Keys Of Courageous Faith: Jesus Series

Keys of Courageous Faith: Jesus

Mark 6:30-56

Introduction

You already know that the life of faith requires great courage. It is against the flow of culture. It is a struggle against the spiritual powers of darkness. It is in conflict with the temptations of the flesh. It is challenging as we face the struggles of fear and doubt. The life of faith requires courage, determination, and grit. But it is not all dependent on your strength.

Courageous Faith always finds it’s strength in knowing the presence of Christ, hearing his Word, and following His example.

In February we are going to continue through Mark’s Gospel noting some keys of courageous faith.

Today we are going to focus on two amazing stories that demonstrate that Jesus is with us, he teaches us, and we need to follow His example - and that will require courageous faith.

Mark 6:30 - Apostles excitedly tell Jesus about their experiences on the limited commission. Their joyful recounting is interrupted because everyone wants to encounter the miracle working Savior and his disciples. They haven’t had time to eat or rest. (6:31). Jesus: “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” They got in a boat to escape the crowds. They never got to the solitary place - when they landed there was a large crowd. This is an intense situation of exhaustion, hunger, coming down off of an exciting mission they want to talk with Jesus about - but there are the crowds of people. Two events here are going to teach the disciples - and us - that Courageous Faith always finds it’s strength in knowing the presence and following the example of Jesus Christ. Let’s discover three keys to courageous faith in this text.

1. Courageous Faith Requires Compassion (Mark 6:34-44)

Jesus the Compassionate Shepherd (Mark 6:34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.)

Jesus saw the crowd through compassionate eyes “because they were like sheep without a shepherd.”

Barclay: three things that sheep without a shepherd do:

-Sheep without a shepherd cannot find the way. We often stand at the crossroads of life not knowing which way to go. Jesus can show us the way.

-Sheep without a shepherd cannot find pasture and food. Without Jesus the things we find in life never satisfy us. “When we seek it elsewhere our minds are still unsatisfied, our hearts still restless, our souls still unfed. We can gain strength for life only from him who is the living bread.”

-Sheep without a shepherd have no defense against the dangers which threaten it. A sheep cannot defend itself from wild beasts. “No man can defend himself from the temptations which assail him and from the evil of the world which attacks him. Only in the company of Jesus can we walk in the world and keep our garments unspotted from it. Without him we are defenseless; with him we are safe.”

John 10:14-16  “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me … I lay down my life for the sheep … and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”

The disciples failed to have compassion on the crowd (35-38).

Mark 6:35-38

By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. 36 Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”

It is easy to understand the perspective of the disciples. They were exhausted and hungry. The people interrupted their time with Jesus. They didn’t have the resources to do anything about the hunger of the people. (5,000 men - 10,000 people?) The focus of the disciples was on themselves. They have seen Jesus raise the dead, calm a storm, cast out demons, heal the sick - why did they not realize he could handle a crowd of hungry people?

Swindoll: “How great it would have been if Andrew or Peter or John had replied, ‘But Lord, You’re the Lord of bread. You’re the Lord of fish. This is nothing to you. There is nothing you cannot do.”

The disciples failed to trust Jesus to provide the answer (39-44)

Mark 6:39-44

Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 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 his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.