Faith and Unbelief
Mark • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewunderstanding what the leaven of the pharisees is and how to avoid it.
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Faith and Unbelief. If you have been following along on this series you realize Jesus has been saying and doing things in front of large crowds. They are all seeing and hearing the same things. Yet, some believe and some do not. Why? In today’s text we will examine Faith and Unbelief. The kind of unbelief which is wed to a hard heart. Jesus calls it the Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod.
1. Context – Beware the Leaven of the Pharisees
2. Understanding – What is the Leaven of the Pharisees
3. Application – How the avoid the Leaven of the Pharisees
Context – Beware the Leaven of the Pharisees Mark 8:11-15
· Mark 8:11-12 The Pharisees Demand a Sign
V. 13-14 The disciples forgot bread. V. 15 Jesus wards them about the leaven. V. 16 The disciples think he is talking about bread. V. 17-21 Jesus – bread is not the problem. What is the Leaven of the Pharisees? Jesus does not tell them straight out.
Understanding
· Comparing Leaven (unbelief) vs. Faith. Pharisees vs. those in Mark 7:24-8:10
o Perceived Need: no perceived needs vs. great need
o Motive for Approaching Jesus: to argue vs. get help.
o Request: prove yourself vs. help me.
o Result: got nothing vs. everything they asked for and more.
· Understanding Unbelief (hardness of heart)
o What – no amount of evidence will convince you. Matthew 11:16–19 (ESV)16“But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, 17 “ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”
o Why suppress truth? Fear of loss. They will lose status and earthly power – John 11:45–48 (ESV)45Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
§ If Jesus is my king, then I can’t be.
§ If Jesus is my king, then I must trust him with everything. Proverbs 3:5-6. But trust is risky. We want guarantees (signs, proof). Think of anything hard the Lord wants you to truth him with. Asking for a sign from heaven looks like this:
Application – How the avoid the Leaven of the Pharisees
· Recognize the danger – this warning is for the disciples (Mark 8:15). The disciples are in the boat and they are worrying about not having enough bread even after he has fed thousands on two separate occasions. How are we going to eat?!?!
· Understand how unbelief ferments. Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV)5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Scenario where you are faced with a choice. Trust or unbelief. There are two choices. (The Garden)
o Trusting your king with all your heart. Trust seems risky. To forgive is costly. To give is costly. To serve is costly. To be selfless is by definition costly. It will require that I relinquish my imagined right to control the outcome of my life. The 2 fish and 5 loaves are his now. I must trust him to provide. My life in fact, is not even my own in more. I must trust him to prove. Will you trust him?
o Leaning on your own understanding. When presented with the choice to trust or lean on our own understanding, our flesh will present a thousand reasons why belief (trusting Jesus in the moment) is completely unreasonable. This is where we begin to suppress the truth.
· Humble yourself. Trust requires humility. It requires the realization that you don’t know what is best for yourself. Your way is not the right way (unless it is Jesus’ way). What does that look like? Obedience without requiring God prove himself to you that your obedience will get you exactly what you want in life. Don’t ask for a sign, guarantee…
· Look to Jesus – Philippians 2:5–8 (ESV)5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Outline
Faith and Unbelief. Why doesn’t everyone believe? Why do Christians act as if they don’t believe?
1. Context – Beware the Leaven of the Pharisees
2. Understanding – What is the Leaven of the Pharisees
3. Application – How the avoid the Leaven of the Pharisees
Context – Beware the Leaven of the Pharisees Mark 8:11-15
· Mark 8:11-12 The Pharisees Demand a Sign
· Mark 8:13-21 Jesus warns the disciples of the Leaven of the Pharisees. What is it?
Understanding – Comparing Faith with Unbelief (Mark 7:24-8:12)
· Examples of Faith. Mark 7:24-8:10 Syrophoenician woman, Deaf man, 4000 people
· Faith on Display
o Need – great need: deliverance, healing, hunger
o Motive – to obtain help from Jesus
o Request – Help me!
o Result – they got more than they came for.
· Leaven of Pharisees on Display: Need, Motive, Request, Result….
· Understanding Unbelief (hardness of heart)
o What is happening? Ignoring the evidence for faith. Matthew 11:16–19
o Why is it happening? Fear of loss. – John 11:45–48
Application – How the avoid the Leaven of the Pharisees
Recognize the danger. Mark 8:15 – They (we) are at risk too. Understand how unbelief ferments. Proverbs 3:5-6
· I trust and obey – have faith.
· I lean on my own understanding – demand a sign (Obedience contingent on proof).
o I will humble myself if my wife does as well.
o I will serve others if I know it will be reciprocated.
o I will forgive as long as I know I won’t be hurt again.
o I will confess my sin as long as I know it won’t cost me publicly.
o I will be generous with my resources if I know I can spare them.
o What are you afraid trusting and obedience will cost you?
Humble yourself. Philippians 2:3-4 Look to Jesus. Philippians 2:5-8
Close in Prayer