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SCRIPTURE:
"They discussed this with
one another and said, "It is because we have no bread.
Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them:
"Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or
understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see,
and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember? When I broke the five
loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick
up?" "Twelve," they replied. "And when I broke the seven loaves for the
four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?" They
answered, "Seven."
He said to them, "Do you still not understand?"
(Mark 8:16-21, NIV)
OBSERVATION:
I had asked myself what was Jesus' reaction to the
disciples discussion?
Aware of their
discussion, Jesus asked them:
1. "Why are you talking about having no
bread?
2. "Do you still not see or
understand?"
3. "Are your hearts hardened?"
4. "Do you have eyes but fail to see,
and ears but fail to hear?"
5. "And don't you remember?"
6. "When I broke the five loaves for
the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"
7. "And when I broke the seven loaves for
the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"
INTERPRETATION:
I decided to look at question 4 today and asked
myself, why did Jesus ask,
"Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?"
I believe it is because the disciples failed to see that Jesus was with
them and what He already did feeding the 5000 and the 4000! They also
failed to hear everything Jesus said before their discussion because if
they did hear, then they would not have been discussing about not having
bread.
IMPLICATIONS:
I saw important implications
for my own life. Jesus does not want me to fail to see what Jesus is
doing around me and fail to hear what Jesus is doing around me. If I do
fail to see and hear what Jesus is doing around me then I will become so
preoccupied with my own problems that I will try to develop man-made
solutions to combat the problem instead of God made solutions.
It also reminded me that I
cannot fail to see or hear what is important to the Lord. This passage
does address the politics of the situation too because the whole
discussion of the disciples started because Jesus said,
'Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod'.
The disciples then assumed Jesus was addressing them with that warning
because they had forgotten to bring bread but that was not the reason
why.
HOW GOSPEL GIVES TESTIMONY
REGARDING S.E.E & H.E.A.R:
I always carry my Bible with me because I never know when God will give
me an encounter for someone to SEE and HEAR from God's Word. At the bus
stop on Forbes & Bigelow, I HEARD a young guy, who was drunk, tell me
that he needed to go to Shadyside. I told him he was at the wrong bus
stop but he insisted he was at the right bus stop. Instead of arguing
with him, I sat on the bench and opened up my Bible to read from
Revelation. He came to me and said, "You reading the Bible?", I replied,
"Yeah". He asked me what book I was reading and I told him the Book of
Revelation. He told me he knew about the Book of Revelation and liked
it.
Then he asked me, "What is your
favorite part of the Bible?" I told him one of my favorite passages is
from Proverbs 23:29-35. I was hoping even though he was drunk and
wobbling that he could still SEE the Word of God and HEAR the Word of
God. Instead of me reading the passage, I wanted him to HEAR the Word of
God coming out of his mouth and SEE the Word of God himself by reading
it, so I asked him if he could read the passage. He started reading it:
"Who has WOE? Who has SORROW? Who has STRIFE? Who
has COMPLAINTS? Who has NEEDLESS BRUISES? Who has BLOODSHOT EYES?
Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed
wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup,
when it goes down smoothly! In the end it BITES like a SNAKE and
POISONS like a VIPER. Your EYES will SEE STRANGE SIGHTS and your MIND
IMAGINE CONFUSING THINGS. You will be like one SLEEPING ON the HIGH
SEAS, LYING on TOP of the RIGGING. "They HIT ME," you will say, "but I'm
NOT HURT! They BEAT ME, but I DON'T FEEL IT! When WILL I WAKE UP
[Blackout] so I can find another drink?" (Proverbs 23:29-35, NIV)
Then, he told me that it described
him so well and went on to describe things that happened to him that
were mentioned in the Word of God. I told him before psychology ever
came, God's Word already addressed the problem of getting DRUNK ON
ALCOHOL. I requested him to SEE THE WORD OF GOD for what it is.
I saw God's Word even transform a
person while he was drunk because he finally told me that, 'I must be on
the wrong side to go to Shadyside'. I told him, 'Yeah'. He gave me a hug
and his number to meet up with before he went to catch the bus at Fifth
& Bigelow.
I share this with you because what
I learned from this passage is that God wanted the disciples to SEE and
HEAR that He was with them to take care of their needs instead of being
self-focused. He wanted them to SEE & HEAR that He had the answers.
In the same way, I felt that Jesus
wanted me to always SEE & HEAR from Him and when that happens, He will
lay opportunities that I won't have to miss because I am succumbed to
wrong teachings of what I think is right.
If I had gone my own way that night
without wanting to associate with a drunk person, I would have missed
out on an opportunity, the Lord Jesus wanted me to be part of because I
would have wanted to SEE & HEAR things my way like the disciples did.
Jesus was not happy with the disciples and I know Jesus would have been
disappointed with me too. Jesus places us in strategic places and takes
us to strategic locations, to proclaim His love and His Kingdom when we
least expect it. When I went to the bus stop, I did not expect this
encounter but afterwards I felt so blessed to SEE and HEAR from God's
Word and to be able to help someone apply it in their own lives.
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and
forever." (Hebrews 13:8, NLT)
What Jesus did then, Jesus can even
do now when we put out focus on Him and carry His Word with us.
Jesus wanted the disciples to
focus on Him to SEE and HEAR what He can do in their lives because the
BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST starts with JESUS CHRIST. He is
the Good News for them and for me too. I need to put myself in a
position to always SEE and HEAR from Jesus and what He wants me to be
aware of.
More than anything, Jesus wants me
to SEE and HEAR that He is the Only Way TO HEAVEN. There is NO OTHER
NAME ON EARTH OR HEAVEN that WE CAN BE SAVED BY EXCEPT THE NAME OF JESUS
CHRIST.
Saved from what?
I am so thankful to Jesus Christ
that I came to SEE and HEAR from Jesus Christ to be saved from the
bondage of sin and death. No matter what I did to reach God, it was all
futile without Christ being the bridge in my life. Now even though I am
a sinful person because of my human nature, Christ's cleansing blood has
washed me clean and purified me from all unrighteousness. Now when God
SEES me, He can HEAR me say, "Father God, I don't deserve to come to
Heaven because of ANY GOOD THINGS I HAVE DONE TO EARN MY WAY TO HEAVEN
BECAUSE I CANNOT. I THANK YOU THAT WHEN YOU SEE ME YOU SEE CHRIST'S
RIGHTEOUSNESS IMPUTED TO ME WHEN I GAVE MY LIFE TO CHRIST! NOW, I CAN
ENTER HEAVEN BECAUSE YOU SEE ME AS HOLY AND PURE IN YOUR SIGHT! THANK
YOU SO MUCH FATHER GOD FOR SENDING YOUR SON TO DIE FOR ME, COME BACK TO
LIFE, AND SAVE ME. THANK YOU I BELONG TO YOU!"
I did not earn my Salvation by any
works I did for SALVATION IS BY GRACE through FAITH and not of WORKS
lest any person boast.
That means, all the religions of
the world including Christianity, if WORKS become the prevalent issue to
attain FAVOR WITH GOD to come into His Kingdom, we have FAILED TO SEE OR
HEAR why Jesus came into this world. If we could attain reaching
God by our works, Jesus would not have had to come and die for the sins
of humanity. But He did, so you and I can be JUSTIFIED BY HIS GRACE and
SANCTIFIED BY HIS GRACE. It started with JESUS CHRIST MAKING A WAY, so
we can FOLLOW.
Lest I be misunderstood, I am not
saying that 'we can live a hedonistic life' once we know Jesus Christ as
our Lord and Personal Savior. No, what the Word of God says is that the
WORKS WE DO NOW WILL BE A RESULT OF THE FRUIT THAT WE BEAR BECAUSE
CHRIST IS WORKING IN OUR LIVES THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT,
WHEN WE GENUINELY YIELD OUR LIVES TO THE JESUS, OUR LORD AND SAVIOR.
Yes, I will mess up as I have
shared with from ROMANS 7 a lot but THANKS BE TO GOD for ROMANS 8 too. I
know God's Sanctification in my life is a process and it will be the
same in your life too. Our Lord is so patient as He was with the
disciples. He wanted them to SEE and HEAR! After PENTECOST, they
finally got it. Yesterday, was PENTECOST Sunday. We can finally
get it too when we keep focusing on Christ to SEE and HEAR from Him
alone! Praise the Lord!
I ask
you now dear friend, what do you fail to see or hear in life?
Dear friend, Jesus knew the disciples failed to SEE and HEAR what
He wanted them to SEE and HEAR. They were so focused on not having bread
when Jesus was so focused on wrong teaching. Jesus' focus is so
important to us even this day because wrong teachings can corrupt us
into making wrong decisions and having the wrong picture. When I read
about 'Do you have eyes but fail to SEE or ears
but fail to HEAR?' it reminded me of the Pharisees and Herod.
When I think about the
Pharisees and Herod, I think about politics and their political
teachings. Their political teachings were against what Jesus wanted the
disciples to focus on. Jesus wanted the disciples to focus on Him and
SEE and HEAR from Him.
Jesus warned them to
'beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod'
for a reason. This warning is as important to us as it was to the
disciples then.
God uses His children as
instruments to accomplish His purposes and we should do our part being
obedient to the Father.
Jesus' interactions with the
disciples was so that they could SEE who He was and HEAR who He was.
Jesus came for a specific purpose and wanted the disciples to use their
eyes and ears to understand that.
More than anything we need to SEE
and HEAR that Jesus is there for us. When sin entered the world and
marred our relationship with God, it started with Adam and Eve. Abortion
and homosexuality and all the other sins had their fruit when Adam and
Eve rebelled against God and disobeyed Him.
We are no different for we have not
SEEN or HEARD what God wants for us because we are so preoccupied with
what we want, what we think is better for us, etc that we have actually rebelled against God in many
ways.
Yet, the Good News is that we do
not have to stay in that rebellion. Just as the disciples could not SEE
and HEAR what Jesus wanted them to SEE and HEAR, many times we don't too
but as Jesus intervened in the lives of the disciples, Jesus has
intervened in our own lives too.
Jesus gives us an opportunity to
turn to Him and SEE and HEAR that He is the Lamb of God that was slain
for sins of humanity to deliver us from all sin. We need to accept that
we are a sinner in need of a Savior. Jesus came to be that Savior by
dying on the cross, shedding His precious blood for you, being buried,
and coming back to life on the third day to save. But before He can be
your Savior, you have to acknowledge that He is Lord of your life.
"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus
is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are
justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."
(Romans 10:9-10, NIV)
You can come to the Lord just
as you are so come to Him and allow Him to work in your life so you can
SEE and HEAR what He wants you to see and hear.
"Savior
Everyday Emancipates!" & "Hear Everyday Almighty Redeems!"/(S.E.E. &
H.E.A.R)/"What do you fail to S.E.E. and H.E.A.R in life?"
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for speaking to me from the passages in Mark
8. Oh Lord, you wanted the disciples to use their eyes to
see what you wanted them to see and use their ears to hear what you
wanted them to hear but they were so preoccupied with what they wanted
to see and hear that they missed out on what you wanted for them. I want
to thank you Lord that you did not abandon the disciples but jogged
their memory with questions. Oh Lord, thank you when we do not see or
hear what you want us to see or hear, you use your Word in our lives and
your servants who choose to do your will to show us what you want us to
see and hear. Oh Lord forgive us when we have gone our own way and
please deliver us Oh Lord. Thank you so much Jesus. We want to depend on
you and obey your Word in every facet of our lives but we need your help
especially when it comes to politics and our responsibility as
Christians. Oh Lord, this
politics is a tricky issue and we ask that you convict all of us to do
what your Word wants us to do. I pray we all come to see and hear
more than anything that we are sinners in need of grace and only you can
provide that for us because that is the only way we can be delivered.
Thanks so much Jesus! Help us to accept the grace you provide for us.
Thank you so much Jesus. Thank you for dying for our sin and coming back
to life to save us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
May you experience the POWER OF
CHRIST'S RESURRECTION this day, and give Him the LOCKED areas of your
life too so you can experience His PEACE as you become an ACTOR in the
film called LIFE being directed by your DIRECTOR, JESUS CHRIST who comes
to give JOY and PEACE.
You
don't have to be locked away anymore for Christ is here to free you and
give you peace to live out your actions.
How do you look at GODISNOWHERE?
One
of my pastors, Pastor Hugo shared this example this past Sunday at the
RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh
Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:
If
you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin
and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no
peace.
But
as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to
tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.
Yes,
friend God is alive and wants to bring a transformation in your life
through the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on
the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and live
with us.
Yes,
friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE
& LIVING GRACE.
When
we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive
us and restore us to Him and we will find peace in Him.
"Therefore, if
anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has
come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the
world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he
has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore
Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.
We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him
who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God." (Colossians 5:17-21, NIV)
"For the wages
of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his
Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive
ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)
Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our
sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge
so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the
finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.
"For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not
by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)
May
you come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Personal Savior becoming
His offspring so you can spend Eternity with Him. He is waiting for you.
Come as you are. Please do not reject the gift of God.
If you would like to
invite Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him a daily part of your
life, you can this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim
God's promises for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your
eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special time
to come to the Lord. You can come right now as you pray this prayer,
meaning it in your heart and finding your new identity in Christ Jesus.
Make this your prayer. Don’t let the enemy deceive you into thinking
you need all the answers before coming to Christ. Let me just assure you
though you may not have all the answers right now before coming to
Jesus, He will answer them slowly. Yes, He will for I know our Redeemer
will! Amen!
Make this your prayer. Don’t let the enemy deceive you into thinking
you need all the answers before coming to Christ. Let me just assure you
though you may not have all the answers right now before coming to
Jesus, He will answer them slowly. Yes, He will for I know our Redeemer
will! Amen!
Prayer:
Jesus, I thank you for being the Bread of Life. You are the Living Bread
of my life. Thank you for coming from Heaven and giving your life for
the life of the world. You sacrificed yourself for humanity. Thank you
Lord when we eat of you symbolically making you part of our life,
digesting what you teach us by following you, we can be living
Eternally, and the fruit that comes will reflect and resemble your life.
I want that Father God. I want that Lord Jesus! I want that Holy Spirit!
I know of a lot of people who partake of Holy Communion where the bread
represents your body broken for their sin and the juice represents your
blood shed for their sin. When we partake of Holy Communion, we are
reminded that we are remembering you. I want to remember you always Lord
Jesus. But for me to remember you always, I need to know you and
acknowledge everything you said you are. So right now I acknowledge that
you are my Lord and Personal Savior who died and rose again to give me
life from sin. So right now, I come to you and say how sorry I am for my
sin and living a life on my own. I repent of my sin and ask you to
forgive me of my sin with your cleansing blood which I accept. Wash me
and I will be clean from this infection of sin. Come Lord Jesus and
please become part of my life as you live in me and I will live for you.
I thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and making my heart your
home. Thank you for living in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve
you the rest of the days of my life. I do need your Spirit to reside in
me and work in me and through me so I surrender all that I am and will
be to you. Whatever your will is for me, please give me the strength and
willingness to bear it and rejoice in you. Thank you so much Jesus. I
thank you Jesus for becoming my Lord and Personal Savior. I thank you
Jesus you have heard my prayer and have answered me. I thank you that I
am your child Oh God. I thank you for becoming my only Way to Eternal
Life. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
