Consider His Priority

We're going to be hitting the last lesson here in the series, lesson number 13. The title of this one is Consider His Priority.

! God's priority is not just to give us everything we want.

His priority is to seek and to save those who are lost so that they can have life and have it more abundantly. Our text today is going to be John chapter 6, verses 1 through 15.

Oh, nice voice crack there. After these things, Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias, and a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His miracles, which He did on them that were deceased.

And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there He sat with His disciples, and the Passover feast of the Jews was nigh. When Jesus then lifted up His eyes and saw a great company come unto Him, He saith unto Philip, When shall we buy bread that these may eat?

And this He said to prove Him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, Two hundred penny worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto Him, There is a lad here which have five barley loaves and two small fishes.

But what are these among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place, and the men sat down in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were sat down, and likewise the fishes as much as they would.

When they were filled, He said unto His disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with fragments of the five barley loaves which remained over and above, unto them that had eaten.

Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth, that prophet that should come into the world. When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take Him by force to make Him a king, He departed again unto a mountain Himself alone.

So over the past couple lessons, we've focused our attention on Christ, who He is, what He's done for us. And in this final lesson, we're going to look at one of the most well-known stories from His life, and learn about God's priorities.

Our goal as we complete this series is to embrace Christ's priority as our own. From the very first recorded miracle Jesus performed, He manifested His glory. Back in John chapter 2, verse 11, He didn't just perform miracles to impress a crowd.

His goal was that people would see His miracles and believe that He was the Son of God, the Savior of the world. So in this lesson, we're going to visit a miracle from His very early ministry. This is the only one that is recorded in all four of the Gospels.

There is much that we can learn from it, and we'll look primarily in John chapter 6. In our text, we see that Jesus took just five loaves of bread and a couple fish to feed as many as 15,000 to 20,000 people.

The Bible only records that the men were sat down, but we can assume that there were women and children among them as well. Yet, the tragedy of these early days of Jesus' ministry was that many people never saw past the miracles to believe on Jesus Christ as their Savior.

They were attracted to the miracles, the crowd, and the excitement, but they never accepted Christ's offer of salvation. The miracle of the feeding of the thousands occurred just before the Passover. So it was in the spring, and the grass would have been green on the mountain where the people gathered in the city of Galilee.

The Sea of Galilee, a freshwater sea, nine miles wide and 14 miles long, would have been a beautiful place to gather. This site was a place where Jesus would go to rest quite often. As Jesus gathered there this particular day, he was looking for some time to rest with his disciples, but then they see this giant crowd that had followed them.

See that in verse 5. Then when Jesus lifted up his eyes and saw a great company come unto him, undoubtedly it would have been easy for the disciples just to shoo them away and say, come back another time, we're trying to take a nap. But one of the great things about Jesus is that he truly loved and cared about people.

Rather than just turning them away, he met their needs. So first we see the passion of Christ. You know, we tend to see people for what they can do for us and in terms of how they might inconvenience us.

But Jesus saw people through the eyes of compassion and made meaning for their needs his passion. So we first see to care for the people. Jesus had a great desire to care for those who had come unto him.

Although he was tired and weary from many days of ministry, he still took out the time and effort to care for those that were near him. See in Matthew chapter 14, verse 14, it says, And Jesus went forth and saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion and he healed their sick.

Mark chapter 6, verse 34, It's easy for us to struggle with selfishness.

We all have our own schedules and agendas and it can be challenging for many of us to be flexible when others ask us to inconvenience ourselves. But Jesus always had compassion for the multitudes that came unto him.

It was part of his character to care for people. Psalm 55, verse 12, The Lord hath been mindful of us. He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel. He will bless the house of Aaron.

We can always count on Christ's love for us. He's passionate to see us experience his love and goodness. Christ's passion for people needs to be a characteristic that we have.

In addition, his passion for the multitude, Jesus had another passion, and that is to train his disciples. Jesus knew that his earthly ministry would only last about three and a half years.

He recognized that it was vital for him to equip his disciples so that he could further the gospel message after he left earth to go back to heaven. Throughout his ministry to the masses, he was training a group of 12 men to carry his work forward in the centuries to come.

And although Christ could have immediately met the need at hand, he used the opportunity to train those that he was mentoring. It's always almost easier just to do a job yourself than to ask someone else to do it.

You know, in teaching, you'll find quite often that a lot of teachers would just rather come in sick than have to make a whole lesson plan. Because when you're making a lesson plan, you're having to think of every single possible scenario that could go wrong and then make a plan for that.

Which, quite often, I just like, ah, forget it, I'm just going to go into work. Because it's usually more work to just go in sick, or to make a lesson than it is to just go in sick. When I was in college out at West Coast, I got a job out in the kitchen out there.

And because we were short-handed, they moved me up the ladder pretty quick. So the second semester of my freshman year, I was already one of the shift managers, training some of the new people. And I had to learn pretty quick, I can't just try to sit there and do the job myself, because I needed to be off doing other things.

So I actually had to take the time to sit down and train people how to properly use a dishwasher, which is a lot less common that people know for some reason than you might think. So I could go and make sure that people aren't trying to take more food so that everyone can get some.

Jesus trained his disciples in two ways. First, by example. It was by his example that these 12 exhausted disciples came across the Sea of Galilee to a mountain place and learned the importance of prayer, and how much all of us need to spend time alone with God, resting in him.

See this in Mark chapter 6, verses 31 and 32. 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. Jesus was a perfect example for the disciples, and he's the perfect example for us today. In everything we say, think, and do, we should be thinking about the example Christ set for us and determine whether our actions are pleasing to him.

So Jesus didn't train his disciples only by example, but also by examination. He took time to ask them questions, very specific questions, and not so that Jesus could figure out the answer, because he already knew, but it's so they can see how far their own faith had come.

Back in our text, John chapter 6, verses 5 and 6. When Jesus lifted up his eyes and saw a great company come unto him, he said unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat? And this he said to prove him, for he himself knew what he would do.

You can almost see it now. The disciples are freaking out. What are we going to do? How are we going to feed all these people? And Jesus just turns right to Philip. Where's the money, Philip? And Philip says, well, I don't know.

We don't have enough to even get him a little bit of bread. John chapter 2, verses 24 and 25. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men. And needed not that any should testify a man, for he knew what was in man.

Jesus knew exactly what was on Philip's mind. The purpose for his question was to examine Philip's faith. The word prove, in verse 6, literally means to test. So, maybe you start a new job or something new, and you're in a proving time, a probationary period.

It's time to see if something works out well, or it's time to see if someone is doing well. Jesus was showing Philip how his faith was doing. The Lord will, at some point, allow you to go through a time of testing or proving.

Not to show him where your faith is, because he already knows, but to show you where it is. And so often, in our pride, we think that our faith is perfectly fine. But when the test comes, we realize how much we need the Lord's help.

Philip did not do well on this test, of course. When Jesus asked Philip the question, he immediately started digging in his pockets to try and figure out how much money they had. So, instead of looking to God, he looked to himself.

John chapter 6, verse 7, Philip answered him, 200 penny worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take even a little. Philip noted that amongst the disciples, they had the equivalent of about eight months' pay for one person.

This would have been plenty for the disciples to eat, but it wouldn't even have come close to feed the 5,000. Philip looked at his own resources and was discouraged. Although he had seen Christ do all these miracles before, the first time there was a great need, he looked to what human resources could do.

Jesus' question showed Philip just how weak his faith was. Sometimes we're tempted to look at our own problems and try to use our own resources to fix them. But we know that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

So, when difficult times arise, our test is not whether we're going to actually get it done, but are we going to look to Christ to help us get it done. Real quick, turn to Exodus chapter 4.

This one isn't in your outline. Exodus chapter 4. This is where Moses, so he's about 40 years old when he ends up killing one of the Egyptians, runs away, live in the wilderness for another 40 years.

And he's out shepherding the fields and he comes across a burning bush. My first thought, if a bush starts talking to me, is probably to go walk away and sleep. But Moses is a little bit more curious.

So, he goes up to the bush. And, of course, we know the story. God's talking with him about how he's going to send Moses back to Egypt to set his people free. And Moses is trying to come up with just about every excuse possible as to why he can't do it.

So, we'll start in verse 1 in chapter 4. And Moses answered and said, But behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice, for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. And God, of course, is going to answer that question and take away that concern.

And the Lord said unto him, What is in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent. And Moses fled from before it. And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail.

And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand. That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom.

And he put his hand into his bosom. And when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. And when he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again, and he put his hand into his bosom again, he plucked it out of his bosom. And behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.

And it shall come to pass that they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. And it shall come to pass that they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto my voice, that thou shalt take up the water of the river and pour it upon the dry land.

And the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land. So Moses has a question, and God gives him three different options on how it's going to work out.

But Moses still continues in verse 10. And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant, but I am of a slow speech and of a slow tongue.

And the Lord said unto him, Who made man's mouth? Or who maketh the dumb, or the deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth and teach thee what thou shalt say.

And I can almost imagine it now where Moses, he's sitting there, he's like, well that one didn't work. So let me try this one. Sorry Lord, and historians believe that Moses had a stutter. So he's like, God I can't, I can't get the words out.

And God is probably sitting there very patiently, waiting and waiting, waiting. Who made man's mouth? Moses. And not I the Lord? And I think of Job, where God comes at him out of a whirlwind.

Another thing, if a tornado starts talking to you, I don't know what I would do, but I don't think I might sit there and listen. I'm probably going to run away. So this tornado is talking to Job, and Job is sitting there, and God basically says, look at the universe, Job.

Who did all this? Who makes the wind blow? Who put the stars there? Did not I do that? Am not I in control? You know, the words I can't have just as much pride as I can, because they both start with the wrong person, yourself.

Instead of saying to God, all right God, I know I can, you can, Moses just kept making excuses. So we see the plan of Christ. Jesus had a specific plan that involved a miracle.

It was a miraculous plan. Jesus considered all the needs of all the people, and so that he could be glorified, he chose to use human involvement to carry out his plan. He didn't choose just anyone.

Out of all the people he could have used in the crowd, he chose a young lad, as the Bible describes, with a small lunch, five barley loaves of bread, and two fishes. So perhaps saw his pure heart and childlike faith, and regardless to why God chose to use him, this young boy honored the Lord with his lunch.

He could have thought of his own needs and kept all the food to himself, but he didn't. He gave what he had to Jesus. Back in our text, verses 8 and 9, one of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, there is a lad here which hath five barley loaves and two small fishes, but what are they among so many?

Unfortunately, many who give to Jesus gives if they're paying their taxes. They do it because they think it's their duty instead of giving out of joy. Most people don't think, man, I'm so great, I get to pay this much in taxes this year.

And on the other hand, some people give to the Lord like a young man would give to his girlfriend an engagement ring. I can remember when Kira and I got engaged, and it's a whole story, but I was just over the moon excited.

I just, I couldn't believe it. I'm like, I can't believe she actually said yes. What a score for me. So, we need to all give out, give to the Lord out of a pure heart that is excited to give.

Matthew chapter 6, verse 21, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. So, every man, in 2 Corinthians chapter 9, verse 7, every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver.

So, after receiving the young boy's lunch, Jesus revealed his divine power. He used the resources that had been put into his hands to feed thousands and thousands of people. Anytime he puts something seemingly small and insignificant into God's hands, he'll produce something all-sufficient.

He takes the small amount that we have and multiplies it. John chapter 6, verse 11, and Jesus took the loaves and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples and the disciples to them that were sat down and likewise the fishes as much as they would.

All through the Bible, we can see God taking small human resources and doing something mighty with them. Think back to Moses again. God ultimately used Moses and a simple rod to free the Israelites from Egyptian bondage.

With that rod, the Lord miraculously parted the waters of the Red Sea. Moses just had to yield what he had to God and then allow God to do the rest. Consider how God worked through the life of David.

1 Samuel chapter 17, verses 40 through 50. And he took his staff in his hands and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even a script, and his sling which is in his hands and he drew near to the Philistine.

And of course, we know the story of David and Goliath where Goliath asked David, are you a dog? Did you come unto me with sticks? David says, no, I come unto you in the power of the Lord and he's going to deliver you into my hand.

And of course, we know the song and David swung his sling round and around and around and around. And the giant came tumbling down. God saw a pure heart in David and a heart that wanted God to be glorified.

And God wanted to use this young heart. So when David killed Goliath, God did something that David could have never done alone. When we yield what we have to the Lord, laying ourselves on the altar before God, we present ourselves with an attitude that God can bless.

He uses people who have surrendered hearts. If you look in 1 Corinthians 1, verses 27 and 29, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.

And God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty and the base things of the world which are despised. Hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not to bring not things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence.

So we need to maintain a childlike faith and believe that God is able to do exceeding above all that we could ask or think. And his plan for this very small lunch was pretty miraculous.

Then we see a masterful plan. Everything that Jesus did was masterful. Our Lord is a God who sets things in order exactly how they need to be. In our text in verse 10, Jesus said, make the men sit down.

Now there was so much grass in the place that the men sat down in a number about 5,000. Mark chapter 6, verse 40, and they sat down in ranks by hundreds and by fifties. And we see that Jesus is doing this.

We see in 1 Corinthians in chapter 14, verse 40, it says, let all things be done decently and in order. Scripture specifically mentioned that there were 5,000 men, not counting the women and children.

So people believe that there was around 15 to possibly 20,000 people there that day. And Jesus had them all sit down in groups of 50 to 100. And then he began setting out the food according to the way that he had set the order.

He had an organized, masterful plan of feeding thousands of people. After setting everything in order, Jesus instructed the disciples to distribute the food, verses 11 and 12. And Jesus took the loaves and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples and the disciples to them that were sat down and likewise the fishes as much as they would.

When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, gather up the fragments that remain that nothing be lost. The distributing of the bread gives the church a wonderful picture of our purpose and mission today.

Just like the disciples were giving out the bread to sustain the people, we are the recipients of the bread of life. Therefore, we are to take the message of Christ and distribute it to the lost world.

Just as Jesus divided the crowds of thousands, we can divide up our own city, divided into sections so that we can do it decently and in order. And that we know that God isn't just going to say figure it out on your own.

In Acts chapter 1 verse 8 it says, but ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem and in Judea and in Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth.

His masterful plan also involved the disciples conserving the remainder of the food. Verse 12, when they were filled, he said unto his disciples, gather up the fragments that remain that nothing be lost.

So he not only provided enough food to satisfy the hungry crowd, but also enough to provide the next day's meal for the disciples. He did not forget those who were laboring the work of this miracle. When you are faithful to Christ, you can count on him to be faithful to provide for you.

He is completely capable of meeting every need you have. Through observing the passion of Jesus to love people and the plan of Jesus to meet needs, we discover the priority of Jesus.

And in fact, our text spells it out for us as it describes what Jesus did after this miracle. So now we come to the day after the feeding of the thousands. By this point, Jesus had already performed another miracle.

He had walked on water. He's now gone back to the other side of Galilee, perhaps still trying to find some rest. And the multitudes again come looking for Jesus and notice what happens. In verse 25, John chapter 6, And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?

The next few verses show how Jesus saw their intentions and told them of their priority. We can never hide our true motives from Christ. He knew the priority of these men.

So we see man's priority. Verses 26 through 29, Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye seek me not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled.

Labor not for meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you. For him hath God the Father sealed.

Then they say unto him, What shall we do that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Jesus knew that these men were not following him to worship or honor God. They were looking for their own agendas, for personal security and comfort, and they knew that Jesus had the power to give it. They were tired of Roman oppression, so they wanted to make Jesus their king.

They were tired of being the neglected minority, and they wanted someone to become a champion for their cause. And they wanted Jesus to set up a kingdom that would make them free from all their earthly problems.

They wanted political security. When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone. Not only did they want political help, but they also wanted provisional help.

They saw that Jesus could provide them with bread and fish, so they wanted to follow him so that he would keep giving it to them. They were only following Jesus based on their empty stomachs rather than what they could give him, which is life everlasting.

Mark chapter 6, verse 52, For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened. They only looked at what was happening, not why it was happening.

Though they had been eyewitnesses of Jesus' miraculous sign, they failed to understand the purpose for those signs. It wasn't just to feed them, but rather it was to prepare their hearts to believe on Jesus as the Messiah.

They wanted so much for themselves that they missed the most important thing. How many of you are a football fan? NFL, college, any kind?

Well, you're probably familiar with the name Tom Brady, even if you're not a big football fan, quarterback of the New England Patriots. He had won three Super Bowls by the time he was 28. And then people look at him and think, wow, he sure has got a whole lot figured out for being so young.

He had an interesting interview in 2005 on 60 Minutes, and he made the statement, which was thought-provoking for the people interviewing him. He says, sometimes I wonder, why do I have three Super Bowl rings and think there's still something greater out there for me?

I think, God, it's got to be more than this. I mean, this isn't, this can't be what it's all cracked up to be. Steve Croft, the interviewer, then asked, so what's the answer? And all he replies is, I wish I knew.

If everything in life was perfect politically and physically, you would still have a hole in your heart that only God could fill. These people were interested in Jesus being a provider, but they were not interested in him as a savior.

Man's priority is self-centered. So, we need to see through Christ's priority. first of all, it's that all men should be saved.

John chapter 6, verse 29, and Jesus answered and said unto them, this is the work of God that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. Luke 19, 10, for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Christ's priority is not merely for us to believe in God, as even demons believe in God. Thou believest that there is one God that do us well. The devils also believe and tremble. Christ's priority is for sinners to trust him alone as their personal savior.

Titus chapter 3, verse 5, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Ephesians 2, 8, 9, for by grace are you saved through faith that not of yourselves is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.

And then back in John chapter 3, verses 17 and 18, for God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

So God's priority is for every person to be saved and secondly, to be secure. Back in our main text, verses 34 and 35, then said they unto him, Lord evermore, give us this bread.

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life. He that cometh unto me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. When you trust Christ as your Savior, you never have to wonder again if your sins have been forgiven.

His Spirit will always be with you, and there's nothing no one can ever do or change that. Now that bears the question, but what about assurance? Well, that's on you.

God did the saving part. It's up to you if you're going to grow or not. In fact, turn to 1 Peter. 1 Peter chapter 1. Sorry. I think it's 2 Peter chapter 1.

Yes. 2 Peter chapter 1 in verse 5. In Peter's writing, it says, and beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue or moral excellence and to virtue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godliness and to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness charity.

For if these things be in you and abound, key words there, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see afar off and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Notice it doesn't say that they were never saved.

It says they never grew in their faith and that they forgot that they were purged from their old sins. So if you're struggling with assurance of your salvation, you might be thinking, man, did I say the right words?

Did I mean it at the time? Well, that's not the question that you should be asking. Is your faith growing? According to Peter, that's the problem because it's very easy to forget that you were purged from your old sins.

When you trust in Christ, you are never, ever going to have to wonder again if your sins are forgiven. But growing your faith is up to you. John chapter 10, verse 27 through 30, says, You'll notice that sentence ends in a period.

That means the thought is done. It's over with. There's nothing more to say there. If it had ended in something like a semicolon or a colon, there'd be more to add. But we can see a divine order here where Jesus is saying, when you're saved, you're saved forever.

And there's nothing that you can do to lose that. But just like he asked Philip the question to test where his faith was, test will come of your faith. So despite our Lord's teachings, many couldn't get over the miracles enough to get to his message.

Look at our main text, verses 60 and then 66. Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is in hard saying. Who can hear it? From that time, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him.

So when rubber meets the road, and Jesus is like, You don't need physical bread. You need the bread of life. And that might mean giving up some things. You know, you're probably thinking of the story where a man came to Jesus and said, Oh, but I need to go bury my father.

Well, if you dig a little bit more into that story, his father wasn't actually dead. He was just waiting for him to die. And Jesus said, Well, you've got to give it up. You're going to follow me. Because he was loving his inheritance more than he was loving Jesus.

So, how is it that Jesus could, how Jesus, the perfect teacher, had people who left him and turned their backs? If we just come for a religious gathering, but never allow the word to convict our hearts, we won't truly be saved.

Christ offers salvation to all, but we have to receive his words in order to be saved. You know, I was listening to a preacher not too long ago. He had an interesting thought.

You know, you've never known a world without God in it. Hmm. Even unsaved people have never known a world without God in it.

The first time someone is truly going to be completely separated from God is if they die and they're not saved. Now, people come to church all the time that aren't saved, but it's even worse when someone comes to church thinking they are and they aren't.

And a lot of times we can come to church and not have fellowship with God, but we can have fellowship with others about God and get warm and fuzzy inside and feel like we're just fine. So we need to seriously examine ourselves.

Are we truly saved or do we just like how church makes us feel? After salvation, we must take Christ's priority and make it our own priority.

Rather than seeking God merely to see our physical needs met, we must be willing and available to be used by him to meet the spiritual needs of others. You know, you see a lot of movements today where their presentation of the gospel is just God can fulfill all your needs, which is true, but people are speaking of that as in physical needs.

God will give you everything you want. As you consider the priority of Christ to seek and to save the lost, ask yourself if your priorities line up with his own. Are you investing your best time and energy in bringing the gospel to others?

This is truly the single greatest and most rewarding priority in life. So we've considered Christ through these lessons and we can look back and see a priority on people woven throughout each passage that we've studied.

We've seen his care for the disciples, his deliverance of those possessed with demons, his grief for Mary and Martha when their brother died, and his compassion to raise Lazarus from the dead, his forgiveness of the sinful woman, the healing of the impotent and the blind, his willingness to continue preaching the truth to those who hated him, and his suffering and resurrection for our sin.

So as we consider these events in Christ's life, can there be any doubt that his priority was to seek and to save the lost? It has been said that there are only one thing that we can take to heaven with us, the souls of those who have been led to Christ.

Let us not follow Christ only for personal gain, but let us follow him in bringing the gospel to others. As we close, turn back to 1 Samuel chapter 17.

1 Samuel chapter 17. And we see down in verse 29, just some backstory here, in chapter 16, God spoke to Saul and he went to go to Jesse, and Jesse lines up all of his sons except for one, who of course we find out later is David, and they're trying to find a new king.

Saul had disobeyed God, he did not completely destroy the Amorites because Saul, he says he was afraid of the people, but he was just making excuses for his own sin. So God says, alright Saul, you're not going to be king anymore.

So Samuel now is doing what God told him to do to go look for a new king. And we get to David. And David, of course, is anointed with oil and divinely ordained to be the next king of Israel.

And his first job that he has as the soon-to-be king of Israel, his dad comes up to him and says, take these ten pieces of cheese and go to your brothers. So David takes those ten pieces of cheese and he goes and what's the first thing his brothers say to him?

David, why are you being so naughty? That's what they say. I know the naughtiness of your heart. No, I don't think I've ever had a grown man look me in my eyes and say you're being naughty, which would be a little weird.

David is looking around on how the soldiers of Israel are cowering because they're looking at their own strength rather than God to protect them from Goliath. And of course, we know the story of how David defeated Goliath.

But look in verse 29. So David is looking around and he says, verse 29, Now David said, What have I now done?

He was just called naughty. What have I done? Is there not a cause? And he turned from him toward another and spake after the same manner and the people answered him again after the former manner.

So he's saying, what are you doing? We have a job to do. Is there not a cause? Just like Christ's priority, is there not a cause?

People are dying every day and it's our job that God gave us to go to them to tell them about the gospel and how they can be saved. And even though I would like very much for Jesus to come back, that's not time yet.

So until that happens, we've got to keep working. Turn to Psalm and this is Psalm 83, or sorry, Psalm 81. Now when you're looking at verses in the Old Testament, you have to be very careful because God is speaking to Israel for the majority of it.

So you can't take exactly what's being said and apply it as if God is speaking to you in the same way. For instance, God did not promise you that you would be a great nation like he did to Abraham. But we can take principles from the Old Testament.

So we see in Psalm 81 down in verse 10. It says, I am the Lord thy God which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it. But my people would not hearken unto my voice and Israel would none of me.

So I gave them up unto their own hearts lusts and they walked in their own counsels. Then we see here God grieving for his people. Oh, that my people had hearkened unto me and Israel had walked in my ways.

I should have subdued, I should soon have subdued their enemies and turned my hand against their adversaries. The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him but their time should have endured forever.

He should have fed them also with the finest of wheat with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee. So he's saying if Israel would have just listened and would have taken care of all their problems, now that doesn't mean Israel would have taken, God would have taken care of Israel's problems the way Israel would have liked.

Many times God works through difficulties and struggles to give you exactly what you need just like he does today. But we know that if we're following God he will work things out for the best.

Whether it's the way we wanted it to happen or not, we know that it's what needs to happen. So, are we going to go? We know that God will take care of us so what do we have to fear?

You know, it's Saul, he specifically said he was afraid of the people which is why he didn't kill all the Amorites. What was Saul afraid of? God was protecting him.

He had the Holy Spirit with him. He was selfish. He wanted it for his own gain. He was seeking only what he could get physically rather than spiritually just like the people that followed Jesus asking for more bread.

So we need to make Christ's priority our own and take the gospel out to a dying and lost world so that they can not just have bread but have the bread of life. And that brings us to the end of our lesson series.

I don't know what's going to be coming up next but, Pastor, I appreciate that you know you've distributed the lessons among different men in the church. I know Lance, you said this before but it has been really great just to see different people teaching and stepping up and filling in where we need.

So, it's just been a blessing to see and a blessing to hear others. But, Mr. Wilson, would you please pray for us as we finish this series? Please may