Members Must Know Jesus

ME (A hook):

If you know me,

You most likely know I am a Kansas City Chiefs fan.

And they currently have a pretty good quarterback named Patrick Mahomes.

You may have heard of him.

Slide

Well, Mahomes and two other quarterbacks,

Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings,

And Marcus Mariota of the Atlanta Falcons,

Participated in this Netflix documentary called Quarterback,

Which followed them around for all of last season,

Giving this inside look at their practice, their preparation, their rehabs,

And a lot of their personal life.

They spend a lot of time interviewing family members,

Filming at their houses,

And showing what they do away from the team facilities.

Now, obviously going into it,

I was primarily interested in Mahomes.

Not just because he is the Chiefs quarterback,

But because he has seemed to be a person of good character as well.

What I was not expecting.

Was that I would walk away from that show,

Becoming a bigger fan of Kirk Cousins.

Is Cousins a better quarterback than Mahomes?

Absolutely not.

Cousins has actually been a bit of a polarizing player.

If you ask most people,

He is like the prime meridian of quarterbacks.

He is an average quarterback who has put up really good stats,

But he is not good enough to win a super bowl.

But after watching the documentary,

That narrative took a backseat for me.

Cousins became not just a quarterback producing stats.

To me,

He became a person,

Someone who has struggles and hardships,

A husband,

A dad,

And a fellow Christian.

Now, the reality is,

He already was these things.

But myself,

And so many other football fans,

Did not know Kirk Cousins.

But getting to know Cousins through this documentary,

Has grown my fanhood of him immensely.

And I am not the only one who feels this way.

Sports Illustrated had an article this week,

And the headline said,

“Fans find themselves warming to Kirk Cousins after watching ‘Quarterback’”

And I love how the article starts:

“Midwestern Dad energy is a winning formula, it appears.”

And I think that is a great way to describe him.

Because so much of the documentary shows him with his kids,

Bringing his kids into the locker room,

Taking one day off from practice each week,

To be with his family.

The documentary itself,

Begins and ends with him reading a book to his kids before bed.

The article goes on to say the reaction from the documentary is that we find it hard to dislike Cousins.

Some of the comments said things like:

“Tell me how you can hate Kirk Cousins after watching Quarterback.”

“Kirk Cousins is a very nice guy."

“Cousins is such a good guy”

“Started Quarterback and (all caps) I LOVE KIRK COUSINS”

And one person who took the words right out of my mouth:

“As an honest Chiefs fan, I speak for everyone when I say Kirk Cousins runs the league.”

But there were two other scenes that stood out the most to me.

That helped me to know Kirk Cousins in a way that grew my fanhood of him.

First, Cousins played his first game in Washington since he left the team 7 years ago.

And after winning the game,

He is on the field,

And he comes up to a guy whose job it is to just collect the balls on the sideline.

Essentially, a no-name person who works for this professional football team.

And Cousins said,

“Look who it is!”

Then gave him a hug.

The man smiled,

Looked at Cousins,

And said,

“I just wanted you to know,

I beat the cancer.”

Cousins looks at him,

And says,

“Did you really?!

Praise God!

Thank you for sharing that with me!”

Then lastly,

During super bowl week.

The NFL awards all the players who have won awards.

One award that doesn’t get a lot of recognition is called the Bart Starr Award.

It recognizes one player in the entire NFL who best exemplifies character and integrity on the field, at home, and in the community.

Kirk Cousins received this award at a non-televised event called the super bowl breakfast.

When he gave his acceptance speech,

He brought his Bible up with him,

And he talked about all the character qualities of Bart Starr.

Then said,

“Who doesn’t want these words said about them at the end of their life.

However, you would miss something very significant about Bart Starr,

If you left out the word, Christian.

Football is going to end one day.

Life is based on much more than football.”

This documentary allowed me to know Cousins more.

To know that he is a nice guy,

Who does nice things for people.

So, I have come to appreciate him much more,

As a result of knowing him more.

Slide

Matthew 13:53-14 similarly allows us to know Jesus more.

But if we only know that Jesus is a nice guy,

Who does nice things for people,

Then we will only appreciate Him in a way similar to the way we appreciate nice people like Kirk Cousins.

But if we know that Jesus is more than a nice guy,

That He is God!

Well then truly knowing Jesus will grow our worship of Him.

So, our passage this morning shows how Members Must Know Jesus.

Last week,

We just finished hearing Jesus tell eight different parables to describe the kingdom of heaven.

The first parable,

Was the parable of the sower,

Which illustrated four different heart-level responses to the gospel.

Now, we come to a passage where we see examples of these various heart conditions.

Slide

These examples form our outline:

First, Hard Hearts Reject Jesus (13:53-14:12)

Second, Superficial Hearts Use Jesus (14:13-21)

Third, Fruitful Hearts Worship Jesus (14:13-36)

When we know who Jesus is, we know He must be worshiped.

In the parable of the sower,

There was also the soil where thorns choked out the seed,

Preventing it from bearing fruit.

We called this soil a divided heart.

There is no clear example of a divided heart directly in this passage.

But there is one unnamed person present this entire passage who demonstrates this, Judas.

Slide

And after this miracle in John’s Gospel, it says,

John 6:70–71 ESV

Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

Despite everything Judas saw and heard from Jesus,

He still went on to betray Jesus,

And reject Him.

For what reason?

Because underneath the surface,

A want for wealth in this world was lurking in his heart.

And when the opportunity came to accumulate it for selling out Jesus,

The thorns finally choked out his false faith,

And he went through with the betrayal.

WE - 13:53-14:12 (Why does this matter to us?):

But this morning,

We are going to hone in on the other responses demonstrated in our passage.

Because implicit to this idea of knowing Jesus,

Believing and trusting what we know of Him.

Slide

But the first reaction to Jesus is one of unbelief,

In His own hometown.

Up to this point,

Jesus’ ministry has been happening in Galilee.

It has been about two years now.

But in 13:53,

Jesus leaves Galilee to return to His hometown of Nazareth.

And when He gets there,

He begins teaching in the synagogue.

The people are astonished by His teaching.

And it leaves them with all sorts of questions.

Isn’t He the carpenter’s son?

Referring to His human father,

Joseph.

Shouldn’t He be a craftsman,

Like His father?

How did He get so wise?

How did He get the ability to do miraculous works?

Although they are astonished by Him,

They did not believe in Him.

They were questioning where His authority came from.

They did not believe it came from God.

Slide

In fact,

Vs. 57 says they were offended by Him.

They think,

“Oh, isn’t it cute?

Little Jesus went off and did all these amazing and wonderful things!

We’re so proud of Him!”

But now He comes home and preaches the same message,

A message of repentance.

And suddenly,

They don’t find Jesus so acceptable anymore.

They are offended that the carpenter’s kid would have the audacity to teach them God’s Word.

He needs to learn His place.

So, Jesus essentially refused to do miracles in Nazareth.

The people refused to trust in Him,

Instead, they were offended by Him.

So, Christ’s miracles would be of little value.

The same type of reaction can be seen today.

People can hear about Jesus,

See evidence of His work,

And yet refuse to trust Him,

Instead, they are offended by Him.

This is one example of a hard heart.

Slide

The second,

More egregious example comes in ch. 14,

A narrative about the fate of John the Baptist.

David Platt describes this story as a twisted soap opera.

It begins by introducing us to Herod the tetrarch.

Who is haunted by what he has done to John.

Because when he hears about Jesus,

He immediately thinks it is John the Baptist back from the dead.

It is the only reason he thinks this person could have miraculous powers.

So, Matthew,

Steps out of the present timeline,

To give us a flashback of what Herod did to John that haunts him so terribly.

And here is where we see the twisted soap opera.

Slide

First of all,

The Herod family itself is messed up and complicated.

Herod the Great was the Herod from back in Matthew 2,

Who had all the children slaughtered.

The Herod here is Herod Antipas,

The son of Herod the great.

Herodias is the daughter of Aristobulus,

Who is another son of Herod the great.

So, she is a granddaughter of Herod the great,

And a niece of Herod Antipas.

Another son of Herod the great was Herod Philip.

Each of these sons are only half-brothers because they each had different mothers.

Herod Philip married Herodias,

His niece.

But Herodias left him to have an adulterous relationship with his brother,

Her other uncle,

This is just a glimpse of the messed up stuff that happened in the Herod family tree.

But this is what John the Baptist criticized Herod Antipas for,

His affair with Herodias.

But getting called out did not sit well with Herod or Herodias.

Now, Herod did not want to kill John,

Because he knew John had a good reputation,

And he feared how the people might react.

So, instead, he had John arrested,

Chained up,

And thrown in prison.

But Herodias kept a desire for greater revenge in her heart.

Then, another branch to the family tree is introduced in vs. 6.

The daughter of Herodias and Philip from when they were married.

And although we are not given a name here,

Ancient records indicate that her name is Salome.

So, Herod Antipas,

An uncle on her dad’s side,

A great uncle on her mom’s side,

And now her stepfather,

Is pleased by her erotic dancing for him on his birthday.

In what is believed to be a drunken state,

Herod makes an oath to give her whatever she wants.

This oath was no small guarantee,

It was a legally binding solemn promise.

Vs. 8 is where we see the revenge that sat dormant in her heart.

Because she told her daughter to ask for John’s head on a platter.

Slide

Herod regretted having to grant her request,

But because of his oath and all who heard it,

He does what is asked of him,

And has John beheaded,

With his head brought to Salome on a platter,

Who then brings it to her mother.

This is a tragic and disgusting flashback.

But it also foreshadows Christ’s crucifixion.

John and Jesus are regularly linked together throughout Matthew.

In terms of Herod,

Herod’s actions led to John’s beheading.

Later, when Jesus stands before Pilate,

Though he found no fault in Jesus,

Pilate still sends Jesus to the same Herod,

Who displayed similar actions,

Setting the stage for Christ’s death.

If Herod knew Jesus,

And believed in Him,

Herod would not have had John beheaded,

Or Jesus crucified.

But because he was hard hearted,

The gospel never took root in his heart.

Instead, his unbelief led to both John’s beheading,

And Christ’s crucifixion.

GOD - 13-21 (Teach the text):

Slide

After Matthew finishes this flashback,

He transitions back to the present in vs. 13.

It says,

Jesus hears about Herod thinking He is a resurrected John the Baptist.

Which likely reminds Him of John’s tragic passing.

So, He goes to a remote place to be alone.

Perhaps, hoping to mourn the death of John.

But, we see,

Jesus doesn’t get much time to Himself,

Because the crowds follow Him.

And instead of being frustrated, annoyed, irritated, or bothered by these crowds,

Which is how I would feel if this happened to me,

Vs. 14 says that Jesus simply looks at them,

Has compassion on them,

And heals the sick among them.

Slide

Not only that,

In vs. 15-21,

He miraculously feeds this crowd of over 5,000 people.

Starting in vs. 15,

The disciples come to Jesus and are like,

“Jesus, we are in the middle of nowhere,

It is late,

We’re all hungry,

Can you please just send everyone away,

So, they can go and get food,

Then we can just call it a day.”

And Jesus says,

“No.”

In fact,

He tells the disciples,

“You give them something to eat,”

“Give them something to eat?”

They ask Jesus.

“But all we have is 5 loaves of bread and two fish.”

These loaves they are talking about,

Are not like our loaves,

They are more like a dinner roll.

That amount could maybe be spread across a handful of people just for survival,

But they would certainly not be satisfied.

It is not even close to enough food for over 5,000 people.

So, Jesus has them bring Him the food,

Then He has the crowd sit on the grass.

Slide

And miraculously,

Everyone eats.

Every one of those thousands of people go on to eat,

And be satisfied.

Not only that,

They had twelve baskets full of leftovers!

That is significantly more food than they started out with.

This miracle is the only miracle that is in all four Gospels.

John’s Gospel looks at this miracle in such a way that demonstrates how many of the people here have a superficial heart.

They know Jesus can give them food,

So, they want Jesus,

As long as He can provide what they want.

Slide

In John 6:26-29,

John 6:26–29 ESV

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Sadly, the root of faith never actually took hold of their heart.

They never did this work,

Never believed in Jesus.

Slide

As Jesus teaches in John 6:36,40, and 47,

John 6:36–40 (ESV)

But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe...For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

But Jesus reveals that this is not what superficial hearts want,

They just want to use Him for food.

Slide

He says in John 6:64-66,

John 6:64–66 ESV

But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

When things get tough,

And Jesus no longer seems to be meeting your needs,

That is when superficial hearts abandon Jesus.

Because a superficial heart does not truly believe in Jesus,

Does not know that Jesus is God,

And does not bear the fruit of faith.

So, superficial hearts only want to use Jesus.

YOU (Response):

Slide

But Matthew looks at this miracle from a different angle.

He tells it in a way to emphasize the effect this miracle had on the disciples.

Because as they come to know Jesus more through His miracles,

It is almost like you can see their faith growing right before your eyes.

Slide

First thing they come to know about Jesus is His compassion.

Before this miracle occurred,

Jesus wanted some rest.

Jesus had a fully human nature,

He would get tired,

He had been dealing with growing crowds,

And increasing opposition.

Yet, as He attempted to have a moment of quiet,

The crowds find Him,

And swarm Him once again.

But notice the people who came to Him.

People who were hurting, sick, in need of healing.

And instead of ordering them to beat it!

So, He could rest.

He is moved with compassion for them.

Keep in mind,

This likely includes those who had superficial hearts!

Yet, in the face of human shallowness,

Jesus shows compassion.

Slide

The second thing the disciples came to know about Jesus,

Is His abundant provision.

Initially, the disciples seem to be making a responsible call,

Suggesting that the crowd disperse and get some food.

They knew they couldn’t feed the crowd on their own.

But what they did not know,

Was that they had more than what they needed standing right in front of them.

It is like they are standing in front of Niagara Falls looking for water.

So, when Jesus commands them to feed the crowd.

They had to first acknowledge they didn’t have the resources on their own.

And that was Jesus’ point!

He was commanding them to do something that they could not do on their own.

They needed to know they were insufficient for the task at hand,

To know that Jesus is sufficient in two specific ways.

Slide

First, Jesus meets needs in you.

His sufficiency to meet your deepest needs is undoubtedly a key part of this miracle.

He doesn’t simply give you what satisfies,

He is what satisfies you.

He has not come to merely provide life,

He has come to give you abundant life.

He satisfies your soul.

And the fact that He illustrates this by providing bread,

Parallels the way God provided bread in the wilderness in Exodus.

So, Jesus is the new and better Moses.

He abundantly meets your needs.

For every soul that is hungry,

That has tried to get satisfaction from the things of this world,

Only to come up empty time and time again,

Jesus invites you to taste and see and know that the Lord is good.

He alone meets the needs of your soul.

Slide

But not only does He meet needs in us,

In a marvelously miraculous way,

He meets needs through us.

If Jesus’ only point with this miracle,

Was to show that He abundantly provides for your needs.

Then He could have simply called bread down from heaven.

But that’s not what He does.

He commands His disciples to provide for this crowd.

And when they can’t do what Jesus asks of them on their own,

He provides what they need,

So, they can minister His provision to others.

Notice how Jesus does not hand out a single piece of bread Himself.

He provided what was needed,

But His disciples distributed it.

Likewise, He graciously meets the needs of others through you.

Members of Christ’s Body are channels for His mercy and power to flow throughout the world.

So, think about this miracle for our context here in Afton.

What are the needs of the people you live with?

What are the needs for the people you work with?

Not just the physical needs,

But the spiritual needs.

Perhaps you know what their needs are,

But it leads you to ask,

“What can I do about it?

I have so little...”

Your right,

You do.

But you are standing right in front of Niagara Falls,

So, there is plenty of water available to you.

Jesus is right here.

He is ready to meet your deepest needs,

And ready to use you to meet the deepest needs of others.

So, brothers and sisters,

May we be the most generous, giving, sacrificial, serving, and Gospel-centered people in the lives of those we know,

So, that we can be the channels through which God’s mercy and power rushes into their lives!

Let Him use you for the good of others,

The growth of His Kingdom,

And the glory of His name!

It is a blessing to be His channels.

Imagine how you would feel,

To be holding one of those baskets of food.

You saw the five rolls.

You saw the two fish.

You saw the thousands of people.

But as you went from person to person to person,

Loaf after loaf,

And fish after fish,

Just kept coming out of the basket.

“Where is this coming from?!?”

It is hard to fathom the joy and excitement you would feel.

And then after Jesus takes care of the crowd through you.

It is no coincidence that 12 basketfuls were leftover.

When you serve others with the compassion of Christ,

Channeling the abundant provisions of Christ,

You will be blessed.

As you serve others,

Jesus will always be more than enough for you also.

Slide

Going back to John,

After this miracle,

And all those people abandon Jesus,

John 6:67–69 ESV

So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

Here in Matthew,

They make a similar declaration,

But they make it in the face of fearful circumstances.

Slide

After Jesus dismissed the crowds,

He went back to being by Himself,

So, He prays well into the night.

By the time we get to vs. 24,

The boat is already some distance from the land,

Just getting hammered by the waves.

And vs. 25 says it was during the fourth watch,

Which is between 3-6am.

Slide

Then, in vs. 26,

The disciples think they are seeing a ghost,

They are terrified!

But it is no ghost.

Jesus immediately tells them it is Him,

Walking to them on the water.

This miraculous encounter reveals a number of truths about Jesus that we must know.

Especially in difficult times.

There will be circumstances in life,

Where you will feel tossed back and forth,

Like the waves are doing to the disciples here.

Slide

So, lets highlight five truths you must know from this story.

First, Jesus is sovereign.

Who sent the disciples into the boat that night?

Jesus.

They spent several dark hours that night,

In the boat,

Alone.

While Jesus seemed to be just doing whatever over on the mountainside.

It was during that time,

When the winds arose.

So, clearly,

This entire episode was by His design.

As the disciples were battling against the wind,

Jesus held them and the wind in His hands.

Likewise, we must know this about Jesus when we are in difficult circumstances.

Jesus is not unaware of what your going through.

He is familiar with our weaknesses,

And He is working all things together for our good.

He is sovereign,

Even during our trials.

Slide

Second, you must know that Jesus is interceding for you.

What was Jesus doing while the disciples were being tossed around in the boat?

He was praying.

Romans 8:34-39 tells us,

Romans 8:34–39 (ESV)

Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Knowing this makes our trials look very different.

Because while we are in the midst of our trials,

Jesus is at the right hand of the Father,

Interceding on our behalf.

In fact,

He is doing that right now,

At this very moment.

He is ready to give you what you need through His Spirit,

Any and every moment you need it.

You are never alone.

Slide

Which leads to the third truth you must know,

Jesus is present with you.

After the disciples cry out that Jesus is a ghost,

He commands them to have courage,

To not be afraid.

Why?

Because it is Him.

It is Jesus!

So, Jesus not only stills storms,

He uses the storms to reveal Himself in even greater ways.

The Bible clearly shows that God uses trials in our lives to know Him in ways we never would apart from the storms.

Because it is in the middle of the storm where the presence of Christ becomes all the more real.

This is the truth that Matthew’s Gospel ends with,

As Jesus promises to be with us to the ends of the earth,

While we go and make disciples.

Therefore, we have no reason to fear.

Slide

Because, the fourth truth you must know,

Jesus is your strength.

After seeing its Jesus on the water,

Peter decided he wanted to be with Jesus.

So, he says,

“Lord, if it is you,

Command me to come to you on the water.”

Peter knows its Jesus,

He knows Jesus’ power,

So, he trusts that he can join Jesus on the water.

Let this comfort you.

When you face trials,

You may not have the strength to stand,

But Jesus does.

So, when you trust Him,

You can experience His strength in you.

But the key is to trust in Him.

Peter learns this lesson the hard way.

Slide

Which leads to the final truth you must know.

Initially, Peter steps out of the boat in trust.

But those wind tossed waves did not seem as frightening from the boat.

Suddenly, when he is in the thick of the wind’s strength,

Peter no longer trusts Christ’s strength.

And he begins to sink.

But as he does,

He echoes Psalm 69,

As he cries out for Jesus to save him.

Immediately, Jesus reaches out and catches Peter.

But He asks Peter,

“You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

This raises an important question,

If Peter had greater or stronger faith,

Would he have been able to stay atop the water?

Many have come to this conclusion.

But the danger of thinking this way,

Is the way we apply it to ourselves.

Perhaps you have thought at one time or another,

If only I had more or stronger faith,

My mom would have been healed,

My marriage would be better,

I would have gotten that promotion instead of my coworker,

Or I would have more friends at school.

This way of thinking is not the point of what Jesus says to Peter here.

In fact, this skews faith entirely,

Making it seem like it is dependent on your own strength and ability.

The Bible presents very different guidelines for understanding faith.

What matters most is not the measure of your faith,

But the object of your faith.

Peter’s faith here is little,

Not in the sense that Jesus is expecting Peter to produce more faith,

But because Peter took his eyes off the object of his faith.

That is what caused Peter to sink.

This means your faith is strong,

Not when you faithercize,

But when the object of your faith is strong.

So, if you put your faith in your circumstances being settled,

Or anything else other than Christ,

It won’t matter how much or how strong your faith is.

You will sink sooner or later.

But when your eyes are on Christ.

When you know Christ and trust Christ,

Trust in His sovereignty,

His gracious, loving, and merciful strength,

That He is interceding for you,

And He is present with you

Then,

And only then,

Will you be able to rest securely.

Then and only then,

Will you be able to walk on water.

Slide

Hebrews 12:2 says it this way,

Hebrews 12:2 (ESV)

look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Instead of trying to feed thousands with lunch for one in your own strength,

Or trying to have a strong enough faith to walk on water,

Know that you are weak,

But He is strong,

And trust in Him.

Jesus provides peace in a world full of storms.

WE (Paint a picture of the future):

Slide

The moment Jesus gets back in the boat with the disciples,

The wind immediately stopped.

He is the only One who can bring peace in the middle of a storm.

And He promises He will come,

And bring a total and complete peace from all the storms in this world.

Let this promise encourage you to persevere amid trials until that day comes.

When we will worship Jesus forever,

Declaring the same truth as the disciples here in vs. 33,

Jesus, truly you are the Son of God!

This declaration means the disciples know that Jesus is God!

Their awe of Jesus has reached a new level.

Because He exercised authority over creation,

Something that only God could do.

So, they confess that He is the Son of God.

The Father has already called Jesus His Son,

Even demons have said that Jesus is the Son of God.

But for the very first time in Matthew,

The disciples know and declare that Jesus is the Son of God.

They know Jesus is God in their hearts.

And they confess it with their mouths.

Slide

It is this knowledge that demonstrates the relationship between belief and worship.

When we know who Jesus is,

We know He must be worshiped.

So, Members Must Know Jesus.

Know Him through His Word,

Respond in adoration,

Bow down at the feet of the One Who saves us,

And feast at the table with the One Who satisfies our hungry souls.

Know Jesus.

Worship Jesus.

Pray.