Perceive Ye Not Yet Mark 8:14-21 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

Perception is often a matter of perspective – the Lord was talking about doctrine and the disciples were hearing about bread.  What affects your ability to perceive?

Your Point of View – when talking to others, you have to know their point of view in order to perceive what they are saying.  Jesus said “yet a little while” and for him it is just a matter of two days while to us it has been nearly two thousand years [2 Pet 3:8].  My wife and daughter have one more week of vacation.  I told them, “You cannot imagine how long one more week without you is and I can’t remember how short one more week of vacation is.”  When our former song leader passed away, it was grief to us and yet precious in the sight of the Lord [Ps 116].

Your Judgment – Mk 4:23-25 – Festus heard Paul preach and said, “much learning doth make thee mad.”  The Pharisees saw Jesus’ miracles and said, “He hath a devil.”  Men study evidence in nature and the universe and one man sees God while the other one sees evolution, and yet they are looking at identical evidence.  If you judge based on the words of God, “I don’t care what it looks like to you; God made it.”  The heavens declare the glory of God!!

The Lord – Deut 29:2-4, Matt 13:14-16; so, Ps 104:2, Job 9:11 – Jesus revealed himself enough so that all could have believed when he was here, but he withheld much more that he could have revealed.  One day he will reveal himself completely [Jer 31:31-34].

Your Sin – Jn 9:39-41 – Consider the way that Eve “saw” the tree once she decided to disobey God.  After she and Adam had eaten, then their eyes were opened, they saw that they were naked and they were ashamed.  If your eye is single [seeing what God wants you to see the way God wants you to see it] then your whole body is full of light.   If your eye is evil then your whole body is full of darkness.  These eyes will certainly affect your perception.

Your hard heart – v.17 – People say, “It depends on how you look at it.”  No, it depends on what God said about it and whether or not you believe what he said, Ex 9:20-21.

Conclusion: You can be saved if you will believe what he said but keep in mind that the devil can affect your perception by blinding your mind [2 Cor 4:4].