Facts and Faith

You may be seated.

Good morning.

My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church,

and it's my joy to bring God's word to you today.

A special welcome if you're new or visiting with us.

We're glad that you're here, and we're glad that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats

but because we're following Jesus together as one community.

And as we follow Jesus together, we become convinced that there's no one so good.

They don't need God's grace.

And no one's so bad that they can't have it,

which is why we come back week after week to hear what God has to say to us in his word.

We're continuing our series in the Gospel of Mark.

You'll remember that the Gospels tell the story of Jesus and his life and his death and his resurrection.

And as we go through this Gospel, in particular, we're asking two questions.

First, who is Jesus?

And second, how do we respond to him?

Who is Jesus, and how do we respond to him?

These are questions that we don't put from the outside into the text,

but they're actually questions that come from the inside of the text that we pull out,

and we're going to see those questions again repeated shortly later in chapter 8 as we begin that chapter this morning.

It's tempting as we read through the Gospels to see them as isolated stories with interesting points

and to miss the bigger picture that's at work that the Gospel writer wants us to see.

Part of the reason that we go through books of the Bible from beginning to end

is so that we would understand that greater picture, that greater story.

And we're in a broader section in the Gospel of Mark about what it means to have faith.

Last week, we saw that Jesus had to perform a miracle.

He heals a man who is mute and deaf,

which is this picture of how radical a miracle we need to be able to understand the Gospel.

And then two weeks ago, we saw the Syrophoenician woman's faith.

She was this model of faith to us,

as she had faith that was both persistent and humble.

She was persistent in the sense that she didn't give up,

even when Jesus seemed to push her away.

And she was humble in that she appealed not to anything she had,

but to Jesus' character.

She understood God's mercy, and so she threw herself on it.

This week, we're coming back again,

and we're going to look at different aspects of faith.

We have a picture here of unbelief,

and so we'll be talking again about the difference between faith and unbelief.

What does it actually look like on the ground to believe and take God at His Word?

It's with that that I'm going to invite you to turn with me to our passage in Mark 8,

starting at verse 1.

Remember, as we turn, that this is God's Word.

And God tells us that His Word is more precious than gold,

even the finest gold,

and it's sweeter than honey,

even honey that comes straight from the honeycomb.

And so that's why we read now Mark 8, verse 1.

Mark 8:1

Verse 4.

And His disciples answered Him,

How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?

And He asked them,

How many loaves do you have?

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 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 He got into the boat with His disciples

and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

Verse 11.

The Pharisees came and began to argue with Him,

seeking from Him a sign from heaven and 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.

Verse 14.

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?

I invite you to pray with me

as we come to this portion of God's Word.

Our Father in Heaven,

we thank You again

that You are not absent or distant.

You're not distracted

by many other things going on in the world like we are.

But instead, You're focused on speaking to Your people.

We confess this morning that we need that,

that we are like sheep without a shepherd,

unless You help us and intervene.

And we also know that You do speak to us clearly.

And so we ask that You would do that this morning,

that You would cut us to the heart with Your Word.

You would encourage us.

You would challenge us.

Most of all, You would show us Jesus,

that we would see Him as more glorious and beautiful

than ever before.

You'd grow our love and affection

and our reverence and our all for Him.

We thank You that we are not worried this morning

about whether we have earned these things

or whether we deserve them.

But instead, we simply ask them

in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

The story is told of a young boy who was in foster care

and he was placed in a new home.

And this new family that he was with

was very surprised by one of his habits.

In fact, they weren't quite sure what to do with it.

Every day, no matter how much milk was in the refrigerator,

this boy would drink all of it.

And so if they'd just been to Costco,

you know, they'd bought a lot of milk.

Didn't matter how much it was.

Now, you might be saying,

I have teenagers, I understand.

But this was actually an eight to nine-year-old boy.

And so it was very confusing

that he would have sort of this obsession with milk.

And so they were scratching their heads,

wondering what is it that's going on?

Well, they discovered one important detail

that seemed to solve it for them,

which is that in his previous home,

he had been in a place where there was never enough milk.

There was always anxiety around it.

There was bickering and fighting over who got the milk.

And there was rarely any in the house.

Now, this new family was extremely wealthy.

And milk for them was never a problem.

But this child in his mind was still living

under the pattern and the paradigm

of this old family that he was in.

He was still convinced at a visceral level

that there would never be enough milk.

And so every day, his goal was to make sure

he got as much as he could before it was gone,

before he was in a position

where he had to fight someone else for it.

In the passage before us this morning,

the disciples are also living according

to an old paradigm,

even though there's a new pattern

that's presenting itself.

As we begin in chapter eight here,

we see the second time that Jesus has fed a large crowd.

The disciples saw a large feeding

of the 5,000 in chapter six,

and now they're seeing a large feeding

of the 4,000 in chapter eight.

We could draw many of the same points

from this second feeding that we did from the first.

Verse eight, once again,

these people get dinner portions

rather than lunch portions.

Once again, they're able to go home with doggy bags.

Now there's lots of similarities between this story

and the previous one.

There's a few dissimilarities.

We could go down into the weeds if we wanted to,

but what I want you to see this morning

is that the main point of the second feeding

is that it is the second feeding.

The main point of the second feeding

is that it is the second feeding.

In other words, it was not a fluke the first time.

Jesus clearly has the power to do this again and again.

His power is not something that comes in one moment

and leaves the next.

And so it's not a coincidence in this passage

that the bickering, the discussion that the disciples have

is about not having enough bread.

Verse 14, they forgot to bring bread.

Of all the problems that they could have,

they have a food problem.

And all of this is driving to verses 17 through 21,

where Jesus here appears to get frustrated with them.

Verse 21, do you not yet understand?

What Jesus is saying is this,

don't you get bread is the last thing

that you need to be worried about.

Both the Pharisees and the disciples

have the same problem in this passage,

which is that they are unable

to translate Jesus' actions into understanding.

They are unable to translate Jesus' actions

into understanding.

So with the Pharisees, verse 11,

we learn from these words that they have here,

argue and test,

that they are not asking these questions

out of this sincere desire for understanding.

They're not seeking to grow and learn.

No, instead they're trying to trap Jesus.

Jesus' response here, verse 12,

helps us understand that he believes

they need nothing more than what he's already done.

If they can't believe based on what they've seen

and heard about Jesus,

there is nothing else that is going to help them.

Their problem is not that they don't have a sign,

but they can't understand what they've already seen.

That's what Jesus is warning the disciples about

in verse 15 when he says,

watch out, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees

and the leaven of Herod.

Leaven, here's another word for yeast,

which is to say this is something that's so threatening

that it can take over a whole community,

just like yeast will spread through bread

and make it rise.

In the same way, this unbelief

that the Pharisees and Herod have

is something that is a threat to you as well.

Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod.

It's contagious.

And so there's one dissimilarity

between the Pharisees and the disciples,

but they have this overlapping problem.

Yes, the Pharisees are hostile to Jesus

and trying to test him,

but both groups are looking at things

right in front of them

that they seem incapable to understand and interpret.

The Pharisees are hostile to Jesus

even though they have all the proof

that they need right in front of them.

The disciples are worried about bread

even though they are sitting with the man

who fed the 5,000 and the 4,000.

And so there's this irrational fear,

this anxiety with them

that misses the basic realities

of the situation in front of them.

Neither the Pharisees nor the disciples

know how to read.

They can't read the room.

They can't understand the actions

that are happening right in front of them.

And so that's why we see Jesus here

in verses 19 and 20

decides it's time to review the facts.

When I broke the five loaves for the 5,000,

how many baskets full of broken pieces

did you take up?

12.

Verse 20.

And the seven for the 4,000,

how many baskets full of broken pieces

did you take up?

And they said to him,

seven.

The disciples know the facts of the past,

but they do not understand

its implications for the present.

The disciples know the facts of the past,

they do not understand

its implications for the present.

Brothers and sisters, the point is this.

It is possible to know many facts about Jesus

and to not be changed in our hearts

and our lives

and the very core of our beings.

It is not enough to simply

know things about Jesus.

Many people are proud of how much they know

and knowledge is useless

if we can't apply it or understand it.

Knowledge is useless

if we can't apply it or understand it.

And so here we have this picture of unbelief.

This passage helps us to understand

what it looks like

when we fail to have faith.

Unbelief cannot connect past actions

with present and future realities.

Unbelief is incapable of connecting

past actions with present and future realities.

realities.

Jesus was able to do this great thing

feeding 4,000 and 5,000.

Now we're unsure if the 12 of us

are going to be able to eat.

That is what unbelief looks like.

I want you to imagine it like this.

You get a rare dinner invitation.

Paula Deen has decided

that you are her guest of honor.

Okay?

And while you're over there,

Gordon Ramsay has also been invited.

Now, you're hanging out

in Paula Deen's living room

and you are consumed

with fear and anxiety.

You have the very real

and present danger

that you are going to starve.

This thought consumes you.

It fills your mind.

You begin to play out in your head

the different scenarios.

You're going to go into the table

and there's not going to be any food.

Paula Deen's refrigerator

is going to be completely empty.

And so you sit there shaking in fear.

You are legitimately worried

about whether or not you're going to starve.

That is what unbelief is.

Unbelief is sitting in Paula Deen's kitchen

truly afraid at your core

that you are not going to have enough.

And so we have this picture here in the Gospels

to help us understand

how irrational and silly unbelief is.

The disciples are literally sitting

with the man who fed the 5,000

and the 4,000

and they're worried that Jesus

is frustrated with them

for not bringing enough bread.

That is unbelief.

That is lack of faith.

Would you also understand

if Paula Deen was offended and hurt?

Haven't you seen my show?

Don't you know who I am?

What an insult it is

for you to be in my house

and think that I would not feed you.

You don't think you're going to get food?

My one question for you is this.

Who hurt you?

That's unbelief.

Unbelief is knowing

that you're sitting with Jesus

comprehending his actions in the past

and being filled with fear in the present

that he is not going to do

the things he said he would do.

Faith, on the other hand,

connects the dots.

Faith translates belief

and understanding into action.

Faith connects the dots

and acts accordingly.

Faith looks to what God has done

in the past

and takes hope and courage

and faith in the present.

Jesus' statements about faith

in the gospel

follow bold actions,

not dry theological statements.

Jesus' statements about great faith

follow bold actions,

not dry theological statements.

Remember, it was the Syrophoenician woman's

persistence that showed her faith.

faith.

She knew who Jesus was

and he acted on it.

Now,

this does not mean

that God will make all your dreams come true

and give you an easy and comfortable life.

it does mean

he will honor his promises.

It does mean

he will answer

the prayer that we prayed earlier this morning

in the Lord's Prayer.

He will forgive us our sins

as we forgive our debtors.

He will lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Who is Jesus?

Jesus is the one

who is reliable

and consistent

in his power

and his mercy.

Jesus is the one

who is reliable

and consistent

in his power

and his mercy.

How do we respond to him?

Last week,

we looked at the Syrophoenician woman.

Excuse me,

two weeks ago,

we looked at the Syrophoenician woman.

She was our model of faith

in the fact that she took hope

in the character of God.

She knew

what type of person Jesus was.

She said,

even the dogs.

I know that you're the type of person

who has mercy

even for pets.

This week,

we focus not in taking hope

on the character of God,

but in the actions of God.

We look to what God has done

in the past.

We draw hope.

We draw confidence

knowing what God

has accomplished.

We draw hope and faith

knowing that God

is the one

who brought that person

you needed

to give you direction

and wisdom and guidance.

You draw hope

in the present

knowing that God

is the one

who pulled you back

from the disaster

that you would have made

out of your life

on your own.

You draw hope

knowing that God

is the one

who preserved you

like Daniel

working in a hostile

work environment.

God is the one

who made you able

to be wise

as a serpent

and innocent

as a dove.

You look back

and know that God

was the one

who was faithful

in bringing you

to America.

You look back

and know that God

was faithful

in the way

that he preserved you

and brought you

to the state of Colorado.

You look back

on God's faithfulness

as he delivered you

from patterns of sin

and addiction.

You look back

and know that God

is the one

who rescued you

from a people

and a place

and a family

that was filled

with danger

and brought you

to a place

of safety.

We look back

to God

as he brought us

out of darkness

and into light.

You look back

to God's faithfulness

as he answered

in a miraculous way

after seasons

of prayer.

You look back

and see

that God

may not have

removed your suffering

but he gave you

what you needed

to move forward.

We look

brothers and sisters

to God's faithfulness

to us

in the past

and we're filled

with confidence

and hope

and joy

in the present.

As you sit

in Paula Deen's kitchen

you don't worry

about whether

you're going to eat

because you know

for show after show

what she has done

and you know

what she can do today.

When you follow Jesus

as a Christian

you're not filled

with fear

and anxiety

and unbelief

because you have seen

over and over

in your life

and in God's word

what he has done

in the past

and you know

what he can

and will do

today.

Past actions

tell us

about present

circumstances.

This does not mean

that God

will make your life

easy and comfortable.

It does mean

he will answer

what we prayed

in the Lord's prayer

he will give us

our daily bread.

it does not mean

that God

is going to give you

a second house.

It does mean

he's going to honor

his promise

in 2 Peter 1

that he will give you

all things

that pertain

to life

and godliness.

It means

that we take

Psalm 37

as an encouragement.

I have been young

and now I am old

yet I have not seen

the righteous

forsaken

or his children

begging for bread.

And so if we want

to have that kind

of faith

the kind of faith

that is able

to connect the dots

we can come

before God

and pray in this way

we can tell him

look I have a challenge

we have as a family

have a challenge

and we don't have

any hope

unless you show up

and help.

And we have confidence

that you will

because of what

you have done

for your people

and our family

and me in the past.

I have confidence

that you

are going to

meet us

and care for us

just like you

have met us

and cared for us

before.

And we're going

to recount

those things

we're going to

remember those things

we're going to

list those things.

We remember

God's faithfulness

to us

and so that

the opposite

of verse 21

would be true

of us

we would be able

to understand.

As we think

about God's

faithful acts

in the past

of course

his greatest

provision for us

is his provision

in Christ.

God's greatest

act of faithfulness

was sending

his son

his only son

to die

the death

that we should have died

to receive the punishment

that we deserve

and to live

the perfect life

that we have not lived.

And so the promise

of Romans 8

31 and 32

is true

for us

if he gave you

his son

will he not

also give you

all things?

If he gave you

his son

will he not

also give you

all things?

One man illustrates

it this way

if a man

gives a woman

he loves

an engagement ring

will he not

also give her

the box

it came in?

if God

has given us

his only son

we have no

reason

to fear

or to worry

he worked

to save you

as we saw

last week

he worked

to give you

sight

and you think

he's going

to abandon

you now

no

he's been

faithful

in the past

he is faithful

in the present

he'll be faithful

to you

in the future

I know that

many of you

are investors

and you know

that with

any investment

there's always

a legal warning

as there are

with many things

in our world

which tells you

this

past performance

is no guarantee

of future results

Google and Amazon

might be doing

well this year

that doesn't mean

they'll do well

next year

Kodak

was doing well

10 years ago

they are not

doing well

today

we live

in a world

where the past

track record

cannot guarantee

what is going

to happen

in the future

as we're at

the mercy

of variety

of forces

and personalities

and storms

there is

one

person

for whom

the opposite

is true

past performance

is

a guarantee

of future results

brothers and sisters

that is our hope

in our Lord

and Savior

Jesus Christ

as we look

to what he did

on the cross

as we look

to God's

faithfulness

to his people

throughout history

and as we look

to God's faithfulness

to us

in our lives

we can take

great confidence

and hope

and courage

knowing that he

has not left us

or forgotten us

the God

who gave his son

to die

on the cross

is the same God

who is with you

caring and protecting

and providing

even now

who is Jesus

Jesus is the one

who is reliable

and consistent

in his power

and his mercy

how do we respond

to him

we look

to his actions

in the past

and we have faith

in the present

let's pray

our father in heaven

we praise you

that you

have given us

a solid

and reliable

track record

that you

who gave us

your son

will also

give us

all things

we ask

that you

would use

this truth

to stir up

our hope

and our faith

in you

that we would

be filled

with the confidence

that comes

from knowing

that the things

that you have

given us

cannot be lost

that the words

of the apostle

Peter are true

that you've given

us an inheritance

which is

unfading

imperishable

untouchable

we thank you

that that inheritance

doesn't rise

or fall on us

but instead

it rises

on our Lord

and Savior

Jesus Christ

and so it's

in his name

that we ask

these things

amen

I invite you

to stand

for our closing hymn