Jesus Heals and Feeds the Four Thousand.

Opening:

Good-morning again Connection Church! It is so good to be back with you again this morning. I am so glad that you have decided to come together to worship Christ. It is a beautiful thing to gather together on the Lord’s Day. Our purpose here is to worship Christ and to see the world worshipping Christ!

Introduction of the Text:

At this time we are transitioning into our time of worship where we are going to open the Word of God, read it and hear it preached. Because of this, I will ask you to open with me to Matthew 15:29-39.

We have been working our way verse by verse through the gospel of Matthew. We have learned much and have made our way through much of this gospel. In a short amount of time, we have learned that Matthew was written, as it’s name indicates, was written by the Apostle Matthew. Matthew wrote this account to a Jewish audience. As can be expected, Matthew, as the author of this book has a specific purpose in writing it. Matthew’s purpose in this book is so that the audience would come to know who Jesus is. Specifically, Matthew is revealing several serious and important things about Jesus. He is emphasizing that Jesus is God. He is also emphasizing Jesus as King. Matthew has defended this through pointing again and again to the fulfilled prophecies about Christ. This is the clear purpose of why Matthew wrote this book. It is important to understand this so that we can understand this book in context.

Reading of the Text:

With this in mind, I would ask the congregation to stand with me for the reading of God’s Word. Matthew 15:29-39

29 Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. 30 And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, 31 so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.

32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” 33 And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?” 34 And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35 And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 37 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 38 Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 And after sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.

The Word of God, let’s pray.

Prayer:

Dear heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us the privilege and opportunity to come together and worship you. Thank you for calling us out of the world and into the Kingdom. We are not worthy of this and we know that it was nothing we did or said that saved us. We are so thankful that it was grace alone that saved us. Because you have saved us, we come to worship you. Thank you for saving us! May all we do today be worship before you! May we not take this for granted. May we worship you in Spirit and truth. Please accept this morning as an offering of worship to you.

Lord, we ask for opportunities to evangelize our community. We want to worship you, but we long to see all the earth worshipping you. We long to see the Lead community worshipping you. We long to see this church grow and reach the community around us. Please give us boldness, and give us opportunities to share the hope we have with those around us. Help us to invite others into worshipping you on the Lord’s day.

Finally Lord, I ask for myself. Help me to lead well. Help me to shepherd this, your church, with fear and trembling. May I teach sound doctrine and educate your people in the truth of your Word. May I not speak anything against you or your word. Now please open hearts to the preaching of your word. Draw us into yourself. Save the lost and sanctify the elect Lord. We ask this in Jesus name, amen.

Transition:

As we open this passage, the first thing we see recorded about Christ is that He heals many.

Explanation:

Jesus Heals Many.

Explanation:

Jesus has just left the regions of Tyre and Sidon. He is now back by the sea of Galilee. One thing I want to point out about the passage last week is that Jesus did one thing in the area of Tyre and Sidon. He healed the faithful Canaanite woman’s daughter. That is all that is recorded. This is a good indication that this was the reason Jesus went there. Since He accomplished what He went to do, He returned to the sea of Galilee where He did the majority of His work.

We open this passage to a peaceful scene. We see Jesus walking along the beach. It always amazes me to see how often Jesus slows down and is at a peaceful task. He is enjoying a walk along the beach, then He leaves the beach and goes and sits on the mountain. This is a side note, but I think one of the most beautiful things about the gospel is how much is recorded about the character and enjoyments of our Lord.It is recorded that He went to weddings and enjoyed the receptions. It is recorded that He often ate with people. It is recorded that He walked along a beach and then went into the mountains and sat down. Perhaps I take notice of this because these two things are two of my favorite things in the world. I love to walk along a beach and I love to walk into the mountains and just sit.

However, Jesus did not just sit in the mountains alone. He was followed by great crowds. They followed Him and brought with them the sick and afflicted. Jesus was not annoyed by this intrusion into His time alone. Instead, He shows great mercy and compassion. He heals all the sick brought to Him. Matthew records that He heals the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others. Jesus heals them all.

Then the reaction of the crowds is recorded. They are in wonder at the miracles of Jesus. We know that they are truly in awe and wonder because Matthew records in the next verses that they were with Jesus for three days. They are struck in awe by the power of Christ. But this is not all. Matthew records for us that they glorified the God of Israel. This is a powerful and unique inclusion. Why does Matthew record that they worshipped the “God of Israel?” Why does it not just say they worshipped God? Well, not everyone agrees on this, so take it with a grain of salt. However, Jesus was just on the side of the sea of Galilee that was heavily populated by Gentiles. There is no record of Him crossing the sea or moving back into the heavily Jewish areas yet. It is likely that a large portion of those present were Gentiles. Like I said, not everyone agrees on this, but I believe it is more than likely the case. This makes it very significant that the crowds all worshipped the God of Israel.

Illustration:

Either way, Jesus is here acting as a gracious King. His palace is creation. His court is the mountains around the sea of Galilee. His throne is a mountain rock. Yet all are welcomed into His court. He welcomes them with open arms. “Bring me your sick and wounded,” seems to be His decree. The crowds answer this decree willingly. They come to the gracious and glorious King. They come to Him and He heals them. Christ here shows His grace and compassion. He gives freely to those in need. What a gracious King is our great King.

Transition:

However, this is not the only compassion recorded for us in this account. We see next that Jesus feeds the four thousand.

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand.

Explanation:

Matthew continues recording the mercy of Christ. We see Jesus call His disciples and express His compassion on the crowds. Jesus says that He is unwilling to send the crowds away without feeding them. The crowds had been with Jesus for three days. Now they likely had brought food, but had exhausted their wares. Jesus does not want them to faint on their long journey home. So He expresses His desires to the disciples.

Here we see the block-headed nature of the disciples. They who had previously witnessed Jesus provide for a larger crowd than the present one ask Christ how they could possibly feed the crowd. They were quick to forget who Christ is. If I could give a quick word of application here. I said the disciples had a block-headed nature. They were dumb. But so are we. We like them are quick to forget who Christ is. Jesus provides for us and then the next hardship we face, we forget this. We instantly forget how Jesus has provided for us. As the puritan commentator Matthew Henry points out, “Forgetting former experiences leaves us under present doubts.” This is why we need to constantly remind ourselves and each other of the great things Jesus has done! We must constantly remind each other of who Christ is. We, like the disciples are prone to forget Christ. Remind each other of the truth’s of scripture on a regular basis!

Jesus however does not rebuke the disciples. He patiently asks what they have. This time they have seven loaves and several fish. Jesus directs the crowd to sit down in preparation of their coming meal. They obey. Jesus took the loaves and fish and gives thanks to God for them. He then breaks them and gives them to the disciples to distribute. Once again the disciples are witness to an incredible miracle. Rather than run out after the first two rows of people, everyone receives enough to be filled and they gather up seven full baskets of bread and fish. Again Jesus shows His divinity in creating bread and fish as only God can. He feeds this time four thousand men, not counting the women and children. What an incredible display of His authority over creation He displayed for the second time!

Jesus then dismisses the crowds and then He and the disciples depart for the region of Magadan.

Illustration:

Imagine if you would being part of this crowd. You are there with Jesus for three days. You have seen Him heal the lame and blind and deaf. Perhaps He even healed people you knew. You and over eight thousand others have seen this incredible display of power. You then willingly stay and hear Him teach and preach. You stay as long as you possibly can. You’ve run out of any food you may have had the forethought to bring, but still you stay. Who else can heal people like this? Who else has the words of life?

You stay just to be near Jesus. Just to hear Him preach and teach. He then instructs you to sit down. Obviously you obey. He then holds up a small amount of bread and fish and gives thanks. You hear Him thank God for the provision of bread and fish. You look out at the crowd and then examine your place. You’re fairly close to the front but you know how distribution works. You may get a crumb or two by the time the meager meal makes its way to you. But you stay because this is Jesus. You’ve seen Him heal the un-healable. You trust this great teacher. To your amazement as the disciples pass with baskets, you don’t just receive a crumb. You receive enough bread and fish to be filled and fully satisfied. And to your amazement the disciples keep going. You see Peter and Andrew and Judas continue on past you. They continue on until they are out of your sight. Everyone receiving as much food as you received. Then you see them walk back to Jesus with full baskets!

Transition:

This is an incredible several days. We can learn several things about Jesus from this passage. We can see His character on display here. First we see that Jesus has compassion of people.

Argumentation:

Jesus Has Compassion on People.

Explanation:

There is a theological term I want to teach you. There is a principle known as “Common Grace.” This refers to the grace that God shows to all people. This is referred to in passages like Matthew 5:44-45 “44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” The saved and the unsaved receive blessing from God. God does not just bless the saved. There were likely those in the crowd that trusted in Christ as the Messiah. However, Matthew does not record this as being a revival. There is no record of these people turning from their sins and following Christ. Yet Jesus still has compassion on all these people.

Unsaved still enjoy the sunrise and the sunsets. They have children and enjoy things in life. Remember, James 1:16-17 says “16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” God is the giver of all good things. We know that not all will be saved, and we know that as sinners all people deserve death and hell. No one is entitled to anything good from God. However, God in His great mercy and grace, gives good gifts to all. This is the common grace of God.

This is on extreme display in this passage. Jesus heals the people and provides food for them. Christ is showing great compassion. And Christ is showing compassion on all of these people. Not just those who are saved but everyone here.

Illustration:

Argumentation:

This is a big deal. Often we take the grace of God for granted. But we should not do so! The amazing thing is not that people face wrath or punishment. The amazing thing is that God would show any mercy. We have all broken the Law of God. We are all guilty and sinners. We are all sinful to the core. We are all totally depraved. To our very nature we are sinners deserving of wrath. These people did not deserve healing. Sin is the cause of all sickness and pain and death. But rather than giving these people what they deserved, Jesus shows compassion.

And this is a fundamental part of the nature of God. He is wrathful and angry against sin. This is right and just. But He is also loving and compassionate. He shows His compassion and grace here in healing and feeding these people. This should put us in the same state these people were in. It should cause us to be in wonder of Christ. Who is this who gives good gifts to all? Who is this who heals sinners? Who is this who feeds the hungry? This is God, displaying His grace and Mercy on sinners. This is incredible and wonderful! I pray we never take the compassion of our savior for granted. I love how J.C. Ryle puts it. He says, “Christ’s mercy is a deep well, of which no one ever found the bottom.”

Transition:

In this incredible display of compassion we see that Jesus can heal our physical sickness.

Jesus Can Heal Our Physical Sickness.

Explanation:

Jesus starts this display of compassion by healing the sick. Specifically we see our Lord heal lame and crippled. Jesus touches those who cannot walk. The crowds carried those who could not walk to Jesus. Jesus also heals the blind. Our Lord cares for those who cannot see and heals them. The blind were lead by the crowds and Jesus gives them sight. Jesus also heals the mute. Those who through sickness or oppression are unable to speak come to Christ. As they come to Jesus, their bound tongues are loosed and they can speak.

Jesus again displays His authority over various sickness. The sick and wounded come to Jesus and leave whole. This alone is incredible. This alone shows us the power of our Lord. He is the Great Physician. He can heal the sick.

Argumentation:

Our Lord is Lord over all, including sickness. This is not something that is gone. Christ is still Lord over sickness. You all know my hatred of the prosperity gospel. You have all heard me preach and teach against this heretical movement. This movement states that it is always God’s will to heal all who are sick. It states that God always wants to heal everyone, the only reason you are sick is because you lack faith. This is a lie and a damaging lie. We see many examples even in Matthew’s own account of Jesus leaving areas where there are still sick. We see examples of people being healed without even knowing who Jesus is, let alone having “enough faith.”

However, Christ is still the great physician. He still has power and authority over sickness. We are commanded to pray for healing for the sick. We are not promised that everyone will be healed every-time. But we are to pray in faith that God can heal those who are sick. My job as the pastor or the elder or the bishop here at this church is to come and pray for the sick. Listen to the command in James 5:14. “14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” I take this command seriously. If any of you are sick, I hope you know that I, as your pastor, will gladly come and pray for you. We will pray in faith that God can heal you, that God will heal you, but even if He doesn’t, He is still God. He is still worthy of worship and praise. We pray for healing, knowing that He is able; but worshipping Him no matter what happens.

Here is a very practical application. Are you sick? Call and I will come and anoint you with oil and we will pray for healing knowing that our Lord is able to heal according to His will. I would be honored to pray with and for you when you are sick.

Transition:

However, there is an even deeper level of healing. The healing of the body is amazing and wonderful! But the healing of the body is a picture of something even better! Jesus can heal our spiritual sickness.

Jesus Can Heal Our Spiritual Sickness.

Explanation:

The miracles of Jesus were all signs to point to the greater reality of who He is. He touches the sick and they are made well. He calls bread and fish into existence and it is created. He has all authority and power. He is Lord of all. This is to show who He is and why He came. He did not come just to heal physical sickness. He came to forgive the sins of lost wretched sinners like us. His display of power of physical sickness was to prove His power over the spiritual sickness we all suffer from.

Illustration:

Argumentation:

Physical sickness is terrible and our Lord can heal. But even worse is our sin. We are dead in our sins, but our Lord is able to bring us to life. The one who can loose tongues and make the lame walk and make the dead live is able to bring dead sinners to life. In my preparation, I found that J.C. Ryle put it better than I ever could. “Let us however not forget that our souls are far more diseased than our bodies, and learn a lesson from the conduct of these people. Our souls are afflicted with a malady far more deep-seated, far more complicated, far more hard to cure than any ailment that flesh is heir to. They are in fact plague-stricken by sin. They must be healed, and healed effectually, or perish everlastingly. Do we really know this? Do we feel it?” He goes on, “There is no ailment of heart that He cannot cure. There is no form of spiritual complaint that He cannot overcome. The fever of lust, the palsy of the love of the world, the slow consumption of indolence and sloth, the heart-disease of unbelief, all, all give way when he sends forth His Spirit on any one of the children of men. He can put a new song in a sinner’s mouth, and make him speak with love of that Gospel which he once ridiculed and blasphemed. He can open the eyes of a man’s understanding and make him see the kingdom of God. He can open the ears of a man and make him willing to hear His voice, and follow Him whithersoever He goeth. He can give power to a man who once walked in the broad way that leadeth unto destruction, to walk in the way of life. He can make hands that were once instruments of sin, serve Him and do His will.”

I fear that we forget the greater miracle of salvation. We are nowhere promised physical healing every time we cry out for it. However, we are promised that “13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13. The soul that calls out to Christ will be saved! This is the promise of Scripture. Salvation is a miracle! The Spirit comes in and brings our dead souls to life and gives us the faith to believe on Christ for salvation. This is miraculous. This is one of the primary reasons I preach. Paul continues on in Romans 10:14-17 “14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

This is the beauty of preaching the gospel. Lost, dead sinners hear the Word of God and are regenerated. If you are here and you are saved, this is what happened in your life. Perhaps we have not all felt the physical healing touch of our Lord, but if you are saved, you have felt the spiritual healing touch of Christ. What joy! What a miracle! This is why we are gathered to worship Jesus! He has saved us! If you are here and you are still lost in your sins, you have a promise that if you repent and trust in Christ, you will be saved! You have the promise of salvation. Call out to Christ today and you will be saved! this is the compassion of our Lord. He does not owe us salvation, but in mercy and grace and compassion, it is freely offered.

Transition:

As if this were not enough, we see even more compassion in this beautiful passage. We see that Jesus provides for our needs.

Jesus Provides for Our Needs.

Explanation:

The people were hungry and had no food. They had a long journey ahead of them and our Lord was concerned that they would faint on this journey. So He provides food for them. He meets their need for food. And if we take James 1:17 seriously, every good gift is from above. This means that all the good we receive is from Christ. This includes the very food we eat. We see in this passage, Jesus from His own hands provide food for the people. We may not see the hands of Christ break the bread we eat, but it is as if we should.

Argumentation:

We, as the people of God, should see the hands of Christ giving us the very bread we eat. He provides for the birds of the air and even more so for us. The clothes we wear, the house we live is, the food we eat, and so much more are all gifts from God. This is why it is common practice to thank God for our food before we eat. Traditionally, some have thanked God after their meals, but the intent is the same. We give thanks for the food we eat. We model what Jesus did and give thanks for the bread we eat.

Now this does not mean that we will be given the best of the best. Jesus does not give the people a four course steak dinner. He gives them bread and fish. This is not a rich man’s meal, but it is a gift from God. In the same way, we are not promised the best food, best clothes, best cars, or best houses. But we do know that all the provision we have is a gift from God. Weather it is rice and beans or burgers, the provision is a gift from God and should be treated as such.

God has provided for us greatly. We must see this as a gift from the hand of God. Remember, we deserve nothing from God. We have all sinned and are deserving of death. God in mercy has provided salvation. But more than this, He has given us jobs where we can earn money to buy things for His glory. We can purchase milk and eggs and bread. And if we are being honest, He has blessed us abundantly here in our beloved nation. In His providence, He has given us great blessings here. This is why we are commanded to give of what we have. We are to treat all we have as gifts from God. This frees us to be generous with what we have. We are to give to the church and to those in need. If there are those in need among us, we are to treat what we have as gifts from God. We help those in need. We are to model the compassion of Christ.

We do this with wisdom. It is unwise to give money to an alcoholic who will waste the money on booze. It is unwise to give a drug addict money to spend on drugs. But this is not an excuse to be ungenerous or compassionate. All we have is a gift from God and we are to aid those in need. We are especially to aid those in need among us. If you are a part of this church and in need, do not be prideful. Let us help you with the gifts God has given us. Come to Katharine and my house, we will feed you a meal. We have what I call our “Sabbath meal” on Saturday night before service. It is a celebration of God’s blessing and a time of preparation for the Lord’s Day. We eat fairly late, but join us!

I will swallow my pride and say that we will likely have needs when our child gets here. Babies are expensive and hard. We will likely need help. Do not be prideful if you have needs. But beyond that, be willing to give of the gifts that God has given you. Have people to your table. Love one another! Invite each other over to your houses to love one another.

Christ has provided for our needs just as He provided for those people with the bread and the fish. We should rejoice over this and see all we have as gifts from our Lord. But if you get anything from this message, I hope you see the beauty of God’s gift of salvation. It is humbling to know that all we have is a gift from God, but it is even more humbling to know that God has saved us from our sins.

Marvel with me over the beauty of the gospel for a moment. We are all sinners. We have transgressed the Law of God. We have sinned against the God of the universe. Rightfully we all deserve death and eternal punishment in hell. That is just. But God has shown great mercy and grace in providing salvation to all who trust in Him. We are unable to work our way into salvation. Nothing we do can save us. But by grace alone through faith alone we may be saved. The Holy Spirit comes in and gives us new life. He brings us to life from our dead state of sin and corruption. Our sins are forgiven and we are given the righteousness of Christ. All that is required is to repent, to turn away from our sin, and trust in what Jesus did on our behalf. Jesus died in our place, and we will place our faith in Him, we will be saved. He has promised to save us.

Because of this, we have nothing to boast about. It is all the work of God. Rather than give us the just punishment we deserve, He saves us. He adopts us to the place of sons. We receive the blessing of being children of God. We are forgiven, no longer guilty. We now are free to live holy lives before our beloved savior! We are even promised eternal reward and blessing in heaven. This is a blessing beyond words. If you are here and you are saved, you should worship with all your hearts because of this! You have been saved! If you are here and you are not saved, you can be saved today! Turn away from your sins and turn to Christ! You will be forgiven and adopted! That is the promise of God.

Communion:

And this is what we get to celebrate today. We are going to take communion. This is the blessed act that Christ commanded His followers to observe. In taking communion, we come before the Savior. He has promised to be with us in this act. As we gather around the Lord’s table, He is here with us. This is why it is reserved for Christians. Only those who are saved can truly commune with Christ.

But in this act, we are physically reminded of the gospel. We remember the way His body was broken for us. We are reminded of the reality of the cross. We are reminded of how He died for us. How he was beaten and abused in our place. How they whipped to within on lash of dying. We remember that as He was whipped, His flesh was flayed open in our place. We remember the way the spikes were driven into His wrists and feet. We remember how He was hung on a Roman cross. We remember that He did this as a payment for our sins. He did not deserve this punishment, but He did it for us.

In this act we remember the blood He shed for us. As He was whipped by the cat of nine tales, His blood began to pour from His body. We remember the blood that stained the cross and His wrists and feet were pierced by the spikes. We remember the way He bled for us. We remember that He was the perfect sacrifice who poured out His blood willingly for many. We remember the way the spear was driven into His side and the water and blood poured out.

Communion is the physical remembrance of this where Christ is present with us. We take the bread in memory of His body, broken for us. We take the cup in memory of His blood, shed for us. This is why communion is a somber and serious, yet a joyful act. It is serious because the remembrance of the crucifixion is serious and somber. It is joyful because it is remembering that He bore our sin and we are free! This gives us assurance of the grace He has given us and we rejoice with great joy to take the body and blood of Jesus! The body and blood that bought our lives and freedom! This is a serious joy. This gives us peace and happiness. We are free in Christ because of His body and His blood!

With this in mind, I invite all of you who are saved to come and receive the body and blood of Christ.

Let us now take a few moments to both confess sins to Christ and give thanks for the forgiveness we recieved through His shed blood and broken body!

I cannot forgive your sins. But are you sinners in need of a savior? Have you confessed that you are a sinner to Christ and asked for His forgiveness? Then you are forgiven of your sins, free from guilt through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ in your place!

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Prayer:

Closing Hymn:

Closing Benediction:

Romans 16:25-27 25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.