This message was given at Grace Community Church in Minden, Nevada. At the end, we will give information about how to contact us to receive a copy of this or other messages. If you have your Bibles, let's open up to Luke's Gospel, Chapter 9. Luke, Chapter 9. This is the reading of God's Word. On their return, the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida. When the crowds learned it, they followed him and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing. Now the day began to wear away and the 12 came and said to him, send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions for we are here in a desolate place. But he said to them, you give them something to eat. They said, we have no more than five loaves and two fish. unless we are to go and buy food for all these people. For there were about 5,000 men. And he said to his disciples, have them sit down in groups of about 50 each. And they did so and had them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, 12 baskets of broken pieces. This is the reading of God's word. So, this passage, It follows a simple structure, actually. And it's something that I hope encourages you, and I hope it's something easy to follow. It goes in three parts, just very naturally. You know me, I'm bad at three-part sermons. I've got seven-part sermons, I've got 12-part sermons, but this one is very naturally three. Problem, inability, God provides. You can remember that, huh? Problem, they've got a horde of people to feed. Inability, they can't do it by themselves. God provides, Jesus steps forward and does what only God can do. What's so helpful about this structure is that it turns out it's all across the scriptures. It's all across the scriptures. Abraham and Sarah need a child to fulfill the promise of God. They're unable to do it on their own, and so guess what? God provides. Israel is enslaved to oppressive Egypt. They are unable to redeem themselves from their slavery, so God provides. Goliath arrogantly mocks the army of God, and none of them are able to stand before him, so God provides. These stories are across all of scripture and they are woven into a tapestry. It turns out this structure is the structure of the big story itself, of all of scripture. Humanity gives themselves over to sin and to death. In this hole they have dug themselves, they are unable to free themselves from their guilt and from their condemnation. They are unable to make themselves right with God. And so, guess what? God provides. It is all across the scripture, problem, inability, God provides. And what we have today, it's this very same structure, the very same structure, but we gain because of this passage, a new insight into what it will mean that God provides. It turns out that God provides means far more than the people of God have ever imagined. So you look at the text and you get into verses 10 and 11 and we're setting the stage. It's the context that we're going to unpack. The disciples have returned from their successful mission. We talked about this last week. Jesus authorized, empowered, sent his disciples forward on a mission. He gave them power to heal. He gave them power over the evil spirits. He gave them the authorization to go and proclaim the kingdom of God. And they went forward in faith and it worked out just like he was saying it was going to. And so they come back from this successful mission. And they go to Bethsaida for a time of rest and a time of privacy. You have to imagine this was the first time they went forward and they just did some big works. It was a big mission that they just went on. It was a very big deal in their lives. And undoubtedly they're tired. You know, they've been sleeping on couches for all this time, traveling around, preaching the word of God. And there's a lot to talk about. There's a lot to report. Guys, this is what happened with me. What happened with you? Jesus, this happened. What does that mean, right? There must be so much to talk about. And so Jesus is something of an act of grace and of mercy. He's trying to get them away from the crowds and from the busyness of normal life. But the crowds hear about it anyway. The crowds hear about it anyways, and they follow them out to Bethsaida. There they are, the 12 and Jesus. They're just trying to have a peaceful time together, and yet these crowds, they want so badly to be with them. I did not plan this, but this is going to feel a little bit like Pastor Brian after the service. 300 people dying to be with him, right? And so I trust you to use some discretion on how many people should come swarm our good brother. But they want to be with him, whatever their plans were, trying to get away from it all, they want to be with him. And in one sense, you can't fault them for this, can you? You can't fault them for showing up even when they weren't invited because it's Jesus after all. It is Jesus after all. Even if they are totally intruding on these plans, these people seem to get it. There's so many other people across the gospel, even just this far, who they didn't want Jesus around. They didn't want to be with him. And these people are willing to crash a party to be with him. Where Jesus is, everyone should want to be. That is the conviction that drives them. Where Jesus is, everyone should want to be. And Jesus, just this testimony, this epitome of grace and of welcoming, you don't see him saying, oh guys, come on. I wanted to talk with my disciples. You guys wait over there. Maybe I'll come preach you a sermon. He welcomes them. He welcomes them. In one sense, you might see those crowds as totally interfering with his plans, but no, he welcomes them. And he ministers to them. And you see him doing just what he sent his disciples out to do just in the previous passages. He proclaims the kingdom of God and he heals people. You see how the ministry that he gave his disciples, it is right in line with the ministry that he himself performs. There's a continuity there. And so Jesus blesses the crowd and he continues to display the power that he alone possesses. You set the stage and now we can talk about the problem. The problem arises with just a day full of Jesus's ministry. Verses 12 and 13, I'll read them for you just one more time. It says, now the day began to wear away and the 12 came and said to Jesus, send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions for we are here in a desolate place. But he said to them, you give them something to eat. You give them something to eat. So it gets late in the day and the disciples are starting to have some very practical concerns. It is a desolate, empty place where they are. And so they're starting to think ahead. This has been some great ministry, Jesus. You've been doing some mighty things, but you know what? These people need to go get something to eat. These people need to go get something to eat. They need to find a place to stay. This crowd, you see, they're just engaged. They're engaged and they're not just trickling away as the day goes by. Like imagine I preach a two, three hour sermon. Bit by bit, some of you would get uncomfortable. Bit by bit, you would start just working your way out, right? Some of you might persevere, but the day would be catching up with you. Your stomachs would be catching up with you. Your kids are going crazy next to you, right? And you would start trickling away. But this crowd, they are engaged. They're not trickling off as they get hungry. They're not worried about time passing and the night coming and no one brought a sleeping bag out to stay in the wilderness of Bethsaida. They're just listening to Jesus. They are just listening to Jesus, watching Jesus, and the time that passes, it's just not really on their mind. And so, let's grant, let's totally grant that the disciples have a good heart here. They're not being territorial, they're not irritated or something. They have a good heart in this request, and they're thinking, These people need the time to be able to go home or at least find some place to stay around here. You can't just leave 5,000 people out to go camping exposed to the elements with no food around them. And that's when the problem comes crashing down on them because Jesus says, well, here's your solution. You give them something to eat. You give them something to eat. It's funny for us because we're not there. Because I just am convinced the more I study the Gospels that Jesus just bewilders his disciples sometimes, doesn't he? He says things that they are totally unprepared for. Here, you know it. You just know it. They think they are recommending the only possible solution. Right? We can't feed 5,000 people here. We gotta do something about this. Here's the solution, Jesus. And then Jesus says something that none of them are ready for. You give them something to eat. You give them something to eat. Just picture after he says that, what do you say to that? I've got no proof here, but I imagine the disciples are just speechless. Just speechless. Did he just, did you just hear that? Did he just say we give them something to eat? At least for a moment, even Peter, right? Just shut up for a moment. What do you mean we give them something to eat? And so you see how the problem demonstrates now their inability. The second half of 13 leads off like this. They said, we have no more than five loaves and two fish. Unless we're to go and buy food for all these people. there were about 5,000 men. See, the disciples are saying, Jesus, this is not possible to do what you are telling us to do. Okay, here are our options, Jesus. We don't have enough food for them. Five loaves and two fish, probably not enough for the 12, much less for 5,000 men. And then they say, we don't have enough food and we don't have enough money. Mark, all four gospels actually recall this story and Mark and his points out that they're saying this would cost like 200 denarii to give them just a little something. And that's not a currency we're familiar with, but we generally call that a day's wages. 200 days wages so we can maybe just give them all, I don't know, like a snack. Not to mention, where can we go to buy this much food? Imagine you've got 5,000 people and someone's like, okay, you get them something to eat. And you're like, okay, and what am I going to do? Go to Rayleigh's? I don't know. Do they have food for 5,000 people on hand? I don't know. You guys can tell me later. Some of you will know that answer, right? And this is just no small sum of money. Just imagine someone coming to you and saying, hey, would you mind just going and buying enough food for the 5,000 person picnic we're about to have? That would worry you. And so the disciples run through, these are the possibilities. We can either give them food. Oh, we don't have food. We can either buy, or we could buy them food. Oh, we don't have money. So you know what? These are all the possibilities. And then they just kind of give up, don't they? They just give up. Jesus, this isn't possible. You can see just how much the disciples have to learn. One of the things I don't know if you're getting, I hope you are, as we go through a whole gospel is to see that the disciples were not finished products when Jesus got them. There is so much work he put into them and so much more work that even happened after he ascended into heaven. They have so much still to learn. Reflect on what they had just done. They had just gone forward, miraculously empowered on this amazing missions trip. And how did God provide for that mission? Was it through their limited means? No, God took care of it. God provided for them. Jesus made it possible for these mere men to heal diseases, to preach the kingdom of God, to cast out demons. Couldn't they have some question in their head that said, I wonder what else Jesus might be able to do? Isn't that a fairly reasonable question given all that they have seen and experienced? See, when Jesus commands them to do something impossible, Maybe they need to rethink what impossible means. Maybe they need to rethink what impossible means. And notice also, they don't even consider asking Jesus. They don't go and say, Jesus, we've got these two options, neither of them seems to work. Is there something we are missing? That would have been pretty good actually. They don't say, Jesus, we've noticed that you seem to have miraculous powers that only God possesses. Is there something special you could do here? Again, would have been a good question, but even for all that they have witnessed, they are still learning to simply ask. They are still learning to simply ask. Do you ever forget to simply ask? Have you ever looked at your life and run through just like a few ideas that you have and then just conclude that God's will isn't possible? Have you ever forgotten what your God is capable of? Have you ever forgotten that your Savior is mighty? Mighty to help. Mighty to bless, mighty to save, mighty to work good in your darkest days. Brothers, sisters, we take a very big step of faith when we simply remember who Jesus is and then ask him for help. The disciples are presented with a problem that is too big for them. They lack the means. They lack the ability. And so Jesus steps in and Jesus provides. Jesus provides. In the face of their inability, Jesus takes over. I imagine, again, that awkward silence when they realize we have no ideas here, Jesus. He sees that blank look, maybe that terror-filled look on their faces. Okay, I've got this then. Have them sit in groups of 50, he starts out. Have them go break up into groups. And this is just a logistical thing as far as I can tell. It would have been, it would have made serving them more organized, more doable. Have them break up into these groups of 50 and then have them sit down. And in a small way, in a small way, this makes clear what is really going on. These people need merely sit and receive. They're not doing anything here. They're not. They are simply going to be served. And so Jesus takes that food donated, hopefully not taken from that little boy that John's gospel tells us about. He takes that food and he blesses it. And by blessing, it's probably like a prayer of thanksgiving. And there he is, like a good Jewish host, presiding over a meal at his house. It just happens to be a meal of 5,000 people. And Norval Gale in the house, he points out that there's a good chance, he said, the ancient Jewish prayer of Thanksgiving, blessed art thou, O Lord, our God, King of the universe, who bring us forth bread from the earth. He thanks the father. He breaks the bread and he gives the food to the disciples for distribution. And then, this quiet miracle happens. Bite by bite, basket by basket, 5,000 people eat. And they eat to the point of satisfaction. Just picture, some of you are good at mass cooking. How much food is that? 5,000 men eat to the point of satisfaction. However much food that is, that is a lot more food than five loaves and two fish. And in the end, it's just like this divine bit of flourish. There are leftovers. There are leftovers, 12 baskets full of leftovers. This was an abundant meal that only the king could have provided. Some commentators, they point out that you're starting to get an echo of the Exodus here. Because in that time, a great number of people were led out of Egypt into the wilderness, and they were led out by Moses. And there they were miraculously fed by manna from heaven. And that provision, do you remember how much it was, how much was given? It was just enough, wasn't it? That miraculous manna from heaven came down to provide for their daily needs. And so now, this time under Jesus, a great number of people is taken into the wilderness. Again, miraculously and abundantly fed though. Fed to the point that it's not just your daily need anymore, but 12 baskets full of leftovers. Under one greater than Moses, the people received a greater provision. And in this greater provision, you just can't miss that Jesus carves out a place of service for his disciples. On their own, the disciples were weak. They were unable. They couldn't do it. But Christ still wanted to use them. Christ still wanted to use them. So Jesus provided mightily and the disciples got to distribute the blessing. You can believe we're coming back to that. In these early days of Jesus's ministry, the disciples are constantly learning about what Jesus is capable of. See, before Jesus performed any given miracle, they didn't even know what they could ask for. Sometimes they didn't know, like intellectually know they could ask. Sometimes they just lacked the faith to ask. But every miracle, every miracle would show them new depths of what Jesus could provide. When faced with evil powers, Jesus cast them out. When faced with storms that threaten to sink your boat, Jesus can still the sea. When faced with disease, when faced with death, Jesus can heal. And now when faced with hunger, Jesus can provide for that too. In hindsight, we can see that every miracle had a way of pointing ahead to the next one. Every miracle had a way of pointing ahead to the next one. Casting out demons might have been a good clue that Jesus could command nature. Raising the dead might have been a good clue that Jesus could handle feeding 5,000 people. Now, what do you think feeding 5,000 people points us ahead to? What is Jesus showing us? When John tells this story, and he tells it at great length, it's great, it's in John chapter six, we get some valuable light shed on this question. See, everyone would have been impressed that Jesus could provide bread, that miraculously he could feed a bunch of people. That was impressive, but that's not what Jesus wanted to drive home. In John's telling, he would after this say, do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the son of man will give to you. In other words, bread is not what you really need. Having your bellies full is not what you really need. You need food that does more than sustain your body for a day. You need food that will sustain your soul for all eternity. Jesus, in that same chapter, in chapter six, he would go on to say, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. He would say, I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. Yes, this miracle shows us that Jesus could provide, but Jesus wants us to see more than that. He wants us to see more than that he can provide. He wants us to see that he is the provision. So this miracle, ultimately, it's not about earthly bread. It's about the true bread of heaven. It's about Jesus Christ himself. Jesus doesn't just want to give people a meal. He wants to give them life. You see, we, without Christ, we have a very big problem. Our sin-stained souls are dying of hunger. We are far from God and we are guilty as can be. We are dead inside and every day moving steadily toward judgment. And like these disciples, we're unable to solve that problem. We're in trouble. We are unable Really, I mean, say you believe me, that you have a problem with your soul. How do you fix a soul? How do you fix a soul? Where do we find life and food for our souls? What can possibly satisfy this gnawing emptiness within us? Amen. Jesus. So many of us, you look around and you see squeaky clean people, but so many of us, we have tried the other route, haven't we? We have tried to satisfy our souls out there in that world. And you will find testimony after testimony after testimony of people who found distraction, but they never found satisfaction. We found hobbies, we found causes, but we never found eternal hope. We found self-improvement, but we never found new life. I pray for you. I just think, my God, I pray for you to see this need. to see it clearly about yourself. Because if you can see how deep and dark your need is without Christ, if you can see how unable you are to meet that need, like those disciples trying to feed 5,000 people, finally, you are in a spot to see Christ clearly. because it is for the needy and it is for the unable that Jesus provides. The gospel is the record of how God saw our problem, how God saw our inability, and that is why Jesus came. God sent bread from heaven so that your soul might be satisfied. so that your soul might be satisfied. God sent bread from heaven so that you would never have to die. Your greatest need is met in Jesus Christ if you will only receive it, if you will only have it. You know, whether you are a Christian or not, your greatest need is the same because every day you need Christ. Every single day. Every day you need the life and the hope that is only found in Him. And Jesus wants you to see that. And He wants you to see Him clearly. And maybe today for the very first time, see Him clearly. See in Him everything that you couldn't find out in the world. See in Him the hope and the peace that you could never find out there. See in Him the satisfaction that you never came close to in the world. See in Him the answer to your guilt and to your need. See, if you take one thing with you today, if you take one thing home with you today, take this, you need Christ, and you need him more than anyone, and you need him more than anything, because he alone saves, and he alone gives life, he alone gives hope, he alone satisfies. And if you understand that, if that becomes your life, your faith, your hope, your truth, if you understand that, then you'll have another role to play. Because once you have received the bread of life, you get to be like these disciples and you get to go and serve others the bread of life that God has provided. You know that emptiness that you once felt in your soul and you couldn't shake it, you couldn't get away from it? People everywhere are still feeling that emptiness, whether they know it or not. What was once killing you, it is still killing people out in the world and it's doing it by the millions. And just like you before Christ, their soul's problem, it's more than they can handle. They're unable to handle it. They're starving, and they don't know where the bread is. They're dying, and they don't know the great physician. They are lost and they are hopeless in this world like sheep without a shepherd. So saints, Christians, disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord calls you. He calls you to stand up and distribute the bread that fed your soul. People need the Savior. who saved you. People need the Savior who fed your soul. There is no one out there, and no one in here for that matter, whose need is too great for him. You see the lost? They can be found. They just need the shepherd that you already know. The starving, they can be fed. They just need the bread that you have already received. The dead can live. They just need the life that Christ alone provides. In Jesus Christ, God has provided. And he's provided for humanity's greatest need. And now God calls you. God calls each of you to go out and at least try to share the bread. When your soul sings for joy at the forgiveness that you have Shouldn't someone hear about that? When your soul is comforted, when it's comforted by the hope that is found in Christ alone, aren't there other people out there who need that hope? When you sing of the salvation and the love and the goodness of God, aren't those songs meant to be sung out there too? They are. And saints, we need to repent because sometimes we can be pretty close handed with sharing the bread of life. We just got to own that. Have you ever read some powerful bit of the word? And it rocks your soul. It blesses you. And yet no one ever hears about it. Have you ever heard a sermon and you just felt like you were the only one in the room, like God had designed that sermon for you? He was speaking directly to you. Yet how often does anyone else know that you had such an amazing experience? You see, in today's passage, Jesus, he could have fed the whole crowd without any help, right? He absolutely could have done it by himself. He could have rained down manna all over again. Could have rained down Subway sandwiches. He was not limited. He could have done it all by himself. But Jesus chose to use his disciples. Jesus provided the food, but it was the disciples who were the ones to take the food to the crowd. It's the same way with us. Jesus has provided the salvation. You don't have to save anyone. Jesus provided the salvation, but you know what? He intends for us to take that salvation out to the world. Christian, you are meant to take the bread of life out into the world. Do you know someone who is desperately in need of God? I know you do. It's time to speak. It is time to speak. Go tell hungry souls where you found bread. Go tell dying souls where you found life. And yes, you may doubt your ability. You may think I'm unable to do this. The job is too big. But take this with you and we'll close here. Jesus fed 5,000 people with only five loaves and two fish. And in the same way, he intends to save souls using you. He knows your problems. He knows your inabilities, but saints be encouraged because once more, He will provide. Let's pray. Our God, we thank you for the bread of life. Our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for the satisfaction of our souls that we, we couldn't find anywhere else. We pray, Lord, that you would root us in how much you have done for us, how much you have given us. May no one in this room be able to get away from the bread of life. May every person in this room find the satisfaction of their soul that is in Jesus Christ alone. And then, Lord, use us. Make us brave, make us loving, make us compassionate, make us wise, make us useful in sharing the bread of life. We pray this in Jesus's name. Amen. We hope you've enjoyed this message from Grace Community Church in Minden, Nevada. To receive a copy of this or other messages, call us at area code 775-782-6516 or visit our website gracenevada.com.