June 28, 2026 "Faithful But Forgetful" (Mark 8:1-21)

Pastor Jeff Manning's message from the series "Mark: Living with Gospel Urgency."

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:05

Mark chapter 8. My title this morning is Faithful But Forgetful. Faithful but forgetful. So forgetting. It's something that most of us can relate to, right? You log on to a website, you've not been to it in oh, a couple of days, and you cannot remember your password. You're just about to pull your hair out. So you're packing for a trip and you forget your brush, you forget your deodorant, you forget your underwear, and you gotta go to Walmart and buy some more when you've got plenty. Sometimes you you forget your prescriptions, you forget an appointment. Sometimes you walk into a room, and it's like, why did I come in here? Sometimes you put something right where you will remember where it's at, and then when it comes time to look for it, you cannot find it to save your ever-loving life. Now, I know about those things from pastoral counseling, not from personal experience. But forgetting, it's it's something that we can all relate to, and um, we're gonna be looking at that as a theme in our text this morning. The disciples are following Jesus, they're faithful to a degree, but they are forgetful. And so when we come to our passage, we're gonna find out that the disciples might be better described as the disciples. Some of you caught that. I don't really have to explain, but for those of you who didn't, let me explain. Suppose you're looking for your glasses. You cannot remember where you put them. You've looked in the den, the kitchen, the bedroom, the dining room, you've looked in your car, your truck, the boat, whatever you have, you've looked everywhere. And finally, in a fit of frustration, you you go into the bathroom to look one more time, and you look in the mirror and they're on your ever-loving head. They've been there for 15 minutes. What is the three-word, the three-letter word or the three-letter expression that we sometimes have when that happens? Duh. Well, that's gonna be a little bit of the picture of the duh disciples. They've been following the Lord for two plus years. And we're gonna see some examples of probably when maybe after the fact they look back and thought, duh. Why didn't we get it? And so my purpose in preaching this morning is to share with you four crucial reminders, because we're so prone to forget. Four reminders. Verse one of uh Mark chapter eight. In those days when again a great crowd had gathered and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him. Now, some of you ladies, you've heard your kids, maybe even your husbands, say, you know, we don't have anything to eat. And it's not true. The refrigerator's full, the pantry's full, it's just they don't they can't find anything that they actually want to eat. When we're told here that they had nothing to eat, it was true. They're out in the wilderness, a large gathering of people, and they actually do not have anything to eat. There are no nearby restaurants, no grocery stores, no delivery, no DoorDash, no catering, and so indeed they don't have anything to eat. Now, we're about to read about Jesus feeding a multitude of people. And some of you have maybe, maybe gone through Mark, for you, it's been the very first time you've ever read one of the gospel accounts, and you might be thinking, well, now wait a minute, didn't didn't we already read about that? Didn't we already talk about Jesus feeding a multitude? Yes, that was in chapter six. And there are some ultra-scholarly critics of the Bible who like to take that and argue that the Bible's not reliable. I mean, for crying out loud, why would you want to rely on an author of scripture to tell you about the life of Christ when he can't even get his story straight? Well, now hold on a minute. There are some similarities between the two, but there are more than enough differences between the two to let us know that this is another historical event in scripture, in the life of Christ. To just quickly give you an overview of those differences. The first time there were 5,000 men plus women and children. Could have been 15 to 20,000 people total. On this occasion, it's about 4,000. First time, five loaves, two fish, this time seven loaves, and a few small fish, probably sardines. One day in the wilderness, three days in the wilderness. 12 baskets of leftovers, seven huge baskets of leftovers. Jesus prays once, today we'll see him pray twice. Mostly Jews, today mostly Gentiles. Plus, at the very end of our text, in verses 19 and 20, Jesus clearly talks about both events and them being separate events. Now, with all that in mind, let's let's get to those crucial reminders. Since we have a tendency to forget, let me remind you and encourage you first to cultivate compassion. To cultivate compassion. Verse 1 continues Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them, I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away. So it's almost as though this is kind of like a three-day Bible conference, except there are none of the conveniences that we might have if we were having a Bible conference in a church or a convention center in a big city. And folks, um I am thrilled when I can preach any given sermon and see nobody sleeping. Um if I look and I see you sleeping, I take that personally. Not that I think it's your fault, I think it's my fault. I didn't present the truth in such a way to keep you awake. Well, that's for 35, 40 minutes. Jesus, he's kept these people's attention in such a way they've been there for three days. They've not gone home. Evidently, they've spent the night on the ground. And evidently they did bring some food with them because they heard that Jesus was going to be at a certain location. He's gonna be speaking and preaching and teaching, etc., etc. And especially keeping in mind that most of them were Gentiles, they probably never, not only had they not heard anybody teach with this kind of skill and precision, some of this truth he's taught, they've never heard anything like this. They don't understand some of the Old Testament references where he was showing them how he had come to fulfill some of those things. And so for three days they're there. They probably packed some food, but maybe they didn't anticipate being there as long as they were, and so now they are hungry. And Jesus had compassion on the people, he knew what it was like to be hungry. I seriously doubt if anybody in here has ever been truly, truly hungry. Oh, I get hungry, but it's just because I haven't eaten in three or four hours. Jesus, at the very beginning of his ministry, abstained from food for 40 days. He knows what it's like to be hungry. And so he has sympathy for these people. He did then and he still does today. Jesus was a man who in all points was tempted like as we are, and yet without sin, and therefore we can come boldly to the throne of grace because we worship a God who can be touched with all the feelings of our infirmities. So Jesus, he knows what it's like to be hungry. He knows what it's like to be lonely, he knows what it's like to be abandoned, he knows what it's like to cry and to hurt and to be in grief. And oh, what a wonderful Savior that he can relate to whatever you might be going through. Now, in verse 2 again, he says, I have compassion on the crowd. Now, many of you, you know your Bibles well enough. The Bible tells us all over the place that God is a God of compassion. This is the only place, along with the parallel in Matthew's gospel, where Jesus says, I have compassion on the people. Everywhere else, the Godhead is described as compassionate. Here he says, I am, I have compassion. If you were here a few weeks ago, we talked about that word compassion in depth. It means literally to be moved in one's bowels. We today would kind of say the same thing, except we would say it like something being gut-wrenching. Or maybe you're facing something and manually you've got this pit in your stomach. Same kind of concept. So to show compassion that Jesus showed on these people is to suffer with them, to have feelings of deep sympathy, pity, and kindness toward them. Question. If you chose to borrow Jesus' words and say, I have compassion on people, would you be lying? Would it just simply sound like what you ought to be able to say if you're a Christ follower? I have compassion on people, but would you be lying? You see, if you know Jesus, I know that you want to be more like him, right? Here is an excellent way for any of us and all of us, beginning with me, to be more and more like Jesus. To just have compassion on people, to not be so quick to have contempt, to not be so quick to find fault, but to be quick to maybe wonder. I mean, I I I've got this real recent experience, I'll keep it very generic. But I I was talking to another person who knows about the experience, and my words were, oh, but the grace of God. If it were not for God's grace, I would be in the same condition, same situation that this particular situation I'm talking about. I tell you, well, why don't we just do this? This is a little different. Why don't we just pause for a moment and just bow before the Lord and just ask Him to help us to be truly people of compassion? Let's put our heads together. Lord, on behalf of my brothers and sisters in Christ, I pray you'll help us to be people of genuine compassion. It's so easy to have contempt. It is so easy, Lord. It's a part of our fallen flesh to find fault, to pass judgment. Oh Lord, help us to be more like you. Help us to be able to say, I have compassion on people, and it be the truth. Father, that's my prayer even now. In Jesus' name. Amen. Now keep in mind, the people who are congregated here are predominantly Gentiles. So therefore, they are different from Jesus and all his fellow Jewish disciples, the apostles.

SPEAKER_00 12:13

It didn't make any difference. It shouldn't make any difference with us.

SPEAKER_01 12:19

How many of you, if you see somebody come through the front doors, side entrances, or the entrances to the sanctuary, if the person you see come in, do you look at them differently based on their skin color? When you park your vehicle, if maybe you park beside somebody that maybe paid one twentieth of what you paid for yours, do you find yourself thinking, what's up with that? If you see somebody walk in, and it's obvious that their walk of life, their standard of living is nowhere near yours, does that have a negative, does that put a negative impression on you? Because it shouldn't. Yes, Jesus was a Jewish Messiah, but he was the Savior of the whole world. He loves everybody, red and yellow, black and white, we used to sing as kids, they're all precious in his sight. Um, a second crucial reminder. Since we tend to forget, let me remind and encourage you, number two, to strengthen your conviction. To strengthen your conviction. Verse 4. And his disciples answered him. Now, keep in mind Jesus had had compassion because they had nothing to eat. I will send them, if I send them away, they're going to faint, etc. Then his disciples answered, Well, how can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place? Bad question, guys. Wrong question. Even though it had not been that long ago, they saw Jesus handle a problem very similarly, even bigger. And it's almost like, duh. Why would they be so consumed with the fact that here we are in the wilderness? I mean, we don't have a Sams, we don't have a Walmart, we don't have Costco, we don't have Lowe's, we don't have food. How in the world are we going to do that? How much better would it have been if they'd have said, well, Lord, um, I we we I I think we all, guys, aren't you in agreement? We we you don't you never, ever, ever, ever have done anything miraculous to show off. That's not, but Lord, we know you've done this kind of thing before. So instead of maybe sending the people home in the fear of them maybe fainting along the way, Lord, why don't why don't you just perform another miracle? That would have been so much better. But these men were of little faith. And we've seen this thing before. We've seen them not have the kind of faith they should have had. Uh remember, they were in the boat in the storm, Jesus was asleep, disciples were frightened out of their mind, they woke Jesus up and said, according to Mark 4, 38 to 40, Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? Another bad question. Do you not care? He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, peace be still, the wind ceased, there was a great calm, and then he said to them, Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith? Now, before you and I throw stones at them, you and I are often the same way. We say we believe. We say we believe the Bible, we but we believe in the miracles, we believe it all, but then you let something, you let a curveball, you let life throw you a curveball. What do you mean I'm being laid off? I've got what? How in the world?

SPEAKER_00 16:15

What happened?

SPEAKER_01 16:18

Well, if we say we believe what the scriptures teach, if we say we believe the revelation of God, that God is omnipotent, that he's all powerful, that he's all-wise, why do we sometimes act like he's not? Now I've been there. I've been there, but shame on me whenever it flares up again. Um Jesus gives thanks and he prays in verse 5. He asked, and he asked, How many loaves do you have? They said, Seven. He directed the crowd to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave to his disciples to eat before the people to set before the people, and they set them before the crowd. And they had a few small fish, and having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them, and they ate and were satisfied. Oh, I bet you they were. When Jesus is the Master Chef, you can assuredly be satisfied with what you're about to eat. He gave thanks, setting an example before a Gentile world that folks, as I perform this miracle, keep in mind my power is from above. And we should be grateful for what we have. Now, imagine that you've got some friends visiting from out of town. They've never had Eastern North Carolina cuisine. They've never had whole hog barbecue. They've never had smoked chicken like we have, they've never had ribs like we have. And so you want it to be a unique situation, a unique experience. So your question is, you're gonna take them to bees, or are you gonna take them to skylight in? You want it to be a little bit unique. And so, since we're based on where you live, bees is closer, you go to bees. And so you leave home at 1133. And some of you know where this story is going. You leave home at 11:33, and you get there at about 1138. The line is a half a mile long, but you assured them it'll be worth the wait. And you brought cash because they don't take credit cards. And at 1217, you step up to the window to order, and uh, I'd yeah, I'd like um three slabs of ribs and uh two pounds of barbecue and uh two whole chickens, smoked, smoked whole chickens. Sir, we're sorry, but we've run out of barbecue and ribs. That would they didn't run out. Jesus provided more than enough. They took up more than enough. Uh verse eight, they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full, and there were about 4,000 people, and he sent them away. These baskets, these seven baskets, don't think maybe uh a gallon-sized basket or a three-pound, a three-gallon size. This basket, it's in another passage of scripture, the size where Paul got in a basket and was lowered down a wall in Damascus to get away from those who wanted to hurt him. And the Lord's blessings are always generous. And if you hunger for Christ, and your hunger for Christ exceeds your hunger for food or anything else, your soul will be also satisfied. Verse 10. And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanupah. We do not know where that location is. Scholars have not been able to pinpoint it, but we just know it's somewhere on the west side of the Sea of Galilee. A third crucial reminder, since we tend to forget, let me remind and encourage you, thirdly, treasure God's revelation. Treasure God's revelation. Verse 11. The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. Now, that word test, if we just read it in our English Bibles, it didn't seem like it's that big a deal. This test is not the kind of test that a sixth-grade teacher at G.R. Whitfield or Hope Middle School would give to his or her students in the hope that they will pass it to show they've mastered the material. No, this test has incorporated into it antagonism. They're wanting to put Jesus in a certain situation where he will be embarrassed. They want to test him to prove to everybody around that he's a fraud. They asked for this sign. A sign would be an authenticating miracle, an act that would validate his ministry. Oof for crying out loud. How many more does he have to do? Think about all the miracles that they have seen with their own eyes. Some of those miracles were done right in front of their faces. Remember the paralyzed man, brought by his four friends? We talked about it a couple times. They tear off the roof, they lower him down right in front of Jesus, which means that he was right in front of the scribes who had the privileged seats on the front row. They saw that. They saw, or at least have heard about, well, no, they saw the man's withered hand healed there in the synagogue. They've heard about the woman with the issue of blood, 12 years instantly healed. They've heard about Jesus raising a young girl from the dead. What more do they need? Well, again, before you start throwing stones at them, we sometimes do the same thing. We say we believe the Bible, we say we believe that God is all sufficient. But then when something happens, we start questioning whether or not he maybe really loves us, cares for us, and so we ask for a sign. And folks, I think you are making a mistake. I think you are skating on some thin ice. If you were to say, Lord, I I I need a sign that you truly do love me. What more do you need? What more do you need than what Jesus has already done? But the Pharisees, they took all of those miracles that Jesus had done to date and they attributed them to whom? Satan. They said all of this power that he has is from Satan. There was a common belief among the Pharisees and some of the Jewish people in general that sometimes supernatural things could be done on the horizontal level by the devil, not unlike the magicians did when God sent Moses to tell his people, to tell Pharaoh to let his people go. And Moses did the ten miraculous signs. And some of the first few the magicians could duplicate magically by demonic spirit. That's why they've said, we want a sign from heaven. All of these earthly miracles, oh come on. Anybody can, well, anybody who's got Satan's power can do those. We want a sign from heaven. Do something that will demonstrate that that's where you're from. And so the Pharisees, they persistently, willfully close their eyes. They refused to see what was plain and obvious that Jesus was the Christ. Now, folks, I need to issue a warning. God never pries open eyes that want to remain shut. He never prize open eyes that want to remain shut. If you, if for example, you're here against your will, your parents make you come to church. But you don't want to be here. You could care less. You're so wanting me to just shut up so you can get on with life today. Or maybe you're here because your spouse has just put so much pressure, but you don't want to be here. You don't want to hear this stuff. If you blatantly reject God, you blatantly reject his word, if you persistently harden your heart to the things of God, he will eventually help you with the hardening. You see, the Pharisees were a whole lot like Pharaoh. Pharaoh hardened his heart, hardened his heart, hardened his heart, and it's almost as though God said, Okay, if you'd like a hard heart, I can help you with that. So God does not try to open anybody's eyes that insist on them being shut. Verse 12. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, Why? Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation. Now, Matthew shares a little bit more in his gospel. Listen to Matthew 16, verse 4. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. Most of you probably know Jonah was in the belly of a great fish three days, three nights. With that imagery in mind, Matthew 12, verse 40. Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The ultimate sign, the ultimate sign has already been given to us. It's the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. If you want a sign from heaven, just think about where Jesus came from, what he did, where he went, and then when he arose again, he's sitting on the right hand of the Father. We worship on Sundays because of Easter. We worship on Sundays because of the resurrection of Jesus. If you're ever wondering, man, I wonder, does God really love me? Of course he does. He so loved you, he sent Christ. Christ so loves you, he died for you. And so I want to just encourage you, don't be seeking signs when the greatest one has already been given. Now, last week we saw Jesus sigh just before he healed the man who was deaf and had the speech impediment. He touched his ears, touched his tongue, he looked up and sighed. That was a sigh of compassion. Here we're told he sighed deeply in his spirit. I believe that is a sigh of exasperation. Jesus was sick and tired of their faithless responses. So, folks, is God patient? Is God patient? All God's people said. I mean, of course he is. Does the Bible teach his forbearance, his being long-suffering? Well, of course it does. But nowhere does the Bible say that God's patience is infinite. It's incredible, but it's not infinite. In the days of the global, before the global flood, when the wickedness of man was growing exponentially, God said, My spirit shall not always strive with man. Scripture plainly teaches us that there are limits to God's patience. God may forbear with you for days, weeks, months, years, even decades. But folks, there can come a time when God basically says, I'm done. I'm done. And I'm withdrawing my spirit. And I think we see something like that going on here, verse 13. And he left them, got into the boat again and went to the other side. I don't think it is merely telling us that he moved from point A to point B. I think that statement, he left them, is pregnant with truth, just swollen with truth. He left them. If you don't want me, if you don't want I have to offer, well then have it your way. Now, again, I want to just encourage you, don't be a sign seeker. Trust the sign that God's already given in the glorious work, the atonement of Jesus. Listen carefully to these verses in John's gospel, John 20, verses 30 and 31. Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book, but these are written for this purpose, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. So that's the ultimate sign: Jesus in his glorious resurrection. A fourth crucial reminder, since we tend to forget, let me remind and encourage you. Number four, stay away from temptation. Stay away from temptation. Verse 14. Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. So in my sanctified imagination, I can almost hear Jesus. He left them and said, Men, let's go now. And I can sense them thinking, Jesus is not messing around. And so they hurriedly got in the boat and took off, and then realized after they left the shore, all we've got is this piece of bread that's three days old. We didn't get anything from the leftovers. And then verse 15. Now, all of us have seen these signs. Beware of dog. And when you see that sign, you start looking, wondering if a dog is about to get you. We've all seen something like this: danger. Watch out for moving equipment. Now, folks, it's one thing for a sign to warn us of something. It's another thing for Jesus to warn these men and by application us of something. And Jesus makes it very clear: watch out! Watch out! Beware! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. What's that mean? Leaven refers to yeast that is added to bread dough to make it rise. The metaphor, therefore, suggests a small amount of a given substance can radically alter anything into which it is mixed. And if you read your New Testament, every time you see almost every time, leaven is in a negative context. It's associated with pride, malice, wickedness, false teaching. And so here Jesus tells them, and basically telling us, beware, watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees. What would that be? Here's my summary. Bottom line, watch out for false teaching. Watch out for false teaching. The Pharisees' system of works, righteousness, you know what it produced? Spiritual frauds. Spiritual frauds. Folks, don't think for a second that you're a good little Christian, all because you don't do certain things, and you do do certain things. Don't think for a moment that you can refrain from stuff and keep certain rules and thereby gain favor with God. You cannot do it. Don't be a hypocrite, outwardly religious, giving a nod toward God, but inside you're full of dead men's bones. That's who the Pharisees were. They were religious but corrupt, religious but lost, religious and on their way to hell. That's exactly who they were. But then he says, Beware, watch out for the leaven of Herod. I must confess my ignorance. I did not remember reading about the leaven of Herod until preparing for today. I knew a good bit about the leaven of the Pharisees, but the leaven of Herod, what is that? Bottom line, don't be like the wicked world around you. Herod was a narcissistic man. He was all about fulfilling the desires of his flesh. He didn't care who got hurt along the way. He was immoral, wicked, and worldly. And folks, I'm begging you, if you claim Jesus as your Savior, I am begging you, don't let the world creep in and press you into its mold. If you're not real careful, if you are not purposeful in pursuing a personal, deep, intimate relationship with Jesus, before you know it, you will be talking like the world, acting like the world, dressing like the world, behaving like the world. That's why we're told in 1 John 2, verses 15 to 17, do not love the world. Stay away from the leaven of Herod, do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world's fastened away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. Verse 16. And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. Duh. Jesus had given them a spiritual warning, which they misinterpreted because of their material mindset. And if you focus on the material rather than the spiritual, you will shrivel. Your spirituality will shrivel. Verse 17. And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, Why? Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts 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 broken pieces did you take up? They said to him, twelve. And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up? And they said to him, seven. And he said to them, Do you not yet understand? I was talking with someone afterwards. Boy, that last question is almost like that's a pregnant question. Do you not understand who I am? Do you not understand what I can do? Do you not understand my purpose for coming? Now, if if the Lord were to ask you some of these questions, how would you respond? The word hardened, is your heart hardened? I mean, really, is your heart hardened? Harden means to cover with a callus, a hard, tough place on your skin. We all know all about that. And it's easy for a Christian to have a calloused heart. You can be in church every time the doors are open and have a cold heart. You've been critical, some of you, you've been critical, you've been bitter, andor you have refused to forgive somebody for so long. Your heart has callused over. Oh, you're here. You'll be here next Sunday. You were here last Sunday, but your heart is cold and hard. Your attitude towards your hardships, your trials, and tribulations has caused you to question God's wisdom, question God's goodness. Are you what we sometimes call a backslider? Do you know what a backslider is? It's somebody who doesn't love Jesus as much today as he or she did before. Would that be you? Would you remind yourself of these truths? Would you bow your head with me for a moment? Lord, would you search our hearts to see if any leaven has permeated it? Lord, would you search our hearts to see if there be any worldliness, the leaven of Herod? Lord, maybe there's somebody who is making a horrible mistake in thinking that they can do enough good to balance the scales and gain entrance into heaven. Lord, we'd both know that can't happen. Lord, give us compassionate hearts. Help us to be hungry and thirsty, Lord, for you, for your truth. Help us to trust you. And help us to live our lives so letting our light shine that we might thereby attract others to the saving knowledge of Jesus. You're a good, good Father. We're loved by you. Help us to remember that, Lord. And I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

unknown 38:02

Amen.