Jesus Feeds 5,000 Series

The Great Commission

Part 8 – Jesus Feeds 5000

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith – www.PS127.org : www.TruthDigest.org

WELCOME

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Feb 23rd @ 6:00PM Family Movie Night –

“The Time Changers”

Mar 16th Morning Service Palm Sunday –

Special Service that morning (not series)

Mar 24th – 28th 7:00PM Week of Renewal –

“Discover your Spiritual Gifts & how to use them”

Mar 30th 6:00PM Evening Service at the church –

“Seminary Students will be preaching”

† The Sermon on the Mount.

† He and his Disciples and Apostles begin to travel from Galilee to Capernaum.

† Jesus heals the Centurion’s servant.

† He then has dinner in a Pharisees home where He was anointed by a sinful woman who had repented.

† Jesus then returns to Galilee preaching along the way.

† Jesus Calms the Storm.

† A Prophet without Honor in His hometown

† Jesus send out the Twelve

† John the Baptist Martyred

Jesus had just sent out the twelve in pairs to preach.

While this was happening, John the Baptist had been beheaded.

News got back to Jesus and the Twelve, and this is where we are picking up today.

SCRIPTURE READING

Matthew 14:13 – 21

“13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food."

16 Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."

17 "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.

18 "Bring them here to me," he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.”

I. A TIME TO GRIEVE AND REST

a. Jesus heard of John the Baptist’s beheading

i. He went into the desert (solitary place) to grieve

Time and time again we see a glimpse of the human side of Jesus.

We see how times like this troubled Him.

Many times in the scripture we see Jesus’ human qualities.

He hurt, He hungered, He cried, He stressed.

The night before the crucifixion He was so stressed about what was about to take place, that He even asked the Father in heaven if there was any other way.

And of course, the answer was no.

Our separation from God the Father because of sin HAD to be mended.

This could only take place if Jesus paid the price in our place.

So Jesus hurting because of the death of His cousin, His friend and forerunner, John the Baptist, needed time to pray.

ii. Sometimes we need time to gather ourselves before great service to the Lord

The way we do this, is through prayer and time spent with the Father who is in heaven.

How do we spend time with the Father who is in heaven?

Only through the Holy Spirit which dwells within believers.

How do you know if you have the Holy Spirit?

If you are a Christ follower, you have the Holy Spirit.

iii. Many times in the scriptures, Jesus went off to pray and rest in God just before something great and miraculous.

Although Jesus was 100% man and 100% God, Jesus still had to obey the natural laws He set in place from the foundation of the world when He created it.

He created laws that make everything work.

Science has spent their entire existence trying to unlock and discover the rules that the Lord has placed on things.

Gravity, centrifugal force, behavior or atoms, etc…

Jesus had to obey these natural laws while He was here on earth.

We see many times, Jesus was tired, hungry, etc.

The miracles that we see in the scriptures are NOT exceptions to the natural laws, but Spiritual laws that the Lord spoke into existence at the same time He created the Natural laws.

The laws of healing, of receiving from God, the laws of the Holy Spirits indwelling.

These laws exist and coincide with the natural laws.

So Jesus obeyed natural laws, and rested, prayed to the Father in heaven, and prepared to continue His work.