35 15.29

INTRODUCTION

Thomas Dorsey tells this story.

Back in 1932, I was 32 years old and a fairly new husband. My wife, Nettie and I were living in a little apartment on Chicago's Southside. One hot August afternoon I had to go to St. Louis, where I was to be the featured soloist at a large revival meeting. I didn't want to go. Nettie was in the last month of pregnancy with our first child. But a lot of people were expecting me in St. Louis. I kissed Nettie good-bye, clattered downstairs to our Model A and, in a fresh Lake Michigan breeze, chugged out of Chicago on Route 66.

However, outside the city, I discovered that in my anxiety at leaving, had forgotten my music case. I wheeled around and headed back. I found Nettie sleeping peacefully. I hesitated by her bed; something was strongly telling me to stay. But eager to get on my way, and not wanting to disturb Nettie, I shrugged off the feeling and quietly slipped out of the room with my music.

The next night, in the steaming St. Louis heat, the crowd called on me to sing again and again. When I finally sat down, a messenger boy ran up with a Western Union telegram. I ripped open the envelope. Pasted on the yellow sheet were the words: YOUR WIFE JUST DIED. People were happily singing and clapping around me, but I could hardly keep from crying out. I rushed to a phone and called home. All I could hear on the other end was “Nettie is dead. Nettie is dead.”

When I got back, I learned that Nettie had given birth to a boy. I swung between grief and joy. Yet that night, the baby died. I buried Nettie and our little boy together, in the same casket. Then I fell apart. For days I closeted myself. I felt that God had done me an injustice. I didn't want to serve him anymore or write gospel songs. I just wanted to go back to that jazz world I once knew so well.

But then, as I sat alone in that dark apartment those first sad days, I thought back to the afternoon I went to St. Louis. Something kept telling me to stay with Nettie. Was that something God? Oh, if I had paid more attention to him that day, I would have stayed and been with Nettie when she died. From that moment on I vowed to listen more closely to him.

But still I was lost in grief. Everyone was kind to me, especially a friend, Professor Frye, who seemed to know what I needed. On the following Saturday evening he took me up to Poro College, a neighborhood music school. It was quiet; the late evening sun crept through the curtained windows. I sat down at the piano, and my hands began to browse over the keys.

Something happened to me then I felt at peace. I feel as though I could reach out and touch God. I found myself playing a melody, one I'd never heard or played before, and the words into my head-they just seemed to fall into place:

Precious Lord, take my hand,

lead me on, let me stand!

I am tired, I am weak,

I am worn, Through the storm,

through the night lead me on to the light,

Take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home.

The Lord gave me these words and melody. He also healed my spirit. I learned that when we are in our deepest grief, when we feel farthest from God, this is when he is closest, and when we are most open to his restoring power. And so I go on living for God willingly and joyfully, until that day comes when he will take me and gently lead me home.

SERMON

We are in Matthew 15 this evening. The story we’re going to cover is going to be similar to one we’ve already seen, but as I’ll show after the video it is a different story with many similarities. So turn to Matthew 15 and we’ll begin with verse 29.

Video

SLIDE 1 This story is found in only two of the gospels: here in Matthew and in Mark 7:31 – 8:10. This is one of the rare instances where Mark takes a longer time to tell a story than Matthew does. However, Mark also includes the healing of a deaf and mute man. Mark also gives us some details that Matthew omits. From Mark we learn that after leaving Sidon where Jesus healed the Canaanite woman’s daughter, Jesus went to Tyre and then to the Decapolis. The word Decaoplis means Ten Cities (deca: ten, polis: city). It was a federation of ten free Greek cities whose population was almost all Gentile.

In the last sermon I mentioned how it seemed Jesus was trying to get away from the crowds to spend some time with the apostles. It appears Jesus is still doing this. The route Jesus took to get to the Decaoplis is a little odd. Troy is north of Sidon and the Decapolis is south. It’d be like driving through Piney Flats to get to the mall in Johnson City. That’s not the most direct route. It’s like going around your elbow to get to your thumb. Some think as much as six months pass between when Jesus heads out for Sidon and when he arrives in the Decapolis.

The miracle recorded here should not to be confused with the feeding of the 5,000 in Matthew 14. They are similar, but clearly distinguishable. Let me give you a list of a few of the differences. SLIDE 2

5,000: 5 loaves, 2 fish; 4,000: 7 loaves, a few small fish

5,000: 12 baskets left over; 4,000: 7 baskets left over. (Even the Greek words used for “baskets” were different in Matthew 14 and Matthew 15. In Matthew 14 the Greek word for the small Jewish hand-basket, and Matthew 15 the Greek word is for a large Greek hamper-sized basket.)

5,000: The crowd was with Jesus 1 day; 4,000: The crowd had been with Jesus for 3 days

5,000: Spring of the year; 4,000: Summer

5,000: After Jesus fed the crowd they tried to make him king; 4,000: The crowd didn’t make any such attempts

But perhaps the most interesting and pertinent difference between the two events is that the feeding of the 5,000 was in a predominantly Jewish area of Bethsaida and the feeding of the 4,000 was in a predominant Gentile area of the Decapolis (Mark 7:31) on the east side of the Galilee. Therefore there are many that deduce from this that the crowd for this second mass feeding was primarily made up of Gentiles.

If that is true we might surmise that in the first miracle (Matthew 14) Jesus demonstrated that he is the Bread of Life, in the second miracle Jesus demonstrated that he is the Bread of Life to the entire world – not just for the Jews.

SLIDE 3 There are only eleven verses in this passage, however there are some who divide it into two stories. The first story is the healing story. Jesus arrives along the Sea of Galilee and sits down and began to teach. As he does the crowds bring their sick to him to be healed. The second story is Jesus feeding the crowd.

Perhaps some divide this into two stories because in Mark the two parts are found in different chapters. Mark 7 ends with the part about Jesus healing and Mark 8 begins with Jesus feeding the crowds. But both Matthew and Mark show these events happened on the same day with the same crowd. So it’s not two stories, but one story with two parts.

What jumps out at me when I read this story is the different reaction of the two groups presented.

The first group is the crowd. The crowds hear that Jesus is in the area. They’ve heard about his healing powers. Perhaps they heard the testimony of the young man who had a legion of demons cast from him who lived nearby. When that happened the crowd asked to leave. But now they bring their sick to him. And notice their reaction.

31The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. (Matthew 15:31)

This is the first group. They’ve heard stories, they believe, they bring their sick to Jesus because of their belief, and they give glory to God.

Then there’s the second group. This group is made up of the disciples. By this time Jesus is about halfway through his ministry. That means the twelve have been with Jesus for more than a year. In that year they haven’t just heard stories, they’ve seen them live – up close and in person. Not only that, Jesus has sent them out to teach and perform miracles so they experienced the power of God working through themselves as well.

When Jesus sees the crowds and has compassion on them he asks the disciples to feed them. And what is the reaction of the apostles? They are confused and don’t know what to do.

33His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?” (Matthew 15:33)

The crowds, who had only heard stories about the power of Jesus, believe and act according to their belief. The disciples, who had seen this power firsthand and surely remembered how Jesus had fed the five thousand, don’t know what to do.

Those you would expect to be skeptical and have some doubts believe. Those you would expect to believe have doubts. How can this be? The answer I have for you is I don’t know. I wish I knew, but I don’t. I wish I knew so I could encourage us to be more like the believing crowd and less like the doubting apostles because we are often a lot like the doubting apostles. Or maybe I should just speak for myself. Maybe I shouldn’t presume to speak for you.

There are too many times when I find myself doubting. There are too many times when I wonder what God can do for me in the situation I’m in. I believe that God has the power to do anything. I’ve read the stories of the Bible and believe them to be true. I’ve heard the stories of other believers, some of whom I know, and how God has worked miraculously to heal or to provide. When I talk to people who have a need my first reaction is to encourage them to pray and to trust God because I know that is able to do more than we can ask or even imagine.

Just yesterday I had lunch with Shannon McGreedy who is starting a church in Boone. I asked if he had any ideas about where they would be meeting. He’s been looking for almost six months and still has has no idea. So I encouraged him to pray. The launch isn’t until March and God will provide. I believe that.

And yet, when I face my own problems, why aren’t I as certain? Why is it then that my doubts begin to appear?

Like the apostles, I’ve seen God’s power at work in my life. I’ve seen how God has provided when we didn’t have enough. I’ve never had a dramatic healing of a disease or illness, but I believe God has healed in times of sickness nonetheless. So it makes no sense that I should doubt God in my times of need, but I do.

Mark Moore, who teaches at Ozark Christian College, offers three possible excuses in defense of the apostles. First, Jesus didn’t always provide a miraculous answer to every need. There were others at the Pool of Bethesda that could have used the healing power of Jesus, but we only read about Jesus healing one of them. And we’re told that Jesus didn’t perform many miracles when he had last visited Nazareth. While we should believe that God is able to do anything, we shouldn’t expect God to do everything the way we would do it – meaning, we shouldn’t expect God to act in some miraculous fashion at our every need. And it doesn’t look like the apostles expected Jesus it perform a miracle here either. And that leads to the second defense of the apostles.

Second, the apostles may not be doubting the ability of Jesus to feed the crowd, but his willingness to feed this predominantly Gentile crowd. Hadn’t he recently told the woman in Sidon that he’d only come for the lost sheep of Israel? Would Jesus now be willing to spend a miracle on these Gentiles?

And then third in Moore’s defense of the apostles, they answer Jesus by asking about what they could do, not what Jesus could do.

33His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?” (Matthew 15:33)

While Jesus had given them power to heal diseases and cast out demons when he’d sent them out earlier, it doesn’t appear that they’d continued to possess those powers. We don’t see them continuing to exercise them. So, was Jesus asking them to do something miraculous here? They weren’t sure and didn’t know what they could do.

Mark Moore then asks about our faith.

. . . an honest look at the contemporary church would hardly paint a better picture of our faith in Jesus to provide and sustain. Even though Jesus has proven trustworthy time and time again, our lives betray an embarrassing level of unbelief.

Ouch. It’s easy to see the unbelief of the apostles and wonder how they could be so dense while completely overlooking our lapses of faith.

So what an we do? I think we believe we are the only one who sometimes have doubts. It’s not that we don’t believe God has the power to act, we just sometimes wonder if he will act this time for us, so we doubt.

If you’ve ever felt like that understand that you are not the only one. This side of heaven every believer has times when their faith is weak. When we’re weak in faith:

We can doubt God’s forgiveness

We’re not sure God loves us

We may wonder if God is in control

We are tempted to pursue sin more than Jesus

We worry about the future

We feel discouraged

We may lack spiritual motivation

And when our faith is weak, we can feel like nothing will ever change — that we’ll never again be strong in faith or feel close to God

The good news is that no matter how weak our faith, God has the power to strengthen us. We see that in the Bible. God wants us to have a stronger faith in him.

In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he says that he prays that God would strengthen the faith of the believers there. SLIDE 4

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being. (Ephesians 3:16)

In Luke 22 Jesus is in the upper room with the apostles. He basically warns Peter that he will fall away. A little later Jesus will come out and plainly tell Peter that he will deny him three times, but right not Jesus just encourages him with these words. SLIDE 5

31Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. (Luke 22:31-32)

Jesus prays that Peter’s faith would be strengthened. The One who spoke a universe into existence, who brought Jericho’s walls down, and who raised Lazarus from the dead can and will strengthen your faith. How?

It’s not that we try to be good enough to earn strong faith from God — or that we try to be positive and raise our spirits. Neither of those are taught in the Bible. But in the Bible God invites us to take steps which he will use to strengthen our faith. Here are two.

SLIDE 6 First, pray and ask Jesus to help your unbelief

In Mark 9 a man brings his son to be healed. Since childhood the boy had an evil spirit that threw the boy into a convulsion. He would fall to the ground and roll around, foaming at the mouth. The father says:

But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us. (Mark 9:22)

“If.” Jesus wasn’t going to let that one stand. SLIDE 7

“ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” (Mark 9:23)

Jesus hadn’t performed many miracles in his home town of Nazareth because of their unbelief. But for those who do believe everything is possible. The problem was the father knew his limitations. He was all too aware of his doubts. So he calls out to Jesus for help. SLIDE 8

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

How did Jesus respond? He answered the man’s prayer. The father’s son was healed.

Don’t think you need strong faith before Jesus will listen to you. Turn to him just as you are — with your weak faith — and cry out to him for help. Confess that your faith is weak. Ask God to forgive you and ask him to strengthen your faith. Because of Christ’s death on the cross, God will welcome you, love you, forgive you AND he will strengthen your faith — especially as you then take this second step:

SLIDE 9 Second, hear the word of Christ

If we want to grow in faith what we need more than anything is to get into God’s word. Paul tells us what we need in his letter to the Romans. SLIDE 10

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. (Romans 10:17)

The great preacher, D.L. Moody once said,

I prayed for faith and thought that some day it would come down and strike me like lightning. But faith didn’t seem to come. One day I read in Romans that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” I had up to this time, closed my Bible and prayed for faith. Now I opened my Bible and began to study and faith has been growing ever since.

Paul teaches that as we hear the word of God, God will bring his power upon us and strengthen our faith. Through the word of God we have the potential for much more faith. That’s great news, because the time will come when we need more faith. This might happen quickly – or not, but you can trust God’s timing. God WILL – in his perfect timing – strengthen your faith.

This I believe, God is greater than any problem we may face. God knows the problems we face and will always do what it best. As God tells us in his word: SLIDE 11

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Therefore, trust God, do what you can, and wait patiently for his good, pleasing, and perfect will.