We'll begin our worship by singing to God's praise in Psalm 103, the Scottish Psalter version.
Psalm 103, page 369 of the psalm books. We're going to sing from verse 8 to verse 13.
The Lord our God is merciful, and he is gracious, long-suffering, and slow to wrath, and mercy
plenteous. He will not chide continually, nor keep his anger still. With us he dealt not as we sinned,
nor did we quiet our ill. We'll sing from verse 8 to 13 to God's praise.
The Lord our God is merciful, and he is gracious, long-suffering, and slow to wrath, and mercy plenteous.
He will not chide continually, nor keep his anger still.
With us he dealt not as we sinned, nor did we quiet our ill.
For us the heaven, every time, the earth surrounded by. So we to our statue and fear,
His tender mercy's high.
As far as he's distant from the west, so far at me, from us we looted in his love,
all our may need.
His tender mercy's high.
The earth is distant from the west, so far at me, from us we looted in his love,
all our may need.
His tender mercy's high.
The earth is distant from us we looted in his love, all our may need.
His tender mercy's high.
The earth is distant from us we looted in his love, all our may need.
His tender mercy's high.
The earth is distant from us we looted in his love, all our may need.
Melanie.
He asked the Father,
I will come to God in prayer.
Let us pray.
Our gracious God, our Father in heaven,
as we sing praise to you,
we are thankful for the wonder of these words,
of what they remind us of.
They remind us of who you are
and how gracious you are towards us.
You are a Father who pities his children
and you do not deal with us according to our ways.
You have been patient and kind with us
and long-suffering in so many different ways.
And we thank you that today and this evening
as we come to worship you,
as we come seeking your face,
we are reminded in so many ways,
O Lord, of how you have kept us,
how you have spared us,
how your favor has been upon us.
We are reminded in the Psalm 2 of who we are.
We are a pitied people, Lord,
for we have sinned and fall short of your glory
in so many ways.
But we thank you, Lord,
that we are reminded too
that as we come to worship you
in the right spirit of fear,
that we are indeed your dear children
and that you are a God who cares for us.
Even in our sin, Lord,
we are reminded that as we come to you
seeking forgiveness,
that you have removed our sin
as far as east as from the west.
And we thank you that we are reminded of that,
not because of our deserving of it.
We are reminded not because of anything
that we have done,
but we are reminded of our sin removed
through your own Son,
through his sacrifice,
through the shedding of his blood,
through his giving his life
as a ransom for many.
And so we thank you, Lord,
for your great love and compassion
towards us in these things.
And as we come today
on a day of significant and special remembrance,
we look back, oh Lord,
in so many ways.
And we remember, Lord,
in so many different ways,
things that have taken place in the past,
things that we didn't experience,
many of us ourselves,
and yet, oh Lord,
things that have left a mark upon us all,
things that have made an impression
on our lives
and indeed marked out our lives for us.
For apart from the loss of so many lives,
apart from those who were willing
to stand up to wickedness
and evil when it arose,
apart from those great sacrifices,
Lord, our world would be so different,
our freedoms,
maybe we wouldn't even have them.
And the worship of your name
could be so curtailed
that, Lord, we would have to do so
as we do this evening
in much privacy
and even hidden away.
And we know, Lord,
that we have so much to be thankful for,
for all who went,
who laid down their lives,
that we might have the freedom that we do.
We thank you, Lord,
that even to this day
there are those who serve
for that means, oh Lord,
for your people far and wide,
to give freedom and liberties
that are not ours.
Apart from, Lord,
they were given by you.
And so we thank you
for all our services,
our armed forces.
We thank you for them in the past,
Lord, how they defended our nation
on land,
at sea,
and in the air,
and in so many different ways
on the home front as well.
We thank you, Lord,
for all that was done for us.
And in our remembrance, Lord,
help us that we will indeed
give thanks for them,
but above all,
give thanks to you this day.
May we remember, Lord,
the conflicts taking place
even in our own day and age as well.
That throughout the world,
there are still these battles ongoing,
still so many lives being lost
because of the wickedness of man.
And we do pray, Lord,
for you to come
in a day of your power
to have pity upon us, Lord,
to have mercy upon us,
and to turn us once again towards you.
So, Lord, we pray that you will help us
to remember all these things,
but above all, Lord,
that we would remember you in it.
As someone said, Lord,
that the further we go from an event,
the more we forget.
And the further we go,
not just from the conflicts
and wars of these past centuries,
but the further we go, Lord,
from the conquest of sin at the cross,
the more we tend to forget.
When Jesus said that
he would come again to his people,
they were expecting it so imminently.
But now that years and centuries have passed,
we live as a people
who have almost forgotten
the promises of Christ.
But we thank you that your word
gives us a remembrance towards that.
And we thank you, Lord,
for every means that we have
to remember you.
We thank you for your word
and the proclamation of it.
We thank you for the preaching of it
week by week.
We thank you, too,
for the sacraments
for both the Lord's Supper
and baptism.
They're reminders to us, Lord,
of all that you have done for us
and the way that our salvation
has been purchased.
And so we pray that you will continue
to build up your church
far and wide,
that in all we do,
we do so in remembrance of him
who gave his life for us.
We thank you for our people, Lord,
our congregation,
and our communities.
We do pray your blessing on us
as a people.
We thank you, Lord,
that you are always near,
that there is never a moment
when we cannot turn to you.
We thank you that even
in this past week
as we have experienced
great needs in our midst
as a people,
with ill health,
with the passing of loved ones,
with the various trials
that come our way, Lord,
we thank you that you are a God
who is faithful,
that you are always there for us.
And we pray, Lord,
that you will surround us
as a people,
that you will uphold us
as a people,
that you will be a strength
to those who need you
in particular ways.
We think of those
who are laid aside
in their homes,
those who are in hospital,
those who are in homes
for the old age.
We pray, Lord,
for our young people,
our middle age,
for all with many ongoing issues
in our lives.
Lord, we know that our lives
are complex in so many ways
and our understanding
is so dull at times.
We think we understand
so many things
and yet so much
we do not understand.
But we thank you
that in Christ
we have one
who is a teacher,
who is our Lord.
And we pray, Lord,
that you will direct our paths,
that you will help us
to know our ways
and to walk in your paths,
to walk in your ways.
We pray, Lord,
your blessing over us
and we thank you
for our young people,
for the YF tonight.
We pray that you will bless them
in their time together
for that subject
they will be speaking upon,
the life in this world
where we think of our image
and all that that means.
We know it's such a pressure
on us as a people
and especially our young ones.
We pray for you
and as he leads them in that
and as they enjoy
that time together, Lord,
may you bless them
and give them your spirit
upon them.
And in all things, Lord,
that we think of image,
may we remember
that we are made
in the image of Christ.
And we pray, Lord,
that we will see Christ
in one another
and that we would see,
O Lord,
your image being perfected in us,
that we would see our people
as a whole,
all of us together,
seeking after him
and longing to be more like him.
So we pray your blessing on us
as we continue in our worship.
Bless your people far and wide.
Build up your church, O Lord,
and look down upon us
in these days with mercy.
Remember those who lead us
in government
and who rule over us
as a people.
May you uphold them
and give them wisdom
from on high.
Bless the nations
of the world, O Lord.
We pray again, Lord,
for all the various needs
around us,
that you will be with us
as a people.
We thank you that
in our remembrance of so much,
that you are a God
who has remembered us.
May you continue to do so,
Lord,
that you would turn your face
towards us,
shine upon us
and bless us
by the pity
of your nature
and all that you are.
Lord,
may you find us
to be a precious people,
a people
purchased at a great price
and a people
who would come
and offer up our praise
and worship to you.
So, Lord,
hear our prayers,
hear our praise,
uphold us in all we do.
Bless us as we sing
your praise.
Be with the one
who leads us in it, Lord.
And may we all lift up
our hearts together
in worship
and adoration of you.
Bless your word
to us as well
as we ask all things
with forgiveness
of our sins.
In Jesus' precious name.
Amen.
We'll again sing
to God's praise,
this time in Psalm 77.
In the Singed Psalm,
Psalm 77.
It's on page 100
of the psalm books.
We're going to sing
from verse 7
down to verse 15.
Verse 7,
it's the question
of the psalmist
where he's looking
to God
and asking this question,
forever will the Lord
reject
and never show
his grace
as he withdrawn
his steadfast love
and turned
from me
his face.
There's this searching
question
that the psalmist has.
But then in verse 10
he says,
then to my heart
there came this thought,
on this I will rely,
the years of the right hand
of power
of him
who is most high.
I rely on a dependence
upon God.
We'll sing
from verse 7
to 15
to God's praise.
Forever
will the Lord
reject
and never
show
his grace
as
he
will
turn
on
his
king
cross
and
turn
from me
his face.
For all
time
has
his
promise
failed
his
God
no
No longer kind, as he in his great proudestness, O passion from his mind.
Then to my heart, their kindness thought, On this I will rely.
The years of the bright hand of power, Off him who is most high.
I will recall the Lord's great deeds, Your words of long ago.
I'll meditate on all your acts, Your mighty deeds I'll show.
O God, for so in higher ways, What God compares with you.
You are the Lord of miracles, Whose powers that nations view.
You have redeemed your people, Lord, With your almighty arm.
Jacob, St. Joseph, children you Delivered from all heart.
We will turn together to read God's word now in the Gospel of Mark.
Mark, Mark chapter 8.
Reading from the beginning of the chapter down to verse 21.
Mark chapter 8, the beginning of the chapter down to verse 21.
In those days when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat,
He called His disciples to Him,
He said,
They said seven.
And 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 them to His disciples 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 too,
He said that these also should be set before them.
And they ate and were satisfied.
And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.
And there were about four thousand people.
And He sent them away.
And immediately got into the boat with His disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.
The Pharisees came and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven to test Him.
And He said,
Why does this generation seek a sign?
And He said,
Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.
And He left them, got into His boat again, and went to the other side.
Now they had forgotten to bring bread.
And they had only one loaf with them in the boat.
And He cautioned them, saying,
Watch out.
Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.
And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread.
And 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 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?
And so on.
And may God bless that reading from His Word.
We're going to sing again to God's praise, this time in Psalm 85.
In the sing Psalms on page 113.
Psalm 85, page 113, from the beginning of the Psalm.
In times past, Lord, you showed favour to your own beloved land,
the prosperity of Jacob.
You restored by your strong hand.
You forgave your people's trespass.
You were pleased their sins to hide.
You withdrew all your displeasure from your wrath.
You turned aside.
We'll sing from verse 1 to 9 to God's praise.
Amen.
Let go!
Amen.
In times past, Lord, you should favor to your own beloved land.
Let prosperity of Jacob you restore values from hand.
You forgive your needless past.
You had peace as sins to hide.
You withdrew all your displeasure.
From your wrath you turned aside.
God our Savior now restored us.
All must turn away your rage.
Will your anger burn against us?
Will it last from age to age?
Will you not again revive us?
That we may rejoice in you.
Show us, Lord, your covenant mercy.
Your salvation grant anew.
I will hear what God the Lord says.
To his saints he offers peace.
But his people must not wander.
And return to foolishness.
Surely for all those who fear him.
His salvation is our time.
So that once again his glory may be seen within our land.
Amen.
Well, if we can turn back to our reading in Mark's Gospel, Chapter 8.
We're going to be looking at the whole of the section that we read from the beginning of the chapter down to verse 21.
But it's in light of the question that Jesus asks of his disciples.
The question you see asked twice of them here.
In verse 17 and then in verse 21.
In verse 17, Jesus says, aware of what they were speaking about, he 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?
And then in verse 21, he says to them,
Do you not yet understand?
I think it's important for us, first of all, as we think of that question,
to realize who the question was being asked of.
It wasn't of a large crowd of people.
It was of his closest disciples, those who were closest to him,
those who had experienced so much with him up to this point.
Yet in all that they've seen, in all that they've experienced with them,
he still has this question of them.
Do you not yet understand?
And it's a question for ourselves to think about too.
Do you understand?
When we think about our lives, we live as if we understand so much.
Whatever age and stage of life we are,
we always feel we know more than we actually do.
We often feel we understand,
maybe even everything that there is to know about life.
And yet the more we go on,
the more we realize just how little we understand.
What's your favorite school subject?
It could be a question for the young people here,
but it's also a question maybe for every one of us.
When you look back over the years to your days in school,
what was your favorite subject?
Some maybe would excel in maths,
some in English,
some in sciences,
some in geography,
some in history.
You'd all have maybe different strengths and weaknesses.
But if you went into the class the first day
and you were expected to understand
everything about that subject there and then,
how would you fare?
If you were to sit an exam,
that's actually a higher exam for sixth year
when you went into primary one,
do you think you'd pass?
Do you think you'd understand trigonometry?
You'd understand algebra?
You'd understand how everything goes together.
You wouldn't
because you haven't reached that stage.
But your teacher wouldn't say to you on primary one,
do you not understand?
Do you not understand
how algebra and trigonometry works
when you haven't been fully taught?
You wouldn't be expected to know it
or understand it at that point.
But yet as our lives go on,
we begin to understand more and more.
But I could ask hands up
if anyone now understands algebra.
And it doesn't matter what stage of life you're at,
some people still don't understand.
But it doesn't mean that that's it.
You're pushed away.
There's certain things
that we should seek to understand.
Maybe we're not interested in certain subjects.
We've got other areas we'd like to focus on.
But when Jesus is asking us this question,
he's asking us for a different reason.
He's asking a more searching question.
A question that we really need to think about ourselves
because it's not something we can just put away
and say, well, I'm not going to need that in life.
I'm not really interested in learning about that.
I've got other areas I'm more focused in.
When Jesus is asking this question,
do you understand?
He's asking it because it is an important question
for every one of us.
As believers or as seekers
or wherever we are in life,
Jesus is asking this question of you this evening.
And he's saying,
do you not yet understand?
In all your experience in life
and all the understanding you feel you have
and you may be starting to think,
oh, I know so much in life now.
I'm understanding everything.
But when Jesus asks us,
do you really understand?
Do you understand what's important?
Do you understand what's vital for your life,
for death, for eternity?
Do you understand?
We realize we don't.
But we have a great teacher.
We have one who gives us instruction in his word,
saying to us,
you maybe won't understand it all.
You won't understand everything.
But I will give you what you need to know
and what you need to take hold of.
So this question that Jesus has for his disciples,
it's in light of having been with them
for some time together now,
having seen so many miracles and healings,
having heard the greatest teaching they would ever hear.
He's asking them,
do you understand?
And so tonight, that's your question too.
Do you understand?
Or what do you understand
of what Jesus is asking here?
Whatever situation you're in,
if you're a believer,
do you understand what that means?
Are you confident in what you know?
If you're a seeker,
do you understand what you're looking for?
Do you understand where to find it?
If you're a doubter,
do you understand what that means?
Do you understand the danger you're in
of just pushing Jesus away?
Or if you're rejecting the truth completely,
do you understand what that means?
Do you understand what a rejection of Christ means eternally?
Do you understand is the question.
And with this evening,
we're going to look at different things
that can hinder our understanding,
that can become a barrier to our understanding.
Circumstances we see in this passage,
things that come between the people
and their understanding of who Jesus is
and what he can do
and see how they speak to ourselves as well
and how they remind us
that even though we will not understand fully,
Jesus has made himself known in a way
that we can understand to the way of salvation.
So the three things are this.
First of all,
there's circumstances that can prevent us
from understanding.
Secondly,
there's conflict that can hinder our understanding.
And then thirdly,
there's confusion that can hinder our understanding.
So the first thing is circumstances.
If you look at,
first of all,
verse 1 to verse 10,
here we have the account of the feeding
of the 4,000 as it is in this part.
And it's important to note
that this is not the same
as the feeding of the 5,000
because that's made clear for us
later on in the verses that we read
because Jesus asks them about the two incidents
when these miracles happened,
the feeding of the 5,000
and the feeding of the 4,000.
So this is the second time
this great miracle has happened.
And the question that he asks of the people
is really,
this is the main aspect of it,
it's in light of the miracle
that they've seen here
in the talk about bread
and how Jesus is able to understand it.
They're questioning where the bread
is going to come from.
So he's asking,
do you not yet understand?
Do you not understand who I am?
You see as you read through the Gospel of Mark,
many miracles that Jesus has done.
He shows his power again and again
in remarkable ways.
He's healed many people already to this point.
He's calmed a storm
that the disciples were in with him.
He made the sea just to be still
at the power of his voice.
And now this is the second miraculous feeding
of a large group of people.
And you would think to yourself at this point now,
surely, well, the disciples,
they'll be understanding who this man is.
They'd asked in the storm,
who is this?
That even the wind and the waves obey him.
But surely now,
they're understanding who he is.
Having seen all these miracles
again and again,
that Jesus has done so much
that is impossible.
And yet, when this challenge arises,
you'd think, well,
the disciples will know
Jesus can help.
So again, as you see in this section,
they're gathered together,
a large crowd.
They've got nothing to eat.
In verse 1,
and he says,
he called his disciples to him
and said to them,
I have compassion on the crowd
because they have been with me now
three days and have nothing to eat.
And he explains that if he sends them away,
they'll faint on the way.
So his disciples answered him and said,
how can one feed these people with bread here
in this desolate place?
They've seen it done before.
And yet, the question they have immediately here is,
how can anything be done?
And Jesus is asking them later on,
do you not understand?
They've seen it,
but they maybe don't believe
it can happen again.
They've had that
wow factor in the past
when they've seen so much
of the power of God,
and yet here they are
just a short time later
asking,
what can we do?
How can anybody help us
in this situation?
Sometimes it's good
when things are going well,
when we're tuned in
and trusting God the Lord
and seeing blessings around us.
But when our circumstances change,
we can so easily doubt
and begin to look away from God.
Circumstances can affect us
so much,
but should they?
Not so much
that we wouldn't have God
in our vision at all times,
but the reality is,
they do.
And we ourselves
go into circumstances,
and even though we've seen
the Lord's hand in the past,
we've seen many ways
where he's helped his people,
whether we're looking at scripture,
whether we're looking at history,
whether we're looking at
our own personal experience
of the past,
where God has helped me,
God has been with me,
and yet we come to another trial,
another event,
well, what can God do?
He can't help me here.
We take our eyes away from him.
Just like that psalm
that we were singing,
Psalm 77,
where the psalmist saying,
whatever will the Lord reject
and never show his grace.
This is the psalmist
who's known it in the past.
And yet he's saying,
you know,
can God do it now?
And maybe that's so much
our attitude as well.
Circumstances eat away at us,
and they dictate
the way that we see God
when really it shouldn't.
Because even the psalmist
says in that psalm,
then to my heart
there came this thought,
on this I will rely,
the years of the right hand
of power of him
who is most high.
I will recall
the Lord's great deeds,
your works of long ago.
He begins to look back
and say,
well, actually,
in all my questions,
God's done it before.
And he goes on to say,
oh God, most holy,
are your ways
what God compares with you.
You are the God of miracles
whose power the nation's view.
What makes the difference?
It's to look to God
and to remember who he is.
And circumstances here,
the disciples are saying,
who can help us?
There's nothing here for us.
They've forgotten already
what God can do,
what Christ has done
in the past.
But he reminds them again
how he is able to do
the things that are impossible.
This is no ordinary event.
It's a miracle.
It's a miraculous event
that Christ has shown his power
once again.
He is the God of miracles.
But have we lost sight of that?
Are we forgetting who he is?
Do we really understand?
When he asks that question,
do you not yet understand?
Is that a question of ourselves?
Even though we've seen his favor,
even though we've seen his blessing,
we still doubt.
What have we got?
And what can Jesus do with it?
Is how we should look at it.
That should have been the response
of the disciples here.
Instead of saying,
nothing can be done.
Jesus points them
in the right direction.
He begins to say,
what have we got?
What can we give
to these people?
He asked them,
how many loaves do we have?
They said,
seven.
Now again in their eyes,
this would never be enough
to feed them.
Or the fish,
just a few small fish,
never would that feed this crowd.
But through the Lord's blessing,
it does.
And there's seven baskets full
left over.
Their circumstances
made them look away from God
and look at the situation
and think nothing can be done.
And for ourselves today,
it's a time maybe to ask,
what have we got?
And what can we do?
What can God do
with what we have?
Not we ourselves.
What can we achieve?
But what can God do for us?
In our circumstances,
we think everything is low.
Everything is hard.
Everything is difficult.
And they are at times.
But are we trusting God?
Do we understand
who He is?
And do we understand
what He is able to do?
Our circumstances
are no different
to the circumstances
of those in the past
who trusted God.
And that's what we pray tonight,
that God will revive
our trust in Him.
We need an urgency
for Him.
So we don't let our circumstances
dictate our view of Jesus.
Instead, we look first to Him
and then to our circumstances.
And see,
He is able
to do abundantly more
than we ask or imagine.
The second thing we see here
is the conflict that comes
between mainly Jesus
and the Pharisees.
And how again,
this hinders
an understanding
of who Jesus is.
You see this with the Pharisees
in verse 11.
The Pharisees came
and began to argue with Him.
seeking with Him
a sign from heaven
to test Him.
And He sighed deeply
in spirit and said,
Why does this generation
seek a sign?
Truly I say to you,
no sign
shall be given
to this generation.
And He left them,
got into His boat again,
and went
to the other side.
Here's the Pharisees.
And their attitude
towards Jesus
is an immediate barrier
to their understanding
because they're straight away
into conflict
with Jesus.
The Pharisees came
and began to
argue with Him.
Straight off.
As soon as He comes their way,
they begin to argue with Him,
seeking for a sign
from heaven.
They would have known
all about the miracles.
They would have heard
about everything
that Jesus was doing.
It's almost like
they're mocking Him here.
Show us a sign.
Do another miracle
as if it's just a show.
But Jesus
is rebuking them.
Why does this generation
seek a sign?
They refused to accept
anything
that Jesus did.
It didn't matter
what He did,
they would still have
something
to argue with Jesus about.
Something that would
make Him
pushed away.
It's as if to say,
we don't need you.
The Pharisees,
just like so many of us
today as well,
they understood
everything.
They always had
an answer.
They always had
something to show
the people
how superior
they were,
how they had
this greater
understanding
than anybody else.
So few could
silence them.
But Jesus did
on many occasions.
He always had
a rebuke
or a challenge
for them
that made them
to be silent.
But here they kept
coming back,
kept coming back,
seeking after a sign.
Can we not be like
that ourselves too?
We've got all
the answers.
We understand
everything that we
need to know
about life.
But maybe,
maybe if Jesus
just gave me a sign,
maybe if He showed
me something,
then I would believe.
If God
maybe did another
miracle today,
then I would believe
that He is real.
But would you?
Would you believe
even if you saw
another miracle?
two things
to ask yourself
if this is
your attitude.
First is,
why should you
get a sign
just for yourself?
Are you
deserving of it?
The second thing is,
has He not
given you
all the signs
that you need?
Has He not
shown you
everything you need
to know about Him?
think about the signs
that you have
all around you,
the things that
point you
towards God,
and the kind of
questions that you
maybe have.
Oh, if only Jesus
would do this,
when so often
He already has.
Just think about
the creation
around you.
on a night
like tonight
when you go out
and there's a
clear sky,
you lift up
your eyes,
you maybe
see the moon,
you see the stars,
does that not
speak?
Does that not
show you
that there's a
creator behind
it all?
As you watch
a sunrise
and a sunset,
as you watch
this week
the torrents
of rain we had,
you think to yourself,
well,
where should it all
come from?
He has made
all of these
things.
Is there not
a creator
behind them?
He has given
so many signs,
the signs all
around us
in creation.
There's a story
told about
Sir Isaac Newton
and you think
to yourself,
well,
there's someone
who had
such a great
understanding
of so many
things in life.
But perhaps
the greatest
understanding
he had was
that he knew
that there was
someone else
behind everything.
And he had
a miniature
model made
of the solar
system that he
had in his
study.
And apparently
it was quite
an amazing
thing to see.
It had the
sun in the
middle and
revolving around
the sun
were all the
planets and
it would move
around,
you could tell
what was what.
And another
scientist entered
his study one
day and was
amazed by
this model.
And he was
just taken
aback by it,
how exquisite
it was.
And he started
to ask questions.
One of the
questions he
asked was,
who made
it?
And Isaac
Newton replied,
nobody.
Well,
the other
scientist said
to him,
you must think
I'm a fool.
Of course
somebody made
it, and
whoever made
it is a
genius.
Isaac
Newton
apparently replied
by saying
this, he
said, this
thing is
but a
puny
imitation of
something much
more grand
and marvelous.
And I'm
not able to
convince you
that this
mere toy has
no designer.
Yet you
profess to
believe that
the great
original which
this design
comes from
was made
without designer
or maker.
Now tell
me, he
said, by
what reason
do you reach
such a
conclusion?
Amazed
by the
model, but
unamazed by
the real
thing.
And how
many things
are we
amazed with
today?
How many
things do
we see
that take
our breath
away?
Whether it's
some kind
of technology
or something
else that we
see around
us, we're
just like
blown away
by things
that we
see have
been made.
And yet we
fail to be
amazed by
the creator.
Jesus
says to the
Pharisees,
why do you
seek a
sign?
God is
saying that
to ourselves,
why would
you seek
after a
sign today?
When all
the signs
are there
for you,
whether it's
looking at
creation,
whether it's
looking at
his word,
whether it's
looking at
history,
whether it's
looking at
everything goes
on around
us, God
is reminding
us again and
again and
again that he
is the God
of miracles.
miracles.
And yet
still we
don't believe.
Consider
the marvel
of the
human body.
When you
read in
Psalm 139
that we
were fearfully
and wonderfully
made, formed
in the womb,
no two people
alike in the
world, no two
fingerprints
alike.
When you
consider the
marvel of
DNA and
how all of
that works
together,
and yet you're
unique.
Every one
of you.
You are
different from
every other
person in
this world.
Is that not
something that
should leave us
amazed and
thinking, how
is that?
Where did we
come from?
How are we
made?
Well the Bible
tells us we
are made in
the image of
God.
We are made
by him and
for him.
All these
signs are
there for us
and yet we
push God
away.
we are
amazed by
him.
All of
these things
scream at
us saying
there is a
God.
He has
made us,
he has
given us
all of
this.
And still
you ask,
show me a
sign.
well the
greatest sign
of all was
given by
Jesus himself.
When he
replied to
the Pharisees
in another
place, in
Matthew 12
verse 39,
he said,
a wicked and
adulterous
generation asks
for a
miraculous sign,
but none
will be given
it except the
sign of the
prophet Jonah.
For as
Jonah was
three days and
three nights in
the belly of a
huge fish,
so the
son of man
will be three
days and
three nights
in the heart
of the earth.
He has
given us
the greatest
sign of
all.
Three days
and three
nights in
the heart
of the
earth.
Christ
Jesus came
to lay
down his
life for
sinners.
when we
think about
remembrance
day to
day, do
we understand
the significance
of it?
Do we
understand
back further
the significance
of the one
who laid
down his
life for
us?
Greater
love hath
no man
than this,
that he lay
down his
life for
his friends.
This is a
text we'll
hear oft
quoted today,
as we give
thanks for
the sacrifice
that so many
made.
But are we
amazed by the
sacrifice of
Christ, his
love that he
laid down his
life for us?
The Pharisees
are not the
only ones in
conflict with
God.
We all are.
Every one of
us is in a
conflict.
Through sin,
we are in
rebellion against
God.
And yet Jesus
came to
defeat that
enemy, to
bring peace
into our
lives.
Do you
understand?
Do you
understand the
conflict you're
in?
And do you
understand the
way to victory
is through
Christ Jesus?
Because when you
look at verse
13, there's a
great warning
there for us.
It says,
he left
them.
He left
them, those
who are asking
for a sign.
The danger we
are in today is
if we keep
asking for a
sign, we
keep asking for
something else,
Jesus will
leave us.
Nothing he
can do for
us.
Do you
understand that
conflict?
Do you
understand your
need to turn
to Christ?
We're in
conflict.
The final
thing we see
here is the
confusion.
The confusion.
In verse 14
to 21, the
disciples are
just in this
confused state.
And again, it's
just a reminder
to us of the
world in which
we live today.
Everyone is so
confused.
Everyone is
looking for
answers but
doesn't know
where to turn.
So much that
just brings
confusion into
our life day
after day,
week after
week.
And the
confusion comes
down to
this.
You do not
understand
Jesus.
If we
understood him
more, there
would be so
much less
confusion.
And he
gives them
this insight
into just
where this
confusion is
coming from.
He says,
watch out,
beware of the
leaven of the
Pharisees and
the leaven of
Herod.
He's warning
them about this
kind of sin
that comes in.
This just
pushing Jesus
to one side
and saying,
we understand.
We've got it
all sorted.
We've made so
much advancement
now.
We don't need
the word of
God.
We don't need
the spirit of
God.
We don't need
anything of
that.
Because we've
got all the
answers.
But Jesus
is saying,
beware the
leaven of
the Pharisees.
Beware the
leaven of
Herod.
Beware this
kind of
attitude that
says, we
don't need
God.
So often in
the scriptures,
yeast, this
leaven is the
picture of
sin.
And how sin
so easily
corrupts.
A little
leaven leavens
the whole lump,
as 1 Corinthians
says.
And the
idea here
that Jesus
is saying,
beware the
little sin.
The yeast
in your
life just
escalates and
permeates
throughout all
your life,
infiltrates into
every part,
and leads you
to say,
we don't
need Jesus.
We don't
need anything
to do
with him.
The Pharisees
were religious
men, but the
religion was
external.
It didn't
change their
hearts.
Their hearts
were hard.
Do you
not yet
perceive or
understand?
Are your
hearts hardened?
He's asking
the disciples.
Is this the
danger that
you're in
as well?
Do you
not yet
understand?
You've
been coming
for so
long to
hear the
word of
God again
and again,
but the
leaven of
this world
is still
there,
still pushing
out God,
still this
barrier,
this confusion,
this conflict,
these circumstances
still going on,
that Christ is
still being
pushed out.
But Jesus
is saying,
do you not
understand?
Do you not
understand what
this means?
Do you not
understand who
I am?
And if
he's saying
this to
them,
he's saying
it to us
as well.
Even as a
believer, we
have to be on
our guard
against this
leaven,
against this
confusion that
so easily
comes in and
things have
become acceptable
that should
never be.
To be on
our guard
against this
leaven and
our hearts
hardening so
much that we
feel we've
got a greater
understanding
now than
we ever
did before.
And the
answer today
is so often
seen by
looking at
our own
wisdom.
Throughout
these last
few years,
throughout
everything that's
going on in
our world
today, there's
always an
answer.
Science
will get us
through.
Our military
power will
get us
through.
Our resources
will get us
through.
Our money
will get us
through.
But there's
no thought
that God
is the one
who will
get us
through.
Do we
not
understand?
Do we
not understand
that apart
from him,
we are
nothing?
Do we
understand that
apart from
him, we
are lost?
If the
disciples who
were so close
to him and
saw so much
could be asked
this question,
do you not
yet understand?
What was he
saying to
them?
He was
saying to
look to
him and
to trust
in him.
They
couldn't
understand what
could be
done in
the midst
of this
famine of
4,000.
They didn't
know where
to turn
when the
answer was
there before
them, to
be their
trust in
Christ.
And for
ourselves
today, in
all the
circumstances
that we
have to
face up
to, in
all the
conflict that
goes on in
our lives,
in all the
confusion that
surrounds us,
when Jesus
is asking,
do you not
yet understand?
Do we not
know where
to go?
And will we
not turn to
him, the
one who is
able to do
so much for
us?
And yet
we just
neglect him.
We push
him away.
We'll get
through this
by ourselves.
The danger
is, just
like the
Pharisees,
where he
said, he
left them.
Our prayer
today is,
Lord, will
you not
again revive
us?
That we
would see
your blessing
on our
land.
That we
would recognize
once again
that you
are the
God of
miracles,
and that
the nations
of this
world would
view this
God and
turn to
him.
Our
circumstances,
our
conflicts,
our
confusion,
the teacher
is there
for us
to help
us understand
and to
give us
understanding
in his
ways,
the ways
of life
and the
ways of
peace,
if we
will but
turn and
thrust.
in him.
Let us
pray.
Our
Father in
heaven, we
do thank
you for
the peace
that you
are able
to give,
but it's
a peace
that we
so often
neglect or
turn away
from.
And we
do pray,
Lord, your
blessing on
us as a
people, that
you will
again revive
us, that
you will
show us
your mercy,
that you
will bring
us your
blessing,
O Lord,
and grant
us a day
of your
favour to
help us
to understand
the things
around us,
to understand
the days and
times that we
live in, and
to understand
above all our
great need of
Christ Jesus
as our Lord.
We ask it all
with the
forgiveness of
our sins, in
his precious
name.
Amen.
We'll
conclude by
singing to
God's praise
in Psalm
105.
We'll
sing
Psalms
version,
page 138,
Psalm 105,
verse 1
to verse
11.
Give
thanks to
the Lord
God and
call on
his name,
his wonderful
deeds,
to the
nations
proclaim,
sing praises
to him,
his exploits
record.
Let all
those who
seek him
rejoice in
the Lord.
We'll
sing from
verse 1
to 11
to God's
praise.
Give
thanks to
the Lord
God
and
call on
his name,
his
wonderful
who
deeds to
the
nations
proclaim,
sing
praises
to him,
and his
exploits
report.
Let
all
those who
seek him
rejoice in
the Lord.
you
chosen
what
stood
to
the
Lord
and
his
might,
seek
ever
his
peace
and
his
wonders
recite,
his
miracles
true
and
his
judgments
divide,
your
children
of
heaven,
and
so
blind.
The
Lord is
our God
and
he
rules
all the
earth,
in
and
bring
his
covenant,
the
word
he
set
forth.
He
bowed for
the
ages
to
come
to
make
good,
his
promise
to
Abraham
to
I
shall
renew,
to
Jacob
his
sovereign
decree
must
make
sure,
where
his
service
is
common,
would
always
endure,
to
you
I
will
give
us
to
portion
to
stand
the
country
of
Canaan,
the
beautiful
land.
After the
benediction,
I'll go to
the main
door.
Now may
grace,
mercy,
and peace
from God,
Father,
Son,
and Holy
Spirit,
rest upon
and abide
with you
all now
and forever
more.
Amen.