To see or Not to see Mark8:14-21

Intro

To be or not to be, that is the question. The great soliloquy by Shakespeare, we all have heard it quoted. However, I don’t think Shakespeare got it really. He asks the question is it better to be dead.

To die—to sleep,

No more; and by a sleep to say we end

The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish'd. - Hamlet

The struggles of this world

The question, is it better to exist in this world or not? Is it better to live here in this life or die? Now naturally a person would ask this question.

But it really cannot be answered by those living now who do not know Christ.

Why?

All the truth of what happens to you and I when we die can only be answered in Christ.

It was Christ that came back from the dead, it is Christ who lives there in heaven now.

Anyone here on earth, who do not have faith in Christ simply do not have an assurance that we do.

They can only guess at how they will “BE” when they die. But for the Christian, We know how glorious it will be with Him for all Eternity.

The issue with Hamlet, is he doesn’t know, because he is spiritually blind. We are all spiritually blind without christ.

Mk 8:14–21. 14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. 15 Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread.”

17 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? 18 Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?”

They said to Him, “Twelve.”

20 “Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?”

And they said, “Seven.”

21 So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?”

Spiritual Blindness

In our text, Jesus is really talking about the leaven that when a little leaven gets into the meal, it leavens the whole lump.

Leaven in Scripture is a picture of evil. something that defiles, something that corrupts. in This case the Leaven is the doctrine of the Pharisees and of Herod.

it is the teachings of those that will corrupt and defile the heart of man so that he cannot recieve the pure word of God for the leaven leavens the whole lump.

Jesus then percieves that they dont understand what he is saying. and wow the disciples remind me of myself here. it is humorous to me the exchange that takes place. Sometimes the simple things God tells us we throw way out in left field and God kinda looks at us like… You ok? hahaha

There was a tweet about a daughter and mother playing at the playground. The mother noticed the daughter was dangerously close to hitting her head on the playground, so she told her daughter to duck. The toddler then begins to go “Quack, Quack, Quack” , and hits her head on the playground.

But the danger really is there

1 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV

14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Proverbs 4:19 NKJV

19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble.

Isa 6:9-10 “9 And He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ 10 “Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.””

Go on man, wandering in the dark. Go on coworker, husband, wife, sister, brother, shut your eyes and close your ears unless you end up opening them to the gospel of Christ and be saved from sin.

There is a story of a group of workers in a mine. They were all working like it was a normal day, working very hard for their families, trying to make a living. After they went on a lunch brake, they returned to work and not long after an unintentional explosion erupted in a part of the underground mine where there were 5 men working. The explosion caused a cave in and the men working near there were all trapped isolated from the exit, in pitch black, in a small section of the cave that would no doubt now look to be their grave. The story tells that it took rescue workers 12 hours to remove the rubble to free them all. The trapped men knew they were going to be freed when they saw lights breaking through the rubble to save them. Once through the rubble, the rescuers with their lights on found the men trapped in the cave, but they knew one of them was blinded by the blast when he asked if they could turn a light on so he could see.

Sin has made a mockery of Mankind. It has ultimately blinded this world so that even when one comes to rescue one from darkness, they do not even see they need rescue.

They do not know there is light already shining upon them. This man was blinded from the explosion, he was looking for light but found none.

What a picture of us.... The other men around stood in horror as the man wandering around, feeling the well lit cave with his hands.

His eyes wide open but they might as well be closed, for he would act no different. Asking for someone to turn on the light, while the room is already lit.

And so were we when the Gospel had come upon us in times past, where we not knowing it, we rejected the the light from our eyes.

Isaiah 59:9–14 NKJV

9 Therefore justice is far from us, Nor does righteousness overtake us; We look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness, but we walk in blackness! 10 We grope for the wall like the blind, And we grope as if we had no eyes; We stumble at noonday as at twilight; We are as dead men in desolate places. 11 We all growl like bears, And moan sadly like doves; We look for justice, but there is none; For salvation, but it is far from us. 12 For our transgressions are multiplied before You, And our sins testify against us; For our transgressions are with us, And as for our iniquities, we know them: 13 In transgressing and lying against the Lord, And departing from our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, Conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. 14 Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands afar off; For truth is fallen in the street, And equity cannot enter.

People who cannot see Christ are blind. People who cannot hear Christ are deaf. When we are born into this world, we were born into Spiritual Blindness.

I know it is not popular to say that. neither do I like the Optometrist tell me that I will need to wear Glasses. and Neither does the world like to hear they are blind either.

But what they need is glasses. Some of us need a complete new set of Eyes! If you cannot see straight tonight, my friend can i tell you, you will be able to in Christ.

I can tell you I tried going on without glasses. My sight began to fade more and more. But I fought it. I would squint everywhere I went. I looked like I was mad dogging or glaring at everyone.

people would be asking me, “Do you have a problem with me” I would tell them I am trying to read something accross the room.... they just happened be in between me and whatever I would try to read.

It got so bad, that in church I volunteered to read a scripture for bible study, well I had the scripture in my bible in my hand ready. well the mic came to me before my scripture was called. So everyone was waiting on me to read and i was trying to change the pages in my bible, they said, Just read the scripture off of the HUGE Projector Screen in front of me.

Well, it may be huge, but whoever put the scriptures up on the projector, they put it up in french, I couldnt read it. I remember Pastor saying you need Glasses. I looked like I was trying to burn a hole in the screen with my eyes I was squinting so bad.

Sister so and so came up after service saying, we will pay for your glasses if that is why you dont have them. another brother came up saying He knew of a good optometrist and that they would feel more comfortable driving while I was on the road if I got glasses.

Believers need Glasses too!

John 14:9 NKJV

9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

How many know that believers we need glasses too. Dont leave us out. Philip has been walking with christ and cannot see the Father. This is a perfect example for what can happen to us. it is a perfect example at being able to “see” spiritually.

Mark 8:21 NKJV

21 So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?”

Mark 7:18 NKJV

18 So He said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him,

Luke 2:50 NKJV

50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.

John 12:16 NKJV

16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.

When you get saved and you have been set free from sin, you are given a new life and a new slate to live. In christ your sins are sepe

III Learning to See!

Ok, so we are all spiritually blind before we know Christ as our savior. THat Christ gives sight to the blind.

Luke 4:18 NKJV

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

John 3:3 NKJV

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

We must be Born Again, we must be free from the blindfold of sin. Sin will blindfold you friend. but Christ has come to recover the sight to the blind. If you are tired of being blind, stumbling around, dont turn from Christ the one who can bring light into your eyes .

John 1:9–11 (NKJV)

9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

Acts 26:18 (NKJV)

18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

When someone is stumbling around and cannot find their way, is there something in you that drives you to have compassion on them? How much more does GOD? GOD the Almighty cannot sit idly by while his creation is in such disarray, Jesus attests to this, that he does not sit idly by while men stumble around blind.

Matthew 20:29–34 NKJV

29 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. 30 And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” 31 Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” 32 So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 33 They said to Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” 34 So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

God will not force you to see, he simply gives you the choice, Jesus asks, What do you want me to do for you? God knows you are blind, he is asking to bring you to a decision. not because he just is taking a guess.

If the holy spirit has come upon you, you are not saved, and the holy spirit comes and shows you Christ, friend that is GOD in his power and glory, in his mercy his sovereign will to give you a chance, to be redeemed.

For the man who no doubt wandered and hoped for his sight to be given him. Is this your heart tonight? Would you like God to take the blindfold off friend? he can. he will.

What about the beliver?

Mark 8:22–25 NKJV

22 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. 23 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. 24 And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.” 25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.

I believe the holy spirit has given us a wonderful insight in how God works to restore our sight. The blind man asked for sight to be restored him.

If you are a believer and you do not understand what god is doing, cannot see the path GOd has set before you, this is how you can see. God says Come to ME. Ask of ME.

THe next thing is the blind man was led out of Town. this speaks of the things you are surrounded in. maybe it is doubt,

Christian friend tonight, what are your surroundings?

WHat has surrounded you? What surrounding does God want you to follow him out of?

Once out of those surroundings, God can show you things, he can reveal what he is doing. Jesus spits on his Eyes. and put his hands on him.

I know you all are wondering ok, I hope no one will be spitting on my eyes in the service tonight. hahahaha.

No friend This is where God Gets personal with the believer. Speaks of cleansing, even how crude it is. We all need to be cleansed of out eyes. Perversion. lewdness, and adulterous generation we all live in.

DOnt believe me. head down to the casino and hang out for 5 min. Your eyes get dirty. we need GOD to wipe away the filth and dirt in our eyes so we may see.

Some of us need to remove the speck of judging from our eyes. BUt friend Christ will do this!

Finally speaks of Sanctification. Jesus asks what do you see? sees men like trees walking. then Jesus puts his hands on him one more time and He sees clearly.

Friend I declare to you that if you continue in christ, that one day, one glorious day you will see clearly and for ever. you wont just see for miles, you will see for eternity. OH HALELUJAh

1 Corinthians 13:12 NKJV

12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

GOD will give you a new body, a glorified body. all the questions you had, all the hangups you had. doubts GONE you will see like him for EVER amen. Not just seeing like through a glass dimly, but clearly!

The things we all go through as a christian, the trials, the questions, the hardships. When we get to heaven my friend you and I will no longer wonder, or question.

To SEE or not to SEE? It is no question at all. Ask the miner in the mine who lost his sight. Would he like to SEE?

Friend the best thing you can do is let christ do this in your life.

lead you , Cleanse you, give you sight, and lead you to heaven.