Bread and Leaven

That takes the peace of God. It takes peace with God when we come to God through faith in his son, Jesus Christ, for forgiveness of our sins, gift of eternal life, and it takes the peace of God in our life as the holy spirit and the word of God helps us to deal with the different circumstances that life sends our way and a comfort that knowing that God is in control and that he cares about us. In Mark chapter eight, if you go ahead and turn there, Mark chapter eight, we will look this morning at a passage concerning the feeding of another large group of people. We had the feeding of the 5,000 plus just a few weeks ago and now, in Mark chapter eight, we get to the feeding of the 4,000. There are some skeptics who question God's word, who would like to say that well, these were both the same event but they were not clearly not the same event.

They were two different events. They took place at different places. They took place with different numbers of people there. There were different amounts of food that were passed out. There were different amounts of food that were taken up and Christ at the end of this passage as you will see will reference both events as two separate events.

So, as the Bible indicates, there are two separate events. They're both recorded here in the book of Mark. God isn't repetitive just for the sake of being repetitive like he forgot to mention that he did something similar earlier. He recorded both events because there's something he wants us to learn and be reminded of in Mark chapter eight concerning his feeding of the 4,000. So, if you would, look in Mark chapter eight, we'll begin by reading verses one through nine this morning.

Mark eight one through nine. In those days, the multitude being very great, having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him and say it unto them, I have compassion on the multitude because they have now been with me three days and and have nothing to eat and if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way for diverse or many of them came from afar. If you'll notice here in this passage, Christ comes to his disciples and says, I'm concerned about these people. They have had nothing to eat all day. I'm concerned that they will faint on the way back home if we don't feed them.

In the feeding of the 5,000, it was the disciples who came to Jesus and said, these people haven't eaten anything, what shall we do? So, again, two separate events. Look if you would in verse four and his disciples answered him from whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness. They came, they answered cry. Well, how in the world are we going to feed all these people out here in the middle of nowhere?

We'll come back to that in a second and he asked them, how many loaves have you? And they said, seven and he commanded the people to sit down on the ground and he took the seven loaves and gave thanks and break and gave to his disciples to set before them and they did set them before the people and they had a few small fishes and he blessed and commanded to set them also before them. So, they did eat and were filled and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. Now, in the other story, other event, it was 12 baskets that they took up. Verse nine, and they that had eaten were about 4,000 he sent them away.

Another one of the gospels that says, 4,000 men which again would indicate there were also certainly some women and children that were there also. So, the the group of people were probably a good bit larger than 4,000. Let's go to the Lord in prayer this morning before we continue. Lord, we thank you for your word today. Lord, through reminder of your sufficiency and your power to supply all of our needs.

Lord, help us not to forget the things that you have done in our life. We're not to take credit for things that are certainly due to you and Lord to learn from those things that we might trust you more and might step out in faith knowing that Lord, what you ask us to do, you have all the supply and to meet that need and to help us, Lord. Thank you for the opportunity to praise your name and lift you up this morning and we pray if there's one here that's never received Christ as savior Lord. Please work in their heart today and help them to to see of your great sacrifice that they might be saved and receive that. In Jesus name, amen.

So, we have the feeding of the 4,000 and again, we begin here with Jesus request. This time, Jesus making the request. After healing their diseases, after teaching them, he's up in Galilee. He often did those things and because he was so popular up in Galilee, when he went into the cities, he would garner great crowds and then when he left the city, in order to get some rest, the the crowds would follow him out of the cities and so they would be out in the countryside around the Sea Of Galilee and he would teach them there but there were no Walmarts and there were no seven elevens especially out in the countryside. You couldn't get in your car and and be five minutes from McDonald's.

Actually, when I was in Israel, we went to a place called Scythopolis. There's another name for it which I can't remember at the moment but we were looking at ruins and there were these old Greek and Roman ruins there that they've unearthed in columns and an amphitheater. It's really really neat place to visit just south of the Sea Of Galilee in Israel and I took a picture of all these ruins and in the background in the distance, you see a McDonald's and so, things have changed a little bit in two thousand years. There was no McDonald's there when Jesus was there. So, they didn't have any food and Jesus was concerned for their need.

As usual, Christ's concern was not for himself. His concern was for who? Was for others. Was for others. Else, he wouldn't have come to die in the first place.

He didn't come for himself. He came for us. You hold your place in Mark and turn over to Philippians chapter two. Philippians chapter two. And let's read verses one through eight together.

Just a reminder of what Christ did for us and how that should affect us and how we live and how we see others. Philippians chapter two verse one. Paul writes, if there be therefore any consolation in Christ. You know, that this really means anything. If any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the spirit, if any bowels and mercies fulfill you my joy that you be like minded having the same love being of one accord of one mind.

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, pride, but in loneliness of mind, let each esteem what? Or who? Other, better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation, took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the cross.

Paul writes Philippians. He says, don't let anything be done through strife and pride and vainglory. It's not about you. It's not about your agenda. You need to let go of your selfish pride.

That's the flesh talking. That's human nature. We've been given a new nature in Christ Jesus and we need to let that new nature shine. We need to open our eyes to the needs of others around us. Forget about ourselves.

And see the needs of others Sometimes, we can't see the forest for the trees so to speak because we are so concerned and consumed with our own wants and desires that we don't see others around us and their needs. We don't see their suffering. We don't see their loss. We don't see their hurt. That wasn't our savior.

Our savior had everything and he left it all behind. To come and to live on this Earth, to suffer the difficulties of living in a sin cursed world. And then dying for the sins of mankind on the cross and he did it because he loves us because he saw our need he gave up many things in order to meet that need goes on to say in verse nine, wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name. There is great reward in serving others. If we could only see that, we get so caught up in our own lives, in our own our own needs that we forget about the needs of others.

It is man's nature to think of himself first and others second or third or fourth. But as God's children, we need to learn to emulate our savior and grow to be more like him. We don't do that simply by determining that we're going to do better. We don't do that simply by making a commitment. We do that by renewing our mind and heart daily in his word and on our knees in prayer.

As we draw closer to God, as we take in his word, and allow the spirit to use it in our life as we spend time pouring our heart out to God, God changes our heart and God opens our eyes and that's one thing that so many times as Christians, we we want to do the right thing. God has put that desire in your heart and when you're reminded in particular like this morning, you go, yes, I know. I need to do that. I want to do that. We need to take time to spend with God so he can change us and empower us to be able to do that because the flesh isn't going to do that but the spirit and the word and as he changes us and as we spend time with him, we need to look for opportunities to put that to practice which we have learned.

There's someone that comes on Sunday evenings to church and she happened to be walking the road out here behind the parking lot, saw a lady outside, went to talk to her, found out that her reason or excuse, I'm not sure which but for not coming to church was, she didn't have clothes that she felt coming to church in. Now, the tendency maybe to think for some of us who are a little skeptical to think, well, that is an excuse and she just doesn't want to come and so she's using that excuse but this lady who talked to her, you know what she did? By the way, this lady doesn't have anything to speak of. But she went home, she found a few things in her closet. She couldn't come, she couldn't wear.

She She put em in a bag and she brought em to me last Sunday night. She said, can you take em over and give em to that lady? And I said, sure, I would love to do that. Gave me a good opportunity to talk to the lady again and who knows? Maybe because somebody thought enough to do that.

It might eventually make a difference. In her life. She might open up more to the word of God. She might come to church. We need to be more like that.

We need to be more like Jesus. Jesus was hungry too, I'm sure. But Jesus was concerned about others. The the disciples response was, how can we possibly feed all this many people out here in the middle of nowhere? Now, you think about it.

It was just a short time ago that Jesus fed 5,000 plus with five loaves and two fishes. Was it such a stretch to think that Christ could feed 4,000 plus also with seven loaves and a few fishes? I don't think that's a big stretch, do you? I think his disciples should have, okay, Lord, what do you want us to do? But instead, they responded like sadly, we often respond.

When God comes to us and God says, this needs to change in your life. We go, how? How can that? I can't live without that. I can't change that.

I can't. Well, look what God's already done in your life. Don't you think God can help you to deal with that? Or when God comes to us and says, I want you to go talk to that neighbor. I want you to take him to track.

I want you to tell him about Jesus and we go, oh Lord, I I can't do that. I don't know what to say. Well, how about the person who brought the gospel to you? Do you think ever they might have felt that way? That God helped them.

The person who's preaching up here this morning, I felt that way a lot. But God called me and God enabled me by his spirit to do what he called me to do and God will enable you too. Will you give it a try? Will you bring to remembrance what he's already done? Well, Lord, I don't know if I can handle this trial in my life.

Think back to some trials that by God's grace you've already handled. With God's help, you'll handle this one too. For I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Sad to say, we need to be reminded and sometimes, it takes a while for it to sink in. So, God has to has to keep beating the bush.

Obviously, that was the case with his disciples because they're made out of the same stuff we are and thanks to God's grace and patience. He helped them rather than giving up on them. Little reminder maybe we're too quick to give up on others. Praise God. He hasn't been too quick to give up on us.

So, his disciples said, how can we feed them? And Jesus said, well, what do you have? The disciples answered, well, we have these seven loaves of bread here. Jesus commanded the multitude to sit down. He gave thanks for the food and then he gave it to the disciples to distribute among the people.

And what happened? Well, what we would expect to happen knowing what Christ had already done There's some people out there that do not yet have that experience. We need to take the word of God, the gospel, and what Jesus has done in our lives to them. So, they can hear that and see that as well. We who know Christ strengthens our faith and he strengthened theirs here and they all ate and were filled leaving seven baskets of leftovers.

Bible says in Philippians four nineteen, but my God shall supply all your need according to his riches and glory by Christ Jesus. There was a great need but it wasn't a problem for Jesus. It it could have been 4,000,000. He who created the world wouldn't have a hard time feeding them. He could have fed them without one loaf.

But he used what he had. You know, God wants to use you and he wants to use me. He has brought us into his family. He has commissioned to go out and to take the gospel to others and he has told us that as we go along the way and bringing glory to his name and serving him in this life that he will take care of all our needs. And he has plenty with which to take care of it.

There is no end to the supply. That God has. There is an end to what's in my bank account. And it's going to go a little quicker with David College. If it weren't for God, he wouldn't be going to college because it was God who gave him the the diligent spirit and the ability to earn a scholarship so that part of it's paid.

Praise the Lord. But God will take care of our needs and he'll take care of yours. As he demonstrate here. This could also be a lesson on sowing and reaping. They sowed seven loaves and they reaped what?

Seven basket. They sowed seven loaves. Loaves, they said were actually more like rolls, big rolls, okay? You know, you go to the store and you get a loaf. Well, maybe it depends on what kind of bread you get whether it's a loaf or loaf but more like a big roll.

They had like seven big rolls and They took those. They they break them. They thanked the Lord for them. They sowed them among the people and in return, after the peep, after the people were full, their seven loaves had turned into what? Seven baskets.

You know, we we look at a zero sum game here thing that, you know, if if I if I pour out my life, my energy, my talent, my resources in service to the Lord that I'm going to deplete em and I'm going to be burnt out and I'm not going to have anything and God says, you cannot out give me. Now, God doesn't say if you give him a dollar, he's going to give you 7 in return. That's not the point of the message. There are much greater blessings than God has to give than just dollars in the bank. But God says, if we will sow in our time, in our service, in our material possessions and provisions, in service of the Lord, that the return that we will get in this life and in heaven will far exceed the output.

That we have to give. And really when you think about it, I don't have that much to give. But God can take the little that I do have God can turn it into great things When Jesus was with his disciples by the temple, a widowed lady walked by where they put the offering in And she threw in what amounted to not not a quite a penny. A mite, widow's mite. And he turned to his disciples.

You know, he said, that lady gave more than anybody else. Say, pastor, I just don't have that much to give. Well, first of all, you don't know what you have to give. You don't know second of all, what God can do with a little you have to give. So, again, let God have you and God will take what you have to give and God will multiply it manyfold.

Particularly in the lives of others. It's not about dollar bills or things. It's about people. Jesus loved people in Psalm one twenty six, I got my verses out of order here. I have to back up to it.

It says, he that goeth forth weeping, bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheeps with him. The precious seed is the seed that you were set by in store from last week's from last year's harvest. That's precious because it's all that you have. It's all that you have left at that point or nearly all that you have left and that seed is precious because if you weren't sowing it, you would have it to what? To eat.

But you bear that precious seed and you put it in the ground. And you take care of it and you water it. And the Lord brings a harvest and at the end of the harvest, you started out with just a handful of precious seed but you will return rejoicing, bringing your what? Your sheaves, your sheaves. It's large bundles.

Bowl of heads of grain. So, if we'll trust in the Lord and we'll give of ourselves. God says, you'll return with far more. Than you had to give. We shall not run out if we are in the service of the Lord.

You will not burn out if you are in the service of the Lord. In the Old Testament, there was a widow lady and when there was a great famine in the land because there was no rain, God sent Elijah not to the king's palace to be fed, not to a rich man's house to be fed. He sent him to a widow lady's house to be fed where there was still famine and there was still no rain. So, not only did you have the complication of no rain, no food, you also had the complication of a widow lady in that time and place had no wherewithal to provide for her needs in that culture like they may have today. And it was an odd place to send Elijah to go but Elijah went and Elijah came came to the lady and he said, could you give me something to drink?

And she said, sure, let me go get you something to drink. He said, well, hold on a minute. Can you go get me some something to eat as well? And then her countenance fell. You can just see it and she said to him, all I've got is a hand of meal and just a little bit of oil and I was going to make that for me and my son and If nothing else came, that would be our last our last meal but he told her, he said, if you'll go get that little that you have left and you make that last meal for me, God's prophet, I promise you that God will take care of you and your son.

You know something? She did it. She went back and she took the little bit of oil and a little bit of meal and she made cakes and she gave them to Elijah and then she had nothing left. And you know something for the rest of the famine every morning when she got up, there was just enough meal in the barrel for that day and there was just enough oil in the jar. She gave what she had.

In that case, she gave as the Lord asked and God did what? And God took care of her. Now, God may not ask you to give everything you have. God may not ask you to give the little bit that you have left. But what God does want is you.

He wants you. And he wants you to trust him and to learn, to obey him and if you will, you'll not burn out. You'll not give out And you won't go without. Just like she did. Matthew six thirty three, it says, but seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.

It's interesting in the Bible, the number seven seems to have some significance. In the earlier story and I just decided by the way that I'm going to decide the sermon into two parts. So, I'm wrapping up a bit early today but in the Bible, the seventh, this number seven seems to have some significance. How many days did it take for Christ to create the world? Did God to create the world?

Christ is God by the way. So, it was him. It took six days and on the seventh day, he what? He rested. He rested because everything was what?

Everything was complete. Everything was finished. It was all taken care of. Number of seven seems to signify that throughout scripture. The number 12 in the previous story, I believe pointed to the 12 disciples and how God was going to take care of each one of them and each one of them got to take a basket home with them.

That God provided when he fed the 5,000 but in the feeding of the 4,000, there are seven baskets left over. They start out with seven loaves, ended up with seven baskets and I think that is a reminder to us that God's grace is what? It's sufficient. And he is he finishes what he started. Paul reminds the Philippians in Philippians one six that God that which God had began in them, God was going to what?

He was going to finish. He was going to finish what he started and we can be assured that what God has done in our life, God is going to finish in our lives just like he did in theirs and God who is set out to take care of us as he took care and was concerned about these 4,000 plus people is going to care about and take care of us. And just as God, Christ was concerned about their physical needs and their finances, you know something God is concerned about yours also and if you'll trust in him, he has already got a plan. Don't despair and as we'll see next week when we get the latter half of this passage, God is also concerned about our spiritual needs. A matter of fact, maybe even more so.

Because this body is going to die and decay and it's going to be buried in the grave. This life here as we know it is going to end but then comes what? It comes eternity. My relationship with God is eternal. You know, God's already supplied that need.

He's already supplied that need too. The Bible says in first Peter that there is a place reserved in heaven for those who are kept by the power of God through faith. Incorruptible undefiled, and that faded not away Reserved in heaven for us It's already preserved in my name. Jesus went away. He said, to prepare that place for me and one day, he's going to come and he's going to take me.

To that place. But he also says he's going to take care of me here but seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. I want to close if we would this morning from Matthew chapter six. Matthew chapter six, if you turn over there, Matthew chapter six. Beginning in verse 24 says, no man can serve two masters for either will hate the one and love the other or else he will hold to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and mammon. You gotta make up your mind. Quit riding the fence. Therefore, I say unto you, take no thought your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink nor yet for your body, what you shall put on is not the life more than meat and the body more than raiment. Behold the fowls of the air for they sow not neither do they reap nor gather in the barns yet your heavenly father feedeth them.

Are you not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature and why take you thought for your raiment consider the lilies of the field how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass, the field, which today is and tomorrow was cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, oh you of little faith. Therefore, take no thought saying, what shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things to the Gentiles seek, for your heavenly father knoweth that you have need of all these things, but seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteous and all these things shall be added unto you His disciples were concerned so they had left behind things to follow him Jesus said, don't be concerned.

I'll take care of you. Again, there are things that God might ask us to give up. There are things that God might ask us to leave behind. There's time that God may ask us to give up in his service. Don't be consumed.

With those minutes given for him, don't be consumed with that offering. Don't be consumed. With that desire that you think you can't live without. Seek first the kingdom of God and seek the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Put your faith in him.

Let God change your heart and change your life. You'll never regret it. God will take care of everything else. Lay up for yourself not treasures on earth but treasures where? That's in the same passage.

Matthew six nineteen lay not up for yourselves treasure upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt where thieves break through and steal but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moss nor wrath doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Doesn't say where your heart is, there will your treasure be. It says that which you treasure. Is going to lead your what?

To lead your heart. We get distracted Sometimes, we need to be reminded. Our God is in control and he will supply our needs. If we trust him and if we learn, to put our life into things that are of eternal value. To put our life into others, to trust him, and he will supply Physical, spiritual, emotional he'll supply all our needs.

Psalm thirty seven four, delight thyself also in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for your word this morning. Thank you Lord for the demonstration of your power and of your sufficiency. Lord, you have met all of our needs in Christ Jesus, our savior. Lord, thank you.

Our eternal needs have been met in Jesus. If we have trusted in him as our savior, received him for the forgiveness of our rotten sins. And you have made us your child and you have promised to finish what you started and to supply all our needs according to your riches and glory by Christ Jesus. Lord, help us to take our eyes off ourselves and to put our eyes on the prize of heaven and put our eyes on the needs of others. Knowing that we in your hands need in We're We're to in of and care.

So that we can take to what you have given to us. Share it with the world that needs Jesus. In Jesus name we pray.