciples and Apostles

Pharisees came to argue and discredit rather than a desire to be believe

They refused to accept the evidence that they have.

That is true of most today re creation and the world around us.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote:

Earth’s crammed with heaven,

And every common bush afire with God;

But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,

The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

“Why does this generation seek a sign?”

Jesus sighed deeply - groan - in His Spirit - word - anastenazein - very rare Greek word - once in NT - 30 times in all of Greek literature - in the few usages - not used of anger or indignation but more so of dismay and despair.

cc - God’s attitude toward obstinately disobedient Israel

Deut 32:2-

Ps 95:

The disbelieving generation of Noah’s day

Ironically, the Gentiles in the previous story who were “far off” (8:3; Eph 2:13–14) are closer to Jesus than those of his own faith and people like the Pharisees.

The solemn declaration

They ask because their hearts are hard they choose not to believe.

“No sign shall be given this generation”

Jesus refused to give them a sign.

They were knowingly and deliberately hard hearted and unbelieving.

TRULY - unegquivicacally

Supreme sign verifying Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah/Son of God would be His resurrection.

Matt

After having recently cross the Sea of Galilee by boat, they recrossed to the other side, NE side probably near Bethdsaida -

2. The disciples’ discussion: no bread -

Parting ways with the Pharisees - who not only did not believe but refused to believe.

In the Synoptic Gospels the demand for “signs” is itself a sign of attempting to gain by empirical means what can only be gained by faith and trust.

It is the false prophet who seeks to deceive by signs and wonders (13:22).

Jesus forsakes signs, for “to force the evidence upon one would make a faith response by its very nature impossible.”

Faith that depends on proof is not faith, but only veiled doubt.

If a man hires a private eye to spy on his wife while he is away in order to “prove” her faithfulness, the detective’s “proofs” will scarcely guarantee the husband’s faith.

Faith, like love itself, cannot be proven; it can only be demonstrated by trust and active commitment

Like the prophet Ezekiel, Jesus was an exile among His own people.

Ez 12:2

While the rank and file of Judaism did not believe, the disciples in whom He had invested so much time and energy did not really get it either.

With that:

Forgot to bring bread/one loaf in the boat & began discussing with each other the fact that they had no bread.

Jesus’ caution:

Watch out - cautioned, charged, warned

“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

Yeast is a leavening agent used in among other things baking.

Feast of the Passover - eat roasted lamb with unleavened bread -

Only one NT instance where yeast referred to positively - /

All of yeast references negative - corruption, unholiness and danger.

The Pharisees and Herod Antipas were united in their opposition to Jesus.

The one point at which the Pharisees and Antipas are united is in their opposition to Jesus.

We have noted that the circuitous journey to Tyre, Sidon, and the Decapolis in 7:24–8:9 may have been motivated at least in part by harassment of both Antipas (6:14–29) and the Pharisees (7:1–23).