THE MARK OF A SERVANT- Cautions of Carelesness
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In verses 1-6 We find that a prophet is without honor to his own.
It is often said that the two best pastors a church will ever have is the last pastor and the next pastor.
I hope that is not the case this morning , but I know that often it is those closest to you who listen the least.
Parents, that is your opportunity to say AMEN.
In verses 7-13 we see that Jesus sent out the twelve.
With this commissioning He gave them instructions and power.
In verses 14-32 we see the recount of John the Baptist and his beheading.
Finally in verses 33-44 We see the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand men.
This account is riddled with messianic symbolism. The five loaves of bread symbolized the five books of the Torah. The Torah is often pictured by Bread. We also know that Jesus said that He was the bread of life.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
There is also two fish. Fish we know was the symbol of the the early church.
Many disciples where fisherman.
Jesus said, I will make you fishers of men.
Here we see that it was barley bread and small fishes. Early historians say that it was probably pickled fish, used as a relish. The bread was the main meal but the fish made the poor bread edible.
Likewise, the truth of Gods word is bitter to the sinner.
The love of Christ is what makes the truths of His Word digestible to a sin sick world.
Furthermore, there were twelve baskets that where left over.
This miracle took place in Galilee, a Jewish territory. These twelve baskets represented the twelve tribes of Israel.
Yet the focus of the story is not the symbolism but rather Christ.
Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.
When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.
And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late.
Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”
But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?”
And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.”
Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass.
So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties.
And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all.
And they all ate and were satisfied.
And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish.
And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
I. Compassion
I. Compassion
Jesus was not obligated to feed the five thousand. He had not invited them to follow HIm. In fact, we see that He was going away with the disciples for rest and they followed HIm.
However, He did not miss an opportunity to do good.
One of the first steps of discipleship is learning to have a genuine heart for others.
Compassion requires that we see a need and that we invest ourselves to meet that need.
II. Consistency
II. Consistency
Christ continually displayed compassion. This was not a one time event. Even while on the Cross he asked the father to forgive His executioners.
He was consistent in His desire to see beyond the surface and reach to the heart of those who came into contact with Him.
Likewise, if we are to be good disciples we must learn consistency. We must learn to place the needs of others above that of ourselves.
Even when it is difficult and especially when it is difficult. Its easy to show compassion to those we enjoy being around. Its easy to display compassion to those who are for us. However, Christ-likeness is displayed when the person needing compassion makes the task difficult.
We must learn to be consistent.
III. Confidence
III. Confidence
We also see the confidence that Jesus had. There was never a doubt concerning the miracle.
Likewise, we must learn to trust in the power of Jesus.
However, our confidence must be in Him.
Yet, as believers we must work from a position of faith.
Do you believe that discipleship works?
Do you believe that the Bible can transform lives?
If so then lets put it into action.
IV. Their Carelessness
IV. Their Carelessness
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.
And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land.
And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them,
but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out,
for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded,
for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
Immediately following the feeding of the five thousand, the disciples were sent across the sea. However, a storm was slowing their progress and they were afraid.
What we find is that Jesus heard their cries and calmed the storm.
Yet, what we see next is astounding. The bIble says that they had forgotten the miracle of the loaves.
How could the disciples having just witnessed one of the greatest miracles in history, forget the miracle in the same day?
The Bible says that they did because their hearts were hardened.
What could have hardened their hearts so quickly.
I believe there are three things that affected their faith.
I. Their Surroundings
I. Their Surroundings
The storm had their attention and I do not blame them.
How often do we get our eyes off of what os important? Life has a way of distracting each of us. We quickly loose sight of the priorities in life.
Our circumstances have a way of dictating our emotions and this was the case with the disciples. Their situation had caused them to forget about the history of Jesus’s deliverance.
The labor of their duties had robbed them of the blessings of the past.
We see a similar story with Marry and Marhta. One worked while the other worshipped.
I will add this morning that church is time to worship. I understand that their is work that must be done. However, I encourage each of you to come to church to worship.
Many weeks I see people running around talking during Sunday School, Worship service, and Prayer meeting. I know their are times that work has to be done but don’t look for a way out of church look for a way in.
If your work can wait, then by all means wait. We need to keep our eyes focused on what is important.
II. Their Sight
II. Their Sight
Secondly, we see that their surroundings had robbed them of their sight.
They were commanded to go over the sea. They had forgotten the saviors command.
No. they could still see physically, but they were blinded spiritually. They had just seen the miracle but they had turned blind to the things of God.
I fear that many believers see God working, many have even experienced His handywork, yet they can not see what He is doing in their lives right now.
Child of God, I want to assure you that Jesus is working in your life. He has a plan for you and He is working it for good in your life and mine.
Don’t forget what He has brought you through and never forget that He has more to do in your life.
III. Their Savior
III. Their Savior
They had forgotten who the Savior is. The saw Him but fear had made Him unrecognizable to them.
Have you ever been to a place in your life where you could no longer see Jesus working in your life?
Maybe, you can only see your problems and it may even be, like the disciples, that Jesus has even brought you to fear.
The very answer to their troubles brought them to fear.
Sometimes in life we are fearful of things that we do not understand. The loss of a loved one, the betrayal of a friend, and disappointments. Yet, sometimes, it is the very hand of God working in our lives, even when we don’t understand.
That is not to say that bad things happen just because God wants to work in our lives but rather in the middle of the storm His presence can still be found.