Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

I thank you for allowing me this time away in celebration and spiritual R & R. Thanks to Brother Neal Hughes, Dean Finch, Terry Brooks, Ron Cantey, and Rick Lewis for sharing while I was away.

My reports were stellar as these men led and I say “thank you”.

When I travel to a new place, encounter a different culture, my aim is to come away with something positive, an enlightenment if you will that encourages and you will discover that in today’s message.

Are you aware that innate within each of us is an appetite for life?

When we accepted Christ into our hearts, He fulfilled that longing for real life that is instilled into each one of us.

John 10:10 “10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.

I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Zoe-the state of one who is possessed of vitality or is animate.

Life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last for ever.

God instilled that hunger within us when He created us.

In my recent travels I fulfilled those hungers for life:

I went to places I had never been

I met people I had never met

I saw sites I have never seen, I ate food I had never eaten and the list goes on.

I went over that mountain or around that corner in curiosity if you will.

You know what I am saying.

Do you remember William Shattner and Leonard Nemoy in Star Track?

“They boldly went where no man has gone before.”

We have an insatiable appetite for life.

We want to see what is around the corner or over the hill.

We want to be challenged.

Our instint is to push further, be stronger, learn more, stride for life just a litter further, to excel, to be the best, to navigate the unchartered waters of life.

That’s life for you.

It’s real and Oh dear church, and life is good.

We read a very familiar story today when Jesus performed one of the great miracles of the Bible, the feeding of the 5,000.

Later in our service, we will partake of the Lord’s Supper.

I pray as the invitation will ultimately be given and you partake of the Lord’s Supper that as you partake that meal you will give due consideration for your appetite for life.

Consider that someone came into your life and fed you the manna of the Lord that made you full and fulfilled.

Someone shared Jesus with you and fulfilled that longing you had always been searching for but could never find.

Turn in your Bibles this morning to Luke 9:12-17.

Luke 9:12-17

Prayer

Message

This amazing miracle story of the Bible is recorded in all four gospels.

When this happens I think it important that we mine out the deep truths of such an important event in the life of Jesus.

Yo will remember from three weeks ago that Jesus was preparing the disciples for the next phase of ministry.

Going out on their own independently of Jesus’ bodily presence.

Jesus prepared them for the mission with these words:

Luke 9:1-3 “1 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.

2 He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

3 And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.”

You may remember as well that at this point He began to call them apostles because they were prepared at that particular point in the power of God to be sent out.

Jesus was calling these disciples to depend upon His supplication for the journey and the fact He would meet their needs.

Dearly beloved, always remember:

God will not call you to task until He has cultivated your tools for the assignment.

The story of the feeding of the five thousand is recorded in all four gospel accounts:

Luke 9:12-17; Matt.

14:15-21; Mark 6:35-44; John 6:1-14

Our focus today will be on Luke’s account, but I will mention that we discover in John 6:6 that when Jesus asked them to “give the people something to eat” that He was testing the disciples.

He was assessing their faith.

Jesus had been building their faith time and again for them to trust Him.

He revealed His power over the wind and the waves and the question was asked, “where is your faith?”

He healed Jairus’ daughter and the woman that had been hemorraging for twelve years because our dear Savior is a God of compassion.

He loves you and He loves me.

He hurts when you hurt and He celebrates when you celebrate.

But Jesus always gets mileage out of His divine acts in our lives.

He does things to bring glory to Him and He does things to grow us in His image.

In fact, we know from Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

God can work all things for good.

When they traveled without a tunic, a staff, or money they were journeying in total trust upon the Lord.

Jesus’ aim for them and for us today is that we will trust Him when the struggles of life come about, but in all things and in all times.

Man is Instilled with a Insatiable Appetite for Life V. 12

and Jesus knew this.

Luke 9:12 “12 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.””

Isn’t God good?

And....all the time, God is good.

Right up until this event, Jesus was preaching and healing people and the continuance of crowds building around Jesus was the daily occurrence.

Jesus’ popularity was building by the hour because of the great compassion He showed for people by healing and curing of diseases and casting out demons and raising people from the dead.

The day was spent and they were in Bethsaida, and the Bible terms it a “deserted place”.

Deserted does not mean that the place was desert like but that the place was uninhabited.

The very reason they were in a deserted place was to allow the disciples to rest and rejuvenate from the ministry they had been performing over the recent days.

Dearly beloved, within this story is the miracle, but beyond His miraculous acts, the Lord has implanted an answer to these insatiable appetites in life that we have.

How can our appetites be satisfied?

When the twelve disciples came to Jesus collectively and stated these words:

“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.”

The reason the message was collective and in unison from the disciples was because the words they shared were universal in truth:

2 Truths are found in this statement the disciples made to Jesus:

-we have an insatiable appetite

-we will strive to fill it

We all have insatiable appetites and we all strive to satisfy those hungers.

Let’s consider some of those appetites:

physical hunger

clothing/shelter/basic needs/health

curiosities/learning/adventure/thrill seekers

intimacy/love/procreation/family

protection/security/peace/tranquility/and that we will live forever

The Holy Spirit through Luke chose His words carefully.

Oh dear church, love your family, love like you have never loved, love your spouse, love your children, love your grandchildren.

Love them as God intended they be loved because if you do not, the world will.

Listen to what Luke states:

Love is in all the surrounding country and towns, sex is in all the surrounding country and towns, and if we do not fulfill that hunger for love, as you have heard the song:

Johnny Lee Lookin for Love …in all the wrong places.”

I was lookin' for love in all the wrong places

Lookin' for love in too many faces

Searchin' their eyes

Lookin' for traces of what I'm dreaming of

Hoping to find a friend and a lover

I'll bless the day I discover another heart

Lookin' for love