This is Message #208 in the Restoration Series.
Introduction: Restoration: Jesus was teaching to beware of the teaching of the Pharisees and the leadership of the world leaders. These leaders and teachers were and are a threat to most people.
I. What Jesus meant is explained in these verses.
IV. What Jesus was really saying? Vs 15
A. Three main points that Jesus dealt with.
II. The disciples remembered something. Vs 14
1. The disciples
2. The evil: Beware of leaven, the leaven of religionist and world leaders. [Many �isms�, one must take care]
3. The danger in dealing with religionist and world leaders.
A. They had forgotten to bring food.
1. There was only one loaf of bread in the boat.
2. Jesus took the opportunity to teach on the evil and dangers of religionist and world leaders.
A. Beware! Of the leadership and teaching, it was evil.
1. Leaven: False leadership and teaching
2. The disciples misunderstood what Jesus was saying.
B. Three things the disciples thought Jesus were saying.
1. A rebuke for having forgotten food.
C. What Jesus meant by the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod?
2. A warning not to eat the bread of the religionist.
a. The Pharisees used only a special kind of leaven.
3. They were not to sit down with the religionist and leaders.
b. Used it to stress ceremonial cleanliness.
c. Don�t get involved in ceremonies and rituals
a. They were not to fellowship with them.
1. Their leaven was their doctrine, hypocrisy, deception and play-acting.
D. The Pharisees believed in a personal God, but added much to the Word, this led to three gross errors.
2. The Pharisees fermented and soured everyone they touched.
1. Led people to believe their good behavior, good talk was enough.
V. The danger in dealing with the religionist and world leaders is threefold. Vs 16-21
2. This led to a social, respectable religion. [Humanist, new age]
a. Do the right thing, say the right things; one was judged acceptable to God.
3. This caused self-righteousness in people.
a. Attitude: If I keep the rules and regulations, I will be all right.
E. The Sadducees were the liberal minded of the day.
1. They took away from God�s Word, obeyed only the Pentateuch.
F. Jesus gave a double warning, �Take heed, beware� Vs 15
2. They were the �free thinkers�; very secular and materialistic minded.
3. Therefore they collaborated with the Romans and Greeks, doing away with Jewish culture, and instituting their culture.
4. Because of this, they were rewarded with high positions and wealth.
1. Take heed: to see, behold, discern, and acquaint oneself with by observing and experiencing.
a. Two things needed; active thought and a discerning mind.
2. Beware: to see, perceive, grasp, and understand in order to
watch out for something.
b. Need to be thought through, observed and discerned.
A. Here are the threefold reasons in depth.
Conclusion: Restoration: How much the church needs to cast out the leaven and begin to feed on the �Bread of Life�. Follow Jesus, not the world and it�s materialist crave.
1. The spiritual blindness and hard heart and concern about material and earthly things. Vs 16 {bread}
a. The rest of this passage Jesus just asks questions.
2. Jesus rebukes preoccupation with earthly things and matters.
b. Vs 17: To reason, to perceive, to understand, to have soft hearts.
c. Vs 18: To see, to hear, to remember
a. He calls it distrust, �O ye of little faith.�
3. The second danger is failing to see the Lord�s provision. Vs 18-
b. His followers should be concerned about spiritual matters.
c. We are to guard our minds against the leaven of the Pharisees.
d. Don�t worry about those worldly things.
e. Faith and truth to maintain our spirituality must dominate us.
f. Thought: Remember the god of this world is Satan, he is out to blind the minds of men lest they see the truth. 2Corinthians 4:4.
g. Acts 28:27, Jeremiah 4:22
a. Remember what had happened a few days before?
4. The third danger is grieving the Lord. Vs 21
b. Look at Vs 17, they did not see, hear, nor remember.
c. The disciples failed to see what Jesus meant.
d. People hunger for the Word only Jesus can give.
e. People hunger for food, bread from heaven to be energized with power, His very being.
f. They failed to realize Jesus was �The Bread of Life�, the only one that can satisfy the soul. John 6:35, 47-51
a. Jesus grieved over:
1. Spiritual blindness
2. Hardness of heart
3. Materialistic and carnal minds
4. Not seeing and understanding His provisions
5. The issue of leaven:
a. true and false doctrine
6. Truth: Jesus is the Bread of Life, the Real Truth
b. real and hypocritical behavior
7. How many have been as the disciples and grieving the Lord?
8. We ask ourselves the question, are we?