SERMON OUTLINE:
• The pursuit of the crowd (vs 13-14)
• The problem of no food (vs 15-17)
• The provision Jesus (vs 18-21).
• Lesson #1: people matter.
• Lesson #2: problems are part of life.
• Lesson #3: God provides.
SERMON BODY:
Reading: Matthew chapter 14 verses 13-21.
Ill:
Favourite smells….
• Freshly cut grass.
• A real Christmas tree.
• Gunpowder (cap gun/after a firework has gone off)
• Barbecues
• Lavender
• Scented candles
• The seaside
• Coffee
• The forest
• Fresh flowers
• Bacon
• Freshly baked bread
• TRANSITION:
• There is nothing quite like fresh bread baking in the oven.
• Now, whether you make your own or go into a shop,
• Fresh bread is appeals to the senses…
• You can see it golden brown colour,
• You can smell the freshness,
• You can even feel the loaf is still warm!
• When you buy or make bread like that,
• Your taste buds start to salivate,
• Your tummy starts to rumble,
• And only when you bite into the bread and taste it,
• Do you truly experience the full advantages of fresh bread.
• By contrast,
• Stale bread tastes terrible,
• And can often look unpleasant (mould on the edges etc.)
Note:
• Apply that simple illustration to your faith.
• If you do not keep it fresh, it will soon go stale.
• Regular time with Christ in prayer,
• Regular time with Christ in his word,
• Regular time with Christ in his service,
• Our invisible faith needs to be made visible in action to others.
• Regular time with Christ in evangelism,
• Don’t miss that one, we are fed as we feed.
• And evangelism is never an optional extra,
• It will enrich your Christian life immensely,
• And help keep your faith fresh!
• Jesus reminded us elsewhere (Matthew chapter 4 verse 4),
• That we do not live by bread alone.
• But remember that we also don't live long without it.
• To eat is to acknowledge our dependence,
• Both on food and on each other.
• It also reminds us that unless we must feed on Christ daily,
• If we want a fresh faith.
• Remember the Lord’s prayer, “Daily bread.”
• Or we will live on a diet of stale bread,
• That will keep us alive but will not satisfy.
(1). The PURSUIT of the crowd (vs 13-14).
“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. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed those who were ill.”
Question:
• Have you ever been so tired,
• That you are just not sure you can go on?
• If the answer is yes, you might appreciate this story.
ILL:
• A woman who had recently moved into a small village in Wiltshire,
• Was in the backyard hanging out the washing on the line.
• When an old, tired looking dog wandered into the yard.
• She could tell from his collar and well-fed belly,
• That he was not a stray, but he had a home.
• As she walked into the house, the dog followed her in,
• Sat down under the kitchen table and fell sound asleep.
• An hour later, he woke up.
• Went over to the door and she let him out.
• The next day he was back.
• He took up the same position under the kitchen table,
• And once again slept for an hour.
• This continued for the rest of the week.
• Curious, the lady pinned a note to his collar:
• "Every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap."
• The next day the dog arrived at the house,
• With a different note pinned to his collar:
• "He lives in a home with 6 children - he’s trying to catch up on his sleep."
• TRANSITION:
• We know from the other gospels that record this story:
• That Jesus was looking to take a break,
• He wanted to go somewhere quiet to get some rest,
• To recharge his physical batteries.
• People had been following Jesus and the disciples incessantly,
• And constantly making demands,
• (wanting healings etc which were time consuming & very draining).
• And although Jesus was weary and in need of a rest,
• The people kept coming and he was unable to get one.
Note:
• It is here that we get a remarkable glimpse of Jesus character.
• If it had been you or me, weary and in need of a rest,
• We would have sent the people away - but not Jesus.
Ill:
• In Mark’s version of the event (chapter 6 verse 34),
• We read this…
“When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.”
• TRANSITION:
• To most of us the constant hassle of the crowd,
• Would have been an irritation.
• A pain in the neck.
• But Jesus had compassion on the people.
• Because he saw their deeper needs,
• Like a lost sheep they also lacked direction and purpose.
PAUSE TO APPLY:
• Question: Do you know what is desperately missing from the Church today?
• Answer: A burden for the lost!
• The concept of a "burden for the lost,"
• Refers to the deep, spiritual concern and responsibility,
• That Christians feel for those people,
• Who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
Ill:
• The great Baptist preacher C. H. Spurgeon,
• (Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit [Pilgrim Publications], 24:410-411)
• Wrote in his magazine.
• About John Bunyan (author of Pilgrim’s Progress) who said
“That he often felt while preaching that he could give his own salvation for the salvation of his hearers.”
• Then Spurgeon stuck the knife in by saying:
• “And I pity the man who has not felt the same.”
• Romans chapter 9 verses 2-3,
• The apostle Paul said exactly the same thing!
Note:
• e.g. Well, Jesus wept for the lost!
• (Luke chapter 19 verse 41-44)
• In fact, Jesus wept three times in the gospels,
• “Jesus wept” – is the shortest verse in the English Bible.
• (John chapter 11 verse 35)
• e.g. Jeremiah wept - known as the weeping prophet!
• (Jeremiah chapter 8 verses 18 to chapter12 verse 13)
• e.g. Isaiah wept bitterly for his wayward people.
• (Isaiah chapter 22 verse 4).
• e.g. Ezra wept, tore his garment and even pulled out some of the hair.
• (Ezra chapter 9 verse 3)
• e.g. Nehemiah wept day after day after day for his people!
• (Nehemiah chapter 1 verse 4)
• TRANSITION:
• When did you last break your heart over the lost?
Quote: Author and pastor Oswald Chambers said,
“So long as there is a human being who does not know Jesus Christ, I am his debtor to serve him until he does.”
• Ultimately, the burden for the lost,
• Is a reflection of God's heart for the lost!
• He, “…so loved the world.”
• That his burden led him action and sacrifice!
(2). The PROBLEM of no food (vs 15-17).
“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 that they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.’
Jesus replied, ‘They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.’
‘We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,’ they answered.”
Ill:
• Charlie Steinmetz was small in stature,
• He was also not blessed with good looks.
• And to add to his woes he was deformed, disabled.
• But he had one advantage over other people,
• He was clever,
• He had one of the greatest minds in the field of electricity,
• That the world has ever known.
• Steinmetz built the great generators,
• That powered the Michigan factory of Henry Ford,
• Who made owning a car practical and affordable.
One day one of those generators broke down,
• And Ford’s car factory came to a halt.
• They brought in a variety of engineers, mechanics and helpers.
• But none of them could get the generators going again.
• They were losing money.
• So, Henry Ford called Charlie Steinmetz.
• The genius came, pottered around for a few hours,
• And then threw the switch,
• And the factory came back to life once again.
A few days passed by,
• And Henry Ford received a bill from Steinmetz for $10,000.
• Although Ford was a very rich man,
• He thought the bill was very pricey for just a few hours work.
• He returned the bill with a note,
'Charlie, isn't this bill just a little high.
for a few hours of tinkering around on those motors?'
• Steinmetz returned the bill to Ford.
• This time it read:
• 'For tinkering around on the motors: $10.
• For knowing where to tinker: $9,990.
• Total: $10,000.'
• Henry Ford paid the bill.
• TRANSITION:
• Like that Henry Ford, the disciples are about to discover that:
• Jesus alone has the insight, power and desire,
• To turn an insurmountable problem into a golden opportunity!
THE PROBLEM OF NO FOOD (VS 15).
• From a human perspective:
• These weary disciples can only see a swarm of people.
• And no food and no shops to go and buy food.
• From the divine perspective:
• For Jesus the crowd was not an infringement but an opportunity.
• A chance to reveal his glory,
• And at the same time teach the disciples an important lesson.
THE TEST (VS 16B):
“You give them something to eat.”
• Jesus gets the disciples to assess the situation.
• And that is what they do, they study the problem:
• Counting the number of hungry people.
• And the amount of food they have.
• We know from the other gospel accounts.
• There were about 5000 men.
• In that culture they only counted the men and not women.
• So, it was likely to be eight to ten thousand people,
• So, the problem was big.
THE RESULT (VS 16B):
• The result is very disappointing.
• The outcome is hopeless.
• The disciple’s look at the problem and say,
• “Too big for us too handle, we can’t do anything!”
Note:
• If this is a test, then they have failed it badly!
• They have failed, big time!
ill
• Had Jesus pulled out an atheist from the crowd.
• And given him the same question.
• Then his answer would have been exactly the same as theirs!
• TRANSITION:
• There is no faith here,
• There is no looking to Jesus for a solution,
• Just basic human reasoning and with that failure!
THEIR OBSERVATION (VS 17):
“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,’ they answered.”
• We know from the other gospel accounts,
• That Andrew scurries among the crowd looking for food.
• He finds a boy with a packed lunch.
• ‘Barley loaves’ were the cheapest form of bread.
• And they were more likely a thin, flat pancake or flatbread.
• Rather than round rolls we know them.
• And the ‘fish’ were small (sardine size) fish,
• It would have been a typical packed lunch in that area of Galilee.
• They were pickled and exported across the Roman Empire,
• As convenience food.
Ill:
• I like to think the greater miracle in this story.
• Is not the feeding of the 5000 plus people,
• But getting hold of the lunch from a hungry child!
(3). The PROVISION by Jesus (vs 18-21).
“‘Bring them here to me,’ he said. And he told 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. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.”
• I like that little expression (vs 19)
• “…taking the five loaves and the two fish…”:
• To everyone gathered,
• There would only ever be 5 loaves and 2 fish.
• But in the hands of Jesus something miraculous happens!
Ill:
• Place a have a scalpel in my hands,
• It’s merely a sharp object that could cause damage,
• But when you place that same scalpel in the hands of a surgeon,
• It turns into an object that can bring life.
• Put a golf club in any of our hands, and it’s merely a golf club,
• But when you place that same golf club in the hands of Rory McIlroy,
• It allows him to become one of the best sportsmen in the world.
• A paintbrush in my hands might result in a pretty good picture,
• (but only if it’s paint by numbers).
• But when a paintbrush was placed in the hands of Van Gogh,
• It turns into a priceless work of art.
• Question: Why is it that the same instruments and the same tools can bring about such differing degrees of results?
• Answer:
• It simply depends upon the person who is holding them,
• And how they are used.
• TRANSITION:
• Jesus will take the ordinary to do something extraordinary!
• But note how He does it, there is no razzmatazz.
• It is simple, logical and efficient.
• The people are sat down.,
• (Maybe so that everyone can see what’s happening)
• Other gospels tell us in groups of fifty.
• Jesus prays by giving thanks to God the Father.
• He then breaks the bread and gives it to the disciples.
• To everyone’s amazement,
• He keeps producing more and more and more fish and bread,
• Right in front of their very eyes.
Note:
• Jesus did not give the crowds some airline type snack,
• When you feel as hungry after you finished as when you started
• Verse 20 tell us,
• There was more than enough food for everyone.
• And there were 12 baskets full of food left.
• One for each disciple.
• A visuals reminder,
• That Jesus is far bigger than any problem we might face!
Three lessons we can learn from this story.
(1). The PURSUIT of the crowd - People matter.
• The crowd to the disciples were an irritation,
• But Jesus had compassion on the people.
• To him they were not troublesome but an opportunity.
• They were like a lost sheep, and he is the Good Shepherd.
Ill:
• The American artist James Whistler,
• Was never known to be bashful about his talent,
• Once he received news.
• That a shipment of blank canvases,
• That he had ordered had been lost in the mail.
• When asked if the canvases were of any great value,
• Whistler remarked, “not yet not yet.”
• TRANSITION:
• Jesus saw this crowd (and he sees us today):
• As having great value and potential,
• If only we would follow him as the Good Shepherd!
(2). The PROBLEM of no food - Problems are part of life.
Ill:
• Someone asked the scholar, novelist, and author C.S. Lewis,
• The question, "Why do the righteous suffer?"
• He replied. "Why not? They're the only ones who can take it."
• TRANSITION: In a fallen world, ruined by sin,
• Everybody suffers and has problems,
• Both Christian and unbeliever.
• But the Christian has hope and purpose,
• Through their sufferings.
• Quote: Poem.
“God hath not promised.
Skies ever blue,
Flower-strewn pathways
always for you.
God hath not promised.
Sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow,
Peace without pain.
But He hath promised.
Strength from above,
Unfailing sympathy,
undying love.”
You and I have a choice just like the disciples:
• We can depend on human resources,
• And human wisdom to handle life’ problems,
• And we get exactly what human resources can deliver.
• Or we look to Jesus and lean on him!
• And we can experience something of what Jesus promised.
(3). The PROVISION by Jesus - God provides.
• In verse 19,
• We are told “Jesus gave thanks.”
• Can I suggest that Jesus giving thanks.
• Was the most significant thing in the whole incident.
• Each of the 4 gospels record this miracle,
• And each mention Jesus giving thanks,
• John in particular!
Ill:
• John in his gospel (chapter 6 verse 23),
• Looking back at the incident describes it this way,
• Not as the place where a miracle took place,
• But rather as the place where “The Lord had given thanks”.
That phrase “Jesus gave thanks” is important because:
• It was the cause which lay behind the miracle.
• Jesus was not preoccupied with the hunger of the people.
• He was no preoccupied with the inadequacy of the food.
• He was not preoccupied with the impossibility of the situation.
• He was instead occupied with a God who could provide!
• An all-sufficient God who can meet and work in any situation.
By that act of “Jesus giving thanks”
• He is reminding the people that.
• God is the source of all good and needful gifts.
• He has promised to meet our needs when we trust him.
• Needs not greed’s!
• i.e. “Daily Bread” not strawberries and ice-cream.
• He has promised to meet our needs not our greed’s!
• But as I reminded you at the beginning bread satisfies.
• Candy floss may be sweet and enjoyable,
• But you cannot live on it!
• True satisfaction is found,
• When a person feeds on Jesus Christ the living bread?
• Punch line:
• How is your appetite and what are you eating!
SERMON AUDIO:
https://gcurley.pxwave.com/ftnqblrn/
SERMON VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/kE6kj5469B0
