Jesus feeds 5000

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.


II. A TIME TO SERVE GOD
a. When the people heard of where Jesus was, they went to Him
i. True seekers of Jesus Christ WILL find Him

If you are truly seeking Christ, you will find Him!

ii. They had needs and knew Jesus could heal them

They knew He could and would, because He had so for so many others, and the Lord is no respecter of persons, what He does for one He will do for another.

That goes for rewards and punishment.

iii. We too must recognize that we are saved by no other name

I had a friend once that used to tell me all the time he was saved when he was young, so he wasn’t worried about heaven or hell.

During the time this friend was supposedly saved, he was living in the world, sleeping with prostitutes and sinning right along with the world.

Is that an imitation of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ?

Being “saved” is calling yourself a follower of Christ.

Is that the behavior of a Christ follower?

To make it easier to understand, what if I was living like that right now?

Would you say Pastor was a good follower of Christ?

I meet people all the time who have their own idea of what a Christ follower is.

And 9 times out of 10, it’s not biblical.

Do you read about Jesus or the apostles living like the world?

With the exception of Judas.
His love of money caused him to not only live in the world, and for it, but to betray our Lord and savior for the love of money.

You can NOT live like the world, and call yourself a Christ Follower.

Read Romans 1 today when you get home.

So we see that those seeking Christ found Him.

b. When Jesus saw them, He had compassion on them
i. Jesus had compassion because of the peoples needs

ii. He healed those who were sick

iii. Do you have compassion on others?

We dare to call ourselves an imitation of Christ, a Christ follower, yet have no compassion on others.

1 John 3:15
Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

1 John 2:9
Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.

1 John 4:20
If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

Ask yourselves today, do you have compassion for others?

That is what Jesus did, and calls us to do.

Galatians 5:13 – 15
13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. 14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 15 If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.



Romans 13:9 & 10
9 The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Matthew 22:35 – 37
35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37 Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'

Love of God and others before yourself is the fulfillment of the Law, and the mark of a true follower of Christ.

THAT is being humble, putting others before yourself.

So Jesus had compassion on the multitudes and healed them.

You see, He DID for them even while He was still saddened by John’s murder.

Putting the needs of the people before Himself.

III. A TIME TO SOW & A TIME TO REAP
a. Evening came and the disciples wanted Jesus to send the people away because they were in a desert and there was no food.
i. Jesus answers, Feed them.
1. Don’t send them away.
2. Feed them (Speaking of food)
3. They already received Spiritual Food from Christ

They just had church service…

Jesus taught the Word, preached, and healed people.

b. But there were 5000 men, most of whom had families with them.
i. All we have Lord is these 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes.
1. Jesus said, “Bring them to me”
2. Little is MUCH if God is involved!
3. This is an illustration of tithing.

We come to God with little, such as a tithe. And in the hands of the Lord, your trust in Him with what you give is multiplied for the Body of Christ.

The secret is Jesus Christ!

CONCLUSION

† If you are TRULY seeking the Lord you will find Him!

† When you find Him, He will have compassion on you!

† When you receive Him, He will give you the Holy Spirit

† When you have the Holy Spirit (SAVED) you will live an imitation of Christ, NOT an imitation of the world.

† You will then go out and Love others.

† You will have compassion as Christ does.

† You will love your brother, that is, if God is in you.

† And you will give what you can to the Lord, and He will multiply it for the body of Christ.

† We give out of obedience to God.

† We give because the Lord has given so much to us.