Mark Sermon Week 19 - The Reality of the Kingdom of God

Summary

Jesus came to open our eyes and ears to the reality of the kingdom of God all around us.

Kingdom Realities:

Jesus cares about physical suffering

Jesus came to touch our lives, he is where heaven meets earth

No one is beyond God’s saving power

Jesus provides more than enough (more than you can imagine

Jesus is grieved by physical suffering, but even more deeply grieved by spiritual suffering.

Growth is a process, trust the process walk with Jesus.

Intro/Welcome

Welcome

Good morning

Welcome you if your first time

My name is Justin

Welcome you online.

Bible Intro

“Pick up Bible”

You ever try to read this thing but struggle to get anything out of it

This is God’s Word — yet it doesn’t seem to move us, to penetrate our hearts.

doesn’t breakthrough

gods word is living and active

Maybe it’s becuase we try to read this with our physical eyes, rather than our spiritual eyes.

We try to read with just our minds, rather than our hearts.

Maybe we have settled into a false reality?

One ruled by only what we can see

what we can control

what we can understand

Is this you?

Maybe have settled into a false reality.

And the mission of Christ was to come and awaken us to true reality.

a reality that is all around us.

it is in our midst.

it can pervade every aspect of our lives.

What is this reality?

it is the reality of the Kingdom of God.

it can go undetected

we can’t always see it with our eyes

we can’t always understand it

we certainly can’t control it

Jesus and the Kingdom

King Jesus came to bring the Kingdom of God to Earth

this is what the gospel of Mark has been about.

Jesus came to open our eyes and ears to the reality of the Kingdom of God all around us.

SO WHAT?

Why would I want to experience the kingdom of God?

maybe you are working 50-60 hours a week

maybe as a parent you are just constantly on the go

maybe as a student you are overloaded with assignments, readings, and trying to work a job

maybe you are in ministry and you are longing for tangible fruit and wondering what you have missed.

If the Kingdom of God is the truest reality, then it has everything to do with our lives

The KOG is a spiritual/physical reality.

It is where heaven and earth meet

Bible

We are going to be in Mark 7:31-8:26.

Microcosm of Mark

Go there in your Bibles

Let’s pray for God to help us today.

Pray

that we might experience the reality of the Kingdom of God today.

Luke 4:18–19 (CSB)

18 The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Isaiah 61:1–2 ESV

1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;

The Touch of Jesus

Mark 7:31 (CSB)

31 Again, leaving the region of Tyre, he went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis.

[MAP]

This is Gentile Territory — we’ll come back to that.

Decapolis was where Jesus healed the demoniac back in Mark 5.

The Deaf-mute man

Mark 7:32–37 (CSB)

32 They (the gentiles) brought to him a deaf man who had difficulty speaking and begged Jesus to lay his hand on him.

33 So he took him away from the crowd in private. After putting his fingers in the man’s ears and spitting, he touched his tongue. 34

Looking up to heaven, he sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”).

35 Immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly.

36 He ordered them to tell no one, but the more he ordered them, the more they proclaimed it. 37 They were extremely astonished and said, “He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Observations:

These were Gentiles coming to Jesus.

They were ‘begging’ Jesus to heal him (had faith)

He heals the man in private

Jesus heals out of compassion (sighed deeply - stenagzo)

Romans 8:22 (CSB)

22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now.

Romans 8:26 (CSB)

26 In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings.

It means Jesus cares about physical suffering

This is a very tactile healing.

Jesus touches the man

puts his fingers in his ears

spits, touches his tongue

there is something very intimate about this healing.

Jesus touches this man.

Jesus wants to come down and touch your life. Not just some abstract spiritual reality — but heaven meets earth — the spiritual and the physical.

Jesus came to meet physical needs and spiritual needs together.

WE have a God who cares, who cares to come down from heaven and touch our lives

The man is completely healed.

Many are astonished and hear about it

many come to believe in Jesus.

Not just physical needs, but spiritual needs.

Kingdom Reality:

Jesus cares about physical suffering

Jesus is where heaven meets earth

(not just spiritual, but concrete real life change.

Do you feel like God doesn’t care about your suffering?

Do you think he is uninvolved in your everyday lives?

Summary

Jesus heals a gentile

Jesus heals out of compassion,

Jesus heals to bring people to saving faith,

Jesus heals to teach on the Kingdom of God.

look what Mark records next.

Jesus and the Gentiles

Feeding 4000

Mark 8:1 (CSB)

1 In those days there was again a large crowd, and they had nothing to eat.

These are mostly gentiles

This actually began last as Jesus entered into Gentile Territory

and healed a gentile’s woman’s daughter from demonic oppression.

Note: The Reality of the Kingdom of God reveals the reality of the Kingdom of Darkness

Demons / evil - malignant spiritual beings exist.

He continues that mission today:

Why is that important?

Mark 7:27 (CSB)

27 He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, because it isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

This is a conversation between Jesus and this Gentile Woman

The Jews referred to the Gentiles as dogs

a derogatory term

Aside: Whatever Jesus meant in using this phrase we not that there was no evil intent or otherwise.

The point is, it was unthinkable for Jews to even eat with Gentiles

a problem which would be addressed in the early church.

How much more unthinkable is it that Jesus (God) would intentionally go into Gentile territory to declare and demonstrate the Kingdom of God?

But this is exactly what Jesus is doing.

Mark 8:2–10 (CSB)

He called the disciples and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a long distance.”

4 His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread here in this desolate place to feed these people?”

Did they forget the feeding of the 5000?

I think it’s b/c they are gentiles.

5 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked them. “Seven,” they said. 6 He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground. Taking the seven loaves, he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people. So they served them to the crowd.

7 They also had a few small fish, and after he had blessed them, he said these were to be served as well. 8 They ate and were satisfied.

Then they collected seven large baskets of leftover pieces. 9 About four thousand were there. He dismissed them.

10 And he immediately got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

Observations:

Jesus says again he has compassion for the crowds

Similar to the feeding of the 5000

His disciples seem to lack understanding that Jesus could / would feed these gentiles

we’ll come back to this

Jesus is feeding the people through his disciples

Jesus is providing the food, the disciples are just distributing it

They are serving out what Jesus is giving.

They can only give what Jesus has given them

important lesson: in ministry, in serving others, we can only give what Jesus has given us.

We we do that look what happens.

Jesus provides more than enough

They begin with 7 loaves and end with 7 baskets of loaves

That is a good business plan.

Jesus provided bread for 4000 gentiles

underscoring again that God’s mission is a worldwide mission.

Why that matters?

Jesus Kingdom Mission is a global/world-wide mission

Kingdom Reality:

no-one is outside of God’s redemptive purposes.

That means you!

wherever you are

whatever you’ve done

whatever you carry

none of it is too much for Jesus Christ.

It also means whoever you have been praying for is not beyond God’s saving power.

The Gentiles did not see themselves as God’s People, as even on God’s radar

yet Jesus comes crashing in to show them the reality of the kingdom of God

Maybe some of you feel that way today. You feel like an outsider

maybe an outcast

Yet as God crashes into gentiles territory, he will crash into your life

and will clam what is his.

God is coming for you.

I believe that is why you are here

He wants to claim every inch of your life

he wants to show us the glories and beauties of the reality of Kingdom of God

Kingdom Reality / Spiritual truth: No-one is beyond God’s saving grace, his redeeming power.

But not only that , but again we see Jesus meeting physical needs.

and he provides in abundance, more than enough

7 loaves turned into 7 baskets full

this is the reality of the Kingdom of God

Sometimes this is physical, it is always true spiritually.

Jesus is where heaven meets earth = in his physical actions he is teaching / revealing spiritual truths

but we need eyes to see the reality of the Kingdom.

This is his lesson to the disciples.

The Pharisees and Disciples

Mark 8:10 (CSB)

10 And he immediately got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha (Magadan).

[MAP]

Mark 8:11–13 (CSB)

11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, demanding of him a sign from heaven to test him.

12 Sighing deeply in his spirit, he said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.”

13 Then he left them, got back into the boat, and went to the other side.

Observations

They are ‘demanding signs’

the gentiles are begging for healings

they are demanding signs

See the different heart?

Why?

to test him

b/c of unbelief

‘wise in their own eyes’

they don’t have eyes to see or hearts to understand

How about you? have you been demanding from God?

demanding signs? that he prove himself?

Jesus sighed deeply in his spirit

Jesus sighed deeply when he healed the deaf man

he sighs even more deeply when the pharisees demands signs.

same base word

but here a prefix is added (ana - an emphatic prefix)

The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (389. ἀναστενάζω anastenázō)

Mark 7:34, 8:12

34Looking up to heaven, he sighed deeply (stenagzo)… (Mark 7:34)

12 Sighing deeply (ana-stenagzo) in his spirit, he said… (Mark 8:12)

Feel the weight of this:

Jesus sighs/ lit groans deeply in the face of physical suffering

Jesus sighs/ groans even more deeply in the face of spiritual suffering due to hardness of heart

Kingdom Reality

Jesus is grieved at your physical suffering

He is more grieved at your spiritual suffering / hardness of heart

This is so important to Jesus he needs to make sure the disciples understand.

?? Add no sign but Jonah form Matthew?

The Disciples

Mark 8:13–14 (CSB)

13 Then he left them, got back into the boat, and went to the other side. 14 The disciples had forgotten to take bread and had only one loaf with them in the boat.

Back in the Boat

Lesson time / “school circle around me”

Mark 8:15 (CSB)

15 Then he gave them strict orders:

“Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

Observations

Jesus gave them strict orders

strong language — this is really important

Dad’s tone of voice — kind but stern

Emphatic: Watch out! Beware -

pay attention, guard yourselves

The Leaven of the Pharisees

What is the leaven?

Unbelieving hearts

wise in your own eyes

leaning on your understanding rather than God’s

trusting in what you can know, see, taste and touch

physical realities — rather than spiritual.

The Lesson

Mark 8:16–18 (CSB)

16 They were discussing among themselves that they did not have any bread. 17 Aware of this, he said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact you have no bread?

Don’t you understand or comprehend? Do you have hardened hearts? 18 Do you have eyes and not see; do you have ears and not hear?

Now we begin to see the distinction

The Disciples are not perceiving the spiritual truths Jesus is teaching them

They are not perceiving spiritual truth

greek work: sunimi (2x here) — carries the idea of arriving at insight.

in this case spiritual insight

The penetrating question:

Mark 8:18 (CSB)

18 Do you have eyes and not see; do you have ears and not hear?

This is the problem of the pharisees

He’s now going to press them a little further.

Spiritual Truths

Mark 8:18–21 (CSB)

18 ...And do you not remember?

19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of leftovers did you collect?”

“Twelve,” they told him.

20 “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you collect?”

“Seven,” they said.

21 And he said to them, “Don’t you understand (sunimi) yet?”

Now we have to ask

Does that make sense to you? — One Hope!

Does it make sense to me?

What spiritual truth is Jesus trying to communicate that we don’t quite understand?

It’s a challenge right?

here’s what I think the spiritual truth is here:

5 loaves for 5000 = 12 baskets — For Israel

Jesus is the living bread for all Israel

7 loaves for 4000 = 7 Baskets — ?

7 = number completion

4 = worldwide - 4 directions

1000 = man, multitude

7 = baskets full — more than enough, abundance, overflowing

Jesus is the living bread even for the gentiles

Jesus is the living bread for all people

every tongue, tribe, nation and people.

Mark 8:21 (CSB)

21 And he said to them, “Don’t you understand yet?”

It means God’s grace will break through all boundaries

no one is unreachable by God’s power

He can save anyone, at anytime, in anyplace

Anthem?

We cannot see the spiritual truths on our own.

Jesus came to open our eyes and ears the reality of the Kingdom of God all around us

Gospel

only Jesus can break into our heard hearts

he did it by being broken himself

to demonstrate God’s enormous love for us.

He became sin, he took all the leaven of sin into himself

and it killed him

that he might defeat death and overcome unbelief.

And he rose from death with glorious power

A power he now gives to every believer through the Holy Spirit

that we might have the eyes of our heart enlightened

Ephesians 1:18–19 (CSB)

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.

The Blind Man

Bookends this spiritual lesson with supernatural healings

Beginning: healing of a deaf and mute man

The feeding of the 4000 — significant symbolically

The Pharisees demanding signs

All to teach a very important lesson to the disciples.

and to all who would follow Jesus.

End: Healing of a blind man.

Jesus came to open our eyes and ears the reality of the Kingdom of God all around us

Mark 8:22–26 (CSB)

22 They came to Bethsaida.

They (gentiles) brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him.

23 He took the blind man by the hand and brought him out of the village. Spitting on his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?”

24 He looked up and said, “I see people—they look like trees walking.”

25 Again Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes.

The man looked intently and his sight was restored and he saw everything clearly. 26 Then he sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”

Observations

Gentiles again

They begged him (again)

He healed him privately

out of the village

He touched him — very tactile

A two stage healing

Why?

Jesus came to open our eyes and ears the reality of the Kingdom of God all around us

It is a process

it happens in stages

Learn how to spiritually hear from Jesus

Learn how to spiritually see as Jesus

do what the disciples did:

ask questions

fail over and over again

humble yourselves

keep walking with Jesus

stay with God’s people

There is always more to learn from Jesus

His person is inexhaustible

boundless, everlasting, immeasurable, unending

Jesus came to open our eyes and ears the reality of the Kingdom of God all around us

that we might experience it’s power

Jesus saves us from the penalty of Sin

Jesus is saves of from the power of Sin

Jesus is saving us from the presence of Sin in our lives — the leaven of the pharisees

Summary Points

Jesus came to open our eyes and ears to the reality of the kingdom of God all around us.

Kingdom Realities:

Jesus cares about physical suffering

Jesus came to touch our lives, he is where heaven meets earth

No one is beyond God’s saving power

Jesus provides more than enough (more than you can imagine

Jesus is grieved by physical suffering, but even more deeply grieved by spiritual suffering.

Growth is a process, trust the process walk with Jesus.

The disciples are growing in stages

all this builds up to next week — the turning point in the book

when Peter finally confesses Jesus as the Christ

and Jesus says this was revealed not by flesh, but by my father in heaven (spiritual)

Closing

So how might God want to come down and touch your life today?

maybe you are working 50-60 hours a week

maybe as a parent you are just constantly on the go

maybe as a student you are overloaded with assignments, readings, and trying to work a job

maybe you are in ministry and you are longing for tangible fruit and wondering what you have missed.

healings, physical, spiritual, emotional

God may want to heal some today, to make this point

Let’s pray for healing.

What Kingdom realities does he want to open your eyes to?

Where might God’s truth come crashing into your life?

Ask Jesus, walk with Him and His people, by His Spirit

Jesus came so we could experience the Kingdom of God.

Closing Prayer