WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.400 Our sermon text today that we'll be considering is in Mark chapter 6 verses 30 through 44. 00:00:07.940 --> 00:00:14.780 That's page 790 in the Pew Bible. Let me encourage you to turn there in the Pew Bible. We'll have it 00:00:14.780 --> 00:00:18.420 on the screens, but it'll be good to have it open in front of you as we look through it together. 00:00:19.199 --> 00:00:26.980 Mark chapter 6 verses 30 through 44, page 790. Well, as we come to God's Word, let me pray, 00:00:26.980 --> 00:00:43.760 and then I'll read for us. Our Father in heaven, you have indeed loved us through our Lord Jesus Christ, 00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:52.219 through your Son, and we look to you now to love us still, Lord, to demonstrate to us again how much 00:00:52.219 --> 00:00:58.679 you care for us in your great power and wisdom and steadfast love. As we come to your Word, 00:00:58.780 --> 00:01:03.420 open our hearts to hear and to receive what your Spirit is saying to us today, 00:01:04.219 --> 00:01:08.939 that we might live as people who truly know you. 00:01:11.099 --> 00:01:17.079 We ask this in Christ's name. Amen. All right, let me read for us. Mark chapter 6 verse 30. 00:01:17.079 --> 00:01:22.640 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. And he said to them, 00:01:23.079 --> 00:01:28.859 come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while. For many were coming and going, 00:01:29.120 --> 00:01:35.299 and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 00:01:36.879 --> 00:01:42.239 Now, many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got 00:01:42.239 --> 00:01:48.719 there ahead of them. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, 00:01:49.019 --> 00:01:55.579 because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. 00:01:57.479 --> 00:02:02.799 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, this is a desolate place, and the hour is 00:02:02.799 --> 00:02:08.639 now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something 00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:17.219 to eat. But he answered them, you give them something to eat. And they said to him, shall we go and buy 200 00:02:17.219 --> 00:02:24.579 denarii worth of bread to give it to them to eat? And he said to them, how many loaves do you have? 00:02:25.179 --> 00:02:30.419 Go and see. And when they had found out, they said, five and two fish. 00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:37.699 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups by 00:02:37.699 --> 00:02:44.199 hundreds and by fifties, and taking the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up to heaven 00:02:44.199 --> 00:02:51.919 and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. 00:02:52.719 --> 00:03:00.679 And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up 00:03:00.679 --> 00:03:07.399 12 baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were 5,000 men. 00:03:07.699 --> 00:03:19.679 Like sheep without a shepherd. Imagine sitting with Jesus that day and looking out across a crowd 00:03:19.679 --> 00:03:29.459 of thousands and sensing with Jesus their deep need. There they are, gathering eagerly, 00:03:29.460 --> 00:03:37.900 but without direction, without purpose. Struggling to survive, struggling to make sense of their lives, 00:03:38.020 --> 00:03:45.540 struggling to see how their lives fit into any larger story. Struggling under the rule of bad leaders, 00:03:46.100 --> 00:03:52.000 like the Herod that we heard about last week. Like sheep without a shepherd. 00:03:52.000 --> 00:04:03.099 It's perhaps not too hard to imagine, isn't it? And can't you and I resonate deeply with that 00:04:03.099 --> 00:04:08.599 description at times? Don't we look out at our world, at the world we live in, and don't we look 00:04:08.599 --> 00:04:16.480 into our own hearts even and see much the same? People struggling to find purpose, direction, 00:04:16.480 --> 00:04:24.160 just eking out our lives, but with no discernible end or goal or bigger story in mind. And looking in 00:04:24.160 --> 00:04:29.660 all sorts of directions to find it, right? The latest social media fad, the latest dieting or 00:04:29.660 --> 00:04:40.280 relationship guru, the latest spiritual self-help book. Blown and tossed by a cultural moment that says, 00:04:40.279 --> 00:04:47.899 you are the king of your own destiny. You make the reality. You want to live. And yet we try, 00:04:48.699 --> 00:04:55.779 and we end up just as lost and lonely as before, like sheep without a shepherd. 00:04:59.019 --> 00:05:04.759 But what this passage tells us is that this is not how humans were meant to live. 00:05:04.759 --> 00:05:14.000 Mark is showing us here that there is a shepherd who can receive us, satisfy us, and lead us. 00:05:14.920 --> 00:05:20.680 When we're weary, when our lives feel blown and tossed, when we're hungry and without direction, 00:05:20.819 --> 00:05:25.899 without security, without purpose, when earthly leaders have let us down, when earthly authorities 00:05:25.899 --> 00:05:34.740 have harmed us rather than protected us, Mark is showing us that Jesus is the true shepherd we need. 00:05:34.759 --> 00:05:43.579 So let's consider what we see in this passage about Jesus, our true shepherd. 00:05:44.599 --> 00:05:51.500 The first thing we see is that Jesus has the compassion to receive us. He has the compassion 00:05:51.500 --> 00:05:57.779 to receive us. This is what we see so clearly in verse 34, isn't it? The great crowds gather on the 00:05:57.779 --> 00:06:04.740 shore, and Jesus' response is to have compassion on them. But consider how easy, how natural it would 00:06:04.740 --> 00:06:12.519 have been, for Jesus to just send them away instead. After all, Jesus here is trying to, he's trying to get 00:06:12.519 --> 00:06:19.220 away with his disciples. He's trying to, to get some time away. They had just come back from their 00:06:19.220 --> 00:06:23.540 first mission. They're telling Jesus everything they had done and taught, and Jesus says, let's go away 00:06:23.540 --> 00:06:28.139 to a desolate place. That is, let's get away from the crowds and away from the demands of ministry, 00:06:28.139 --> 00:06:35.579 and let's rest for a while. Notice that we're getting a glimpse of Jesus's compassion even in 00:06:35.579 --> 00:06:41.719 this moment of the story. He knows the disciples need rest. Sure, their, their, their adrenaline is 00:06:41.719 --> 00:06:46.500 probably pumping. They're probably ready to go, go out and do it again as they return from this first 00:06:46.500 --> 00:06:52.139 ministry trip. But Jesus knows their frame. He knows our frame, and he knows our limits. And he says, 00:06:52.139 --> 00:06:58.139 let's go and rest for a while. You and I can't keep going and going and going. There must be seasons 00:06:58.139 --> 00:07:04.860 of rest. So here is Jesus teaching his disciples this critical principle about Sabbath and rhythms 00:07:04.860 --> 00:07:10.219 of work and rest. And they, and they take the boats up the shoreline a little ways to a spot away from 00:07:10.219 --> 00:07:15.719 the towns and cities, a quiet, desolate place, a nice spot for a spiritual retreat. You know, they find 00:07:15.719 --> 00:07:19.019 Killam's Point out in Brantford, and they pull off, and there they are. 00:07:19.019 --> 00:07:24.759 But the crowds see where they're headed, and they hurry up the coast too. 00:07:25.779 --> 00:07:30.180 And when Jesus and the disciples land back on shore, there they are, waiting for him. 00:07:32.599 --> 00:07:35.399 Just think how easily Jesus could have sent them away, 00:07:36.299 --> 00:07:40.699 or told them to come back in a day or two, right, after he and his disciples had had their time to rest. 00:07:43.139 --> 00:07:47.579 Maybe you can even sense the disciples' sort of frustration in that moment. Come on, 00:07:47.579 --> 00:07:56.479 this was our chance. But rather than sending them away, Jesus receives them. In compassion, 00:07:56.899 --> 00:08:04.799 he welcomes them and begins teaching them. He has time for them. They aren't disrupting his agenda. 00:08:05.360 --> 00:08:14.279 They aren't thwarting his plans. In fact, this is why he's come, to be the true shepherd that we need. 00:08:14.279 --> 00:08:23.059 The reality is this, friends. Jesus never turns away the one who earnestly seeks him. 00:08:25.079 --> 00:08:30.279 I don't know what obstacles you had to overcome to be here this morning. Some, perhaps, 00:08:31.500 --> 00:08:35.419 were minor. You know, you had another late night caring for a sick child, or, you know, 00:08:35.459 --> 00:08:39.120 another late night finishing a work project that had to be completed, and it was kind of rough waking up 00:08:39.120 --> 00:08:45.320 this morning, but you made it. Some, some obstacles that you had to overcome, perhaps, 00:08:45.399 --> 00:08:52.100 were even bigger than that, though. Perhaps they were bigger. Maybe you haven't been to church in a 00:08:52.100 --> 00:08:56.779 long time, and your last experience of church was so painful, you're not sure why you've come. 00:08:58.200 --> 00:09:04.580 Or maybe you carry a heavy burden of guilt, and you're not sure you'll ever belong in a place like this. 00:09:04.580 --> 00:09:13.639 But look at what we see of Jesus here. He never turns away the one who earnestly seeks him. 00:09:14.379 --> 00:09:20.620 His heart is full of compassion towards you. You know, he didn't, he didn't step out of the boat 00:09:20.620 --> 00:09:26.540 and start assessing the crowd for their worthiness. Okay, is this crowd worth me interrupting this 00:09:26.540 --> 00:09:33.080 spiritual retreat for? No. He wasn't sort of asking himself, do they deserve my time today? No. 00:09:33.080 --> 00:09:39.460 He saw that they were like sheep without a shepherd, and that they had gone out of their way, maybe like 00:09:39.460 --> 00:09:46.200 you this morning, to be near him, and his heart filled with compassion and receive them. 00:09:50.180 --> 00:09:54.840 Now, maybe this morning you feel a little more like the disciples, wishing you could get away and rest 00:09:54.840 --> 00:09:59.920 for a day, or even an afternoon. You'd take anything you could get, right, in the midst of your busy and 00:09:59.919 --> 00:10:09.179 hectic schedule. If that's you, take heart, friend. Jesus sees your need. He's not asking you to work 00:10:09.179 --> 00:10:13.879 yourself into the ground to meet everyone's needs and to be their Savior. After all, he's the Savior, 00:10:13.979 --> 00:10:20.279 not you. It's okay for you to stop every once in a while, to let God be God, and to remember that you 00:10:20.279 --> 00:10:27.259 and I are just creatures. I like the opening verse of our passage, verse 30, the apostles returned to 00:10:27.259 --> 00:10:35.240 Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. I wonder if you and I might make this our practice 00:10:35.240 --> 00:10:44.839 more and more. After a long day or a long week, to find a moment to come to Jesus in prayer and to lay 00:10:44.840 --> 00:10:50.420 before him all our labors. Tell him everything we did, everything we said, everything we went through 00:10:50.420 --> 00:10:58.240 that day, and to entrust it to him. The same Jesus who received the crowds with compassion received 00:10:58.240 --> 00:11:03.000 the disciples with compassion too, as they told him everything they had done and taught, as they just 00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:05.720 unburdened their hearts and their souls to their Lord. 00:11:05.720 --> 00:11:14.180 Here, perhaps, is one key to experiencing his rest, to experiencing his compassion, 00:11:14.680 --> 00:11:23.600 to come to him simply, regularly, and to speak with him, to commune with him about the simple 00:11:23.600 --> 00:11:30.540 labors of your day, and to hand it over to him as your good shepherd, the shepherd who has the 00:11:30.539 --> 00:11:37.199 compassion to receive us. But, you know, it's not just compassion that Mark wants us to see. 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:43.000 The second point of our passage is that Jesus is the true shepherd who has the power to satisfy us. 00:11:43.459 --> 00:11:49.399 He has the power to satisfy us. As this day by the lake kind of goes on and begins to get late, 00:11:50.139 --> 00:11:55.000 the disciples urge Jesus to send the crowds away. We're here in this desolate place, they say. 00:11:55.259 --> 00:12:00.259 What are we going to feed them? If you send them away now, Jesus, maybe they can make it to the 00:12:00.259 --> 00:12:04.939 nearest village or villages in time to buy something and eat. It's a very practical, maybe even a very 00:12:04.939 --> 00:12:10.559 seemingly compassionate solution. Don't drag it out, Jesus. They're going to starve. Send them away. 00:12:12.500 --> 00:12:16.100 But Jesus wanted to teach the disciples about more than just his compassion that day. 00:12:17.100 --> 00:12:20.879 He wanted them to see something about the nature of his power. 00:12:23.360 --> 00:12:29.419 So he tells them to gather up the food that they can find. Five loaves and two good-sized fish. 00:12:30.259 --> 00:12:34.620 Probably enough for the small band of disciples and Jesus to have a simple meal. 00:12:35.259 --> 00:12:37.679 Certainly not enough for the massive crowd that's gathered. 00:12:39.659 --> 00:12:45.500 And what then takes place that day by the Sea of Galilee, as the sun is beginning to set, 00:12:46.279 --> 00:12:51.480 and the people are forming groups of 50 and 100 on the green springtime grass, 00:12:52.279 --> 00:12:54.419 what happens is a miracle. 00:12:54.419 --> 00:13:03.759 Jesus does something through his divine power that could not happen through ordinary, everyday means. 00:13:04.919 --> 00:13:09.959 The bread is broken and given, but it doesn't run out. 00:13:10.919 --> 00:13:15.479 Each time it's broken, there's more, not less. 00:13:16.099 --> 00:13:18.620 Each time it's broken, it doesn't diminish. 00:13:18.620 --> 00:13:19.940 Each time it multiplies. 00:13:21.019 --> 00:13:23.700 And they all ate and were satisfied. 00:13:25.919 --> 00:13:27.600 But how are we to explain this? 00:13:27.740 --> 00:13:31.139 I mean, even the disciples had a hard time kind of reckoning with it. 00:13:31.259 --> 00:13:33.639 And as we'll see in Mark's gospel, it happens twice. 00:13:33.919 --> 00:13:35.039 And they still don't understand. 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:37.620 So I think we can be a little excused if we're thinking, 00:13:37.960 --> 00:13:40.080 this is a little hard to wrap our minds around, right? 00:13:41.379 --> 00:13:42.519 What are we to make of it? 00:13:42.620 --> 00:13:44.779 Surely bread just can't multiply out of thin air. 00:13:44.779 --> 00:13:48.600 I mean, something can't come from nothing, right? 00:13:51.240 --> 00:13:53.360 And then let's pause for a moment right there. 00:13:55.120 --> 00:13:57.480 Can something come from nothing? 00:13:59.379 --> 00:14:02.079 As creatures, of course, we can't make something out of nothing. 00:14:03.199 --> 00:14:05.779 But that's not true of the creator. 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:11.259 In fact, the basic biblical understanding of creation is that God, 00:14:11.259 --> 00:14:16.200 the holy, loving, wise, triune God, made everything out of nothing. 00:14:18.019 --> 00:14:22.759 What creatures cannot do, God can and indeed has done. 00:14:23.200 --> 00:14:24.700 And we're living proof of it. 00:14:26.340 --> 00:14:30.539 And so what's to say God could not choose to do it again? 00:14:32.220 --> 00:14:37.059 What's to say that God could not choose to take bread in his incarnate hands, 00:14:37.059 --> 00:14:41.439 bless it, break it, and give it. 00:14:42.519 --> 00:14:45.439 And then in that moment, in that desolate place, 00:14:46.059 --> 00:14:49.239 to again make something out of nothing. 00:14:52.559 --> 00:14:54.119 But why did Jesus do it? 00:14:54.500 --> 00:14:55.139 Why here? 00:14:55.819 --> 00:14:56.500 Why now? 00:14:58.979 --> 00:15:02.339 Well, you know, this wasn't the first time that God had fed his people 00:15:02.339 --> 00:15:05.679 in a desolate place with miraculous bread, right? 00:15:05.679 --> 00:15:11.120 Remember the people of Israel having left Egypt in the Exodus, 00:15:12.019 --> 00:15:14.620 entering the wilderness with Moses as their leader, 00:15:14.799 --> 00:15:16.479 as their shepherd, as he is called? 00:15:17.500 --> 00:15:19.739 The people were hungry, complaining even. 00:15:19.979 --> 00:15:20.919 And what did God do? 00:15:22.519 --> 00:15:25.419 He gave them bread in a desolate place. 00:15:26.699 --> 00:15:30.339 Manna, they called it, which is Hebrew for what is it? 00:15:30.340 --> 00:15:35.300 And as long as the people journeyed through the wilderness, 00:15:36.019 --> 00:15:40.040 God would provide each day with just enough for their needs. 00:15:40.899 --> 00:15:43.399 It was such a pivotal event in Israel's history 00:15:43.399 --> 00:15:46.360 that God even told them to put a container of manor 00:15:46.360 --> 00:15:49.019 in the Ark of the Covenant, in the central place of worship, 00:15:49.120 --> 00:15:50.780 so that the people would never forget 00:15:50.780 --> 00:15:53.700 that he alone was their provider and sustainer, 00:15:53.940 --> 00:15:56.060 their faithful God who alone could satisfy. 00:15:56.059 --> 00:16:01.559 The same God who made the worlds from nothing 00:16:01.559 --> 00:16:03.099 in the act of creation, 00:16:03.559 --> 00:16:06.619 who made manna from nothing in the wilderness of Egypt, 00:16:07.979 --> 00:16:11.259 the same God was again on the move 00:16:11.259 --> 00:16:14.579 here in Mark chapter 6. 00:16:14.580 --> 00:16:18.160 God had promised, after all, 00:16:18.580 --> 00:16:21.379 to send a leader like Moses and like David. 00:16:22.180 --> 00:16:24.060 God promised again and again in the Old Testament 00:16:24.060 --> 00:16:27.020 that he would send the true shepherd of his people. 00:16:28.860 --> 00:16:30.639 But this time, it would be different. 00:16:30.920 --> 00:16:33.400 There was a time coming when it would be different. 00:16:34.800 --> 00:16:36.060 As the prophets looked forward, 00:16:36.200 --> 00:16:38.120 especially Ezekiel, the prophet Ezekiel 00:16:38.120 --> 00:16:41.160 looked forward to a time when it wouldn't be 00:16:41.160 --> 00:16:44.379 a mere prophet like Moses or a mere king like David. 00:16:44.379 --> 00:16:46.720 No, there would be a time when God himself 00:16:46.720 --> 00:16:48.320 would come and shepherd his people. 00:16:49.039 --> 00:16:51.399 He himself would lead them and feed them. 00:16:51.659 --> 00:16:53.340 And at last, they would be secure. 00:16:56.299 --> 00:16:59.700 Listen to what Ezekiel 34 says in verses 11 through 16. 00:17:00.700 --> 00:17:02.220 For thus says the Lord God, 00:17:03.220 --> 00:17:05.720 behold, I, I myself, 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:08.319 will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 00:17:09.400 --> 00:17:10.960 As a shepherd seeks out his flock 00:17:10.960 --> 00:17:13.059 when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, 00:17:13.059 --> 00:17:15.240 so I will seek out my sheep and I will rescue them 00:17:15.240 --> 00:17:17.299 from all places where they've been scattered 00:17:17.299 --> 00:17:19.359 on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 00:17:20.179 --> 00:17:21.839 And I will bring them out from the peoples 00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:23.639 and gather them from the countries 00:17:23.639 --> 00:17:25.440 and will bring them into their own land. 00:17:25.859 --> 00:17:27.740 And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel 00:17:27.740 --> 00:17:28.619 by the ravines 00:17:28.619 --> 00:17:31.480 and in all the inhabited places of the country. 00:17:32.159 --> 00:17:33.720 I will feed them with good pasture 00:17:33.720 --> 00:17:35.079 and on the mountain heights of Israel 00:17:35.079 --> 00:17:36.319 shall be their grazing land. 00:17:36.839 --> 00:17:38.720 They shall lie down in good grazing land 00:17:38.720 --> 00:17:40.279 and on rich pasture they shall feed 00:17:40.279 --> 00:17:41.279 on the mountains of Israel. 00:17:41.839 --> 00:17:44.539 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep 00:17:44.539 --> 00:17:47.079 and I myself will make them lie down, 00:17:47.200 --> 00:17:47.920 declares the Lord. 00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:49.559 I will seek the lost 00:17:49.559 --> 00:17:51.620 and I will bring back the strayed 00:17:51.620 --> 00:17:53.100 and I will bind up the injured 00:17:53.100 --> 00:17:54.819 and I will strengthen the weak. 00:17:55.440 --> 00:17:57.480 I will feed them in justice. 00:17:59.779 --> 00:18:01.480 Now we know from Ezekiel's perspective 00:18:01.480 --> 00:18:03.059 that God brought the people back 00:18:03.059 --> 00:18:03.940 from Babylonian exile 00:18:03.940 --> 00:18:05.059 and settled them in the land. 00:18:05.059 --> 00:18:07.619 But this prophecy was looking forward 00:18:07.619 --> 00:18:10.500 to an even greater return from exile. 00:18:12.740 --> 00:18:14.679 And that's what the disciples were witnessing 00:18:14.679 --> 00:18:16.059 that day on the hills of Galilee. 00:18:16.960 --> 00:18:19.839 The Lord God had come to fulfill his promise, 00:18:20.419 --> 00:18:22.559 to heal and rescue his people 00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:24.819 and to feed them in justice. 00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:26.740 And as Mark says, 00:18:27.539 --> 00:18:30.039 they all ate and were satisfied. 00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:34.299 They all ate and were satisfied. 00:18:35.059 --> 00:18:38.899 Here's good news for weary souls, 00:18:39.279 --> 00:18:40.240 for hungry souls. 00:18:41.179 --> 00:18:42.779 Our true shepherd has come 00:18:42.779 --> 00:18:45.599 and what he gives can truly satisfy. 00:18:48.059 --> 00:18:50.099 But as Mark's gospel unfolds, 00:18:50.119 --> 00:18:50.879 we see that Jesus, 00:18:51.319 --> 00:18:52.079 what he gives us, 00:18:52.480 --> 00:18:53.519 is more than just bread. 00:18:55.019 --> 00:18:57.119 He didn't come just to give us bread 00:18:57.119 --> 00:18:59.179 that fills our hungry stomachs. 00:19:00.059 --> 00:19:01.980 Although, if we follow Jesus, 00:19:02.099 --> 00:19:03.819 we will surely care about physical hunger 00:19:03.819 --> 00:19:05.859 and we will care about meeting physical needs. 00:19:06.119 --> 00:19:07.299 Jesus came to do that, 00:19:07.500 --> 00:19:08.599 but much more. 00:19:11.039 --> 00:19:13.159 He came to give us a bread that lasts forever. 00:19:14.859 --> 00:19:16.019 You know those leftover pieces 00:19:16.019 --> 00:19:17.639 that the disciples gathered that day 00:19:17.639 --> 00:19:19.159 in those small baskets 00:19:19.159 --> 00:19:20.480 that they used to wear at their hips? 00:19:20.539 --> 00:19:21.700 That's what Mark has in mind. 00:19:22.319 --> 00:19:23.200 They go around, 00:19:23.299 --> 00:19:24.079 they gather the pieces, 00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:24.980 they put them in. 00:19:26.319 --> 00:19:28.339 Those pieces would grow old and stale, 00:19:28.419 --> 00:19:28.779 wouldn't they? 00:19:28.779 --> 00:19:30.599 They wouldn't last forever. 00:19:32.399 --> 00:19:34.339 But Jesus had come to give something 00:19:34.339 --> 00:19:36.079 that would never grow old 00:19:36.079 --> 00:19:37.660 and never grow stale. 00:19:39.879 --> 00:19:41.960 He came to give us his very self. 00:19:44.079 --> 00:19:46.039 It was ultimately his own body 00:19:46.039 --> 00:19:49.519 that would be broken and given. 00:19:50.799 --> 00:19:53.599 Broken and given on the cross 00:19:53.599 --> 00:19:56.659 so that our sins could be forgiven, 00:19:57.379 --> 00:19:59.319 so that we could know peace with God. 00:20:00.919 --> 00:20:03.599 This is the power of Jesus to truly satisfy. 00:20:03.799 --> 00:20:07.019 This is how he truly brings something out of nothing. 00:20:07.579 --> 00:20:10.079 This is the good news for all who trust in Christ, 00:20:10.339 --> 00:20:13.399 that when we were dead in our trespasses and sins, 00:20:13.740 --> 00:20:16.459 God made us alive together with Christ. 00:20:17.079 --> 00:20:20.319 Jesus takes the nothing of our failed moral record 00:20:20.319 --> 00:20:22.179 and through his death and resurrection, 00:20:22.419 --> 00:20:25.279 through himself being given and broken 00:20:25.279 --> 00:20:26.519 and handed out, 00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:30.919 he makes us something perfect and righteousness. 00:20:31.099 --> 00:20:32.379 He makes us a new creation. 00:20:36.279 --> 00:20:38.099 Friend, what are you looking to 00:20:38.099 --> 00:20:40.779 to satisfy you this morning? 00:20:42.539 --> 00:20:44.079 What are you chasing after 00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:46.819 to fill the ache, 00:20:47.539 --> 00:20:48.359 not in your stomach, 00:20:48.359 --> 00:20:49.679 but in your heart, 00:20:50.099 --> 00:20:50.740 in your soul? 00:20:53.439 --> 00:20:55.539 What Jesus holds out to you is bread 00:20:55.539 --> 00:20:57.159 that will never grow old 00:20:57.159 --> 00:20:58.759 and never grow stale. 00:21:00.319 --> 00:21:01.599 It may look simple 00:21:01.599 --> 00:21:03.639 and unadorned at first. 00:21:03.740 --> 00:21:04.779 It may look insufficient. 00:21:06.059 --> 00:21:07.799 But if you come to him as your shepherd, 00:21:08.539 --> 00:21:09.899 he promises to give you 00:21:09.899 --> 00:21:11.959 nothing less than himself, 00:21:12.699 --> 00:21:14.559 to forgive all your sins 00:21:14.559 --> 00:21:15.899 and to begin the process 00:21:15.899 --> 00:21:17.839 of making you a new creation. 00:21:18.359 --> 00:21:21.619 And notice in our story 00:21:21.619 --> 00:21:23.559 that there's more than enough. 00:21:25.399 --> 00:21:27.579 It's wonderful how God orchestrates 00:21:27.579 --> 00:21:28.919 redemptive history 00:21:28.919 --> 00:21:31.879 to display the glory of the gospel. 00:21:32.039 --> 00:21:32.679 Here's what I mean. 00:21:32.819 --> 00:21:33.719 In the Old Testament, 00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:35.079 the manna given each day 00:21:35.079 --> 00:21:35.659 in the wilderness, 00:21:35.959 --> 00:21:36.899 if you remember those stories, 00:21:36.939 --> 00:21:38.500 you remember that it was just enough 00:21:38.500 --> 00:21:39.959 for each day's need. 00:21:40.099 --> 00:21:40.859 And once a week, 00:21:40.879 --> 00:21:41.979 it would be enough for two days 00:21:41.979 --> 00:21:43.379 so they didn't have to work on the Sabbath. 00:21:44.099 --> 00:21:44.919 Just enough, 00:21:45.019 --> 00:21:45.459 no more, 00:21:45.599 --> 00:21:46.119 no less. 00:21:46.119 --> 00:21:49.159 But when God ushers in the new covenant, 00:21:49.459 --> 00:21:50.619 when he sends his son, 00:21:51.319 --> 00:21:53.859 what we see is that there's more than enough. 00:21:54.659 --> 00:21:56.879 There's an abundance of food. 00:21:57.919 --> 00:21:59.439 Twelve baskets are filled. 00:22:00.539 --> 00:22:01.759 One for each apostle 00:22:01.759 --> 00:22:03.719 as they helped with the distribution. 00:22:03.720 --> 00:22:07.940 Here's the abundant glory of the gospel. 00:22:08.940 --> 00:22:11.400 What Christ provides is more than enough 00:22:11.400 --> 00:22:13.680 to cover all your sins, 00:22:14.180 --> 00:22:15.680 to feed your hungry soul, 00:22:16.059 --> 00:22:18.539 and to keep you secure until the end. 00:22:20.240 --> 00:22:23.019 Jesus truly has the power to satisfy. 00:22:23.019 --> 00:22:28.759 But there's one last point to see here. 00:22:29.940 --> 00:22:31.379 Jesus is our true and good shepherd. 00:22:31.519 --> 00:22:33.099 He has the compassion to receive us, 00:22:33.240 --> 00:22:34.779 the power to satisfy us. 00:22:34.980 --> 00:22:35.720 But last, 00:22:36.519 --> 00:22:37.859 what we see is that Jesus, 00:22:38.000 --> 00:22:38.660 our true shepherd, 00:22:38.759 --> 00:22:40.920 has the will to use us. 00:22:41.920 --> 00:22:43.700 He has the will to invite us in 00:22:43.700 --> 00:22:45.779 and to give us a part to play 00:22:45.779 --> 00:22:47.379 in the advance of his kingdom. 00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:48.980 After all, 00:22:49.039 --> 00:22:50.079 when the disciples come to Jesus 00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:51.079 and say in verse 36, 00:22:51.079 --> 00:22:52.559 Jesus, send the crowds away. 00:22:53.220 --> 00:22:54.419 Send them into the surrounding villages 00:22:54.419 --> 00:22:55.059 and countrysides 00:22:55.059 --> 00:22:56.279 to buy themselves something to eat. 00:22:56.439 --> 00:22:57.359 How does Jesus reply? 00:22:58.159 --> 00:22:58.779 He doesn't say, 00:22:58.859 --> 00:22:59.740 ha ha, don't worry. 00:23:00.059 --> 00:23:01.259 I will give them something to eat. 00:23:02.240 --> 00:23:03.019 No, he says, 00:23:04.039 --> 00:23:05.299 you give them something to eat. 00:23:06.599 --> 00:23:07.879 You give them something to eat. 00:23:10.919 --> 00:23:11.559 But of course, 00:23:11.619 --> 00:23:12.720 the apostles don't have enough. 00:23:13.199 --> 00:23:13.779 They don't have enough 00:23:13.779 --> 00:23:14.939 to feed such a large crowd. 00:23:15.679 --> 00:23:17.879 200 denarii was over half a year's pay 00:23:17.879 --> 00:23:19.819 for a typical laborer 00:23:19.819 --> 00:23:20.759 in the first century. 00:23:21.720 --> 00:23:22.939 Half a year's pay. 00:23:23.799 --> 00:23:24.980 They don't have enough money 00:23:24.980 --> 00:23:25.619 to do that. 00:23:26.740 --> 00:23:28.939 They are insufficient to the task. 00:23:30.740 --> 00:23:31.779 Okay, well, Jesus says, 00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:32.559 you don't have all that money. 00:23:32.639 --> 00:23:33.339 What do you have? 00:23:34.579 --> 00:23:36.119 We only have five loaves and two fish. 00:23:38.559 --> 00:23:39.599 And Jesus says, 00:23:39.899 --> 00:23:41.740 give me your five loaves 00:23:41.740 --> 00:23:42.879 and your two fish 00:23:42.879 --> 00:23:45.480 and watch what I can do with it. 00:23:45.480 --> 00:23:48.720 And with those five loaves 00:23:48.720 --> 00:23:49.599 and two fish, 00:23:50.380 --> 00:23:53.120 a crowd the size of an entire village 00:23:53.120 --> 00:23:54.120 is fed. 00:23:54.119 --> 00:23:58.239 How about us? 00:23:59.019 --> 00:24:00.979 And our calling as a church 00:24:00.979 --> 00:24:02.500 to reach our city. 00:24:04.019 --> 00:24:05.679 We look at the obstacle sometimes 00:24:05.679 --> 00:24:06.239 and we think, 00:24:06.500 --> 00:24:09.039 there's no way we can do this. 00:24:09.559 --> 00:24:10.619 It's impossible. 00:24:10.619 --> 00:24:14.019 And the reality is, 00:24:14.079 --> 00:24:15.659 if we're relying on our own strength 00:24:15.659 --> 00:24:16.259 or wisdom 00:24:16.259 --> 00:24:17.000 or resources 00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:17.599 or talents, 00:24:17.679 --> 00:24:18.619 then it is impossible. 00:24:18.619 --> 00:24:22.759 But if we take what we have 00:24:22.759 --> 00:24:25.179 and entrust it to the Lord Jesus, 00:24:25.299 --> 00:24:26.039 even if it feels like 00:24:26.039 --> 00:24:27.119 the only thing we have 00:24:27.119 --> 00:24:28.799 are five loaves and two fish 00:24:28.799 --> 00:24:31.119 in a city of 150,000 people, 00:24:31.259 --> 00:24:34.759 then it's not impossible. 00:24:34.759 --> 00:24:38.720 The gospel can and will go forth. 00:24:39.500 --> 00:24:41.539 The kingdom of God can and will advance. 00:24:42.559 --> 00:24:43.900 It doesn't matter how small 00:24:43.900 --> 00:24:45.099 our gifts may seem. 00:24:45.900 --> 00:24:47.839 His desire is to use us 00:24:47.839 --> 00:24:48.960 to do his work. 00:24:50.619 --> 00:24:52.319 What Jesus said to the apostles then, 00:24:52.379 --> 00:24:54.140 he still says to the church today, 00:24:55.339 --> 00:24:56.920 you give them something to eat. 00:24:58.740 --> 00:25:00.160 Through our life together, 00:25:01.220 --> 00:25:03.539 through our corporate witness 00:25:03.539 --> 00:25:05.339 to the resurrected Jesus, 00:25:06.220 --> 00:25:08.339 through our acts of love and mercy, 00:25:08.960 --> 00:25:10.440 Jesus is inviting us 00:25:10.440 --> 00:25:11.960 to join his mission 00:25:11.960 --> 00:25:13.680 and to play our part 00:25:13.680 --> 00:25:16.079 in God's great story of redemption. 00:25:16.759 --> 00:25:18.779 That's the sort of shepherd Jesus is. 00:25:19.879 --> 00:25:21.480 He wants to bring you along 00:25:21.480 --> 00:25:24.339 and take what might seem little to you 00:25:24.339 --> 00:25:26.299 and use it for something great. 00:25:29.879 --> 00:25:31.799 That's the sort of shepherd Jesus is. 00:25:32.319 --> 00:25:33.279 Full of compassion, 00:25:33.539 --> 00:25:35.240 full of power, 00:25:36.680 --> 00:25:37.720 inviting you and me 00:25:37.720 --> 00:25:39.099 as those who have been fed 00:25:39.099 --> 00:25:40.240 with his living bread 00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:42.099 to offer our gifts back to him 00:25:42.099 --> 00:25:43.339 that he might use them 00:25:43.339 --> 00:25:45.099 to still feed even more. 00:25:47.180 --> 00:25:49.019 So brother, sister, 00:25:49.960 --> 00:25:51.779 don't feel as if 00:25:51.779 --> 00:25:53.599 there's no place for you 00:25:53.599 --> 00:25:55.079 in the mission of God. 00:25:55.920 --> 00:25:58.460 The church needs your gifts. 00:25:58.460 --> 00:26:02.039 There's no lunch too small 00:26:02.039 --> 00:26:03.559 that it cannot be used 00:26:03.559 --> 00:26:04.440 to feed a multitude 00:26:04.440 --> 00:26:05.640 in Jesus' mission. 00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:08.460 You know, 00:26:08.579 --> 00:26:09.920 you might think you just came with 00:26:09.920 --> 00:26:10.660 one of those things 00:26:10.660 --> 00:26:10.900 that you, 00:26:11.420 --> 00:26:12.340 that's like the crackers 00:26:12.340 --> 00:26:12.920 and the lunch meat 00:26:12.920 --> 00:26:13.700 and the cheese. 00:26:14.100 --> 00:26:15.100 Lunchables, right? 00:26:15.220 --> 00:26:15.579 There they are. 00:26:15.640 --> 00:26:15.840 You're like, 00:26:15.860 --> 00:26:16.600 I just got a Lunchable. 00:26:16.720 --> 00:26:17.360 What am I supposed to do 00:26:17.360 --> 00:26:18.120 in the kingdom of God? 00:26:20.120 --> 00:26:21.059 There's no gift, 00:26:21.480 --> 00:26:22.900 no talent so small 00:26:22.900 --> 00:26:24.720 that it cannot be used 00:26:24.720 --> 00:26:26.039 to bless and build up the church 00:26:26.039 --> 00:26:27.899 in profound and lasting ways. 00:26:28.779 --> 00:26:29.539 Your good shepherd 00:26:29.539 --> 00:26:31.019 has the will 00:26:31.019 --> 00:26:32.379 to use you for his glory. 00:26:33.099 --> 00:26:33.859 Your significance 00:26:33.859 --> 00:26:35.659 or your insignificance 00:26:35.659 --> 00:26:36.639 in the world's eyes, 00:26:37.559 --> 00:26:39.079 it doesn't mean that much to him. 00:26:40.379 --> 00:26:42.000 Look at the apostles after all, right? 00:26:42.099 --> 00:26:42.299 I mean, 00:26:42.960 --> 00:26:44.299 talk about making something 00:26:44.299 --> 00:26:44.819 out of nothing. 00:26:47.159 --> 00:26:48.019 But that's still 00:26:48.019 --> 00:26:49.339 what our good shepherd's doing today. 00:26:50.819 --> 00:26:52.059 He's inviting you and me 00:26:52.059 --> 00:26:52.539 to come 00:26:52.539 --> 00:26:54.480 and to find that he's able 00:26:54.480 --> 00:26:55.220 to do through us 00:26:55.220 --> 00:26:56.140 what we could never do 00:26:56.140 --> 00:26:57.000 in and of ourselves. 00:27:00.600 --> 00:27:01.279 And so, 00:27:01.660 --> 00:27:04.220 we no longer need to live 00:27:04.220 --> 00:27:06.079 like sheep without a shepherd 00:27:06.079 --> 00:27:08.279 because the true shepherd, 00:27:08.380 --> 00:27:09.019 the true king, 00:27:09.079 --> 00:27:09.579 has come, 00:27:10.180 --> 00:27:10.819 the Lord Jesus. 00:27:11.940 --> 00:27:13.319 So run to him, friend. 00:27:13.980 --> 00:27:15.200 Give your life to him. 00:27:16.480 --> 00:27:18.220 He won't just receive you. 00:27:18.299 --> 00:27:20.259 He won't just satisfy you. 00:27:21.220 --> 00:27:22.500 He'll sweep your life up 00:27:22.500 --> 00:27:23.400 into a greater purpose 00:27:23.400 --> 00:27:24.299 than you've ever dreamed. 00:27:24.299 --> 00:27:26.019 the kingdom of God. 00:27:27.859 --> 00:27:28.299 Now, 00:27:28.359 --> 00:27:29.220 that kingdom might not 00:27:29.220 --> 00:27:30.299 look like much now. 00:27:32.180 --> 00:27:33.279 To worldly eyes, 00:27:33.359 --> 00:27:34.059 to earthly eyes, 00:27:34.139 --> 00:27:35.759 to our limited vision, 00:27:35.980 --> 00:27:37.180 the kingdom might just look 00:27:37.180 --> 00:27:38.220 like a bunch of 00:27:38.220 --> 00:27:39.319 ragtag folks 00:27:39.319 --> 00:27:40.960 eating a rustic meal 00:27:40.960 --> 00:27:42.339 of bread and fish. 00:27:42.339 --> 00:27:43.339 church. 00:27:43.339 --> 00:27:44.740 But one day, 00:27:44.899 --> 00:27:45.259 friends, 00:27:45.619 --> 00:27:47.240 we will see it 00:27:47.240 --> 00:27:48.459 as it truly is. 00:27:49.299 --> 00:27:50.559 A banquet fit 00:27:50.559 --> 00:27:51.720 for kings and queens. 00:27:53.359 --> 00:27:54.819 A feast to satisfy 00:27:54.819 --> 00:27:55.699 for all eternity. 00:27:57.859 --> 00:27:58.879 Because after all, 00:27:58.939 --> 00:27:59.579 that's who you are, 00:27:59.659 --> 00:27:59.980 church. 00:28:00.859 --> 00:28:02.039 Heirs of the kingdom. 00:28:03.179 --> 00:28:04.720 Daughters and sons of God. 00:28:06.299 --> 00:28:07.679 Preparing for a great feast 00:28:07.680 --> 00:28:08.100 to come. 00:28:09.400 --> 00:28:10.539 And at our head, 00:28:11.360 --> 00:28:12.120 Jesus Christ, 00:28:13.060 --> 00:28:13.700 the great shepherd 00:28:13.700 --> 00:28:14.240 of the sheep. 00:28:15.140 --> 00:28:16.080 Let's pray together. 00:28:16.080 --> 00:28:16.160 Amen. 00:28:25.740 --> 00:28:26.380 Father, 00:28:26.460 --> 00:28:27.380 we take just a moment 00:28:27.380 --> 00:28:31.440 as we consider 00:28:31.440 --> 00:28:32.100 this passage 00:28:32.100 --> 00:28:33.540 and all of its depths. 00:28:33.960 --> 00:28:34.800 We just pause 00:28:34.800 --> 00:28:35.480 before you 00:28:35.480 --> 00:28:38.120 with quiet hearts 00:28:38.120 --> 00:28:39.660 and quiet minds 00:28:39.660 --> 00:28:41.660 and we open 00:28:41.660 --> 00:28:42.620 our hands to you 00:28:42.620 --> 00:28:45.460 and we ask 00:28:45.460 --> 00:28:46.120 in the stillness 00:28:46.120 --> 00:28:46.880 of this moment 00:28:46.880 --> 00:28:50.460 that you would feed us. 00:28:54.540 --> 00:28:55.020 Lord, 00:28:55.060 --> 00:28:55.500 we know there are 00:28:55.500 --> 00:28:56.280 many means 00:28:56.280 --> 00:28:57.220 that you use 00:28:57.220 --> 00:28:58.720 to support us 00:28:58.720 --> 00:28:59.360 and help us 00:28:59.360 --> 00:29:00.039 and guide us 00:29:00.039 --> 00:29:00.700 and lead us 00:29:00.700 --> 00:29:02.860 and to feed us 00:29:02.860 --> 00:29:03.880 and provide for us. 00:29:04.700 --> 00:29:05.579 But in this moment, 00:29:05.759 --> 00:29:05.920 Lord, 00:29:06.500 --> 00:29:08.720 we come back again 00:29:08.720 --> 00:29:12.600 to the great truth 00:29:12.600 --> 00:29:13.900 that it is you. 00:29:24.500 --> 00:29:24.900 Amen.