So Matthew chapter 16, beginning at verse 1. And the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus to test Him. They asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, When it is evening, you say it will be fair weather, for the sky is red. And in the morning it will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening. You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. So he left them and departed. When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. Jesus said to them, Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and they began discussing it among themselves, saying, We brought no bread. But Jesus, aware of this, said, O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many baskets you gathered? How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Please be seated. Fuzzy thinking. Fuzzy thinking, says Doug Wilson, is one of the great sins of our age. Fuzzy thinking. Well, after studying this morning's text, one thing that has become quite clear to me is that Jesus would agree, very much agree, with that statement. Fuzzy thinking is one of the great sins of our age. But wait a minute, you might say, isn't it a bit much to consider fuzzy thinking a sin, even referring to it as a great sin of our age? Well, let's look at the text and see just how our Lord views fuzzy thinking. Verse 1 again, and the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus. They asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. Now let's first recognize that this is not just another miracle work that these Pharisees are requesting here, a healing of a cripple or the giving sight to a blind man, for these Jewish leaders have already seen such miraculous works and more, and they have already managed to explain them away, even to call some of them the works of Satan. No, they have seen plenty of miracles. They are not demanding more of the same, but are demanding a so-called sign from heaven, something undeniable, I guess. Though we know that in the end, no matter what it is, they would only deny it. But nonetheless, they are apparently demanding the undeniable, the sort of sign that might be used of God to command faith, or to uphold a weak faith, or reignite a smoldering faith. Maybe a prophetic utterance on a grand scale that is then fulfilled right before their eyes. Or, I think, maybe something they themselves would request, and Jesus would then perform. However, whatever it is that they are demanding, it is not out of the plea, I believe, help my unbelief, but rather, as this text makes clear, they seek to test Jesus, to tempt Him, in the hopes of causing Him to stumble, and thus to make the statement to those watching on, that the current evidence is insufficient with regards to who this Jesus is. They are trying to give those around them reason to doubt. These Pharisees and Sadducees who generally were battling one another by the way, no friends they are, and here nonetheless they are united as fellows only by their common hatred of Jesus. And it is from this state of cynical unbelief that they now come to Jesus and demand further signs from Him. And now notice how Jesus responds to them. I find this so interesting. Verse 2, He answers them this way, When it is evening, you say it will be fair weather, for the sky is red, and in the morning it will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening. You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. Jesus here points out how these Jewish leaders can apply clear thinking when it comes to things like the weather, to physical, temporal, earthly things. But when it comes to spiritual things, their thinking gets fuzzy. But you cannot interpret the signs of the times. They just could not reason it out. Just who Jesus was, that His claims were clearly true by all the signs He was already performing. In other words, they could not see the significance of the miraculous works He was already doing. The sign in the miracles. They could not reason it out, that He must be Messiah. And the reason that they could not, as we will see a little later from the disciples, was because they believed not. They could not because they believed not. And so this cannot that Jesus uses here, you cannot interpret the signs of the times, is not a physical or mental inability at all, but a moral inability. In other words, they cannot reason it out, because they will not reason it out, because they don't want to. They don't want to. They choose instead fuzzy thinking. And that is why Jesus is pointing to the very clear and sound logic that these Jewish leaders use when it comes to the weather. This shows that they can indeed do it. They have the mental capacity to think clearly and logically to reason such things out. If red calm skies in the evening foretell fair weather ahead, and this evening the sky is a peaceful red, then they know that the night's weather will be fair. They are able to clearly reason it out, to use good logic. And again, on the other hand, they know that a red threatening sky in the morning warns of stormy weather ahead. And so if they wake up to red threatening skies on any given morning, then they will logically conclude that the day's weather will be stormy. They can do it. They have the mental capacity to think clearly. In other words, to use sound logic. And one thing really helpful then here is that Jesus is commending their use of logic. At least as they use it with respect to the physical. And so that we can recognize then that good logic is not a thing devised by men. But rather something that has its origin in God Himself. And so, brothers and sisters, we are at our best When this attribute of God, if I dare call it that, is reflected in our own minds and in our own patterns of thought. When we are at our best, we are thinking well, using good reason and thus reflecting God, even thinking His thoughts after Him. This from Augustine, the validity of logical sequences is not a thing devised by men, but is merely observed and noted by them, that they may be able to learn and teach it, for it exists eternally. It exists eternally in the reason of things and has its origin with God. For as the man who narrates the order of events does not himself create that order, And as He who describes the situations of places, or the natures of animals, or roots, or minerals does not describe arrangements of man, or as He who points out the stars and their movements does not point out anything that He Himself has ordained, In the same way, he who says, when the consequent is false, the antecedent must also be false, says what is most true, but he does not himself make it so. He only points out that it is so. In other words, simply put, logic has its origin with God. And the use of sound logic by men is to merely identify that which is objectively true. To think God's thoughts after Him. And so again, we do well to think well. And we do well to be consistent. Not to be like these Pharisees and Sadducees who use sound logic when it comes to the weather. But then throw it out the window when it comes to spiritual things. When it comes to reasoning out just who Jesus is, the thinking of these Jewish leaders gets fuzzy. And this then exposes their hypocrisy. It exposes their hypocrisy, for they have demonstrated that they can indeed think well, at least with regards to the weather. And yet they deny the obvious when it comes to Jesus, when it comes to spiritual matters. In other words, they make good use of logic when it is convenient. When it is convenient. And yet they're quite pleased to live in the realm of contradiction when that is convenient. And that is wicked. That is wickedness. It is evil. It is sin. And our Lord here calls it evil. Verse 4, an evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign. And this is why I find it so hard sometimes, where the simple logical flow of a clear teaching of the Bible has been laid out, to step away from that discussion agreeing to disagree. Now there are those things that are not so clear and not so plain, yes. But when it is plain from the Bible, and the logic is sound, and the conclusion is obvious, A equals B, and B equals C, and so A must equal C, how do you then agree to disagree? What do you mean you're not buying it? What do you mean there are other ideas about this, or a different perspective to come at this? Let us be challenging one another, brothers and sisters, to be thinking rightly, to be applying good, sound logic in our study of God's Word and our interpretation of it. For if we are to be thinking God's thoughts after Him, which should be our goal, then we need to be applying good sound logic and doing so consistently. For God is a God of logic. Or said another way, sound logic is from God. We need to be avoiding, like the plague, the evil of fuzzy thinking, when it is convenient, either when the Bible gets in the way of our theological system or our presuppositions, or when the Bible gets in the way of our current lifestyles. I actually found that quote from Doug Wilson regarding fuzzy thinking on the back cover of a reprint of Isaac Watts' book titled, Logic. Logic, the right use of reason in the inquiry after truth. Fuzzy thinking refers to illogical thinking and it is sin. It is the evil of the Pharisees and Sadducees here in this morning's text. In fact, it is the leaven or the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees that our Lord warns His disciples to beware of and to avoid. Verse 5, When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. Jesus said to them, Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, We brought no bread. Notice, by the way, the stark contrast here between what Jesus is meditating on and what His disciples have been thinking about. They're thinking about second breakfast, while Jesus is thinking about this conversation, this encounter he's just had with the Pharisees and Sadducees, and how his disciples face this danger of being caught up into their teaching, into their way of inconsistencies with regards to spiritual matters. And so Jesus is warning them. And so again, if you wonder why sometimes, in the heat of the discussion, John or I just keep restating our understanding of the truth, refusing to just agree to disagree, it is because we have recognized it is a matter of sound logic. And it is clear to us that others are not employing sound logic. And that is not a good place for any of us to be. We don't want anyone to remain there. And I know as a student of my own deceitful heart that there is a good chance that there is something there that the fuzzy thinker is clinging to. Something that they are clinging to that would cause them to trade sound logic for fuzzy thinking. And our Lord warns us to watch and beware for the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. And it is leaven. It is just as leaven. Just a little bit of it can have a dramatic effect. And permeate the whole lump. As it has throughout the history of the Church. Salvation is all of grace and therefore it does not matter how I live, or what I do, or how I sin. Really? Does that sound logic? Where do you find in the Bible that salvation by way of grace is licensed to sin? Where is the connection in the Bible between grace and licentiousness? Actually, I find the Bible speaking of a holiness without which no one will see the Lord. And so you ask, how can salvation be all of grace and yet holiness be a condition, a condition of salvation? Well, if salvation is all of grace, which it is, and holiness is a condition of salvation, which it is, then holiness must be wrought in us by the grace of God and is thus a necessary fruit of justification and therefore a condition on final salvation. That's how. Or God is love and therefore He would not violate our free will. That is just simply not a clear, logical sequence. Try applying that to a two-year-old running into the busy street and his father loving that two-year-old by letting them do so. Man is responsible for his choices and therefore God could not have predestined man's choices. That is not a clear logical sequence. For God's sovereignty and man's responsibility are taught to be completely compatible in the Bible. Just because you cannot or will not reason it out, does not make it untrue. Or another one we recently debated at length. On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up and said, For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself. Therefore, the right of Christian baptism is to be applied to my infant children. And we labored then to show that that is not a valid, logical sequence. First of all, Peter is not talking about baptism in the verse, but of the promise. And included in the group to whom the promise is said to be for is not only their children, but also those who are far off, almost always, if not always, referring to the Gentiles. And thirdly, the group to whom the promise belongs is more precisely defined in this very verse as those whom the Lord calls to Himself, speaking of the inner effectual calling, the necessary fruit of which is repentance and faith. Therefore the statement that Peter's words in Acts 2.29 prove that the right of Christian baptism is to be applied to my infant children is not a valid logical sequence. Is that not clear? How do I agree to disagree on that point when it is based on simple logic? And notice I am not trying to say that this in and of itself disproves the validity of infant baptism. However, it does clearly mean that this verse cannot be used to actually prove the validity of infant baptism. In other words, you need to go elsewhere. And we must be able to agree on that, brothers and sisters. Sound logic demands it. We must be able to go to the Word of God and apply sound logic and agree what is plain. Think clearly, reason well, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling, rightly handling the Word of Truth. And I'm not saying that we need to all read, watch this book, or become a student of logic, though that would be helpful, I am sure. What I am saying is that we need to at least make use of what our Lord has actually hardwired into every one of us. We all can sniff out flawed reason. I know we can. We prove it every day. I hear it all the time in the realm of politics, or in our business meetings, determining our budget. We can do it and we do do it in the things of this earth. And so when our thinking starts to get a bit fuzzy regarding the things of faith or the scriptures themselves, we should check ourselves quickly asking the question, why? Why am I dodging the truth here? Why am I tolerating contradiction here? Or bad logic? Why am I not so precise with this verse as I am with others? And we should repent of it, for our Lord Himself calls it evil. And at its very root is actually unbelief. Verse 8, But Jesus, aware of this, said, O you of little faith, O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? Why were the disciples worried about bread? Because of unbelief. O you of little faith, says our Lord. And because of unbelief they could not reason, that they had no need to be anxious about bread. For Jesus had just fed five thousand with five loaves, and they themselves took up twelve baskets of leftovers. And then he went on to feed four thousand Gentiles when they only had seven loaves, and that time they took up seven baskets of leftovers. And can't you just hear our Lord in the verses that follow urging his disciples unto sound logic? I mean, think about it, guys. Reason it out. Apply the same kind of logic you would if you're trying to determine where to cast your nets when you're going fishing, or whatever. Verse 8, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember? Bring to remembrance the five loaves and the five thousand, and think about it. And how many baskets you gathered, or the seven loaves and the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered then. Think about it and perceive, he urges them. For these disciples were actually dangerously close, you see, to the same error as the Pharisees and the Sadducees. In that they were failing. They were failing to see the significance of the miracles Jesus had already done. They were failing to see the sign in the miracle He just did for them, and for the Gentiles. So beware, says our Lord, lest you too end up in the same state of unbelief as the Pharisees and Sadducees, asking me for another sign. It is so dangerous to turn our back on truth. Any bit of it, any little bit of it. Perceive it, embrace it, own it, brothers and sisters. For the good of our souls demands it. Do not reject any truth. It has a hardening effect. And do not fail to think, and to think deeply, and to reason things out. As Jesus is urging his disciples here, think about it, reason it out. And I believe encouraging them to think deeply here, to meditate on the significance of things. To meditate on the significance of things. Remember, he says, the number of baskets of leftovers that you took up. Almost dropping a hint. In other words, think about the significance of twelve, guys. Provision enough for all the twelve tribes of Israel, and always provision left over for my twelve disciples. Why are you worried about bread? Think, brothers and sisters. Think clearly, think logically, use sound reason, and think deeply. Think deeply, even employing a bit of creativity. Think about what things mean. Discover the significance of things. The hidden glory in things. William was sharing with me just the other day how he'd been thinking about Noah's Ark, and how it is a picture of Christ, and how there are foreshadows, little hints, all over the account. Hints of grace, of gospel, of the glories of Christ. And maybe not everything we're seeing there is actually there. But that isn't so bad, actually. As long as we're not carving out any new doctrines from it. We're just simply seeking glory. Seeking the glories of Christ, those hidden glories of Christ, in the pictures that we have been given in the Old Testament. Don't let John or I or anyone else do all your thinking for you. Ponder these things. Think clearly, think rightly, and think deeply. Meditate on them. Think through them yourselves. And at the same time, don't be so haughty as to not use the thoughts of other trusted men to get you thinking deeper. Read, read, read, and think, think, think. Meditate on these things as the psalmist declares. Meditate on them in the watches of the night. Meditate on our Lord's wondrous works, on His precepts, on His statutes, on the glorious splendor of His Majesty. Think on these things. Finally notice, Notice how Jesus here simply restates, word for word, what was previously misunderstood. Verse 11, how is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? I'm not talking about bread, guys. Again, I say, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, which is the exact same statement He made above. again underscoring that he wants them to think it over. He does not simply give them the answer, but restates and urges them to think it through. Then we are told, they understood, then they understood, that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus, like any good teacher, has led his disciples to a right understanding of the truth. He has not simply given them the correct answer. O brothers and sisters, let us likewise pursue God's thoughts after Him. Let us be artists of reason. avoiding the leaven of the Pharisees, and let us be thinking always and thinking deeply on the things of our God. Amen. Amen.