We are looking at the Gospel
of Mark chapter 8 this morning. Mark chapter 8. And in this chapter
is the story of the Lord Jesus Christ being confronted by the
Pharisees and then afterward warning his disciples about the
Pharisees. In verses 10 and 11 I read, Mark
8, verses 10 and 11, and straightway, or that is, immediately, he entered
into a ship with his disciples, came into the parts of Dalmanutha,
and the Pharisees came forth and began to question with him,
seeking of him a sign from heaven tempting him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit,
and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? Verily I say
unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation."
The Pharisees were the religious leaders of that day. They were
very moral, upright, Men, very moral, very orthodox in their
Judaism, they walked the walk, they talked the talk, they looked
the part. Very moral, very religious, very
outwardly pious looking and sounding, but they were lost. They were
ignorant. of true salvation, of the true
Christ, and they were lost. And these were characteristics
of the Pharisees. It says they came and began to
question with him, seeking of him a sign, tempting him. These three things, questioning.
They didn't ask questions of a scriptural nature, of concerning
God or man or true salvation or the truth. They weren't seeking
the truth, but they would ask questions like if a man or if
a woman married seven husbands, whose wife would she be in the
resurrection and about taxes and this and that and the other,
washing of hands. And they questioned, but not
of a scriptural nature and not concerning the truth. Many questioned. And it says they sought a sign
from Him. Pharisees believe only what they
see. They must see something. And
they tempted Him. That is, they were making demands
of Him. If you do this, we'll believe
you. Making demands of Him. And our Lord said this, Why doth
this generation seek after a sign? Well, our Lord didn't ask that
for information. But he was asking that to cause
us to stop and consider that, yes, this generation seeks after
a sign. Why? Because it's flesh. It tries to worship God in the
flesh. Flesh must have signs, things
to see, feel, experience. It's no wonder that our modern
generation is more concerned with feelings and emotional services
and religious happenings than the very word of God. Our Lord
said, God is spirit. They that worship him must worship
him in spirit and in truth. Not flesh, not signs, not wonders,
but in spirit, that is from the heart, and in consideration of
the truth, God's word. Well, our Lord said in verse
12, there shall no sign be given this generation." If you have
a Bible open, if you will turn over to 2 Thessalonians chapter
2, you will see something very remarkable. Perhaps you have
never seen this passage before. 2 Thessalonians 2, now the Lord
said in another place, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh
after a sign, but no sign shall be given save for the sign of
the prophet Jonah." Now isn't it true of our generation, you
who listened this morning, isn't it true that our generation is
taken up with signs and wonders and miracles? Everything from
psychic hotlines to so-called miracle deliverances. This is
how religion advertises itself today. Come and get your miracle
deliverance. Men are not taken up with the
Word of God, but rather signs and wonders. And people, listen
carefully. Some of the signs and wonders
and miracles that are happening are actually taking place. But
it doesn't mean that these are God's blessings and an outpouring
of God's Holy Spirit. Did you hear that? It doesn't
mean that these signs and wonders and so-called miracles are an
outpouring of God's Spirit or God's blessings. I'll read to
you from 2 Thessalonians 2 in which Paul was writing to the
church, writing to believers warning them about the spirit
of Antichrist, which is not, incidentally, not one person. John said there are many Antichrists. It's a spirit or a movement of
Antichrist. In the Revelation it's called
the Great Whore, which is a body of religion which does indeed
have men at its head, and women. But it's a system, it's a movement,
a beast, a huge movement as a beast which devours men and women and
takes them in. This beast is that whose coming,
and I read 2 Thessalonians 2, 9, whose coming is after the
working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. with all deceivableness of unrighteousness,
that is, all deceivableness, able to deceive many in many
different ways. Deceivableness of unrighteousness
in them that perish, that is, the lost. They're not deceiving
true believers. It's not deceiving God's true
people. No, but them that perish, those
that are lost, because they receive. Here's why people fall for these
signs and lying wonders. Verse 10 says, "...they receive
not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for
this cause God..." Now, I'm still reading from 2 Thessalonians
2.11. "...for this cause, because they
receive not the love of the truth." God's Word. Every word of it. Every truth in it. because they
receive not the love of the truth. For this cause God shall send
them strong delusion that they should believe a lie, that they
all might be damned who believe not the truth." And then he goes
on to say in verse 13, to the people of God, to the chosen
of God, to the church of God. We are bound to give thanks always
to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God has
from the beginning chosen you to salvation. How do you know
the true people of God? God chose them, and they know
it, and that's what they say. They don't talk about choosing
or accepting Jesus. No, they talk about how the Lord
Jesus Christ, how God, in sovereign electing grace, chose them to
salvation through. And this is how God distinguishes
them from these others, through sanctification of the Holy Spirit,
that is, a setting apart of the Holy Spirit and belief of the
truth, whereunto he called you by our gospel." So those who
receive not the truth, those who love not the truth, the gospel,
they will be sent strong delusions by God Himself that they should
believe a lie. That's startling, is it not?
David, in the Psalms, Listen carefully. David in the Psalms,
Psalm 119, verse 18, I believe it is, he said in praying to
God, he said, Open thou mine eyes that I might behold wondrous
things from thy law, from thy word. David asked the Lord to
show him wondrous things from God's word. That is what God
is showing His true people, wonderful signs and miracles and wonders
from the Word of God. Not with the physical eyes, but
with the eye of faith, they are seeing the miracle of miracles,
the sign of signs, the wonder of wonders. They are seeing the
truth as it is in the Lord Jesus Christ. They are seeing God's
Word unfolded before their eyes, and the marvel and the mystery,
the more excellent things from God's Word. You can't believe
what you see, people. Drugs, many things can give you
hallucinations. But God's Word is true, and God
sets men free by His Word, free from signs, wonders, and miracles.
But He gives these delusions. Delusions, that's what they're
called. Delusion. Back in Mark chapter 8, now,
Mark chapter 8, See, there's no more need for these things,
signs, miracles, languages, tongues. That's what the word tongues
means, languages. They were given back then to
validate the apostles, and there were seventy other men, yes,
men, who were chosen by God, sent from God to preach the Word
of God in a day when men did not have a copy of the Scriptures.
Plus, the Word of God was not completed yet. God was using
the apostles to continue writing his Word, and after it was fulfilled,
after the Word was completely written, there was no more need
for those signs and wonders and miracles. Those things validated
those men as coming from God and caused people to sit up and
listen to their message. Those things didn't give faith.
It caused people to stop and listen to what the apostles were
saying. And no more need for those things now. The Word is
that which validates the true preacher of God. Well, I read
from Mark chapter 8, I must hurry, verses 14 and following, Now
the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and neither had they
any in the ship with them more than one loaf. And our Lord charged
them, saying, Take heed. Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees
and of the leaven of Herod. And they reasoned among themselves,
saying, It is because we have no bread. Well, these poor fellows
were ignorant of how that our Lord taught a spiritual lesson
first, a primary spiritual application to everything our Lord said to
them. And they were ignorant, and they
began to reason among themselves. And people, that's a lesson for
us to learn. Human reasoning does not apply
to God's Word. Well, the Lord said this. Now,
He warned them of the Pharisees. He said, Beware of the leaven
of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. What is He warning
them of? Leaven. Leaven. Leaven is a small
substance which is hidden in bread flour upon making bread,
a very small substance. Once it's mixed in the bread,
in the flour, in the dough, it causes the bread eventually to
swell and to rise. Well, this leaven which he warned
of was the leaven of the Pharisees, the leaven of self-righteousness. the leaven of pride. The Pharisees
prided themselves in their religion. They prided themselves in themselves,
what they had done for God and how they had given this up and
that up. And he warned the disciples, beware of that, self-righteousness. Beware of hypocrisy. The Pharisees
did what they did to be seen of men. Beware of that. He said, beware of the leaven
of the Pharisee, which was justification by works of the law. They thought
God accepted them because of what they did. Beware of that.
And he said, Beware of the leaven of Herod. These were the Sadducees
who were politically motivated religionists, those who didn't
really believe in the resurrection, but they had some religion and
they were educated intellectuals who were more involved in politics
and social issues, humanism of the day. And doesn't that describe
the day we live in? Men believe education is going
to be the savior of our society. Beware of these things, our Lord
said. Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the leaven
of Herod. Well, may the Lord bless His
Word. Until next Sunday, good day.