WELCOME & INTRODUCTION
I. CHILDHOOD
a. Raised in a tough neighborhood. Parents taught us well but it didn’t prevent me from being picked on. Thankfully never really got into trouble. I don’t like bullies. In 1986 we moved to a much better neighborhood, but it was my job to walk my little brother places. We had an awesome corner store in our neighborhood. We would go and buy candy and comic books. They had a Super Mario Arcade game that all the neighborhood kids were constantly playing and would go watch someone trying to beat that game and get the high score.
b. Previous Christmas – my brother got a "Joe Cool" Snoopy skateboard. Along with it, knee pads, hand protectors, and a helmet. He looked goofy. But he wasn’t going to get hurt.
c. Kid lived on the way to the school. Eric.
d. Leave him alone. What are you going to do about it?
e. And a crowd started to gather around us.
II. DRAW A CROWD
a. There are so many things that can easily draw a crowd.
i. Events like concerts, a boxing match, celebrities, civil rights marches, protests, anything that is a spectacle of unusual circumstances, the miraculous (every few years someone will claim that their statue of Jesus or Mary is weeping real tears or tears of blood and it draws crowds to witness the spectacle and hope for physical healing)
b. Today I want to bring us to the beginning of Jesus’ great Sermon on the Mount to witness crowds of people drawn for just such similar situations.
III. READ MATTHEW 4:23-5:1
a. 23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan. 5:1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
IV. BACKGROUND
a. Jesus began his ministry calling his first disciples, Simon Peter and Andrew and then James and John the sons of Zebedee. He calls them to follow and that he would make them fishers of men. We spoke about this call to discipleship last week. What he calls these fishermen and later Matthew to do is a simple call to follow him. Whether they choose to do so or not is their decision.
b. Next, we read that Jesus goes throughout Galilee teaching in the synagogues. He is proclaiming the gospel. And, he is healing people of diseases, pain, suffering. He is driving demons out of others. Telling paralyzed people to get up and walk. And forgiving sins. We read about these in parallel gospel accounts. And because of these miracles, these great crowds gather around Jesus.
c. Drawing a crowd can be easy if you have the right draw. Usually, people do not gather in large crowds unless it is something they want to see; something they have a desire to be there for. We are going to see in a few places in the gospels what these crowds were really gathering for. What was at the heart of their gathering.
d. In John 6 we can read that these crowds gathered because they saw the signs Jesus was performing on the sick. They wanted to see more. Jesus knew they would be there with him for a lengthy time and wanted to feed them. He turns to his disciples and gets them to gather the lunch that a boy brought with him: 5 barley loaves and 2 fish. In their doubt, Jesus multiplied that food. Can you picture the look on each of the disciples faces when they were each holding their own basket of leftovers?
V. BUILDING CROWDS CANNOT BE OUR MAIN GOAL
a. Numbers in the building are great and we should strive to grow. Building a crowd isn’t bad. Growth is the natural outcome to striving to biblical truth and doing everything with excellence. But crowds don’t always form for good reasons so they cannot be our first goal. These crowds ask for things they shouldn’t. For example:
i. Matt. 12: 1-3 (picking grain on Sabbath),
ii. Matt. 12:38 (Pharisees demanding signs);
iii. Matt. 15:1 (Pharisees and scribes asking questions about tradition);
iv. Matt. 16:1 (again demanding signs);
v. Matt. 21:12 (Triumphal entry…cleansing the temple);
vi. Matt. 27:15-23 (the crowds choose Barabbas)
vii. So how do we grow with integrity and for the right purpose?
b. THREE POINTS TO REMEMBER IN OUR OUTREACH TO THE CROWDS
c. ONE: THE CROWD WILL ALWAYS DEMAND MORE
i. In his sermon to the crowd in John 6, Jesus points out that they were not there to learn. They saw miracles and were given food to eat. They weren’t following Jesus to become more like him or to hear his message of salvation. Read John 6:26-27
ii. I sometimes wonder about 21st century American churchgoers and ask myself what we are drawn to. The singing? The sermons? Youth programs? When the teaching becomes serious and pointed will the crowds stay? Statistics are showing that people are falling away from the church and the younger generations don’t seem to see life after youth group in the church. I heard it recently from young graduating seniors that “this was it” for them.
iii. For the crowd following Jesus, they think Jesus came to make life good and easy for them. If I am hungry, Jesus will just make some food. If I get sick, Jesus will heal me. If I need something, I will ask Jesus to take care of it. Jesus is their meal ticket and they haven’t been weighing the cost of following him. Luke 14:27 They are going to be called to take up their own cross to follow Jesus…we are also called to this sacrifice.
d. TWO: THE CROWD CAN’T GET THEIR MINDS OFF THE MIRACLE
i. This crowd has miracle A.D.D. They cannot focus on anything else. They are there for the show. A show isn’t inherently evil. But if all we give people is a show, then that is all they will expect. When we try and disciple and hold people accountable, they will not think you will expect that from them.
ii. I love a story about a woman who would come out of her home every morning and Praise God. She had a neighbor who was an atheist and he would come out and yell at her that there was no God. One day this lady came out and started to pray out loud that she was out of food and needed food. The next morning when she opened her door, there on her porch was 4 bags of groceries. She began to praise God! All of a sudden, her neighbor jumped out from the bushes and yelled, "Aha! God didn't get those for you I did." The lady then began to praise God louder saying, "God you not only got me the groceries but you made the devil pay for them."
iii. Jesus calls them on their purpose for following him.
Read: John 6:30-32
iv. Sometimes we also forget and can’t get our minds off the miraculous. The miraculous can and does happen, but we must see that our faith isn’t reliant on miracles but the Miracle-Maker and his plan and design for our lives. Our trust and faith is not in seeing things that don’t normally happen but to see that even when they won’t happen, he is still in control and still loves us and still desires us to obey him.
e. THREE: THE CROWD WILL WALK AWAY
i. Jesus gives his crowd something difficult to think about. And many walk away and no longer follow him after this. I know that large numbers are impressive. Jesus could have kept that crowd with him forever. He could have manipulated that crowd into staying. He didn’t.
ii. Read: John 6:60-66
iii. Friends, we are not the Savior. We are not Jesus. We cannot force people to be with us. We cannot guilt the lost into joining the church. What we can do and need to do is plant the seed. We can be the encouragers. We can pray with people. We can ask them about their lives. We can be their friends. But we cannot force people into belief. And we shouldn’t expect that everyone we meet will believe. But we can invite them in. We can be the ones who they can count on. We can be the shoulder they cry on. We can share the joyful moments. But people still walk away and we cannot change our doctrinal stance or our faith in God’s Word just to appeal to more people. It hurts. I have witnessed so many people in my life walk away from Christ and His church over the years. I have seen it in my own family. I have watched friends and peers and family members walk away from the church simply because they did not like the message.
iv. 2 Timothy 3 speaks of people who will find reasons to walk away. But Paul reminds us to trust God’s word. Read 2 Timothy 3: 16
v. Do we believe this book? Do we believe that this unchanging word from God is real? That’s what I believe. That’s what we teach. If this book tells me to do something I should do it. If it says not to do something, I better not do it.
vi. Jesus points to the cross and the future and he cries out. It’s not about the miracles! Its not about food! It’s not about money! It’s not about health! It’s not about tolerance! It’s not about social justice! It’s not about me (Jesus)! It’s about the cross of Christ! It’s about whether you will follow me from this point on or not!
vii. He says, stop thinking about yourself for a minute. You’re going to be hungry again. It’s how your body works. Think about what will get you through the day even if you don’t eat. What will get you through the day when you have a family member die? What will get you through the day when you lose your job? What will get you through the day when you are persecuted for believing in me; in Jesus? But all they can think about was the miracles and they can’t handle his true message and they walk away.
VI. WILL YOU STAY?
a. Read: John 6:67-69
b. Jesus closes this moment in time with the question to his disciples. This is a difficult teaching indeed. Will his 12 walk away too?
c. It is reassuring in how Simon Peter answers this. Where will we go? You have the words of eternal life. A heart truly convinced of who Jesus is. He believes. Peter proclaims who Jesus is. The Holy One of God. Peter cries out you are the one we have waited for. You healed these people. You fed this large crowd with little food. You teach with authority. You are going to say the difficult things I need to hear, but in the end it is for my good and will help me find my way to heaven.
d. Simon Peter doesn’t even realize that in this statement he is worshiping God with his whole heart.
e. Jesus wasn’t upset these crowds. He had compassion on them. What do we read in Matthew 9:35-36?
f. Jesus cares for the crowds because they need him. We should take note and be available to guide those that come to hear about him.
VII. THE END OF THE STORY
a. When my brother was being picked on, I had a choice. I could clobber this kid and really become something I was not. Just another big bully. I ended up shoving Eric once and he fell over. I remember how easy it was. How light he was and how it really felt like I was pushing something small with no resistance. The crowd that had gathered got really quiet. I think they expected Eric to die that day. And I felt horrible. So I told my brother, let’s go. And we left.
b. Funny enough that was the only real fight I have ever been in in my entire life. I’ve been beat up. I’ve been made fun of. I’ve been pushed. I’ve been laughed at. I’ve had people threaten me. I’ve lost friends. I’ve had names thrown at me of all types. Some that didn’t make any sense. Some that were probably true. But my goal has always been to try and be a light to the people around me. I haven’t always been successful. I have had to have the hard conversations with people. Not everyone has listened. I plant seeds in people’s ears. People have had hard conversations with me. I am a sinner. I have done things I shouldn’t have. But I am washed clean. I have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. I have been baptized in water for the forgiveness of my sins. I trust God to take me where I need to go. It isn’t easy to be Christ’s ambassador. It isn’t easy to be a believer. It isn’t easy to walk out there in the world and be who God wants me to be. But it is the right path.
c. We are going to spend this entire year hearing the words Jesus preached to these crowds. These Great Crowds will hear a Great Message and we too must be prepared to make a decision. Will we follow him? Will we live the way Jesus is calling this crowd to live?
d. Are we prepared to reach this world with this message? Not just the words spoken here in the Sermon on the Mount, but also by living out in person the way Jesus is calling us to live.
CONCLUSION
Will you promise to follow Christ?
Will you continue to plant seeds? Allow him to water and reap the harvest?
Let’s draw crowds. Do it. Let’s bring in the world. Teach the truth in love.
Don’t let them come and not hear the truth.
Our challenge this week: What is the message your neighbors hear when they see you? Are you saying and doing things Jesus wants you to do? Do the things you talk about sound holy and like Christ or are you speaking words of harm and words that are worldly in nature? Take some time this week to evaluate your witness to this world. Is what you say and do something that draws a crowd? Or do you make people want to become disciples? There is a difference.
INVITATION
