WHAT DO YOU HAVE?
Mark 6:34-43
Mark 6:34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
6:35 And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:
6:36 Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat.
6:37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?
6:38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.
6:39 And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.
6:40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.
6:41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.
6:42 And they did all eat, and were filled.
6:43 And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes.
The hectic holidays are gone now and for most of us it is back to business as usual. The New Year lies ahead and as we step out into the future, one day at a time, we know that Jesus is already there. He has prepared the way before us and he is our Jehovah Jireh, our Provider. We are assured that through the power of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit, we will continue this journey through life victoriously.
As we look at the coming year with hope and faith and we know that our God is faithful but there is always a concern of what this year will hold in store for each of us. We have no promise of tomorrow in this life. We don’t know what the future holds. It is so very comforting to know that Jesus walks beside us and that he is our Great Shepherd who cares for and provides for the needs of his sheep. Aren’t you glad to be a part of God’s family?
The 23rd Psalms says it all in the very first verse, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."
In the desert country around Galilee at the time of Christ, there were multitudes of people who faced each passing year with fear and dread of what the future would hold for them. But these people didn’t have the hope that you and I have today because they had no shepherd to lead and guide each of them through life and to provide for their every need.
Jesus saw that they were hungering and thirsting after the words of righteousness, but these hungry people had no faithful, spiritual pastors to feed them with knowledge and understanding. The Scribes and Pharisees were supposed to lead them and guide them, but these men, who were to be their shepherds, were blinded by their own sin and self-righteousness. Their spiritual leaders were not leaders at all, but they were false teachers and men who sought only for gain and for the reverence of men for the position that they held. Because they had no shepherds, the people of Israel were ready to perish for lack of knowledge. There was no spiritual food being given to them in their synagogues. There was no refreshing move of the Holy Spirit in their lives. They were left destitute and hopeless and there seemed to be no way out for them.
Then into their lives walks the Man of Galilee, the Lord Jesus Christ. Here was a teacher, a preacher, a minister, a prophet and someone who came like a breath of fresh air to the hungry souls and hopeless lives of the people of Israel.
The fame of Jesus had spread far and wide. His name had become well known and everyone knew that this man was different. This was not a scribe who only cared for his own fortunes. This man called Jesus was different. He was a man who had compassion, and a man who had answers for their questions. Here was a man who actually practiced what he preached. His words were powerful, informative and refreshing to the soul. His words brought hope and a newness to life that every man longed for.
And so we see that Jesus and his disciples have come to a desert place in the hills to find a place of solitude the multitudes . They felt a little overwhelmed by the crowds of people who were always thronging around Jesus. The need of the people of Israel was so very great and their only answer was in Christ and everywhere they went the crowds would follow. Sick, hurting, diseased and dying people filled the land, and when they found out that the man who could heal the sick, raise the dead, open blinded eyes and deaf ears, was coming their way, it wasn’t long before a very large crowd of needy people would gather around him.
Jesus is still the only answer today for the hunger and thirst in mankind. In our own world there are multitudes of people that go about their daily lives without a shepherd.
How many attend churches, synagogues and temples where there is a form of religion but no power?
How many are being led by blind guides who are no different from the blind scribes and Pharisees of Israel?
How many will attend church today and not hear a message that even mentions the Blood of Jesus, or his sacrifice upon the cross, or his death, burial and resurrection?
How many will be faithful to show at church and observe a ritualistic ceremony that only covers the cancer of sin but brings no cure or deliverance?
How many will attend a church where the name of Jesus isn’t even mentioned; where no message of salvation is ever given and where a sin-sick and spiritually thirsty soul will never find deliverance?
That’s the condition of our world just as must as it was for Israel so long ago. We still need Jesus. We must have the Word of God go forth in power and anointing. There is nothing else that will satisfy the soul like Jesus.
When Jesus looked out over the crowds who came to him on those hills that day, it is no surprise that he was moved with compassion for them. I thank God for his Love of mankind. Where would we be without the Love of God?
Jesus looked at these people, the sick, the hungry, the thirsty and he saw much more than just people who needed a little food, or some water to drink. Jesus saw people who needed a shepherd; people who needed a Savior. That’s why Jesus had come to this earth; to supply the need that no man could fill.
I have often heard the stories of the great crusades and church meetings that have been held around the world. It’s so wonderful to hear of those in other countries that will walk for hours to hear the gospel, day after day, because they are so hungry to know more about God. It is so refreshing to hear of people who will pay a price of sacrifice and suffering just to get where the Word is being preached. I don’t see much of that in America, because we take it all for granted. The problem is that we are hungry and don’t know it; we are thirsty and dry and we don’t realize that the things of this world won’t fill that hunger or slake that thirst. We fail to remember that our only hope is in Jesus.
The disciples noticed the hunger and thirst of the people too but they felt powerless to do anything for them. They desired to feed the people, to see their needs met, but there was a problem. Just like any true shepherd or pastor, and for any who would work for the Lord, they cared for the people and wanted to help them but, like every minister, there is always that knowledge that we are not able to give the people what they need. All I can do is point them to Jesus. He is their answer, not me. He provides their need, not me.
6:37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?
Jesus’ knew what the disciples had. He knew they didn’t have the finances to go and buy enough food for such a large crowd. Surely Jesus was aware of their limited funds and he knew that they had brought nothing to eat with them, at least not nearly enough. Why did he even tell them to feed the people when he knew what their limitations were?
Jesus is always teaching. His primary message to his disciples was this. You are never able to perform the work of the Lord within your own power. Your abilities are never enough. Your knowledge is never enough. Your provision is never enough. We must trust in God and have faith in his power to provide our need.
6:38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.
The Lord was not shaken by their lack of faith. He understood that his disciples still looked through eyes of flesh and that they could only think of what they could do in their own ability to feed the people. But Jesus took them one step farther. He told them to find out what they did have so that he could use that to meet the needs of the people.
Those disciples found a young boy in the crowd who had brought a lunch box with a few fish and some biscuits. It was probably just enough to keep that boy from getting hungry. It is amazing that with such a big crowd of people, over 5000, that no one had even thought to pack a lunch or bring any water. They were so hungry, so thirsty, for that spiritual food that Jesus offered that they ignored and forgot about the needs of the flesh.
Oh that we could get that hungry for Jesus! The Word of God that we hear preached is the same Word that Jesus spoke that day. The power of God to heal and deliver is just as real today as it was then. The power of God to fill the hungry heart and thirsty soul is just as strong today as it was then. Jesus has not changed, his power to provide has not changed. What has changed is that we aren’t hungry enough or thirsty enough anymore.
We are more concerned about getting to the restaurant ahead of the crowds than we are about getting our soul fed. We are more concerned about drinking in the entertainment and things of this world than we are about drinking in that presence of the Holy Ghost.
Matthew 5:6, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."
What they found among themselves wasn’t nearly enough but it was the “seed” from which Jesus would perform miracles.
Little by little, piece by piece, Jesus began to break away pieces of bread and fish. The more he broke off and gave away, the more that was left. What a miracle that must have been. Jesus didn’t take that fish and turn them into two giant whales that would have been enough for everyone at once. He didn’t turn those five loaves of bread into a supermarket filled with bread so that everyone could take as much as he wanted.
Little by little, piece by piece, Jesus would take a piece and give it away until all 5000 men plus their wives and children were filled.
Let us take a lesson from this miracle of Jesus.
We are never sufficient within ourselves but we must let Jesus use what we have and who we are to perform his work in reaching souls for the kingdom of God.
I may not sing like a bird, but I can make a noise like a crow! What can God do with a voice of a crow? He can make it sound like the voice of an angel if he wants to and use my feeble ability to reach into the heart of a man or woman and draw them to Christ.
I am not a great artist, but God take my feeble talent and break it in pieces and use it to win souls. I’ve seen a lot of “art” that I know I could have drawn much better, but God still used it in Sunday School classes for little kids to teach them the Word of God.
I am not a great cook, but God can take even a cornbread and a boiled egg and use it to reach someone who is hungry.
Whatever you have, whoever you are, whatever you can do, no matter how small it may seem in your eyes and in the eyes of the world, it can be used to perform a miracle if we surrender it into the hands of the Lord.
If that boy would have kept his fish and chips and not allowed the disciples or Jesus to use them, he would have been filled but everyone else would still be hungry. Because he was willing to give it away, surrender it to be used by the Master, his lunch was more than sufficient for everyone.
The same God who used nothing to create everything, can use something to do all things when the need arises. Don’t hold it back. Don’t hide your talent. Don’t think you can’t. Give it to God and watch what He can do with your life.
There may be some here this morning who don’t think that God can use their lives for his glory. Perhaps you have done a lot of things that you aren’t proud of and you wonder if God can ever forgive you. Perhaps you have failed God many times and you wonder if Jesus is even willing to give you another chance. Perhaps you have hungered and thirsted for something but you haven’t been able to find anything to satisfy.
I want you to know that Jesus is here and that he will take you just as you are, with all your faults, with all your sin, with all your doubts and fears, with your limited time, talents and understanding, and He will begin to break you, mold you, use you in small ways, then in greater ways, until your life is a miracle in progress.
Jesus came that your life could count. Jesus came that you could be delivered from sin and given eternal life. Jesus can take you, just as you are and He will make you into what is needed to build his kingdom.
Just surrender it all to Him and watch Him work in you.
Disclaimer:
Due to the large amount of sermons and topics that appear on this site I feel it is necessary to post this disclaimer on all sermons posted. These sermons are original to the author and the leading of the Holy Spirit. While ideas and illustrations are often gleaned from many sources including those at Sermoncentral.com, any similarities and wording, including sermon titles, that may appear to be the same as any other sermon are purely coincidental. In instances where other minister’s wording is used, due recognition will be given. These sermons are not copyrighted and may be used or preached freely. May God richly bless you as you read these sermons. It is my sincere desire that all who read them may be enriched. All scriptures quoted in these sermons are copied and/or quoted from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Pastor James May
