Good News Week 26. Give Them Good News

Good News

As we continue our journey thru the Good News of Luke I want to say how much I appreciate your desire to stick it out.

I appreciate your desire to hear the Word preached, the gospel preached.

I do believe that we have a literacy problem.

Biblical literacy is low.

We let popular thought and opinion and news and politics and music and TikTok influencers shape our worldview and opinion of the Bible.

We let worship music form our spiritual foundation.

We let culture teach us doctrine.

We let sinners teach us their view of truth.

We need, we must spend time in the WORD.

Thats why spending time working our way thru Luke is so important.

God has spoken His word to us thru his Apostles and Prophets.

He has preserved that word thru the church.

He has given us that word in this scriptures.

If we want to know what God wants us to know about life and godliness we must not ignore the word.

So let me encourage you this morning - if you don’t have a daily scripture reading time, establish that priority.

Start with a devotional bible reading.

Dig deeper.

Read thru one of the Gospels.

Read thru the Psalms.

Read James.

Read Romans.

If you’ve never read thru the Bible read thru the Bible.

Use an app like YouVersion for devotional reading, the Bible Project for in depth study, or Read Scripture to assist you in reading thru the Bible.

But if you want to be shaped in godliness you must be shaped by Scripture.

So this morning we continue our journey thru Luke’s Gospel.

A couple weeks ago we look at the power and authority given to the disciples by Jesus.

How they went out a proclaimed and demonstrated the Kingdom of Heaven.

He demons where rebuked, sickness healed, people delivered into the Kingdom.

The people were amazed at the power and authority they had.

And we pick up this morning in Luke 9.

A very familiar passage.

it’s one of the great miracles of Jesus.

Look at it with me.

Luke 9:10–17 CSB

When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus all that they had done. He took them along and withdrew privately to a town called Bethsaida. When the crowds found out, they followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. Late in the day, the Twelve approached and said to him, “Send the crowd away, so that they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find food and lodging, because we are in a deserted place here.” “You give them something to eat,” he told them. “We have no more than five loaves and two fish,” they said, “unless we go and buy food for all these people.” (For about five thousand men were there.) Then he told his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” They did what he said, and had them all sit down. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke them. He kept giving them to the disciples to set before the crowd. Everyone ate and was filled. They picked up twelve baskets of leftover pieces.

Crowds Follow Kingdom Good News

You guys see this?

People are desperate for Kingdom Good News proclaimed and demonstrated.

Luke 9:11 CSB

When the crowds found out, they followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.

Crowds followed Jesus.

Yes, they followed Him for what he did, but they also followed him for what he said.

Yes, sometimes folks quit following him because his teachings were hard.

But they didn’t quit following him because they didn’t like the Kingdom he was bringing.

They longed for that Kingdom.

Sometimes we, like they, lose focus of the right priorities.

We begin to value our kingdom above His Kingdom.

But the promise of the Kingdom that Jesus brought is a Kingdom that speaks at the very core of human longing.

A Kingdom of rightness, of wholeness, of life, of peace, of healing, of fulfillment, of hope, of light, of justice, of perfection.

A Kingdom with no sin, sorrow, suffering, or death.

A Kingdom with no violence, injustice, war, injustice, famine, lack, or longing.

The Kingdom of God is the right rule and government of God.

The Kingdom of Heaven is the epitome of God’s rule.

Jesus enthroned as King.

The Kingdom of Heaven is the picture of what the Kingdom of God looks like.

The Kingdom of God isn’t limited to a nation, or place, or territory.

It’s marked by the reign of Jesus and results in justice and mercy and peace and righteousness.

That is Good News.

That is what Jesus preached.

That is what Jesus demonstrated.

That is what the crowds longed for.

Church, I dodn’t believe people have changed that much in 2000 years.

People, the crowds are still longing for justice and mercy and peace and rightness.

Now, I understand, that our culture may have a different understand of what justice and mercy and peace and righteousness look like than Jesus does, but You know what? So did many of those in Jesus day.

So Jesus had to demonstrate and proclaim for them to properly see the Kingdom of Heaven In Jesus.

Here’s what I believe, and I believe it because it’s what I see in the Gospels, it’s that when the Church models the Kingdom of Heaven in both proclamation and demonstration that crowds will hear and believe.

Sadly, for far to long we have proclaimed an incomplete vision of the Kingdom and we have not demonstrated a Christly Kingdom.

When what we proclaim in the name of the Kingdom doesn’t match the grace and truth of Jesus our gospel isn’t believable.

When what we demonstrate looks more like the principalities and powers of this worlds system and like the rulers of wickedness in high places than the Kingdom of Heaven, our gospel isn’t believable.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr said this, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

God, may our proclamation be faithful to the Kingdom and may our demonstration match our proclamation.

What Will We Do With The Crowd?

What will we do with the crowd?

How will we respond to the folks who long for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Remember, the Harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

How will we respond to the crowd looking for the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven?

We have two options.

We can send them away to fend for themselves or we can give them something to eat.

Send Them Away.

Luke 9:12 CSB

Late in the day, the Twelve approached and said to him, “Send the crowd away, so that they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find food and lodging, because we are in a deserted place here.”

The disciples had seen the power of God on display but now they are ready to send the hungry away.

Church, we have a real problem when we are willing to send the hungry home.

The diciples say, them them fend for themselves.

Let them go find their own food.

Let them go into the villages and countryside to find food.

Church, that’s the problem!

We’ve proclaimed and demonstrated a Gospel while sending them away hungry.

We’ve sent them away to find answers apart from Jesus.

We’ve sent them away to find hope on their own.

We’ve sent them away to find purpose on their own.

We’ve sent them away to find fulfillment on their own.

We’ve abandoned them to the culture all the while lamenting the culture.

We allowed them to leave hungry.

In many instances we’ve even left a bad taste in their mouths and they don’t want our food.

It does no good to proclaim and demonstrate the Kingdom if we are going to send them away when it gets late and the get hungry.

It may be inconvenient.

It may be costly.

But a hungry and dying crowd needs the banquet table of the mercies of God spread out before them.

The hungry crowd cannot be sent away hungry.

The broken can’t be sent away to find wholeness.

The sinner can’t be sent away to find salvation.

The self-righteous can’t be sent away to puff up himself.

Our sons and daughters can’t be sent away to find truth.

Our friends can’t be sent away to purpose.

The lost can’t be sent away and expected to find their way.

If the crowds are send away they crowds will never find the Kingdom of Heaven and the Salvation and Life that is found in Jesus Christ!

We can send them away because it’s too costly or too inconvenient or too messy or too unpredictable, but if we do we can’t blame them for being lost.

We can send them away or we can feed them.

Give Them Something To Eat

I love Jesus response to the displays who are trying to figure out how to get out of this situation.

Luke 9:13 CSB

“You give them something to eat,” he told them. “We have no more than five loaves and two fish,” they said, “unless we go and buy food for all these people.”

You! Give Them Something To Eat.

There were over 5000 people there.

Jesus and his 12 disciples didn’t have enough food to feed them.

Can you imagine the thoughts of the disciples when Jesus told them to feed the 5000plus?

We don’t have food!! We don’t have that kind of money!!! What is Jesus thinking??? How are we supposed to do this??? Why would Jesus tell us to feed them??? What is Jesus thinking??? Jesus, c’mon, man??? We can’t do this!!! We only have 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish!!! That’s not enough!!!

Jesus didn’t want to hear their excuses.

You, give them something to eat.

Church, we don’t have an option.

Give them food.

Give them hope.

Give them life.

Give them truth.

Give them grace.

Give them love.

Give them help.

Give them want they need.

Give them Jesus.

Give them Jesus.

Give them Jesus.

You may not understand how your going to do it.

I may not understand how we’re going to do it.

We may not understand how its going to happen.

Our resources are in short supply.

Not enough money.

Not enough loaves and fish.

Not enough of what we can see right now.

We look and what we see isn’t enough to feed them.

We look and what we see isn’t enough to do what we’ve been called to do.

We look and we feel overwhelmed and confused and frustrated and Jesus says have folks sit down, I’m about to do something.

We Give What Jesus Blesses

Listen we feed the crowd with the what Jesus blesses.

Luke 9:14–17 CSB

(For about five thousand men were there.) Then he told his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” They did what he said, and had them all sit down. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke them. He kept giving them to the disciples to set before the crowd. Everyone ate and was filled. They picked up twelve baskets of leftover pieces.

John’s Gospel tells us that they got the 5 loaves and 2 fish from a boy who willingly gave it to help.

We must be willing to give.

It may not look like much.

But when God blesses it, it fulfills the purpose God has for it.

And until we give it to Jesus and let Jesus bless it, it will never have the impact it can have in our possession.

Listen, this isn’t a message on giving but it’s a message on giving.

When we give what we have to Jesus and Jesus blesses it and gives it back to us to give away to others the Kingdom is advanced the lost are found, the hungry are filled, the broken are made whole, the sick are healed, the sinner becomes a saint when we give what Jesus blesses.

The disciples were confused, frustrated, overwhelmed, but Jesus had a plan.

The old song says little is much when God is in it.

And it true.

Until the 5 loaves and 2 fish were placed in the hands of Jesus it was only enough for a boy.

But when placed in the hands of Jesus, when blessed, it became food for over 5000.

Blessed.

Let’s give what God blesses.

Lets be faithful in our giving, but when God blesses God blesses for purpose.

God Blesses For Purpose Not Merely For Pleasure

Here me church, when God blesses us its not merely to make us feel good, it’s so that we can give it away.

Everyone went away full that day.

Everyone got their fill.

Everyone ate.

God blesses for purpose not merely for pleasure.

It doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy the blessings of God but it means we share in the blessings of God.

If we don’t share the blessings we don’t share in the blessing.

Give it away.

We’ve been called to give it away.

We’ve been called to proclaim and demonstrate and give.

Until we are willing to give, God isn’t willing to trust us with the gift.

To whom much is given much is required.

Blessed And Broken

He blessed and broke them.

Listen, when are willing to be blessed we must be willing to be broken.

We love the blessing.

The braking not so much.

But it’s only when we are broken can the blessing meet the hunger of the crowd.

We must be willing to give up our rights and our pride and our comforts and our selfishness to see the hungry filled.

Blessed and Broken.

And when we are blessed and broken we are multiplied.

God can do more with the blessed and broken than we can imagine.

But he can’t do anything until we are placed in his hands.

Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise to the 12 tribes of Israel and to the whole world.

There is enough for everyone.

Who Am I In The Story

One way to apply a biblical story to our lives is to think about who we are in the story.

I’ll tell you who I am in the story.

I’m the hungry crowd longing to be filled by the bread of life.

I’m the disciples confused and wondering how Jesus is going to make this thing work.

I’m the boy giving my lunch to Jesus so that Jesus can do much with the little I have.

I’m the loaves and fish blessed in the hands of Jesus to bring the Good News that satisfies the hungry.

I’m the one commanded to give them something to eat.

I’m the disciples left amazed and picking up the abundance that Jesus has supplied.

I’m me.

And in all of these I need Jesus.