Good morning to all of you. There are a few announcements. that we have today. One thing you will notice here, if you're not aware, the church was broken into either Thursday or Friday night, and so I do not have my traveling mic. I have to stay in one place. You're not allowed to take bets on whether I'm going to do that. But anyways, that's the situation here. And so anyways, till we get that fixed, the situation, a few announcements. Again, we have our dinner today, and so all of you, if you're a visitor, you also are definitely invited to stay and to eat with us after the service. Also, please note, in terms of Christmas, On the how we are going to worship on Sunday since Christmas is on a Sunday this year we are not having Sunday school. OK, we will have the morning service at 11 o'clock as usual and then but there will do not be any. There will not be any evening service on that day. Everything will resume to regular schedule on New Year's Day on January 1st. So please make sure you note that as well. And also, I want to announce that continue to remember about the bridal shower for Juliana, which is Brown, which is coming up on the 17th for those who are interested in attending that. Also, in respect to the Christmas program the other night, please, if you have an opportunity, if you see Kristen Biden today, just to commend her, all the work she put into that was just wonderful organization and we're just so thankful. I asked her who were part of her team and I and we have and we have Rachel and we have we have Justine and we have race and we also for the food and Anna help play in terms of the piano. So thank you to all of those who served and. served the congregation in that way. So we really appreciate it. And it was a wonderful evening. And it was all the hidden talents in this congregation. Wonderful to see. That's wonderful to always observe. So thank you for all who participated as well. Let us come together in silent meditation. Let us stand. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases. who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like an eagle's. Congregation, let us turn to the Red Trinity Hymnal. Our first hymn this morning is 195, 195. you. you. A great God and Father, we thank Thee that Thou hast poured out Your love unto us in the gracious gift of the Lord Jesus Christ. We come before Thee today as those whom the Spirit has called to assemble before thy throne of grace, the joy, the glory that is in Christ that has been revealed in his person and is now showered upon us by his Spirit. Bless our worship today as we come and assemble in one voice to the praise of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In his name we pray, amen. You may be seated. This morning I want to do for the revelation God's will I want to read a responsive reading So in the back of your hymnal it is page 8 23 in the back of your hymnal page 8 23 I want to read from psalm 106 1 through 23 47 and 48 we will read responsibly from the word of god This psalm I have chosen because part of the theme today, a matter of fact, a very important part of the theme today of the message of our text this morning from Mark is a question of remembering, remembering. Do you remember what the Lord has done for you? So this psalm is in that vein. Psalm 106, Verses one through 23, 47 and 48, page 823. Praise the Lord. Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord or fully declare his praise? Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people. Come to my aid when you save them. We have sinned, even as our fathers did. When our fathers were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles. Yet he saved them for his name's sake, to make his mighty power known. He saved them from the hand of the foe. From the hand of the enemy, he redeemed them. Then they believed his promises and sang his praise. In the desert, they gave in to their craving. So he gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease upon them. The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan. It buried the company of Abram. At Horeb they made a calf, and worshipped an idol cast from metal. They exchanged their glory for an image of a bull, which Jesus harassed. They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt. Remember, it also was night and day, and also in the east by the way of the sea. So he said he would destroy them. Save us, O Lord, our God, and gather us from the nations. That we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise. Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say amen. Praise the Lord. Let's pray. Our Lord and our God, the human spirit is perplexing in terms of our sin. We can see, and yet we do not remember. We know your presence, and yet we forget. We ask, oh Lord, that we would be those who continually understand what the Lord God has done, not only in terms of Israel, but more importantly, in terms of the Lord Jesus Christ, the mediator that exceeds Moses has come and has given to us the rich benefits of salvation And we ask, O Lord, that we would not forget the cross in the empty tomb, and that he is the one who has ascended and is at thy right hand making intercession for us. Help us to rely in confidence, in assurance, in terms of his continual presence and grace, and mercy unto our hearts. We ask, O Lord, that we would always seek your love in your continual forgiveness. In Christ's name, amen. In context, to the Exodus and the people of Israel in that wilderness journey. For the assurance of pardon, I turn to Hebrews chapter 10, four through seven and verse 10. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me, and burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book. And by that will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Congregation, let us turn to number 230. Number 230, let us remain seated and sing all the verses of 230. ♪ You must reach the end of time ♪ ♪ Life assumes to be useful but for a brief moment ♪ ♪ And the angels sing aloha ♪ ♪ And the stars bright beyond the sky ♪ ♪ Are all for singing aloha ♪ ♪ Hark, the herald angels sing ♪ ♪ Hark, the herald angels sing ♪ O come, O come, O come, O come, O come, O come, O come, O come, O come, Let us come together before our mediator, Jesus Christ, in prayer. Our Lord, thou has given us so much in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are thankful for what he is to each one of us. Each journey here this morning is different. The pathway is different for each person. but yet you are the faithful one who has called thy people unto thyself, and thou art the one who continues to bless and watch over us. We ask, O God, that as we go those different directions in our lives and that you in your providence has blessed us with various talents, various things in which we ourselves are able to endure in a way in which we are connected with thee and the way that we are connected with one another. We thank thee for the service of the Lord Jesus Christ to him and to his body, the church, and to each who are here this morning. in terms of the gifts that you have given each one. We're thankful for those gifts, and we ask, O Lord, your continual direction and counsel in leadership with respect to those gifts as well. We ask also that you would continue to bless the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. The gift of preaching is proclaimed throughout the world this day. We ask for the hearts of thy people to always be edified for those that continue to need as the body of Christ, as all of we need, the continual repentance and cleaving unto thee in faith, that that also would be part of our lives and consciousness as we hear the word of God preached. For it is the Lord Jesus Christ through his spirit that brings the confessing church to repentance and faith in him. We ask that you would bless each of us in terms of our own position in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we would be those who are edified by the presence of Christ, and that we would also be those who continue to serve the living Christ in our midst. Help us, strengthen us, Give us each day the endurance that is needed in the service of thy kingdom. We ask, O Lord, that you would continue to be with thy people. We ask that you'd be with Mark and Jenny Richline. We ask that you be with them in Uruguay. We ask that there would be greater cooperation in the reformed seminaries in Latin America. We don't know exactly what Mark and Jenny, are thinking about concerning the unity of those seminaries, but oh Lord, we would ask that you would bestow upon them the service of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing would get in their way and that the church of the Lord Jesus Christ would be prominent in that country. We ask that you be with Caleb and Erica Smith, Thousand Oaks, California. are in a very difficult area in this land in terms of cost and expenses. And we ask, oh Lord, for the financial stability of the congregation and its members as they live in a very trying time and a very time that can bring much turmoil and anxiety concerning family financial issues. We ask that you'd be with them, that the church would be preserved there, and the ministry of the church would also increase there. We ask also, O Lord, that you be with Mark Coleridge. We ask that you be with him in his ministry there in Kennewick, Washington. We ask that you'd be with the gospel that goes forth in that pulpit, Lord's Day after Lord's Day, and that you itself would continue to establish a mighty work in the midst of thy people, in the midst of that community, and the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ would be absolutely known from the voice of that congregation. We ask also that you'd be with the covenant children that are in this congregation, We ask your blessings upon them. We ask that they would always live by virtue of their baptism, dying unto sin and living unto the righteousness of Christ's resurrection. Bestow upon them a spirit that is faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ. And we are anxious to see the days when our young people make clear public profession of faith. May those days come in terms of thy spirit unto them. We ask also that you be with our families. We think especially this morning that Jeremy and Rachel and Noah and Grace and Lydia Ise were so thankful for their lives. And we ask, oh Lord, that you would continue to assist Rachel and Jeremy and being faithful in terms of leading that home, in terms of reading the word and praying as a family together, both individually and as a family, and that God would enable them to be fruitful and faithful witnesses to family and friends of the hope that they have in Jesus Christ, as it is pointed out by the author of Hebrews. We thank thee also for Julie and for Tim and Zach Oz. We're thankful for them. And we ask continually, as we have placed on our prayer list, for the salvation of Julie's stepfather, Al. We ask that you would also be with those other family members that need to see the light of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanksgiving for Tim's witness to Al this past week in terms of the gospel. And we pray as a congregation and as their family, join with their family, that more opportunities will come about in terms of the presentation of the gospel to him. We ask also that you would be with the family together, especially as they meet and assemble for this Christmas holiday season, that your name and your person would be glorified in all their inner actions. And also, we continue to pray for the Bible studies that are in this congregation. For those that lead them, for those who consciously are in thy word and presenting thy word to others each week, we ask that all those who participate continue to mature in their faith and grow closer to the Lord Jesus Christ and to one another. We praise your name, O Lord, also for the celebration of life of Lynn Brown's mother yesterday. We're thankful that the gospel was heard and that we know that the gospel shined in her life. We're thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ and his faithfulness to his people and his covenant children from generation to generation. We ask that you continue to be with Dave Brown's mother as she herself struggles through this time in her life. We ask you to bless her and be close unto her and continue to give Dave insight along with his families concerning the care. We ask also that you would continue to be with Debbie Donovan's father through this time of lung cancer. We ask that you would continue to give him good spirits and we ask that you would continue also through the radiation treatments to keep that airway passage clear for him in terms of breathing situations. We ask you to bless his life and be with the whole family who encourages him through this time. We bring all these things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying. Our father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Let us stand and sing number 697 number 697. ♪ Sing all ye citizens of heaven above ♪ ♪ Sing all ye citizens of heaven above ♪ ♪ Sing all ye citizens of heaven above ♪ ♪ Wonderful words, beautiful words ♪ ♪ Wonderful words of life ♪ ♪ Wonderful words, wonderful words ♪ ♪ Wonderful words of life ♪ ♪ Christ the blessed is the one ♪ ♪ Wonderful words of life ♪ ♪ Sing of his love and love ♪ ♪ Wonderful words of life ♪ ♪ Oh, so freely giving ♪ ♪ Doing us to heaven ♪ ♪ Beautiful words, wonderful words ♪ ♪ Wonderful words of life ♪ ♪ Beautiful words, wonderful words ♪ ♪ Beautiful words of life ♪ ♪ Freely echoed across from now ♪ ♪ Wonderful words of life ♪ ♪ Offer gladly to God ♪ ♪ Wonderful words of life ♪ ♪ Jesus, holy Savior ♪ ♪ Sing of life forever ♪ ♪ Beautiful words, wonderful words ♪ ♪ Wonderful words of life ♪ ♪ Beautiful words, wonderful words ♪ ♪ Wonderful words of life ♪ You may be seated. Continuing on in Mark, if you would, turn to Mark chapter eight, verses 14 through 21. Mark chapter 8, reading verses 14 through 21, listen carefully to this very dramatic scene from the infallible and errant Word of God. 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 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 5,000, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up? They said to him, 12. And the seven for the 4,000, 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? Let's pray. Our Lord and our God, are hearing Christ's words and we ask that as we hear his conversation with these, his chosen disciples that we this morning would understand. Help us to understand who Christ is And may our lives reflect his person, his identity, in our hearts as well as our walk. In Christ's name, amen. Do you not remember? Do you not remember? This is essentially the question that Jesus directs to his disciples as they make their way from the western side of the Sea of Galilee to the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, back to dominant Gentile country. Jesus asks this question as the disciples are having a tense discussion about the failure to bring bread on the boat. Let us put the question this way. Don't you remember what you have seen with your own eyes when I, Jesus, fed the 5,000? When I, Jesus, fed the 4,000? Congregation, Before we get into the meat of this important text, let me ask you a question, which is probably true for you as it is surely true for me in our Christian lives. Have you ever been embarrassed or gotten really frustrated with yourself because you did not trust the Lord would work things out providentially for you in your life, when in fact you have had repeated blessings in the Lord's providence in your life. We ask, oh Lord, this question because you see, this is very important question, is it not? Have you not found yourselves in this situation, wondering and questioning the Lord's providence? For example, looking for a job, hunting for a place to live, living from paycheck to paycheck. facing surgery and other health issues, making tough daily decisions, when traveling, relying on the Lord's safekeeping. For young people, trusting the Lord to show you how to use your talents, the direction you take in terms of a vocation, Success in academics, choosing friends, perhaps also in your mind choosing a spouse. From the eldest to the youngest. There can be some difficult and tough heartaches which challenge us to see the goodness of the Lord poured out in our lives. In those situations, the book of Job is given to the church to provide direction and support. For I know that my Redeemer lives. Well, in our text, the disciples have forgotten to bring loaves of bread. Have they not witnessed? Have we not witnessed? Have they not witnessed before the shortage of bread in the presence of Christ? Have they not learned? Have they not remembered? By now, what Jesus can do when there is a shortage of bread? Why are they not embarrassed about the bickering over the lack of possessing loaves of bread? Moreover, let us compound the situation in Mark's narrative before us. This is the third occasion that the disciples and Jesus meet in a scene with a boat. And in the previous two occasions, Jesus does something amazing. Whether it is loaves of bread, or if it is at sea in a boat, Something supernatural, something miraculous occurs by the power and the authority of Jesus. So why aren't the disciples remembering? Why are they not trusting? Why are they not showing principles of faith and confidence in Jesus? Why are they not embarrassed even for not thinking that Jesus will take care of them in this specific situation? Are they not possessing, are they not processing, excuse me, in processing the presence of Jesus among them? Are they still without understanding As we reflect upon this scene with the disciples, let us reflect seriously also about our own understanding and faith in Christ and how we respond in difficult times and settings of stress and anxiety with the promise and assurance of Jesus's presence, not forsaking us in those situations. Let us begin with the disciples getting into a boat and making their way to the eastern side of the sea. As I stated, this is the third boat scene in Mark's gospel. The first boat scene, as you recall, appears with them going from west to east, chapter 4, verse 35 through 41. This is the occasion of the storm at sea in which our Lord was sleeping as the wind and the waves are raging against the boat. In panic, The disciples wake Jesus up and he, Christ, rebuked the wind with the same authority and power that he rebukes those demons to cast out demons and said with his sovereign voice to the sea, peace, be still. In response, the disciples with great fear said, to each other, who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him, not having true understanding of who Jesus really is. The second boat scene is when the disciples are directed by Jesus to go to Bethsaida as Jesus went up to the mountain to pray in chapter 6 verses 45 through 52. As the disciples are in the boat, they are met with a headwind. that takes them to the western side instead of Bethsaida. Then Jesus the Lord, the Lord over sea and wind, comes walking, you remember that, comes walking on the water to the disciples and his path to pass them by is interrupted because they thought they had seen a ghost. Jesus tells them to take heart. that I am that I am is here. The Lord of grace and mercy has entered the scene and as he gets into the boat, the wind ceased. You see, in each of those situations, those two situations, when Jesus, in the relationship to the disciples in the boat, something, supernatural, miraculous occurs. Now, in our text here this morning, we have a third boat scene. And this time, as Jesus accompanies them, there is no natural hostile activity addressing them at sea. There is no storm and there is no wind. Rather, the focus on this trip is a conversation that these disciples are having among themselves, a conversation that has profound spiritual importance for the life of the church. Have the disciples learned anything from the previous two incidents at sea with Jesus? Do they remember what He did with the forces of nature? Even more, to the point of their present conversation, they have forgotten to bring sufficient loaves of bread in the boat. They only have one loaf for all the disciples to partake of as well as Jesus. Who is the blame for not getting more bread on the boat? Who are we going to blame? You can just see them arguing. Their conversation is quite an extended conversation. We are to see this in terms of the text. They would not stop bickering with one another. Now note how Mark arranges the conversation. He opens with them quarreling. forgetting the bread, verse 14 of your text. Then in verse 16, he tells us that the discussion is going on and on. Now don't miss what is in between verses 14 and 16. In between those two verses, are the profound words of Jesus in verse 15. Jesus makes a profound, precise statement. Again, in parabolic form, he mixes metaphor, leaven, yeast, with the reality of what they have just immediately noted in the Pharisees and what they should understand about Herod. Jesus addresses them clearly. He leaves nothing to implication. He commands them to watch out. Did you notice the words? The phrase here has a visible reference which should not surprise us. After all, the actions of the Pharisees and Herod are clearly visible to anyone who has eyes to see. Jesus is demanding the disciples to be attentive about what they are perceiving from both of them, the Pharisees and Herod. They need to be careful on the lookout of the leaven of both. can be both negative and positive in the history of biblical revelation. The context will determine how we are to look at it, whether negatively or positively. There is no doubt in the case that is before you that Jesus is using it as a negative metaphor, pointing to the evil corruption of the human will in both the Pharisees and Herod. What is the evil corruption of the human will of the Pharisees? What would that be? Well, we have seen that last week, didn't we? They demand a sign. from within their view of who Jesus must be. From their viewpoint, Jesus must be, and that is not found in one who preaches parables, heals sickness, forgives sins, casts out demons, eats with sinners and tax collectors, feeds 5,000 with five loaves and two fish? No. Their view of the Messiah endorses their additions and subtractions to God's law. Their Messiah receives the authentication of their religious establishment, synagogue leaders, elders, Jerusalem scribes, Pharisees, such a Messiah must come to liberate Israel from any Gentile political empire that occupies their promised land. The evil corruption of the Pharisees is that they are not satisfied Remember that word in terms of the feeding of the 4,000 and 5,000? They are not satisfied with the presence of Jesus Christ in their midst. In fact, they view Jesus as an evil imposter of messianic hope for Israel. Will the disciples allow this evil understanding to leaven, to invade, to occupy, to penetrate the sacred body of Jesus' Church. Next, what is the evil corruption of the human will of Herod Anapas? Finally, in Mark's Gospel, Jesus makes a reference about Herod, who, under his weak and cowardly leadership, had John the Baptist beheaded, the prophet of the Lord, the honored forerunner, announcing and baptizing the Son of God, who is the Christ. Once again, allow me to emphasize here that Jesus is not is not declaring a prescription for an uprising against Herod's evil political reign. Rather, he is concerned about the evil leaven of Herod invading and occupying the church. That is, one who leads a nation to penetrate the walls of the church and to seek the destruction of the word of God Christ himself, the one greater than John the Baptist. You see, both Herod and the Pharisees want nothing to do with the true presence of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. and his good news and kingdom coming into the creation. Is this registering upon your hearts this morning? Is it? Is the presence of Jesus Christ in your life, in the life of the church, totally, yes, totally sufficient for you? Is your life totally satisfied with Jesus Christ being the meaning of your life, your existence by Christ alone, by grace alone, by faith alone? Or do you seek and want some leaven some yeast to be blended into your version of Christianity that will expand your view of Jesus beyond the parameters of Mark's gospel to be more relevant for you. Are you satisfied with what you have been reading about Jesus in Mark's gospel so far, or are you bored? Are you grasping what Jesus is getting at with the use of the metaphor in this simple parable to his disciples? Are you allowing Christ's words, watch out, beware, to analyze your own heart? Does Jesus's caution to his disciples bypass your life and the life of the church? Evangelical and Reformed churches are packed, even this morning, are packed with people who want more than Jesus. Christ alone is not enough for them. Every Sunday, some want Jesus and the leaven of psychological self-affirmation of their inner feelings and personal experiences reaffirmed. Every Sunday, some want Jesus and the leaven of personal relevance for connecting to the culture to be preeminent. Every Sunday, some want Jesus and the leaven to be a life insurance policy against illness, being destitute, persecution, or on the opposite side, for prominence, success, and fame. Jesus is like an over-the-counter drug that I take to get through the failures and the successes or successes of each day. Every Sunday, some want Jesus and the leaven. of a self-composed form of Christian nationalism or Christian globalism floating around today to dominate Christian activism in the church to the degree that they want something like a Old Testament theocracy to be set up in a certain nation or among the nations here and abroad. These are the leavens and the signs that occupy evangelicals and reform people in their view of Jesus and the Christian religion. Reflecting on all of those elements that I've just presented to me, I defy anyone here this morning to find that in Mark's gospel so far. On the other hand, liberal churches steeped in the 11, in the 11 of adopting a critical view against true biblical religion, have persuaded, are persuaded, excuse me, that they must get rid of everything that is supernatural with respect to Christ, that he is divine. That he performed miracles, gotta get rid of that. That he conquered the actual spiritual world of Satan, gotta get rid of that. That he died, that he died as a blood atoning sacrifice, washing away the sins of his invisible church, gotta get rid of that. That he rose again from the dead. What an absurdity. For the liberal, the leaven added to Jesus presented in the Bible. must be exchanged for a Jesus who merely taught us how to attain moral virtue and superiority while we live our lives on earth. Jesus is just a great moral prophet. I even heard that yesterday, just flipping the channels on a discussion about who Jesus is on a secular station. It's all Jesus was. a station that was asking the question, who is the real Jesus? They took this viewpoint in this program. I listened for about two minutes and turned to Chan. However, their conception of moral virtue, if that's what you want to call it, seems to endorse multiple lifestyles that the Bible declares and defines as immoral and under the judgment of God. Congregation, is Jesus's little brief parable here this morning hitting you squarely between the eyes and penetrating the depths of your heart. We do not ask for a sign beyond what has already been given in the presence of Christ's ministry, which truly defines who he is and authenticates exactly his presence as the Messiah into the world. We must not be cowards by permitting those who attack the true identity and ministry of Jesus to strip the church of the real presence of Jesus Christ. So once again, do not miss that the Apostle Paul provides an excellent commentary For Christ's church and application to the parable here in Mark 8, 15, Paul writes to the Corinthians, for the Jews demand signs, plug in there the Pharisees. The Greeks seek wisdom, plug in there Herod. But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles. but to those who are called, both Jew and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. This must be the commitment of this church and pulpit preaching Christ crucified and Christ alone. We are satisfied with the presence of Jesus Christ alone in our lives and the work of the Spirit applying Christ alone to equip us and satisfy us in our pilgrim journey into the final temple, garden, Canaan, the new heaven and new earth, the heavenly Jerusalem. If you are looking for something more than Jesus, if you need some leaven, then the ministry from this pulpit may not be for you. Now don't miss it. Go back to the structure of verses 14 through 16 of our text. The parable is in the middle between bickering, the bickering of the disciples in which Mark is insisting that the disciples note what Jesus is saying. Are they getting the point of Jesus' comment about the leaven Pharisees inherit? Not at all. Not at all. They have heard They have not heard a thing that Jesus said. We could say, we might say here, it went in one ear and out the other. The warning that Jesus gives flies right over their head. After Jesus' comment, after he makes that comment, again, notice the arrangement of the text. After Jesus makes the comment, they start right back up again as if Jesus said nothing. They continue to argue about the bread. Who didn't bring it? Jesus finally interrupts with a series of eight rhetorical questions from verses 17 through 21. rhetorical questions. Every question by Jesus exposes continued unbelief in the disciples, that they continue to have hardened hearts, that they continue to fail to understand and be satisfied with the presence of the Messiah, the Son of God, and his kingdom in their midst. Their focus is upon the leaven of this world. It does not even permit them to recall what Jesus does when he is in their presence on a boat at sea, what he has done with loaves of bread. They ask, answer his question. How much more did you pick up? 12 baskets, seven baskets. So what? So what? Why is it not registering? With eyes to see and ears to hear. Verse 18. Why is it that they shield their hearts from understanding who Jesus is? At this point, the disciples want something more than the presence of Christ. Each of us, for each of us, This may be one of the most important questions you face in your Christian life. Do you want something more than Christ in your life? I've got Christ, but I gotta have something more. in accordance with Mark's gospel this morning, let each of us examine, including the one before you, let each of us examine the leaven that may be getting in the way of a pure, pure relationship with Christ alone. in his kingdom and in his church. Let's pray. Our Lord and our God, we praise your name for the Lord Jesus Christ. And if there are scales on our eyes and over our hearts, Break them, we plead unto thee by thy spirit, that we would be satisfied, fully satisfied in our lives with the presence of Jesus Christ and Christ alone. That is the gift of grace mercy, love, forgiveness, reconciliation for each of us before a holy and sovereign God. Abide with us, with your presence. In Christ's name, amen. Number 67, let us stand and sing 67. ♪ Hear us, O Israel ♪ ♪ Hear us, O Israel ♪ ♪ Hear us, O Israel ♪ ♪ Hear us, O Israel ♪ ♪ Hear us, O Israel ♪ ♪ Hear us, O Israel ♪ ♪ Hear us, O Israel ♪ ♪ Hear us, O Israel ♪ ♪ Hear us, O Israel ♪ ♪ O nation, tell your powerful Lord ♪ ♪ That you do reign in new life ♪ ♪ Israel trusted God alone ♪ ♪ But Lord, His grace did power on me ♪ ♪ To limber for our nation's will ♪ ♪ And he will be your help and shield ♪ ♪ All those who fear him God will bless ♪ ♪ His saints will prove his faithfulness ♪ ♪ All you to fear and to adore ♪ ♪ Our Lord and priest, shiver and mourn ♪ Pray. Our Lord and our God, we are so thankful for the presence of Christ through His Spirit. We ask that every heart today would be uplifted with the wonderful gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ alone. And may we, O Lord, respond unto thee with these gifts to the perseverance of thy church here on earth. In Christ's name, amen. You may be seated. We will worship our Lord and our King with our tithes and offerings. ♪ Whom all blessings flow ♪ ♪ Praise Him all creatures here below ♪ ♪ Praise Him above ye heavenly host ♪ ♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ Amen. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior alone, his wise be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever, amen. Yeah. Yeah.