Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

Dismiss Children

Last Sunday in the gospels, the first 4 books of the New Testament this morning.

Beginning next week we will be in Acts and see how the church grew after Jesus’ resurrection.

This morning I want to preach on the thought of being apart of the miracle.

We find ourselves at the final day of Christ’s time on Earth.

He is about to ascend into Heaven and before He does, He delivers what has come to be known as the Great Commission.

Matthew 28:16-20

The word commission means “an instruction, command, or duty given to a person or group of people.”

This group of people that Jesus was address was made up of more than just the 11 apostles.

We know that by the comment in verse 17 that says “and some doubted.”

It’s hard to believe that the apostles who ahve seen and spoke wtih him multiple times would be in that state.

For many, this set of verses is well known to you.

To some of you, maybe you have never heard this great commission before.

I want to approach this passage today by understanding in the most basic terms what it means, how you and I should be apart of it, and what happens when we are.

First, it means to go tell people about Jesus’ death burial and resurrection so that they may trust in Him to be saved, have them baptized by immersion, and then disciple them by teaching them what it means to live as a Christian.

And the commission is to tell everyone.

That’s a big task.

It would be a miracle for everyone to hear the gospel right?

Miracles are what our God does though.

The greatest part of being a Christian is getting to be apart of the miracles that God is doing.

I see the great commission as God’s instructions to us on how to be apart of the miracle.

What’s the miracle?

Seeing people saved and reconciled back to Him.

Will we see everyone do that?

no.

Did Jesus see everyone do that when He was teaching?

No.

How can we be apart of the miracle?

that’s where I want to spend our time today.

Let’s examine a miracle of Christ that lays out being apart of the miracle.

We are going to go over the feeding of the 5000 in Mark and and see what it is like to be apart of a miracle working God and see how a biblical miracle works: When there is a need, sensed by a few, and each individual understands his or her responsibility and gives his or her all, regardless of the odds, then Jesus works a miracle.

We are going to break it down in sections and extract truth from the passages.

Mark 6:30-36

PRAY

I.

There is a need

In this historical account of Jesus feeding the 5 thousands it starts with Jesus seeing the people in v 34 and being moved with compassion toward them.

He saw they were a sheep without a shepherd.

It didn’t start when the people had a physical need.

Jesus’ compassion wasn’t moved because they were hungry, it was because they were lost.

According to the most recent demographic data we have on our community 38% do not attend church.

another 38% attend infrequently, leaving 24% faithfully apart of a church.

Now, with that said, this isn’t saying that 24% are apart of a gospel preaching and evangelistically minded church.

There is 76% of our community that is not faithfully committed to church and I’d be willing to bet an even greater percentage that is not saved but is apart of a tradition based religious system.

Men and women, leaders, I present to you the great need of the hour.

The Gospel.

People need to know the great Shepherd because they are like lost sheep.

It is this need we exist for as a church.

As Christians gathered together we do not exist to promote Liberty Baptist, that is just name.

We can serve God with any name.

We do not exist to promote a pastor named Dustin Alley.

God can raise up a pastor with any name.

As Christians gathered together we exist to glorify God and proclaim the name above all names, the name that will one day cause every knee to bow and every tongue to confess that He is king of Kings and Lord of Lords, the name of Jesus.

The Son of God gave us a commission to tell people about Him.

There is a great need in our community to proclaim the name of Christ.

The need of the people being hungry wasn’t known by all…but sensed by a few

II.

Sensed by a few

Notice in

Mark 6:35-36

The disciples, 12 men out of 5000, saw the physical need and came to Jesus with a solution.

“Send them away”

Great miracles in scripture do not take place because large armies of men came together to accomplish great things.

There wasn’t a large revolt or political movement that worked together for the miracle to take place.

There were a few people that noticed a need and took it to a great God.

However, their solution was “let them fend for themselves” or “let someone else feed them”

God isn’t interested in our selfish solutions.

He is interested in our obedience to His solutions.

His solution to the great need of the hour in Bristol, Connecticut, america, and our world..The Great Commission…telll people about Jesus.

Jesus had to teach them that being apart of a miracle means they understand their individual responsibility..

III.

Understand your individual responsibility

Mark 6:37-38

Jesus said …no…you do it.

God isn’t cared about our answers or solutions, He has already prepared those.

He is interested in our participation.

This is where the miracle can break down.

Does that dimish God’s power…no.

Does that go against His soverignty, no.

I believe in the vision God has given for those of us that gather together here to reach 10% (6000) in our community with the Gospel of Christ.

Has this church ever done that before?

no.

What does that mean?

That means to accomplish something different you have to do things different.

Have you ever been involved with a community of believers that by faith followed God after a miracle sized vision?

No? Welcome to the club.

For a God sized miracle to take place, you and I have to understand the role we play.

How do we figure that out?

Pray and ask God to reveal how He would have you involved.

Get involved before He answers.

In my experience God has answered I have take action steps of faith.

You are more likely to find out how you should be serving by serving than not serving.

Then Give it your all.

Because working alongside a miracle working God means

IV.

Giving your all regardless of the odds

The disciples were just tasked with feeding 5000 people in a time when doordash and uber werent a thing.

There wasn’t a catering service to call.

There was a boy with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.