Spiritually Blind

Your Bibles with you turn with me if you would to Mark chapter 8 were start off versus 11 the 13 Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to testing and he sighed deeply in his spirit. Just why was this generation seek a sign, truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation, and he left them got into the boat again and went to the other side that with me as we got our Lord in prayer.

Heavenly father I pray for Mia Turner who be getting us spinal infusion on Wednesday. Pray for Peter Ellsworth is having a stent and a heart artery tomorrow. Pray for Jerry and swim.

She's experienced the death of her brother this week-Nicole Losey continues to suffer with vertigo. Pray for Jim belt Judy swag art that they might heal from their afflictions the other day we looking at a passage that teaches us about spiritual blindness when review the religious leaders we see blindness that is purposely embraced. It is deepened by their own sin.

I don't want to see truth because I love their sins so much disciples of a temporary blindness, not purposeful, but it happens because of faithlessness and spiritual lethargy. Lord we live in a culture that is more spiritually blind in our cultures ever billion. We pray for your mercy. We pray that you will grant us repentance. We pray for 2020 spiritual vision, forgive us of our sins open our eyes to your truth, keep my lips from arrow. I made this message exalt the Lord Jesus Christ and the God's people. What is the precious holy name of Jesus that we pray. Amen. You may be seated. We were reading a passage of Scripture today that teaches us about the dangers of spiritual blindness member back in the first church that a pastor that Olive Grove and and Creekmore North Carolina. I would get up early and before breakfast before starting work.

I would go and jog for about 3 miles at my neighborhood and out one day a man lives in the neighborhood and Gary came running out.

He said Doug will not run with you and I said I would be great. And so he started jogging with me as we started jogging. I asked investigator where you go to church so that'll go to church so nominate is my dad's an atheist and and we believe the just too many hypocrites in the church. I don't go to church as he kept coming out every morning. I got the opportunity start witnessing him a little off told him of the brevity of life. I told him about the certainty of death.

He said Doug I told you I'm an atheist. My dad is an atheist.

We believe all this Christianity stuff is just type of fairytale. We don't believe in it. After a few months of running with the yummy call me one night and he was crying so hard I can hardly understanding and he said Doug he said my dad has just passed away with a massive heart attack. He said I wonder, would you be willing to to preach his funeral service and I said to message Gary.

I will preach his funeral service if that's what you want me to do.

I said I can say at the kind things about him and what your dad did here on this earth by the alley help people and some things like that someone use the rest of the of the service just to preach the gospel a said Gary I cannot preach your daddy into heaven, and he said I know that well. I did preach that service and it was in a funeral home service was about to get started. The funeral director came down to the front with a casket was. He was getting ready to lower the casket down and went when he did that he all of a sudden Gary jumped in white a minute, wait a minute, and Gary ran to that casket, he got into the casket with his dad. He threw his arms around his neck and he said Danny I will never see you again next Sunday. Gary was in church a few weeks after that. Gary repented of his sins trusted Christ as his Lord and Savior. I left Olive Grove right after that and went to Charlotte Southside Baptist Church layer and about five years later I got a call from Olive Grove and they asked me if I would come and preach a homecoming service they are and I said I would be honored to and I went to the service when I got there, everybody was telling me about Gary.

I said man. He is walking with the Lord.

So we just elect him as a deacon in our church and then I saw Gary came running up to me and he hugged my neck and he said Doug I can't believe how spiritually blind I was. Hey said I can't believe the spiritual blindness in my heart. He said my dad and I were actually proud of our atheism and he said mount now my daddy is inhaled and I will never see him again spiritual blindness. Someone asked me last week said Doug, do you believe that the end is near. You believe that Jesus is coming soon and I said I don't know for sure nobody knows exactly when Jesus is coming back, but I said I would be an absolute fool to look out and see what's going on happening in our world today and been denied the distinct possibility that that can happen. I said why we need to live is this. We need to live like every single day that we get up that that is the day that Jesus is coming back. First Thessalonians chapter 4, the apostle Paul said, for the Lord himself shall dissent from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God and the dead in Christ will rise first and then we were told it together with him in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord in verse in chapter 5 he says this neck concerning the times and the seasoned brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you for you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

While people are saying there's peace and security, then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape which you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. You are all the children of light. Children of the day. We are not of the night or the darkness.

So then let us not sleep as others do. Let us keep awake and be sober. What is it mean to be sober, to be so remains to be spiritually awake to what God is doing.

It's the opposite of spiritual blindness that takes us to the passage that I was to look at today. I got three points that I will share with you.

Number one the permanent blindness of the Pharisees looking for verses 11 to 12, the Pharisees came and begin to argue with him sinking from him a sign from heaven to testing and he sighed deeply in the spirit and said why does this generation seek a sign, truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation, and he left them got into the boat again and went on the other side in the companion passage to this over in Matthew chapter 16 we are told that it was not just Pharisees that were there, but there was also a group of Sadducees that join together with the Pharisees to argue with Jesus and the Pharisees were a rigid, hardhearted, stubborn, just mule headed bunch of people who believe that they were always right, and they live by more their man-made traditions. Then they did the word of God, the Sadducees, on the other hands were liberals. I didn't believe in the existence of angels. They didn't believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ.

They didn't believe the immortality of the soul. These groups usually hated each other, but for this cause they join forces because they wanted to destroy Jesus that wanted to destroy his reputation and they wanted to see him die. Jesus was interfering with their corruption. They would go to the temple and they were they in the temple exchanging money and they were doing it corrupting you in a corrupting way they were getting rich doing that Jesus put a stop to that.

So they marched up to Jesus and they begin to argue with them and they begin to to question him and then they said we want to see a sign give us a sign from heaven. Had they not seen enough of me. What in the world. He, Jesus done he had healed thousands and thousands of people diseases. Fed 5000 people, probably 20 count 20,000 Katmai women and children without a little boy sack lunch he had cast out demons. He had raise the dead, and yet they say, give us a sign we want a sign from heaven.

We tell you something they don't get a sign from heaven.

One day, and that day when Jesus comes in all of his glory and he speaks the word in his enemies will be destroyed. They wanted one right then.

The Scripture says here that Jesus sighed deeply in his spirit. First time I read that in English.

I thought, well, it just means that Jesus was sad in the Greek that's not what it means at all. It means that Jesus patients was coming to an end, but people often see in the given to a temptation and when there is no immediate consequences.

I think could this is great. I got away with it.

God is an Indian in his patients want to know that's not true, and in Genesis chapter 6 verse three that God said, my spirit will not strive with man forever. Jesus turns to these wicked religious leaders and he says to them I will all I will give no sign to this generation. Now if you go over and read the companion passage in Matthew, he adds a price that I a phrase nothing is very important. He says I will give no signs of this generation, except the sign of Jonah what he mean by that.

He said well as Jonah was in the whale's belly for three days and three nights so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights in the whale vomited up Jonah.

Jonah ran from. They are all the way to Nineveh and preach the powerful message of repentance to the Ninevites will present was that had to do. Jesus has that relate to Jesus. Jesus was in the grave for three days and then he will was raised from the dead.

But Jesus said you want to sign here it is kill me, crucify me Naomi to across and three days later, I will rise from the dead, that you want to sign look at the resurrection only to say something here. I have known a lot of pastors in the past and look at the story of Jonah is a silly little child story that the Lord uses in the Bible to just TJ a spiritually didactic message. I want you to know that is not the truth, and in second Kings chapter 14 verse 25. The Scripture tells us that that that Jonah was a servant of God, a prophet of God, and he was the son of a Mickey looks Jonah was not some fictional character in a parable story of Jonah is absolutely true. Jesus used the story of Jonah in and out of the whale to teach us about him being in and out of the grave so would Jesus have used a silly fairytale to illustrate the most important event is ever taken place on the face of this earth, the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.

No way you can believe that the story of Jonah happened exactly historically exactly as Joan as the Bible says anyway.

Jesus sighed deeply, his patients coming to an end and he said while this this generation seek a sign religious leaders didn't need any more light.

They heard Jesus preach preach greater than any person they'd ever heard before they sing multitudes of miracles that Jesus had done the more light of the more truth that God's more spiritually blind. They became people if you're not convinced about the spiritual blindness of the American culture. Then your head is in the sand. America has had spiritual opportunities and access to truth like no other nation on the face of the earth. We have seen great outpourings of God spirit like in the first great awakening. The second great awakening revivals all the way through history where great amounts of people have come to a saving knowledge of Christ colleges Christian colleges and seminaries have have blossomed and they have produced men who were filled with the word of God and feel the spirit leaves me, and without evangelizing and preaching the gospel and went to the four corners of our nation and then missionaries reset missionaries out of the four corners of the earth. The United States has produced more missionary sent more missionaries out to the world than any other nation on the face of the earth and of the last three quarters of a century, things have rapidly eroded the nation's obsession with immorality and perversion has so blinded the spiritual eyes of Americans that there is no common sense anymore and it's not this just absolute lunacy. What is happening. We have have been. Do we have with given in to a strong delusion, as Isaiah said woe to those who call good evil and evil good who put light for darkness and darkness for light, but sweet for bitter and bitter for sweet and listen to this one, to those who are wise in their own eyes and shrewd in their side. When Manson explained it whale. He said the most egregious form of sexual abuse that exist in this fallen world is the LGBT Q movement. This movement according to Romans one is not only one of the most heinous sins of society can fall into, but it is in fact the judgment for sin itself. Romans one makes it clear that the LGBT Q movement is perverse destructive to society and that God abhors it and without repentance and turning to Christ. A nation who embraces it will be destroyed. God is already proven that he will follow through with that in Sodom and Gomorrah in America.

This movement is desperately attempting to indoctrinate everyone in the not only accepting but celebrating and joining their lifestyle. They are entering schools, grooming children, sending the most perverse of men dressed in drag to handle, fondle and flirt with preschoolers and schools, libraries, and even churches. This move in a subversive, subversive, and aims to group everyone young children, even to adults into believing that their movement is benign and strong. How is this happening.

I think one of the methodologies is manipulation. Did you realize that just three weeks ago, the editors of Webster's dictionary changed in their dictionary, the definition of female and now in the new edition of Webster's dictionary females include males. What why they do that they are compromising with the culture, the blindness is so deep that public schools, businesses, sports organizations, a plethora denomination and churches have capitulated to this lunacy. Recent Sunday school classes we've heard Andrew Brunson who was a pastor in Turk Turkey, who is from America was put in prison for nothing for two years he suffered in persecution layer these out nail and they he he is he has shared with Americans. American church, that we need to be careful because the persecution of the true church in America is coming because this culture is so in love with it.

Sin is so in love with perversion. If you don't agree with it and if the true church stands for truth and also the exclusivity of the gospel and there's gonna be a backlash resident sisters. We are not ready for that backlash. Matthew 16 verses one through four expands on what Mark said let me read Matthew's account and the Pharisees and the Sadducees came in to test him. They ask him to show them a sign from heaven.

He answered them when it is evening, you say it will be fair weather, for the skies read in the morning it will be stormy today for the skies read and threatening you know and interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times and evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, no sign will be given it, set the sign of Jonah, so he left them and departed the religious leaders said they wanted a sign from heaven. Jesus points out to the sky. He says you're able to look at the clouds and you know when a storms coming you're able to read the signs of the sky which you cannot read the signs of the times. What were the signs of the times for that generation. Whale is signs of the time had to do with prophecies concerning the Messiah. The Scripture tells us that that the Messiah would be virgin born Isaiah 7 at the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Micah chapter 5 at the Messiah would be in the bloodline of the lineage of David. Second Samuel chapter 7 that the Messiah would be rejected by his people.

Isaiah 53 at the Messiah would be anointed with the Holy Spirit. Isaiah chapter 61 Scripture tells us all of and then when Jesus died on the cross. On that day 33 Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled to the letter with the religious leaders rejoiced in his death, because they could not discern the signs of the times which these religious leaders had a permanent spiritual blindness like secondly owners to see the temporary blindness of the disciples looking in verses 13 to 21 now they have forgotten to bring bread and they had only one life with them in the boat. We cautioned them say and watch out beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod, they begin discussing with one another. The fact they had no bread. Jesus aware of this said to them, 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 ears do not hear and do you not remember when I broke the five loaves of the 5000, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up a send him 12, the seventh for the 4000 Emily basket full of broken pieces did you take out they said him seven sins of them. Do you not yet understand after Jesus was partially attacked by the religious leaders. Jesus, the disciples got in the boat. They headed off across the Sea of Galilee. Verse 14 tells us the disciples in the boat almost the sudden realize that they didn't have any food or at least not much. They found one little loaf of bread and Jesus all them panicking when he saw them. Panicking, he decided to use this as a teaching opportunity about sailing toward Beth St. Beth SATA at area is a pretty desolate area compared a lot of the places that they had been and I knew in that area than a grocery stores is known restaurants around and they knew they only have this one little one little bit of food and they were concerned about that. So Jesus looks at them, shakes his head in and disbelief at their lack of faith uses a situation to teach them about spiritual leaven now in here in this passage, it will look at MR he mentions two kinds of spiritual leaven, but in in Matthew's gospel. He mentions thorium to share all three of them with you very quickly what is spiritual leaven spiritual leaven is a picture of sinful influence and when you take leaven or yeast and you put it die what happens to it. It rises, it gets bigger and bigger. First of all, there was the leaven of the Pharisees that had that included doctrinal errors, dependence on man-made tradition and hypocrisy their system of works righteousness was producing people who look good on the outside more rotten to the core on the inside so the Pharisees hated Jesus, then the leaven of the Sadducees was liberalism, and do not believe in the inerrancy of Scripture not believe in the existence of angels is not believe in the resurrection of the body not believe in the immortality of the soul.

They went to the temple and they cheated people out of money making themselves wealthy so they hated Jesus.

Then there was the leaven of the of.

His is here in animus. He was known for his depravity is immoral behavior. The Herodian's were atheistic. They were immoral. They were secularist. They were lovers of this world and lovers of sin and they hated Jesus.

So Jesus is teaching the disciples about spiritual leaven and they don't get it. I just don't get it goes right over their head and they start thinking that what Jesus realizes that we don't have enough food here and that's what he's talking us about is talking about our lack of physical food. These disciples and followers of Christ Michaela Jesus, I want to please Jesus but they're just like us. They are far, far from perfect. So Jesus has patience with Liam and he says why do you discussed the fact that you have no bread. In other words, where's your memory guys what happened a few months ago when I fed 5000 million not include the women and children about 20,000 people, with the little boys bag lunch five loaves and two little fish and I fed all of them and they all were full to the brim. 12 basket full of food left over. And then what about the 4000 welfare.

The 4000 after they had not eaten in three days I took seven Little Lowe's few little fish for all of them till I can eat no more. There were seven basket pools of food left over is a guys do you think I can't produce food. Do you think I will let you starve the war twisted matter with you to remind me of what David did and when David was getting ready to fight against Goliath. David was gonna have to go to fight against him. He had people telling all don't go, he'll kill you.

Don't go, you don't stand a chance. All that was going on in and what did David do David rehearsed his past victories. He said to a said to himself, and he said others listen I was out as a shepherd watching over my sheep in a bear attack my sheep and God empowered me.

I went on tour that bear from limb to limb not kill the buyer and save the sheep and there was another time when a line came and attacked my flock and God empowered me and I went and I thought the line by myself and I feel the line so if God will give me victory over the line and God will give me victory over the bear then rest assured of the God will give me victory over Goliath brothers and sisters when you have doubts that's what you need to do. You need to rope you need to to just think back and rehearse your past victories that repeat you need to remember how faithful Jesus was then how faithful Jesus is now and how faithful Jesus will be at Texas to .3. An illustration of temporary blindness. Verse 22 through 26. I came to best SATA and sublingual brought to him a blind man and begged him to touching hey took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village when you spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him. He asked do you see anything. He looked up and said I see people what they look like trees, walking. And Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again. He opened his eyes, his sight was restored and he saw everything clearly and ascending to his home saying do not enter the village. The boat sailed to best SATA with Jesus and the disciples when they got there. People news coming huge crowd of of sick people came the infirmities diseases, sicknesses one family that came bring in one of their family members who was blind and they brought them up in date they stop right there at the feet of Jesus. You know blind people are always a sad situation in any society. Some people treat blind people differently than others. In America, I think we have some pity on people who were blind. We teach them how to read braille.

If we see a blind person coming. He's got a cane or a seeing-eye dog would get out of his way or we try to move the obstacles and then we look at people with great admiration like Helen Keller and we just are excited about who she was and how she forged through life.

Even with that tough handicap is not that kind of compassion in the that the people of Israel in that day, and in fact the blind people always had to beg for food. The religious leaders taught that their blindness was not just a physical malady, but it was a demonic problem. If they had actually been possessed by demons. So people didn't want to touch the blind people because they were afraid of the demonic man what a breath of fresh air was Jesus who came over to this blind man took him by the hand and walked him away from the crowd walked him away so they could get away from the criticism and the sarcasm. When I got off by themselves. Jesus bit down on his fingers and then he took the spit spindle and he put it on the eyes of this blind man. He says to the blind man can you see in the blind man said will I see men but it's like trees, walking, and Jesus touched his eyes again and there was clarity 2020 vision. Before he could only see with light and he could see objects, but he couldn't see detail. Now we can see perfectly.

Very interesting. The charismatics use this passage to teach the idea of the second blessing and they say when you first get saved in areas like you see what it's like men like trees, walking with them later on. You come to a time when you get the Holy Spirit and when you get the Holy Spirit then you know that 2020 spiritual vision funds is not with this passage is teaching that all listen when you come to know Christ as your Lord and Savior.

The Holy Spirit of God comes to live and reside in you and have you grow. How do you get close closer to the Lord.

It is to the process of site location and it is progressive.

You die to self each day in the Holy Spirit of God empowers you and gives you what you need to live the Christian life is not a one time blessing. It is a lifetime of blessings as you die, the sale and the Holy Spirit of God gives you what you need to live out the Christian life. I think Jesus was using this miracle to teach the disciples member. They were all strung out because they didn't have enough food just had one little a loaf of bread and Jesus says guys who am I you member who I am. I am the bread of life.

I'm the one who fed the 5005 loaves and two fish. I'm the one who fed the 4000 was seven loaves and a few small fish. He said do you not think I can take care of you are, you see, and partially but not clearly trust in me Jesus is and you'll see with clarity. This is sanctification is progressively becoming like Jesus.

How does that happen by faith we clamor for his touch. We want more of him. Will we trust to him. He moves in our lives and little faith comes great faith. Where are you in your walk with Jesus today happy with it. You happy where you are. Don't be satisfied with seeing men as trees walking don't stop being sanctified until your glorification and that's when you die, but we need to be clamoring for truth. We need to be clamoring for his touch. Let the living word and the written word give you clarity to see and to do the will of God is probably heavenly father, show us how to live for you.

Hello love you with all of our heart, mind and soul. Help us to love your word and study and memorize and meditate on it so that we would eradicate spiritual blindness. Father give us a glorious vision of yourself that we might be humbled, that we might be useful in your kingdom. What is the holy and precious name of Jesus that we pray. Amen