Do You Not Understand
Do You Not Understand?
Mark 8:14-21,14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? 18 Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember? 19 When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. 20 And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven. 21 And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?
The disciples must have been hungry at this point and started thinking about food and noticed that they only had one loaf.
Christ takes this opportunity to teach them about their lack of faith, which should have been greater by this time
I. Disciples reason among themselves that they had no bread verse 14
A. They forgot to bring bread with them and only had one loaf
B. Christ uses a metaphor here commonly used by the Jews of that day and that was yeast
1. Yeast usually represented sin, but in this case it represents unbelief
2. It only took a small amount of yeast to effect the whole loaf of bread
a) Christ is telling them if they let a little amount of unbelief in, it will grow and take over
3. Christ warns them about the yeast in leaven bread of the Pharisees
a) The Pharisees started out in the Old Testament on the right track and over time ended up full of yeast.
II. Christ then asked do you not understand? Verse 18
A. I have run into people who seem to be spiritual and when I get to know them, I find out how spiritual blind they really are.
B. That is what is happening here with Christ and His disciples
1. Christ asks do you not have ears, did you not learn anything I have been teaching you?
2. The leaven of the Pharisees was getting into everyone of its day
a) Christ was astonishment that His disciples did not know better by now
III. Than Christ talks to them about passed blessings Verse 19-21
A. Christ gives them some of the miracles He has done in the past, which by now should have increased their faith
1. The feeding of the five thousand
a) They only had 5 loafs of bread and ended up with 12 loafs after feeding the them
2. The feeding of the four thousand
a) They only had 7 loafs for this one and ended up with 7 at the end
3. They have seen many wonders that Christ had done in His day and should have learned much
IV. The question is, are we learning and growing?
A. Have we learned something from the past times God worked in our life?
1. Have you learn anything from past sermons, which taught you the ways of Christ?
B. This last Thursday we celebrated Thanksgiving
1. Do we remember when God blessed us in the past? Let me give you some verse that teach how thankful we ought to be to God
a) Philippians 4:6,6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
(1) When you pray we are to give thanks for what God has done in the past
b) Colossians 2:7,7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
c) Colossians 4:2, 2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
d) God is telling us here in these verses to give Him thanksgiving
2. Are we thankful for what God has done for us?
a) Luke 17:12-18,12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”
3. Do we let God know that we are thankful?
4. Thanksgiving is a time when we has a nation take time to be thankful for wonderful things God has blessed us with
a) Psalm 107:1-2, 1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! 2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble
5. I wonder does anyone like to give a testimony of thanksgiving to God?
Sunday morning Biker Service 11/25/07