In God We Trust - 1
OUR PROVIDER
… based on Mark 6:30-44
Forbes magazine has just released some frightening statistics.
They report that right now, here in America, 67% of us are living paycheck to paycheck. Right now, in America, we are paying 25% more for groceries than we did 5 years ago. Right now, it’s harder for Americans to pay off debt & save for the future, than it has been at any time since the Great Depression. Most homeowners with a mortgage are feeling overburdened. Renters, too, have seen an increase of 3.5% in rental costs over the past year. And health insurance is increasing at an alarming rate.
So, this is a stressful time, financially speaking.
But believe it or not, 1 profession seems to be thriving. It appears that people are willing to part with a lot of money these days for the services of a psychic. I’m not making this up. People want to know what the financial future holds for them. Is my job secure? Should I sell my house?
What’s going to happen to the stock market?
So, who better to turn to in times of economic uncertainty than a psychic? …
Are you kidding me????? We’re starting a series today … “In God We Trust.” Not in psychics … but in God we trust. Over the next couple of weeks, we’re going to look at some different roles that God plays in our lives … roles that give us confidence … roles that give us a sense of direction.
This morning we’re going to focus on God’s role as our Provider.
And if we can get a full grasp of this truth … it will take away any financial fears that maybe looming around today or in the days to come.
Listen now to Good News, as recorded by Mark, to us who have gathered here for worship. Within our hearing comes the Word of the Lord …
The apostles returned and met with Jesus, and told him all they had done and taught. There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his disciples didn’t even have time to eat. So he said to them, “Let us go off by ourselves to some place where we will be alone and you can rest a while.” So they started out in a boat by themselves to a lonely place.
Many people, however, saw them leave and knew at once who they were; so they went from all the towns and ran ahead by land and arrived at the place ahead of Jesus and his disciples. When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw this huge crowd, and his heart was filled with pity for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things. When it was getting late, his disciples came to him and said, “It is already very late, and this is a lonely place. Send the people away, and let them go to the nearby farms and villages in order to buy themselves something to eat.”
“You yourselves give them something to eat,” Jesus answered.
They asked, “Do you want us to go and spend two hundred silver coins on bread in order to feed them?”
So Jesus asked them, “How much bread do you have? Go and see.”
When they found out, they told him, “Five loaves and also two fish.”
Jesus then told his disciples to make all the people divide into groups and sit down on the green grass. So the people sat down in rows, in groups of a hundred and groups of fifty. Then Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, and gave thanks to God. He broke the loaves and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. Everyone ate and had enough. Then the disciples took up twelve baskets full of what was left of the bread and the fish. The number of men who were fed was five thousand. (Mark 6:30-44)
Jesus said, “Heaven & earth will pass away,
by my words will never pass away.” (Mark 13:31)
May the Lord grant that we may engage in contemplating the mysteries of His Heavenly wisdom with really increasing devotion, to His glory and to our edification. Amen
I know that all of you are familiar with this story. Even as I started reading it, you already knew how it was going to end. The disciples are facing a crisis … they’re engaging a bunch of hungry people. And there’s a food shortage. But Jesus steps in & provides & everybody is fed. End of story.
But let’s go back to the beginning & see how this crisis comes about.
It starts as a total surprise. And it’s a crisis that couldn’t have occurred at a worse time, which is why it is relevant to anyone facing financial uncertainty today. And so, if we’re ever thinking … “This couldn’t happen at a worse time,” we’re in good company with the disciples.
The disciples have just returned from a mission that Jesus sent them on.
They’ve been casting out demons & healing people & preaching the Good News about Christ from town to town to town to town. (Mark 6:12-13) They’ve now returned, & they’re exhausted … physically spent. And they’re looking for some rest/support/encouragement from their Master.
And if all of that weren’t enough, on top of everything else they’re emotionally distraught. They had just received the news that John the baptizer had been beheaded by King Herod. (Mark 6:27)
So, the disciples are trying to process their grief, they’re physically exhausted … & Jesus recognizes their need to “get away” for a little R & R … so He has them get into a boat & set off for a lonely place. They do a quick jaunt across the northern corner of Lake Galilee, about a 4-mile span. But as they’re pushing off some people recognize them & run along the shoreline,
getting to the place where Jesus is going, ahead of the disciples.
(It would be about an 8-mile jog.)
So, here’s this huge crowd jogging along the shoreline because they want to encounter Jesus. And as Jesus & His disciples step out of the boat,
they’re faced with an enormous need.
Now Jesus is going to be their Provider … & this is what we’re going to focus on today … God provides. But we need to understand that God does not provide indiscriminately. What we’re going to draw from this story are 5 conditions that must be met if we expect God to provide for us.
Condition #1 … a genuine need.
“When it was getting late, his disciples came to him & said, ‘It is already very late, & this is a lonely place. Send the people away, & let them go to the nearby farms & villages in order to buy themselves something to eat.’”
The disciples are faced with a need … a genuine need. It’s a huge need.
They’re out in the middle of nowhere with 15 to 20,000 people.
(Scripture reports that there were 5,000 men, so if we add a wife & a child or 2 … we have about 20,000 people there … & they’re very, very hungry, because they haven’t eaten all day.) And many of them have done this 8-mile jog along the seashore. And some of them, because they’re poor,
haven’t eaten much for most of the week. This is a genuine need.
Now the Good News is that God promises to provide for the needs of those who are truly committed to Him. The Apostle Paul puts it this way, “With all his abundant wealth through Christ Jesus, my God will supply all your needs.” (Philippians 4:19) This is such an important verse I want you to say it out loud with me. This is one of those verses that’s worth memorizing. …
With all his abundant wealth through Christ Jesus,
my God will supply all your needs.
Now there’s a key word in this verse. It’s the word, “needs.”
“My God will supply all your needs.”
God never promises to meet all our “wants.” One of the challenges that most people face is learning to distinguish between our needs & our wants.
Sometimes the things we think we have to have … we don’t have to have.
We don’t have to have an extra car. We don’t have to eat out several times a week. We don’t have to have a big screen TV. We don’t have to have the latest electronic gadget. We don’t have to go to one of the many coffee shops in Nashville. And the sooner we figure that out …
the sooner God will release us from unnecessary fear & anxiety.
Honest question …
can you distinguish between your wants & your genuine needs?
A couple of weeks ago I ran into Elaine Scherrer. Elaine is a missionary with Wycliffe Bible Translators, & she was home on furlough.
Elaine is someone that Kathy & I send money to support.
Right now, she’s in the African nation of Chad.
She has learned to live without a lot of “wants” she thought were absolute needs when she was living in the U.S. For example: hot water for showers, or washing machines, or a drug store, or 24-hour electricity, a car,
a real grocery store, air conditioning, or daily access to a computer.
We must learn to distinguish between needs & wants.
We have to hold our wants loosely. And it’s okay if our wants go away.
Let me repeat that … it’s okay if our wants go away …
because we have a God who promises to meet all our needs.
So that’s the 1st condition … a genuine need. # 2 … a personal effort.
“When it was getting late, his disciples came to him & said, ‘It is already very late, & this is a lonely place. Send the people away, & let them go to the nearby farms & villages in order to buy themselves something to eat.’
“‘You yourselves give them something to eat,’ Jesus answered.
“They asked, ‘Do you want us to go & spend 200 silver coins
on bread in order to feed them?’”
The disciples are faced with a huge need/a genuine need …
15-20,000 ravenously hungry people. And they have no idea how they’re going to meet this need. So, their solution is … let’s get it off our shoulders, let’s send the people away & let them take care of their own needs/let them fend for themselves.
What does Jesus tell them? … “You yourselves give them something to eat.” Now when John tells this same story, & by the way, this is the only miracle story, besides the resurrection, that’s repeated in all the Gospels, so there must be something really important for us here.
When John presents the story, he gives a few more details. John reports that “Jesus already knew what he would do.” (John 6:6) So this was a test. Jesus already knew that He was going to perform a miracle.
Now, did the disciples pass the test? … No, they didn’t.
What do you think Jesus was hoping to hear from them? …
When Jesus said, “You yourselves give them something to eat” …
I think He was hoping to hear …
“You know, Jesus, we’d be happy to do that, but it's beyond our means,
so we’re going to need some supernatural intervention.
And if you’ll help us out, we’ll get this job done!”
What Jesus was looking for was some show of faith on their part.
But instead, their response was …
“That’d take 200 silver coins! That’s 8 months wages, & that wouldn’t even get a McDonald’s burger& fries for this crowd. We can’t meet this need!”
So, what’s the lesson for us?
The lesson is that God promises to provide for our needs,
but He often asks us to take a step of faith to get the ball rolling.
Let me give you another example where Jesus does this with His followers.
John records the 1st miracle Jesus performs. Do any of you remember what it was? (Turning water into wine at a wedding in the village of Cana.)
The host runs out of wine at the wedding reception.
This would have been a major faux pas; a huge embarrassment.
So, Mary, Jesus’ earthly Mom, comes to Him asking.
“Can you do something about this?” Now there were 6 large stone water jars nearby & Jesus says, “Fill these jars with water.” (John 2:7)
And you know the end of the story … He turns that water into wine.
Question, could Jesus have filled those water jars with wine without them having been filled with water 1st? Could He have done that? …
Of course He could have. So, why doesn’t He?
I have to wonder if it doesn’t have something to do with Jesus asking them to do something 1st. Sometimes Jesus, even when He knows that He’s going to perform a miracle of provision, still asks us to do something.
Jesus requires some demonstration of faith.
He says, “Pick up your mat, & walk.” (John 5:8) And as we pick up our mat
& start to walk, we discover that He has healed us.
Now don’t misunderstand me.
I’m not suggesting at all that our personal effort is what does the trick …
no way. It’s God’s intervention. It’s God’s miracle that’s still necessary.
But a miracle isn’t going to happen until we take a step of faith.
So, my question for you is … is there a step of faith that God wants you
to take in your life right now before He provides for your need? …
Here’s a 3rd condition … a complete surrender.
“So Jesus asked them, ‘How much bread do you have? Go & see.’
“When they found out, they told him, ‘5 loaves & also 2 fish.’
Once again, John provides a few more details to the story. He tells us where the loaves & fish came from … from a boy. (John 6:9) John also tells us that they were barley loaves, which was the food of the poor. Barley was cheap. It was coarse. It was hard. These were 5 little hard rolls.
And the word Mark uses for fish indicates they were small fish.
Don’t imagine that these were a couple of walleyes that Jon & Duane pulled out of Lake Michigan. These were more like sardines … pickled … dried …
a kind of relish to go with these hard little barley loaves.
Jesus wasn’t given much to work with. But there would have been no miracle if the little boy hadn’t placed his lunch in Jesus’ hands.
Here’s the lesson that I’m going to be emphasizing again & again.
If we want God to provide for us … we must completely surrender to Him.
Our resources have got to become His resources. But when we stop & think about it, it only makes sense. Where did our resources come from to begin with? They came from Him. They’re His!
So why do we treat them as if they’re ours to do with as we please?
If we’re not willing to give God what we have … if we’re not willing to place our 5 small loaves & 2 small fish into God’s hands … if we’re not willing to even give the minimum … what makes us think that God is going to provide for us? What makes us think that God is going to intervene in our lives when we need Him?
God will not fill a clenched fist. And until we open our hands & give God what is His to begin with, until we surrender our loaves & fish …
I can almost hear God say, “Okay, Rande, go ahead & provide for yourself.”
If we want God’s provision it requires our complete surrender.
Just a footnote to this point … at the end of the story,
we read that after Jesus multiplied the food, “everyone ate & had enough.” And I assume that included the boy who had given up his 5 loaves & 2 fish.
(You know, if had eaten his original lunch I think he still would have been hungry. But when he gave it to Jesus to do with it whatever He was going to do … he himself was abundantly filled.)
Condition #4 for God providing for our needs … a confident thankfulness.
“Jesus then told his disciples to make all the people divide into groups & sit down on the green grass. So the people sat down in rows, in groups of a 100
& groups of 50. Then Jesus took the 5 loaves & the 2 fish, looked up to heaven, & gave thanks to God. He broke the loaves & gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the 2 fish among them all. Everyone ate & had enough. Then the disciples took up 12 baskets full
of what was left of the bread & the fish.
The number of men who were fed was 5,000.”
What’s the very 1st thing Jesus does after the loaves & fish are placed in His hands? What does He do? … He thanks God. He looks up to Heaven … He wants to signal to the people that this is where the meal is about to come from … in God we trust. Then He says the blessing,
which was probably the traditional Jewish blessing …
“Blessed art thou O Lord, King of the universe
Who brings forth bread from the earth.”
Jesus gives thanks. Let me ask you a question … it’s a simple question but it has profound implications. When did Jesus give thanks for this food?
Did He give thanks when it was still in the form of 5 small loaves & 2 little fish, or did He give thanks after it had been multiplied & was able to feed 15-20,000 people? When did He give thanks? … Before!
So, what’s the lesson that we can take away from that? When we’re in the midst of financial uncertainty, a good time to begin giving thanks is right now. Not after God shows up to provide for our needs … the time to begin giving thanks is now. When it looks like our needs are overwhelming & our resources are totally inadequate … that’s when we begin to give thanks.
Let me repeat that.
When it looks like our needs are overwhelming & our resources are totally inadequate … that’s when we begin to give thanks. And one of the things that giving thanks will do is remind us of how great God is, & how consistently He has met our needs in the past.
When we start thanking God for His past track record … fear is banished … & a confidence in God is revived. That’s what thanksgiving does.
A # of years ago a 59-year-old bus driver, Steve Kreuscher, from Zion, IL legally changed his name from Steve Kreuscher to In God We Trust.
1st name … Ingod. Last name … Wetrust. Mr. Wetrust. Social Security card,
driver’s license, credit cards, etc. He tells everybody that he wants to demonstrate that, “I fully trust God to provide for my needs.”
Now we don’t need to change our name to communicate to God that we trust Him to meet our needs. What we need to do, however,
is … give thanks. That’s what God is waiting to hear from us.
We should be praying everyday,
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise.”
(The Psalms 100:4)
It’s good to think of everything we can possibly thank God for.
It’s good when we face needs, trials, difficult circumstances … during those times, to think of everything we can possibly thank God for … & then do it. And what we’ll discover is that God banishes our fears & gives us complete confidence in His ability to provide. That’s what thanksgiving does.
One final condition … a persevering obedience. Now I’m going to read these last verses again, & I want you to note the various jobs Jesus gives His disciples. Jesus is in charge of the miracle, but that doesn’t mean that the disciples don’t have a role to play.
1st of all He asks all the people to sit down in groups of 50 & 100.
Now if that sounds like a simple task, let me remind you again … this is 15-20,000 people. There were only 12 disciples to get this crowd into groups.
And there was no public address system. That would have been a huge job.
Then Jesus starts breaking the bread & the fish & putting it into baskets
& giving them to the disciples to deliver.
Now I don’t know if you’ve ever been a waiter or waitress in a restaurant, but speaking for myself, who once owned a restaurant,
I can’t even begin to imagine serving more than 1,000 people by myself.
There are 12 disciples taking care of 15-20,000 people!
And then, when they get that job done, what does Jesus tell them? …
“Go bus the tables! Gather up the leftovers.”
Another interesting questions that Seminary students like to discuss …
when did this miracle actually occur? When did the multiplication take place? Was it when Jesus was breaking it & putting it into the baskets?
Or was it while it was in the baskets & being transported?
Or was it when the disciples began handing the food out?
When do you think the miracle occurred? Scripture doesn’t reveal …
but one thing we know. The miracle took place as the disciples were doing
what Jesus told them to do. That’s our lesson. Trust & obey.
We have no idea how long this current financial uncertainty is going to last. But in the meantime, Jesus wants us to walk in obedience to Him.
He wants us to trust Him for tomorrow, & 3 months down the road,
& a year down the road, & 5 years down the road.
Jesus says, “Do not worry about tomorrow;
it will have enough worries of its own.” (Matthew 6:34) “Trust me for today.”
We do what Jesus wants us to do today. Be about obeying Christ today.
And then watch how He’ll provide for us tomorrow.
What are the conditions for God being our Provider?
A genuine need … distinguish between our wants & our needs, & hold our wants loosely
A personal effort … a faith step to begin things
A complete surrender … give Him our loaves & fish, our offerings
A confident thankfulness … thank Him before His provides, in every circumstance express gratitude
A preserving obedience … today, tomorrow, & the day after that
MARANA THA
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