You cannot arrive at spiritual depth if you are not open to what God is doing, listening to what God is teaching, and reflecting on how it applies.

2. Matthew 16:1-2
And the Pharisees and Sadducees came,
and 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.’
www.networkbible.org
ESV, 2016

3. Matthew 16:3-4
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.
www.networkbible.org
ESV, 2016

4. Matthew 16:5-7
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.’
www.networkbible.org
ESV, 2016

5. Matthew 16:8-10
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?
www.networkbible.org
ESV, 2016

6. Matthew 16:11-12
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.
www.networkbible.org
ESV, 2016

8. SEEING signs doesn’t
mean you UNDERSTAND
the signs you see.

9. SEEING signs doesn’t
mean you UNDERSTAND
the signs you see.
There is no BLINDNESS worse than being
WILLFULLY blind.

10. SEEING signs doesn’t
mean you UNDERSTAND
the signs you see.
There is no BLINDNESS worse than being
WILLFULLY blind.
The Pharisees ADDED to the word of God, the
Sadducees SUBTRACTED from it.

11. They were asking for a
SIGN while explaining
away the SIGNS Jesus
had provided.

12. They were asking for a
SIGN while explaining
away the SIGNS Jesus
had provided.
Willful blindness often leads to WORLDLY
priorities.

13. They were asking for a
SIGN while explaining
away the SIGNS Jesus
had provided.
Willful blindness often leads to WORLDLY
priorities.
When religion becomes about the rituals we
are practicing RELIGION in worldly WAYS.

14. God doesn’t expect us to
BLINDLY believe, but He
does expect us not to be
WILLFULLY blind.

15. God doesn’t expect us to
BLINDLY believe, but He
does expect us not to be
WILLFULLY blind.
We must guard against being SPIRITUALLY
SHORTSIGHTED as we seek to follow Jesus.

16. God doesn’t expect us to
BLINDLY believe, but He
does expect us not to be
WILLFULLY blind.
We must guard against being SPIRITUALLY
SHORTSIGHTED as we seek to follow Jesus.
You cannot arrive at spiritual DEPTH if you are
not OPEN to what God is doing, LISTENING to
what God is teaching, and REFLECTING on
how it applies.

17. Please take a moment to fill out your
Communication Card
NEXT STEPS
( ) Do the home life help (in bulletin)
( ) Identify if I have been willfully blind or
spiritually shortsighted
( ) Commit to study for spiritual depth
( ) Listen and reflect on what God wants to
teach me.
( ) Meditate on Matthew 16:1-12 and/or
Mark 8:11-21
( ) Other________________________