WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.339 A little girl asked one of life's most vital 00:00:03.339 --> 00:00:06.639 questions one day. She'd been learning the Lord's 00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:13.220 Prayer, but she had not heard distinctly. And 00:00:13.220 --> 00:00:19.539 so she began this way. Our Father who art in 00:00:19.539 --> 00:00:27.219 heaven, how did you know my name? Isn't it the 00:00:27.219 --> 00:00:31.670 most thrilling? the most wonderful thing in the 00:00:31.670 --> 00:00:37.289 world, to know that he knows you and he knows 00:00:37.289 --> 00:00:42.409 me by name. And it's just like that. The other 00:00:42.409 --> 00:00:45.429 day, someone in my office said, the Lord knows 00:00:45.429 --> 00:00:49.509 I've tried. And I thought to myself, yes, the 00:00:49.509 --> 00:00:54.250 Lord does know. And how many times have you said, 00:00:54.390 --> 00:01:01.929 the Lord knows or God knows? Usually we use these 00:01:01.929 --> 00:01:05.969 words as a slang expression, not fully realizing 00:01:05.969 --> 00:01:10.349 that we have set forth a great truth, a marvelous 00:01:10.349 --> 00:01:18.109 truth. The Lord does know. Believe me. I give 00:01:18.109 --> 00:01:21.689 you that as a fact upon the authority of God's 00:01:21.689 --> 00:01:28.010 word. Centuries before Jesus, it was Job. who 00:01:28.010 --> 00:01:33.450 cried out in his agony, but he knoweth the way 00:01:33.450 --> 00:01:40.450 that I must take. Job knew it. Job had full knowledge 00:01:40.450 --> 00:01:48.510 of this glorious fact that God knew the way that 00:01:48.510 --> 00:01:54.349 he, Job, had to take. And just hours before Jesus 00:01:54.349 --> 00:01:58.390 went away, Into heaven he was talking with his 00:01:58.390 --> 00:02:01.549 disciples on the seashore, and he was questioning 00:02:01.549 --> 00:02:07.290 Peter about his love. And in his impatience, 00:02:07.530 --> 00:02:10.669 Peter said something that was very profound. 00:02:12.469 --> 00:02:19.949 Lord, thou knowest all things. And over and over 00:02:19.949 --> 00:02:26.719 again, the Bible confirms that truth. Only I 00:02:26.719 --> 00:02:28.639 could get you to see it this hour. It would make 00:02:28.639 --> 00:02:30.719 all the difference in the world, in your life, 00:02:30.780 --> 00:02:32.780 in your living, when you have to confront problems 00:02:32.780 --> 00:02:35.819 and troubles and difficulties. The Bible says 00:02:35.819 --> 00:02:41.199 it very simply. The psalmist tells us that God 00:02:41.199 --> 00:02:45.599 knows the stars. Matthew says that the very hairs 00:02:45.599 --> 00:02:50.919 of our heads are all numbered. Think of it. The 00:02:50.919 --> 00:02:57.500 very hairs on your head. are all numbered of 00:02:57.500 --> 00:03:03.020 the lord he knows you so completely so thoroughly 00:03:03.020 --> 00:03:09.259 that even the hairs on your head are all numbered 00:03:09.259 --> 00:03:14.240 of him luke tells us that he marks the fall of 00:03:14.240 --> 00:03:19.960 a sparrow not a little tiny bird is fallen to 00:03:19.960 --> 00:03:23.539 the earth but what the lord knows all about That 00:03:23.539 --> 00:03:26.560 falling sparrow, that little bird, and is with 00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:31.860 that bird when it falls. John tells us that he 00:03:31.860 --> 00:03:37.620 calleth his sheep by name. Therefore, the little 00:03:37.620 --> 00:03:40.560 girl wasn't so far wrong when she prayed the 00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:47.419 Lord's Prayer. The Lord, who art in heaven, how 00:03:47.419 --> 00:03:54.349 did you know my name? Sure, he knows your name. 00:03:55.050 --> 00:03:59.129 He knoweth his sheep by name. But now watch something. 00:03:59.729 --> 00:04:08.310 God knows. God cares. But one thing more. God 00:04:08.310 --> 00:04:12.949 supplies the power that we need for living these 00:04:12.949 --> 00:04:18.350 days. That's right. No one of us is a match for 00:04:18.350 --> 00:04:23.410 the circumstances of this world. Not one. There 00:04:23.410 --> 00:04:27.170 are material needs to be met. There are physical 00:04:27.170 --> 00:04:30.829 needs to be met. There are victories that must 00:04:30.829 --> 00:04:34.970 be fought and won. Battles, there isn't a single 00:04:34.970 --> 00:04:38.790 one of us but what has battles. And sometimes 00:04:38.790 --> 00:04:40.889 I think the greatest battles ever fought and 00:04:40.889 --> 00:04:46.529 won are never fought on some battlefield but 00:04:46.529 --> 00:04:52.139 the greatest battles ever fought. or in the human 00:04:52.139 --> 00:04:57.060 heart. And the thing that I'm trying to get you 00:04:57.060 --> 00:05:02.420 to see is this, that God is not only interested 00:05:02.420 --> 00:05:05.800 in our spiritual welfare. Oh, there are tens 00:05:05.800 --> 00:05:08.660 of thousands of people who think of him only 00:05:08.660 --> 00:05:12.860 in terms of being interested in our spiritual 00:05:12.860 --> 00:05:18.319 welfare. That's good. That's wonderful. But know 00:05:18.319 --> 00:05:24.319 something. He is also interested in our physical 00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:30.819 welfare and in our material welfare. You say 00:05:30.819 --> 00:05:34.879 to me, do you mean that he's interested in the 00:05:34.879 --> 00:05:38.279 house rent? Do you mean that he's interested 00:05:38.279 --> 00:05:43.939 in my job, in my paycheck? Indeed I do. I can 00:05:43.939 --> 00:05:46.420 prove to you that he's even interested in your 00:05:46.420 --> 00:05:50.860 bread and butter. How can that be? What something? 00:05:51.639 --> 00:05:57.100 To me, the feeding of the 5 ,000 was truly a 00:05:57.100 --> 00:06:03.160 marvelous miracle. But aside from the miracle 00:06:03.160 --> 00:06:07.180 of the feeding of the 5 ,000, the thing that 00:06:07.180 --> 00:06:13.220 concerns me most is the fact that Jesus was interested 00:06:13.220 --> 00:06:18.970 in the hunger of those people. Oh, we put such 00:06:18.970 --> 00:06:24.009 emphasis on the feeding of the 5 ,000 and say, 00:06:24.029 --> 00:06:29.569 how could it be that 5 ,000 were fed with the 00:06:29.569 --> 00:06:33.149 five loaves and the two little fishes that the 00:06:33.149 --> 00:06:37.430 lad had in his lunch bucket? I know that's marvelous, 00:06:37.670 --> 00:06:41.050 but to me that's very secondary. Believe me. 00:06:41.850 --> 00:06:47.310 The marvel of it all. is the fact that the very 00:06:47.310 --> 00:06:55.350 son of the living God was interested in the hunger 00:06:55.350 --> 00:07:04.290 of the people. The mighty creator interested 00:07:04.290 --> 00:07:13.009 in the hunger of man. Let me read just three 00:07:13.009 --> 00:07:17.420 verses. And when the day began to wear away, 00:07:17.759 --> 00:07:22.480 then came the twelve and said unto him, Send 00:07:22.480 --> 00:07:26.500 the multitude away. Even the disciples were not 00:07:26.500 --> 00:07:29.420 interested in the hunger of the people. Send 00:07:29.420 --> 00:07:33.839 them away. Don't bother with the master. Send 00:07:33.839 --> 00:07:36.199 them away that they may go into the towns and 00:07:36.199 --> 00:07:42.019 the country round about and lodge and get littles. 00:07:43.160 --> 00:07:48.910 For, We are here in a desert place. They're tired. 00:07:49.189 --> 00:07:53.689 They're hungry. They've been here so long. Send 00:07:53.689 --> 00:07:59.550 them away. They haven't eaten today. We're in 00:07:59.550 --> 00:08:01.310 a desert place and there's nothing for them to 00:08:01.310 --> 00:08:05.490 eat here. Maybe they can find a place to eat 00:08:05.490 --> 00:08:10.550 elsewhere. But he said unto them, that's Jesus 00:08:10.550 --> 00:08:15.069 speaking now, and watch this. All to me, this 00:08:15.069 --> 00:08:20.089 is the most important part of the miracle. Not 00:08:20.089 --> 00:08:23.709 the blessing and the multiplying of the five 00:08:23.709 --> 00:08:27.910 loaves and the two fishes, no. But the deep love 00:08:27.910 --> 00:08:34.070 and concern of the one who cared. All the pity, 00:08:34.169 --> 00:08:38.850 the compassion. Watch it. But he said unto them, 00:08:39.029 --> 00:08:47.080 give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no 00:08:47.080 --> 00:08:49.720 more but five loaves and two fishes, except we 00:08:49.720 --> 00:08:52.179 should go and buy meat for all these people. 00:08:52.879 --> 00:08:56.299 For they were about five thousand men. And he 00:08:56.299 --> 00:09:00.679 said to disciples, Make them sit down by fifties 00:09:00.679 --> 00:09:04.919 in a company. And they did so, and made them 00:09:04.919 --> 00:09:09.440 all sit down. Then he took the five loaves and 00:09:09.440 --> 00:09:12.559 the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he 00:09:12.559 --> 00:09:16.700 blessed them in break and gave to the disciples 00:09:16.700 --> 00:09:21.440 to set before the multitude. And they did eat 00:09:21.440 --> 00:09:26.220 and were all filled. Do you want to know what 00:09:26.220 --> 00:09:29.740 Jesus is really like? Do you want to know how 00:09:29.740 --> 00:09:37.409 concerned he is about your bread and butter Eat 00:09:37.409 --> 00:09:41.509 at your house. There's many a man without a job 00:09:41.509 --> 00:09:47.129 today. There's many a worried family. Remember 00:09:47.129 --> 00:09:52.710 something. The master is concerned as to whether 00:09:52.710 --> 00:09:58.169 or not you eat at your house. He's interested 00:09:58.169 --> 00:10:03.250 in your bread and your butter, believe me. Not 00:10:03.250 --> 00:10:06.049 only is he interested in your spiritual welfare, 00:10:07.080 --> 00:10:11.080 but he's interested in your material needs being 00:10:11.080 --> 00:10:15.279 supplied in exactly the same way that he's interested 00:10:15.279 --> 00:10:21.580 in the physical needs being taken care of. God 00:10:21.580 --> 00:10:26.179 knows, God cares, and God supplies the power 00:10:26.179 --> 00:10:31.240 that we need for every circumstance in our life. 00:10:32.379 --> 00:10:34.860 Not one of us is a match for the circumstances 00:10:34.860 --> 00:10:38.700 of our world. Believe me, that's true. How puny 00:10:38.700 --> 00:10:42.000 we are, and how often the mercy of forces that 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:45.299 we cannot control. Our one hope is to attach 00:10:45.299 --> 00:10:50.759 ourselves to a power superior to ourselves. Obviously, 00:10:50.980 --> 00:10:54.700 material forces are not adequate, though countless 00:10:54.700 --> 00:10:58.460 millions measure power in terms of money and 00:10:58.460 --> 00:11:03.179 things. But we cannot rely upon or use the naked 00:11:03.179 --> 00:11:06.960 power of the natural world about us. Social power 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:11.860 is of no avail in our times of soul need. The 00:11:11.860 --> 00:11:16.139 secret of inner power is to be in harmony with 00:11:16.139 --> 00:11:20.240 the great God of the universe. He knows. He knows 00:11:20.240 --> 00:11:24.000 us. He knows you. He cares about us. And he supplies 00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:28.919 the power that we need. Listen to me. People 00:11:28.919 --> 00:11:34.639 who really put Christianity into practice, really, 00:11:36.080 --> 00:11:40.019 Really put Christianity into practice. Discover 00:11:40.019 --> 00:11:45.259 that it works in all circumstances of life. You 00:11:45.259 --> 00:11:47.600 know, many of us think that religion is doing 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:52.539 something for God. Listen to me. At its best, 00:11:52.740 --> 00:12:01.580 religion is God doing something for us. It is 00:12:01.580 --> 00:12:05.190 true that God helps those... who help themselves. 00:12:05.669 --> 00:12:09.710 It is also true that God helps those who cannot 00:12:09.710 --> 00:12:15.289 help themselves. In Christianity at its best, 00:12:15.470 --> 00:12:21.490 God does something for, something in, and something 00:12:21.490 --> 00:12:27.470 through those that trust him. And it's just like 00:12:27.470 --> 00:12:37.490 that. Listen. Paul says, I can do all things 00:12:37.490 --> 00:12:43.190 through Christ who strengtheneth me. That, my 00:12:43.190 --> 00:12:50.570 friend, is religion at its best. I can do all 00:12:50.570 --> 00:13:01.590 things through Christ. No man, no woman need... 00:13:02.090 --> 00:13:05.870 ever be defeated on a single score, whether it's 00:13:05.870 --> 00:13:09.669 a material need, a physical need, or a spiritual 00:13:09.669 --> 00:13:15.809 need. No person need ever be defeated as long 00:13:15.809 --> 00:13:21.389 as God is still on his throne and hears and answers 00:13:21.389 --> 00:13:24.309 prayer. Amen.