The Gospel Project: Jesus Over Needs

Intro Option 1: Blindness

Pair students with a partner (2 pairs)

Choose one to be “blind” (by closing his or her eyes) and one to be “sick” and in desperate need of a tissue.

Partners should stand on opposite sides of the room.

Set up chairs as obstacles in the middle of the room

Spin “blind” students around in circles so they don’t know which direction they are facing.

The objective is for the “blind” person to make it across the room to his or her partner

The sick partners can’t speak or offer any guidance.

The first person to get a tissue to his or her partner wins

We are often blind to those who need our help.

Jesus can open our eyes to see the needs around us.

Main Point: Jesus had compassion and met people’s needs.

Jesus extends compassion to those in need.

Mark 8:1–3 (ESV)

1 In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.”

Second miracle: Feeding of the four thousand (as opposed to the five thousand)

The five thousand was recorded in Mark 6.

Two very similar miracles

Difference between the two

First feeding: invitation to Jews

Second feeding: Invitation to Gentiles (non-Jews)

Many gentiles traveled great distance to hear Jesus teach.

They listened, neglecting hunger

Jesus loved them

Came for physical needs > spiritual needs

Bread of Life (John 6:35)

Gentiles welcome at God’s table

Jesus came to meet the needs of ALL

Ask: How does it encourage you to know that Jesus cares about your physical needs and not just your spiritual needs?

Offered salvation, but walked alongside people

Deeply cared about physical needs

Continuously met needs

No different for us

Jesus always cares about your hunger, your thirst, your emotional well-being, your safety, and your health.

Ask: What is our deepest need from God, and how does Jesus satisfy it?

Sense of desperation

But greatest need is redemption

Same is true for us

We all need redemption and salvation

We all are “the needy” or “the poor”

Cares about physical needs, but spiritual needs, too.

Transition: Jesus meeting needs is a model for us to follow.

Main Point: Jesus had compassion and met people’s needs.

Jesus extends compassion to those in need.

Jesus calls His followers to serve those in need

Mark 8:4–7 ESV

4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5 And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them.

Disciples question, despite 5,000

Either “inexplicable lack of faith” OR, not doubting His ability to perform the miracle itself, but just confused by Jesus ministry to the Gentiles.

God isn’t limited by our understanding.

Seven loaves = Jesus symbolically offering Himself to crowd

12 ministering to people “beneath them”

Ask: Who are the outcasts in our society that Jesus is asking us to serve?

Culture tries to dictate who matters

But the truth: EVERYBODY matters, including outcasts.

Jesus asks us to serve alongside Him.

To meet needs, especially outcasts

We don’t decide is who is worthy of God’s compassion.

God’s desire: for us to offer the bread of life to the lonely, broken, and unpopular

Easier said than done

Ask: Why might we struggle to see and meet the needs of others?

Most of us struggle to see needs

Too caught up in our own lives

Too selfish

But Jesus calls us to share the gospel and to help others know Him.

What we sacrifice does not compare to what we gain

Transition: When we serve others in need, we are ultimately pointing to the truth that Jesus completely fills our needs

Main Point: Jesus had compassion and met people’s needs.

Jesus extends compassion to those in need.

Jesus calls His followers to serve those in need

Jesus satisfies completely those in need

Mark 8:8–10 ESV

8 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10 And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

Another difference: These people didn’t merely seek him for food

They listened first

And then Jesus gives them the food that they had not sought first

Took what was little and turned it into abundance

This does not mean Jesus will give us excess food or money

But He does give us all of Himself

Foreshadows Him meeting our deepest need: Salvation

Sometimes, we try to meet needs in the wrong way

Ask: What are some substitutes you have turned to in order to have your needs met instead of turning to Jesus?

Temporary fulfillment

Relationships

Friendships

Sports

Grades

Alcohol & drugs

Putting things at a place where only God should be

Nothing can satisfy you completely like Jesus because everything in this world is temporary.

Ask: What changes do you need to make so that you look to Jesus to satisfy you?

Assess priorities often

Examine what you spend most time doing

CoHelp you see what you are depending on for fulfillment.

Christ Connection:

When the Israelites were hungry in the wilderness, God provided manna from Heaven.

Jesus is the greater Moses, the One who not only provides bread from heaven but who also speaks of Himself as the Bread who gives life to the world.

Head: How should the truth that Jesus cares for all people change your mindset towards others?

If Jesus cares, we should too

Surrendering preconceived ideas (cultural/racial superiority/stereotyping)

Heart: In what areas of your life have you struggled to lay down pride and ask for Jesus’s help? How can you change this?

Anxiety, shame, hidden sin

Pride should never be an obstable in approaching Jesus

Try to fix situations on our own while Jesus is willing to show us compassion

Humbly bring need to Jesus

Sharing struggles with mentor/friend (accountability)

Hands: What steps can you take this week to reach out to people who need Jesus, regardless of their social status?

Easy to think of people who are unacceptable

Smile, say hello, sit with them

Ask how day is going

See need, do best to meet

This furthers the Gospel in big ways

Concluding Thought: Allow Jesus to meet your needs, and find opportunities to meet the needs of others.

PRAY