He Looked Beyond
Notes
Transcript
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 779 Wiping out “Fish” Sign
A man starting in the fish business hung out a sign, “Fresh Fish for Sale Today” and invited his friends to the opening. They all congratulated him on his enterprise, but one suggested his sign might be improved. Said he, “Why the “Today”? Of course it’s today, not yesterday or tomorrow.” So the fishmonger removed the word. Another said, “Why the “For Sale”? Everybody knows that, else why the store?” And off came the word. Another complained, “Why the word “Fresh”? Your integrity guarantees every fish to be fresh.” Finally, only “Fish” remained, but an objector said, “Why the sign? I smelled your fish two blocks away!”
Lord God, bless Your Word wherever it is proclaimed. Make it a Word of power and peace to convert those not yet Your own and to confirm those who have come to saving faith. May Your Word pass from the ear to the heart, from the heart to the, and from the lip to the life that, as You have promised, Your Word may achieve the purpose for which You send it, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
I’d like you to think back a couple of weeks, back to the time when, as recorded in Matt 13, Jesus told the parables of the Sower, of the Field, and of the Pearl. When Jesus finished teaching, He went into the house and His disciples asked him a question.
Does anyone remember what was the question that the disciples asked Jesus?
10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”
11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
Jesus taught the disciples, and He demonstrated who He was by the signs which He did in public, while also preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and of the need for repentance to the crowds and to the Scribes and Pharisees who were seeking to find an occasion against Him. The time came when Jesus shifted in His activity, and the shift was noticed by His disciples.
I want to ask a question of you saints:
Are you paying attention?
We are in a season, saints of God, when there has been a change in how God is dealing in this world. There are things happening, that God has allowed to take place, and our reaction to these things has been telling.
In 2008, America elected U.S. Senator Barack Obama as its 44th President of the United States. Prior to that election, Obama had served seven years in the Illinois State Senate, then represented that State for four years alongside Sen. Richard Durbin. There was a reaction to this election such as I do not remember in my lifetime. There was a hardening, a chill, that I had never experienced. Each of the parties blamed that hardening on one another, but the truth is, both sides drank deeply from the poisonous well.
After 8 years, President Obama stepped aside, and America elected Donald J. Trump, a businessman, to the Presidency. While Pres. Obama had minimal experience as an elected official, and none as a Chief Executive, his successor had no experience as an elected official, and his track record as a businessman was marked more by celebrity than success.
These two men did have something in common. They each ignited an intense loyalty on the part of those who supported them, and an equally intense hatred on the part of those who did not. So deep did this go that it became impossible to find anything good in the man if your were opposed to him, or anything bad in him if you supported him.
So deep did this divide go that it entered the doors of Christ’s church. The bride of Christ became divided, badly and bitterly. Two days ago, I wrote something online that received such a reaction that I had not experienced in my entire history as a participant in social media. Normally, I somewhat ruefully tell Lenita that my page is boring. For the past two days, it has been anything but.
America is now suffering from two crises, a health crisis and a social crisis. Both will require that we work together in order to find a meaningful solution, and neither can be solved without the help of God.
So what are we doing in this time when God’s hand seems to have been removed from us? How have we shown our recognition that we are dependent upon the grace of the Lord?
We don’t pray like we used to.
We don’t come together to seek the face of God. Our excuse is the COVID-19 Pandemic, but there are churches this morning where the leadership is divided between people who want to gather the saints for worship and people who want to keep the saints apart for fear of becoming infected.
We are less concerned with repentance and reconciliation than we are with justice and revenge, with some pastors even saying the malevolent statement, “No justice, no peace.” That was wrong, but so is the the attitude that rejects the pain felt by those who say the words, “Black Lives Matter,” not because they desire the destruction of America, but simply because they want to know that they are included in the vision of “America the Beautiful.”
“Don’t let the perfect become the enemy of the good” is an old phrase. It means, don’t let the goal of perfection lead you to do nothing because it isn’t perfect. It might not be perfect, but it can be good enough.
15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.”
Five loaves and two fish, but what are they among so many? That isn’t near enough! There are so many; what can I do in the face of the exceeding sinfulness of sin?
8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Not withhold justice, do justice.
11 Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? 13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. 14 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
Not withhold peace, seek peace.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
You don’t get to claim the title of “peacemaker” when your words are drawn swords. “Those who live by the sword will perish by the sword.” Jesus didn’t say that to the Pharisees or to the Roman soldiers, He said it to Peter. The power of the Word brought all of creation into existence; the power of our words can hurt people without spilling a drop of blood, and can entice others to spill gallons of it in the name of a noble purpose. God has the power to speak life into that which was dead. It’s called the Gospel! When we speak that Word, we speak life into the lives of people who were in the valley and shadow of death. We can bring people into the presence of the Prince of Life; why settle for the pottage of human celebrity? It’s true that man does not live by bread alone, but Jesus also said, “When I was hungry, you fed me. When? “When you did it to the least of these, My brothers.”
19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Did any of them deserve that meal? No, but they were there, they were hungry, and Jesus was present. The presence of Christ means something. It means that life is present. The presence of Christ means that grace is present. The presence of Christ means that peace is present. The presence of Christ means that forgiveness is present.
Are you seeking men to give you peace? Let that go! Their peace won’t last anyway! Are you looking for men to affirm your value? Let that go! What they give, they can take away
God gave you peace through His Peace Child!
God gave you life when He breathed the Spirit into you, and gave you double for your sins by pouring life-giving water over your mortal body!
The Father looked beyond your faults- and gave you a promise!
The Son looked beyond your faults - and gave you His Body and Blood!
The Holy Spirit looked beyond your faults - and gave you the beauty of holiness!
When I think about Jesus and what He’s done for me - When I think about Jesus, and how He set me free -
Well, maybe I can’t dance, but I get joy, joy , joy in my soul!
When the stuff you’re thinking about makes you sad, think about Jesus. When the stuff you’re thinking about makes you mad, think about Jesus! Let Him fill you up!
And let the peace of God, that passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.