FBCPS
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FBCPS
When You're Waiting on Your Miracle | Mark 6:30-43
Waiting is perhaps the hardest part of needing a miracle. In this powerful exploration of Jesus feeding the 5,000, we discover that waiting isn't merely passive anticipation—it's an active posture where God works both in us and through us.
The Hebrew word for "wait" (quavah) carries a beautiful dual meaning: patiently resting and actively serving. This perfectly captures what God calls us to during seasons of waiting. While we naturally focus on what we need God to do FOR us—whether in our finances, relationships, health, or other areas—Jesus often has plans to work THROUGH us while we wait.
When the disciples were exhausted from ministry and Jesus promised them rest, crowds followed them to their retreat. Rather than sending the hungry multitudes away, Jesus challenged His tired disciples: "You give them something to eat." What seemed impossible—feeding thousands with just five loaves and two fish—became the catalyst for one of Jesus' most famous miracles. But the miracle wasn't just for the crowd; it was also for the disciples who learned that serving others from their place of emptiness would result in greater abundance than they could imagine.
The twelve baskets of leftovers—one for each disciple—powerfully illustrate that when we allow God to work through us even in our depletion, He ensures we're abundantly satisfied. As one testimony shared in the message beautifully stated: "You have given and you have taken, but it's never been without purpose... I pause, I listen, and I trust because, Jesus, you are enough."
Remember this truth as you wait for your miracle: We don't use Jesus for miracles; we pursue Jesus because only He can satisfy the deepest needs of our soul. What miracle are you waiting for today? Could God be positioning you to be part of someone else's miracle first?
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be in church this morning, as God is working in your life, he is working in you, he's working through you. God is so good and it is so good to see each and every one of you. I hope you had a great week. We had a great week as a family Got to celebrate Brooklyn's sixth birthday, which was a lot of fun because we told her she could go anywhere she wanted to to eat and she chose Burger King and we tried to talk her out of it.
Speaker 1:We tried to talk her out of it. If you love Burger King, no offense. But I was like, baby, I can go in and get you the crown, Like it's okay, right, we can go anywhere. But she wanted Burger King and she said maybe they'll sing to me. I'm like I don't know. And we went in and it's hard to resist Brooklyn in a little wheelchair and I just said, hey, she wanted to know if y'all might sing for her and the two ladies behind the counter at Burger King sang for Brooklyn, sang happy birthday. Isn't that awesome, man? I love it. Even Burger King blesses people. I love it, man.
Speaker 1:God is so good. We want to say a special blessing over someone right now and I just want to recognize them. I'm not going to call them forward because he would kill me if I did. But Eli Lightcap he has been on our staff for over about a year and a half now. He's about to graduate college, about to go into the workforce, and obviously if he ever wants a break, now's the time. And so he's got about two months before he graduates and so he is today's going to be his last day on our staff before he goes into the workforce full-time later on. Can we put our hands together and thank God for Eli Lightcap and all that he has meant to us on our production and broadcast team? We're so thankful and it also just so happens today as well that we get to celebrate Pastor Dave Berryhill, our Associate Pastor of Finance. He's in his 28th year of ministry here and his 50th year of ministry and all. We have a reception for him right after the service and we'll open up the fellowship hall doors and we'll be in here.
Speaker 1:But we get to celebrate. Pastor Dave, would you put your hands together for Pastor Dave Berryhill? We are so thankful for him. Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, we love you and God, we just believe that you are here with us. God, we believe that you have a word for us. So, father, we pray this morning that you would speak through your Holy Spirit in the name of your Son, god. All for your glory, god, we are your church and this is your word. So we just pray that your work is done. God, we love you and we pray these things in Jesus' name and all God's people said amen.
Speaker 1:We are in a series right now called I Need a Miracle. Look at somebody and say I need a miracle. I need a miracle. That is true of me, that is true of you, and we all need a miracle in our life, and we're talking about different types of miracles that we see Jesus doing throughout the gospels. Back at Christmas time, we started talking about Jesus around his birth and we're in this mega Jesus series all the way to Easter, his resurrection, and so right now we're talking about the miracles that Jesus did throughout the Gospel. A couple of weeks ago we talked about the miracle of Jesus calming the storm and Peter walking on the water. Last week we talked about Jesus casting out demons. I heard a pastor say one time he said I've never cast a demon out of a person, but I have sent a middle schooler home from camp and I'm pretty sure that's the same thing. I just thought it was funny. I thought it was funny, no offense. Middle schoolers, we love you.
Speaker 1:Today we are talking about Jesus doing a miracle that he provides for our physical needs. We're going to be talking about Jesus the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. Next week, how Jesus does a healing of miracles over the sick, and then after that, how Jesus raises the dead, and so it is just so fun to walk through all of these miracles of Jesus together as a church. I just wanna remind you, as I've already told a lot of your stories that you've sent to me, make sure that you continue to send in your stories. I'm telling more this morning so we can tell more stories throughout this series together. Also, remember we have the I Need a Miracle wall out in our Next Step area, station area that you can write down your miracle that you want God to do. And then the last Sunday in March, that evening, 5 pm, march the 30th, we're going to have a night of worship and prayer and we're going to bring all the miracle prayer request tags down and we're going to pray for them all. That God would do a miracle together. If you believe that, say yeah, because that's what we want to see God doing.
Speaker 1:You know the greatest needs and we're talking about Jesus doing a miracle over the needs of your life, just some different needs that people have in their life. Today we're going to talk about the feeding of the 5,000, so we know that people today have needs around the world just simply of food. Other people have finances God, I just need you to move in my finances. God, I'm in debt, or I've got a big payment coming up. Or, god, I need to provide more, whatever it might be. Or maybe a job God, I need you to give me a job or get me out of my job, or whatever it might be. Housing Lord we need a house, we need an apartment. We need a new house. We need a different house. Transportation God we need a new house. We need a different house. Transportation God I need more reliable transportation. Or maybe it's kids. Maybe it's someone in here that you want kids, or maybe there's someone in here and you're like God, do something with my kids. You know, whatever it might be, it may be your marriage, maybe you want to be married, maybe your marriage needs to be healed, or maybe it's in terms of relationships in your life. God, just he puts passages of scripture in his word to remind you in your life that he wants to continue to do miracles that only he can do in your life. I love that story Maybe you've heard it before of the little lady that would come out of her house every morning and she would pray because she didn't have food.
Speaker 1:And she would pray God, would you just give me food that I need for today? And she would go out the next day. She'd pray out loud on her front porch God, I pray that you would provide food for me. And she'd go out the next day. God, I pray that you would provide food for me. And her neighbor was an atheist and he would watch this every morning and he would never see any food come out of heaven or any food come to her door. So he thought I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna do it. So the atheist went to the grocery store. He bought the groceries. The next morning when she came out he had all the groceries laid out on her front porch and she came out and she praised God. She said God, thank you for providing the food for me. The atheist jumped out of the bushes. He said God didn't provide that food for you. I went to the grocery store, I bought that food for you and I put it there. It wasn't God. And the little old lady said God, you provided food for me and you made the devil pay for it. God, thank you so much, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1:Isn't it awesome that God can use anything to bring a miracle into our life. Can I get an amen? Anything? As we're going through this series, there's just some things that God has taught me and I pray that he's teaching you. It's not just for me, it's not just for you, it's for me and it's not just for me, it's for you.
Speaker 1:It's not going to be on the screen, but I just want to give this to you, just a very quick theology of miracles. Write this down. It's just going to be five quick statements. Number one I want you to believe that God can do any miracle. Believe that God can do any miracle. That's number one. Number two so I wanna encourage you to pray for any miracle. Pray for any miracle you want God to do. Number three worship God while you wait on your miracle. Worship God while you wait on your miracle. Number four if God does the miracle, if he says yes to your prayer, then you get to see the power of God and you get to glorify God. But I want to remind you number five there are times that God chooses not to do the miracle, and it's out of his wisdom, because he has something even greater, something even better in store, because God can only do what is best. And so when God doesn't do the miracle, then you glorify him for his wisdom, because he chose to do what is best according to his will.
Speaker 1:So this morning, what I want to talk to you about is when you are waiting on your miracle. Everybody say waiting, when you are waiting on your miracle, because this is the hardest part. When you're waiting, you're wondering God, what are you going to do? And sometimes we're not sure what to do when we wait and I think that's what this story in God's word is all about when you are waiting on your miracle. In fact, here's what's interesting the feeding of the 5,000,. You can turn with me to Mark, chapter six. The feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle of Jesus repeated in all four gospels. It's the only one. They all tell different miracles and some of them. There's a miracle in two or three of them, but this is the only one. That is the same miracle in all four. In other words, I think that Jesus really wants you to know and to believe and to understand this miracle in your life. If you believe that, say yeah. So here we go. The only repeated miracle in all of the four Gospels. When you're waiting on your miracle number one, the word is wait. Everyone say wait Because it's interesting. Wait actually means something different in the Bible than it does in our English language. The word wait means something different to Jesus than it does to you.
Speaker 1:Mark, chapter 6, verse 30, says the apostles returned to Jesus and they told him all that they had done and taught. Now, earlier in the chapter in Mark, chapter 6, it says that Jesus sent them out two by two to do ministry. You know Jesus' goals with the disciple wasn't just to keep them close to him, but he kept them close to him to teach them, so that he could send them out to do ministry. And that's why he does that with you. Jesus calls you closer so that you can learn from him, you can live with him and you can become like him so that he can send you out and you can do ministry in your life and in your community. That's what he's called you to do as a disciple. He's called you to be a missionary wherever it is that you live, so you can feel the excitement of these disciples. They come back.
Speaker 1:The Bible says that they've gone out and they've taught many things. The Bible says that they have casted out demons, that they have healed the sick. Jesus gave them authority to do that. He's not giving me authority to heal the sick or cast out demons. If he has you, I would like to talk to you. Let's meet this week if we can. And so he sends them out. They come back. They're all excited Verse 31,. And you won't believe what Jesus says next.
Speaker 1:In verse 31, he said to them because they're all excited, tell them about everything that happened. He said I want you to come away by yourselves to a desolate place and to rest a while, for many were coming. What is Jesus saying? Jesus saying you have been serving me so hard, you've been serving me so strong, but you can't work forever. Jesus says when you work hard, you gotta rest hard. Notice that, jesus, as you are serving Jesus, jesus cares about your rest. Jesus doesn't just want you to serve him every single second and serving others every single second of every day. Jesus also wants you to stop and he wants you to spend time with him. That's what God calls Sabbathing. That's what God calls resting taking a day a week or even resting in an evening time or whatever it might be, but just stopping and saying God, you've got this. And resting in Jesus Christ. He cares about our rest.
Speaker 1:Jesus is telling his disciples hey, why don't we go on a little vacay, getaway? Vacations are biblical. Amen. I mean, man, god is so good. And so he says why don't we come away? Because y'all have been so busy. You haven't even had a chance to eat. They were exhausted. You feel exhausted today. You feel tired today. Have you been going hard? Have you been working long?
Speaker 1:Verse 32, and it says and they went away in a boat to a desolate place by themselves. Not only are vacations biblical, but so are cruises. Can I get an amen? They got on a boat with Jesus. Man, they are getting away. Where's all my cruise? People in the room Raise your hand. Have you read the articles about? Like the senior adults, they don't put their money into the assisted living. They just hop from cruise to cruise to cruise. I can get on board with that. That's a dad joke, don't worry about it. Okay, so that is my kind of life, right there. That's what I'm talking about.
Speaker 1:The question is see, here's what's happening in the disciples' life. They're exhausted, they're tired, they don't feel like they have anything left. Jesus sees it, jesus loves them, jesus cares, jesus says let's get away. They were in the middle of their testimony. They needed a miracle. They had been, jesus had been doing miracles through them. Now was the time that Jesus wanted to do a miracle for them, that Jesus said I'm gonna get you away and I'm gonna get you guys some rest. In other words, are you finding yourself today in the middle of your miracle? Are you finding yourself today in the middle of your story?
Speaker 1:I remember there was a day in my last church I was the pastor of one of the campuses and I remember we had a prayer and a worship night and they called five or six different families to get up and to share their testimony and the worship department put it together and they asked, michelle and I, my wife and I to be the last ones to share our testimony and we didn't know what everybody else was gonna say. And they all got up and they all talked about this miraculous story, about how they had this problem and God did a miracle. And man look at God. And we get up and one of the first times in my life I don't know what to say, and I'm the pastor, I'm speechless, because we were in the middle of our miracle and we weren't exactly sure what to say because we didn't know the end of our story. It was the beginning of our infertility journey. It was where we were about, in the middle of our adoption journey, and we did not know what God was going to do. And so all we could tell everybody was we're in the middle of our miracle. We don't know what God's gonna do. God may answer our prayers and he may not in the way that we want him to, but either way, god is good and God is enough.
Speaker 1:What do you do when you wait? Isaiah, chapter 40, verse 31, you can write it down says but they who wait, everyone say wait. They who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.
Speaker 1:The word wait is quavah. Everyone say quavah. The Hebrew word for wait is quavah. Quavah means, on one hand, it means to wait in terms of being patient, to wait in terms of being patient, to wait in terms of resting, to wait in terms of stopping, but it also has a different connotation. They're both equally true of the word kavah. And it means to wait in terms of serving, like a server waiting on tables.
Speaker 1:So, in other words, what do we do when we're waiting on our miracle? We're resting in Jesus, we're patient for him to provide, we're trusting in Jesus in the meantime, but we're not stopping serving, worshiping Jesus and helping others for God to do a work in their life too. We're waiting, which is the both end. It is resting and it is serving. If you're listening, say yeah, which means that life is a balance of time with Jesus and ministry for Jesus. Your life is a balance of time with Jesus. You're spending time with him to get filled with Jesus, so Jesus can send you and you can go into ministry for Jesus. That's what we do when we are waiting on our miracle. The second thing we do is compassion. Everyone say compassion, compassion. This is a very interesting word in the Bible, in verse 33 of Mark 6,.
Speaker 1:It says now many saw them going and recognized them and they ran their on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. What's happening? Jesus and the disciples are on the cruise ship. They're going on their vacay getaway. They're sailing along the shore looking for a desolate place there on land, and there are literally thousands of people that recognize the disciples, recognize Jesus, all the miracles that they had done, and the crowd is literally can you believe this? Running along the shore and keeping up with the boat. So they're keeping up with the boat and literally the Bible says that the crowd beats Jesus and the disciples to their port, to their dock, where they were going to take their vacation excursion. And so there's the crowd waiting for them and the disciples. You know that they're mad at this point, right, because Jesus promised them a getaway vacation. But the crowd saw them, noticed them, chased them. And that's exactly what people do. Hear me, when God is working and changing people's lives, people can't help but want to be a part of it, because everybody wants their life changed in some supernatural way. If you believe that, say yeah, see what God does in you, god wants to do through you in the life of someone else.
Speaker 1:It says when Jesus went ashore he saw a great crowd, we know. Later on they tell us that it was feeding the 5,000, but remember the 5,000 were just 5,000 men. There were also women and children that were there, historians and theologians, and all that, and tell us that this could be upwards to 30,000 people. So there are the disciples on the boat. They need a miracle. They're exhausted, they're tired, they're starving, they're hungry. And here is Jesus. He sees the crowd and Jesus cannot help himself. Jesus values the crowd even more than he values rest. He recognizes them as they ran there and he goes ashore and he sees them and he has compassion upon them.
Speaker 1:The Bible says, because they were like sheep without a shepherd and he began to teach them many things. The word compassion is splagthonzomai. I will not ask you to repeat it for the person's sake in front of you. Splagthonsomai is the Greek word and it literally means that Jesus was moved with compassion. In other words, he felt it deeply in his heart, he felt it in his soul, he felt the compassion for them in his gut. In other words, that's how Jesus feels about you. Don't ever let the devil tell you how Jesus feels about you. When Jesus looks at you, he looks at you with compassion, with love. Jesus loves you more deeply than you could ever realize, than you could ever comprehend, than you could ever understand.
Speaker 1:Jesus has compassion on the people and, it says, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. In other words, jesus looks out to the people and he sees that they are aimless, they're hopeless, they're just wandering in different directions. They don't have a leader, they don't have a shepherd, someone who truly, seriously cares for their soul and can provide for their eternity. And Jesus has compassion on them because Jesus desires to be their shepherd. John 10 says that Jesus is the good shepherd. He knows his sheep, his sheep knows him. He lays down his life for the sheep. His sheep hears his voice and they follow him. Don't you think that Jesus ran up and hugged as many of the 30,000 possible people that he could have? Don't you think that Jesus physically cared for them and loved them, but at the same time, the Bible says that he did what was absolutely best for them, that he taught them many things? The most important thing that Jesus can do for you is to teach you the most important thing you can do with Jesus is just to get in his word and to get into prayer and let Jesus speak to you and let Jesus teach you why? Because Jesus wants to pour out his compassion upon you. He is even compassionate about the little things, the little prayer requests in your life.
Speaker 1:One of you sent me this story. One of you said I'm not a fan of morning commutes. Remote work has been a blessing to. This. Person Said no traffic means no stress, they said. But now I have to go back to the office every day in Atlanta. Monday morning I get in my car and I am praying on my way to Atlanta and I'm claiming the promises of Jesus. Why? Because they probably want to cast the demons out of the Atlanta traffic, I would imagine.
Speaker 1:Said ask, he's claiming the promises of Jesus. Ask anything in my name and it will be given to you. This man asked for a smooth, stress-free drive. He said he turns on his devotional right after he prays and the first scripture was John 14, one don't let your hearts be troubled, john 14, 14,. Ask anything in my name and I will do it. He said it was a sign. He said the drive went great to Atlanta. Jesus casted out the demons.
Speaker 1:So the next day, tuesday, his drive, he prayed again, turned on his devotion. He said, immediately, played John 16, 23,. My father will give you whatever I ask in my name John 16, 24, ask and you'll receive, and your joy will be complete. And this person said well, my joy is complete because he had a stress-free drive going back to the office. He said God still speaks through his word. And he said God cared about me. He cares about you the big things, he cares about you the little things in his life. Why? Because he has compassion upon you.
Speaker 1:So here's what I need us to understand this morning is that you are called to receive Jesus's compassion for you. Receive it, jesus, I believe it, jesus, I receive it. You can't feel it unless you believe it, unless you receive it. But the point isn't just to receive it. The point is to reflect it toward other people. The word compassion, here splagphanzomai, is a word that is only used for Jesus in the Bible. In other words, only Jesus is the source of this compassion and only Jesus can give you this compassion for other people when you go to restaurants, when you go to grocery stores, when you just go out and about, when you go to your job, when you go to a sporting event, wherever you are, just look around and you will see sheep without a shepherd who are desperate for Jesus. And just as you have received his compassion, you can give his compassion to others. So number one wait. Number two was there with compassion. Number three is the word through. Everyone say through. Number three is through.
Speaker 1:John 6, 35 says and when it grew late, his disciples came to him. 35 says and when it grew late, his disciples came to him, came to Jesus, and said this is a desolate place and the hour is late, so send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat. It's kind of funny to me, because you can tell like the disciples are a little bit compassionate, but mostly sarcastic, right, like a little bit like Jesus. They all look hungry to us. What's happening? Jesus is talking for a very long time. He's talking until the nighttime. Jesus is long-winded. If you think I preach long, I'm just trying to be like Jesus. Can I get an amen? Right, that's what he does. Right, and so Jesus is teaching all of these truths to all of these people and us. Right, and so Jesus is teaching all of these truths to all of these people. And the disciples are looking at their watches, like is this vacation going to happen or not? Like are we going on this cruise or are we just going to stay here? And so they see a little compassion, jesus. They look hungry to us, probably an excuse. Really, what the disciples are saying is send them away so we can go on vacay, so we can go hit the cruise up again.
Speaker 1:Verse 37,. Don't you love it when Jesus says something you don't expect and often it's not what you don't want to hear. Jesus comes back and he said oh, they're hungry, are they? He said why don't you give them something to eat? Wait, wait a second, jesus, like you told us that we had been serving. You told us that we had been working. You told us that you were gonna get us some rest. And, jesus, there could be 30,000 people out here and it would take 200 denarii for us to feed all of these people. That could be $20,000 in our money. Today. We checked our togas. We don't have it. Jesus, 20,000. We ain't got it. So how do you expect us to feed them?
Speaker 1:And Jesus, in this moment, flipped the script and he was teaching the disciples something incredibly important that you and I need to learn, and I wanna be honest with you. I've never seen this in the passage before, I've never heard anyone say this before, but this is what Jesus showed me this week, and I believe it was for me and I believe it was for you. And here's what I think that Jesus is saying that Jesus didn't just want to do a miracle for them, he also wanted to do a miracle through them. See, here's the deal is that we get all caught up I get all caught up, sinfully in the miracle that I need fleshly, to where I am fixated, to where I'm focused. Jesus, I need you to do this for me that I forget or even have compassion upon people that need a miracle too. And so what Jesus is teaching me is Jesus, he's saying to me that, jesus, I want Chip, I want to do miracles for you, but you need me to do miracles through you just to serve other people, to provide for other people, to love other people, to witness to other people. Someone wrote this week and they said in 2020,.
Speaker 1:My life as a salon owner came to a halt, but the real storm started long before. They said within seven months. We lost six family members in seven months, including my husband's father, who had secretly battled cancer, she said. At the same time, my little sister was spiraling into addiction. The weight of grief was suffocating. When COVID shut everything down, we felt God leading us to start our lives in Oregon, over in Georgia. So we took the leap, trusting him. But everything went wrong. Our home flooded, a dishonest contractor scammed us and our son battled a terrifying, undiagnosed illness, she said. I was at my breaking point. I cried out to God in anger, questioning everything she said. But in the middle of my desperation, jesus met me. Jesus led us to a treatment that helped our son. And through it all, she said, he gave me an unexpected gift a miraculous ability to paint, and we started as an outlet for my grief, turned into a career, now providing for my son's medical needs.
Speaker 1:Life didn't go as planned, but God uses every struggle for his purpose, even in the suffering, she says. God is still good. There are still miracles that God is yet to do in this family, and here's what I love. They just joined our worship team. She just joined as a singer. She just joined as a singer, he just joined as a guitarist and even while they're waiting for God to do more miracles in their life, they are serving God in the waiting. That it's not just what God wants to do for them, but it's also what God wants to do through them. He answered and he said you give them something to eat and 200 denarii. They said that's what it's going to cost. So Jesus didn't want to do something for them, but through them Mark 6, 38. And he said to them how many loaves do you have? Go and see. And when they had found out, they said five and two.
Speaker 1:We know in the gospel of John this came from a little boy. Here's what I find this interesting when Jesus wants to do something through me or something through you sometimes, here's how we feel Jesus, I don't have the emotional capacity to give anybody anything else right now. Jesus, I don't have anything to offer Jesus, I don't have anything left. I don't have anything to give. I don't have anything emotionally. I don't have anything physically. I don't have anything emotionally. I don't have anything physically. I don't have anything mentally. I don't have anything physically. Spiritually, jesus, I am just spent. Isn't it interesting that Jesus didn't provide through the apostles? In other words. They found a little boy. The little boy gave them the bread and the fish.
Speaker 1:And then Jesus said in verse 39, he said then he commanded them, all the people, to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups by hundreds and fifties. This is very significant that he mentions here in Mark. Notice how Jesus did not just feed people individually. Everyone just sit down and I'm going to feed you. Why? Because they would just eat the food and they would have a meal and they would not know exactly what had happened, but because Jesus sat them down in groups of hundreds and fifties. People were sitting in communities. So they're sitting and they're talking and they're eating and they're experiencing this miracle together in the midst of community. That's what I believe that God loves to do miracles within the context of community. That's what I believe that God loves to do miracles within the context of community. We see this happen all the time when people get together in, like Sunday schools and connection groups and groups and Bible studies and all these things that we offer in our church and that other churches offer. When you get together with believers, god just seems to do amazing things in people's lives.
Speaker 1:Someone sent me this story just two days ago. They said this past summer my 80-year-old mother faced a life-threatening emergency a ruptured colon caused by a tumor that had been growing for years. Before surgery, the nurses gathered around her and prayed. The surgery was successful, but she went into septic shock and for a week doctors weren't sure if she would even survive. Yet against all odds, she did survive. Icu nurses kept telling her you shouldn't be alive. God has you here for a reason.
Speaker 1:Through every step 52 days in the hospital, a month in rehab, 33 rounds of radiation, 12 rounds of chemo she was surrounded by prayer. Her church family at Macklin Baptist, our church, first Baptist Church, powder Springs, sunday school classes and even hospital staff lifted her up. Her hospital room was lined with over a hundred prayer-filled cards for her and she used every one of them as an opportunity to share the gospel with other people. Her goal was to simply live long enough to see her grandson get married on March 22nd. But this morning this person wrote me. On this day, just this week, just one week before the wedding, her doctor gave her the news she is now cancer free. The tumor is completely gone, completely gone, she said, through surgery, healing, prayer and the love of God's people. She is living proof that God moves through community. We prayed, he answered and to him be all the glory.
Speaker 1:I've seen this before when you get to be a part of a group, when you get in Christian community with other people, god loves it. When his kids love one another and when you pray for one another like that, I have seen people healed. I have seen people saved, I have seen children return home. I've seen God do miracles, providing in so many different ways. And I have seen when communities get together and pray for miracles and God doesn't do it. And that's when the communities come together even tighter and they support one another and they console one another and they comfort one another because you're there for one another and you encourage one another. If God's not doing the miracle, then that means that God has something greater in store. God loves to do miracles within the context of community and he loves to do miracles through his people. So, number one wait. Number two compassion. Number three here we see that God wants to work through you. And number four is satisfied. Everyone say satisfied. Last point and we're done.
Speaker 1:Verse 41,. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, jesus looked up to heaven and said a blessing. In other words, even Jesus needed his father to do this miracle, just like you need God to do a miracle in your life. Jesus broke the loaves and he gave them to the disciples to set before the people and he divided the two fish among them all. Here's what's interesting. Jesus said why don't you feed them? The disciples said it's impossible. $20,000, 30,000 people we could never feed a crowd like this. And here they are doing it All in only Christ, because of the power of Jesus.
Speaker 1:In Mark, chapter six, verse 42, says and they all everyone say all and they all ate. And they were say it with me satisfied, do you know? The word satisfied in the Greek chortazo means that you are hear me abundantly filled, physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually. Another definition of this word is just to simply be stuffed. In other words, you're so full of Jesus. Jesus has given you so much of himself that you're satisfied, because nothing else could ever satisfy you besides him. This story is a reminder to us that only Jesus can fully satisfy the deepest needs of your soul. I even wanna say something very strongly that you'll just have to forgive me Jesus will even satisfy you more deeply personally, than the miracle you want him to do for you, jesus, is the deepest satisfaction of your very soul. So one thing I have to remind myself, and one thing I want to encourage you to remind yourself, is let's not get so fixated and focused on the miracles that we need, even though we need them and even though we pray for them, and even though we ask God for them and even though we believe for them. But let's not forget, as we wait to have compassion upon other people, that God wants to work miracles through you in their life too, and that God wants to satisfy you in the way, even through the way, that you serve him.
Speaker 1:Someone wrote me their story a couple of weeks ago that said there have been moments where I have stopped in my tracks, questioning my path, struggling with loss, longing for answers that I may never receive, they said. I cried out in pain, searching for understanding, but in the silence. Jesus, you came. Jesus, you came to remind me to believe, to trust, to have faith. Jesus, you came to remind me to believe, to trust, to have faith. Jesus, you've given and you've taken, but it's never been without your purpose. Jesus, you have surrounded me with love, even as Jesus, you have called others home. You have given me the assurance that one day I will be with you, jesus. And then again they said so. I pause, I listen and I trust because, jesus, you are enough. Only Jesus can satisfy the deepest needs and longings of your soul. This is the most fascinating part of the whole passage. This is the most fascinating part of the whole passage.
Speaker 1:And they took up 12 baskets full of broken pieces of the bread and of the fish. And I read everybody this week why are there 12 baskets? Nobody can explain it. There's a lot of speculation. This is why I think it is Because the disciples were in the middle of their miracle.
Speaker 1:They needed a miracle and Jesus said I'm gonna take you away. But while they were going away, jesus said now I need you to serve again. And so now they feel depleted, now they feel empty, and now they just feel like that. They're caught in this rat race of constantly serving and Jesus saying no, I've got something for you, but I wanna do something through you. And at the very end of the story, they didn't just get a piece of bread and a fish. Jesus handed each of his disciples a whole basket of bread and fish.
Speaker 1:And Jesus is saying I'm going to take care of you. I'm going to give you more than enough. You, I'm going to give you more than enough. I'm going to give you all of me. Trust me, wait for me, serve me, show my compassion to others, show them, through yourself, the miracles that God can do in their life, and I'll satisfy you and I'll satisfy them. And that's why he calls us to wait, to show compassion, the things that God wants to do through you and how God wants to satisfy you, because the miracle isn't the point of the story. Jesus the miracle worker is. We need Jesus the miracle worker is. We need Jesus the miracle worker more than we need the miracle itself. We don't use Jesus for miracles. We go to Jesus for miracles, but we pursue Jesus because he is the only one that can satisfy the deepest needs of our very soul. I'm gonna ask us all to bow our heads and close our eyes, with every head bowed and every eye closed.
Speaker 1:Maybe you're here today and you deeply, desperately, need God to do this miracle in your life and you're waiting, and you're in the middle of your story and you don't know how it's going to turn out. And this morning, maybe you just need to tell God. God, while I wait, I'll serve you, use me in the lives of others, but, god, I pray that you would satisfy me in you. Satisfy me, god, with yourself. And maybe you're here this morning and you can't pray that prayer yet, because you haven't given your life to Jesus. And you want this Jesus, you want a relationship with Jesus, you want Jesus to do these things in your life and to make your life count and matter, like he's doing with the disciples, like he's doing with his children, with his believers.
Speaker 1:So maybe this morning is the morning that Jesus can do the greatest miracle in your life, and he will not tell you to wait. He will tell you yes, right now, he will do this miracle in you. He promises right now, and that is when you give your life to him, he will save you the greatest miracle he could ever do for you. So, right here, right now, I want to encourage you just pray to the Lord Jesus and just say, jesus, if you've never done this before Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross for my sins and I ask you to forgive me all of my sin. Jesus, I believe that you rose from the dead. And so, jesus, I give my life to you and I believe in you. I believe that you're my Lord, I believe that you're my God, I believe that you're my God, I believe that you're my Savior. And the Bible says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, believe with your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Jesus, we thank you for that. We love you in Jesus' name.
Speaker 1:And all God's people said put your hands together. Put your hands together for anybody that gave their life to Jesus. This morning, we're so thankful for all that God is doing. I just want to ask you to stand up right now, and we're going to worship Jesus together here in just a minute. But I just want you right now, just to focus on him and just to remember that he is the only miracle worker in your life, and Jesus out of his wisdom. He has a purpose for his timing, he has a purpose for his will, he has a purpose for what he is doing in you, in the way and in the time that he does it. And so, while you're waiting, you get to worship him this morning. Let's worship Jesus if he's done the miracle. Let's worship Jesus if you're waiting on the miracle, because he's the same miracle worker wherever you are in your journey. Let's worship him together right now.