WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.480 the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and 00:00:04.480 --> 00:00:07.639 the blind seeing. And they glorified the God 00:00:07.639 --> 00:00:10.880 of Israel. Now Jesus called his disciples to 00:00:10.880 --> 00:00:13.779 himself and said, I have compassion on the multitude 00:00:13.779 --> 00:00:16.160 because they have now continued with me three 00:00:16.160 --> 00:00:19.039 days and they have nothing to eat. I don't want 00:00:19.039 --> 00:00:20.820 to send them away hungry lest they faint on the 00:00:20.820 --> 00:00:24.780 way. His disciples said to him, Where can we 00:00:24.780 --> 00:00:27.500 get enough bread in this wilderness to fill such 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:30.739 a great multitude? Jesus said, well, how many 00:00:30.739 --> 00:00:32.939 loaves do you have? And they said, seven, and 00:00:32.939 --> 00:00:36.259 a few little fish. So he commanded the multitude 00:00:36.259 --> 00:00:39.179 to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven 00:00:39.179 --> 00:00:42.200 loaves and the fish and gave thanks. He broke 00:00:42.200 --> 00:00:45.140 them and gave them to his disciples, and the 00:00:45.140 --> 00:00:48.200 disciples gave to the multitude. So they all 00:00:48.200 --> 00:00:50.820 ate and were filled, and they took up seven large 00:00:50.820 --> 00:00:54.159 baskets full of the fragments that were left. 00:00:55.399 --> 00:00:58.899 Now those who ate were 4 ,000 men. besides women 00:00:58.899 --> 00:01:02.020 and children. And he sent away the multitude 00:01:02.020 --> 00:01:04.719 and he got in the boat and he came to the region 00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:08.180 of Magdala. Let's ask God to help us to understand 00:01:08.180 --> 00:01:14.459 the text. Father, this is your word, the living 00:01:14.459 --> 00:01:21.219 word, inerrant, inspired, infallible, God -breathed. 00:01:21.780 --> 00:01:26.560 It is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for 00:01:26.560 --> 00:01:28.799 correction. for instruction in righteousness. 00:01:30.099 --> 00:01:32.760 Lord, would you open the word of God to us this 00:01:32.760 --> 00:01:37.439 morning. Father, help us to see the divine intention 00:01:37.439 --> 00:01:40.400 for which you have placed this inspired text 00:01:40.400 --> 00:01:44.200 before us this morning. Show us Jesus and his 00:01:44.200 --> 00:01:47.280 glory. And we want to thank you for that in advance. 00:01:47.939 --> 00:01:49.939 And we ask this petition in the name of your 00:01:49.939 --> 00:01:55.099 son, Jesus Christ. Amen. I was at a wedding last 00:01:55.099 --> 00:01:57.760 night, Faith Lambert's wedding, and I was sitting 00:01:57.760 --> 00:02:00.760 at the table just talking with John Paul. And 00:02:00.760 --> 00:02:02.400 he said, what are you preaching on tomorrow? 00:02:02.579 --> 00:02:05.939 And I told him this text. And I said, it's probably 00:02:05.939 --> 00:02:07.859 one of the ones I've been more excited about 00:02:07.859 --> 00:02:11.000 than in a long time. Not because of the text 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:13.460 in itself, but this is one of the many reasons 00:02:13.460 --> 00:02:17.979 I absolutely love the Word of God. Because as 00:02:17.979 --> 00:02:19.840 much as you study the Bible, as many times as 00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:24.110 you read it, there's always something new. I've 00:02:24.110 --> 00:02:26.370 read through the Gospel of Matthew many times 00:02:26.370 --> 00:02:29.590 in my life. But I will tell you, I learned something 00:02:29.590 --> 00:02:32.830 new this week that I have never, ever seen before, 00:02:33.030 --> 00:02:36.849 nor had I heard it before. And it's really the 00:02:36.849 --> 00:02:39.650 point of the text this morning. So we're going 00:02:39.650 --> 00:02:43.150 to read about Jesus feeding 4 ,000. Now that 00:02:43.150 --> 00:02:45.870 may sound awfully familiar to us because we just 00:02:45.870 --> 00:02:49.610 looked in chapter 14, the previous chapter, about 00:02:49.610 --> 00:02:53.680 Jesus feeding the 5 ,000. Perhaps you're wondering, 00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:55.460 well, what's the difference between the feeding 00:02:55.460 --> 00:02:57.680 of the 5 ,000 and the feeding of the 4 ,000? 00:02:58.280 --> 00:03:02.280 Well, it's obvious, right? It's 1 ,000. That's 00:03:02.280 --> 00:03:04.080 my corny math joke. That's it. We're done with 00:03:04.080 --> 00:03:07.240 that. So in all seriousness, though, when we 00:03:07.240 --> 00:03:10.120 look at this, there is a reason that these two 00:03:10.120 --> 00:03:15.199 events are recorded so closely together. First 00:03:15.199 --> 00:03:18.599 of all, their proximity serves as a contrast. 00:03:19.439 --> 00:03:21.819 And it's going to highlight something that is 00:03:21.819 --> 00:03:25.180 very important, particularly to us, that I will 00:03:25.180 --> 00:03:28.039 talk about a little bit later. But I'll be honest, 00:03:28.120 --> 00:03:30.319 I always wondered, why did Matthew and Mark, 00:03:30.479 --> 00:03:33.520 because Luke and John did not, why did they record 00:03:33.520 --> 00:03:36.300 both of these events where Jesus fed thousands? 00:03:37.000 --> 00:03:39.979 It seems like a little overkill at the time it 00:03:39.979 --> 00:03:43.319 did. Why would they include both? I mean, is 00:03:43.319 --> 00:03:45.539 there anything that we're learning from this 00:03:45.539 --> 00:03:49.840 account of Jesus feeding the 4 ,000? Or is it 00:03:49.840 --> 00:03:52.599 simply another miracle showing the power and 00:03:52.599 --> 00:03:55.800 authority of Jesus? And I suggest that there's 00:03:55.800 --> 00:03:58.979 something more that God intended to show. Now, 00:03:59.000 --> 00:04:01.219 how do we know this? Well, studying Scripture, 00:04:01.419 --> 00:04:06.060 context is key. So what's the context? Beginning 00:04:06.060 --> 00:04:10.180 in chapter 15, there is a confrontation between 00:04:10.180 --> 00:04:13.580 Jesus and the leading religious officials, particularly 00:04:13.580 --> 00:04:16.319 the Pharisees, because they were the gatekeepers 00:04:16.319 --> 00:04:19.470 of the law. So this confrontation had to do with 00:04:19.470 --> 00:04:23.050 ceremonial laws that Jesus and his disciples 00:04:23.050 --> 00:04:26.829 refused to keep. Now this debate between Jesus 00:04:26.829 --> 00:04:30.110 and the Pharisees serves as the backdrop to understanding 00:04:30.110 --> 00:04:35.389 our text today. The Pharisees believed that ritual 00:04:35.389 --> 00:04:38.949 defilement came from outside. If you went to 00:04:38.949 --> 00:04:42.069 unclean places, touched unclean things, or had 00:04:42.069 --> 00:04:45.279 contact with unclean people. They said those 00:04:45.279 --> 00:04:48.379 particular things were defiling. And because 00:04:48.379 --> 00:04:51.839 of that, they developed and enacted many laws. 00:04:52.100 --> 00:04:54.519 So these are the ways that you can keep yourself 00:04:54.519 --> 00:04:58.420 from being defiled. For example, have limited 00:04:58.420 --> 00:05:01.439 contact with Gentiles. Or better yet, have no 00:05:01.439 --> 00:05:05.420 contact with Gentiles or their lands. But if 00:05:05.420 --> 00:05:09.759 you do, if you do visit those places, or in business 00:05:09.759 --> 00:05:11.759 transactions you have to interact with them, 00:05:12.269 --> 00:05:15.029 Then there were certain elaborate ceremonial 00:05:15.029 --> 00:05:18.290 washings that you underwent, and then you would 00:05:18.290 --> 00:05:23.350 be ceremonially clean again. Jesus Christ comes 00:05:23.350 --> 00:05:26.129 on the scene, and he contradicted their claim. 00:05:26.829 --> 00:05:29.889 He said, you guys have it all wrong. Defilement 00:05:29.889 --> 00:05:33.209 does not come from without. True defilement comes 00:05:33.209 --> 00:05:37.110 from within. It's from your heart. In fact, he 00:05:37.110 --> 00:05:38.910 said, it's not even what goes in a person. It's 00:05:38.910 --> 00:05:40.990 not about what you eat. It's not about what you 00:05:40.990 --> 00:05:44.360 touch. He said, rather, it's what comes out of 00:05:44.360 --> 00:05:48.060 you that truly defiles you. That's what really 00:05:48.060 --> 00:05:51.220 makes you unclean. In fact, he said, it's your 00:05:51.220 --> 00:05:54.639 heart that is already defiled that leads you 00:05:54.639 --> 00:05:58.740 to sin. So that was the debate. So Jesus leaves 00:05:58.740 --> 00:06:02.560 that argument with them, and he purposely headed 00:06:02.560 --> 00:06:05.339 to a place called Tyre and Sidon, which we looked 00:06:05.339 --> 00:06:09.139 at last week. Well, Tyre and Sidon is Gentile 00:06:09.139 --> 00:06:13.240 land. He purposely leaves Israel, goes to the 00:06:13.240 --> 00:06:15.839 area of the Gentiles. Keep in mind, the background 00:06:15.839 --> 00:06:18.959 of the Pharisees over defilement. And while he 00:06:18.959 --> 00:06:21.180 was there, there was a Canaanite woman that we 00:06:21.180 --> 00:06:24.240 looked at last week. She came to Jesus begging 00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:28.160 him to heal her daughter who was severely demon 00:06:28.160 --> 00:06:32.120 -possessed. Initially, Jesus almost seemed cruel. 00:06:32.600 --> 00:06:36.180 He denied her request. He said it was not right 00:06:36.180 --> 00:06:39.699 to take food from the children. That is Israel. 00:06:40.329 --> 00:06:44.389 And give to the dogs, that is Gentiles. What 00:06:44.389 --> 00:06:48.350 surprised us was the woman's response. She agreed 00:06:48.350 --> 00:06:51.350 with Jesus. She said, you're correct. It wouldn't 00:06:51.350 --> 00:06:54.970 be proper. It's not fitting to take food from 00:06:54.970 --> 00:06:57.689 your child to feed your pet. No, you would never 00:06:57.689 --> 00:07:01.110 do that. However, she said, but even the dogs 00:07:01.110 --> 00:07:04.329 who sit under the table, they eat the crumbs 00:07:04.329 --> 00:07:07.529 that fall from the children's plate. The Lord 00:07:07.529 --> 00:07:10.509 was so impressed by her answer. That he agreed 00:07:10.509 --> 00:07:12.610 to heal her daughter. And we see that in verse 00:07:12.610 --> 00:07:15.910 28. Jesus answered and he said to her, O woman, 00:07:16.050 --> 00:07:19.930 great is your faith. Let it be to you as you 00:07:19.930 --> 00:07:24.290 desire. And her daughter was healed from that 00:07:24.290 --> 00:07:29.230 very hour. The Messiah of Israel had granted 00:07:29.230 --> 00:07:34.110 a miracle to a Gentile woman. Was that any indication 00:07:34.110 --> 00:07:37.290 or maybe some preview that there... Would be 00:07:37.290 --> 00:07:39.829 more crumbs falling from the children's food 00:07:39.829 --> 00:07:45.389 and given to the Gentiles? Verse 29. So Jesus 00:07:45.389 --> 00:07:47.410 departed from there. He left Tyre and Sidon. 00:07:47.410 --> 00:07:49.370 That's the place where he had the interaction 00:07:49.370 --> 00:07:52.089 with the Canaanite woman. He skirted the Sea 00:07:52.089 --> 00:07:53.790 of Galilee and he went up on the mountain to 00:07:53.790 --> 00:07:56.769 sit down and pray. To sit down there. So he left 00:07:56.769 --> 00:07:59.269 those two cities. And it just says in Matthew, 00:07:59.310 --> 00:08:02.110 he skirted the Sea of Galilee. So we don't know 00:08:02.110 --> 00:08:05.189 where he is. But Mark, in the parallel passage, 00:08:05.769 --> 00:08:09.730 tells us that he went to the Decapolis, which 00:08:09.730 --> 00:08:12.689 is on the east side of the Sea of Galilee. Mark 00:08:12.689 --> 00:08:14.870 7 .31, you can see it on the wall behind me. 00:08:15.310 --> 00:08:17.750 So departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, 00:08:17.790 --> 00:08:20.750 he came through the midst of the region of Decapolis 00:08:20.750 --> 00:08:24.629 to the Sea of Galilee. Why is that important? 00:08:25.750 --> 00:08:29.750 Why do we care where Jesus is? Because the Decapolis 00:08:29.750 --> 00:08:33.919 was predominantly a Gentile region as well. This 00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:37.000 meant Jesus did not immediately return to go 00:08:37.000 --> 00:08:41.360 back to Israel. He stayed in the land of Gentiles 00:08:41.360 --> 00:08:43.860 for a while. Now, who's writing this gospel? 00:08:44.340 --> 00:08:48.220 Matthew. To whom is he writing? Primarily, not 00:08:48.220 --> 00:08:51.080 exclusively, primarily to a Jewish audience. 00:08:51.600 --> 00:08:54.519 The Jews of his day would have been very, very 00:08:54.519 --> 00:08:57.580 interested in God's dealings with the Gentiles. 00:08:58.100 --> 00:09:00.929 Because by and large, Jewish people... chose 00:09:00.929 --> 00:09:03.090 to have as little contact with the Gentiles as 00:09:03.090 --> 00:09:05.929 possible. Keep in mind what the Pharisees thought. 00:09:06.690 --> 00:09:10.549 Contact with Gentiles made you unclean. So much 00:09:10.549 --> 00:09:14.289 so that if a Jew who lived in the south, in Judea, 00:09:14.289 --> 00:09:17.970 needed to go to Galilee in the north, instead 00:09:17.970 --> 00:09:20.529 of taking this direct route and go right through 00:09:20.529 --> 00:09:23.029 the center of Israel, they would walk around 00:09:23.029 --> 00:09:26.789 Samaria. Why? Why didn't they just go straight 00:09:26.789 --> 00:09:30.309 through and pass through Samaria? Because the 00:09:30.309 --> 00:09:33.690 Samaritans were not fully Jewish. And the Jews 00:09:33.690 --> 00:09:37.529 believed them to be unclean. So you start to 00:09:37.529 --> 00:09:40.909 see this dynamic that's at play. Jews and Gentiles 00:09:40.909 --> 00:09:43.809 pretty much ignored one another. They had very 00:09:43.809 --> 00:09:47.330 limited interaction with one another. What about 00:09:47.330 --> 00:09:51.090 in the church? Would there only be Jews as well? 00:09:51.809 --> 00:09:53.850 I mean, the Gentiles were not included in the 00:09:53.850 --> 00:09:56.570 old covenant. What about their place in the new? 00:09:57.450 --> 00:10:01.909 Was there any place for non -Jews, that is Gentiles, 00:10:01.950 --> 00:10:05.889 in the new covenant which would be ratified by 00:10:05.889 --> 00:10:09.370 the blood of Jesus Christ? And the answer is 00:10:09.370 --> 00:10:12.889 unequivocally yes. Now Paul wrote about that 00:10:12.889 --> 00:10:17.509 in Ephesians 2. He said, speaking of Jesus, for 00:10:17.509 --> 00:10:21.470 he himself, that is Jesus, is our peace. He has 00:10:21.470 --> 00:10:26.100 made both Jew and Gentile one. And he has broken 00:10:26.100 --> 00:10:28.580 down the middle wall of separation, all those 00:10:28.580 --> 00:10:32.460 kosher laws, having abolished in his flesh that 00:10:32.460 --> 00:10:35.379 is the law of commandments contained in ordinances, 00:10:35.559 --> 00:10:38.440 so as to create in himself one new man from the 00:10:38.440 --> 00:10:42.679 two, thus making peace. And that he might reconcile 00:10:42.679 --> 00:10:46.759 both Jew and Gentile, because the Jews need to 00:10:46.759 --> 00:10:49.740 be reconciled to God as well. He reconciled them 00:10:49.740 --> 00:10:54.399 to God in one body through the cross. thereby 00:10:54.399 --> 00:10:57.740 putting death enmity. All the division, all the 00:10:57.740 --> 00:11:00.320 hostility that was always present between Jew 00:11:00.320 --> 00:11:02.820 and Gentile was eliminated at the cross of Jesus 00:11:02.820 --> 00:11:08.639 Christ. Now therefore, you, us, Gentiles, you're 00:11:08.639 --> 00:11:11.759 no longer strangers. You're no longer foreigners. 00:11:12.720 --> 00:11:17.080 What are you? You're fellow citizens with the 00:11:17.080 --> 00:11:20.879 saints. And friends, this is precious. And you're 00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:24.639 members of the household of God. So in the text 00:11:24.639 --> 00:11:29.220 today, there is a beautiful, wonderful foreshadowing 00:11:29.220 --> 00:11:33.320 that the Gentiles will be included in God's kingdom. 00:11:34.340 --> 00:11:37.899 So let's go back to the text in verse 30. Great 00:11:37.899 --> 00:11:41.980 multitudes came to him, having with them the 00:11:41.980 --> 00:11:44.940 lame, the blind, the mute, and many others. Many 00:11:44.940 --> 00:11:46.600 other types of diseases that are not listed. 00:11:47.799 --> 00:11:49.580 And they laid him down at the feet of Jesus. 00:11:50.840 --> 00:11:55.299 And it says he healed. them. The Lord chose to 00:11:55.299 --> 00:11:59.059 stay in Gentile territory and he was bombarded 00:11:59.059 --> 00:12:01.500 by large crowds just as he always was in Israel. 00:12:02.279 --> 00:12:04.840 So the Lord went up on a mountainside to sit, 00:12:05.019 --> 00:12:07.639 presumably to teach because that was how he normally 00:12:07.639 --> 00:12:09.840 would do this. But when he was sitting and teaching, 00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:13.019 multitudes came to him but they were bringing 00:12:13.019 --> 00:12:15.960 with them the sick and disabled among them because 00:12:15.960 --> 00:12:19.159 they were hoping to be healed. You had men and 00:12:19.159 --> 00:12:22.620 women who have never seen. You had men and women 00:12:22.620 --> 00:12:26.139 who could not walk or speak. They were brought 00:12:26.139 --> 00:12:29.179 to Jesus and they were hoping for a miracle. 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:33.200 They were hoping for some crumb that might fall 00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:36.679 from the children's plate. Maybe, perhaps, like 00:12:36.679 --> 00:12:39.580 that Canaanite woman, they too would receive 00:12:39.580 --> 00:12:43.740 God's mercy. So imagine the scene. You have great 00:12:43.740 --> 00:12:46.940 crowds of sick people and you have great crowds 00:12:46.940 --> 00:12:49.740 of handicapped people. And they're all brought 00:12:49.740 --> 00:12:55.379 to Jesus' feet. And it says he healed them. Think 00:12:55.379 --> 00:12:58.480 of that scene. Those who had just been unable 00:12:58.480 --> 00:13:02.279 to speak, they were mute. They began to speak 00:13:02.279 --> 00:13:06.820 clearly, sing clearly. I believe no doubt they 00:13:06.820 --> 00:13:09.240 were lifting their voice in praise and worship 00:13:09.240 --> 00:13:11.559 to God. God had loosed their tongue. They were 00:13:11.559 --> 00:13:15.120 speaking for the first time. Imagine the crippled. 00:13:15.840 --> 00:13:20.070 They're unable to walk. And suddenly they're 00:13:20.070 --> 00:13:22.389 laid at the feet of Jesus and he has mercy on 00:13:22.389 --> 00:13:24.929 them and they get up and they're walking. And 00:13:24.929 --> 00:13:27.169 I don't think they're just walking. I think they're 00:13:27.169 --> 00:13:30.730 running, skipping, jumping, dancing in glorious 00:13:30.730 --> 00:13:34.509 praise to the one who just healed them. What 00:13:34.509 --> 00:13:38.210 about those who had never seen, lived their lives 00:13:38.210 --> 00:13:40.870 in complete darkness, had never seen the beauty 00:13:40.870 --> 00:13:45.029 of a sunrise or sunset, never knew what a flower 00:13:45.029 --> 00:13:47.720 looked like? And suddenly they're laid at the 00:13:47.720 --> 00:13:49.600 feet of Jesus and he heals them and they have 00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:53.679 complete, perfect, 20 -20 vision. And the very 00:13:53.679 --> 00:13:55.820 first view they have is the face of Jesus who 00:13:55.820 --> 00:14:00.639 just healed them. All that was wrong was being 00:14:00.639 --> 00:14:05.559 made right. And we see this is a fulfillment 00:14:05.559 --> 00:14:09.440 of the prophecy of the Messiah. In Isaiah chapter 00:14:09.440 --> 00:14:14.240 35, Isaiah wrote this about 700 years prior. 00:14:15.659 --> 00:14:19.080 Say to those who are fearful hearted, be strong, 00:14:19.120 --> 00:14:22.659 don't fear. Behold, your God will come with vengeance. 00:14:23.620 --> 00:14:25.659 With the recompense of God, he will come and 00:14:25.659 --> 00:14:29.500 save you. What's that going to look like? Then 00:14:29.500 --> 00:14:32.559 the eyes of the blind will be opened. The ears 00:14:32.559 --> 00:14:36.820 of the deaf will be unstopped. The lame shall 00:14:36.820 --> 00:14:40.259 leap like a deer. And the tongue of the dumb 00:14:40.259 --> 00:14:45.480 shall sing. What's happening in Matthew 15? Isaiah 00:14:45.480 --> 00:14:49.340 35. This messianic prophecy is being clearly 00:14:49.340 --> 00:14:52.259 fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. And the text 00:14:52.259 --> 00:14:54.580 in Matthew says this, and this is very important, 00:14:54.779 --> 00:14:59.039 and they glorified the God of Israel. Why is 00:14:59.039 --> 00:15:02.100 that important? That's a Gentile way of referring 00:15:02.100 --> 00:15:04.840 to God. Had these been Jewish men and women who 00:15:04.840 --> 00:15:06.759 were healed, it would have simply said, and they 00:15:06.759 --> 00:15:10.179 glorified God. But these people were outside 00:15:10.179 --> 00:15:13.519 of Israel, and they were praising the God of 00:15:13.519 --> 00:15:18.659 Israel. What's that tell us? That at least some, 00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:21.120 if not the majority of these people who were 00:15:21.120 --> 00:15:26.039 healed were Gentiles. The dogs sitting under 00:15:26.039 --> 00:15:28.820 the table, they're getting more than just crumbs 00:15:28.820 --> 00:15:30.980 falling from children's plates. They're getting 00:15:30.980 --> 00:15:35.519 a full meal handed out to them. Again, prophesying 00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:40.399 of the Messiah. Isaiah wrote this, I the Lord, 00:15:40.500 --> 00:15:43.100 I Yahweh, I have called you in righteousness, 00:15:43.220 --> 00:15:46.080 speaking the Messiah. And I will hold your hand. 00:15:46.139 --> 00:15:49.200 I will keep you and give you as a covenant to 00:15:49.200 --> 00:15:55.500 the people, as a light to the Gentiles. Now keep 00:15:55.500 --> 00:15:58.620 in mind the backdrop. The Pharisees believed 00:15:58.620 --> 00:16:03.899 that Gentiles were unclean people, pagans, best 00:16:03.899 --> 00:16:07.899 avoided, have no contact with them. And now Matthew, 00:16:07.960 --> 00:16:11.220 the Jewish evangelist, is giving us a preview 00:16:11.220 --> 00:16:14.679 that these unclean people, are going to be part 00:16:14.679 --> 00:16:18.080 of God's kingdom. But the question still remains. 00:16:18.740 --> 00:16:21.580 Are these Gentiles, are they going to be second 00:16:21.580 --> 00:16:24.879 -class citizens in the kingdom of God? Are they 00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:27.419 going to merely receive table scraps as a dog 00:16:27.419 --> 00:16:30.519 sitting under the table? Well, let's keep reading. 00:16:31.200 --> 00:16:35.139 Verse 32. Now Jesus called his disciples and 00:16:35.139 --> 00:16:39.700 said, I have compassion on these people. They've 00:16:39.700 --> 00:16:41.480 been with me the better part of three days. In 00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:43.440 Jewish counting of days, if you spend any part 00:16:43.440 --> 00:16:46.080 of a day, they consider it a full day. So at 00:16:46.080 --> 00:16:49.179 least 50 hours here. And they've had nothing 00:16:49.179 --> 00:16:51.679 to eat. And they now have nothing to eat, I should 00:16:51.679 --> 00:16:54.139 say. Jesus, I don't want to send them away hungry 00:16:54.139 --> 00:16:56.720 lest they faint on the way. So the better part 00:16:56.720 --> 00:16:58.759 of three days are spent listening to Jesus, people 00:16:58.759 --> 00:17:02.759 being healed. And they probably did not come 00:17:02.759 --> 00:17:06.140 preparing to stay that long. So the food that 00:17:06.140 --> 00:17:07.539 they had brought with them would naturally be 00:17:07.539 --> 00:17:10.279 gone by this point. It's been a while since they've 00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:13.119 eaten, and Jesus, ever being the tender shepherd 00:17:13.119 --> 00:17:15.019 he is, he did not want to send them away hungry. 00:17:16.059 --> 00:17:18.259 People had traveled a great distance to see him. 00:17:18.279 --> 00:17:20.960 They're in a remote area. If he sends them home, 00:17:21.039 --> 00:17:23.720 the trip could prove dangerous. They could faint 00:17:23.720 --> 00:17:27.640 from being so weak and hungry. But once again, 00:17:27.740 --> 00:17:30.460 the disciples, those blessed disciples, they 00:17:30.460 --> 00:17:33.839 still don't get it all. Was Jesus expecting them 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:36.809 to feed this large crowd? So they look at him, 00:17:36.849 --> 00:17:40.630 and I imagine incredulously are saying, Jesus, 00:17:40.890 --> 00:17:43.390 I mean, what do you want us to do? Where could 00:17:43.390 --> 00:17:45.609 we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill 00:17:45.609 --> 00:17:49.710 such a great multitude? They're right, though. 00:17:50.309 --> 00:17:52.269 They're in a remote place. It's called a wilderness, 00:17:52.410 --> 00:17:55.910 a desert place. There are many people, food supply 00:17:55.910 --> 00:17:58.910 very small. But I believe they're saying, well, 00:17:58.990 --> 00:18:00.769 didn't they remember the feeding of the 5 ,000? 00:18:00.849 --> 00:18:03.450 Yeah, I think they did. But who's this crowd? 00:18:04.390 --> 00:18:08.210 Gentiles. I believe they did not expect for Jesus 00:18:08.210 --> 00:18:11.609 to miraculously feed these people as he did those 00:18:11.609 --> 00:18:14.630 in Israel. Clearly, whatever the reason, we don't 00:18:14.630 --> 00:18:17.390 know, they were not expecting a miracle feeding 00:18:17.390 --> 00:18:21.089 as before. So Jesus asked them, how much food 00:18:21.089 --> 00:18:23.529 do you have? And they're like, well, there's 00:18:23.529 --> 00:18:25.490 seven loaves of bread and a few little fish. 00:18:26.309 --> 00:18:28.509 That's it. That's all we can come up with, Jesus. 00:18:29.190 --> 00:18:31.450 Seven loaves of bread, little fish, that's not 00:18:31.450 --> 00:18:32.730 going to do anything. That's not even going to 00:18:32.730 --> 00:18:36.339 feed two people in a crowd this large. And yet 00:18:36.339 --> 00:18:39.339 God is never limited by our resources. What's 00:18:39.339 --> 00:18:41.160 amazing then, if you go back and read about the 00:18:41.160 --> 00:18:43.160 history of Israel, the true people, okay, the 00:18:43.160 --> 00:18:45.579 covenant people, when they were in the desert 00:18:45.579 --> 00:18:47.720 wondering, they asked this question in Psalm 00:18:47.720 --> 00:18:50.559 78. Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? 00:18:51.799 --> 00:18:55.200 What's that question mean? Can God provide in 00:18:55.200 --> 00:18:58.400 times of extreme hardship? They didn't think 00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:00.759 he could. That's why they kept grumbling and 00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:05.019 murmuring against him. Can God provide? Can he 00:19:05.019 --> 00:19:07.720 provide food in the wilderness? Look at verses 00:19:07.720 --> 00:19:13.140 35 -37. He commanded the people to sit. He took 00:19:13.140 --> 00:19:15.319 the bread. He took the fish. He gave thanks. 00:19:15.400 --> 00:19:18.200 He broke. He gave to his disciples. The disciples 00:19:18.200 --> 00:19:21.000 started to distribute out to the crowd. And look 00:19:21.000 --> 00:19:23.619 at verse 37. They all ate. All of them. And they 00:19:23.619 --> 00:19:26.599 were filled. And they took up seven large baskets 00:19:26.599 --> 00:19:29.400 full of the fragments that were left. That's 00:19:29.400 --> 00:19:31.319 almost verbatim. I was going to read it, but 00:19:31.319 --> 00:19:32.900 I'm not going to. You can go back to Matthew 00:19:32.900 --> 00:19:35.680 14, verses 19 and 20, and reading about the feeding 00:19:35.680 --> 00:19:37.859 of the 5 ,000, just one chapter earlier, verses 00:19:37.859 --> 00:19:41.619 19 and 20. Almost verbatim, same verbiage. But 00:19:41.619 --> 00:19:44.079 in both cases, you have the Lord here. He takes 00:19:44.079 --> 00:19:47.500 whatever bread and fish. He gives thanks. He 00:19:47.500 --> 00:19:51.119 broke it. He distributes to disciples, and his 00:19:51.119 --> 00:19:54.259 disciples hand out to the crowds. And in both 00:19:54.259 --> 00:19:59.380 cases, there was food left over afterwards. Now 00:19:59.380 --> 00:20:01.660 I want you to understand something. When you 00:20:01.660 --> 00:20:06.039 read this text, you can't help but hear the overtones 00:20:06.039 --> 00:20:10.700 of the word supper. There at the Passover meal, 00:20:10.779 --> 00:20:13.640 Jesus took bread and wine. What did he do? He 00:20:13.640 --> 00:20:17.140 gave thanks. He broke the bread. He gave to his 00:20:17.140 --> 00:20:20.559 disciples, same language, and they ate together 00:20:20.559 --> 00:20:23.700 that covenantal meal. These feedings, the feeding 00:20:23.700 --> 00:20:26.059 of the 5 ,000, the feeding of the 4 ,000, both 00:20:26.059 --> 00:20:28.400 of them are pointing to a greater meal that Jesus 00:20:28.400 --> 00:20:33.819 will one day provide. Yes, Jesus can provide 00:20:33.819 --> 00:20:37.599 bread for his people. But don't miss the lesson. 00:20:38.200 --> 00:20:42.359 Most importantly, he is the bread for his people. 00:20:43.220 --> 00:20:46.519 In John chapter 6, the context is the feeding 00:20:46.519 --> 00:20:51.119 of the 5 ,000. Verse 51, Jesus speaking to his 00:20:51.119 --> 00:20:55.660 fellow Jews. I am the living bread which came 00:20:55.660 --> 00:20:58.380 down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, 00:20:58.440 --> 00:21:00.759 he will live forever. And the bread that I shall 00:21:00.759 --> 00:21:03.220 give is my flesh, which I shall give for the 00:21:03.220 --> 00:21:05.640 life of the world, referring to the atoning sacrifice. 00:21:06.519 --> 00:21:10.859 Verse 54. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my 00:21:10.859 --> 00:21:13.740 blood has eternal life, and I will raise him 00:21:13.740 --> 00:21:16.759 up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, 00:21:16.920 --> 00:21:20.650 and my blood is drink indeed. See, the Lord just 00:21:20.650 --> 00:21:25.069 doesn't provide food for his people. He is the 00:21:25.069 --> 00:21:29.089 food. We call him our great high priest, and 00:21:29.089 --> 00:21:33.089 he is. As the great high priest, he offers the 00:21:33.089 --> 00:21:38.190 sacrifice. But he's also the lamb who is the 00:21:38.190 --> 00:21:42.890 sacrifice. And in the very same way, Jesus is 00:21:42.890 --> 00:21:46.809 the one who provides food, but he also is the 00:21:46.809 --> 00:21:50.819 one who is the food. that is provided. This is 00:21:50.819 --> 00:21:56.119 why Jesus in John 6 .35 said, I am the bread 00:21:56.119 --> 00:22:00.059 of life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger, 00:22:00.140 --> 00:22:03.299 and he who believes in me will never thirst. 00:22:04.339 --> 00:22:08.039 Jesus is the true bread from heaven, and he will 00:22:08.039 --> 00:22:11.299 save and satisfy his people. Now as we consider 00:22:11.299 --> 00:22:13.140 these two events, there are a couple differences 00:22:13.140 --> 00:22:15.579 between them that I think are absolutely worth 00:22:15.579 --> 00:22:18.200 noting. In the feeding of the 5 ,000, do you 00:22:18.200 --> 00:22:20.940 remember how many baskets were left over? Twelve. 00:22:22.259 --> 00:22:24.799 Now the word for basket is even different, and 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:26.420 that's going to be important here. The word for 00:22:26.420 --> 00:22:28.900 basket there refers to a small basket that was 00:22:28.900 --> 00:22:31.740 for personal use. In fact, it was a word that 00:22:31.740 --> 00:22:34.559 was used for the basket that Jews would carry 00:22:34.559 --> 00:22:37.660 around, and it would hold kosher food. So it's 00:22:37.660 --> 00:22:39.420 just a small little basket, and they would put 00:22:39.420 --> 00:22:41.880 their food in there. So it's just ceremonially 00:22:41.880 --> 00:22:46.980 clean food, kosher food. But in chapter 15, Gentile 00:22:46.980 --> 00:22:50.359 setting, there are seven baskets left. But the 00:22:50.359 --> 00:22:54.200 word basket here is not. This means a huge hamper 00:22:54.200 --> 00:22:57.880 -like basket. These are not the small kosher 00:22:57.880 --> 00:23:01.420 baskets. These are really large baskets, so large 00:23:01.420 --> 00:23:03.579 that a grown man could fit in them. In fact, 00:23:03.579 --> 00:23:05.319 the Apostle Paul was put in a basket and let 00:23:05.319 --> 00:23:08.380 down over the wall. That's what this is. So you 00:23:08.380 --> 00:23:12.859 have seven huge baskets. Not kosher, which lets 00:23:12.859 --> 00:23:15.539 us know we're still in Gentile territory. But 00:23:15.539 --> 00:23:17.579 there's seven of these huge hamper -like baskets 00:23:17.579 --> 00:23:19.839 left over. There's an extraordinary surplus. 00:23:20.940 --> 00:23:23.480 Jesus did not provide these people a snack to 00:23:23.480 --> 00:23:27.599 hold them over. This is a feast. A table that's 00:23:27.599 --> 00:23:29.480 provided in the wilderness. Do you remember the 00:23:29.480 --> 00:23:31.579 Canaanite woman? She said, Lord, just give me 00:23:31.579 --> 00:23:34.980 crumbs and I'll be happy. Jesus didn't give crumbs. 00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:37.839 He's giving a feast. Matthew tells us they all 00:23:37.839 --> 00:23:42.640 ate and were filled. No one was admitted. No 00:23:42.640 --> 00:23:46.109 one left hungry. In fact, everyone ate as much 00:23:46.109 --> 00:23:48.710 as they wanted to their heart's content. But 00:23:48.710 --> 00:23:50.730 notice the difference in numbers. And you're 00:23:50.730 --> 00:23:53.170 saying, is that important? And yes, I absolutely 00:23:53.170 --> 00:23:55.289 believe it is. And these are some things that 00:23:55.289 --> 00:23:58.549 I did not know before. When you have the meal 00:23:58.549 --> 00:24:00.289 provided for the Jews. Now, we knew this. We 00:24:00.289 --> 00:24:02.630 looked at this when we studied it. Twelve baskets 00:24:02.630 --> 00:24:06.210 left. Twelve. I think we need to be careful. 00:24:06.289 --> 00:24:08.619 Now, let me give a caveat right now. There are 00:24:08.619 --> 00:24:11.099 some people who are very big on speculation, 00:24:11.099 --> 00:24:13.619 and they look for numerology in Scripture, and 00:24:13.619 --> 00:24:15.880 they take the Greek and Hebrew and assign number 00:24:15.880 --> 00:24:17.819 value to it, and they look for hidden codes. 00:24:18.059 --> 00:24:20.920 Don't do that. That's foolishness. It really 00:24:20.920 --> 00:24:23.500 is. But there are times that numbers are emphasized 00:24:23.500 --> 00:24:25.660 throughout, and we get a picture of why that 00:24:25.660 --> 00:24:28.119 number is being used. Twelve. Well, I mean, it's 00:24:28.119 --> 00:24:31.319 pretty obvious, right? Twelve was the number 00:24:31.319 --> 00:24:33.680 that signified what? You have twelve tribes of 00:24:33.680 --> 00:24:36.950 Israel. Jesus chose twelve apostles. So you have 00:24:36.950 --> 00:24:40.769 these 12 sons of Jacob. So 12 baskets left over. 00:24:41.210 --> 00:24:44.990 He's feeding Jews at this time, representing 00:24:44.990 --> 00:24:51.210 12 tribes of Israel. Jesus feeding Israel. He's 00:24:51.210 --> 00:24:55.109 reinterpreting the law for them. He is the new 00:24:55.109 --> 00:24:58.930 and better Moses. He's the new deliverer. He 00:24:58.930 --> 00:25:04.069 is reconstituting the true Israel. Not just those 00:25:04.069 --> 00:25:06.789 circumcised in body, but rather those circumcised 00:25:06.789 --> 00:25:11.869 in heart. But we come over to the Gentiles. Seven 00:25:11.869 --> 00:25:16.950 baskets left. Why seven? Well, seven in Scripture 00:25:16.950 --> 00:25:19.230 is the number of completion. It's the number 00:25:19.230 --> 00:25:21.430 of fulfillment. For example, we look at Creation 00:25:21.430 --> 00:25:23.910 Week. There were seven days, and then God finished 00:25:23.910 --> 00:25:27.049 His work. If you go to Revelation 2 and 3, you 00:25:27.049 --> 00:25:29.849 can see there are seven churches in Asian Minor 00:25:29.849 --> 00:25:32.559 to which John wrote. Now those seven churches 00:25:32.559 --> 00:25:35.299 were literal, existing, actual churches at the 00:25:35.299 --> 00:25:38.279 time. But because there were seven of them, it 00:25:38.279 --> 00:25:39.960 meant that the message that was given to them 00:25:39.960 --> 00:25:42.799 is meant to apply to the entire church at all 00:25:42.799 --> 00:25:45.599 times and all places. If you read through the 00:25:45.599 --> 00:25:47.099 book of Revelation, you see seven everywhere. 00:25:47.319 --> 00:25:50.259 There are seven seals, seven bowls, seven trumpets, 00:25:50.259 --> 00:25:54.920 seven vials. All this judgment. Why seven of 00:25:54.920 --> 00:25:58.940 these? Because God's judgment is complete. It's 00:25:58.940 --> 00:26:03.299 finished. So, we have seven baskets left over. 00:26:04.099 --> 00:26:08.099 What's that mean? With the feeding of the Gentiles, 00:26:08.140 --> 00:26:13.819 the mission is brought to its completion. Yes, 00:26:13.839 --> 00:26:16.180 the Gentiles will be brought into God's covenant. 00:26:16.640 --> 00:26:19.440 And God will fulfill that promise he made to 00:26:19.440 --> 00:26:23.640 Abraham. But notice the order. The feeding of 00:26:23.640 --> 00:26:26.900 the Jews came first. And then, the feeding of 00:26:26.900 --> 00:26:30.180 the Gentiles. Salvation is always what? To the 00:26:30.180 --> 00:26:33.980 Jew first. And then to the Greek, Paul says in 00:26:33.980 --> 00:26:37.059 Romans, or to the Gentile. You have these two 00:26:37.059 --> 00:26:40.640 feedings side by side, chapter 14 and 15, to 00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:44.420 show the flow, the order of salvation. The gospel 00:26:44.420 --> 00:26:46.980 begins with Israel, but it doesn't remain in 00:26:46.980 --> 00:26:49.759 Israel. It extends outward to all the nations. 00:26:50.279 --> 00:26:52.460 I put together a small little chart. I hope you 00:26:52.460 --> 00:26:55.160 can see it. So you have the feeding of the 5 00:26:55.160 --> 00:26:58.170 ,000 versus the feeding of the 4 ,000. Matthew 00:26:58.170 --> 00:27:01.710 14 versus Matthew 15. The first one's primarily 00:27:01.710 --> 00:27:06.049 Jews. The second one, primarily Gentiles. In 00:27:06.049 --> 00:27:07.670 the first one, you have five loaves that are 00:27:07.670 --> 00:27:10.529 broken. With the Gentiles, seven loaves. We'll 00:27:10.529 --> 00:27:12.509 talk about that in just a moment. You have 12 00:27:12.509 --> 00:27:14.430 baskets left over with the feeding of the Jews. 00:27:14.529 --> 00:27:17.029 You have seven huge baskets left over with the 00:27:17.029 --> 00:27:21.630 Gentiles. What's the message? The Messiah feeds 00:27:21.630 --> 00:27:25.950 Israel. The Messiah feeds the nations. But why 00:27:25.950 --> 00:27:29.289 five and seven loaves? Now, admittedly, I don't 00:27:29.289 --> 00:27:32.529 know. Many commentators in the five loaves, now 00:27:32.529 --> 00:27:35.650 I think this is speculation, they say, but I 00:27:35.650 --> 00:27:38.230 think it's a good speculation, they say the five 00:27:38.230 --> 00:27:40.730 loaves in the feeding of the Jews represents 00:27:40.730 --> 00:27:43.009 the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible 00:27:43.009 --> 00:27:45.609 known as the law, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, 00:27:45.670 --> 00:27:48.109 Numbers, Deuteronomy, the Pentateuch. So that's 00:27:48.109 --> 00:27:52.190 the law. So it shows the law given. But seven 00:27:52.190 --> 00:27:55.029 again, we just talked about seven is? It's showing 00:27:55.029 --> 00:27:58.670 that the mission of God is completed as the gospel 00:27:58.670 --> 00:28:01.890 reaches the nations. But regardless if you buy 00:28:01.890 --> 00:28:06.650 into that, don't miss the point. God promised 00:28:06.650 --> 00:28:13.329 Abraham that he would have an heir, a seed. And 00:28:13.329 --> 00:28:17.309 in this heir, this one singular heir, all the 00:28:17.309 --> 00:28:21.940 nations of the world would be blessed. We come 00:28:21.940 --> 00:28:24.339 now to Matthew 15 and we start to see the feeding 00:28:24.339 --> 00:28:27.839 of the Gentiles is foreshadowing that very promise 00:28:27.839 --> 00:28:31.019 being fulfilled. Because now, how did the chapter? 00:28:31.539 --> 00:28:35.380 You have a Gentile woman, Canaanite, begging 00:28:35.380 --> 00:28:40.200 for crumbs. But by the end of this chapter, there 00:28:40.200 --> 00:28:42.859 is a great feast where multitudes of Gentiles 00:28:42.859 --> 00:28:47.539 are fed to the full. God's generosity knows no 00:28:47.539 --> 00:28:51.450 bounds. The gospel of Jesus Christ is for all 00:28:51.450 --> 00:28:55.390 people in all nations at all times. It's going 00:28:55.390 --> 00:28:57.869 to be fulfilled, folks. In Revelation chapter 00:28:57.869 --> 00:29:01.589 7, verses 9 and 10, we read this. After these 00:29:01.589 --> 00:29:03.410 things I looked, and behold, a great multitude 00:29:03.410 --> 00:29:06.569 which no one could number. And I love this part. 00:29:07.109 --> 00:29:11.910 Of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues. 00:29:12.509 --> 00:29:15.769 And what are they doing? They're standing before 00:29:15.769 --> 00:29:19.559 the throne and before the Lamb. They're clothed 00:29:19.559 --> 00:29:21.240 with white robes. That's the righteousness of 00:29:21.240 --> 00:29:23.579 Christ given to them. They've got palm branches 00:29:23.579 --> 00:29:25.359 in their hands. That's that poem Sunday singing 00:29:25.359 --> 00:29:28.420 victory to Hosanna. And they're all together, 00:29:28.619 --> 00:29:31.039 this great throng of people. They're crying out 00:29:31.039 --> 00:29:32.599 with a loud voice. And what are they saying? 00:29:34.259 --> 00:29:37.480 Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the 00:29:37.480 --> 00:29:41.279 throne and to the Lamb. Here's the fulfillment, 00:29:41.339 --> 00:29:45.440 folks. Jesus Christ is the true bread of life. 00:29:46.410 --> 00:29:49.009 And he is not only sufficient for Israel, but 00:29:49.009 --> 00:29:51.849 there is enough bread to feed the entire world. 00:29:51.970 --> 00:29:56.009 All nations. The bread of life, Jesus will feed 00:29:56.009 --> 00:30:00.990 as many as come to him in repentant faith. I 00:30:00.990 --> 00:30:02.549 don't think there's any better way to respond 00:30:02.549 --> 00:30:04.670 to this particular text than by coming to the 00:30:04.670 --> 00:30:09.650 Lord's table. Christ has provided for our hunger. 00:30:10.950 --> 00:30:13.849 But not merely, folks, by giving us bread, but 00:30:13.849 --> 00:30:19.440 by giving us... That's the point. At the table 00:30:19.440 --> 00:30:22.819 of the Lord, we receive bread and the cup. And 00:30:22.819 --> 00:30:24.799 there we remember the body and blood of Christ. 00:30:25.640 --> 00:30:27.619 The body that was broken and the blood that was 00:30:27.619 --> 00:30:31.099 shed for the forgiveness of our sins. In the 00:30:31.099 --> 00:30:33.119 sacrament, though, we also see that God's grace 00:30:33.119 --> 00:30:39.460 is abundant. Any sinner who comes to Jesus in 00:30:39.460 --> 00:30:43.579 faith will be received. No one's excluded from 00:30:43.579 --> 00:30:46.160 this table. But I think there's something even 00:30:46.160 --> 00:30:48.000 more beautiful, and I said particularly to us, 00:30:48.039 --> 00:30:53.200 this is how. Anyone Jewish in here? We're all 00:30:53.200 --> 00:30:58.059 Gentiles. But even as Gentiles today, we do not 00:30:58.059 --> 00:31:00.980 come to the table of the Lord as dogs expecting 00:31:00.980 --> 00:31:04.740 crumbs. You and I come as sons and daughters 00:31:04.740 --> 00:31:08.619 who, as Paul said now, belong to the household 00:31:08.619 --> 00:31:12.269 of God. God did not bring you in as a slave. 00:31:13.029 --> 00:31:15.490 He did not bring you in as a second class citizen. 00:31:16.529 --> 00:31:19.150 He brought you in as a full heir with Jesus Christ 00:31:19.150 --> 00:31:22.369 as a son or daughter of his. It's wonderful. 00:31:23.529 --> 00:31:25.470 Already in the text, Jesus said, I have compassion 00:31:25.470 --> 00:31:28.170 on the multitude. And he said these words, I 00:31:28.170 --> 00:31:32.549 don't want to send them away hungry. The Lord 00:31:32.549 --> 00:31:37.470 Jesus, he never sends anyone away hungry who 00:31:37.470 --> 00:31:41.740 will come to him in faith. So my appeal to you, 00:31:41.839 --> 00:31:44.759 as we come to the table of the Lord, we come 00:31:44.759 --> 00:31:47.640 hungry, and let's be satisfied by the body and 00:31:47.640 --> 00:31:49.700 blood of Christ. Let's feast upon him, and let's 00:31:49.700 --> 00:31:54.099 commune with him in this particular meal that 00:31:54.099 --> 00:31:56.380 he has designed for his people. It's a glorious 00:31:56.380 --> 00:32:00.599 truth, church. God, you are never, ever a plan 00:32:00.599 --> 00:32:03.839 B or a second thought in his mind. All this glorious 00:32:03.839 --> 00:32:06.740 plan of salvation, God would show mercy on the 00:32:06.740 --> 00:32:10.029 world, both Israel and Gentiles. through His 00:32:10.029 --> 00:32:12.789 one and only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who 00:32:12.789 --> 00:32:15.750 bore our sins. Praise Him. Thank Him. As the 00:32:15.750 --> 00:32:18.549 almonds are distributed today, worship Him. Give 00:32:18.549 --> 00:32:20.930 Him praise and glory in your inner thoughts as 00:32:20.930 --> 00:32:23.910 you meditate and contemplate on the body that 00:32:23.910 --> 00:32:26.849 was broken and the blood that was shed that you 00:32:26.849 --> 00:32:29.630 might be brought in to the kingdom of God. Let's 00:32:29.630 --> 00:32:35.930 pray. Father, we thank You for Your Word. I'm 00:32:35.930 --> 00:32:39.690 astounded by it, Lord. The depth, the... to how 00:32:39.690 --> 00:32:42.529 profound the profundity, Lord, of your word is 00:32:42.529 --> 00:32:45.809 extreme. Lord God, no one can fully understand 00:32:45.809 --> 00:32:47.970 it. I believe in eternity we'll still be, Lord, 00:32:48.029 --> 00:32:50.690 mining its depths and, Lord, just marveling at 00:32:50.690 --> 00:32:53.329 your mind that has inspired this sacred text. 00:32:53.630 --> 00:32:56.009 Lord, we thank you. We thank you for Jesus, Lord. 00:32:56.109 --> 00:32:58.730 We are a hungry people, Lord God. We are a starving 00:32:58.730 --> 00:33:01.250 people apart from him. But, Lord, we are satisfied 00:33:01.250 --> 00:33:04.269 with what he gives us. Praise be to your glorious 00:33:04.269 --> 00:33:07.250 name. Father, help us this morning, Lord, Lord, 00:33:07.289 --> 00:33:09.819 to be repenting of our sins, confessing them 00:33:09.819 --> 00:33:11.980 before you, but receiving the forgiveness that 00:33:11.980 --> 00:33:14.539 is found in your Son. Lord, glory be to God. 00:33:14.680 --> 00:33:18.559 We thank you for this in Jesus' name. Amen. Deacons, 00:33:18.559 --> 00:33:20.000 would you come and distribute the elements?