Pastor Dan Eddy

Mark 6:30-44

How much do you really have?

11-7-10

I. Introduction… “We need more” – The problem

We live in an economy whose advertising and marketing is all built on the premises that “We need more.” “You need more.” “I need more.” “We don’t have enough.”

We need more food in the house, especially if you have growing children. We need newer cars in the garage, especially for two-income households. We need the newest iPad, the latest iPhone, the fastest Internet, the most choices in TV channels. We need to remodel the kitchen, living rooms and bedroom. We need the best clothes; just ask your teenagers. We need our collectibles, treasured family heirlooms, and our toys. In many cases we rationalize luxuries as necessities to make our lives happy.

We need better health care, longer vacations, lower taxes, and money for college funds, retirement plans, and a newer, bigger home to house all these things we need.

And anytime setbacks come…a cut in hours, loss of a job, less pay, unexpected bills, …we look at how much we really have (raise hand half way up) so we can assess how much more we think we really need (raise the hand higher).

We need more because we want more. And we will use almost any means to get it, if we think it will ultimately benefit us.

How much do you really have? “Not enough”…most of us would respond.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, understands your need for more. He provides for all you have in life, even if you don’t think you have much. That is the central focus of this morning’s Gospel reading from Mark 6….the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 families.

II. Jesus Christ provides for our needs. The solution

Text:

Believe it or not…this text addresses the question of wealth. Christ Jesus shows us here that we have more than we think to help people more than we do.

First note that 5000 families were hungry for a relationship with God. Jesus’ popularity had been gradually growing in the Sea of Galilee area until it crescendo with this crowd following Jesus like groupies do to a rock star.

Christ fed them His food. He fed them His Word. His teachings. His hope. His salvation. His love. They wanted more, because they lived in a miserable, oppressive, poor, hopeless society. They were people rejected by their religious faith community of Pharisees and Sadducees, and overtaxed and enslaved by the political power of the Roman Empire. They really didn’t have much, and certainly needed more.

And Jesus was even willing to show that love by not just feeding them spiritually but physically as well. And He took very little and made it into a whole lot more.

Application:

When we make our list of things we want more of…is attending worship more often on that list? How about a deeper study of God’s Word? What about more time in prayer? Or do we think we have enough of those things?

How much do you really have? Do you have enough of Jesus? Just like He fed 5000 families with five loaves and two fish, so He can take your physical and spiritual less and turn it into a whole lot more.

But if we’re honest…the problem is we care more about our physical well-being and needs than our faith in Christ.

Jesus is here to offer you more, if you really ask. He’s here to offer the more invaluable intangibles of His love, wisdom, forgiveness, and grace. But the key is you need to ask.

Text:

Because, Christ Jesus is here to show you have more than you think to help people more than you do.

Take the Disciples here in this text. How many times did they see Jesus perform miracles and yet when it came time to feed the crowd, they came back with the conventional worldly wisdom of… “It would take 8 months of wages.” Or “Well we only have five loaves of bread and two fishes.” They didn’t even ask if Jesus could provide more. They thought, “Well that can’t be done. Send them away and let’s go home.” They didn’t want to ask or felt they didn’t need to ask. They didn’t factor Jesus into the equation. Nobody asked. Jesus was there to provide in ways they couldn’t imagine.

Application:

Conventional wisdom clouds our heavenly view of God when we don’t think more can be provided. For example, assess what we need more of in this congregation. More time dedicated to serving people through the outreach projects planned and proposed by the Church Council. Next year we will need more talents, especially in the leadership as we will have openings for the positions of President, Vice-President, Secretary and Trustee. We need more tithing, because we have no more for-profit pre-school to fill the gap left with a shortage of offerings. So, it’s very easy for us to say…”Well, Lord we’ve done the assessment and we don’t have the time, talents or treasures to do ministry here”. Have we really factored in Christ Jesus and His power to give us more for this ministry? Are we ready to ask for more? Or, do we neither want to nor feel we really don’t need to?

And what about for your own life? Have you asked for more of Jesus to help you in unconventional ways? As He showed here…Jesus can take very little and make it into a whole lot more.

You see Satan wants you to think that it’s all up to you to provide…or if Jesus does provide He’s not doing enough.

As we assess how much we have…let us give thanks to Jesus, who from God the Father gave the 5000 families the five loaves and two fish and a whole lot more, and gives us all we have and a whole lot more, and as the Son of Man keeps giving you all the spiritual food you need with His real body and blood, from His suffering, death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. Jesus keeps giving more and more. In the text, Jesus gave thanks for the little that was there as an example to show how much more He could provide.

And may we do the same as we look at how much Jesus has given our congregation and your life in just the past year alone. How many more new people we see here now? How much more untapped talent do we have? Look at two most recent examples: Those who helped to remodel our downstairs area, or helped with our mission fundraiser for Dan and Patty. Let us assess how many more offerings this congregation has seen in the past year. Because if we don’t really know what we’ve been given by God, how can we possibly ask for more? And that doesn’t just apply here…it applies to your own life as well.

And when we do that…we realize that God provides for more than our individual and congregational needs. He provides so that we can pass those blessings onto others, as witness to His love, by also showing it to others. His providing is not just for me, you, or us.

Scripture says in Matthew 6:33: Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added onto you. That means more of us want to study God’s Word outside of worship. It means a stronger bond with fellow believers so we can do more good and righteous things for others. And if we seek God in this way…no obstacles of time, talents, and treasures will stand in the way.

But be careful…because it’s tempting to forget about seeking the spiritual food when it seems we have enough physical blessings. This crowd Jesus fed both spiritually and physically came back the next day. Actually they followed Him like a rock star to a new location. And they pretended like they wanted the spiritual food, but they really wanted just the physical handout. Jesus said in John 6:27 ESV: “Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.”

“Stewardship is God’s way of raising people, not man’s way of raising money,” author John Busacker said in his book, 8 Questions God Can’t Answer. Christ Jesus challenges us to reshape our lives to look like His will. That means we don’t do what we want. We do what He values.

“I can do everything through Him who gives me strength,” Philippians 4:13. That’s true as long as it’s His will.

Do you see these names posted here and here and here? I’m sure many felt they weren’t provided much, but Christ Jesus provided more to save these sinners to be His everlasting saints.

When it looks like we don’t have much…God provides more…if we assess well…and if we ask in accordance with His will.

That’s the compassion He was teaching His Disciples…to care, even under the circumstances when it looks like you don’t have many means to.

III. Conclusion – Story to tie all the points together

And don’t think the Lord won’t provide when you ask. This week I got a phone call from Michael Stahl, who used to be the pastor over at Lutheran Church of the Cross. As you may know he resigned his call as the pastor of the Hanover congregation at the beginning of this year. He, then, worked for a congregation on the Cape and for the New England District until the funds ran out June 30. He, his wife and 8 year old daughter moved back to Michigan….little income, no health insurance, but they did move to his wife’s grandma’s vacant house. She’s in a retirement home.

He’s been sick, Stacey, his wife, has two part-time jobs, but they are being surrounded by Christian friends and family…but it’s been tough. Anyway, he has an opportunity to work 20 hours a week, but last week Stacey accidently backed her car into his truck, and damaged it to the point she couldn’t drive it. Off to the repair shop, but they didn’t have enough money to get it fixed. With only one car he didn’t have transportation to his new job starting next week. He and his family prayed for more.

I learned of all of this when he called me just a few days ago practically in tears because someone or some group, not knowing the most recent financial dilemma his family was facing, sent him a financial gift so that her car could be repaired. He called to thank me and CLC, because the return address was Chief Justice Cushing Highway, Scituate, MA. I have no idea where the gift came from other than from the Lord. Thank you Lord for whoever did that.

God’s blessings as we continue to assess how much we really have from our Lord and Savior to fill our physical and spiritual needs in Christ Jesus so we can receive more to care more for others. Amen.