Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / Lessons From The Miracle of Loaves | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series)

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Lessons From The Miracle of Loaves | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  Mark chapter 6 and meet me there in verse 30.
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  We'll give some people more time before we begin to read the
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  scriptures. Mark 6:30.
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  Perhaps I can say this. Because I don't think it hurts.
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  But recently, I've been Disturbed disturbed by the
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  amount of false teaching that is being uploaded and shared the
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  things that are going viral, the things that are being
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  propagated. And it's almost overwhelming.
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  I'm not online much, but just a few weeks ago, I had the chance
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  to scroll through and I am curious to see what's popular
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  from time to time and evangelicalism and it's just
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  bad. It's just so bad.
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  And Jesus told us in Matthew 24, that one of the prominent signs
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  of the end times, is that there will be deception increasing
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  deception, believer. Please be careful what you
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  watch. Be careful who you listen to be
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  careful of sensationalism. Be careful of people who present
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  testimonies with their Doctrine and even present signs and
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  wonders behind their teachings. Be careful.
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  Cling to the word of God. Hold tight to your Bible, read
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  it study, it saturate your mind with it constantly because it's
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  only going to get worse even the Lord himself said that there
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  will be such sweet Being deception in the lands that
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  perhaps elect, right? He even said it can be so
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  persuasive. So magnetic that the elect would
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  be even tempted in some sense. So be extremely cautious with
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  what's going out there and you'll be safe as long as you
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  are close to the word of God. And that's why we love the word
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  of God, not because it just protects us from deception and
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  false teachings but because it is the Word of Life To whom
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  shall we go. Lord, you have the words of
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  eternal life. So, Mark 6:30 the words of
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  eternal life. Before I read these verses, I
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  want to tell you ahead of time that the miracle that you and I
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  are about to serve a together is one of the most notable.
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  And one of the most remembered demonstrations of Christ
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  Majesty. In all of the Gospels, And
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  perhaps it's familiarity to many of us is because of the
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  originality and the memorability of this particular demonstration
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  of power but maybe also because of its emphasis in the word of
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  God. What do I mean by that?
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  This particular Supernatural occurrence is the only miracle
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  That is found in every gospel account.
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  Many of Jesus notable Miracles have been shared by the synoptic
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  gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, but there is only one unless you
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  count. The resurrection.
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  There is only one miracle that you will find in.
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  Matthew Mark, Luke and John. And that is the miracle that is
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  before us today. Now, it is believed the monk
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  most that 90% of what? John the Apostle writes in his
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  gospel account is unique. 90% meaning 10%, is something that
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  you might find in the other gospel accounts, this miracle is
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  within that ten percent bracket. And it is a powerful story to
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  something that again you and I are very familiar with and if
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  you haven't already peaked at your Bible, then let me tell you
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  what it is. It is the feeding of the five
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  thousand. That might be a misleading title
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  because we were just told that there are 5,000 men who were
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  present when Christ did this awesome work of multiplication,
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  but if you think about it, if you include women and children,
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  there could be anything between 10 to 20 thousand people that
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  Jesus fed miraculously at one time.
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  And so, this, this glorious moment is something that we
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  know. But my prayer is that we would
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  look deeper beyond the obvious surface level truth.
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  Clearly This event is significant enough for the Holy
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  Spirit to included in every gospel account.
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  And that as you read through these gospel accounts, you would
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  come again to encounter this testimony and my prayer is
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  simply to go through these verses because I am fully
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  convinced that there is no way. That in one single session, you
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  can get all that this text has to offer at least in depth.
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  But we will pray fully trust that as we come before the word
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  of God today, that the Lord will provide exactly what he is.
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  Nine to provide us through these verses because as much as we
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  believe and going through the scriptures verse by verse right,
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  chapter by chapter, we need the Holy Spirit to still help us and
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  speak to us. And even in moments like this to
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  speak, particularly to our own Hearts.
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  Let's this just become a lecture week after week and so join me
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  in prayer before we come to this word Lord we do.
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  Thank you for the word of God and Lord, we do look to you with
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  absolute faith and hunger in our hearts that this word is indeed
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  the true word. The only truth, the truth, that
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  sets free and Lord with absolute reverence and desire for your
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  name to be glorified. We ask that this presentation,
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  this declaration of your word would not be mixed with any
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  error, any personal opinions, any confusion, and how we hear
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  it. Lord, let there be absolute
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  Clarity and more than Clarity, we pray for power, we pray for
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  conviction, we pray for comfort. We pray that you You threw this
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  word today would speak into our lives, even into some situations
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  that we might need answers for Lord.
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  We lean into your bosom and we trust that we will hear your
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  heart and Jesus name we pray. Amen.
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  We read. Mark 6:30.
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  The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had
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  done and taught. And he sent to them, come away
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  by yourselves to a desolate place.
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  And rest awhile for many were coming and going, and they had
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  no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat
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  to a desolate place by themselves.
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  Now, many saw them going and recognize them and they ran
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  their on foot from all the towns in got there ahead of them.
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  When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd and he had
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  compassion on them because they were like sheep.
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  Without a Shepherd, I read the verses that you and I heard from
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  last week to bring you to remembrance about why it is that
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  the disciples and Jesus are heading towards a specific
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  Direction. We know here that the Lord has
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  organized a retreat for his men. They have come back from a
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  preaching tour and they are exhausted understandably song
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  and the Lord seeing their need wants to help them escape to a
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  desolate place for some private rest and the disciples who just
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  returned from sharing. Also had it fresh in their
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  minds, the news of John, the Baptist death.
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  And this also might have been a blow to their own hearts and the
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  gracious savior here. Using all that they needed says,
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  let's go. And with that goal set before
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  him you and I just learned, we just saw that.
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  There are people who have been watching them, who constantly
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  watch Jesus, who are longing for a touch who might have mixed
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  motives. But are helplessly drawn to him.
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  They learned about their departure and so with their own
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  calculations they figure out where they might go.
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  Maybe they heard, were they exactly were going to go and so
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  they having their eyes on that boat from the Assure begin to
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  walk on foot. The news started to spread in a
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  huge crowd, began to make their way to this place, that Jesus
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  and the disciples were playing to be alone in.
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  And as they got there, they waited on the shore and there
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  was a multitude of people, and you would think now, After all
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  that happened, all the recent events.
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  The last thing, if you put yourself in the shoes of those
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  disciples that you want to see, is a bunch of people waiting for
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  you to serve them for, who knows, how long, who knows what
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  taking Jesus away from you, taking you away from your
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  disciples and your friends and your ministry Partners, put
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  yourself in their sandals for a moment.
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  Would you there you are on this boat promised.
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  Some kind of repose At least it was planned.
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  And as you approach the dock. There you see people and you
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  can't make out what it is exactly because it can't be.
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  It can't be people that are covering those Hills and sure
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  enough you begin to make out faces and different clothings
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  and everything is interrupted. Everything is sabotage.
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  And you were anticipating this time to recharge.
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  You were just finishing serving, people bouncing from City to
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  City, worn out by recent travels.
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  And here. You are thinking that this place
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  is going to be desolate, but in fact, it is populated.
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  What about the Lord? What about the Lord, who is the
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  one who organized this trip? How would you feel if you were
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  the the planner behind your ministry, leaders getting away
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  from the hustle and the bustle. Muscle.
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  So that they can receive natural rest for a while in order to for
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  them to return, back to their service.
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  And no matter what your feelings might be, I can imagine if we're
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  honest, things would be bubbling up inside and they won't be the
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  probably nicest feelings. Regardless of what you might
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  confess, how strongly, would they contrast with the feelings
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  that Jesus felt when he saw this site?
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  Because the spirit tells us explicitly here that when Jesus
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  saw them, he felt compassion. Not irritation, not
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  disappointment, not angst. Deep sincere, heart stirring
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  compassion. and I'm not sure about you, when I read this, the
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  other day, the mention of the deep compassion of Christ,
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  challenged me deeply You know, what you, and I would see as an
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  interruption Jesus saw as an opportunity.
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  What you and I would probably interpret a self-centeredness
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  Jesus viewed as helplessness. What you would feel to be a
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  burden, Jesus, esteemed as a blessing.
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  And you know, we look at the text and we look at just the
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  holistic view of Christ and we know as Christians that we are
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  supposed to be like, Jesus, that should be our ambition.
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  I don't know what people mean by that though.
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  When they understand walking and following in the steps of Jesus
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  is that the preach like Jesus do Miracles like Jesus know the
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  scriptures like Jesus. Are you challenged by The
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  Compassion of Jesus? It's the simple things that
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  don't really attract us, but it's the very things that make
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  who Christ is. And if you are a person in this
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  place and I pray to God that you are you long to be molded and
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  shaped to be like Christ in your contacts?
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  Christ, in your context you might not be able to raise the
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  dead but you can surely be patient and loving If you long
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  to be like Christ, aren't you blessed this afternoon to know
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  that the holy spirit gives us an insight to bring us that much
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  closer to the compassion of Jesus, at least to reflect it.
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  At least two reflected as closely as possible.
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  Because we are told not just that Jesus was compassionate.
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  We are given the reason at least a strong reason why he was
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  compassionate. And the reason why Christ was
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  overwhelmed with pity for these people was because we just read
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  it here because in verse 34 they were like sheep without a
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  shepherd. This is how Jesus perceived
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  people and his perception of people produced a level of
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  compassion. And that tells me something
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  about how I can see compassion grow in my own life and my own
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  heart in my own world. Do I see people the way Christ
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  sees people? And the way Jesus perceived
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  these people is like we just said here sheep without a
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  Shepherd sheep are extremely, vulnerable creatures, and
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  they're exposed to so much danger when they don't have a
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  supervisor over them. They are defenseless, they are
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  directionless when they don't have a Shepherd, guiding them,
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  providing for them. Protecting they are obviously
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  set up for being malnourished and being led astray and getting
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  lost and losing sight. Of where they're supposed to be
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  next and, and filth accumulates because our Shepherd is required
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  to regularly. Clean them.
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  And to take care of them. And the reality is the physical
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  realities of a sheep. Without a Shepherd is exactly
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  how the Lord and the Holy Spirit here tells us what people are
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  like without Christ. They're just like that.
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  Wandering confused exposed susceptible to so much problems
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  and so much Danger. No matter how they clothed
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  themselves, no matter their riches, no matter their
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  education, people without Christ are like sheep without a
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  shepherd, and when Jesus saw this, it moved him, it moved his
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  heart. And I think that is critical for
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  us. Believers in this time.
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  Do you know why? Because it's very
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  understandable. So don't hear me. saying
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  anything wrong here or Or minimizing the emotions that we
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  should feel about what's going on in our world.
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  It's very understandable to be angry.
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  To be disgusted, infuriated, especially with all the agendas,
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  and all the narratives that are being pushed, not just on
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  people, but on children, all the deception and all the lies.
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  I get it. Righteous indignation is, is
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  totally valid and totally understandable, but you got to
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  be careful. Believe you got to be extremely
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  careful because you and I even feeling those feelings can feel
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  it and allow it to bring us to a place where we prefer judgment
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  over. See.
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  We're we feel this anger and Truth Seekers and Truth speakers
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  can end up like Jonah believers. If you don't think it's possible
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  for a servant of God to be hardened by might not might not
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  the church by the world, and their standards, and their
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  behavior, and their actions and their convictions, the whole
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  book of Jonah is about that. will you can allow yourself to
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  actually find greater pleasure and seeing wrath poured out
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  instead of Grace poured out and Jonah is an Incredible Book for
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  a people who are in the midst of a corrupt people.
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  And when he was told to go out to the city of Nineveh and to
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  preach, he was so reluctant because of the history of those
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  people, what they did to others and what kind of crimes, they
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  committed against different nations, this man who
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  represented, God was more willing to see again, judgement
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  than anything else and God teaches him, as much as he
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  teaches the ninevites about his character, do you remember how
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  the Book of Jonah ends? It ends with a question?
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  Then and there is no answer following it and I believe the
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  reason one reason why ends with a question is for the reader to
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  answer for themselves? Let me remind you how the Book
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  of Jonah ends, God speaks to Jonah and Jonah for 11 and it
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  reads. And should I not pity?
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  Should I not pity Nineveh the great City in?
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  Which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know
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  their right hand from their left and also much cattle.
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  What a compact adverse filled with compassion?
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  Should I not pity the ninevites? No Jonah.
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  Should I not and there's so many things about this verse.
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  The first thing is how he knows the number of the citizens.
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  He could have just said the great city of Nineveh he said,
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  no there are there are little bit more than 120,000 who occupy
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  that City. Do you know why?
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  The number is mentioned because he cares for each one of them
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  The city of Chicago hose close to three million people.
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  Do you doubt for a moment that God has compassion and pity?
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  For each one of them. He's the same God, he mentions
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  the number because he numbered them and he cares for them and
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  he Longs for them to be rescued from their sin, which brings us
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  to the next point. He not only mentions the
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  population but their moral condition, they have no sense of
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  guidance. They don't know their right from
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  their left. And the idea there is that they
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  have no Revelation, there's natural Revelation, but they
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  don't have the personal understanding of how to be in
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  the will of God and how to walk in the fullness of the will of
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  God. And this moved God's heart.
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  Well, didn't God want to judge them.
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  He did wanted the judge them and he will judge all men, but
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  that's not his primary desire. Now, is it, if that was his
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  primary desire, he wouldn't have commissioned, Jonah.
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  And the first place, the very reason why he sends Jonah to
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  this ignorant people. This vicious people is so that
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  they would be warned and then being warned they would respond
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  and then repent. And that's exactly what
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  happened. And so, the Lord, when he looks
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  upon a vile people, a vile Nation, his primary feelings,
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  toward them, is I long to heal them from their spiritual
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  blindness. I long to give them the leading
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  that we can rescue them from their depravity.
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  That's God's primary desire. No matter how perverted, no
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  matter how dark, no matter how ugly they may be due to their
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  sin. God's primary longing is for
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  them to be Lee transformed by his love.
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  And the comfort that comes from this verse convicts me, you say,
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  why does it convict you? Because of what he said to Jonah
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  before it and verse 10 of Jonah, chapter 4.
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  Look what he says and the Lord said you, pitied the plant.
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  You pity the plant for which you did not labor.
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  Nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and
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  perished in a night. So, you know, the story, I hope
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  there's Jonah waiting. Looking over the city, perhaps
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  thinking that God's going to change his mind and actually,
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  blow it all up, God doesn't change his mind, but he gives
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  Jonah an object lesson because sometimes you have to treat
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  adults like children. And so, he does this object
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  lesson, right? He greets his plan to grow and
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  it gives him shade there and the desert heat.
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  And then in 24 hours, it Withers and dies.
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  And his beautiful head is exposed to the sun again and
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  he's frustrated because he's uncomfortable and and the Lord
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  He brings that out of Jonah to show him something and it's
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  something that actually speaks of some Believers,
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  unfortunately. You are upset about this plant
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  dying, more than people dying. Think about that.
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  That is that is precisely what is being taught here and again
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  it points to the potential of the believer what do you mean
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  Believers can be so invested and so concerned with the materials
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  of this life Even more than about the faith of men's Souls.
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  That convicted me, I can get more.
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  Concerned and moved and lose sleep at night about things that
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  will perish. One day things that I'm not
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  taking with me. Those things can actually occupy
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  my energy, my thoughts, More than the fate of people's
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  Eternal destinations. And there's his, how can that
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  be? Well, it's possible.
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  And when I see Jesus here, showing compassion feeling
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  compassion. It's supposed to cause you to
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  say, oh, God, make me like you when I see a lost world.
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  Help me desire, help me live. Help me be bold enough to pursue
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  people's reconciliation with you and not to give up on them and
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  not to just give them over to their own sin without doing
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  something about it. It's really easy to preach this
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  stuff, right? Like, okay, you're preaching.
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  It may God help us to do it and I include myself in that.
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  So he felt compassion, but we read in verse 35 of Mark 6 and
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  he began to teach them many things.
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  Ascended verse 34, which is interesting Jesus having
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  compassion, taught them the truth, remember that?
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  And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said,
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  this is a desolate place and the hour is now late.
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  Send them away to go into the surrounding Countryside and
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  Villages and buy themselves, something to eat.
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  So here the disciples. Now, this turned to a crusade,
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  this turn to a conference. Thousands are sitting there and
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  the disciples which I believe here are being very
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  understandable and and compassion in their own, right?
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  Recognize the lateness of the afternoon and realize where
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  these people came from and understood that we might have a
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  problem here and here's the problem.
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  If we keep these people long enough, they're not going to be
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  able to get back to the town's enough, the quick enough, and
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  then purchase the food to have dinner.
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  They probably haven't eaten all day.
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  And so, we need to make sure that they arrive on time.
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  And so they bring this problem to the Lord and they were right
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  in bringing this problem to the Lord.
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  But they made a mistake that often we make when we bring
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  problems to the Lord, and when we try to seek for a solution,
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  genuine matters, genuine issues that we want to see come to
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  succeed. They told the Lord.
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  This is a desolate Place. Sure.
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  The Lord knew that the hour is now late.
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  I'm sure he knew that to send them away to go into the
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  surrounding Countryside and Villages and buy themselves,
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  something to eat. They approached Jesus and that
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  was right, but they approached Jesus with a preconceived
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  already prepared prescription and expected Jesus to honor it.
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  This is how we pray sometimes. Sometimes if not a lot of the
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  times, our prayers are not getting counsel from God by
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  giving him counsel. And we want that specific
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  opportunity or we want that specific person or we want this
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  kind of future and we tell God exactly how to do it.
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  Not just that went to do it and we think this is what prayer is
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  Should prayer be specific, absolutely, but be open to how
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  God would answer it because God will always answer better than
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  you think. So, they're giving counsel, but
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  I believe there's more going on here, could it be?
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  Could it be? That the disciples here are
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  telling Christ to dismiss the crowds, and to have them leave,
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  and go back with their own way because they, in their limited
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  faith. Don't really understand how he
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  can solve it. Healing The Sick.
• 24:24
  We've seen Jesus do that casting out Devils.
• 24:27
  You can cast out many of them, at the same time, raising the
• 24:30
  Dead, all raising the Dead. The Lord can raise the dead,
• 24:34
  feeding the multitudes, feeding the multitudes.
• 24:39
  Making food come out of what? Where?
• 24:42
  I believe the disciples at this point in their walk with the
• 24:45
  Lord, had a category in their minds that they could not
• 24:49
  understand Christ occupying. They could see and they can
• 24:54
  believe Jesus doing many things. But when it came to this
• 24:57
  specific issue, they could not see how Christ was relevant.
• 25:02
  They could not see how his will his word.
• 25:05
  His wisdom, his power. Could be applicable.
• 25:11
  And you think this is just the disciples hold on there, my dear
• 25:13
  brother, my dear sister it's not just the disciples.
• 25:16
  How many of us? Oh yes, we I surrender all you
• 25:20
  can do all things. Okay good good, wonderful
• 25:21
  beautiful, hold on. How many of us practically
• 25:24
  speaking spiritually speaking have categories in our own
• 25:28
  Hearts, where we really don't see how Christ can really bring
• 25:30
  solution to. Seeing brother.
• 25:34
  What do you mean? Maybe it's because throughout
• 25:37
  Ministry you see different issues and you see people's
• 25:39
  approach to it. Yeah, Christ can save my soul
• 25:42
  but I don't see how the Bible and how the Holy Spirit can
• 25:45
  really bring solution to my marriage.
• 25:50
  And you have people fleeing to secular psychologists fleeing to
• 25:55
  worldly wisdom, because Jesus is good for Sunday.
• 25:58
  But he's not really, this is real life.
• 26:01
  Here we need real real, salute tangible ideas, not just Sunday
• 26:06
  School Stories and so I got to take care of my business.
• 26:09
  The way I think I need to take care of my business.
• 26:11
  This is money here. This is not lessons for how you
• 26:13
  can, you can do better. In life.
• 26:18
  And so whether it's business or whether it's my marriage or
• 26:21
  whether it's my children and their waywardness, and with all
• 26:24
  these advancements and all these new ideas and these new
• 26:27
  technologies of evil. How is a 2000 year old story?
• 26:31
  Going to help my kid get out of drugs.
• 26:35
  How is it 2,000? Year-old story going to deliver
• 26:38
  my kids from gangs. And so it's just kind of like
• 26:43
  fluff to us. It's just like, you know, And
• 26:47
  the point of this miracle, it's one of the many important points
• 26:51
  is that he can solve anything. He can raise the debt and he can
• 26:57
  make bread appear out of thin air.
• 27:01
  The whole idea of this miracle is the disciples have reached a
• 27:05
  ceiling in their understanding of Christ capability.
• 27:07
  And now that ceiling is about to be extended And so they come to
• 27:13
  the Lord. And they say why don't you just
• 27:17
  send him away? And let them deal with this, on
• 27:20
  their own and Jesus. Here says, you got it all wrong
• 27:24
  and one of the Gospel accounts he says they don't need to go
• 27:26
  away. They don't need to go away.
• 27:29
  They can stay right here. And I think that's something for
• 27:33
  us to consider. This Christ applied to
• 27:38
  everything or there's some things that just seem irrelevant
• 27:42
  to your faith. Learn to pray about everything.
• 27:47
  Learn to trust, God, for everything, bigger, small,
• 27:50
  complicated, or simple. God cares.
• 27:54
  He really does care. Oh, I wish.
• 27:55
  I can tell you stories of how God cares about your furniture,
• 28:01
  and he cares about the shoes on your feet.
• 28:04
  Yes. He cares about your soul being
• 28:05
  saved and escaping hell and all that wonderful things.
• 28:09
  But he also cares about what you're going to eat that night.
• 28:16
  So what happens while they come up to him with this problem, and
• 28:20
  look what Jesus says in verse 37, but he answered them, you
• 28:23
  give them something to eat. You give them something to eat,
• 28:29
  and they said to him, shall we go and buy 200 denarii worth of
• 28:33
  bread and give them to them to eat.
• 28:36
  And he said to them, how many loaves do you have go and see?
• 28:40
  And when they had found out, they said five and two fish.
• 28:44
  I love this interaction between Christ and the twelve.
• 28:48
  Because it really sheds light on how prayer works.
• 28:50
  This may shock, you. I alluded to prayer earlier but
• 28:52
  let me bring it up again. That prayer when it is brought
• 28:55
  to God does not promise. This might This Might Sting,
• 28:59
  this might shock you, but it's important prayer before God does
• 29:03
  not promise. That Christ will solve it
• 29:05
  without your participation. Bear with me.
• 29:14
  There are things that only God can do right there are things
• 29:18
  that only God can do, no doubt. But there are also many things
• 29:23
  That Christ expects us to actively be involved in as we
• 29:27
  seek and wait for him. How many miracles include human
• 29:32
  participation before Christ came through?
• 29:35
  And sometimes even after Christ came through, you want to see
• 29:38
  wine come to this wedding, fill those jars with water, the
• 29:43
  Christ, fill them with water know the servants did.
• 29:47
  The servants had to get water and fill those ceremonial jars
• 29:49
  with it and then he turned it into wine Lazarus.
• 29:53
  With that was, they're trapped in a tomb.
• 29:56
  What did Jesus? Say, Stone move Lazarus, Alf.
• 29:59
  Clots on bind yourselves that he do that.
• 30:01
  No, take away the stone. They took away the stone Lazarus
• 30:06
  come out. He came out unloose his cloths
• 30:10
  and they did. And now we have Christ ready to
• 30:13
  multiply food but he asks him to find some food first and he's
• 30:19
  going to ask them to give them seats to sit on, so to speak
• 30:23
  before he comes through with his power.
• 30:26
  And the idea is very important for you and I to consider in
• 30:29
  life that when we pray and we expect Christ to come through
• 30:32
  supernaturally. It does not mean that we are not
• 30:35
  serving, doesn't mean that we're not organizing.
• 30:37
  Doesn't mean that we're not planning.
• 30:38
  Does it mean that we are not doing things and the process?
• 30:41
  Yes. And there are moments that
• 30:44
  prayer will bring about inexplainable testimonies but it
• 30:48
  also means that sometimes when you pray, God will give you the
• 30:51
  wisdom and instruction that is required for you to take the
• 30:54
  next step. And sometimes what prayer will
• 30:57
  do is energize you and give you the grace to perform what you
• 31:00
  already knew, you need to do. How are they going to eat?
• 31:06
  Well, why don't you find whatever food we have here?
• 31:08
  First, could Christ have made fish and bread appear in his
• 31:12
  hands? Absolutely.
• 31:15
  But he invites us. He invites Us by faith.
• 31:18
  He invites Us in service to him to participate and be part of
• 31:21
  the equation from time to time and that's exactly what's
• 31:24
  happening here. And so they go and they find
• 31:27
  they find some loaves. They find some fish.
• 31:30
  We know that from John's account.
• 31:31
  This came from a little boy who obviously brought lunch was
• 31:34
  smart enough to ask Mommy to bring lunch for that day.
• 31:38
  The little boy gives up what he had.
• 31:41
  And it was multiplied to feed thousands, but notice what
• 31:45
  happens here. Five, and two fish.
• 31:50
  Verse 39. Then he commanded them all to
• 31:55
  sit down in groups on the green grass.
• 31:58
  So they sat down in groups by hundreds and by fifties, you
• 32:02
  know, if you've been here long enough that no versus random No
• 32:07
  versus insignificant. Let me read that again.
• 32:11
  After they found the food, he commanded them all to sit down
• 32:15
  in groups on green grass. More than that.
• 32:19
  So they sat down in groups by hundreds and by 50s, Mark is the
• 32:27
  only one who gives this detailed.
• 32:31
  Organization in comparison to the other gospel accounts.
• 32:34
  The only one that comes close to it is Luke where Luke says that
• 32:37
  they were organized in groups of 50s.
• 32:38
  Mark goes beyond that. He's just hundreds and 50s.
• 32:42
  Why would the Holy Spirit inspired?
• 32:44
  This gospel account writer, this witness to include in our minds
• 32:49
  that they were told to have them sit on Green Grass and then to
• 32:53
  organize them in different groups and rows of hundreds and
• 32:55
  fifties. Well, do you remember what the
• 32:57
  purpose of the Gospel of Mark is to portray Jesus Christ as what
• 33:03
  the perfect servant of God? And Jesus Christ, your
• 33:08
  commanding for this to take place, says something about how
• 33:12
  he serves the father and it's for our instruction.
• 33:16
  In our example, the kind of Minister Jesus was, is the kind
• 33:20
  of ministry. We ought to be in the kind of
• 33:22
  Christians. We ought to be Jesus ministered,
• 33:25
  attentively and orderly. Attentively and orderly.
• 33:34
  You know, there's a verse that Christians often quote and when
• 33:37
  they quote it, they usually apply it for a situation where a
• 33:41
  Believer might be confused about a certain thing or a certain
• 33:43
  decision and they are comforted with this apparent verse that
• 33:47
  brings some kind of clarity to that fogginess of mine and it is
• 33:52
  this God is not the author of what.
• 33:56
  Confusion, but is a God of Peace.
• 34:01
  He's a god of order, right? Can you turn there with me?
• 34:04
  Because I know what people mean by that verse, but it's not
• 34:07
  about when you have difficulty making a decision.
• 34:10
  I'm sorry if I disheartened you, but there's context, go to First
• 34:15
  Corinthians 14. Very quickly in verse 33.
• 34:17
  I want you to see what Paul meant by the spirit.
• 34:21
  When he said that God is not the author of confusion but is a God
• 34:23
  of Peace or order. First Corinthians 14:33.
• 34:31
  There is the verse for God is not a god of confusion, but of
• 34:36
  peace. And we take diverse out and we
• 34:40
  apply it as we see fit. And yes, it is true that it has
• 34:46
  a broader application and meeting concerning God in his
• 34:49
  work in his ways with us but its primary function.
• 34:53
  Why Paul said it at this point in First Corinthians 14 is
• 34:55
  because he was speaking about the orderly worship service that
• 34:59
  Christians ought to have when they meet together.
• 35:03
  I don't know if that inflated you or that deflated you What
• 35:08
  God is saying here through the Apostle, Paul?
• 35:11
  Is that in our worship, what we're doing here in this very
• 35:14
  afternoon, this very room whenever you gather with
• 35:16
  Believers in our worship, we ought to reflect the nature of
• 35:20
  God, and God is not a god of confusion.
• 35:24
  He's not a god of chaos. He is not a god of
• 35:27
  disorganization. He's a God of Peace.
• 35:31
  He's a god of order. He is careful.
• 35:36
  And we ought to be the same. You know, when I was growing up
• 35:41
  early in my faith, I had people in my life that Associated
• 35:45
  spirituality with strange spontaneity, What do I mean by
• 35:50
  that? That let me say what I don't
• 35:53
  mean by that. What I don't mean by that and I
• 35:56
  don't think what they meant by that was that we believe that we
• 36:01
  should be open to God's leading that whatever we had hoped or
• 36:05
  plan or even prepared. For God can make it very clear
• 36:08
  that he wants a different direction.
• 36:09
  Amen, we should that is not what these people that I knew, and I
• 36:14
  observed meant by this idea of spirituality being synonymous
• 36:18
  with spontaneity, What they meant is that there is no need
• 36:22
  for Preparation, there is no need for organization.
• 36:26
  And that, for whatever reason, if it's chaotic, if it's
• 36:31
  spontaneous, if it's unforeseen, then it must be the spirit of
• 36:36
  God. And that's dangerous.
• 36:42
  For many reasons and there are still churches today that
• 36:44
  operate in that fashion where you enter into a meeting and
• 36:48
  it's more confusing and unclear than anything else.
• 36:54
  And let me say this, many of those assemblies would claim
• 36:58
  that such an experienced, such an atmosphere is because of the
• 37:01
  Holy Spirit. And that is contrary to the mind
• 37:06
  of Paul who is the Apostle of God.
• 37:09
  I remember when I went to a conference once and I was
• 37:11
  sharing this as many years ago and I met different Believers
• 37:13
  and unbelievers introduced himself.
• 37:14
  We were getting to know each other and he was talking about
• 37:17
  how Spirit-filled his churches. And what God is doing in that
• 37:21
  church. And I was listening and he had
• 37:22
  made certain comments, and then he said something that never
• 37:24
  left me. And I think it speaks to exactly
• 37:27
  what Paul meant here. It's a very extreme example, but
• 37:30
  it's out there. He said, you know what?
• 37:33
  In the middle of the service of the Holy Spirit told somebody to
• 37:35
  paint the wall in the church, they would do it.
• 37:40
  And that's a that's supposed to be apparently Spirit lead and
• 37:44
  holy spirit. Inspiration.
• 37:48
  That's exactly what Paul is. Speaking about God is not a god
• 37:51
  of confusion. He's a god of order.
• 37:54
  And so to enter into an atmosphere, that is eerily
• 37:56
  disruptive. And an orderly.
• 38:02
  Could actually be saying something.
• 38:04
  That the Holy Spirit might not be out an operation here.
• 38:08
  At least at some level. But what God wants to see is
• 38:13
  peace but not just peace because don't now here's the other
• 38:16
  extreme you have people that want peace and order but they're
• 38:18
  dead. And you don't want that either.
• 38:21
  Lifeless, I don't know why in our Evangelical world.
• 38:27
  We have two extremes either have to be chaotic and that's
• 38:30
  synonymous with passionate but you're not you're not
• 38:31
  bible-based or your bible-based but you're dead as a stick.
• 38:35
  Why not be bible-based and be alive and be passionate and be
• 38:39
  filled with the spirit and be excited.
• 38:41
  You have the truth Back to Mark chapter 6.
• 38:51
  In Mark chapter 6, we are told. Jesus commanded them.
• 38:57
  To sit down in groups on the green grass.
• 38:59
  I love that. Even the green grass is
• 39:00
  mentioned. Why?
• 39:04
  It's comfortable. I know it's not deep.
• 39:07
  Hey, there's a lot of green grass here.
• 39:09
  Let's make sure that they are cushioned as they sit, you know,
• 39:13
  because some people think spirituality means that you have
• 39:15
  to inflict pain on yourself and make things uncomfortable to
• 39:19
  show, just how serious we are about serving God, that we will
• 39:24
  suffer for his name. Well, you don't have to suffer
• 39:26
  if suffering is not God's will in this season of your life.
• 39:30
  It's okay to think about these things and I love how Jesus
• 39:33
  thinks about these things. There's some green grass there.
• 39:35
  if that will make people more comfortable, And let's sit them
• 39:42
  down and organize them because this can get like a mob and we
• 39:45
  don't want to do that. Now, do we let's have them
• 39:47
  order. Lisa and we'll have the
• 39:48
  disciples. Wait on them it'll be it'll be
• 39:51
  beautiful Christ is so practical.
• 39:55
  He thinks about these things. It's okay to think about these
• 39:57
  things. Okay, so avoid extremes here.
• 40:02
  I love how it's in Mark of all the gospel accounts, but I think
• 40:05
  there's something else about these Green Pastures.
• 40:10
  There are a lot of things and I think one of the reasons why
• 40:12
  this Miracles and every single gospel account, is because it
• 40:15
  alludes to many Old Testament pictures, right?
• 40:18
  Especially in John chapter 6, which parallels, this account
• 40:21
  where you have Jesus doing this miracle in the people concluded.
• 40:24
  This is the profit that we've been waiting for, and it mirrors
• 40:27
  the Moses, like, Who provided Manna in the wilderness.
• 40:31
  He's the greater one the Moses, right?
• 40:33
  He's the greater Moses, but I think there are even more than
• 40:36
  that there are. There are future prophetic
• 40:38
  implications of this of how the law.
• 40:40
  Lord right will come and bring a feast to his own.
• 40:43
  That's Isaiah, there's so many, so many, so many, so many
• 40:45
  pictures. And I think one of them is
• 40:48
  something that you and I know very well, let me let me recap
• 40:51
  this for you here, you have Jesus coming into the scene and
• 40:54
  he feels compassion because they're like sheep without a
• 40:57
  shepherd. And now as he entered sins, he
• 40:59
  teaches them and he feeds them and then he places them on green
• 41:04
  grass. The Lord is my shepherd.
• 41:09
  I shall not want. He makes me lie down on Green
• 41:14
  Pastures. Yeah, the Lord Yahweh is my
• 41:20
  shepherd. Jesus is my shepherd, Jesus is
• 41:22
  Yahweh and he makes me lie down. I love the wording of that.
• 41:26
  He makes me lie down. You know why?
• 41:28
  Because he knows what you need more than what you know.
• 41:33
  So, he takes these people, and he places them, and he not only
• 41:38
  feeds them with the truth. The truth about the kingdom of
• 41:41
  God, but he feeds their belly and energizes their bodies.
• 41:44
  He's the all-encompassing shepherd who's not just
• 41:48
  concerned for your soul. But concerned again, about your
• 41:50
  frame. And he makes me lie down, right?
• 41:55
  He knows exactly. When to put me where to put me
• 41:59
  and how long to put me there, he knows what to provide for me.
• 42:03
  What to remove from me. He is the perfect leader of my
• 42:07
  life. So you have Christ here in some
• 42:12
  way. Fulfilling Psalm 23 in a very
• 42:14
  real way. And what's Happening Here is
• 42:17
  he's not just shepherding, he's not just shepherding their
• 42:19
  souls, he shepherding all that they are When Christ is your
• 42:24
  Lord, that's what you can expect in your life.
• 42:27
  That's what you can really believe God for.
• 42:29
  And I think what makes us more worried than anything else?
• 42:31
  It's not about our souls getting to Heaven.
• 42:33
  It's about how we're going to pay our bills in the next few
• 42:35
  months or what. We're going to wear to the
• 42:37
  wedding and that's precisely what Jesus taught about.
• 42:40
  Don't get caught up with the food and with the clothing.
• 42:45
  Right. It's not the big things that
• 42:47
  often worry us that still, that is the case.
• 42:49
  It's often a little things that occupy our time, and keep us up
• 42:53
  and make us run around. When Christ is Shepherd, he's
• 42:57
  Shepherd overall absolutely everything and these people
• 43:02
  would know it and I'll tell you and closing who's going to
• 43:04
  really really know what his own disciples, hold on to that
• 43:07
  thought but what happens verse 41 and taking the Five Loaves
• 43:11
  and the two fish he looked up to heaven.
• 43:14
  And said a blessing and broke the Loaves and gave them to the
• 43:18
  disciples to set before the people.
• 43:21
  And he divided the two, fish among them all, and they all ate
• 43:27
  and we're satisfied. You know, this miracle is
• 43:32
  impressive for many reasons. And one of the things that
• 43:34
  impresses me is that we are not given the mechanics behind it.
• 43:38
  He just multiplies it. I don't know how that looked.
• 43:42
  I don't know what happened. Did he pull it out of a basket
• 43:45
  that it just appear in his hands?
• 43:47
  I don't, it doesn't say and there's reason for that, right?
• 43:49
  We're supposed to just trust in this.
• 43:52
  But what's incredible, here is the principle that out of
• 43:54
  nothing. Can come something.
• 43:58
  And this is not just for these people, this is not just for a
• 44:01
  moment's time where the people would receive something.
• 44:04
  This is a lesson for all time. I'm going to prove that to you
• 44:07
  in closing but what I want you to see here is just that the
• 44:10
  Lord the Lord is completely aware and completely present and
• 44:16
  completely capable of providing. And as these people are sitting
• 44:20
  there and enjoying all that is being provided for something
• 44:24
  happens. You know what makes me?
• 44:31
  So blessed by the story. Is the disciples the miracle?
• 44:36
  Yes the prophetic illusion sure. All these connections are
• 44:40
  wonderful but it's the disciples we started with the disciples
• 44:44
  and we end with the disciples. They were supposed to come here
• 44:50
  for a retreat and they ended up becoming Waiters this whole
• 44:56
  thing was planned so that they could rest and now they are
• 44:59
  running around organizing people answering questions.
• 45:03
  When is the food coming? When is our turn and I'm sure
• 45:06
  those were asked and then serving them.
• 45:12
  And it makes you wonder, because Jesus is idea in verse 31 was
• 45:16
  Come Away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.
• 45:20
  Catch your breath. Pause.
• 45:24
  Rejuvenate and what I see in the following verses everything, but
• 45:28
  rest. And, but taking a breath.
• 45:34
  Jesus, forget about them. The Christ lose sight of his
• 45:38
  own. You know, you have a lot of
• 45:40
  Servants of God who feel that way they just give and give and
• 45:45
  give and give and they don't perceive what what they get out
• 45:50
  of it. Or they don't know of God, will
• 45:53
  take care of them. And yet something happens at the
• 45:59
  end at this is the way, the story ends, it's verse 42, and
• 46:02
  they all ate, and we're satisfied, a picture of physical
• 46:05
  satisfaction, but something that Christ gives us of himself,
• 46:08
  spiritual satisfaction, verse 43.
• 46:10
  And they took up twelve, baskets full of broken pieces and the
• 46:14
  fish and those who ate the loaves were 5000 men.
• 46:20
  When you go to John 6 and you read there in verse 12, we are
• 46:24
  told that the disciples that they are the disciples, the
• 46:27
  disciples were instructed. At the end of this glorious,
• 46:31
  banquet to go and get the pieces that were untouched and to
• 46:35
  gather them together. People.
• 46:37
  Look at this and teach about how God is Not wasteful and how we
• 46:41
  should not be wasteful with the leftovers of our lives, and
• 46:44
  that's all true. But is it a coincidence that
• 46:47
  there's 12 baskets? Coincidence 12 baskets for how
• 46:54
  many disciples that were called to pick up the fragments 12.
• 46:58
  Coincidence. No, no, no perfect provision.
• 47:05
  That in gathering. These twelve baskets.
• 47:07
  I have a hunch. It was for the 12th servants.
• 47:11
  Same brother. I made may be reading too much
• 47:13
  into that. No, I'm not and I'll prove it to
• 47:16
  you because there was a time when the disciples again were
• 47:20
  without food. They only had one loaf and they
• 47:23
  were traveling again and they began to talk about their their
• 47:25
  need. And go there and Mark to see
• 47:29
  what Jesus says to these 12 the same 12 who gathered up this.
• 47:34
  Set of leftovers. Mark 8 16 and they began
• 47:41
  discussing with one. Another, the fact that they had
• 47:43
  no bread and Jesus aware of this said to them, why are you
• 47:49
  discussing the fact that you have no bread?
• 47:52
  Do you not yet perceive or understand?
• 47:54
  Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes, do you not see
• 47:58
  having ears? Do you not hear and do you not
• 48:01
  remember? Now, look at this, when I broke
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  the Five Loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full
• 48:06
  of broken pieces, did you take up?
• 48:09
  They set to him 12. And the seven for the 4000,
• 48:14
  which is another miracle coming down the line.
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  How many baskets full of broken pieces that you take up and they
• 48:21
  said to him, seven will explore the seven when we get there and
• 48:24
  he said to them, do you not yet understand?
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  Understand what that I can feed. Thousands of people, no
• 48:34
  understand this. That I can feed you.
• 48:37
  They were talking about how there was no bread and Jesus.
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  Looking at them as a teacher would, after demonstrate not
• 48:44
  giving to sermons about it showing into amazing ways, how
• 48:49
  he can actually provide, he, you don't get it yet, you don't
• 48:53
  understand it yet. How notice he could have said
• 48:57
  how many people that I feed out of nothing and they would have
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  said 5,000 and then 4,000 but he doesn't say that.
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  He says how many pieces? How many baskets did you pick up
• 49:08
  after the Miracles 12? Seven.
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  Why would he bring up the baskets?
• 49:14
  Because the baskets were for them?
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  And so, when these disciples who yet again sacrifice another day
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  to serve the Lord, and yet again had another Interruption to
• 49:25
  their schedule and yet again gave more of themselves.
• 49:30
  Jesus through this miracle intentionally calls for the
• 49:33
  leftovers to be picked up because Jesus, yes, Jesus
• 49:37
  perfectly knew that 12 baskets would be the measure and that
• 49:41
  each of them would have a basket in their name.
• 49:43
  Proving what? When you serve him, he takes
• 49:45
  care of you. When you serve him, he will take
• 49:50
  care of you perfectly. And sometimes you see that at
• 49:55
  the beginning, sometimes you see it in the middle sometimes you
• 49:57
  see it at the end of the matter. But one thing is for certain, he
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  has you in mind, you know what this tells me as much as Jesus
• 50:05
  had compassion for the thousands Jesus had compassion for his
• 50:09
  servants. He cared about those who serve
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  you can guarantee this for yourself.
• 50:15
  If you serve God, he will show up.
• 50:19
  He will never ever let his servants down.
• 50:21
  He might make you wait a little bit.
• 50:23
  He might make you serve in a manner in which you might not
• 50:25
  immediately perceive it, but it is coming and the Lord will come
• 50:29
  through and you will know his compassion for you.
• 50:33
  Not just his compassion through you.
• 50:38
  I love that. And I can testify today.
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  Of eight years of serving the lord.
• 50:44
  Jesus, my basket has always been full and as you serve, the Lord
• 50:50
  Jesus, you can guarantee that you will know his fullness and
• 50:55
  he will make you lie down by Green Pastures and he will bring
• 50:59
  you by Still Waters. Does that mean that you will go
• 51:02
  through life as somewhat propose?
• 51:06
  Without testimonies and without trials, and without the need to
• 51:09
  call upon him. Know, the very same people who
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  experience. The twelve baskets came to a
• 51:13
  point in Mark 8 where they felt like they had nothing.
• 51:17
  Why? Because God forgotten oh because
• 51:18
  God wants your faith. And he's not just going to
• 51:22
  endlessly Supply without interruption everything that you
• 51:25
  ever need, so that you don't have to worry.
• 51:26
  You don't have to wake. Yes, you should never worry.
• 51:28
  But to bring you two moments where you actually have to pause
• 51:30
  and trust and call upon his name, he will do that
• 51:32
  frequently. But every single time he will
• 51:36
  come through This is what it's all about.
• 51:40
  And I want to encourage the Servants of God in this house
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  today as the example of Jesus Christ has and this chapter
• 51:47
  Christ was a compassionate Minister.
• 51:49
  He actually loved the people that he served and especially
• 51:53
  the lost the S, the Lost. He had compassion towards them.
• 51:56
  But Christ was also a orderly Minister which is important for
• 52:00
  us as a church growing up and wanting to see God do many
• 52:04
  things. Remember that the spirit of God
• 52:05
  is a God of Peace, not a god of confusion And he is a God who
• 52:10
  helps his servants as they seek to help him and serve him and
• 52:14
  honor him. If you're in a place today where
• 52:16
  you are in need, I want to close this time by praying for your
• 52:21
  faith to sustain you for God, to come through, because he will
• 52:24
  come through and how you can worship and trust him as you.
• 52:28
  Wait on him, he is faithful. Let's pray.
• 52:39
  Lord, we thank you for this text.
• 52:42
  Thank you for what it teaches us though.
• 52:45
  We know that there is so much more in these verses that we can
• 52:48
  understand and apply and worship you for.
• 52:51
  But for now, We have eaten and we are satisfied.
• 52:59
  Lord, as we said before, this prayer we want to, we want to
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  seek you for the various needs of this house, specifically for
• 53:08
  those who give their time, their resources, their energy to
• 53:11
  honoring, you and glorifying you.
• 53:13
  If there is a particular want, if there is a dilemma in their
• 53:17
  lives, Lord, we just pray that this story would Infuse enough
• 53:23
  faith for them to continue to serve and believe that you will
• 53:26
  come through at the right time. And Lord as perhaps some might
• 53:31
  be waiting for a miracle believing you to come through
• 53:35
  for something that they can't do on their own, may they be
• 53:38
  sensitive enough to your spirit to know what you ask them to do
• 53:41
  in this particular situation. and so Lord, even as a church,
• 53:46
  as we're believing you for many things, as we're believing you
• 53:48
  for the future of this place, a new building Growing Ministries.
• 53:54
  Whatever the case may be loyal, we will, we will, we will
• 53:56
  continue to serve you in the midst and we will continue to
• 54:00
  pray as we wait, and we will continue to sing and rejoice for
• 54:03
  the season that we are in believing that those baskets
• 54:07
  will come and believing that you have not forgotten us as we have
• 54:12
  Faithfully served. You, you are a good God lord.
• 54:15
  We worship you. We worship you because you have
• 54:18
  spoken to our hearts this afternoon.
• 54:19
  We thank you for Angie's baptism.
• 54:22
  May your hand be on. Her life.
• 54:23
  We thank you for every saint. In this place, may your hand
• 54:26
  continue to be on their lives for the person in this place
• 54:29
  that there's a know. You may they see the compassion
• 54:32
  of Jesus Christ that it is not just for then it is for them.
• 54:36
  Now here today that they would respond by surrendering to you
• 54:41
  as the ninevites then and repenting and turning from their
• 54:45
  sin. Realizing that you are the one
• 54:47
  who gives life and life abundant and Jesus name we pray.
• 54:51
  Amen. And I let stand Church and
• 54:54
  worship.