God’s Challange
Mark 8
We all have times in our lives when we feel that God isn’t there. In the verses of Chapter 8 of the book of Mark give us a wonderful understanding of how we need to look at life in those times of drought.
Let’s start looking at scripture this morning:
Mark 8:1-10 In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.” Then His disciples answered Him, “How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?” He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.” So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude. They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them. So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments. Now those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away, immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.
Do you ever have too much month at the end of your money?
We all go to God in petition; asking for things; but do we really believe He is capable of fulfilling our request?
Why do we doubt God’s abilities?
We like to claim that we believe scripture to be true, if we do why do we have doubt in God when we read such miracles as this? This isn’t the first time Jesus did this, in Mark six he fed five thousand and both times He provided the need and then some.
Mark 8:11-12 Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.”
Do you ever test God?
Notice that at this question Jesus “sighed deeply in His spirit.”
If you go to God to test God you are part of “this generation”
The signs Christ has already given are sufficient to prove to anyone that is trying to search for Him that he is the Christ and that should be enough for anyone.
Let’s look at some more of Chapter 8:
Mark 13-21: And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”
And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “ It is because we have no bread.”
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? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? 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.”
“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.”
So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?”
Wow, when I read this I thought how stupid are these guys?
What is leaven? It is what rises dough, or puffs it up.
What was the “leaven of the Pharisees and heathens? What they could see, miracles.
Jesus is saying that the Jews had been entrusted with the prophecy of Christ, He fulfilled that prophecy and still they needed “signs”
But then my spirit showed me times in my life when I doubted God.
I love Jesus’ response to His disciples, basically in today’s language Jesus says “Really, you have got to be kidding me”
His response is basically “Not only do I provide but I give you more tha you need.
Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. 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.
And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.”
Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. Then He sent him away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.”
As if to emphasis His point Jesus then heals a blind man
As the disciples watch Jesus again shows that he gives more than needed
This guy was excited after Jesus spit on his eyes he saw “manlike trees walking”, I do not think this was a complaint, it was praise. But Jesus as always went the extra mile; he completely restored the man’s sight.
Then he tells the man to not tell anyone.
He is telling Him, you allow your faith to be lifted by what I have done for you and let those that demand a sign find me for themselves
Mark 27-30 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?”
So they answered, “John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”
Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.
Just a couple of thoughts on these verses
He asks “Who do men say I am?” Why would Jesus care what men thought? And should we ask what do men think of me?
Yes we should, not to be puffed up but to look for our faults..
The people all thought He was one risen from the dead…
Then he asks what they think of Him, they say He is the Christ
Jesus tells them not to tell anyone, why?
It was not yet His time, for now those that knew the prophesy could argue against it. But, once He rose from the dead, showing that He was not conquered by death but death’s conqueror, those without a hardened heart would listen.
Mark 31-33: And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33 But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
Jesus next teaches that He will be rejected by the the religious establishment of the day, be killed and then rise after three days
Peter, oh impetuous Peter; he takes Jesus aside and rebukes Him
o This is the same guy that just confessed Him as the Christ, now he is going to rebuke the words of the Christ. WOW!
Now I assume that Peter did this as a friend, something like, “Come on Jesus have a better outlook on life.”
o Peter was heavenly minded but still very much controlled by the world.
Notice how Jesus corrects Him, he takes Peter into a side room and lovingly tells him that it had to happen this way….Yea right.
o He first turns and looks at the other disciples in the room
o I think He wanted to see their faces and see if they had overheard
o Realizing they did overhear and wanting to set the record straight Jesus rebukes Peter
o “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
Mark 8:34-38: When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
What did Jesus mean by taking up our cross and following Him?
Over the years I have heard varying views on this…
o It is taking up ones hardship..
ie. Sickness, poverty, etc.
I believe the riddle of what our cross is, may be found in the next sentence: For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.
Taking up our cross means to die to this world and be reborn in Christ. We do not need to die, to be some martyr for the sake of Christ but we do need to make Him more important than anything else in our lives.
When Jesus speaks of the cross He is speaking of His death to this world, now He speaks of our death to this world.
And I love this next verse: For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Have you ever thought about what you would give for your soul?
Does things mean that much to you that you would be willing to spend eternity separated from God?
For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Are you ashamed of Jesus?
I look at it this way, however hard you fight for Christ in this world, is how hard He will fight for you in the next.
Spreading the Gospel has many forms, from the missionaries overseas to just living you life as a blessing to others and showing them Jesus
CONCLUSION: Is God blessing you in abundance? I do not mean just money, but are you truly living life to its fullest for God?
Maybe you need to:
Start expecting God to bless you, don’t settle for half a miracle
Declare Him as not only the Christ, but YOUR Christ
Stop trying to have your Christianity like Peter, it isn’t Burger King, you can’t have it your way
Take up your cross and follow Him, be willing for this old self to die and be Born Again in the Spirit of God
And finally, stop being ashamed of Him and the relationship you have with Him. Your wife/husband or boy.girlfriend wouldn’t put up with it why would you think God would.
