Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord and Wisdom: Can We All Just Get Along?

The Sin Of Not Thinking

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2020-04-20

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver examines Mark 6:52 to show that the disciples' fear during the storm on the sea resulted from their failure to consider the miracle of the loaves. He argues that not thinking—failing to meditate on God's works and character—leads to a hardened heart, fear, and panic. The message calls believers to actively think, meditate on Scripture, and apply biblical truth to overcome fear and exercise faith.

[John Weaver] Mark chapter 6 Mark chapter 6 verse 52. We're just going to read the one verse we will come back and get the context the title of the message is the sin of not thinking the sin of of not thinking. So look in your Bibles, if you would please, to Mark 6 and verse 52. The Bible says, for they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened.

[John Weaver] Oftentimes we do things that can only be defined as stupid. And when we are confronted with our actions, and we're asked why we did those things, The most common response is, I wasn't thinking, or at least I guess I wasn't thinking. And not thinking of course can have very grave consequences. Years back, Alice and I had a friend who was not only a talented builder, but he was also an overall good mechanic.

[John Weaver] And he was doing some work on the concrete around his pool. And he was drilling with his electric drill to put some screws in to hold a railing down. And the bit got hot. And without thinking, he dipped the tip of that bit in that electric drill into the pool to cool the bit. And he was instantly electrocuted and killed. Did he know better? And the answer is yes.

[John Weaver] Well, why did he do it? And the answer has to come back. He just was not thinking. And I can assure you that God in his infinite and grace mercy has spared my life numerous times, even in spite of my own stupidity. And I'm sure that he's done the same for you. And the proof of that is you're alive today. And so God has been gracious to us because oftentimes we do things without thinking.

[John Weaver] If you look in Mark 6 in verse 52 again, the Bible says this, for they considered not the miracle of the loaves for their heart was hardened. So there are grave consequences even for Christians Who do not think? The truth is that thinking is work. Work requires time and effort. Hence, we do not wish to think because we do not wish to engage in any more work particularly.

[John Weaver] And the fact is we had rather be entertained and amused. When you consider entertainment and amusement, one does not need to think. If you would look up the word entertainment in a dictionary, you would come up with this definition. The act of entertaining agreeable occupation for the mind, diversion amusement. So I want you to note once again that Entertainment is amusement. Now, I've told you before, and I'm going to remind you that the word muse means to think.

[John Weaver] And it occurs twice in our Bibles, in the Old Testament and the New Testament. So if you'll look first of all, holding Mark six to Psalm 143, Psalm 143, and look, if you would please at verse five, Psalm 143 and verse five here, David, the Psalmist says this. I remember the days of old. I meditate on all thy works. I muse on the works of thy hands. That is, I think, I consider the work of thy hands. Then if you look in the book of Luke chapter three and verse 15. Luke chapter three and verse 15.

[John Weaver] And here the word of God makes a statement concerning John the Baptist. Luke three in verse 15. And as the people were in expectation, all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ or not. So they were musing in their hearts.

[John Weaver] Now the word here is theologizoma in the Greek, and it literally means to dispute to reason, to muse, to think and consider. So what these people were doing were they were turning over and over in their minds reasons as to why John the Baptist could either be the Messiah or reasons why he was not the Messiah as well. But they were actually thinking. So I told you that the word muse means to think. In the Greek language, when you put an alpha or an A in front of a word, It negates it.

[John Weaver] It makes it a negative. So if muse means to think, to amuse means not to think, not to consider. Here's the problem. When you talk about entertainment and amusement, there's absolutely no work involved. You're just sitting there with your mind in neutral. And of course, The entertainment and the amusement then is just simply working on your emotions. So here's a statement that we need to remember. Amusement bypasses the brain and goes straight to the emotions. I don't know if you have ever heard Robbie Zacharias, but he has a radio program and the title of that program is Let My People Think.

[John Weaver] As you read through scripture, you find that there is a great deal of emphasis upon thinking. For instance, you will find such phrases as, think not, what think ye, how think you, let such in one think this, or do you think over and over in scripture.

[John Weaver] Now, the truth of the matter is we're actually called to think. So let me just show you several illustrations. I want you to look in your Bibles, first of all, to the book of Matthew, chapter five. And look, if you would please, at verse 17, Matthew, chapter five. And notice, if you would please, verse 17. Watch this, if you would, Matthew five and verse 17. Here's what our Lord said. Matthew 5 verse 17. He says think not that I'm come to destroy the law of the prophets I'm not come to destroy but to fulfill now notice what he said think not the interesting thing is Here the word is no mid so my or no mid so and it literally means to think or to suppose that

[John Weaver] to deem something to be true or to hold something by what you and I would call custom. So he says, don't even begin to think. Don't deem this to be true. He says, don't think that I've come to destroy the law of the prophets. I've not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

[John Weaver] Now, if you look in John chapter five, John chapter five, here's another word and another term. In John chapter five and verse 45, John 5 verse 45, our Lord says to these Pharisees, do not think that I will accuse you to the father. There is one that accuseth you. even Moses, in whom you trust. Now, here the word is tokeo, and it literally means to be of the opinion, to judge, to think, to suppose, to appear to be. So our Lord says, do not think, do not let it appear, do not even suppose that I am come to judge you. I don't have to. Moses, in whom you trust, he is going to judge you as well.

[John Weaver] So I want you to turn now to the book of Philippians. Here is one of the most frequently used words in the New Testament for thinking in the book of Philippians, chapter four and verse eight. This word happens to be Logizomai. And look what the Bible says. Philippians four and verse eight. The apostle writes, Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, Whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things. Now notice if you would, he said, think on these things. Wow.

[John Weaver] Now the word literally means to reckon, to reason, to take into account. It means to calculate and to determine. Let me just illustrate something for you. This word is so important. It is a word that deals with reality. So if I logitzomai, if I calculate that I have a hundred bucks in my bank account, I have a hundred bucks in my bank account. If I do not logitzomai, if I do not calculate it, then I'm just simply deceiving myself. So the point I'm trying to make is this word deals with facts. It deals with reality.

[John Weaver] It does not deal with suppositions, desires, or wishes. So here we are commanded to think on these things. These things are reality. These things are facts.

[John Weaver] Now, when you look back in your Bibles to the book of Mark chapter 6, Mark chapter 6, And notice, if you would, please, verse 52 again. I'm going to give you one more word and then we're going to get started, because I'm telling you, there's a great deal of emphasis upon thinking in Scripture. So notice, if you would, Mark six and verse 52. The Bible says, for they considered not the miracles of the loaves, for their heart was hardened. I want you to look at the word considered. The word considered is from the Greek word suni me.

[John Weaver] It is a preposition soon and in a me, which means to stand or to cause a stand. So when you put the preposition soon, which means with, it literally means to cause the stand together in the mind. So the Bible says, for they considered not, they did not cause things to stand together in their minds. That is, they did not join things together. They did not comprehend. They did not understand.

[John Weaver] Now, in order to really grasp verse 52, you have to understand the context. Prior to verse 52, our Lord has performed two miracles. The first one is known as the feeding of the 5,000. So I want you to look in Mark chapter six, beginning there with verse 31. Mark six and verse 31. Our Lord is speaking to his disciples. In fact, you can look in verse 30 and the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus.

[John Weaver] And told him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. And he said unto them, come you yourselves apart into a desert place and rest a while. For there were many coming and going and they had no leisure so much as to eat. And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. And the people saw them departing and many knew him and ran a foot further out of all the cities and out went them.

[John Weaver] and came together unto him. And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were sheep, not having a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him and said, This is a desert place. And now the time is far past. Send them away that they may go into the country round about and into the villages and buy themselves bread, for they have nothing to eat. He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they saying to him, shall we go and buy 200 penny worth of bread and give them to eat? He says to them, how many loaves have you? Go and see.

[John Weaver] And when they knew, they say five and two fishes. And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks by hundreds and by fifties. And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven and blessed and break the loaves and gave them to his disciples to set before them. And the two fishes divided among them all.

[John Weaver] And they did all eat and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fishes. and they that had eaten the loaves were about 5,000 men.

[John Weaver] Now, the interesting thing is this. The scripture here tells us there were about 5,000 men. When you read Matthew 14 in verse 21, the scripture says this, and they that had eaten were about 5,000 men, listen, beside the women and the children. So if each of these 5,000 men had a wife, that would be 10,000. And if each husband and wife had at least two children, that's 20,000. Most of them probably had more than two children. So we're talking about a miracle, the size of taking five loaves and two fish and feeding 30 to 40,000 people. Now, that is indeed a miracle. Let me show you. Look back at verse 41 and 42 particularly. Verse 41. And when he had taken the five loaves of the two fishes, he looked up to heaven and blessed and break the loaves and gave them to his disciples to set before them. And the two fishes divided he among them all.

[John Weaver] And they did all eat. and were filled.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to note something, if you would, please. The Bible tells us that he broke the bread and he gave to his disciples and his disciples and gave to the people. He did likewise with the fish.

[John Weaver] Now, the multitude that was there probably did not realize how little fed so many. However, the disciples knew specifically they knew that he began with five loaves and two fish. They were the ones that made the people to sit down and companies of 100 and companies of 50. They saw him pray and bless the food. They saw him break the bread and give to them so they could give to the people. They saw him break the fish and give to them so they could distribute to the people. It's not just simply that the apostles saw this miracle. They participated in it. They were there. They were doing it. Now, please understand. I want to point out this was a miracle of great proportions. Now, there is a second miracle that happens. And I want you to look at it beginning there in verse 45. Verse 45 and straightway, he constrained his disciples to get into the ship and to go to the other side before the Bethsaida while he sent away the people. And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.

[John Weaver] And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea and he alone on the land. And he saw them toiling and rowing for the wind was contrary unto them. And about the fourth watch of the night, he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit and cried out. For they all saw him and were troubled.

[John Weaver] And immediately he talked to them and said to them, be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid. Now look at verse 51, I'll come back to this verse. And he went up unto them into the ship, and the wind ceased, and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure and wondered. So our Lord is walking upon the water, Not only is he walking upon the water, he's walking upon the water in a storm.

[John Weaver] So the disciples see him. He could have just as easily walked past them, but he did not. What was their response to our Lord walking on the water? And the answer is it was not one of wonder. It was not one of faith or amazement. It happened to be one of fear. So you're going to ask why were they so fearful? We'll look in verse 49. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit and cried out. Now, the word for spirit is the word phantasma in the Greek. It is translated as spirit or an appearance or an apparition And it could also mean a specter. If you look up the word specter in the dictionary, here's what you will find. A visible, incorporeal spirit. Now, incorporeal means it doesn't have a body. So a visible, incorporeal spirit, especially one of a terrifying nature, a ghost, A phantom, an apparition, some object of source, terror, and dread. So let me just be very blunt. They thought they had seen a ghost.

[John Weaver] Now, in Matthew, you don't have to turn there, but in Matthew 14 in verse 26, same incident. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled. and said, it is a spirit. And they cried out for fear. So when you look in Mark six and verse 50, you see this again, for they all saw him and were troubled. Now, we don't understand the word troubled. I could look at Joshua and say. He looks troubled.

[John Weaver] By that I mean he's concerned about something. Maybe something is slightly upsetting him. But the Greek word means more than being slightly upset. It is the Greek word, tarasso, and it literally means, listen carefully, to agitate, to trouble thing by the movement of parts to and fro, to cause one inward commotion, to take away the calmness of the mind, to disturb one's equanimity, to strike one's spirit with fear and dread, and to render one anxious and distressed.

[John Weaver] So let me spell it out. Their knees were knocking. They were scared and they were shaking in their boots. Their joints moved back and forth. Their mind was exceedingly troubled because now they thought they had a real ghost sitting before them, or at least walking on the water in front of them.

[John Weaver] Now, our Lord then reassures them. If you look in verse 50, the Bible says, for they all saw him who were troubled. And immediately he talked with them and said to them, be of good cheer. It is I be not afraid. And when he went up under them in the ship and the wind ceased, and they were so amazed in themselves beyond measure and wondered.

[John Weaver] Now, let me point something else out. This is very interesting because. The Bible says that they were sore amazed in themselves. Now watch beyond measure and wondered the phrase sore amazed. is translated from the Greek word, Existemi, which means to throw out of position, to displace, to be out of one's mind, to be beside oneself, literally to be insane. So here, please put this together. They're shaking in their boots. They are troubled. They are afraid. And now the Bible says they were sormes, that is, they were out of their mind.

[John Weaver] They were crazy with fear. Now, I want to ask you a question. How did the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ get into this state? How did that happen? Obviously, they were not exercising faith. How could they become so fearful and unbelieving? In another passage, our Lord asked his own disciples, why are you so fearful, O ye of little faith? And he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great call. Why are you so fearful, O ye of little faith?

[John Weaver] Now, let me point something out. If this could happen to the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ, while he was present with them. How much more could it happen to us when he is not physically present with us? These people, these apostles were literally shaking with fear. May I point out the fact that the average professing Christian today as well as the average American is shaking with fear over coronavirus. If it wasn't the coronavirus, it'd be the swine flu. If it wasn't the swine flu, it'd be SARS. If it wasn't SARS, it'd be Ebola. If it wasn't Ebola, it'd be Zika. It'd be something. It could be the economy. It could be your family. It could be, you just get out of your mind. You panic, you lose everything and just totally give in to fear.

[John Weaver] I was talking and showed it to Alice. I saw a headline. It says, whoever dies of the coronavirus dies alone. I couldn't help, but laugh. And Isaiah and Alice were in the room when I read the article or the title of the article. I said, isn't that amazing? Everybody dies alone. Nobody dies with you. And if somebody did die with you, you would know it. So I asked Isaiah and Alice, I said, now when it comes my time to die, would you all like to die with me? I mean, obviously the Christian does not die alone because of the Lord Jesus Christ. But the truth of the matter is each of us has to face this alone. No one else is going to face it for us. But why in the world would you get bent out of shape over that you have to die by yourself? Everybody has to die by themselves.

[John Weaver] All I'm trying to point out is this. Every time you give in to panic and fear, you're giving in to a lack of faith and a lack of understanding and a lack of comprehension.

[John Weaver] Now, how did the disciples get in this state? Look in verse 52. Look at it. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened. They got into this state because they considered not the miracle of the loaves. Let me explain this. They did not pay any attention to that which Jesus Christ had accomplished, that which not only they saw, but they participated in.

[John Weaver] They did not think, they did not meditate, did not consider, they did not cause anything to stand in their minds. And one of the reasons was simply because their heart was hardened.

[John Weaver] Now, let me explain what it means. The problem today is most Christians have a hardened heart. It is not a hardened heart from what you and I would call a judicial hardening, where God judges someone like that. Neither is it a hardening from immorality. It is rather a dullness and a blindness of the mind that is settled upon the mind so that we cannot think and we cannot consider and we cannot put two plus two together. Now, Well, the Bible says, for their heart was hardened. The Greek word is parao, and it literally means to become hard, to become blind. It also means to cover with a thick skin or to become calloused. So we could easily say we have become calloused as Christians. You say, how can you say that we have become calloused? Well, how many people really get upset over abortion today? How many get upset over sodomy? How many get upset over socialism, communism? Nobody. We've literally become calloused.

[John Weaver] Now, The disciples here were not opposed to Jesus Christ. They were not fighting against Jesus Christ. Let me show you something. I want you to hold Mark six, but look in your Bibles to Luke 24, Luke 24. You remember the two disciples of our Lord who were walking on the Emmaus road and our Lord joins himself to them. And he asked what they're talking about. And they said, Are you a stranger here?

[John Weaver] Have you not heard what has happened? Why Jesus of Nazareth was crucified? We thought he was the Messiah. And besides this, this is a third day. Well, look what our Lord says, Luke chapter 24, beginning there, verse 25. He talks to these two disciples and he says, Then said he unto them, O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded on them in all the scriptures of things concerning himself. Now, I want to call your attention to this, that our Lord called his disciples fools.

[John Weaver] Let me remind you of something else. There are four different Greek words for fool. One of those words is used in Matthew chapter five, where it is a term of reproach and contempt. God forbids us to look upon our brother and say thou fool. when we're treating him and holding him contemptuously and reproachfully. That word is not the word that is used in Luke chapter 24. An oitas is the Greek word, and here it means one that is foolish, one that is unwise, one that is weak, one that is dull. It is backed up by the Greek word bratos, which means dull, listen, inactive and one of a stupid mind. And by a stupid mind, I mean what our Lord means. One is slow to believe and to comprehend the absolute truth. Now, if you would turn in your Bibles again to the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter five. Look, if you would please.

[John Weaver] at verses 10 and 11. Here the apostle has been talking about the Lord Jesus Christ and the fact that he is of the lineage of Melchizedek, after the order of Melchizedek. Verse 10, the Bible says, called of God and high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Then he says this to these Hebrew Christians, of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing you are dull of hearing."

[John Weaver] Now the word here is the word Nothros, which means dull, slothful, sluggish, indolent, languid. He says you're dull of hearing, you're indolent, you're sluggish, you're slothful, you're not thinking, you don't want to think. Here's my question. How did the apostles hearts get so hardened and even more hardened? Well, the answer comes back. In verse 52, for they considered not. The miracle of the loaves, they considered not the miracle of the loaves.

[John Weaver] Now let me put this together. They did not understand or put together all that our Lord did in feeding the 5,000 or feeding the 30 or 40,000 ever. How many was there? Now the Greek word is appointed out for consider as soon as I may, which means to put together or to draw together or to place together and to cause the stand in the mind.

[John Weaver] So they not only saw the miracle, they participated in the miracle, but it had no effect upon them. They did not attend to it. They did not learn from it. They did not see the wonderful glory of Christ. They did not comprehend the power of Christ. They did not understand that what Jesus Christ did was an act of omnipotence. Our Lord performed this miracle, which was far beyond the natural.

[John Weaver] He took five loaves and two fish and fed an entire multitude. His power in producing and providing the multiplicity of loaves and fish demonstrated not only his power and his deity, but listen, his control over the material elements. Do you realize that only God could do something like this? Only God could multiply the loaves and the fish. Only God could feed a multitude of people with manna in the wilderness for 40 years.

[John Weaver] I've often said the richest man in the world cannot feed the birds that exist in the world for 30 days without going broke. Just stop and think about that. And our Lord feeds everything, but he fed his people, several million people every day for 40 years in the wilderness. If Jesus Christ can part the Red Sea and cause it to congeal and stand upright while his people can walk across, undoubtedly he can walk on water. Undoubtedly, he could walk on water in a storm as well.

[John Weaver] So here is what we're learning. The reason these people were so fearful and in such a panic mode is because they did not comprehend the person and the power and the work of Jesus Christ. How else can I say this? If we want to live in a state of fear, if we want to live in a state of panic, all we have to do is to continue not to think, not to meditate, not to put things together, not to consider. Unless we learn to think biblically and scripturally, what is going to happen? We're going to end up with hardened hearts, even more so. God has done so many great things, not only in our lives, but in his word and in the lives of other people. We need to see and understand and put all of this together and learn to apply it to our life.

[John Weaver] So let me ask this question. When you read the scripture, how many really genuinely stop and think when you read the scripture? How many say, what is the Lord saying? What is he saying to me? How do I apply this to my life? How do I change my life? How do I work this out in biblical principle? No, normally we just read the scripture and then we're content with saying, well, I read my Bible today. We do not consider, we do not think. And we certainly do not consider the mighty power of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] So he says in verse 52, the reason these people were in such panic, they considered not the miracle of the loaves. Now, let me make a couple of applications. I want to try to tie this together. If you and I are going to profit from the reading and the study of scripture, We have to learn to stop and to think. I can assure you that probably most people in this room.

[John Weaver] Have read through the book of Psalms. If you've read through the book of Psalms, there's one little word that probably caught your attention. It occurs over and over in the book of Psalms. It is the little word Selah. It occurs 74 times in the Hebrew Testament, 71 times in the book of Psalms and three times in the book of Habakkuk. So David oftentimes will say something. There's the period. And then there's the word Selah. You know what the word Selah means? Here's what it means. Stop. Pause. Calmly think about what I just said or what you just read. That's what it means. You've been reading Selah. Stop. Don't go any further. Think about what you just read. That's what the little word means. And so when you and I come to scripture and we just read the scripture and we read it just to be reading it, it's really not doing us any good at all. I've often said I had rather read two verses and understand them than I had to read 20 chapters and not understand a word that I've read.

[John Weaver] OK. So our Lord tells us we've got to learn to pause and think and to consider or else we're going to end up fearful and panicky as well. Now, there's something else we have to add with this. And that is, we must add to our thinking and the consideration of scripture. We must add a prayer for God to guide our understanding, open our eyes to lead us and direct us and teach us. It's not in man to direct his paths, the word of God says. The reason, the reason there are so many divisions among Christians It's because we don't think and we do not submit our minds to the word of God. And consequently, we do not think alike. So if we want to learn to think alike, that means we have to submit our word and our minds to the word of God and learn to think biblically and scripturally.

[John Weaver] Now, here's what the apostle Paul told Timothy in second Timothy two in verse seven. He told Timothy, consider what I say. And the Lord give the understanding in all things. So our consideration is needed and necessary. But it is not that which gives us understanding in and of itself. It's the blessing of God upon that consideration that gives us understanding. So he says, consider what I say. And the Lord give the understanding all things. That's why in Proverbs two and verse six, he says this, for the Lord give the wisdom out of his mouth, cometh knowledge and understanding. So as we look at the scripture and we begin to think and we begin to meditate and we begin to consider and try to put things together in our minds, we need to be asking him for wisdom and direction and for his gift of understanding.

[John Weaver] Now I titled this message, the sin of not thinking. And obviously you could look at me and say, well, now brother Weaver, There is no commandment in the Bible that says thou shalt think. Well, that's true. I can't find one that says thou shalt think, although I can show you commands. Think on these things. And I've told you before. The only thing that is sin in one sense of the word is a violation of God's law. Right? First John three and verse four, whosoever commits sins transgresses also the law for sin is the transgression of the law.

[John Weaver] But we can go even further than that. Not only is sin a transgression of the law. Let me ask the question. When we read our text. What was the prevailing attitude of the apostles in Mark chapter six? Tell me what it was. Fear. Panic. Okay. May I quote Romans 14 verse 23? Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. So it's not just a violation of God's law. If you do not exercise faith, it is sin, according to scripture. So faith and fear are direct opposites. If you're fearful, you're not exercising faith. If you're exercising faith, then you're not fearful. Our Lord said that his own disciples had their hearts hardened and were in such fear and such panic. Why?

[John Weaver] Because they considered not the miracles of the loaves. Had they considered the miracles of loaves, had they considered that Jesus Christ is God and that Jesus Christ can perform the miracle of feeding 30 and 40,000 people out of five loaves and two fish, it should be obvious if he can control the elements like that, he can also walk on the water and calm the storm. And so he tells us, we have to learn to think as we read the scripture and try to put things together so that we can understand them and apply them in our lives. There is a sin of failing to think. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee this day.

[John Weaver] We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. We ask, Father, your grace and your mercy to be upon us. Build us up in the most holy faith. Teach us to think, O Lord, and consider thy wondrous works, and thy power, and the greatness and majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

[John Weaver] so so

The Sin Of Not Thinking

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	Cze7jxq0niU
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord and Wisdom: Can We All Just Get Along?
Genre	Sermon
Date	2020-04-20
Dictation Name
Book	Book 082: Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord and Wisdom - Volume 2 — Chapter 26
Source Timed Segments	63

Formatted Transcript

Opening

Mark chapter 6, Mark chapter 6, verse 52. We're just going to read the one verse; we will come back and get the context. The title of the message is "The Sin of Not Thinking." The sin of not thinking. So look in your Bibles, if you would please, to Mark 6 and verse 52. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Mark 6:52

"For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened."

Introduction: The Danger of Not Thinking

Weaver opens with a personal story of a friend who died because he wasn't thinking, illustrating that not thinking can have grave consequences. He connects this to Mark 6:52, where the disciples' failure to think led to spiritual hardness.

Oftentimes we do things that can only be defined as stupid. And when we are confronted with our actions, and we're asked why we did those things, the most common response is, "I wasn't thinking," or at least, "I guess I wasn't thinking." And not thinking, of course, can have very grave consequences. Years back, Alice and I had a friend who was not only a talented builder, but he was also an overall good mechanic. And he was doing some work on the concrete around his pool. And he was drilling with his electric drill to put some screws in to hold a railing down. And the bit got hot. And without thinking, he dipped the tip of that bit in that electric drill into the pool to cool the bit. And he was instantly electrocuted and killed. Did he know better? And the answer is yes.

Well, why did he do it? And the answer has to come back: he just was not thinking. And I can assure you that God in His infinite grace and mercy has spared my life numerous times, even in spite of my own stupidity. And I'm sure that He's done the same for you. And the proof of that is you're alive today. And so God has been gracious to us because oftentimes we do things without thinking.

Thinking Is Work, and We Prefer Amusement

Weaver explains that thinking requires effort, so people prefer entertainment and amusement, which bypass the brain and go straight to the emotions. He defines 'amuse' as 'not to think' based on the Greek alpha privative.

If you look in Mark 6 in verse 52 again, the Bible says this: "For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened." So there are grave consequences even for Christians who do not think. The truth is that thinking is work. Work requires time and effort. Hence, we do not wish to think because we do not wish to engage in any more work, particularly. And the fact is we had rather be entertained and amused. When you consider entertainment and amusement, one does not need to think. If you would look up the word "entertainment" in a dictionary, you would come up with this definition: the act of entertaining; agreeable occupation for the mind; diversion; amusement. So I want you to note once again that entertainment is amusement. Now, I've told you before, and I'm going to remind you that the word "muse" means to think.

And it occurs twice in our Bibles, in the Old Testament and the New Testament. So if you'll look, first of all, holding Mark 6, to Psalm 143. Psalm 143, and look, if you would please, at verse 5. Psalm 143 and verse 5. Here David, the psalmist, says this:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 143:5

"I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the works of thy hands."

That is, I think, I consider the work of thy hands. Then if you look in the book of Luke, chapter 3 and verse 15. Luke chapter 3 and verse 15.

And here the Word of God makes a statement concerning John the Baptist. Luke 3 and verse 15:

Scripture Reading — Luke 3:15

"And as the people were in expectation, all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ or not."

So they were musing in their hearts. Now the word here is dialogizomai in the Greek, and it literally means to dispute, to reason, to muse, to think and consider. So what these people were doing was they were turning over and over in their minds reasons as to why John the Baptist could either be the Messiah or reasons why he was not the Messiah as well. But they were actually thinking. So I told you that the word "muse" means to think. In the Greek language, when you put an alpha or an "a" in front of a word, it negates it.

It makes it a negative. So if "muse" means to think, to "amuse" means not to think, not to consider. Here's the problem. When you talk about entertainment and amusement, there's absolutely no work involved. You're just sitting there with your mind in neutral. And of course, the entertainment and the amusement then is just simply working on your emotions. So here's a statement that we need to remember: amusement bypasses the brain and goes straight to the emotions. I don't know if you have ever heard Ravi Zacharias, but he has a radio program and the title of that program is "Let My People Think."

Biblical Emphasis on Thinking

Weaver surveys several Greek words for thinking used in Scripture (nomizo, dokeo, logizomai, suniemi) to demonstrate that God commands His people to think, reason, and consider reality.

Now, the truth of the matter is we're actually called to think. So let me just show you several illustrations. I want you to look in your Bibles, first of all, to the book of Matthew, chapter 5. And look, if you would please, at verse 17. Matthew, chapter 5. And notice, if you would please, verse 17. Watch this, if you would. Matthew 5 and verse 17. Here's what our Lord said: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." Now notice what He said: "Think not." The interesting thing is here the word is nomizo, and it literally means to think or to suppose that,

to deem something to be true or to hold something by what you and I would call custom. So He says, "Don't even begin to think. Don't deem this to be true." He says, "Don't think that I've come to destroy the law or the prophets. I've not come to destroy, but to fulfill."

Now, if you look in John chapter 5, John chapter 5, here's another word and another term. In John chapter 5 and verse 45, John 5 verse 45, our Lord says to these Pharisees,

Scripture Reading — John 5:45

"Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust."

Now, here the word is dokeo, and it literally means to be of the opinion, to judge, to think, to suppose, to appear to be. So our Lord says, "Do not think, do not let it appear, do not even suppose that I am come to judge you. I don't have to. Moses, in whom you trust, he is going to judge you as well."

So I want you to turn now to the book of Philippians. Here is one of the most frequently used words in the New Testament for thinking, in the book of Philippians, chapter 4 and verse 8. This word happens to be logizomai. And look what the Bible says. Philippians 4 and verse 8. The apostle writes,

Scripture Reading — Philippians 4:8

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

Now notice, if you would, he said,

Scripture Reading — Philippians 4:8

"Think on these things."

Wow.

Now the word literally means to reckon, to reason, to take into account. It means to calculate and to determine. Let me just illustrate something for you. This word is so important. It is a word that deals with reality. So if I logizomai, if I calculate that I have a hundred bucks in my bank account, I have a hundred bucks in my bank account. If I do not logizomai, if I do not calculate it, then I'm just simply deceiving myself. So the point I'm trying to make is this word deals with facts. It deals with reality.

It does not deal with suppositions, desires, or wishes. So here we are commanded to think on these things. These things are reality. These things are facts.

Now, when you look back in your Bibles to the book of Mark chapter 6, Mark chapter 6, and notice, if you would, please, verse 52 again. I'm going to give you one more word and then we're going to get started, because I'm telling you, there's a great deal of emphasis upon thinking in Scripture. So notice, if you would, Mark 6 and verse 52. The Bible says, "For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened." I want you to look at the word "considered." The word "considered" is from the Greek word suniemi. It is a preposition "sun" and "hiemi," which means to stand or to cause to stand. So when you put the preposition "sun," which means "with," it literally means to cause to stand together in the mind. So the Bible says, "For they considered not," they did not cause things to stand together in their minds. That is, they did not join things together. They did not comprehend. They did not understand.

Now, in order to really grasp verse 52, you have to understand the context. Prior to verse 52, our Lord has performed two miracles. The first one is known as the feeding of the 5,000. So I want you to look in Mark chapter 6, beginning there with verse 31. Mark 6 and verse 31. Our Lord is speaking to His disciples. In fact, you can look in verse 30: "And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus,

Context: The Feeding of the 5,000

Weaver recounts the miracle of the loaves and fish, emphasizing that the disciples not only witnessed but participated in this massive miracle, which fed possibly 30-40,000 people.

and told him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him. And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see.

And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. And they did all eat, and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.

Now, the interesting thing is this. The Scripture here tells us there were about 5,000 men. When you read Matthew 14 in verse 21, the Scripture says this: "And they that had eaten were about five thousand men," listen, "beside women and children." So if each of these 5,000 men had a wife, that would be 10,000. And if each husband and wife had at least two children, that's 20,000. Most of them probably had more than two children. So we're talking about a miracle the size of taking five loaves and two fish and feeding 30 to 40,000 people. Now, that is indeed a miracle. Let me show you. Look back at verse 41 and 42 particularly. Verse 41: "And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all."

"And they did all eat, and were filled." Now, I want you to note something, if you would, please. The Bible tells us that He broke the bread and He gave to His disciples and His disciples gave to the people. He did likewise with the fish.

Context: Jesus Walks on Water and the Disciples' Fear

Weaver describes the second miracle where Jesus walks on water in a storm. The disciples, instead of responding in faith, are terrified, thinking they see a ghost, and are described as being out of their minds with fear.

"And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: for they all saw him, and were troubled." "And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid." Now look at verse 51, I'll come back to this verse. "And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered." So our Lord is walking upon the water. Not only is He walking upon the water, He's walking upon the water in a storm.

So the disciples see Him. He could have just as easily walked past them, but He did not. What was their response to our Lord walking on the water? And the answer is it was not one of wonder. It was not one of faith or amazement. It happened to be one of fear. So you're going to ask, why were they so fearful? Well, look in verse 49: "But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out." Now, the word for "spirit" is the word phantasma in the Greek. It is translated as "spirit" or an appearance or an apparition. And it could also mean a specter. If you look up the word "specter" in the dictionary, here's what you will find: a visible, incorporeal spirit. Now, incorporeal means it doesn't have a body. So a visible, incorporeal spirit, especially one of a terrifying nature; a ghost; a phantom; an apparition; some object or source of terror and dread. So let me just be very blunt: they thought they had seen a ghost.

Now, in Matthew, you don't have to turn there, but in Matthew 14 in verse 26, same incident:

Scripture Reading — Matthew 14:26

"And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear."

So when you look in Mark 6 and verse 50, you see this again: "For they all saw him, and were troubled." Now, we don't understand the word "troubled." I could look at Joshua and say, "He looks troubled." By that I mean he's concerned about something. Maybe something is slightly upsetting him. But the Greek word means more than being slightly upset. It is the Greek word tarasso, and it literally means, listen carefully, to agitate, to trouble (a thing, by the movement of its parts to and fro), to cause one inward commotion, to take away the calmness of the mind, to disturb one's equanimity, to strike one's spirit with fear and dread, and to render one anxious and distressed.

So let me spell it out. Their knees were knocking. They were scared and they were shaking in their boots. Their joints moved back and forth. Their mind was exceedingly troubled because now they thought they had a real ghost sitting before them, or at least walking on the water in front of them.

Now, our Lord then reassures them. If you look in verse 50, the Bible says, "For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered."

Now, let me point something else out. This is very interesting because the Bible says that they were "sore amazed" in themselves, now watch, "beyond measure, and wondered." The phrase "sore amazed" is translated from the Greek word existemi, which means to throw out of position, to displace, to be out of one's mind, to be beside oneself, literally to be insane. So here, please put this together. They're shaking in their boots. They are troubled. They are afraid. And now the Bible says they were sore amazed, that is, they were out of their mind.

They were crazy with fear. Now, I want to ask you a question. How did the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ get into this state? How did that happen? Obviously, they were not exercising faith. How could they become so fearful and unbelieving? In another passage, our Lord asked His own disciples, "Why are ye so fearful, O ye of little faith?" And He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. "Why are ye so fearful, O ye of little faith?"

The Root Cause: They Considered Not the Miracle of the Loaves

Weaver explains that the disciples' panic stemmed from their failure to consider (suniemi) the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were hardened—dull and calloused—preventing them from connecting Christ's power over matter to His power over the sea.

Now, how did the disciples get in this state? Look in verse 52. Look at it. "For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened." They got into this state because they considered not the miracle of the loaves. Let me explain this. They did not pay any attention to that which Jesus Christ had accomplished, that which not only they saw, but they participated in. They did not think, they did not meditate, did not consider, they did not cause anything to stand in their minds. And one of the reasons was simply because their heart was hardened.

Now, let me explain what it means. The problem today is most Christians have a hardened heart. It is not a hardened heart from what you and I would call a judicial hardening, where God judges someone like that. Neither is it a hardening from immorality. It is rather a dullness and a blindness of the mind that is settled upon the mind so that we cannot think and we cannot consider and we cannot put two and two together. Now, well, the Bible says, "For their heart was hardened." The Greek word is poroo, and it literally means to become hard, to become blind. It also means to cover with a thick skin or to become calloused. So we could easily say we have become calloused as Christians. You say, "How can you say that we have become calloused?" Well, how many people really get upset over abortion today? How many get upset over sodomy? How many get upset over socialism, communism? Nobody. We've literally become calloused.

The Call to Think and Meditate on Scripture

Weaver urges believers to pause and think when reading Scripture, using the Hebrew word 'Selah' as an example. He stresses that understanding comes through prayerful consideration, not mere reading.

So He says in verse 52, the reason these people were in such panic: they considered not the miracle of the loaves. Now, let me make a couple of applications. I want to try to tie this together. If you and I are going to profit from the reading and the study of Scripture, we have to learn to stop and to think. I can assure you that probably most people in this room have read through the book of Psalms. If you've read through the book of Psalms, there's one little word that probably caught your attention. It occurs over and over in the book of Psalms. It is the little word "Selah." It occurs 74 times in the Hebrew Testament, 71 times in the book of Psalms and three times in the book of Habakkuk. So David oftentimes will say something. There's the period. And then there's the word "Selah." You know what the word "Selah" means? Here's what it means: Stop. Pause. Calmly think about what I just said or what you just read. That's what it means. You've been reading, "Selah." Stop. Don't go any further. Think about what you just read. That's what the little word means. And so when you and I come to Scripture and we just read the Scripture and we read it just to be reading it, it's really not doing us any good at all. I've often said I had rather read two verses and understand them than I had to read 20 chapters and not understand a word that I've read.

OK. So our Lord tells us we've got to learn to pause and think and to consider, or else we're going to end up fearful and panicky as well. Now, there's something else we have to add with this. And that is, we must add to our thinking and the consideration of Scripture, we must add a prayer for God to guide our understanding, open our eyes, to lead us and direct us and teach us. It's not in man to direct his paths, the Word of God says. The reason—the reason there are so many divisions among Christians is because we don't think and we do not submit our minds to the Word of God. And consequently, we do not think alike. So if we want to learn to think alike, that means we have to submit our minds to the Word of God and learn to think biblically and scripturally.

Now, here's what the apostle Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2 in verse 7. He told Timothy,

Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 2:7

"Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things."

So our consideration is needed and necessary. But it is not that which gives us understanding in and of itself. It's the blessing of God upon that consideration that gives us understanding. So he says,

Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 2:7

"Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things."

That's why in Proverbs 2 and verse 6, he says this: "For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding." So as we look at the Scripture and we begin to think and we begin to meditate and we begin to consider and try to put things together in our minds, we need to be asking Him for wisdom and direction and for His gift of understanding.

Conclusion: The Sin of Not Thinking Is a Failure of Faith

Weaver concludes that fear is the opposite of faith, and since 'whatsoever is not of faith is sin' (Romans 14:23), failing to think on God's works and character is sinful. He calls for active, biblical thinking to overcome fear.

Now I titled this message, "The Sin of Not Thinking." And obviously you could look at me and say, "Well, now Brother Weaver, there is no commandment in the Bible that says, 'Thou shalt think.'" Well, that's true. I can't find one that says "Thou shalt think," although I can show you commands: "Think on these things." And I've told you before, the only thing that is sin in one sense of the word is a violation of God's law. Right? 1 John 3 and verse 4: "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."

But we can go even further than that. Not only is sin a transgression of the law. Let me ask the question. When we read our text, what was the prevailing attitude of the apostles in Mark chapter 6? Tell me what it was. Fear. Panic. Okay. May I quote Romans 14 verse 23?

Scripture Reading — Romans 14:23

"Whatsoever is not of faith is sin."

Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. So it's not just a violation of God's law. If you do not exercise faith, it is sin, according to Scripture. So faith and fear are direct opposites. If you're fearful, you're not exercising faith. If you're exercising faith, then you're not fearful. Our Lord said that His own disciples had their hearts hardened and were in such fear and such panic. Why?

Because they considered not the miracle of the loaves. Had they considered the miracle of the loaves, had they considered that Jesus Christ is God and that Jesus Christ can perform the miracle of feeding 30 and 40,000 people out of five loaves and two fish, it should be obvious if He can control the elements like that, He can also walk on the water and calm the storm. And so He tells us, we have to learn to think as we read the Scripture and try to put things together so that we can understand them and apply them in our lives. There is a sin of failing to think. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Danger of Not Thinking

Summary: Failing to think can lead to grave physical and spiritual consequences, as illustrated by a fatal accident and the disciples' fear.

Evidence: Weaver tells the story of a friend who died by dipping a hot drill bit into a pool without thinking, and connects it to Mark 6:52.

Amusement vs. Thinking

Summary: Modern culture promotes amusement (literally 'not thinking'), which bypasses the mind and appeals only to emotions, hindering spiritual growth.

Evidence: Weaver defines 'amuse' from the Greek alpha privative and states, 'amusement bypasses the brain and goes straight to the emotions.'

Biblical Mandate to Think

Summary: Scripture repeatedly commands believers to think, reason, and consider, using various Greek words that emphasize mental engagement with truth.

Evidence: Weaver cites Matthew 5:17, John 5:45, Philippians 4:8, and Mark 6:52, explaining the Greek words nomizo, dokeo, logizomai, and suniemi.

Hardness of Heart from Not Considering God's Works

Summary: The disciples' hearts were hardened because they did not consider the miracle of the loaves, leading to fear and panic instead of faith.

Evidence: Weaver explains Mark 6:52, 'For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened,' and defines 'hardened' as calloused and dull.

Fear as the Opposite of Faith

Summary: Fear and panic are evidence of a lack of faith, and since whatever is not of faith is sin, not thinking on God's power leads to sinful fear.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Romans 14:23, 'Whatsoever is not of faith is sin,' and applies it to the disciples' fear in the storm.

The Necessity of Meditative Scripture Reading

Summary: Believers must pause, think, and pray for understanding when reading the Bible, rather than reading superficially.

Evidence: Weaver references 'Selah' in Psalms as a call to pause and think, and cites 2 Timothy 2:7 and Proverbs 2:6 on the need for God-given understanding.

Key Arguments

Not thinking is a sin because it leads to fear, which is contrary to faith.

Summary: Weaver argues that the disciples' failure to think about Christ's miracle resulted in fear, and since fear is not of faith, it is sin.

Evidence: He states, 'Whatsoever is not of faith is sin' (Romans 14:23) and applies it to the disciples' panic in Mark 6.

The disciples' fear was irrational given their firsthand experience of Christ's power.

Summary: The disciples participated in the feeding miracle, yet did not connect Christ's power over matter to His power over the sea, showing a failure to think.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'They not only saw the miracle, they participated in the miracle, but it had no effect upon them.'

A hardened heart is often a dull, calloused mind that refuses to think.

Summary: Weaver explains that the Greek word for 'hardened' (poroo) means to become calloused or blind, not necessarily through immorality but through mental dullness.

Evidence: He says, 'It is rather a dullness and a blindness of the mind that is settled upon the mind so that we cannot think.'

Entertainment culture promotes a non-thinking mindset that is spiritually dangerous.

Summary: Weaver argues that amusement (a-muse) means 'not to think,' and that modern entertainment keeps the mind in neutral, hindering spiritual reflection.

Evidence: He states, 'amusement bypasses the brain and goes straight to the emotions.'

Biblical thinking involves active reasoning and consideration of facts, not mere emotion.

Summary: Weaver emphasizes that the Greek word logizomai means to reckon or calculate based on reality, not wishes or suppositions.

Evidence: He says, 'This word deals with facts. It deals with reality. It does not deal with suppositions, desires, or wishes.'

Prayerful consideration of Scripture is necessary for understanding and unity.

Summary: Weaver argues that divisions among Christians stem from not thinking biblically, and that understanding comes from God as we prayerfully consider His Word.

Evidence: He cites 2 Timothy 2:7, 'Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.'

Scripture References

Mark 6:52

Context: The central text: 'For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened.' Weaver uses this to explain the disciples' fear.

Psalm 143:5

Context: David says, 'I muse on the works of thy hands,' illustrating the biblical call to think and meditate on God's works.

Luke 3:15

Context: The people 'mused in their hearts' about John the Baptist, showing the Greek word dialogizomai meaning to reason or think.

Matthew 5:17

Context: Jesus says, 'Think not that I am come to destroy the law,' using the Greek word nomizo for thinking or supposing.

John 5:45

Context: Jesus says, 'Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father,' using dokeo, meaning to be of the opinion.

Philippians 4:8

Context: Paul commands believers to 'think on these things,' using logizomai, meaning to reckon or calculate based on reality.

Mark 6:31-44

Context: The feeding of the 5,000, which Weaver recounts to show the disciples' firsthand participation in a massive miracle.

Mark 6:45-51

Context: Jesus walks on water, and the disciples are terrified, thinking they see a spirit.

Matthew 14:21

Context: Weaver references this to note that the 5,000 men did not include women and children, making the miracle even larger.

Matthew 14:26

Context: The parallel account where the disciples cry out in fear, thinking Jesus is a spirit.

Luke 24:25-27

Context: Jesus calls the two disciples on the Emmaus road 'fools' for being slow to believe, illustrating dullness of heart.

Hebrews 5:10-11

Context: The Hebrew Christians are called 'dull of hearing,' showing a sluggishness in thinking and understanding.

2 Timothy 2:7

Context: Paul tells Timothy to 'Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding,' linking human consideration with divine illumination.

Proverbs 2:6

Context: The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, emphasizing the need for God's gift in thinking.

Romans 14:23

Context: Whatsoever is not of faith is sin, used to argue that fear from not thinking is sinful.

1 John 3:4

Context: Sin is the transgression of the law, mentioned as a baseline definition before expanding to include lack of faith.

Historical References

Ravi Zacharias and his radio program 'Let My People Think'

Context: Weaver mentions Ravi Zacharias as an example of someone emphasizing the need for Christians to think.

Important Quotes

For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened.

Significance: This is the central verse of the message, explaining the disciples' fear and the theme of not thinking.

amusement bypasses the brain and goes straight to the emotions.

Significance: Weaver's key definition of amusement as non-thinking, highlighting the danger of entertainment culture.

Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Significance: Weaver uses this to argue that fear from not thinking is sinful, tying the message to a broader biblical principle.

They considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened.

Significance: Repeated to emphasize the cause-and-effect relationship between not thinking and a hardened heart.

Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.

Significance: Weaver uses this to show the partnership between human consideration and divine illumination.

Discussion Questions

Why does Weaver consider 'not thinking' to be a sin, and how does he support this from Scripture?

Context: Weaver argues that fear from not thinking is a lack of faith, and Romans 14:23 says whatever is not of faith is sin.

How does the disciples' participation in the feeding miracle make their later fear more inexcusable?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that the disciples not only saw but distributed the food, yet failed to apply that lesson to the storm.

What does Weaver mean by a 'hardened heart' in the context of Mark 6:52, and how does it differ from judicial hardening?

Context: He describes it as a dullness and callousness of mind, not necessarily from immorality but from not thinking.

How does modern entertainment culture contribute to a non-thinking mindset among Christians?

Context: Weaver says amusement (a-muse) means 'not to think' and that entertainment bypasses the brain to work on emotions.

What practical steps does Weaver suggest for learning to think biblically when reading Scripture?

Context: He points to the word 'Selah' as a call to pause and think, and to pray for understanding as in 2 Timothy 2:7.

Why does Weaver say that fear and faith are direct opposites, and how does this relate to current events like the coronavirus?

Context: He applies the disciples' panic to modern fears, stating that fear shows a lack of faith and comprehension of God's power.

Applications

Pause and meditate on Scripture rather than reading superficially.

Summary: Weaver urges believers to stop and think about what they read, using 'Selah' as a model, to gain understanding.

Evidence: He says, 'Selah. Stop. Pause. Calmly think about what I just said or what you just read.'

Pray for God-given understanding when studying the Bible.

Summary: Weaver emphasizes that consideration must be accompanied by prayer for the Lord to give understanding, as in 2 Timothy 2:7.

Evidence: He states, 'we must add a prayer for God to guide our understanding, open our eyes, to lead us and direct us and teach us.'

Actively connect God's past works to present challenges to overcome fear.

Summary: Weaver teaches that remembering and considering God's power in past miracles builds faith to face current storms.

Evidence: He says, 'Had they considered the miracle of the loaves... it should be obvious if He can control the elements like that, He can also walk on the water and calm the storm.'

Guard against a calloused heart by engaging the mind in spiritual things.

Summary: Weaver warns that a hardened heart comes from not thinking, leading to dullness toward sin and God's works.

Evidence: He asks, 'How many people really get upset over abortion today? How many get upset over sodomy?... We've literally become calloused.'

Replace fear with faith by thinking on the character and power of Christ.

Summary: Weaver argues that fear is a failure to think on Christ's omnipotence, and that faith comes from considering His works.

Evidence: He says, 'If you're fearful, you're not exercising faith. If you're exercising faith, then you're not fearful.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-04T15:01:26Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-05T18:13:07Z

Clean Transcript

The Sin Of Not Thinking

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Mark chapter 6, Mark chapter 6, verse 52. We're just going to read the one verse; we will come back and get the context. The title of the message is "The Sin of Not Thinking." The sin of not thinking. So look in your Bibles, if you would please, to Mark 6 and verse 52. The Bible says, "For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened."
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Oftentimes we do things that can only be defined as stupid. And when we are confronted with our actions, and we're asked why we did those things, the most common response is, "I wasn't thinking," or at least, "I guess I wasn't thinking." And not thinking, of course, can have very grave consequences. Years back, Alice and I had a friend who was not only a talented builder, but he was also an overall good mechanic.
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And he was doing some work on the concrete around his pool. And he was drilling with his electric drill to put some screws in to hold a railing down. And the bit got hot. And without thinking, he dipped the tip of that bit in that electric drill into the pool to cool the bit. And he was instantly electrocuted and killed. Did he know better? And the answer is yes.
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Well, why did he do it? And the answer has to come back: he just was not thinking. And I can assure you that God in His infinite grace and mercy has spared my life numerous times, even in spite of my own stupidity. And I'm sure that He's done the same for you. And the proof of that is you're alive today. And so God has been gracious to us because oftentimes we do things without thinking.
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If you look in Mark 6 in verse 52 again, the Bible says this: "For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened." So there are grave consequences even for Christians who do not think. The truth is that thinking is work. Work requires time and effort. Hence, we do not wish to think because we do not wish to engage in any more work, particularly.
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And the fact is we had rather be entertained and amused. When you consider entertainment and amusement, one does not need to think. If you would look up the word "entertainment" in a dictionary, you would come up with this definition: the act of entertaining; agreeable occupation for the mind; diversion; amusement. So I want you to note once again that entertainment is amusement. Now, I've told you before, and I'm going to remind you that the word "muse" means to think.
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And it occurs twice in our Bibles, in the Old Testament and the New Testament. So if you'll look, first of all, holding Mark 6, to Psalm 143. Psalm 143, and look, if you would please, at verse 5. Psalm 143 and verse 5. Here David, the psalmist, says this: "I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the works of thy hands." That is, I think, I consider the work of thy hands. Then if you look in the book of Luke, chapter 3 and verse 15. Luke chapter 3 and verse 15.
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And here the Word of God makes a statement concerning John the Baptist. Luke 3 and verse 15: "And as the people were in expectation, all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ or not." So they were musing in their hearts.
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Now the word here is dialogizomai in the Greek, and it literally means to dispute, to reason, to muse, to think and consider. So what these people were doing was they were turning over and over in their minds reasons as to why John the Baptist could either be the Messiah or reasons why he was not the Messiah as well. But they were actually thinking. So I told you that the word "muse" means to think. In the Greek language, when you put an alpha or an "a" in front of a word, it negates it.
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It makes it a negative. So if "muse" means to think, to "amuse" means not to think, not to consider. Here's the problem. When you talk about entertainment and amusement, there's absolutely no work involved. You're just sitting there with your mind in neutral. And of course, the entertainment and the amusement then is just simply working on your emotions. So here's a statement that we need to remember: amusement bypasses the brain and goes straight to the emotions. I don't know if you have ever heard Ravi Zacharias, but he has a radio program and the title of that program is "Let My People Think."
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As you read through Scripture, you find that there is a great deal of emphasis upon thinking. For instance, you will find such phrases as "think not," "what think ye," "how think you," "let such a one think this," or "do you think" over and over in Scripture.
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Now, the truth of the matter is we're actually called to think. So let me just show you several illustrations. I want you to look in your Bibles, first of all, to the book of Matthew, chapter 5. And look, if you would please, at verse 17. Matthew, chapter 5. And notice, if you would please, verse 17. Watch this, if you would. Matthew 5 and verse 17. Here's what our Lord said: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." Now notice what He said: "Think not." The interesting thing is here the word is nomizo, and it literally means to think or to suppose that,
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to deem something to be true or to hold something by what you and I would call custom. So He says, "Don't even begin to think. Don't deem this to be true." He says, "Don't think that I've come to destroy the law or the prophets. I've not come to destroy, but to fulfill."
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Now, if you look in John chapter 5, John chapter 5, here's another word and another term. In John chapter 5 and verse 45, John 5 verse 45, our Lord says to these Pharisees, "Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust." Now, here the word is dokeo, and it literally means to be of the opinion, to judge, to think, to suppose, to appear to be. So our Lord says, "Do not think, do not let it appear, do not even suppose that I am come to judge you. I don't have to. Moses, in whom you trust, he is going to judge you as well."
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So I want you to turn now to the book of Philippians. Here is one of the most frequently used words in the New Testament for thinking, in the book of Philippians, chapter 4 and verse 8. This word happens to be logizomai. And look what the Bible says. Philippians 4 and verse 8. The apostle writes, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Now notice, if you would, he said, "Think on these things." Wow.
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Now the word literally means to reckon, to reason, to take into account. It means to calculate and to determine. Let me just illustrate something for you. This word is so important. It is a word that deals with reality. So if I logizomai, if I calculate that I have a hundred bucks in my bank account, I have a hundred bucks in my bank account. If I do not logizomai, if I do not calculate it, then I'm just simply deceiving myself. So the point I'm trying to make is this word deals with facts. It deals with reality.
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It does not deal with suppositions, desires, or wishes. So here we are commanded to think on these things. These things are reality. These things are facts.
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Now, when you look back in your Bibles to the book of Mark chapter 6, Mark chapter 6, and notice, if you would, please, verse 52 again. I'm going to give you one more word and then we're going to get started, because I'm telling you, there's a great deal of emphasis upon thinking in Scripture. So notice, if you would, Mark 6 and verse 52. The Bible says, "For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened." I want you to look at the word "considered." The word "considered" is from the Greek word suniemi.
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It is a preposition "sun" and "hiemi," which means to stand or to cause to stand. So when you put the preposition "sun," which means "with," it literally means to cause to stand together in the mind. So the Bible says, "For they considered not," they did not cause things to stand together in their minds. That is, they did not join things together. They did not comprehend. They did not understand.
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Now, in order to really grasp verse 52, you have to understand the context. Prior to verse 52, our Lord has performed two miracles. The first one is known as the feeding of the 5,000. So I want you to look in Mark chapter 6, beginning there with verse 31. Mark 6 and verse 31. Our Lord is speaking to His disciples. In fact, you can look in verse 30: "And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus,
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and told him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them,
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and came together unto him. And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see.
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And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.
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And they did all eat, and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.
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Now, the interesting thing is this. The Scripture here tells us there were about 5,000 men. When you read Matthew 14 in verse 21, the Scripture says this: "And they that had eaten were about five thousand men," listen, "beside women and children." So if each of these 5,000 men had a wife, that would be 10,000. And if each husband and wife had at least two children, that's 20,000. Most of them probably had more than two children. So we're talking about a miracle the size of taking five loaves and two fish and feeding 30 to 40,000 people. Now, that is indeed a miracle. Let me show you. Look back at verse 41 and 42 particularly. Verse 41: "And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all."
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"And they did all eat, and were filled."
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Now, I want you to note something, if you would, please. The Bible tells us that He broke the bread and He gave to His disciples and His disciples gave to the people. He did likewise with the fish.
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Now, the multitude that was there probably did not realize how little fed so many. However, the disciples knew specifically. They knew that He began with five loaves and two fish. They were the ones that made the people to sit down in companies of 100 and companies of 50. They saw Him pray and bless the food. They saw Him break the bread and give to them so they could give to the people. They saw Him break the fish and give to them so they could distribute to the people. It's not just simply that the apostles saw this miracle; they participated in it. They were there. They were doing it. Now, please understand, I want to point out this was a miracle of great proportions. Now, there is a second miracle that happens. And I want you to look at it beginning there in verse 45. Verse 45: "And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray."
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"And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: for they all saw him, and were troubled."
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"And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid." Now look at verse 51, I'll come back to this verse. "And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered." So our Lord is walking upon the water. Not only is He walking upon the water, He's walking upon the water in a storm.
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So the disciples see Him. He could have just as easily walked past them, but He did not. What was their response to our Lord walking on the water? And the answer is it was not one of wonder. It was not one of faith or amazement. It happened to be one of fear. So you're going to ask, why were they so fearful? Well, look in verse 49: "But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out." Now, the word for "spirit" is the word phantasma in the Greek. It is translated as "spirit" or an appearance or an apparition. And it could also mean a specter. If you look up the word "specter" in the dictionary, here's what you will find: a visible, incorporeal spirit. Now, incorporeal means it doesn't have a body. So a visible, incorporeal spirit, especially one of a terrifying nature; a ghost; a phantom; an apparition; some object or source of terror and dread. So let me just be very blunt: they thought they had seen a ghost.
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Now, in Matthew, you don't have to turn there, but in Matthew 14 in verse 26, same incident: "And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear." So when you look in Mark 6 and verse 50, you see this again: "For they all saw him, and were troubled." Now, we don't understand the word "troubled." I could look at Joshua and say, "He looks troubled."
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By that I mean he's concerned about something. Maybe something is slightly upsetting him. But the Greek word means more than being slightly upset. It is the Greek word tarasso, and it literally means, listen carefully, to agitate, to trouble (a thing, by the movement of its parts to and fro), to cause one inward commotion, to take away the calmness of the mind, to disturb one's equanimity, to strike one's spirit with fear and dread, and to render one anxious and distressed.
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So let me spell it out. Their knees were knocking. They were scared and they were shaking in their boots. Their joints moved back and forth. Their mind was exceedingly troubled because now they thought they had a real ghost sitting before them, or at least walking on the water in front of them.
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Now, our Lord then reassures them. If you look in verse 50, the Bible says, "For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered."
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Now, let me point something else out. This is very interesting because the Bible says that they were "sore amazed" in themselves, now watch, "beyond measure, and wondered." The phrase "sore amazed" is translated from the Greek word existemi, which means to throw out of position, to displace, to be out of one's mind, to be beside oneself, literally to be insane. So here, please put this together. They're shaking in their boots. They are troubled. They are afraid. And now the Bible says they were sore amazed, that is, they were out of their mind.
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They were crazy with fear. Now, I want to ask you a question. How did the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ get into this state? How did that happen? Obviously, they were not exercising faith. How could they become so fearful and unbelieving? In another passage, our Lord asked His own disciples, "Why are ye so fearful, O ye of little faith?" And He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. "Why are ye so fearful, O ye of little faith?"
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Now, let me point something out. If this could happen to the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ while He was present with them, how much more could it happen to us when He is not physically present with us? These people, these apostles, were literally shaking with fear. May I point out the fact that the average professing Christian today, as well as the average American, is shaking with fear over coronavirus. If it wasn't the coronavirus, it'd be the swine flu. If it wasn't the swine flu, it'd be SARS. If it wasn't SARS, it'd be Ebola. If it wasn't Ebola, it'd be Zika. It'd be something. It could be the economy. It could be your family. It could be—you just get out of your mind. You panic, you lose everything, and just totally give in to fear.
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I was talking and showed it to Alice. I saw a headline. It says, "Whoever dies of the coronavirus dies alone." I couldn't help but laugh. And Isaiah and Alice were in the room when I read the article or the title of the article. I said, "Isn't that amazing? Everybody dies alone. Nobody dies with you. And if somebody did die with you, you wouldn't know it." So I asked Isaiah and Alice, I said, "Now when it comes my time to die, would you all like to die with me?" I mean, obviously the Christian does not die alone because of the Lord Jesus Christ. But the truth of the matter is each of us has to face this alone. No one else is going to face it for us. But why in the world would you get bent out of shape over that you have to die by yourself? Everybody has to die by themselves.
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All I'm trying to point out is this: every time you give in to panic and fear, you're giving in to a lack of faith and a lack of understanding and a lack of comprehension.
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Now, how did the disciples get in this state? Look in verse 52. Look at it. "For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened." They got into this state because they considered not the miracle of the loaves. Let me explain this. They did not pay any attention to that which Jesus Christ had accomplished, that which not only they saw, but they participated in.
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They did not think, they did not meditate, did not consider, they did not cause anything to stand in their minds. And one of the reasons was simply because their heart was hardened.
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Now, let me explain what it means. The problem today is most Christians have a hardened heart. It is not a hardened heart from what you and I would call a judicial hardening, where God judges someone like that. Neither is it a hardening from immorality. It is rather a dullness and a blindness of the mind that is settled upon the mind so that we cannot think and we cannot consider and we cannot put two and two together. Now, well, the Bible says, "For their heart was hardened." The Greek word is poroo, and it literally means to become hard, to become blind. It also means to cover with a thick skin or to become calloused. So we could easily say we have become calloused as Christians. You say, "How can you say that we have become calloused?" Well, how many people really get upset over abortion today? How many get upset over sodomy? How many get upset over socialism, communism? Nobody. We've literally become calloused.
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Now, the disciples here were not opposed to Jesus Christ. They were not fighting against Jesus Christ. Let me show you something. I want you to hold Mark 6, but look in your Bibles to Luke 24. Luke 24. You remember the two disciples of our Lord who were walking on the Emmaus road and our Lord joins Himself to them. And He asked what they're talking about. And they said, "Are you a stranger here?
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Have you not heard what has happened? Why, Jesus of Nazareth was crucified. We thought He was the Messiah. And besides this, this is the third day." Well, look what our Lord says, Luke chapter 24, beginning there, verse 25. He talks to these two disciples and He says, "Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." Now, I want to call your attention to this, that our Lord called His disciples fools.
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Let me remind you of something else. There are four different Greek words for "fool." One of those words is used in Matthew chapter 5, where it is a term of reproach and contempt. God forbids us to look upon our brother and say, "Thou fool," when we're treating him and holding him contemptuously and reproachfully. That word is not the word that is used in Luke chapter 24. Anoetos is the Greek word, and here it means one that is foolish, one that is unwise, one that is weak, one that is dull. It is backed up by the Greek word bradus, which means dull, listen, inactive, and one of a stupid mind. And by a stupid mind, I mean what our Lord means: one is slow to believe and to comprehend the absolute truth. Now, if you would turn in your Bibles again to the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 5. Look, if you would please,
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at verses 10 and 11. Here the apostle has been talking about the Lord Jesus Christ and the fact that He is of the lineage of Melchizedek, after the order of Melchizedek. Verse 10, the Bible says, "Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec." Then he says this to these Hebrew Christians: "Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing."
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Now the word here is the word nothros, which means dull, slothful, sluggish, indolent, languid. He says, "You're dull of hearing, you're indolent, you're sluggish, you're slothful, you're not thinking, you don't want to think." Here's my question. How did the apostles' hearts get so hardened and even more hardened? Well, the answer comes back in verse 52: "For they considered not the miracle of the loaves." They considered not the miracle of the loaves.
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Now let me put this together. They did not understand or put together all that our Lord did in feeding the 5,000 or feeding the 30 or 40,000, however many there were. Now the Greek word, as I pointed out, for "consider" is suniemi, which means to put together or to draw together or to place together and to cause to stand in the mind.
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So they not only saw the miracle, they participated in the miracle, but it had no effect upon them. They did not attend to it. They did not learn from it. They did not see the wonderful glory of Christ. They did not comprehend the power of Christ. They did not understand that what Jesus Christ did was an act of omnipotence. Our Lord performed this miracle, which was far beyond the natural.
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He took five loaves and two fish and fed an entire multitude. His power in producing and providing the multiplicity of loaves and fish demonstrated not only His power and His deity, but listen, His control over the material elements. Do you realize that only God could do something like this? Only God could multiply the loaves and the fish. Only God could feed a multitude of people with manna in the wilderness for 40 years.
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I've often said the richest man in the world cannot feed the birds that exist in the world for 30 days without going broke. Just stop and think about that. And our Lord feeds everything, but He fed His people, several million people, every day for 40 years in the wilderness. If Jesus Christ can part the Red Sea and cause it to congeal and stand upright while His people can walk across, undoubtedly He can walk on water. Undoubtedly, He could walk on water in a storm as well.
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So here is what we're learning. The reason these people were so fearful and in such a panic mode is because they did not comprehend the person and the power and the work of Jesus Christ. How else can I say this? If we want to live in a state of fear, if we want to live in a state of panic, all we have to do is to continue not to think, not to meditate, not to put things together, not to consider. Unless we learn to think biblically and scripturally, what is going to happen? We're going to end up with hardened hearts, even more so. God has done so many great things, not only in our lives, but in His Word and in the lives of other people. We need to see and understand and put all of this together and learn to apply it to our life.
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So let me ask this question. When you read the Scripture, how many really genuinely stop and think when you read the Scripture? How many say, "What is the Lord saying? What is He saying to me? How do I apply this to my life? How do I change my life? How do I work this out in biblical principle?" No, normally we just read the Scripture and then we're content with saying, "Well, I read my Bible today." We do not consider, we do not think. And we certainly do not consider the mighty power of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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So He says in verse 52, the reason these people were in such panic: they considered not the miracle of the loaves. Now, let me make a couple of applications. I want to try to tie this together. If you and I are going to profit from the reading and the study of Scripture, we have to learn to stop and to think. I can assure you that probably most people in this room
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have read through the book of Psalms. If you've read through the book of Psalms, there's one little word that probably caught your attention. It occurs over and over in the book of Psalms. It is the little word "Selah." It occurs 74 times in the Hebrew Testament, 71 times in the book of Psalms and three times in the book of Habakkuk. So David oftentimes will say something. There's the period. And then there's the word "Selah." You know what the word "Selah" means? Here's what it means: Stop. Pause. Calmly think about what I just said or what you just read. That's what it means. You've been reading, "Selah." Stop. Don't go any further. Think about what you just read. That's what the little word means. And so when you and I come to Scripture and we just read the Scripture and we read it just to be reading it, it's really not doing us any good at all. I've often said I had rather read two verses and understand them than I had to read 20 chapters and not understand a word that I've read.
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OK. So our Lord tells us we've got to learn to pause and think and to consider, or else we're going to end up fearful and panicky as well. Now, there's something else we have to add with this. And that is, we must add to our thinking and the consideration of Scripture, we must add a prayer for God to guide our understanding, open our eyes, to lead us and direct us and teach us. It's not in man to direct his paths, the Word of God says. The reason—the reason there are so many divisions among Christians is because we don't think and we do not submit our minds to the Word of God. And consequently, we do not think alike. So if we want to learn to think alike, that means we have to submit our minds to the Word of God and learn to think biblically and scripturally.
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Now, here's what the apostle Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2 in verse 7. He told Timothy, "Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things." So our consideration is needed and necessary. But it is not that which gives us understanding in and of itself. It's the blessing of God upon that consideration that gives us understanding. So he says, "Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things." That's why in Proverbs 2 and verse 6, he says this: "For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding." So as we look at the Scripture and we begin to think and we begin to meditate and we begin to consider and try to put things together in our minds, we need to be asking Him for wisdom and direction and for His gift of understanding.
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Now I titled this message, "The Sin of Not Thinking." And obviously you could look at me and say, "Well, now Brother Weaver, there is no commandment in the Bible that says, 'Thou shalt think.'" Well, that's true. I can't find one that says "Thou shalt think," although I can show you commands: "Think on these things." And I've told you before, the only thing that is sin in one sense of the word is a violation of God's law. Right? 1 John 3 and verse 4: "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."
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But we can go even further than that. Not only is sin a transgression of the law. Let me ask the question. When we read our text, what was the prevailing attitude of the apostles in Mark chapter 6? Tell me what it was. Fear. Panic. Okay. May I quote Romans 14 verse 23? "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. So it's not just a violation of God's law. If you do not exercise faith, it is sin, according to Scripture. So faith and fear are direct opposites. If you're fearful, you're not exercising faith. If you're exercising faith, then you're not fearful. Our Lord said that His own disciples had their hearts hardened and were in such fear and such panic. Why?
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Because they considered not the miracle of the loaves. Had they considered the miracle of the loaves, had they considered that Jesus Christ is God and that Jesus Christ can perform the miracle of feeding 30 and 40,000 people out of five loaves and two fish, it should be obvious if He can control the elements like that, He can also walk on the water and calm the storm. And so He tells us, we have to learn to think as we read the Scripture and try to put things together so that we can understand them and apply them in our lives. There is a sin of failing to think. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day.
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We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We ask, Father, Your grace and Your mercy to be upon us. Build us up in the most holy faith. Teach us to think, O Lord, and consider Thy wondrous works, and Thy power, and the greatness and majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
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so so
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-04T15:01:26Z

The Sin Of Not Thinking

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver examines Mark 6:52 to show that the disciples' fear during the storm on the sea resulted from their failure to consider the miracle of the loaves. He argues that not thinking—failing to meditate on God's works and character—leads to a hardened heart, fear, and panic. The message calls believers to actively think, meditate on Scripture, and apply biblical truth to overcome fear and exercise faith.

Opening

Scripture Reading — Mark 6:52

"For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened."

Introduction: The Danger of Not Thinking

Thinking Is Work, and We Prefer Amusement

Scripture Reading — Psalm 143:5

"I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the works of thy hands."

That is, I think, I consider the work of thy hands. Then if you look in the book of Luke, chapter 3 and verse 15. Luke chapter 3 and verse 15.

And here the Word of God makes a statement concerning John the Baptist. Luke 3 and verse 15:

Scripture Reading — Luke 3:15

"And as the people were in expectation, all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ or not."

Biblical Emphasis on Thinking

Weaver surveys several Greek words for thinking used in Scripture (nomizo, dokeo, logizomai, suniemi) to demonstrate that God commands His people to think, reason, and consider reality.

Now, if you look in John chapter 5, John chapter 5, here's another word and another term. In John chapter 5 and verse 45, John 5 verse 45, our Lord says to these Pharisees,

Scripture Reading — John 5:45

"Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust."

Scripture Reading — Philippians 4:8

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

Now notice, if you would, he said,

Scripture Reading — Philippians 4:8

"Think on these things."

Wow.

It does not deal with suppositions, desires, or wishes. So here we are commanded to think on these things. These things are reality. These things are facts.

Context: The Feeding of the 5,000

Weaver recounts the miracle of the loaves and fish, emphasizing that the disciples not only witnessed but participated in this massive miracle, which fed possibly 30-40,000 people.

Context: Jesus Walks on Water and the Disciples' Fear

Now, in Matthew, you don't have to turn there, but in Matthew 14 in verse 26, same incident:

Scripture Reading — Matthew 14:26

"And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear."

The Root Cause: They Considered Not the Miracle of the Loaves

The Call to Think and Meditate on Scripture

Weaver urges believers to pause and think when reading Scripture, using the Hebrew word 'Selah' as an example. He stresses that understanding comes through prayerful consideration, not mere reading.

Now, here's what the apostle Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2 in verse 7. He told Timothy,

Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 2:7

"Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things."

Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 2:7

"Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things."

Conclusion: The Sin of Not Thinking Is a Failure of Faith

Scripture Reading — Romans 14:23

"Whatsoever is not of faith is sin."

The Sin Of Not Thinking

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	Cze7jxq0niU
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord and Wisdom: Can We All Just Get Along?
Genre	Sermon
Date	2020-04-20
Dictation Name
Book	Book 082: Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord and Wisdom - Volume 2 — Chapter 26
Source Timed Segments	63

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Danger of Not Thinking: Weaver opens with a personal story of a friend who died because he wasn't thinking, illustrating that not thinking can have grave consequences. He connects this to Mark 6:52, where the disciples' failure to think led to spiritual hardness.
Thinking Is Work, and We Prefer Amusement: Weaver explains that thinking requires effort, so people prefer entertainment and amusement, which bypass the brain and go straight to the emotions. He defines 'amuse' as 'not to think' based on the Greek alpha privative.
Biblical Emphasis on Thinking: Weaver surveys several Greek words for thinking used in Scripture (nomizo, dokeo, logizomai, suniemi) to demonstrate that God commands His people to think, reason, and consider reality.
Context: The Feeding of the 5,000: Weaver recounts the miracle of the loaves and fish, emphasizing that the disciples not only witnessed but participated in this massive miracle, which fed possibly 30-40,000 people.
Context: Jesus Walks on Water and the Disciples' Fear: Weaver describes the second miracle where Jesus walks on water in a storm. The disciples, instead of responding in faith, are terrified, thinking they see a ghost, and are described as being out of their minds with fear.
The Root Cause: They Considered Not the Miracle of the Loaves: Weaver explains that the disciples' panic stemmed from their failure to consider (suniemi) the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were hardened—dull and calloused—preventing them from connecting Christ's power over matter to His power over the sea.
The Call to Think and Meditate on Scripture: Weaver urges believers to pause and think when reading Scripture, using the Hebrew word 'Selah' as an example. He stresses that understanding comes through prayerful consideration, not mere reading.
Conclusion: The Sin of Not Thinking Is a Failure of Faith: Weaver concludes that fear is the opposite of faith, and since 'whatsoever is not of faith is sin' (Romans 14:23), failing to think on God's works and character is sinful. He calls for active, biblical thinking to overcome fear.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Not thinking is a sin because it leads to fear, which is contrary to faith.

Weaver argues that the disciples' failure to think about Christ's miracle resulted in fear, and since fear is not of faith, it is sin.

He states, 'Whatsoever is not of faith is sin' (Romans 14:23) and applies it to the disciples' panic in Mark 6.

The disciples' fear was irrational given their firsthand experience of Christ's power.

The disciples participated in the feeding miracle, yet did not connect Christ's power over matter to His power over the sea, showing a failure to think.

Weaver says, 'They not only saw the miracle, they participated in the miracle, but it had no effect upon them.'

A hardened heart is often a dull, calloused mind that refuses to think.

Weaver explains that the Greek word for 'hardened' (poroo) means to become calloused or blind, not necessarily through immorality but through mental dullness.

He says, 'It is rather a dullness and a blindness of the mind that is settled upon the mind so that we cannot think.'

Entertainment culture promotes a non-thinking mindset that is spiritually dangerous.

Weaver argues that amusement (a-muse) means 'not to think,' and that modern entertainment keeps the mind in neutral, hindering spiritual reflection.

He states, 'amusement bypasses the brain and goes straight to the emotions.'

Biblical thinking involves active reasoning and consideration of facts, not mere emotion.

Weaver emphasizes that the Greek word logizomai means to reckon or calculate based on reality, not wishes or suppositions.

He says, 'This word deals with facts. It deals with reality. It does not deal with suppositions, desires, or wishes.'

Prayerful consideration of Scripture is necessary for understanding and unity.

Weaver argues that divisions among Christians stem from not thinking biblically, and that understanding comes from God as we prayerfully consider His Word.

He cites 2 Timothy 2:7, 'Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.'

Scripture References

Mark 6:52: The central text: 'For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened.' Weaver uses this to explain the disciples' fear.
Psalm 143:5: David says, 'I muse on the works of thy hands,' illustrating the biblical call to think and meditate on God's works.
Luke 3:15: The people 'mused in their hearts' about John the Baptist, showing the Greek word dialogizomai meaning to reason or think.
Matthew 5:17: Jesus says, 'Think not that I am come to destroy the law,' using the Greek word nomizo for thinking or supposing.
John 5:45: Jesus says, 'Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father,' using dokeo, meaning to be of the opinion.
Philippians 4:8: Paul commands believers to 'think on these things,' using logizomai, meaning to reckon or calculate based on reality.
Mark 6:31-44: The feeding of the 5,000, which Weaver recounts to show the disciples' firsthand participation in a massive miracle.
Mark 6:45-51: Jesus walks on water, and the disciples are terrified, thinking they see a spirit.
Matthew 14:21: Weaver references this to note that the 5,000 men did not include women and children, making the miracle even larger.
Matthew 14:26: The parallel account where the disciples cry out in fear, thinking Jesus is a spirit.
Luke 24:25-27: Jesus calls the two disciples on the Emmaus road 'fools' for being slow to believe, illustrating dullness of heart.
Hebrews 5:10-11: The Hebrew Christians are called 'dull of hearing,' showing a sluggishness in thinking and understanding.
2 Timothy 2:7: Paul tells Timothy to 'Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding,' linking human consideration with divine illumination.
Proverbs 2:6: The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, emphasizing the need for God's gift in thinking.
Romans 14:23: Whatsoever is not of faith is sin, used to argue that fear from not thinking is sinful.
1 John 3:4: Sin is the transgression of the law, mentioned as a baseline definition before expanding to include lack of faith.

Historical References

Ravi Zacharias and his radio program 'Let My People Think': Weaver mentions Ravi Zacharias as an example of someone emphasizing the need for Christians to think.

Important Quotes

For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened.

This is the central verse of the message, explaining the disciples' fear and the theme of not thinking.

amusement bypasses the brain and goes straight to the emotions.

Weaver's key definition of amusement as non-thinking, highlighting the danger of entertainment culture.

Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Weaver uses this to argue that fear from not thinking is sinful, tying the message to a broader biblical principle.

They considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened.

Repeated to emphasize the cause-and-effect relationship between not thinking and a hardened heart.

Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.

Weaver uses this to show the partnership between human consideration and divine illumination.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

Why does Weaver consider 'not thinking' to be a sin, and how does he support this from Scripture?

[Context]

Weaver argues that fear from not thinking is a lack of faith, and Romans 14:23 says whatever is not of faith is sin.

[Question]

How does the disciples' participation in the feeding miracle make their later fear more inexcusable?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that the disciples not only saw but distributed the food, yet failed to apply that lesson to the storm.

[Question]

What does Weaver mean by a 'hardened heart' in the context of Mark 6:52, and how does it differ from judicial hardening?

[Context]

He describes it as a dullness and callousness of mind, not necessarily from immorality but from not thinking.

[Question]

How does modern entertainment culture contribute to a non-thinking mindset among Christians?

[Context]

Weaver says amusement (a-muse) means 'not to think' and that entertainment bypasses the brain to work on emotions.

[Question]

What practical steps does Weaver suggest for learning to think biblically when reading Scripture?

[Context]

He points to the word 'Selah' as a call to pause and think, and to pray for understanding as in 2 Timothy 2:7.

[Question]

Why does Weaver say that fear and faith are direct opposites, and how does this relate to current events like the coronavirus?

[Context]

He applies the disciples' panic to modern fears, stating that fear shows a lack of faith and comprehension of God's power.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-05T18:13:07Z