WEBVTT 00:00:00.650 --> 00:00:03.169 Hello, you are listening to Second City Sermons, 00:00:03.270 --> 00:00:06.209 a ministry of Second City Church in Midtown Harrisburg. 00:00:06.870 --> 00:00:08.750 It's our hope that these sermons will draw you 00:00:08.750 --> 00:00:11.169 more into the life of following God, Father, 00:00:11.310 --> 00:00:14.150 Son and Holy Spirit. Please consider coming and 00:00:14.150 --> 00:00:16.469 joining with us each Sunday morning at 10am in 00:00:16.469 --> 00:00:18.809 the heart of Midtown Harrisburg. You can find 00:00:18.809 --> 00:00:22.329 us online at SecondCityChurch .org and on Facebook, 00:00:22.629 --> 00:00:25.030 Instagram and YouTube. We hope you enjoy this 00:00:25.030 --> 00:00:30.829 sermon. God Bless. Lord God, we're so grateful 00:00:30.829 --> 00:00:35.229 for your word that you give us. God, that is 00:00:35.229 --> 00:00:39.490 said to be like the true bread that we're to 00:00:39.490 --> 00:00:45.469 feast upon, manna from heaven. God, I pray that 00:00:45.469 --> 00:00:48.750 in feasting upon your word, we would find our 00:00:48.750 --> 00:00:53.490 satisfaction in you. We find you to be sufficient 00:00:53.490 --> 00:00:58.869 and able The great compassionate shepherd that 00:00:58.869 --> 00:01:04.569 cares for the sheep. Bless us now Lord. May the 00:01:04.569 --> 00:01:07.510 words of my mouth and the meditations of our 00:01:07.510 --> 00:01:10.030 hearts be pleasing in your sight. The Lord our 00:01:10.030 --> 00:01:16.489 rock and our redeemer. Amen. All right. So yesterday 00:01:16.489 --> 00:01:20.290 evening, we returned from a trip and it was a 00:01:20.290 --> 00:01:23.379 lovely time to get away as a family. We were 00:01:23.379 --> 00:01:26.120 really grateful to get time to play together 00:01:26.120 --> 00:01:32.379 and to have time together. As you know, and I 00:01:32.379 --> 00:01:34.319 hesitate to say this because it really feels 00:01:34.319 --> 00:01:36.819 like rubbing it in. It's been freezing. It's 00:01:36.819 --> 00:01:40.060 been utterly freezing around here. So I brought 00:01:40.060 --> 00:01:43.480 this sweater on my on this trip that I love. 00:01:45.729 --> 00:01:48.450 And when we arrived, we were back in the Delta 00:01:48.450 --> 00:01:51.689 Airport yesterday and I went to get this sweater 00:01:51.689 --> 00:01:54.129 out of my bag because I was about to venture 00:01:54.129 --> 00:01:58.209 out into the cold, which praise the Lord was 00:01:58.209 --> 00:02:01.909 not too cold. I thought it was going to be shockingly 00:02:01.909 --> 00:02:03.989 cold, but it was actually not too bad. But anyway, 00:02:04.069 --> 00:02:07.670 I ventured into my bag to retrieve this sweater 00:02:07.670 --> 00:02:14.990 and it was gone. Knew I had it at the airport 00:02:14.990 --> 00:02:17.789 that we left from and I knew that I'd looked 00:02:17.789 --> 00:02:21.469 for it and I have no clue what happened to it 00:02:21.469 --> 00:02:24.870 I was sort of baffled but more than baffled. 00:02:24.870 --> 00:02:30.509 I was I was feeling really foolish I Felt just 00:02:30.509 --> 00:02:32.629 inadequate to just keep track of like an article 00:02:32.629 --> 00:02:36.509 of clothing Like what am I doing? I can't even 00:02:36.509 --> 00:02:40.729 keep track of a sweater that I really like Seems 00:02:40.729 --> 00:02:43.870 like such a simple task and I felt pretty insufficient 00:02:43.870 --> 00:02:48.530 for a simple task. So the two hour ride home, 00:02:48.689 --> 00:02:50.409 this was kind of swimming through my mind, all 00:02:50.409 --> 00:02:52.270 these thoughts of inadequacy. We get home, we 00:02:52.270 --> 00:02:54.909 unload some bags. I drive out to a friend's house 00:02:54.909 --> 00:02:57.449 to get our dog Teddy. I come here to church and 00:02:57.449 --> 00:02:59.530 work a little while and all the while, this is 00:02:59.530 --> 00:03:01.090 just the thoughts going through my head. All 00:03:01.090 --> 00:03:04.009 these thoughts of insufficiency and inability. 00:03:05.900 --> 00:03:08.580 my inability to control sort of simple things, 00:03:08.599 --> 00:03:10.500 let alone like bigger things. And you know, like 00:03:10.500 --> 00:03:14.800 mine just swims with all of this. And I truly 00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:16.560 think that part of what was going on was that 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:18.259 the enemy was just sort of rubbing it in a little 00:03:18.259 --> 00:03:21.919 bit because it didn't just vent, you know, it's, 00:03:21.919 --> 00:03:23.560 it wasn't just the sweater. It ventured into 00:03:23.560 --> 00:03:26.800 like my ability as a husband and as a father 00:03:26.800 --> 00:03:29.699 and as a friend and as a pastor and you know, 00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:33.919 all this. And then I went to bed. And unfortunately 00:03:33.919 --> 00:03:36.759 it just continued. I laid there for at least 00:03:36.759 --> 00:03:40.259 two hours awake, sort of stirring, and the reality 00:03:40.259 --> 00:03:43.879 of the insufficiency just kept swirling. I spoke 00:03:43.879 --> 00:03:46.900 to our Father in heaven a lot about it. But it 00:03:46.900 --> 00:03:49.900 seemed like in between my prayers, it just kept 00:03:49.900 --> 00:03:53.139 attacking. It's kept feeling like, I don't even 00:03:53.139 --> 00:03:57.759 know what, like, what am I doing? What am I doing? 00:04:00.169 --> 00:04:02.030 It really sort of felt like a battle with the 00:04:02.030 --> 00:04:05.469 devil in a way, because of course I wasn't just 00:04:05.469 --> 00:04:07.550 talking, I wasn't just thinking about this negligence 00:04:07.550 --> 00:04:09.949 with regards to an article of clothing. I was 00:04:09.949 --> 00:04:13.849 thinking about the work of the church, the good 00:04:13.849 --> 00:04:18.470 things that God calls us to do, and our just 00:04:18.470 --> 00:04:22.069 insufficiency to do it well, or the good of the 00:04:22.069 --> 00:04:23.829 world and all that we are called to do in the 00:04:23.829 --> 00:04:28.230 world, healing of the world, blessing of the 00:04:28.230 --> 00:04:32.569 world. Our call to to call others to repentance 00:04:32.569 --> 00:04:37.990 to faith in Jesus All this is just going on in 00:04:37.990 --> 00:04:42.129 my mind I was thinking also of my friend who's 00:04:42.129 --> 00:04:44.810 a pastor over in Pittsburgh who I went to seminary 00:04:44.810 --> 00:04:49.089 with He has a parishioner who was taken by ice 00:04:49.089 --> 00:04:52.110 two months ago He had dropped off his wife at 00:04:52.110 --> 00:04:54.509 her work and was on the way to his own work And 00:04:54.509 --> 00:04:56.689 he his wife didn't know what happened to him 00:04:56.779 --> 00:04:58.660 So a few days later they searched and they found 00:04:58.660 --> 00:05:01.360 that he was in the database and he's a he's a 00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:03.699 legal immigrant He's been detained for two months. 00:05:03.779 --> 00:05:05.480 There's a few lawyers in their church They really 00:05:05.480 --> 00:05:07.860 don't know why this has happened Why it's taken 00:05:07.860 --> 00:05:10.480 so long to have him released and all this stuff 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:12.220 is just swirling in my mind all this stuff of 00:05:12.220 --> 00:05:17.220 like What is we feel so insufficient? To do in 00:05:17.220 --> 00:05:23.740 the world Even to do the good of the world I 00:05:23.740 --> 00:05:27.410 know I was having That word fly through my mind 00:05:27.410 --> 00:05:29.110 so much, insufficiency, because I had been working 00:05:29.110 --> 00:05:32.769 on the sermon too. That happened sometimes to 00:05:32.769 --> 00:05:37.189 me. The theme of the sermon is just going on 00:05:37.189 --> 00:05:43.449 inside of me. I'm like living it. Our insufficiency 00:05:43.449 --> 00:05:47.589 is a real thing. And sometimes that seems mundane, 00:05:47.589 --> 00:05:51.250 right? I don't even know what happened to this 00:05:51.250 --> 00:05:54.500 thing that I was just wanting to wear. How do 00:05:54.500 --> 00:05:57.379 I lose stuff like that? But sometimes it hurts 00:05:57.379 --> 00:06:00.600 a lot more deeply Because we actually don't know 00:06:00.600 --> 00:06:06.000 what to do In our marriages where we feel distant 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:09.360 from our spouses and we don't know how how to 00:06:09.360 --> 00:06:12.339 How to retrieve that intimacy and that closeness 00:06:12.339 --> 00:06:15.660 And we don't know how to discipline our children 00:06:15.660 --> 00:06:19.310 Feel so unable Are we saying the right things? 00:06:20.329 --> 00:06:21.990 We're offering something into the world and we're 00:06:21.990 --> 00:06:24.149 hoping that it's shaping them in a way that they 00:06:24.149 --> 00:06:26.089 love the Lord with all their heart and mind and 00:06:26.089 --> 00:06:27.990 soul and strength. Then we go, I don't know what 00:06:27.990 --> 00:06:31.990 we are doing. Maybe more positively, we're really 00:06:31.990 --> 00:06:34.050 trying to train them in the ways of the Lord, 00:06:34.230 --> 00:06:36.370 the admonition of the Lord as we promise in their 00:06:36.370 --> 00:06:38.949 baptisms. The holy things of God, right? We're 00:06:38.949 --> 00:06:40.370 giving them the holy things of God and we wonder 00:06:40.370 --> 00:06:44.050 what is going on. So insufficient for the tasks 00:06:44.050 --> 00:06:49.509 set before us. Think of Jesus sent out the twelve 00:06:49.509 --> 00:07:03.569 two by two Doing his in a way they were And they 00:07:03.569 --> 00:07:12.350 were and Jesus doing then last week we well you 00:07:12.350 --> 00:07:16.699 all sat in with Jed And this awful story of John 00:07:16.699 --> 00:07:18.959 the Baptist who had done that very work and had 00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:22.279 such great success in it, calling people to repentance 00:07:22.279 --> 00:07:26.740 and his head there on a platter because of an 00:07:26.740 --> 00:07:36.720 angry wife. Where is it going? And now we come 00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:39.680 to this story of Jesus' disciples needing rest. 00:07:40.519 --> 00:07:42.500 They've been doing the good work and they need 00:07:42.500 --> 00:07:46.149 rest. And this other story that is connected 00:07:46.149 --> 00:07:48.470 so closely here in the Gospel of Mark of Jesus 00:07:48.470 --> 00:07:53.569 feeding this great crowd. And I want you to first 00:07:53.569 --> 00:07:56.689 see how this passage talks about our insufficiency, 00:07:56.889 --> 00:07:59.629 okay? I think it talks about it in a couple of 00:07:59.629 --> 00:08:02.290 ways. The first way I think that it talks about 00:08:02.290 --> 00:08:06.819 is insufficiency with regards to time. Um, this 00:08:06.819 --> 00:08:08.459 I think will feel a little fuzzier than the next 00:08:08.459 --> 00:08:11.060 one, but I think this will make sense. So, um, 00:08:11.079 --> 00:08:14.800 look with me down at verses 30 and 31. Okay. 00:08:16.220 --> 00:08:23.339 Mark 30, Mark six, 30 and 31. The apostles returned 00:08:23.339 --> 00:08:26.860 to Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. 00:08:27.740 --> 00:08:30.819 And he said to them, come away by yourselves 00:08:30.819 --> 00:08:35.590 to a desolate place and rest awhile. for many 00:08:35.590 --> 00:08:38.950 were coming and going, and they had no leisure 00:08:38.950 --> 00:08:44.649 even to eat." Now again, part of what you see 00:08:44.649 --> 00:08:47.330 here is they're doing good stuff. And we know 00:08:47.330 --> 00:08:49.730 actually from other passages that they had some 00:08:49.730 --> 00:08:52.149 real success in this good work that they were 00:08:52.149 --> 00:08:57.250 doing. But at the end of verse 31, it says, they 00:08:57.250 --> 00:09:01.370 had no leisure even to eat. And given at the 00:09:01.370 --> 00:09:03.639 beginning of that verse, verse 31 says, He said 00:09:03.639 --> 00:09:05.740 to them and then and then he said to them come 00:09:05.740 --> 00:09:08.059 away by yourselves It seems as though the day 00:09:08.059 --> 00:09:09.899 at the end is probably referenced specifically 00:09:09.899 --> 00:09:13.480 to the disciples They had no leisure even to 00:09:13.480 --> 00:09:19.980 eat Which just spoke to me there's an there's 00:09:19.980 --> 00:09:25.120 an insufficiency with regards to their time We 00:09:25.120 --> 00:09:27.399 don't know how to make time do the things that 00:09:27.399 --> 00:09:30.379 we want that we need even just simply to live 00:09:30.379 --> 00:09:34.779 like eating They don't know how to manage all 00:09:34.779 --> 00:09:36.980 the people that are coming to them right if there 00:09:36.980 --> 00:09:38.100 are a lot of people coming to them They don't 00:09:38.100 --> 00:09:40.059 how do we manage these people in such a way that 00:09:40.059 --> 00:09:45.759 we can still live? We have to eat Of all these 00:09:45.759 --> 00:09:48.639 people so they can't maybe maybe they won't survive 00:09:48.639 --> 00:09:52.059 And think about think about the things that race 00:09:52.059 --> 00:09:55.840 through your mind when you think of it in insufficiency 00:09:55.840 --> 00:09:59.519 My guess is a lot of them are related to time 00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:05.429 a time management or just a lack of it? How do 00:10:05.429 --> 00:10:08.690 we have the time to acquire the knowledge that 00:10:08.690 --> 00:10:10.529 we need to get the new job? Because the current 00:10:10.529 --> 00:10:14.509 job we have is sucking the life out of us. How 00:10:14.509 --> 00:10:16.649 do we have the time to keep up with our aging 00:10:16.649 --> 00:10:19.570 parents and still parent our young children? 00:10:20.190 --> 00:10:23.970 How do we have the time? Seek justice in the 00:10:23.970 --> 00:10:27.230 world. How do we have time to build friendships 00:10:27.230 --> 00:10:31.870 that we need to live well in the world? How do 00:10:31.870 --> 00:10:34.690 we have the time to be a part of a church community, 00:10:35.169 --> 00:10:38.629 which done well means being served and being 00:10:38.629 --> 00:10:44.669 fed and also serving? How do we have the time 00:10:44.669 --> 00:10:48.509 to do the work that God is calling us to do and 00:10:48.509 --> 00:10:52.450 still rest, right? Still rest, which is something 00:10:52.450 --> 00:10:58.649 we are commanded to do. Just yesterday, My son 00:10:58.649 --> 00:11:02.029 James asked me this great question, Dad, if I'm 00:11:02.029 --> 00:11:04.070 not supposed to work on Sundays, should I not 00:11:04.070 --> 00:11:06.490 do my homework on Sunday? Remember that conversation, 00:11:06.669 --> 00:11:11.549 buddy? Yeah. And I said, well, um, yeah, cause, 00:11:11.730 --> 00:11:14.370 cause for you, your, your homework is your work. 00:11:14.690 --> 00:11:16.610 And that's a really good thing to strive to do 00:11:16.610 --> 00:11:19.809 to, to have that done before this day that God 00:11:19.809 --> 00:11:22.509 gives us to worship and to rest, to bide and 00:11:22.509 --> 00:11:28.340 his finished work on our behalf. But what stood 00:11:28.340 --> 00:11:30.360 out to me is that even at his age he knows that 00:11:30.360 --> 00:11:34.980 it's an issue. How do you do that? Right, how 00:11:34.980 --> 00:11:36.980 do you how do you manage your time in such a 00:11:36.980 --> 00:11:41.720 way that you have leisure to eat? Time to rest 00:11:41.720 --> 00:11:47.279 It's not just an issue for James not even close 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:54.389 is it No is the answer right no no, okay It's 00:11:54.389 --> 00:11:56.649 an issue for Jesus' own disciples too that had 00:11:56.649 --> 00:12:01.529 done so much good. They had no leisure even to 00:12:01.529 --> 00:12:04.570 eat. And why? Well, in this passage, because 00:12:04.570 --> 00:12:06.409 they were doing good things, it said, many were 00:12:06.409 --> 00:12:08.389 coming and going. And that word many actually 00:12:08.389 --> 00:12:13.190 can be translated multitude. Multitudes were 00:12:13.190 --> 00:12:17.649 coming and going. Lots of folk were coming to 00:12:17.649 --> 00:12:19.990 them and they were busy and they were busy doing 00:12:19.990 --> 00:12:24.389 good things. And busyness can often actually 00:12:24.389 --> 00:12:29.929 show, reveal our insufficiency. But I think actually, 00:12:30.090 --> 00:12:31.850 even a little bit more clearly, insufficiency 00:12:31.850 --> 00:12:34.309 is highlighted in this passage when it talks 00:12:34.309 --> 00:12:36.350 about their resources, the resources that they 00:12:36.350 --> 00:12:38.889 have. So here's what happens, right? They get 00:12:38.889 --> 00:12:42.090 on this boat because Jesus says, let's go to 00:12:42.090 --> 00:12:44.830 a desolate place because you need to rest. They 00:12:44.830 --> 00:12:46.889 get in the boat and they're making their way 00:12:46.889 --> 00:12:49.399 to this other part of the Sea of Galilee. And 00:12:49.399 --> 00:12:51.399 all these people, it actually says that they 00:12:51.399 --> 00:12:53.240 come from all the different towns and they run 00:12:53.240 --> 00:12:56.419 and they get there ahead of them. They get there 00:12:56.419 --> 00:13:02.080 ahead of Jesus and his disciples. How annoying. 00:13:04.320 --> 00:13:05.720 They must have thought. And actually I think 00:13:05.720 --> 00:13:07.700 we know that they thought because verse 35 says 00:13:07.700 --> 00:13:10.580 this, right? This is the first thing that they 00:13:10.580 --> 00:13:12.940 say, you know, Jesus has all these people coming 00:13:12.940 --> 00:13:15.019 and he's teaching them and they say, this is 00:13:15.019 --> 00:13:18.960 a desolate place and the hour is late. Right. 00:13:18.960 --> 00:13:20.940 Jesus, you said you bring us to a desolate place 00:13:20.940 --> 00:13:24.720 that we can rest. It's late. We need to rest. 00:13:25.120 --> 00:13:32.279 This is the desolate place. Send them away. Make 00:13:32.279 --> 00:13:35.240 them go into the surrounding countryside and 00:13:35.240 --> 00:13:37.779 villages and buy themselves something to eat. 00:13:38.779 --> 00:13:40.399 And then the next thing they say, actually after 00:13:40.399 --> 00:13:43.539 Jesus' response to them, we'll get to that. Shall 00:13:43.539 --> 00:13:47.389 we go and buy 200 denarii? Worth of bread and 00:13:47.389 --> 00:13:51.409 give it to them to eat Actually one commentator 00:13:51.409 --> 00:13:54.509 cb. Cranfield One of the great commentators on 00:13:54.509 --> 00:13:56.929 mark says this would actually have been a really 00:13:56.929 --> 00:13:59.850 disrespectful response to the rabbi They're just 00:13:59.850 --> 00:14:08.269 fed up Exhausted One denarii would have been 00:14:08.269 --> 00:14:10.289 a day's wages. So this would have been close 00:14:10.289 --> 00:14:13.789 to maybe a year's worth of work You want to spend 00:14:13.789 --> 00:14:16.830 all this we don't even have all this hanging 00:14:16.830 --> 00:14:23.370 around Think of this again, how often is our 00:14:23.370 --> 00:14:27.009 insufficiency related to our resources? It's 00:14:27.009 --> 00:14:29.970 not just that we don't have time But we don't 00:14:29.970 --> 00:14:35.169 have the money or the mind or the strength To 00:14:35.169 --> 00:14:37.730 do the things that we feel we are called to do 00:14:39.240 --> 00:14:42.360 How am I supposed to serve on a ministry team 00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:47.200 here that you keep talking about Peter? You might 00:14:47.200 --> 00:14:50.120 be thinking when I don't have the ability to 00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:53.080 play music or the knowledge to help manage resources 00:14:53.080 --> 00:14:55.559 for the benevolence team or blah, blah, blah, 00:14:55.559 --> 00:14:57.799 blah. You know, I mean, it's true. We don't, 00:14:57.899 --> 00:15:02.299 what are our resources? How am I supposed to 00:15:02.299 --> 00:15:03.980 work for the healing of the world when my own 00:15:03.980 --> 00:15:07.330 body needs healing? How am I supposed to call 00:15:07.330 --> 00:15:09.929 people to repentance when I am so inarticulate? 00:15:10.649 --> 00:15:12.809 I don't even sometimes know how to repent myself, 00:15:12.809 --> 00:15:17.710 let alone call other people to it. How am I supposed 00:15:17.710 --> 00:15:20.529 to give to the work of the church when my bank 00:15:20.529 --> 00:15:23.710 account carries such a low balance so often? 00:15:25.590 --> 00:15:28.070 Our insufficiency is so often connected to our 00:15:28.070 --> 00:15:32.070 resources. And Jesus, it seems to me almost as 00:15:32.070 --> 00:15:34.289 though Jesus is pressing them on this. He's almost 00:15:34.289 --> 00:15:42.250 highlighting it. for them so verse verse 38 and 00:15:42.250 --> 00:15:48.009 he said to them how many loads do you have hasn't 00:15:48.009 --> 00:15:51.610 he just been whipped up in the boat just go and 00:15:51.610 --> 00:15:55.649 see he these are his close buddies he's been 00:15:55.649 --> 00:15:58.190 spending time with them he knows he knows their 00:15:58.190 --> 00:16:04.389 resources he knows their state Doesn't when they 00:16:04.389 --> 00:16:08.210 had found out they said five we got five loaves 00:16:08.210 --> 00:16:12.809 Jesus. We have two fish This is a great crowd 00:16:12.809 --> 00:16:19.950 Now interestingly in John's gospel We know from 00:16:19.950 --> 00:16:23.629 John's gospel. We know that these aren't their 00:16:23.629 --> 00:16:27.990 loaves and their fish John's gospel tells us 00:16:27.990 --> 00:16:36.240 it was a boys loaves and fish Which is to say 00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:38.279 that it seems like they don't have anything at 00:16:38.279 --> 00:16:40.860 all They don't have any time. They don't have 00:16:40.860 --> 00:16:50.259 any resources for this Now as an aside I think 00:16:50.259 --> 00:16:54.259 it's wild that all this great crowd Left their 00:16:54.259 --> 00:16:57.340 towns from the area and they ran to follow Jesus 00:16:57.340 --> 00:16:59.220 and they they listened to him. They were eager 00:16:59.220 --> 00:17:01.080 They were attentive to him. But you know what? 00:17:01.200 --> 00:17:04.319 None of them brought any food All these people 00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:07.339 they're like, let's go find Jesus listen and 00:17:07.339 --> 00:17:12.359 forget to bring our dinner Which is actually 00:17:12.359 --> 00:17:14.500 something very lovely it's wonderful they're 00:17:14.500 --> 00:17:18.339 so eager for Jesus But what I want you to hear 00:17:18.339 --> 00:17:21.099 in all this is that the disciples Really are 00:17:21.099 --> 00:17:23.680 not they are actually they are not sufficient 00:17:23.680 --> 00:17:27.759 to what Jesus calls them to do they aren't They 00:17:27.759 --> 00:17:34.549 don't have it And it seems this It seems to even 00:17:34.549 --> 00:17:37.009 say to us that Jesus wanted them to get to that 00:17:37.009 --> 00:17:42.650 place. He invited them into the process. So they 00:17:42.650 --> 00:17:45.990 have to say, Jesus, all we have is the five loaves 00:17:45.990 --> 00:17:49.670 and two fish, and there's 5 ,000 folk right here. 00:17:53.130 --> 00:17:55.950 Think of his response to their request for him 00:17:55.950 --> 00:17:58.210 to send the crowd away into the town so that 00:17:58.210 --> 00:18:02.170 they can buy something for themselves. Jesus 00:18:02.170 --> 00:18:10.210 says, You give them something to eat We are tired 00:18:10.210 --> 00:18:12.470 we thought you were bringing us to a desolate 00:18:12.470 --> 00:18:16.910 place so that we could rest And he knew they 00:18:16.910 --> 00:18:19.190 couldn't give him something to eat they were 00:18:19.190 --> 00:18:24.589 not able And the fact is is that much of what 00:18:24.589 --> 00:18:27.450 we were called to in this life we are not able 00:18:27.450 --> 00:18:33.920 to do We aren't we we can't control our time. 00:18:33.940 --> 00:18:38.339 Well, I know some of you are thinking I'm not 00:18:38.339 --> 00:18:40.779 too bad at it and certainly some of you are better 00:18:40.779 --> 00:18:45.000 than others You read the books you make the plans 00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:48.279 you keep your schedules You listen to the happiness 00:18:48.279 --> 00:18:52.700 lab the Huberman lab Mel Robbins all the rest 00:18:52.700 --> 00:18:57.759 and you follow it You budget you listen you learn 00:18:57.759 --> 00:19:04.869 from Dave Ramsey Right Maybe listen to optimum 00:19:04.869 --> 00:19:08.630 fine finance daily. I Just googled. What are 00:19:08.630 --> 00:19:11.670 the top finance podcasts? That's one of them 00:19:11.670 --> 00:19:18.410 You consider well your resources, right? But 00:19:18.410 --> 00:19:24.869 you come to the end of yourself I know this I 00:19:24.869 --> 00:19:29.859 know you do We come to the end of ourselves And 00:19:29.859 --> 00:19:31.200 part of what I'm telling you is that you need 00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:37.160 to do that. You actually need to do that. We 00:19:37.160 --> 00:19:41.960 need to come to the end of ourselves, our own 00:19:41.960 --> 00:19:48.539 sufficiency. And why is this? Because in this 00:19:48.539 --> 00:19:54.180 passage and in your life, when you come to the 00:19:54.180 --> 00:19:58.200 end of your sufficiency, What you find is the 00:19:58.200 --> 00:20:03.240 sufficiency of Jesus and is so often only until 00:20:03.240 --> 00:20:11.440 you come to that I Really do hate that. I lost 00:20:11.440 --> 00:20:14.740 my sweater yesterday I mean, it's a little it's 00:20:14.740 --> 00:20:18.099 sort of embarrassing and it really did it still 00:20:18.099 --> 00:20:20.579 kind of just fills with all this sense of like 00:20:20.579 --> 00:20:24.960 what am I doing? Okay, I just like hold on to 00:20:24.960 --> 00:20:29.079 something like that And I sort of hate that it 00:20:29.079 --> 00:20:32.039 brings up for me all kinds of feelings of failures 00:20:32.039 --> 00:20:34.759 I so desire that this church that each one of 00:20:34.759 --> 00:20:38.980 you would grow in your love for Jesus Intimacy 00:20:38.980 --> 00:20:41.000 with him and I know that there's ways I fail 00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:47.559 you as a pastor And and I'm really tired because 00:20:47.559 --> 00:20:48.880 I didn't sleep well I saw like every hour of 00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:50.440 the night I just tossed and turning once I finally 00:20:50.440 --> 00:20:53.920 fell asleep There's something wonderful and actually 00:20:53.920 --> 00:21:00.009 having to say God, please help God, I don't have. 00:21:01.450 --> 00:21:06.269 God, I can't. God, it costs this much. We only 00:21:06.269 --> 00:21:15.910 have five loaves and two fish. God, I need. Because 00:21:15.910 --> 00:21:19.130 what happens in this passage is that Jesus actually 00:21:19.130 --> 00:21:21.970 is sufficient for the very place of their need. 00:21:23.049 --> 00:21:27.589 He is. I'm gonna highlight two ways. The first 00:21:27.589 --> 00:21:31.670 is kind of simple Remember he said in verse 31 00:21:31.670 --> 00:21:34.049 he said to them come away by yourselves to a 00:21:34.049 --> 00:21:38.190 desolate place and rest a while Look down at 00:21:38.190 --> 00:21:41.849 verse 39. He said Then he commanded them all 00:21:41.849 --> 00:21:48.130 to sit down in groups on the green grass Why 00:21:48.130 --> 00:21:51.170 didn't Mark just say he commanded them to sit 00:21:51.170 --> 00:21:56.119 down they're about to eat sit down and eat Because 00:21:56.119 --> 00:21:58.140 the image of green grass and scripture is a place 00:21:58.140 --> 00:22:03.019 that God leads us to Through the valleys of the 00:22:03.019 --> 00:22:07.279 shadow of death into his green pastures He's 00:22:07.279 --> 00:22:10.640 leading them there. He doesn't do so until they 00:22:10.640 --> 00:22:14.799 come to the end of themselves though Another 00:22:14.799 --> 00:22:19.579 way is Is the connections that are made in this 00:22:19.579 --> 00:22:23.259 passage with eating? You know, we learned from 00:22:23.259 --> 00:22:26.609 the get -go is that He calls them to come to 00:22:26.609 --> 00:22:28.289 this desolate place, for many were coming and 00:22:28.289 --> 00:22:33.390 going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And 00:22:33.390 --> 00:22:35.029 then when they get to the other side, part of 00:22:35.029 --> 00:22:37.849 the problem that they find is not just their 00:22:37.849 --> 00:22:43.829 own desire to be sustained, but the need for 00:22:43.829 --> 00:22:45.589 this whole crowd to be sustained. You know, they 00:22:45.589 --> 00:22:48.789 say, Jesus send them away so they can buy themselves 00:22:48.789 --> 00:22:56.890 something to eat. Verse 36. Their response So 00:22:56.890 --> 00:22:59.890 Jesus response to them was hey you go buy them 00:22:59.890 --> 00:23:04.670 something to eat Their response again with Jesus 00:23:04.670 --> 00:23:07.910 it's gonna cost us too much to buy all that stuff 00:23:07.910 --> 00:23:13.829 the bread specifically say for them to eat But 00:23:13.829 --> 00:23:18.930 of course what happens in the story There's something 00:23:18.930 --> 00:23:23.960 amazing The only miracle that you can find in 00:23:23.960 --> 00:23:27.220 all four Gospels other than the resurrection 00:23:27.220 --> 00:23:34.619 itself is this story This story it's the only 00:23:34.619 --> 00:23:41.839 one What happens Jesus takes what is sort of 00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:46.440 a paltry offering for such a large crowd He takes 00:23:46.440 --> 00:23:49.420 it he takes what they have found and what they 00:23:49.420 --> 00:23:56.259 offer to him Five loaves, two fish. Jesus takes 00:23:56.259 --> 00:23:59.319 what little the disciples can sort of muster 00:23:59.319 --> 00:24:04.940 up and scrounge around and get. He takes it and 00:24:04.940 --> 00:24:07.460 he multiplies it beyond what anyone could have 00:24:07.460 --> 00:24:12.160 imagined. Anyone could have imagined. This is 00:24:12.160 --> 00:24:14.599 the only miracle that's in all the Gospels other 00:24:14.599 --> 00:24:18.279 than the resurrection. Because Jesus takes our 00:24:18.279 --> 00:24:21.559 little Insufficient in a lot of ways offerings 00:24:21.559 --> 00:24:24.960 and he says your insufficiency with my all sufficiency 00:24:24.960 --> 00:24:31.859 is going to be more than enough Five loaves two 00:24:31.859 --> 00:24:35.920 fishes for 5 ,000 men and by the way Matthew 00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:37.819 highlights that there were also women and children 00:24:37.819 --> 00:24:43.500 there 12 ,000 people John tells us that they 00:24:43.500 --> 00:24:47.480 ate as much as they wanted They just got to eat 00:24:47.480 --> 00:24:53.640 as much as you wanted And here and elsewhere, 00:24:53.779 --> 00:24:55.079 in the other passages, we read that they had 00:24:55.079 --> 00:24:59.319 12 baskets left over, which is this number of 00:24:59.319 --> 00:25:02.240 fullness, one of the numbers of fullness in the 00:25:02.240 --> 00:25:05.880 Bible. Which is to say, so often the place where 00:25:05.880 --> 00:25:08.500 Jesus does His most miraculous work in our lives 00:25:08.500 --> 00:25:11.559 is at the very place and in the very time when 00:25:11.559 --> 00:25:15.539 we come to the end of ourselves. And we have 00:25:15.539 --> 00:25:21.289 to rely on Him. When our insufficiency shines, 00:25:21.549 --> 00:25:26.710 his sufficiency shines all the brighter. And 00:25:26.710 --> 00:25:29.150 think with me, I think Mark actually points to 00:25:29.150 --> 00:25:30.970 the ultimate place where Jesus does this, and 00:25:30.970 --> 00:25:33.109 I think he does this really clearly. And I think 00:25:33.109 --> 00:25:34.769 that might be the reason why the two miracles 00:25:34.769 --> 00:25:38.569 that we find in all the gospels are this and 00:25:38.569 --> 00:25:41.750 the resurrection. When Jesus' body was broken 00:25:41.750 --> 00:25:44.470 and his blood was shed, and yet in him doing 00:25:44.470 --> 00:25:47.730 that, we have life through his resurrection. 00:25:48.380 --> 00:25:51.960 So look with me down at verse 41. Verse 41 says 00:25:51.960 --> 00:25:56.720 this, and taking the five loaves and two fish, 00:25:56.779 --> 00:26:00.900 he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and 00:26:00.900 --> 00:26:04.819 broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples 00:26:04.819 --> 00:26:12.599 to set before the people. Jesus takes, he blesses, 00:26:13.140 --> 00:26:17.900 he breaks, he gives. They're the very words that 00:26:17.900 --> 00:26:21.619 we have at the institution of Lord's Supper. 00:26:21.940 --> 00:26:24.000 They're the words that are constantly used when 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:28.380 Jesus takes the bread, which is his body, the 00:26:28.380 --> 00:26:32.539 cup, which is his blood. He takes, he blesses, 00:26:32.579 --> 00:26:37.799 he breaks, he gives. Same thing he does in the 00:26:37.799 --> 00:26:41.039 upper room when he is about to go to his death 00:26:41.039 --> 00:26:43.880 for us, when his blood is being shed for us, 00:26:43.880 --> 00:26:48.710 when his Body is being broken for us Which is 00:26:48.710 --> 00:26:50.950 to say I think that this is passage is not just 00:26:50.950 --> 00:26:53.609 calling us to think about our Insufficiency of 00:26:53.609 --> 00:26:56.670 time and resources and ability and all the things 00:26:56.670 --> 00:27:00.829 that we feel so deeply But I think this passage 00:27:00.829 --> 00:27:03.490 has to call us to the insufficiency for us to 00:27:03.490 --> 00:27:09.509 deal with our sin our ultimate need That we try 00:27:09.509 --> 00:27:11.710 to fix things around us we try to keep everything 00:27:11.710 --> 00:27:17.089 in order We try to put on a good face, try to 00:27:17.089 --> 00:27:22.589 schedule well all the rest, but Jesus alone is 00:27:22.589 --> 00:27:27.190 sufficient. The wrongs of the world to right, 00:27:27.369 --> 00:27:31.009 to put our wrongs to right, to put our sin to 00:27:31.009 --> 00:27:36.849 death. Our insufficiency to deal with our sins 00:27:36.849 --> 00:27:42.279 is met with his sufficiency of his taken blessed, 00:27:42.460 --> 00:27:50.140 broken, given body. Jesus leads his disciples 00:27:50.140 --> 00:27:53.980 in their state of weariness and in their need 00:27:53.980 --> 00:27:57.700 for rest into a deeper rest, into a deeper sense 00:27:57.700 --> 00:28:05.980 of, God can do it. He's able. I come to the end 00:28:05.980 --> 00:28:12.950 of myself. He is able. To think of how the whole 00:28:12.950 --> 00:28:17.650 eating story ends verse 42, please look at that 00:28:17.650 --> 00:28:26.549 with me And they all ate and were satisfied I 00:28:26.549 --> 00:28:30.369 love that that word isn't full You can be full 00:28:30.369 --> 00:28:35.089 and not satisfied Satisfied has this connotation 00:28:35.089 --> 00:28:46.900 of rest Complete Okay, cared for, satisfied. 00:28:50.019 --> 00:28:54.619 Jesus led his disciples in their place of weariness 00:28:54.619 --> 00:28:59.619 to a place of their total insufficiency that 00:28:59.619 --> 00:29:03.740 he might teach them that he alone can care for 00:29:03.740 --> 00:29:08.000 them. Brothers and sisters, I pray in a way, 00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:11.839 and this is a strange prayer, that each one of 00:29:11.839 --> 00:29:14.819 you would come to that place. God, I cannot do. 00:29:14.920 --> 00:29:18.940 You must do. God, I do not have. I must rely 00:29:18.940 --> 00:29:24.319 on you. God, I cannot deal with my sin. Take 00:29:24.319 --> 00:29:28.960 it upon yourself. God, I cannot live. Let me 00:29:28.960 --> 00:29:38.220 live in you. And I believe But just as this crowd 00:29:38.220 --> 00:29:41.119 long ago just as these weary disciples long ago 00:29:41.119 --> 00:29:44.940 ate and were satisfied But it's in that place 00:29:44.940 --> 00:29:48.680 and it is only in that place Where you will find 00:29:48.680 --> 00:30:00.319 rest? Amen For God We're thankful for the beauty 00:30:00.319 --> 00:30:05.119 of this passage for Jesus compassion the compassionate 00:30:05.119 --> 00:30:10.259 shepherd looking upon the sheep that are wandering 00:30:10.259 --> 00:30:19.259 and need to be fed and are unable. God, would 00:30:19.259 --> 00:30:25.019 you extend your compassion towards us? And God, 00:30:25.059 --> 00:30:29.759 I pray that we would know our deep need of you. 00:30:32.109 --> 00:30:35.569 And then we would run to you empty handed Lord, 00:30:35.789 --> 00:30:38.049 because nothing in our hands we bring simply 00:30:38.049 --> 00:30:42.630 to the cross we cling. And God, we would find 00:30:42.630 --> 00:30:46.869 in you the rest and the satisfaction for which 00:30:46.869 --> 00:30:50.349 all of our souls are deeply, deeply longing. 00:30:52.109 --> 00:30:56.430 Please do this Lord, draw us to the end of ourself 00:30:56.430 --> 00:31:02.460 that you, we might be filled. Amen. Thank you 00:31:02.460 --> 00:31:04.740 for listening to Second City Sermons podcast. 00:31:05.299 --> 00:31:07.240 We hope this sermon has encouraged you to worship 00:31:07.240 --> 00:31:10.180 God and to celebrate the gospel of Jesus. Please 00:31:10.180 --> 00:31:12.539 consider subscribing to this podcast and joining 00:31:12.539 --> 00:31:15.720 us in person each Sunday at 10 a .m. You can 00:31:15.720 --> 00:31:19.039 find us online at secondcitychurch .org and on 00:31:19.039 --> 00:31:21.619 Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Thanks again 00:31:21.619 --> 00:31:23.119 for listening. God bless.