HOW MUCH CAN YOU TRUST GOD FOR IN 1999?

HOW MUCH CAN YOU TRUST GOD FOR IN 1999? Mark 6:30-34 January 3, 1999 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introductory Following the narrative 6:30-31 - Mark’s story jumps to a new scene--normally he has more of a “flow” to his story in this gospel.  Disciples apparently had just been sent out to do ministry, and they came back pretty excited.  I love to sit down over lunch with a cell leader who just the night before had a great experience in ministering to people.  The crowd was too much for them and Jesus suggested they “get away” from it all and go on a private retreat.  But that didn’t work... 6:32-33 - Their attempt to cut across the lake to a more private place was ill-fated because the people could see where they were headed, and they ran ahead of them, arriving before Jesus and the disciples could get out of the boat.  My guess is the disciples’ response was probably a bit like mine might have been - “Man, can’t we even get away for just a few minutes?!” 6:34-36 - Jesus’ reaction was one of compassion.  His understanding of the people’s real feelings was one of seeing them like sheep without a shepherd.   Sheep are terribly stupid animals, and are quite vulnerable to everything--thieves, wolves, the elements.   But there is one time when they are particularly vulnerable--that is, when they have no shepherd.  I think the disciples picked up on this assessment.  Maybe when they looked at Jesus for His take on the situation they saw something in His expression that told them He was moved with compassion.  So they brought their advice to bear - “Send the folks out to pick up lunch at McDonald’s or Burger King--that’ll give them a chance to eat and us a chance for this little meeting we were planning.” 6:37-38 - Jesus always had a way of coming up with a comment you would never have suspected.  Mark had a knack for remembering them, too--he is always recording in his gospel how those who heard Jesus were astonished at what He said.  Well the disciples were the shocked ones now! They argued with Jesus just a little here, as they thought how preposterous a notion it was that they could play host to thousands on the spot.  “That would cost way too much!  Even a happy meal for each of them would cost us over $20,000 (figure it up 5,000 men & at least that many women & children X $2.29???)--Besides, we can’t do that.  We don’t have any food.” One more seemingly ridiculous question, “How many loaves do you have?”   Now, a couple of questions of my own come up here: Why does Jesus ask ‘how many’ loaves they do have?  Number one, it would take 10-15,000 loaves--He knows they don’t have anywhere remotely near enough.  Even if they had a  Wonder Bread truck full of bread, it would only feed a couple hundred!  Second question:   He’s about to work a miracle--the disciples may not know that, but He does!   Why does He need the paltry few loaves they can muster?  He created the entire universe out of nothing with a few spoken words!  Why, He could come up with the five tons of food they would need here with both hands tied behind His back, blindfolded and reciting the Shema at the same time!  What did he want with the few scroungy pieces of bread the disciples could come up with?  We’ll come back to that. Well, they found a kid nearby who was willing to give the Master his and his little brother’s lunch--five slices of bread and a couple of Mrs. Paul’s fish patties.  This is all they could come up with on the spur of the moment, and I imagine they gave Jesus their report with a little bit of “We told you so!” in their voices.   Jesus responds with an eerie directive - “Have the people sit down in cell groups, sections and zones on the grass - AGAIN WITH THE ASTONISHMENT STUFF! Actually, though, don’t miss some of the hidden astonishing detail here. Jesus is about to feed thousands of people in the wilderness (a “remote place” - vs. 35), with no apparent resources...  Remember Moses in the wilderness? “Where shall I find meat to give to all these people?” (Numbers 11).  As God provided through the intercession of Moses, Jesus would provide for the hungry people.   Psalm 23:1 - “He makes me to lie down in green pastures...” The crowd is being arranged into field groups of hundreds and fifties, recalling the order of the Mosaic camp plans in the wilderness, after Jethro encouraged Moses to organize and delegate.    Interestingly, in the documents of the Qumran, which were already in existence at this time in history, and might well have been quoted often among some of the people in this scene, these subdivisions of hundreds and fifties were used to describe “true Israel” assembled in the desert in the period of the last days.   Folks here is the eschatological, last days Chief Shepherd, the second Moses who is ready to once again transform a leaderless flock of thousands into a worshipping, thankful community of well-fed believers in God. 6:39-41 - Notice the order of grace:  Jesus offered thanks for the food.  In Judaism, it was a stringent rule that nothing should be eaten without thanking God before and after the meal.  Here we have Jesus performing the duty of the host of a meal, offering words of thanks over the loaves and fish.  Jesus followed the time-honored blessing--but they never really focused on blessing the food itself, but the Lord.  Typically, the prayer for such a meal would be, “Praise unto Thee, O Lord our God, King of the world, who makes bread to come forth from the earth.”  (Spin off 1 Tim. 4:4) So, Jesus proceeds in very kosher form, except for one thing--He does not bow His head as He speaks to the Father; He looked up to heaven. Then, as a good Jewish head of the household would do, he breaks the bread into pieces and passes the food to the next eldest who would serve it to the others.  You just can hardly escape the imagery of the Eucharist here, can you?  In John’s account (Jn 6), it is so clear. Then, the miracle.  How does it take place, really?  Some who take great liberal liberties with the scripture, and who come at the Bible already prejudiced against miracles, say that with the example of the generous boy giving up his lunch, the people were stirred to follow his example.  And when Jesus prayed over such a few loaves and fish, shame set in.  So, all the people who had hitherto been selfish, did as the unselfish by had done and gave away their lunches.  (!!!???) But, when did the miracle of multiplication take place?  Was it when Jesus prayed?   Or, was it in the hands of the disciples as they distributed it? Or, was it in the hands of those who ate where the miracle took place?  In one sense, we have to say, ”Who cares?” In another sense, though, we kind of know.  It took place in that hidden place, tucked away out of sight and out of chronological time...  The same place where, when you prayed that God would help you through a tough time financially, and an unexpected check arrived in the mail...  Or when you went out on faith and you wrote the tithe check to the Lord’s work which you pledged to Him, knowing things would be very tight and ends might not meet that week, but you ended up the week not only in the black, but with money to spare...   For a few minutes you went back to the checkbook, through the receipts and through your memory to find out how in the world you stayed solvent, until you realized that there was no way to figure it out, and not until then did you say, “Oh, it was the Lord...” Or you were on your way home, the gas tank was completely empty and you had thirty more miles to go, and no money and no Clark station in sight.  so you prayed, and you made it home, and the gas gauged mysteriously showed a sixteenth of a tank yet!  Or, you were in church leadership and an important need in someone’s life amounting to $500 comes up--the church funds don’t have it, so you pray and three days later someone completely unaware of the need writes and extra check for $500 and “feels led” to apply it to “whatever need comes up”.   Or, a missionary you support named Wendy calls to say she’s had car trouble and needs $250.  You assure her in some trumped-up faith-y kind of way that you’re sure the church will help cover the emergency, and you hang up and claw your way to heaven, because you know the coffers are bare, then, two days later, someone not in the know writes an extra check for $250 and asks that it be applied to whatever missions need there was at the time. It’s a curious thing about God’s ways - they usually only make a little sense to us and they’re beyond figuring out.  But then when you look back, you see the stealthy, hidden hand of God working miracles all through the story.  And all you can say is “Praise the Lord--He’s so faithful!”  And you try to testify to someone about how God provided and you can see they’re not nearly as impressed as you are, so you move on mumbling, “I guess you had to be there..” The disciples didn’t understand when or how it happened -- they were too busy picking up twelve basketsful of leftovers, shaking their heads, saying, “Can you believe this guy?!”  Because they’re just coming to fully realize what Jesus had done.   Did you ever stop to think why it’s not till the end of the story that Mark records that it was 5,000 men who were served?  Probably for the next week the subject of the conversation was, “Man, that was something!  There had to have been five thousand men there with the families!  And He fed them all!   Incredible!” Concluding Exhortations It seems we’re always looking back in astonishment at what the Lord did. And usually there wasn’t much faith applied in those events, otherwise we would not be so surprised.  There’s a funny little story about Noah Webster, that guy who more than anyone else was preoccupied with the proper use of words. It was said that one time his wife walked into the room to find him kissing the maid.  She said, “Well, Noah Webster, I am surprised!”  Webster responded, “No, my dear, you are ASTONISHED--it is I who am surprised!” I would like us to consider what the Lord might want to do through us (both individually and corporately) in the coming year, 1999.  Let’s see if we might not be able to be astonished by the things God will do BEFORE He does them. In the scripture, this is called FAITH.  To know and fully trust IN ADVANCE what the Lord is going to do.  In this case, it is usually Jesus who is the one who is astonished or surprised.  A Roman centurion asks that his servant be healed, but insists that Jesus not come all the way to his house to do it--he could just speak the word, and it would happen.  “When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, ‘I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith...’” Consider three things with me concerning the disciples and their role in this story.   First, they failed to consider the resources of God.  Jesus tried to give them a few clues about what He was going to do.  They were trusting in what they knew and what they could see--five loaves and two fish.  They did not stop to consider what God had available for them.  I am not suggesting that they were always supposed to be going around feeding people miraculously, and that that is what they missed.  No, faith doesn’t presume on God or tempt God to do what one thinks God ought to do.   Faith lays hold on what God wants to do, then believes Him for it--trusts in advance. Jesus had to convince the disciples their own resources were not enough--and THAT’S why He had them go through the ordeal of finding what they could. He wanted to demonstrate for them, in vivid detail, how little they had in and of themselves.  He wanted them to know that when God does His work through them, it is not God depending on their abilities, but it had to be them depending on His resources.  Look back for a moment at verse 30, the verse which introduces this story.  The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that THEY had done and taught.  It was precisely then that Jesus said let’s find a quiet place where we can visit about these things, guys. Brothers and sisters, it is not, has not been and never will be what we do in our strength and resource for God.  All that matters is what we let HIM do through US.  It is HIS POWER and OUR FAITH/TRUST.  When we look ahead at 1999 and we consider the things we believe God has led us to do for Him, we must never start with this premise: “Well, let’s see what resources we have...”   If we do, God has to show us all over again that, in and of ourselves, we are nothing but five loaves & two fish people facing Goliath sized needs around us.  Let’s start with this question: “What do we believe God can do through us?  The history teacher asked his class this question, “A distinguished foreigner was a big help to the American colonists during the Revolutionary War.  Can you give me his name, Tommy?”  Tommy answered, “Uh, God?” A couple of seasons ago, when the NBA WAS playing basketball, Chicago Bulls rookie forward Stacy King scored one point in a game in which Michael Jordan scored 69 points.  King’s analysis of the game was: “I’ll always remember this as the night that Michael Jordan and I combined to score 70 points in one game!”  That’s about what it’s like with us and God’s power.   Ephesians 3:20 tells us that He is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or even imagine by His power at work within us.  Start like this as you begin your resolution-making for the year:  “How much can God do through me this year?”   Seriously, ask Him! If you were stirred by the evangelistic fervor of Bob Harrington again this past month, and you thought, “I could be more effective at witnessing to those around me!  I could see people saved through my influence by God’s help!”  Ask “How many people could God influence to accept Christ through me in 1999?”  How many do you think He would LIKE to reach through you?   How many can you trust God for in 1999? You’ve been challenged by the Lord to be a more generous giver.  You currently give about 7% of your income to the Lord.  Don’t start calculating by looking at your checkbook and budget (you do need to consider these things, of course, but don’t start there).  Start by asking “How much could God provide through me in 1999?” People who start out with this kind of thinking are the ones who see God do great things.   There is a method of giving often associated with missions donations called ‘FAITH PROMISE’. The principle behind this is that you PRAY IN ADVANCE, asking God, what would you give through me above and beyond what I am already giving?  When you get an answer, no matter how ridiculous it seems, write it down and begin trusting God for it.   Many testimonies of miracles arise out of such a faith-stretching approach. Let me ask you, do you want to EXCEL in the things of God this year, or do you want to be an ‘ALSO RAN’?  Is it about time you started trusting God for much more than you’ve ever trusted Him before?!  John Maxwell wrote, When I am secure in Christ, I can afford to take a risk in my life.  Only the insecure cannot afford to risk failure.  The secure can be honest about themselves.   They can admit failure. They are able to seek help and try again.  They can change. Don’t be like the disciples who failed to consider the resources of God. The second thing about the disciples in this story is they saw the situation as only a problem for them and not as an opportunity for God’s work. The disciples saw a lot of hungry people as a problem.  Jesus saw the whole thing as an opportunity -- not only to do the work of God in feeding the people, but also in teaching the disciples a thing or two about faith. Chuck Swindoll said it well, “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.”  If you have a pulse, you have problems.  Problems are part of life.  But if you are in Christ, you are in the best place--a place of security, a place where you can bet all you have on the right outcome.  The scariest place in all the world is anyplace outside His will. But if you are trusting Christ, and willing to follow Him, even when it appears stupid or impossible, then you will witness stupid becoming stupendous, and the impossible coming possible.  Jesus said with that kind of faith you can move mountains into the sea. Max Lucado wrote about Robert:  His hands are twisted and his feet are useless.   He can’t bathe himself.  he can’t brush his teeth, comb his hair, or put on his underwear.  His shirts are held together by strips of Velcro.  Robert has cerebral palsy.  The disease keeps him from driving a car, riding a bike, and going for a walk.  But it didn’t keep him from graduating from Abilene Christian University with a degree in Latin.   It didn’t keep him from teaching at a junior College in St. Louis or from venturing overseas on five mission trips, or from becoming a missionary to Portugal.”  Lucado recalls, “ I heard Robert speak recently.  he could have asked for sympathy or pity, but he did just the opposite.   He held his bent hand up in the air and boasted, “I have everything I need for joy.” A couple of years ago at the Praise Gathering in Indianapolis I heard another man with seriously disabling cerebral palsy speak.  He said in a very halting voice, “I have cerebral palsy.  This year I will speak about Jesus Christ to over 250,000 people.  What’s your problem?” God not only knows about the problems that come our way, He deliberately lets them come.   Why?  Because He’s not just wanting to see IF we have faith in those times, He is using those things to DEVELOP our faith.  So, you see, nothing can beat you!  So, decide now in the coming year to call every would-be problem you face an OPPORTUNITY. The third mistake the disciples made is they failed to be PRO-ACTIVE. Most people are content to let life happen to them.  They don’t worry about growing in faith, changing, becoming better persons for God.  Every year they are the same people.   “Even a dead fish can float downstream!”  One day Charlie Brown was in his back yard having target practice with his bow and arrows.  he would pull the bow string back and le t the arrow fly into a fence. Then he would go to where the arrow had landed and draw a target around it. Lucy said to Charlie, “You don’t have target practice that way.  You draw the target , then shoot the arrow.”   Charlie’s response:  “I know that, but if you do it my way, you never miss.” Are you satisfied to be an accidental Christian with no real goals or aim in life?  I want to challenge that tendency to live limp.  Look to God who empowers you, trust in His ability to supply all that you’ll ever need and move out for Him! Next week, we will be presenting the 1999 goals for MECF which we, the Leadership Team, believe God is leading us to.  They are a stretch, a challenge.  You see, what you aim at is what you usually hit (or, at least come close to).  If you set goals that are consecrated through prayer and godly wisdom, you will hit them.  If you set nothing as a goal, that’s exactly what you’ll hit. Here’s what I challenge you to do.  Pray this week about your part in seeing this church do everything in 1999 we believe God is calling us to do.  For example, we trusted God one year ago, when we were overseeing eight cell groups, that He could let us have 20 cell groups in 1998.  We reached 25 and are currently at 24.  We are believing Him in 1999 for 50 cell groups (Listen, we are called to establish 1,000 cell groups, and I for one don’t want to wait any longer to realize that goal than I have to).  Some will scoff at that (that’s OK, because they scoffed at 20 in 98, too, thinking a 150% growth was impossible in one year).  A year ago we sought the Lord and asked Him to provide future facilities for us.  We are buying land now, and when that’s done, we will build.  We’re believing God can pay off the Ashland Avenue property through us in 1999.   We are believing God for 400 in Celebration by the end of 1999.   I challenge each of you to believe with us. Then, I also challenge you to set some faith-stretching, God-trusting goals in your own life, too.  What you aim at you will hit or come close to.  What’ll it be in 1999?  You’re going to win two people to Jesus?  Become a cell leader? Give $1,000 more into the Lord’s work than you did last year?  Learn to treat people kindly?  Stop swearing, stop arguing, stop smoking, stop overeating, stop gossiping, stop watching and reading things that are no good for your soul?  Start praying more regularly, read the Bible through, use your spiritual gifts more, join a cell group, start a new cell group, share your faith with your work associates?  These are all good, but set a goal, a godly goal. Than, when your goals are set, and you believe God would be honored by them, or even that He led you to them, bring all that you have, your 5 loaves and 2 fish, and ask Him to multiply your efforts by His power.  Don’t you want to come to Celebration   the first week of 2000 (wherever we’ll be meeting), and be able to look back on 1999 and say, “He did immeasurably more than I asked or even imagined by His power at work within me.”       [Top]