God Expects Us to Serve the Needs of Others, As Jesus Did

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

Feeding of the 5000 (St. Andrews Episcopal Church; Ft, Worth, TX)

After John the Baptizer had been beheaded by King Herod, the Apostles that told Jesus of this news, also, suggested that they get away from the crowds of people into a desolate area in which they could rest and pray. Jesus and the Apostles went by boat. However, a large crowd of people followed Jesus and His Apostles onshore so that when Jesus arrived at the area in which they wished to rest. Jesus had compassion on the people that had followed Him. Therefore, He began teaching, in Mark 6:34, to a very large group: “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.”. When Jesus’ teachings carried on late into the evening, His Apostles suggested that Jesus send the crowd away into the villages to buy food. Rather, Jesus asked His Apostles to determine how much food was on hand in the crowd; and they determined that they had five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus blessed this food and, in Mark 6: 42-44, all the crowd ate from this food: “And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.".

In Mark’s teaching regarding the miraculous “feeding of the 5,000”, we see that Jesus’ compassion for the people was greater than His personal needs to grieve for the death of John the Baptizer and to rest. Upon His arrival to the intended personal resting spot, Jesus began, immediately, to minister to the people. Like Jesus and in order to receive what God knows that we require, we need to move our focus away from our personal desires and perceived needs onto the real needs of others. When we move our focus away from ourselves and to a “outward focus”, we become free to hear and to receive from God. As in Jesus’ “feeding of the 5,000”, God desires that we look to Him; to take what He has given us; and to give to those in need. No matter where we are or in what context of our life’s involvement in which we find ourselves, we need to be willing to be broken vessels for use by God for His purposes.

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Mark 6:31; Mark 6:34; Mark 6:41; Mark 6:43; Psalms 10a:1-9; Psalms 11:1-7.

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Resurrection: Part 3 – In Jesus’ Last Appearance to His Eleven Disciples, He Gives Us and His Disciples His Great Commission": at our Website: www.AWFTL.org/listen/.

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