Compassionate Providence

Problems with you guys. Turn with me if you want to mark chapter 8 when we look at verses one through 10.

In those days when again a great crowd gathered. They had nothing to eat. He called his disciples to him and said to them I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat if I send them away hungry to their homes. They will find all the way some of them of come from far away disciples answered him, how can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place. The Assam family Lowe's GIF said seven and he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground he took the seven loaves and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people and they set them before the crowd. They had a few small fish.

Having blessed them. He said that these also should be set before them, and they ate and were satisfied and they took up the broken pieces left over seven baskets full. There about 4000 people, and he sent them away immediately got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Delmon the that with me as we got our Lord in prayer. Father I pray for our sick this morning. Pray for Esther Carol that a scary episode Friday help to heal. Pray for Nicole Lohse. She battles vertigo and dizziness I for Linda my Catherine Wilde Abercrombie and Karen Starcher help them all to heal. Pray for Peter Ellsworth that they will be able to put in the stent without complications next week. Lord have mercy on our sick mother.

We are looking at a passage of Scripture today that answers the question is Jesus really care.

We know that Jesus is, was and always will be perfectly without sin. We know this creative power of her sickness, demons, and sin. Does he really care about us. We lose loved one to death in our hearts are ripped into does he care when we have a loved one is calloused of the gospel.

We have prayed and begged and cried out to you is Jesus care to care for their lost soul in our broken heart. Father use this passage to help us get into the heart of Jesus, help us to understand that a no answer from Christ is not a lack of compassion.

Help us to learn how to trust our compassionate provider. We love you Lord open the Scripture to us today and give us ears to hear what is in the precious name of Jesus that we pray. Amen.

When I read this passage. A moment ago you might've been tempted to say, wait a minute. Been there, done that. Dougie preached on a very similar situation just a couple weeks ago. That's right, I did in Mark chapter 6 we read the story about Jesus feeding a huge multitude of people with us a small little bit of bread and a small amount of fish and Jesus did that. So what is Mark doing here is is Mark just got confused and is he repeating the same story that he's already given us in the answer that is is no. It is a very similar story, but there are some differences. Number one the multitude. In this story is gone three days without food. The multitude in Mark chapter 6 only went one day without food for two Jesus said the 5000 with five loaves and two fish. He flees the 4000 was seven loaves and a few small fish number three in Mark six. The word for fish is different than market and in Mark six. The word for fish means just any kind of fish.

And the primary fish in that time in the sea of Galilee was called St. Peter's fish. What we know is tilapia but in Mark eight. The small fish that are spoken of here are more like sardines or smelt in the number four in Mark chapter 6 the number of people that if they had was much larger, 5000 men, not including the women and the children probably about 20,000 in all. Here in Mark eight. They are only 4000 that had been fed. If you're still not convinced. Do you think this is still the same story that I want you to go down with me in the same chapter 2 verse 17 through 21, and I think this answers the question says and Jesus aware of this said to them, why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread, do you not yet perceive or understand are your hearts hardened, heavy eyes, do you not see it, having ears, do you not hear and do you not remember when I broke the five loaves for the 5000 MA basket full of broken pieces did you take up a said him 12 in the seventh of the 4000, how many basket full of broken pieces did you take up they said him seven and he said to them, do you not yet understand. Jesus mentions both miracles in the very same conversation was that proved to us that proves to us that the Bible is the word of God that proves to us that the Bible is inerrant and infallible that we can absolutely trust all year. They'll be times I'll be going to a passage of Scripture and I don't quite understand it and it seems odd to me and also Wightman something seems to be wrong here. If I begin to study what I realized that what's wrong is something with me and not with the Scripture, and what do I need to do I need to to pray about it. I need to dig in the Scripture. And when I do that I will find that God's word is true is always true bugs in our society today we are being told that there is a a multitude of gingers.

I asked what some people want to think that's what some people want to feel that's what some people won't want to believe it is not true. How do we know that it's not true because the Scripture tells us in Genesis chapter 1 verse 27.

The Scripture says that God created man in his own image in the image of God created a created them male and female he created them. How many genders are there many sectors are there are only two male and female.

The word of God says it, that settles the feeding of the 4000 Takes Pl. in the area called the… His Gentile territory. This is the area where Jesus came in, he cast the demons out of the gallery and the money at this man was a pitiful man.

He lived out in the graveyard. He had supernatural demonic strength.

He was a man who could not be bound in and Bob Fetters in chains that he was a man that everybody in town was scared of the. The children saw him and they cried.

The women saw him in. They fled the men saw him and they ran to protect their family. And Jesus cast the demons out of this man would Jesus do have the demons went into a herd of swine 2000 pigs. I went crazy and they went running over a cliff and they drowned himself in the sea. This, while former demoniac was now a perfect peace was filled with joy, the frustration and the anguish in the destructiveness and the insanity now was completely and totally gone and he went to Jesus and he said Jesus I want to come with you. The townspeople came and they said to Jesus, get out of our town. We don't have anything to do with you you you destroyed all this property of the pigs get out of our town.

So Jesus granted their request and Jesus left town, but he turned around he looked at the former Domani act and he said no you can't go with me exhibit this is what I want you to do. I want you to go back to your people back to your family back to your hometown and I want you to tell everybody that God brings in your path about me. I want you to be my witness, I want you to go back.

Tell them about your deliverance as you are set free by eye from the demonic demonic bondage. You go back and tell them about me go back and be my witness while while I think that's a glorious and a wonderful thing to see that brothers and sisters something major happened after this something major happened because in just a few months.

Of time when the 2000 pigs kill them sales the. The people that were they are these Gentile people they got upset and I told Jesus to leave and then us a few months after this, these very same Gentile people come back and they are so enamored with Christ that they won't leave.

I mean, they're excited there there there physically hungry, but there more spiritually hungry. So they're willing to even do without food to be with Jesus. Here's a question. What is a change.

What motivated them to change what change their mind. I believe with all my heart that it was the witness of the of the former Domani act. This man joyfully and faithfully told everyone he could how Jesus had changed his life. Had Jesus had set him free. He says he gave me back my sanity. He gave me back my family. He took the confusion in the frustration totally and completely out of my mind.

Look at what Jesus did for me.

He said you want to know Jesus is. He said I know Jesus is here is our long-awaited Messiah P is the King of Kings and Lord of lords. PE is the son of God, that's who Jesus is to change my life and he can change yours. He said to them, quit running from Jesus and run to Jesus come to Jesus come to Jesus. He will give you a new eternity.

He will give you a new heart. Did it work, but I believe it did in a period of just a few months, 4000 new Gentile followers of Christ are going with him and they are so excited about them so enamored with who Christ is, they don't even care that they been without food for all this time they are so hungry for Jesus. But what a message this is for us. How can we keep our mouth shut when we have the greatest news of this world has ever heard.

We are living in a culture that is absolutely collapsing. We live in. With economy that is exploding when we are living with politicians who are just corrupt to the hilt. Is there help is there hope. Yes, there is hope. There's hope for America is not in a political party is not in some politician.

It is in the Messiah budgets in Jesus Christ.

He is our answer and he is our only answer now were reformed Christians, we believe that God is sovereign over everything. We know that God is sovereign even over our salvation for some reformed Christians get lazy and I say with God's gonna safely wheels it doesn't matter what I do.

Let me tell you it does matter what you do for Jesus has commanded you to take the gospel to a lost world peace commanded every single one of us to go to entail that this that Jesus is a loving, compassionate Savior and to give that message without compromise that Jesus Christ is our Lord. He is our Savior that he died through it to break the power of sin that he rose and the dead in order to break the power of death.

Jesus said I'm the way the truth and the life no man comes to the father but by me. But if you die rejecting Christ.

You will spend forever in the maternal godforsaken hail if you breathe your last breath rejecting Jesus Christ you will spend forever in absolute torment trusting nail reports everlastingly to length buds. Our culture is not hearing that message and we need to understand that our culture is not better than the pagan culture. They are in the capitalist it's not any better and if a former Domani act could go into this culture and Decapolis upside down.

What's holding Grace Church turning Harrisburg upside down with the gospel. But here's the message that that we need to are the question that we need to ask the question that we need to answer the we love Jesus enough to carry out the great commission doing do we love Jesus enough to call sin. Sin we love Jesus enough to be willing to be persecuted if necessary. I have four points on share with you today .1 is the compassion of the Lord.

Look at verses 133. In those days when again a great crowd had gathered and they had nothing to eat. He called his disciples to him and said to them I have compassion on the cry out because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat if I send them away hungry to their homes. They will faint on the way and some of them have come from far away. Jesus looks out over this huge crowd of people for files and Gentiles. He has been teaching them from sun up to sundown and they had stayed right there with they have missed food.

They haven't eaten in three days. Jesus looks at them and they are so mesmerized that there just stick in their their stay in there, they will not leave while 30 years ago I went to a seminar in Greenville theological seminary, and it was us seminar very small.

There's only about 20 people that were there and the subject was the teaching of Jesus Jay Adams was the pastor and he was the one that was doing the teaching I had read some of Jay Adams books on counseling found them very helpful. I never heard him teach before I hit he opened the Bible in front of us.

20 people and started teaching. I have heard messages before that were powerful.

I have heard preaching before that was riveting. I have heard teaching before that was just very poignant for some reason this was different.

I was absolutely mesmerized. He was teaching on the subject of Jesus's teaching and it was like he took us back to 30 A.D. and it was like we were. They are just learning exactly how Jesus did it. We started 9 o'clock that morning took a 45 minute break for lunch closed out at 4 o'clock in the afternoon he took his Bible. He closed it back up.

He said will accent. I could not believe it is been seven hours. It felt like about 10 minutes. We got in the car, we headed back here to Harrisburg and and I was with another pastor Steve Stout and I said Steve did did you get as much out of that is idea and he said absolutely. And I said I might be wrong and I'm not saying that Jay Adams is anything like Christ lesson.

I feel today. Maybe just a little tiny bit of what it might be like to see it at the feet of Jesus and of the Holy Spirit just grip you as with these people were experiencing. They were so captivated that they could not pull himself away.

They were so hungry for spiritual food that they forgot about the physical food that the body needs Jesus looked out at them, he felt compassion for them and so he spoke to the disciples. He said this. These people are hungry they gone three days without food.

If I tell them to go home.

Some of them will faint because of a lack of nourishment. Some of them live a long way away. Me ask you something you ever been in a situation where you've gone through extensive suffering and you prayed about it. You've asked the Lord for help and for some reason nothing happens, so you're still going through that suffering, you know that Jesus has the power to get you out of that situation or to remove that suffering. For some reason, it is just not happening and you wonder and you ask yourself the question is Jesus really care. Does he really care. Let me assure you this, let me assure you of this. The problem is not a lack of compassion on Jesus part Jesus cares when I'm going through a situation like that. I need to pray and I need to ask the Lord what you teaching me through this. Are you teaching me to be more dependent. Are you teaching me to be more patient. Are you using the situation that I might go through this time of suffering in order that I might help somebody else that's going through the same thing, the risen, recently wrote an article on suffering said this suffering is largely a mystery to me. While God's grace and presence have been unimaginably rich in my pain. I still don't understand why particular believers who love God and your loss after loss until they feel hopeless and confused, covered in darkness. I don't understand why people who have not stray from God's path that are looking to him in all things feel defeated and dragged into the dust.

I don't understand why God's people, whom he treasures and protects are led like sheep to the slaughter, and not alone in my bewilderment. The Bible reiterates of the reasons for suffering can be mysterious and confusing, and from our vantage incomprehensible in the opening scene of the book of Job, for instance, we are taken into heaven and are witnesses to a dialogue between Satan and God.

We realize from the interchanges. There is much more happening in suffering than any of us can see for sure in Job's life, but also in hours.

Ephesians 612 says for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against Powers and Prince of ballot polities and and rules of darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places God has his purpose, which are for both are good in his glory, that we may not understand them, until heaven. Until then, we live with the seeming paradox that God is both sovereign in good and yet his people can still suffer unthinkable loss even when they're faithfully trusting him. Paul said that even in our darkest moments, especially in our dog darkest moments. God is working for our good.

Most of you know that 27 years ago while I was pastoring this church.

My wife of 23 years left me for another man. I was broken. I was shocked and I was absolutely devastated. It was totally unexpected.

I hate divorce. I know that God hates divorce. All of my preaching ministry. I preached hard against divorce when I'm doing counseling with people with marital problems.

I begged them don't get a divorce and that all of a sudden it was happening to me. My wife told me you keep the kids which I praise God for that. I begged her to reconcile and she would absolutely not.

I never been in a depression before I went into a depression. Then I lost 40 pounds. I could not eat or sleep. I felt that I would never be happy again. I tried to cling to Romans chapter 8 verse 28 and we know that God works all things together for good to those who love him and are the called according to his purpose. And I prayed Lord. This is the deepest hurt that I have ever experienced.

My heart is broken, my Christian witness has been tainted.

I preached hard against divorce and now it's happening to me and I can't change it. The Lord gave me an answer. Second Corinthians chapter 1 verses 334 Blessed be God. Even the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. You know my story, Cindy and her family were in our church at that time and Cindy's husband Coley great friend of mine passed away. God Lord Drew, Cindy and I together we been married now for 25 years. I did not know that marriage could be this wonderful but how is the Lord used what was for me an affliction tribulation and an embarrassment. Has the Lord used that he is use that because I can't tell you how many folks have come to me since that time in and asked me for help. Is there going to the same thing. We have a radio ministry here and back 27 years ago, I shared with our radio audience what happened and since that time still up to the day I people calling me send Doug what happened to you is happened to me of going to my pastor, he didn't have a clue as to what I'm going through.

Could you help me through this. Could you show me what I need to do.

It's given me time after time after time the opportunity to share the word of God with these people and help them know through my experience how God is faithful that no matter what they're going through. No matter how hard it is Jesus cares, and he will never leave you nor forsake you point to the concern of the disciples. Look at verse 435 and his disciples answered him back in one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place and he asked him how many loaves you have they sent seven. So Jesus had laid out the problem for the disciples the huge crowd had not eaten in three days and that they live far away and they have no food to eat.

They need food and they need it right now. Jesus turns around the disciples and says to them. Essentially, guys got a suggestions listen to what they say is that we have almost nothing that we feed all these people here in this desolate place while they forgotten what happened just a few months before the us and they forgotten that had Jesus fed the huge multitude of congregation probably about 20,000 people, and they forgotten had Jesus took the bread and the fish in his hands and it just multiplied and they begin to grab it and they took it out, they felt all his people, and there were 12 basket full leftover know they had forgotten had they would never forget that. So one they say what they said.

I think they did it to see what Jesus would do. They also had another dilemma. The folks they were ministering to hear were Gentiles, and when they went back to the Jewish town mood with all of its rules and regulations concerning donate with the Gentiles. Don't fellowship with the Gentiles don't have anything to do with them. I thought wow what's can happen now if Jesus leads all these Gentile people. If we chow down with them what's can happen as you Lord. This is dangerous here. Hey, if you do this, then the religious leaders ligula they go to try to destroy you, and they're going to try to destroy your ministry.

Well Jesus, we gotta be careful.

You gotta be careful very interesting to take that Jesus has only been given a second thought he could care less what somebody thinks but somewhat you know that our Lord Jesus Christ was never intimidated by anybody. Why is that because he's a son of God will rest assured that when Peter spoke up years later in acts chapter 11 he went to Jerusalem and when he got to Jerusalem.

There were Judaizers that were there. They came to him and said Peter we don't like what's going on your your sharing the gospel Gentiles your fellowship in with Gentiles your eating with Gentiles peters is not right. Peter just had a great experience upon a rooftop in Joppa and he was praying the Lord putting in a trance and all of a sudden he saw a vision in that vision a great sheet came down all these nonkosher animals and it Lord said to Peter, rise and eat. And Peter said oh no, Lord, I never eat anything that's unclean and common, and the Lord said don't it don't you dare call that common and unclean, that which I have cleansed and and Peter knew what he was talking about. All of a sudden there's a knock on the door some people from the family of Cornelius are there. I said please come with us. Cornelius need you. Peter went and I got to Cornelius's house. Peter had the opportunity… Roman centurion to share the gospel with team and when he shared the gospel with him and his family. They came to know Christ as their Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit came down and power and feel them and they knew that this was of God for the Judaizers were were shocked when they heard this guarantee when peters telling them that story. He's also thinking back to what happened here in the feeding of 4000 Gentiles in his thinking to himself. If Jesus fed 4000 Gentiles and and Jesus told us to minister to them. Jesus never sinned what he did was right and so if we're doing that that's what we need to do because it's holy and right holy and right so the answer Jesus question they say yes Lord, we have seven loaves of bread Texas to .3 the creation of a supper verse 69 and he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground he took the seven loaves, having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people and they set them before the crowd and they had a smooth a few small fish. Having blessed them. He said that these also should be set before them. They ate were satisfied that took up the broken pieces left over seven baskets full and there were about 4000 people, and he sent them away. So Jesus directed the people to sit down probably broke them up in groups of 50 to hundred like you did with the other with the other bright conch congregation, and then he began to delist the disciples distribute the food that was multiplying in his hands. They began to go out and it was done completely in order.

Nobody was trying to jump in lines and maybe were not going to get something. Nothing like that. Why is that first Corinthians 14 verse 33 tells us that the Lord our God is is the is not the author of confusion that he is the author of peace near Jesus could not our could have just multiplied the food and then he could have supernaturally distributed given it out everybody he didn't do that. He let the disciples the servants they let the disciples take part in ministering to these Gentile people only ask you something, you get an opportunity to minister to someone who doesn't need to do it in the name of Jesus is not a burden to you or you count it a privilege is a frustration to you or do you Canada joy it ought to be a privilege in adult to be a joy and we should seek out hurting people that we might serve them in the name of Jesus, will the people ate until they were completely satisfied and they were just about to pop. And then there were seven basket full leftover.

I looked up the word for basket here in the Greek and it's the same word that is used for the basket that they put Paul in when they lowered him down over the over the wall so they could protecting so this it with. They were not talking about seven little Easter baskets full. I mean that this is a and I baskets big enough that a person can hand in it.

I'm angry talking about a whole lot that was left over were not told how the crowd responded here. I have to believe that they were not only full and satisfied. They were also related, and they looked and said we never seen anybody like Jesus. He's kind he's loving he's compassionate. He cares for us and he is able to do miracles, so they left and they left rejoicing and they left exalting Christ point for the cultivation of the disciples. Verse 10 and immediately got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Delmon Luther was the great commission. Jesus Christ gave the great commission right after our right before he was getting ready to ascend into heaven, and he said this to go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father the son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.

And low. I will be with you even to the end of the age, Jesus and the disciples had been ministering in Gentile territory. They been ministering to Gentile people. That's important what Jesus done for them. He had healed the sick and cast out demons. He fed 4000 of them with 77 loaves of bread.

Just a few fish.

So the disciples saw that cater and compassion for the Gentiles was no different than Jesus care and compassion to the Jews that was very important because they had a new ministry after Jesus died on the cross was resurrected and ascended back to heaven. I had to carry out the great commission and the great commission didn't just go to Jerusalem and the end and Judea. It went out to the four corners of the face of the earth, but the church was not just a Jewish entity. Jesus came to save people from every tribe, kindred tongue and nation.

The true Israel was not just ethnic Jews, the true Israel was everyone who knew and loved the Lord Jesus. It was born again believers everywhere. It was despite their race, their social status, their financial status, their ethnicity or their cultural background who is the church.

The church, the Caucasian believers in Harrisburg church is a Chinese believers in Beijing.

The church is the Indian believers in New Delhi. The charge or the black believers in Uganda puts the church are those despite race, color, culture, background done matter. What matters is this has Jesus change your heart.

Have you been born again and he trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior, have you turn from your sin, and he trusted Christ, what was Jesus saying to the cycles he was teaching them how to carry out the great commission, but that's what Jesus is teaching us to this passage is not just the pastor and the elders have responsibility to to carry out the gospel. If you're a child of God, you have the responsibility to tell people that Jesus is our answer only close with the statement from a John MacArthur. He said as demonstrated by all of Jesus miracles is the nature of God to care for those in need, whenever Jesus healed and infirmity cast out a demon raised the dead person or life or for a hungry multitude. He put God's compassion on display that compassion reached its highest point at the cross is the Lord himself said on the night before his death. Greater love has no one than this, and one that lay his life down for his friends to satisfy the crowds physical hunger. After three days required compassion and supernatural power to save their souls for eternity required something far more supernatural sacrifice.

Jesus willingly went to the cross to bear the full weight of divine punishment for the sins of all who would ever believe in him was pray heavenly father. How we thank you for your precious word that teaches us about your heart to provide teachers to trust you and to be content with what you blessed us with made this great miracle remind us that our God provide for all of our needs according to his riches in glory through Christ Jesus and is in Jesus name we pray. Amen