The Gospel of Luke (33): The Feeding of 5,000+ 07/23/2023

First Baptist Church Leominster

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Come today and read for us Romans 5. We've been speaking of course of sin throughout

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Romans 1 through 4 and the way of free salvation, justification to faith in Jesus Christ alone.

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Well here in Romans 5 Paul really speaks about the beginning and the heart of sin and how it entered the world and death because of sin through one man's sin,

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Adam, in the beginning. Adam sinned and as a result because he was a federal head of humanity all people die as a result of his sin.

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But it's important to make that argument for in the same way salvation comes to all those through Jesus Christ through one man damnation came through one man

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Jesus Christ salvation comes. Thank God for that. So Romans chapter 5.

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Romans 5. Therefore since we have been justified by faith we have peace with God through our

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Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

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Not only that but we rejoice in our sufferings knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope and hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the

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Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak at the right time

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Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person though for perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die.

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But God shows his love for us and that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

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Since therefore we have now been justified by his blood much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

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For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more now that we are reconciled shall we be saved by his life.

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More than that we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have now received reconciliation.

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Therefore just as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin and so death spread to all men because all sinned.

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For sin indeed was in the world before the law was given but sin is not counted where there is no law.

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Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam who was a type of the one who was to come.

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But the free gift is not like the trespass for if many died through one man's trespass much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man

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Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin for the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.

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For if because of one man's trespass death reigned through that one man much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man

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Jesus Christ. Therefore as one trespass led to condemnation for all men so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

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For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

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Now the law came in to increase the trespass where sin increased grace abounded all the more so that as sin reigned in death grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our

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Lord. Let's pray. Lord we thank you for this very encouraging passage that states so clearly what the

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Lord Jesus Christ accomplished. In Adam all die but in Christ we live and we thank you for Jesus Christ.

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We thank you for his life for his death for his resurrection. We thank you that he is ruling now that Jesus is

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King Jesus is Lord and Lord we rejoice that we belong to you and we rejoice in the work that he has accomplished on our behalf.

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Lord thank you and we thank you for this time this morning. We thank you for the opportunity to sit under your word and we pray

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Lord that you would give Lars wisdom as he preaches. We pray that we would hear these words and that we would be changed.

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We just pray Lord that our worship here would be pleasing and honoring to you. Thank you

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Lord in Jesus name. Amen. Well let's turn back to Luke chapter 9.

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Let's see today's what 33rd Lord's Day we've given to this gospel so far. And I think we're about a third through.

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Maybe a hundred of them by the time we get done it. It goes as it's going.

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Well in Luke chapter 9 verses 10 through 17 we have a familiar story for us.

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Jesus miraculously feeding the 5 ,000 people actually 5 ,000 plus 5 ,000 men plus others present.

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Many of them had gathered to hear him teach on this day. And they also came to be healed by him.

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And so here's Luke's account of this event. Luke chapter 9 verses 10 through 17.

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And the Apostles when they had returned told him Jesus all that they had done.

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And then he took them and went aside privately to a deserted place belonging to the city called

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Bethsaida. But when the multitudes knew it they followed him and he received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God and healed those who had need of healing.

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And when the day began to wear away the twelve came and said to him send the multitude away that they may go into the surrounding towns and country and lodge and get provisions for we are in a deserted place here.

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But he said to them you give them something to eat. And they said we have no more than five loaves and two fish unless we go and buy food for all these people.

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For there were about 5 ,000 men. And he said to his disciples make them sit down in groups of 50.

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And they did so and all made them and made them all sit down. And he took the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven he blessed and broke them and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.

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And so they all ate and were filled and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

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This is one of the more familiar stories of the four of the Gospels and perhaps one reason for this is this is the one miracle found in all four

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Gospels excepting of course for the resurrection of Christ. It's also in all four

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Gospels. There are episodes that are found only in one gospel and Luke is it's got a few of these.

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In Luke we read stories of the prodigal son only in Luke. The story of the good

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Samaritan only in Luke and the account of the rich man and Lazarus Luke 16.

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But this miracle of Jesus feeding the 5 ,000 is set forth in all four Gospels. This does not imply however that they that these four accounts are identical in the details provided by the

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Gospel writers for the Holy Spirit of course inspired each of them to tell the story to emphasize certain truths or lessons that he the

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Holy Spirit intended for the readers of the New Testament. And so in addressing this miracle we will first attempt to identify and summarize the emphases and lessons that the

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Lord has given in each account found in the four Gospels. We will then give our attention to the details of Luke's account which we just read and then we'll draw thirdly some lessons for us to help us serve our

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Lord and live before him as his disciples. And so first the emphases and lessons of each account in the four

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Gospels. First let's consider the record of the feeding of the 5 ,000 as recorded in the

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Gospel of John. We actually addressed this not ago it was what in January 2019 when we were working through the fourth

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Gospel. Whereas the three synoptic Gospels Matthew Mark and Luke are similar in details

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John's Gospel is significantly distinct from them. What is the emphasis of John and his account in the fourth

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Gospel this miracle? Well John's Gospel uses this miracle to set forth the

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Lord Jesus as a fulfillment of the typology of the Old Testament. The event of Moses providing bread from heaven for the

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Israelites, manna from heaven, and here Jesus was providing bread for the people.

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Moreover in John's Gospel it revealed to the people that Jesus was the prophet that Moses prophesied would come to his people.

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Jesus is prophet, priest, and king and this manifested to the people that he was a legitimate prophet.

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For the conclusion is witnessed witnessed the miracle the conclusion drawn was this is truly the prophet who has come into the world.

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This was the conclusion of the people in John 6 14. The miracle is a sign also provide the setting for Jesus to teach what is recorded in the lengthy passage of John chapter 6.

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It was all built on the feeding of the five thousand and of course in John 6 at teaching session there we have the

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Lord Jesus setting forth his deity and his pre -existence. We also read in John 6 of our

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Lord teaching on the doctrines of election, effectual calling to salvation. I have a book in my library at home by a guy named

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Kenneth Good who preached the doctrines of grace all from John 6 alone.

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They're all there in our Lord's Sermon in John 6. Effectual calling of God unto salvation, perseverance of the saints, the promise of the future resurrection of his people, all of that is in John 6

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Jesus's speech that was the followed up on the feeding of the five thousand.

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In John's record of the miracle there are details included by John that are not found in the synoptic accounts and so here is a setting forth of some of these distinctives by a

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South African Reformed Baptist Leon Morris. In this account we see that the reason for the multitude's presence was the attraction of the signs that Jesus wrought.

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Remember the emphasis in John's gospel on signs. John also records Phillips perplexity as to the feeding of the great crowd and his little piece of mental arithmetic which shows so clearly the impossibility of a solution out of the disciples own resources.

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And he tells us that it was Andrew who brought the boy forward. Remember the boy who had the bread and the fish, a couple loaves, five loaves, two fish.

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It's in this gospel we read of the proximity of the Passover of the bread as barley loaves. It doesn't say barley loaves here in Luke or the synoptics but it does in John's gospel.

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The reason for gathering up the fragments of the effect on the people in general, clearly John has quite a lot of information not derived from the synoptics,

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Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Characteristically John describes what happened as a sign and the effect of the sign is to make some people think of Jesus as a prophet and some wish to make him king out of it.

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Remember let's make him king, he can feed us. Edward Klink, a present -day commentator, set forth the main idea of the miracle and the subsequent teaching of Jesus.

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When humanity did not know for what it was hungry, Jesus came into the world becoming the host in a strange and land of darkness providing true food that satisfies every desire.

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The church must recognize Jesus as he is, not as it wants him to be, allowing the prophet and the king to be what he also came to be, the one who serves.

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And Jesus is serving through this miracle, he's serving the multitude and that's emphasized in all four gospels by the way.

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Well what about the record of Jesus feeding the 5 ,000 as recorded in the gospel of Matthew? In Matthew's account there are several points of emphasis in his record.

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First, Matthew set forth the Lord Jesus as an example to his disciples and that he fled persecution in order to teach the

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Word of God to others. We read just before Matthew's account of this miracle that King Herod had

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John the Baptist arrested and beheaded and then Matthew speaks about the feeding of the 5 ,000.

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And we read these words, when Jesus heard it, that is of John the Baptist cast into prison, he departed from there by boat to a deserted place by himself but when the multitudes heard it they followed him on foot from the cities.

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Later Jesus would tell his disciples of their need to flee persecution as they take the gospel to the

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Gentile world. In Matthew we also read of the crowds as following Jesus, his disciples being among them, and so Matthew was able in this way to emphasize the importance and role of discipleship to Jesus Christ.

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But in addition the account in Matthew is designed to lead his disciples to greater faith in him to provide for their needs and to enable them to minister to others as his apostles.

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So Matthew has different emphases than John. What about the record of Jesus feeding the 5 ,000 as recorded in the

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Gospel of Mark? Well Mark's account emphasizes Jesus's compassion upon the multitudes as a flock without a shepherd.

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In feeding the multitude the Lord Jesus was doing what the Old Testament prophets foretold of the

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Messiah. The Messiah would come to shepherd his people and so Mark 8 34 records this regarding our

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Lord and his great concern for the people and Jesus when he came out he saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them because they were like sheep not having a shepherd and so he began to teach them many things.

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One wrote of this emphasis of Mark's account, Jesus does what

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God promised to do in Ezekiel, I myself will search for my sheep and seek them out and I will feed them in good pasture.

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Jesus acts as the shepherd of God's people like Moses and so that's the emphasis of Mark's Gospel.

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Well what about the emphasis of Luke's Gospel that we have before us?

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The emphasis of Luke's account is to show the inability of the disciples to deal with the pressing need of the people before the

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Lord. The disciples were aware they did not have the resources to feed these people but through the

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Lord's direction and through his blessing they could more than meet the present need.

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We are commanded to take a message to people, provide for them how they may receive spiritual strength and nourishment but who is sufficient for these things?

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How can I, you might say, speak to others and ever hope to bring some help to them with my knowledge since my knowledge is so little, my resources so limited?

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Well the Lord essentially says you feed them, he told the disciples you feed them and I will see to it that you will be able to meet the present need.

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Well let's consider the details of this miracle account in Luke's Gospel, Luke chapter 9 10 through 17.

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The disciples had just returned from a short -term mission trip that he had sent them upon in Galilee and so we read in Luke 9 10 and the

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Apostles when they had returned told him all that they had done. But apparently the

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Lord desired to speak with them more thoroughly about their ministry and he desired that they rest and recuperate from their efforts and so he decided to leave the area for a more reclusive place to be alone with them.

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Verse 10b reads, then he took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called

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Bethsaida. Now assuming they had been in Capernaum which lies on the northwestern shore the

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Sea of Galilee, they would have traveled four or five miles around the northern end of the

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Sea of Galilee to the region of Bethsaida to the east. Bethsaida was a fishing village, it was also the hometown of Peter, Andrew, and Philip.

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It's clear that they did not journey to the town itself but rather to a deserted region that was some distance from the town proper.

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It was in the region of Bethsaida. Mark's account says that Jesus was taking his disciples away to rest a while.

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Matthew Henry drew an application from this. Note, those in the most public stations, he's talking about people in positions of responsibility, authority, and that are most publicly useful must sometimes go aside privately both for the repose of their bodies to recruit them and for the furnishing of their minds by meditation for further public work.

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Sometimes there's no need for vacation, basically what Matthew Henry's saying. Well we read of the multitudes of people, they would not permit

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Jesus to leave them for we read, but when the multitude knew it they followed him.

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So Jesus wanted to be alone with his disciples but the crowds would not permit it. Now just from Luke's details we might assume that as Jesus and his disciples had walked out of town that people followed them but that's not what had happened exactly for Mark provides us with further details.

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So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves but the multitude saw them departing and many knew him and ran there on foot from all the cities and they arrived before them and came together to him.

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And so Jesus and his disciples left in a boat, must have sailed along the shoreline toward the region of Bethsaida.

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The people however ran along the seashore following the boat and the people had arrived even before the boat had arrived ashore, they were waiting.

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Well it was apparent that Jesus would not be successful in separating himself from the crowds at this time but besides we read that he felt compassion on the multitude.

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Our Lord's particular concern was that the people had no one concerned for them to teach them spiritual truth.

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They were sheep without a shepherd. That's what Mark recorded, Jesus when he came out saw a great multitude was moved with compassion for them because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.

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And so we read that our Lord received them, spoke to them about the kingdom of God and healed those who had need of healing.

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John Calvin wrote of our Lord's compassion for the multitude.

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So strongly was Christ moved by this feeling of compassion that though in common with his disciples he was fatigued and almost worn out by uninterrupted toil, he did not spare himself.

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He had endeavored to obtain some relaxation and that on his own account as well as for the sake of his disciples.

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But when urgent duty calls him to additional labor he willingly leaves aside that private consideration and devotes himself to teaching the multitudes.

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And although he has now laid aside those feelings which belong to him as a mortal man yet there's no reason to doubt he looks down from heaven on poor sheep that have no shepherd provided they ask relief of their wants or their needs.

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So Calvin's applying that we ought to be see our need and be praying that the Lord teach us his word too.

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Now this is actually the third time in this passage that a major teaching theme is set forth.

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Jesus was speaking to these people regarding the gospel of the promised kingdom of God that it had arrived.

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We read he received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God. Verse 11 he spoke unto them of the kingdom of God the laws of that kingdom with which they must be bound and the privileges of that kingdom which they might be blessed wrote

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Matthew Henry. I quote him a lot because he's so good and concise in his wording.

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But we also read not only did he teach the people about the kingdom of God but he healed those who had need of healing.

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Psalm 103 verses 1 through 3 we sang it last week didn't we? Bless the

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Lord O my soul all that is within me bless his holy name bless the Lord O my soul forget not all his benefits who forgives all your iniquities who heals all your diseases.

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That's not an overstatement that's it that's a truism. He heals all your diseases.

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Well it seems like I've got a disease and I'm not healed of it what's wrong? I really appreciate

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Matthew Henry's comment on this and I'll point out one particular sentence he gives in this paragraph.

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There is healing in Christ for all that need it whether for soul or body Christ has still a power over bodily diseases in other words even now today and heals his people that need healing.

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Sometimes he sees that we need the sickness for the good of our souls all right so that's one reason he doesn't heal us immediately perhaps.

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More than the healing for the ease of our bodies then we must be willing for a season because there is need to be in heaviness but when he sees that we have that we need healing we shall have it and this next sentence clever.

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Death is his servant to heal the saints of all diseases. Mary Dacus is going to be healed of her cancer before long.

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Death will be her healing won't it? He heals spiritual maladies by his graces by his comforts and has for each what the case calls for relief for every exigence for every happening.

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This ministry of Jesus to the multitude must have taken most of the day teaching possibly answering questions healing as many of needed healing all these things would have taken up a significant portion of the daylight hours and the traveling to of course rather than resting

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Jesus had been laboring throughout the day but Jesus was concerned for these multitude of people and so he persisted in serving them.

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We then read at the end of the day in verse 12 and the Apostles appealed to Jesus when the day began to wear away the 12 came notice the phrase the 12 again we emphasize that last week the 12 the

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Apostles the 12 said to him send the multitude away that they may go into the towns and country lodge and get provisions for we are in a deserted place here but he said to them you give them something to eat.

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Howard Marshall who wrote about the best commentary on the Greek text of Luke he wrote of an emphasis of Luke in these words of Jesus and his

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Apostles at the end of the day the 12 would have sent the crowds away to provide for their own food and lodging they were not aware that they had any resources of their own with which to feed them but Jesus was able to take their limited and totally inadequate resources and give them back to them in such a way that they were able to feed the crowds and have enough to spare.

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Spurgeon wrote a sermon bread enough and despair glorious gospel sermon and thus the narrative in the

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Lukan form depicts the inadequacy of the disciples in contrast to the ability of Jesus to help crowd help the crowds with his help the disciples could do what otherwise they could not do so he's teaching and training the disciples.

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The Apostle appealed to Jesus we have no more than five loaves to fish unless we go and buy food for all these people.

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The other gospel writers provide other details indicates the words of the

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Apostle shall we go and buy 200 denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat that would have been an equivalent of pay for a day wage earner a day worker 200 days of labor that's a lot of money.

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It was Andrew who told Jesus of the limited resources on hand John 8 and 9 verse 6 reads one of his disciples

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Andrew Simon Peter's brother said to him there's a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish but what are they among so many so the disciple didn't have anything but they found this boy five barley loaves and two fish

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Luke stated the number of the crowd for there were about 5 ,000 men now some argue if the women and children were included the count must have been over 10 ,000 present

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I think not however probably because of the lengthy distance that they had traveled from Capernaum I suspect most of the women and children would have remained at home not followed the multitude

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I suspect mostly men were present at this gathering no doubt some women and children but then

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Jesus commenced to give instruction to his disciples he said to his disciples make them sit down in groups of 50 and they did so and made them all sit down we could have taken some time here and spoken about the you know the need for organization and order and how

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God blesses human you know ingenuity and administration we didn't go there groups of 50 of a crowd this large would have meant over a hundred groups of people sitting there on the landscape interestingly

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Mark recorded the number of groups differently then he commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass they all sat down and ranked in hundreds and fifties well we then read of Jesus performing the miracle he took the five loaves the two fish looking up to heaven he blessed and broke them gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude so they all ate were filled 12 baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them

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Jesus looking up to heaven teaches us that whenever we find the blessing of God before us even of a meal we should look to heaven in prayer and thank

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God who gave it to us this shows not only are we thankful for what we have but we're acknowledging our

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God as the source of our blessing do not be as a pagan and fail or refuse to pray before your meals that might sound like a hard statement but then

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I quoted John Calvin what he had to say about this he was even more direct now

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Christ has taught us by his example that we cannot partake of our food with holiness and purity unless we express our gratitude to God from whose hand it comes to us accordingly

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Paul tells us that every kind of food which God bestows upon it is sanctified by the Word of God in prayer by which he means that brutal men who do not regard by faith the blessing of God and do not offer to him thanksgiving corrupt and pollute by the filth of their unbelief all that is by nature pure and on the other hand that they are corrupted and defiled by the food which they swallow because to unbelievers nothing is clean

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Christ has therefore laid down for his followers the proper manner of taking food that they may not profane their own persons and the gifts of God by wicked sacrilege it's wicked sacrilege not to pray before we have a meal before we have anything that we received from God and then another contemporary commentator he wrote of this miracle of multiplying the bread and fish showed

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Jesus with his complete authority over all things all the elements of this miracle focus on Jesus's authority he is the one who breaks the food gives it to the disciples after prayer and blessing here's a picture of Jesus leading people at supper suggesting a foretaste of the messianic banquet when

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Jesus returns there's gonna be a great banquet of the Messiah which Jesus himself will serve his people and this is a picture of that Luke gives no detail as to how the food multiplies because he's more interested in the result and what it pictures then in detailing the miracle the messianic association is set up by the context

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Herod's question in verses 7 through 9 and Peter's response in verses 18 through 20 indicate this event sandwich as it is provides a point of identification the picture is of a

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Messiah who provides and makes full so they all ate and were filled everyone had as much as he wanted to his full satisfaction enjoyment and so clearly the

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Lord performed a great miracle here one that everyone recognized and acknowledged some have tried in vain to make it a non -miracle he made everybody feel guilty and so they came out with the food that they'd actually been carrying along and gave it to one another and that's silly they were not merely a morsel for each man but an abundant supply enough and despair

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Jesus said gather up the fragments that remain so that nothing is lost this was practical and wise tomorrow they'd be hungry again and although the

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Lord provided in this wonderful way today they should not presume upon him but make provision in advance for tomorrow's need plan ahead well now let's consider some lessons some of them

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I think are pretty clear some of them are more subtle when we began to address chapter 9 last

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Lord's Day we stressed that Luke's emphasis had changed from Jesus performing miracles to help people in their need he was helping individuals helping people to performing miracles in order to teach and train his disciples for future service and Luke's account of feeding the 5 ,000 is true to this change of emphasis although our

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Lord certainly was moved to feed these people because of the lateness of the day and the scarcity of provision the major emphasis is for the instruction and training of the disciples as the commentator

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Darrell Bach noted this miracle is unusual in that no reaction from the crowd is recorded that is interesting why well a detail showing that the lesson is for the disciples that's

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Luke's main emphasis well what are some of these lessons and you may think of some more but I thought of five or six offhand obviously first the

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Lord Jesus was showing his disciples they could always look to him to supply their need when in his service we might be reminded of the 19th century

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I was reminded of the 19th century German Christian George Mueller what a man of faith there's a number of biographies of him

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I have the two -volume autobiography but really the biography by Arthur Pearson is absolutely wonderful he had traveled to England from his native

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Prussia and he began an orphanage actually several in London he desired to have a ministry in which he could display the glory of God through God answering prayer in providing for his work and so Mueller founded orphanages in London the time came when he was responsible for over 900 orphans at one time he never publicly or privately requested assistance financial or otherwise for their support not that that's wrong but his whole his main point he wanted to show

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God in his glory as one who answers prayer over the course of his lifetime he cared for 10 ,024 orphans he claimed the

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Lord had granted 50 ,000 specific prayer requests that he made to God his father

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I didn't write it down because I couldn't remember the source but I remember he also had a list of people that he would pray for their salvation and he would only

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I think there were 10 on the list and he'd only put names on the list that he really was given assurance from the

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Lord that the Lord purpose to save them not because they were seekers or anything but the

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Lord had burdened him and I forget how many there were I think there was like 10 ,000 I probably shouldn't even brought it up because I could be wrong about the details but throughout his life every one of them had become

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Christian except for two when he died and they were converted at his funeral it was really quite a man of prayer and God called him and blessed him in this way well here is an account of one day in the maintenance of an orphanage the children are dressed ready for school but there's no food for them to eat the house mother of the orphanage informed

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George Mueller George asked her to take the 300 children into the dining room have them sit at the tables he thanked

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God for the food and waited George knew God would provide food for the children as he always did and within minutes a baker knocked on the door

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Mr. Mueller he said last night I could not sleep somehow I knew that you would need bread this morning

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I got up and baked three batches for you I will bring it in soon there was another knock at the door it was the milkman his cart had broken down in front of the orphanage the milk would spoil by the time the wheel was fixed he asked

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George if he could use some free milk and so George smiled as the milkman brought in ten large cans of milk and it was just enough for the 300 thirsty children this was the normal way of the ministry it's a it's a tremendous book here are the opening words of his biographer

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Arthur Pearson the human life filled with the presence and power of God is one of God's choices gift to his church in the world things which are unseen and eternal seem to the carnal man distant and indistinct while what is seen in temporal is vivid and real practically any object in nature that can be seen or felt is thus more real and actual to most men than the living

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God every man who walks with God and finds him a present help in every need who puts his promises to the practical proof and verifies them in actual experience every believer with the key of faith unlocks

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God's treasuries thus furnishes to the race a demonstration and an illustration the fact that he is and he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him

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George Mütter was such an argument an example incarnated in human flesh here is a man of like passions as we are tempted in all points like as we are but who believed

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God and was established by believing who prayed earnestly that he might live a life and do a work which should be a convincing proof that God hears prayer and that it's safe to trust him at all times who has furnished just such a witness as he desired and to those who are familiar with his life long life and most of all to those who intimately knew him and felt the power of personal contact with him he's one of the one of God's right the

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Saints and himself a living proof that a life of faith is possible that God may be known communed with found and may become a conscious companion daily life

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George Mueller proved for himself and for all others who received his witness that to those who are willing to take

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God at his word and to yield self to his will he is the same yesterday today and forever that the days of divine intervention and deliverance are passed only to those with whom the days of faith and obedience are passed in a word that believing prayer works still the wonders which our fathers told of in the days of old.

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Mueller was a good friend of Spurgeon they lived in London at the same time well he demonstrated to his life of faith and prayer that God was real true and active in the world people came to faith in Christ to his witness they grew in faith in Christ through his ministry and so in short and that our

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Lord Jesus prayed out loud in advance of raising Lazarus so the people present would believe and give glory to his father we're taught that we should do the same kind of thing make similar effort to demonstrate before others the truth reality and relevance of the one true

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God in Jesus Christ that the lesson of the disciples through this miracle was to learn to trust their

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Lord and not to worry about his provision could be seen in a rebuke our Lord later gave his disciples one day he gave a warning to his disciples and when his disciples had come to the other side they had forgotten to take bread

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Jesus said take heed beware the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees and they reason among themselves saying it's because we've taken no bread and then he rebuked them

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Jesus being aware of it said to them oh you of little faith why do you reason among yourselves because you brought no bread you think that's a problem you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand how many baskets you took up or the seven loaves of the four thousand another occasion how many large baskets you took up how is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread but to beware the leaven of the

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Pharisees and Sadducees they then they understood he did not tell them to beware the leaven of the bread but of the doctrine of the

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Pharisees and Sadducees and so what we have here Jesus rebuking his disciples for they should have known he was not warning them about having a provision of bread he'd shown them through the two miracles of multiplied the bread they're never going to have a problem with bread are they or fish for that matter they should have known he had been warning them against the leaven of the

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Pharisees and Sadducees and so the Lord was teaching his disciples through these miracles they didn't have to worry about these matters the

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Lord was going to provide for them when they were in need and that's a lesson obviously the

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Lord was showing his disciples they could always look to him to supply their need when in his service and we too we can also look to our

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Lord in that way now secondly related to this closely another lesson from this miracle is that the disciples of Jesus Christ should not worry regarding the

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Lord's provision for his people now we're getting a little practical Christians are not to be a worrying people the

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Lord Jesus taught his people if they placed him and his kingdom first and their priorities he would provide for all that they would need in their daily lives therefore they should not make their daily necessities a cause of worry rather they were to trust the

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Lord as their provider in a sermon on the mount

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Jesus declared and I quoted length in your notes and notice

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I emboldened italicized one particular phrase do not worry therefore

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I say to you do not worry about your life what you will eat what you will drink or about your body what you'll put on is not life more than food body more than clothing look at the birds of the air for they neither sowed or reap or gather in the barns yet your

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Heavenly Father feeds them are you not of more value than they which of you by worrying can add one cubit to a stature then he repeats that phrase so why do you worry about clothing consider the lilies of the field how they grow they neither toil nor spin yet I say to you even

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Solomon all his glory is not arrayed like one of these if God so close the grass of the field which is today and tomorrow thrown into the oven will he not much more clothed you owe you of little faith and he repeated himself a third third time therefore do not worry saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or what shall we wear for all after all these things the

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Gentiles seek non -christians that's what they are worrying about for your

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Heavenly Father knows you need all these things but rather your intent and purpose and goal seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness ordering a life according to his word and all these things would be added to you and then he the fourth time therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about its own things sufficient for the days its own trouble and so this assurance of God's provision is generally learned through trials of need in which

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God provides for you when you wait patiently on him in faith it's really a learned lesson isn't it as we go through trials

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Paul indicated he had learned patience through what he had experienced he says

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I'm happy to have received your offering he says to a church but realize you know

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I don't speak in in regard to need for I've learned whatever state I'm in to be content

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Paul's confidence and contentment was learned over time and the

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Lord tests his people to train them to pray to him and trust him for their provision he does not want you to be consumed with worry or anxiety he wants you to be at peace and in faith he'll take care of you if you're looking to him and you're seeking him first thirdly perhaps the

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Lord's disciples also learned a lesson in flexibility and adaptability you know the episode opened with the intention and effort of our

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Lord to depart with his Apostles privately to a deserted place to rest with them and instruct them in their service but the crowds wouldn't permit him to do so the multitudes followed him and again in Matthew's account we read greater detail he departed by boat he wanted to be by off off by himself with his disciples but the people followed along the seashore but there's no hint of irritation on the part of Jesus that his plans were interrupted or canceled he was adaptable to the circumstances in fact

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Matthew records when Jesus saw the multitudes he was moved with compassion for them and healed the sick and if I may make a confession although I'm very seldom irritated or impatient

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I think Mary can probably correct me on that I don't know well

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I know she could correct me if that was she would tell you but if there's one thing that does irritate me

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I don't like being interrupted when I'm doing something when

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I'm doing something or intend to do something I don't like being interrupted I want to get it done just even if it's an unpleasant short don't let me stop let me get it done but our

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Lord showed no irritation or impatience toward his multitude for having disrupted his plans you know how do we respond when the

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Lord in his providence blocks our way and things don't fall out as we were intending or hoping are we adaptable perhaps the best way to acquire a flexible and adaptable spirit is to have a very keen sense and a very yielding spirit of the providence of God God's ordering our lives isn't he and he doesn't make any mistakes

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Saturday morning and men's group are starting on the decree of God everything that happens is decreed by God we make plans but God orders our ways and so when we're interrupted or disappointed in failing to acquire a goal or end we should thank the

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Lord for his leading us and purpose to be used in him by him in whatever way he sees fit what's he wanting us to do what's he wanting us not to do what's he teaching us maybe it's just a weight on him there are no accidents in the

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Lord's kingdom may we always have the spirit not my will but I will be done and so perhaps he was teaching them he certainly was illustrating before them flexibility and adaptability for the disciples were further enforced in their understanding of the identity of Jesus and promised

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Messiah the king of Israel the events recorded by Luke in this section are leading up to the confession of the disciples here

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Luke chapter 9 Jesus later asked them who do you say I am and Peter responded on behalf of all of them well you're the

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Christ of God and this this this miracle was confirming that to them with view to this confession as God through Moses fed the children of Israel with manna the

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Lord Jesus miraculously fed these 5 ,000 men bread and in John 6 we can read this was the conclusion the people drew when they were fed that why this indeed is the

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Prophet the Prophet that the Messiah the Prophet who is to come into the world not only was he like Moses in providing manna for the people

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Jesus provided bread for the people but he was a prophet like Elisha there's a little obscure account back in second

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Kings 4 then a man came from Baal Shalisha and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits 20 loaves of barley bread and newly ripened grain in his knapsack and he said give it to the people that they may eat but a servant said what shall

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I set this before 100 men they're not enough here he said again give it to the people that they may eat for thus says the

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Lord they shall eat and have some left over and so he said it before then they ate had some left over according to the

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Word of the Lord if that's not an Old Testament parallel to what we have here I don't know what isn't what is and so as the

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Prophet Elijah fed 100 men barley loaves and grain Jesus fed 5 ,000 men on this occasion bread and fish clearly our

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Lord was teaching his disciples that God is the source of all their provision everything that we have comes from the

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Lord again appreciated Calvin's words now though Christ does not every day multiply our bread or feed men without the labor of their hands or the cultivation of their fields the advantage of this narrative extends even to us well how so if we do not perceive that it is the blessing of God which multiplies the corn and we may have that we may have a sufficiency of food the only obstacle is our own indolence and in gratitude in other words we ought to recognize everything that we receive is from the

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Lord that after we have been supported by the annual produce you know after the harvest they remain seed for the following year that God has given us this that this could not have happened but for an increase from heaven

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God did it each of us would easily perceive were he not hindered by that very depravity which blinds the eyes of both the mind of the flesh so as not to see a manifest work of God Christ intended to declare that as all things have been delivered into his hands by the

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Father so the food which we eat proceeds from his grace everything that we have everything we earn everything we obtain everything given to us is from the

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Lord and then six and last perhaps our

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Lord may have been teaching his disciples to be content with the bare necessities of life well how do we get that well this was not a sumptuous meal by any means but it was sufficient and no doubt deeply appreciated by all present long day they were hungry but Galilee was the land of wheat farming and so rich wheat bread was the common food of the people barley loaves were a poor substitute for that bread one wrote barley was regarded according to the

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Talmud as a course only fit for horses and donkeys and the fish were probably quite small and dried they were not feasting on fillets but it was enough

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Matthew Henry sought to show that from this as Christ disciples we should be content with what the

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Lord gives us he argues that we should not think we must live on water and gruel to be spiritual nevertheless we should be content with what the

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Lord gives us and with what he doesn't give us and we wrote it does not follow hence that we should be our self tie ourselves to such course fair and place religion in it you know as though you're holy because you're in poverty and you know starving yourself when

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God brings that which is finer to our hand let us receive it be thankful but it does follow that therefore we must not be desires of old

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English word nor murmur if we be reduced to course fair but be content and thankful and well reconciled to it barley bread is what

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Christ had better than we deserve nor let us despise the the the simple provision of the poor nor look upon it with content remembering how

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Christ was provided for and John Calvin agreed with Henry's I should say

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Henry agreed with Calvin assessment Calvin predated him we have no right indeed to expect that Christ will always follow this method of supplying the hungry and thirsty with food but it's certain that he will never permit his own people to want or need the necessaries of life but will stretch out his hand from heaven whenever he shall see it to be necessary to relieve their necessities those who wish to have

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Christ for their provider must first learn not to long for refined luxuries but to be satisfied with barley bread we should be thankful for God's provision whether it might appear to be all that attractive or fulfilling well again the whole lesson is that we're to be a

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Jesus we're to be taken the word of the kingdom to the people and provide for them through the means by which we are to provide for them the means by which they might receive spiritual nourishment and strength but who is sufficient for these things you know we pray every week you know

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Lord who is sufficient for these things are in other words you know unless you add blessing no goods going to come out of this unless the

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Holy Spirit you know blesses your word instructs gives a concern a desire a light in your word no no fruits gonna be born from this may you accomplish your good purposes in Christ the

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Lord essentially says to you and me you feed them and I'll see to it that they're blessed by it and that's what we ought to do in faith amen our father we thank you for your word and we thank you

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God for the lessons that you give us help us to take them to heart we thank you our Lord you've promised to provide for us that which we need to live by day by day as your disciples who are seeking first your kingdom and to live lives of righteousness in accordance with your word your will we pray our

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God that you would remove the fear and anxiety the worry from our hearts help us our

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God to be people of faith people and confident in your ability and your willingness to provide for us thank you for this lesson thank you