Don’t Miss the Signs!
Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 29:40
0 ratings
· 451 viewsFiles
Notes
Transcript
Don’t Miss the Signs!
Mark 8:10-13
There was a truck driver that was sent out on a new route. He wasn’t sure where he was going, so he had his GPS set and was making sure he followed the directions it gave him. He was so intent on making sure he took the right exit that he missed the signs warning about a low overpass overhead.
Well, he kept going and when he got to that overpass, he got stuck. He was wedged in so tight that he couldn’t go forward or back up.
The police showed up and several tow trucks tried to pull that stuck truck out from underpass.
They tried everything: wenches, greases, pulleys, wedges and everything else anyone suggested. Nothing worked. Hours passed and that truck was as stuck as ever.
A pretty large crowd had gathered to watch and see how they got the truck out. In that crowd was a young boy. He was having a great time seeing their efforts foiled. After their last attempt failed, he called out to one of the police officers standing helplessly by.
He said, “Hey officer, I know how to get that truck out!”
The policeman looked at the boy and ignored him.
He called out again and again, “Hey officer, I know how to get that truck out!”
So, that policeman, just a little irritated said, “Okay smarty pants, tell me how we can get it out.”
Without any hesitation, the young boy said, “Let some air out of the tires.”
And you know what? That’s exactly what they did and it worked. They got the truck out.
Now, I don’t if this is a true story but it does teach us some important lessons. First, it’s easy to overlook the obvious when it’s staring you in the face. And second, wise people learn to pay attention to all the signs.
Signs are pretty important.
I’ve missed a few turns because I missed a road sign. I may have been speeding by chance on occasion because I missed a sign that told me to slow down. Signs help you to know where you are and what you’re supposed to be doing. Signs serve an important purpose in our lives.
Just as there are signs in this physical world, there are also signs in the spiritual arena. Those signs are even more important that the signs in the physical world. You can miss a sign or two here and things will probably turn out fine. Hopefully, you’ll eventually get to where you need to go. But, if you miss too many spiritual signs, you could end up in Hell.
Our passage for today tells us about a group of people who missed all the signs and got themselves into some really big trouble with the Lord. Let’s watch what happens when you miss those spiritual signs. There are some warnings that we should really take to heart.
Let’s pray and then we’ll look at our text.
Pray!
And immediately he 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 sighed deeply in his 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 to the other side.
The first thing we notice is
A Demand
A Demand
Jesus has just finished one of the greatest miracles of His ministry. He took seven small loaves of bread and a few small fish and fed four thousand people. When the meal was over, the disciples collected seven baskets filled with leftovers from the meal. According to verse 10, Jesus and His disciples immediately leave by ship and go to another part of Israel.
As soon as they arrive there, they’re met by the Pharisees.
You might remember that the Pharisees were the religious conservatives of their day. This was the religious right. They were politically active, conservative and wanted to protect their heritage.
They were very legalistic (you know, my way or the highway) and they hated Jesus because He refused to do things the way they said things were supposed to be done. When the crowds were praising Jesus and beginning to think that He could be the Messiah, these are the people who denied the truth and said, “It’s fake news.”
These are the same people who thought it was okay to compromise to get what they wanted. They swung the vote of the mob, pushed the buttons of government and the next thing you know, Jesus is hanging on a cross.
In our passage, Jesus arrives back in their neck of the woods and they come out to meet Him. They don’t come to talk, to communicate, to see if they have any common ground. They came to argue with Him.
The only way that they were going to even consider accepting Him is if He were to give them a sign. They were putting Him to the test and wanted a sign from heaven as proof. They wanted Him to prove the source of His power and authority.
They were basically saying, “Hey, if you’re really from God, if you’re really who you claim to be, it would be nothing for you, it’d be really easy to do some kind of wonder in the sky above us to prove it.”
· Joshua commanded the sun to stand still and it did. (Joshua 10:12-14)
· Samuel prayed for thunder and rain to show the people’s wickedness and God sent thunder and rain (1 Samuel 12:17-18)
· Elijah prayed and it didn’t rain for three and a half years (1 Kings 17:1)
· Elijah prayed again and it rained (1 Kings 18:41-45)
· Elijah called down fire from heaven that burnt up the offering and the altar (1 Kings 18:36-38)
What they were really doing was trying to get Jesus to promise more than He could deliver. They had heard about all the other things He had done with people, diseases, demons and food. They wanted Him to attempt a miracle and fail so they could condemn Him as a false prophet.
They were saying that all the things He has already done weren’t enough to prove that He truly was the Messiah. They knew what He’d done but they wanted more.
· He healed the sick
· He raised the dead
· He delivered people from demon possession
· He walked on water
· He calmed storms
· He multiplied a small amount a food to feed a multitude, not once but twice
Jesus had opened the Word of God, preached it clearly and made the meaning of Scripture plain to all who heard Him. The people were talking about Him. They said, “We never saw anything like this!” (Mark 2:12) They said, “He has done all things well” (Mark 7:37)
The Pharisees had heard enough of the Gospel to save the world. They had seen enough proof to convince the most stubborn of skeptics. Their problem was simply that they didn’t want to believe in Jesus! They didn’t want Him to be their Messiah. They refused to bow to Him as their Lord and Savior!
We still have the Pharisees with us today.
We still have the people who demand to see something sensational before they’ll commit to following Jesus. People thrive on the sensational. Why do you think people like Benny Hinn have such a following? It isn’t the hair! People flock to him because he promises them the sensational.
Far too many people are waiting on some supernatural event to prove the existence of God. The fact is, God has already proven that He exists! While the world is looking for a sign, God tells us that He’s visible in the ordinary things of this world. The things we take for granted every day are the very things that prove God is real.
David would write:
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,
1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world…
No doubt this psalm was inspired when, as a shepherd in Bethlehem, David looked up at the skies overhead and heard the silent sermon of the stars, testifying to the truth that God created everything.
Walking with a group of admirals one evening who were discussing whether or not God existed, Napoleon is said to have pointed to the heavens and said, “Sirs, if you’re going to get rid of God, you must get rid of those.” Napoleon was right. The heavens declare the glory, the reality, the substance, the weight of God.
Paul would write:
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
All of creation speaks to the reality of God. None of this accidental. It didn’t happen by chance. But people thinking they’re smarter than they really are try to come up with alternatives and make themselves fools.
David writes:
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…
No two people in the world are exactly alike. No two fingerprints are alike. Think about the marvel of DNA. Every one of the 7.5 trillion cells in your body contains the genetic material to make another you. And, your DNA is unique to you! You’re different from every other person who has ever lived. You’re unique!
All of these scream that there is a God! What more of a sign do you need?
If you’re looking for a sign today, look no farther than Calvary! The cross stands as an eternal sign of the love of God for lost sinners
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
If you’re looking for a sign, look to the empty tomb. It’s the eternal sign that our Savior is alive!
If you need a sign pointing the way to God, look at the Bible!
If you’re looking for a sign to prove the claims of the Bible are real, just look around you! Changed lives are all the proof you should ever need!
The Pharisees didn’t believe because they didn’t want to believe. Their demand for a sign was a smokescreen. Even if Jesus had torn the heavens in two, they still wouldn’t have believed.
They rejected Him because He wasn’t what they were expecting.
There was a demand and next:
A Declaration
A Declaration
When Jesus hears their demand, He’s grieved in His soul. His is a sigh of frustration and maybe even of anger. His question, “Why does this generation seek a sign?” was a question born out of amazement!
After all, that generation had the greatest sign of all in their midst. They had the Messiah, God in the flesh walking among them and they couldn’t even recognize Him. They were looking for a heavenly sign and Heaven had taken up residence among them and they missed it!
Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9)
But, when people looked at Jesus, they didn’t see the Father, they saw the devil, a man possessed. That generation had all the signs and they couldn’t see the truth that was standing right in front of their eyes.
So, Jesus told them they would be given no sign, but the sign of the prophet Jonah.
But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
For 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 only sign they’d be given would be Christ’s resurrection from the dead. When that sign came to pass just as Jesus had said it would, they rejected it. That generation refused to believe because they didn’t want to believe! Jesus knew their condition and He refused to play their game. He told them He wasn’t in the sign business.
There are two basic problems with signs.
First:
· when a sign is given, another sign is desired
It’s never enough! No matter what Jesus did, these men would’ve never believed! He could’ve opened the heavens and caused hosts of angels to appear, but they would’ve wanted more. He could’ve done any number of signs in the heavens above and they still wouldn’t have accepted Him! They would have always wanted just one more miracle. The same’s true today! People are never satisfied.
Second:
· signs don’t save, faith does
Jesus could’ve done all the signs imaginable and it would never have saved a single soul, unless that soul reached out to Him in simple, childlike faith! It isn’t the miracles that save souls, it’s faith. When faith touches grace the greatest miracle of all, salvation takes place.
Jesus isn’t in the sign business! He is in the salvation business!
If you’re waiting for a Damascus Road experience before you come to Jesus, you’ll probably be waiting a really long time.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Listen to what He’s saying, “Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”
If you’re waiting on a sign, you’re waiting on something that isn’t coming!
There was a demand, a declaration and finally:
A Departure
A Departure
Some of the saddest words in Scripture are found in verse 13:
13 And he left them…
There was nothing more to say and nothing more that could be done. They refused to believe, and He abandoned them to their choice. He abandoned them. He turned them over to their own ways and left them in their darkness!
You need to understand that there will come a point when He’ll walk away from you and never return. He’ll abandon you to the eternity you have chosen.
There will come a day when He will stop speaking to your heart. When will that day be? It could be today; it could be tomorrow; the truth is, that day will come. Don’t bet your soul on the thought that you always have tomorrow to get right with the Lord.
For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
…Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
No one goes to Hell because God sends them there. People go to Hell because they refuse to turn from their sins and believe in Jesus. People go to Hell because they “love darkness rather than Light.” People go to Hell because God is a God of love who doesn’t force Himself on anyone against their will. People go to Hell because God allows them to have their own way.
Are you still looking for a sign? Let me share a few.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
There are many more signs, if you’re interested, and every single one of them is found right here in the Bible. Don’t miss the signs and Heaven will be your home. Ignore the signs and you’re headed for a tragic ending.
Imagine a driver going down a highway passing sign after sign telling him that the bridge over the river ahead was out. Imagine that same driver plunging to his death in the river because he ignored all the signs. You say, “No one would do something so stupid!”
Oh no? Isn’t that just what you’re doing? You’re speeding down the road of life toward your death and the bridge is out. Yet you ignore sign after sign telling you to stop and change roads. Don’t plunge into Hell!
Come to Jesus and be saved.