8.6-What is the answer to all of our problems today?

8.6-What is the answer to our problems in this society?

There is a problem with religious people who are very active in politics but do not have a heart to help people in their personal lives.  They vote to help the poor in one way or the other, but actually are selfish and wasteful and do nothing to help the poor in their daily lives.


These people let go of God's basic commands to love and care for the poor, the fatherless and the needy widows and aged.  They don't really care about the medical needs of the people choosing between food and medicine.  At the same time they go on television an push with politics for an answer from government organizations that they don't practice in their lives.

There is a tendency to want to find solutions to the problems of a rise in suicides of teens that we think schools and government should have some answer while at the same time our own teens won't even talk to us because of our unloving attitudes in the home.


People get worried about the aged people getting in trouble on hot days because their a/c went out  but they haven't visited their aged parents or grandparents in months.

Mark 7.

7 The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem, ² and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed. ³ (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they ^[a]carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; ⁴ and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they ^[b]cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the ^[c]washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.) ⁵ The Pharisees and the scribes *asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?” ⁶ And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:

‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
⁷ ‘But in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’

⁸ Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”

⁹ He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. ¹⁰ For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, is to ^[d]be put to death’; ¹¹ but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, ^[e]given to God),’ ¹² you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; ¹³ thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”



Their thinking is off track.  The answer is in some political answer or religious answer.  The answer is in a heart change of the individual to get focused on really caring for their own family in a loving way.

Some of this behavior can be seen in television news programs that decry teens with body image problems while they hype the stars that do the most to tear down the self image of teen boys and girls.

Lawmakers make laws against stealing while they steal money from the poor by collecting taxes for insurance from the common people to fund their super abundant retirement plans.

Women march against the objectification of women, but want to objectify a baby in the womb to the extent of taking its life.

Ministers can lead out in judgement against those who have affairs in the community who are supposed to be community leaders, but they themselves lust over pornographic images on computers and television.

Men and women of both political parties scream against greed for the other party.  Greed for themselves is okay.

These are society problems, but really heart problems of people who don't know God.  The fool has said in his heart there is no God.  Why?  Because they don't want any accountability.  Teens consider suicide as a good answer to their depression.  Why?  Because they are trying to live a life without God and without meaning and without judgment.

Mark 7.
¹⁴ After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: ¹⁵ there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. ¹⁶ [^[f]If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”]
¹⁷ When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable. ¹⁸ And He *said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, ¹⁹ because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and ^[g]is eliminated?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.) ²⁰ And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. ²¹ For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, ^[h]fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, ²² deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, ^[i]envy, slander, ^[j]pride and foolishness. ²³ All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”



We need to push beyond politics and social media and religion and television and movies to have a heart felt change in our heart, mind, souls and body.

We need to get so weary of all this that we bring our problems to Jesus.

Mark 7.
³¹ Again He went out from the region of Tyre, and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of Decapolis. ³² They *brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they *implored Him to lay His hand on him. ³³ Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; ³⁴ and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He *said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” ³⁵ And his ears were opened, and the ^[q]impediment of his tongue ^[r]was removed, and he began speaking plainly. ³⁶ And He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it. ³⁷ They were utterly astonished, saying, “He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”


 Larry Wishard