Set Free to Serve (Part Two)“No Excuses” 8:1 In those days again, when there was a great mass of people and they had no food, he made his disciples come to him and said to them, 8:2 I have pity for these people because they have been with me now three days, and have no food; 8:3 If I send them away to their houses with no food, they will be overcome by weariness on the way; and some of them have come from far. 8:4 And his disciples said in answer, How will it be possible to get enough bread for these men here in a waste place? 8:5 And he put the question, How much bread have you? And they said, Seven cakes. 8:6 And he made the people be seated on the earth: and he took the seven cakes and, having given praise, he gave the broken bread to his disciples to put before them; and they put it before the people. 8:7 And they had some small fishes; and blessing them he had them put before the people in the same way. 8:8 And they took the food, and had enough; and they took up seven baskets full of the broken bits. 8:9 And there were about four thousand people: and he sent them away.
In this particular study I we will sub-topic this as: Saved and Set Free to Serve. Looking closely at verses 1 – 4 let us look at two key factors:
1) Jesus knew the people had a great need and explained it to His disciples.
1. They had been with Jesus 3 days and had nothing to eat
2. If they would send them away without food many would become “faint.”
-Def “faint” (GR): to dissolve, to weaken, exhaust, to have one’s strength relaxed, to become feeble through exhaustion, to grow weak and weary, be tired, lose hope, become faint-hearted.-This was a serious situation for the people had a great need
2) The disciples’ response was less than positive: Verse 4: “From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?”
-This is an amazing response – there was a great need and the response from the disciples was cold.
-Where was the excitement to minister to, with and for Jesus?
-Jesus wanted to feed over 5000 people – the disciples gave a similar excuse.
6:33 And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him. 6:34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. 6:35 And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time [is] far passed: 6:36 Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. 6:37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? 6:38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.
6:41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave [them] to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. 6:42 And they did all eat, and were filled. 6:43 And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. 6:44 And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.
-Look at the difference – Jesus had compassion on the people and began to teach them.
-The disciples lacked compassion and said “it is getting late, get rid of them so they can get food.” -Jesus miraculously fed over 5000 with 5 loaves and 2 fish-For the second time…in a similar situation…the disciples attempted to make excuses not to serve.
-The first time it was “shall we go buy 200 pennyworth of bread? (200 days - wages for the poorest person in society). -Now it was ‘where can we get enough food for these men here in the wilderness?”
-They had seen Jesus perform a wonderful miracle in a similar situation but STILL tried to find an excuse…Amazing!
Excuses Are Not Valid Verse 5And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. 6And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground -Jesus did not give the disciples time to complain – for it was time to minister. -Our excuses will not stand before God. The calling of Moses 3:11 And Moses said unto God, Who [am] I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? 1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. Exodus 4:1 KJV 4:10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I [am] not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I [am] slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. 4:11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? 4:12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. 4:13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand [of him whom] thou wilt send. 4:14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses,
-God is not pleased with our excuses-As a matter of fact in view of what He has done for us it is insulting for us to make an excuse before God
-How insulting…we have this wonderful opportunity and we squander it with excuses and spiritually laziness
-If we are not serious about service unto the Lord…we are not serious about our relationship with God…period.
Get Rid of the Excuses
13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep: for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed. 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Sermon by: Pastor Bill Oricks – the outline revised for editing |
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